St John's Environment Group

St John's has an active Environment Group which is helping everyone to recognise the personal impact of CO2 emissions. The Group has been emphasising the need for us all to recognise that changes in our personal lifestyles will be necessary if we in the UK are to meet the objective of reducing CO2 emissions by 60% by 2050. A public version of DEFRA's new CO2 calculator has been launched which you can find at http://actonco2.direct.gov.uk/index.html.  It is a simple way to understand and measure your carbon footprint and consider ways you might reduce it. You could also try www.footprint.wwf.org.uk as an alternative.

Here are a few simple things that we can all do:-

1. Do you always turn off the lights when they are not needed? It is better to do this even if it may be for only 5 minutes or so. Calculations indicate a saving of 375,000 tons of CO2 annually if we all did this simple task.

2. Do you leave your electronic devices (TV's, Videos, DVD's, Computers etc) always on stanby. The Carbon Trust estimate British people waste £163 million annually by not switching machines off properly.

3. Consider recycling items such as ink cartridges in the box at the back of church. Any proceeds will be donated to charities including Martin House children's hospice.

4. Check your tyre pressure if you use a car. Every 65 miles you drive with the right pressure could save 1kg of CO2.

5. Boil as much water as you need - Scottish Power has assessed that overfilling kettles wastes enough energy in a week to light a house for a day.

6. Turn off the tap - a dripping tap can waste an amazing 1,008 gallons per year. Turning off the tap whilst brushing your teeth saves 6 litres of water per minute.

7. Consider taking part in the Bradford and Dales Green Fund. Download the attached acrobat document for more information.

In addition there is now an opportunity to find a new home for unwanted items e.g. furniture, clothes, building materials (that are in a reasonable condition) rather than sending it to landfill. Please see the following local Ilkley Freecycle group for further information:-

The St John's Environment Group is always keen to hear of new initiatives and ideas to share with others to combat CO2 emissions and help our community reduce its own carbon footprint. If you would like to contribute or join the Group please contact Sylvia Walker. If you are interested in studying the issue of climate change in more detail please see the separate folder on climate change and follow the various links. 

Green Fund