List of Commitments

The following table contains a list of about 35 Personal Commitments that you can make to stop Climate Change

When you have chosen a Commitment or two click on the Commitment Form
and let the whole world know that you are doing something positive to stop Dangerous Climate Change.

Your name will appear on the "Hall of Fame webpage" within a week or so.

 

Travel

T01 ** Drive slower (50 mph instead of 70 mph) Reducing your motorway speed from 70 mph to 50 mph produces 25% less CO2 emissions.
T02 ** Next time you buy a car, buy a fuel efficient car There is a huge difference in the fuel efficiency of cars. Aim for a car that emits less than 130 grams CO2/litre. Avoid sports cars, 4X4s, SUVs, and people carriers
T03 * Share your car journey with someone else. 38% of all car journeys have only one occupant. See www.carsharedevon.com for more information.
T04 * Join a car club. Car trips with only 1 driver account for 38% of all car journeys. Exeter has its own car club: Exe Co-Cars. Website: www.co-cars.co.uk
T05 ** Reduce your number of car journeys by 20%. Travel by train, bus, bike or walk instead. Typically travelling by bus will be 2 or 3 times more efficient, by train 5 or 6 times more efficient, and cycling and walking are of course vastly more efficent.
T06 ** Reduce your number of car journeys by 50%. This is quite challenging. Typically travelling by bus will be 2 or 3 times more efficient, by train 5 or 6 times more efficient, and cycling and walking are of course vastly more efficent.
T07 * Ride a bike at least once a week More people own a bike than a car. But for many it stays in the garage.
T08 * Use your bike for all journeys under 2 miles 25% of all car journeys are less than 2 miles.
T09 *** Use your bike for all journeys under 5 miles. This is quite challenging. 58% of all car journeys are less than 5 miles.
T10 ** Ride a bike to work every day So far only 3% of people in Exeter cycle to work. Yet the majority of people live less than 4 miles (half an hour on a bike) from work.
T11 ***** Campaign for better cycling. There are not enough people campaigning for better cycling
T12 **** Avoid Air Travel for Life Travelling by air is the worst way you can travel. It produces about 19 times more greenhouse gases than rail travel
T13 ** Holiday in Devon Is it really necessary to go abroad every year? Devon is the perfect holiday destination. Don’t go abroad until you have discovered every treasure that Devon has to offer. Target: At least half your annual holidays to be in Devon
T14 *** Reducing Air Travel Set a personal target of flying a 2000 mile journey (e.g. Return flight to Spain) no more than once every 5 years

Electricity

E01 * Don’t leave electrical items on standby. Switch Off If everyone switched their TV off at night, the energy saved would power a city the size of Basingstoke
E02 ** Turn the iron off when there is only one item left to iron Doesn’t sound much does it? But it’s easy to do. It’s many small actions collectively that add up to making a big difference
E03 * Buy a windup radio.
Buy a windup torch.
Batteries produce electricity inefficiently. Manufactured by BayGen Freeplay.
E04 **** Buy Green Electricity. Switch your electricity supplier. Choose Good Energy (unit[e]), Ecotricity or Green Energy. For details about switching your supplier, click on the Green Electricity Marketplace: www.greenelectricity.org/
E05 *** Sign up to the Embrace Wind campaign. Wind power in the UK already generates enough energy to power half a million homes. It is creating thousands of new jobs. It is cheap, efficient and clean. Log on to www.embracewind.com
E06 ** Buy energy efficient household appliances. All household appliances (white goods) are now rated "A" to "G". Only buy fridges, washing machines (etc.) that are rated "A".
E07 * Don’t buy a dishwasher. Dishwashers use a lot of water and energy. And very often don’t clean your dishes properly unless they are already rinsed. Choose a more traditional (manual) dishwashing method.

Heating and Insulation

H01 *** Turn down the thermostat by 1ºC For every degree that you turn down your thermostat, you will save about 10% on your heating bill.
H02 *** Fit cavity wall insulation throughout. Cavity wall insulation will cut heat lost through your walls by 60%. Saving money and carbon dioxide emissions.
H03 *** Maximise your loft insulation. You can save up to 20% on your heating costs. Aim to upgrade your loft insulation to at least 200mm (8 inches).
H04 ** Choose a Condensing Boiler (if your existing central heating packs up). Condensing Boilers are the most efficient boilers for central heating. Typically 88% efficient compared to 72% for statndard boilers.
H05 **** Super-insulate your whole house. Maximise your loft insulation (200mm), cavity wall insulation, double glazing, draught stripping and floor insulation.

Lighting

L01 ** Switch off all lights when not needed. Lighting is responsible for 7% of all carbon dioxide emissions. Become the "light monitor" in your household, and your workplace.
L02 ** Replace all your tungsten light bulbs with compact fluorescents. Compact fluorescents use 70% less electricity than tungsten lightbulbs. Not only that, but in the long term you will save money.
L03 * Have light, bright walls in your house. If you paint your walls white or have light light wallpaper your house will be so much brighter. You won’t need to put your lights on so early.
L04 ** Sign your business up to "Lightswitch". "Lightswitch" aims to give grants to small businesses to install Low Energy Lighting in their business to save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Website: www.lightswitch.co.uk. Tel: 08705 133 538

Shopping

S01 ** Shop locally. Avoid supermarkets. Avoid Food Miles. The average item you buy in a supermarket has travelled 1000 miles. Shop at your local farmers market, farm shop.
S02 * Buy nothing on "Buy Nothing Day". This happens once a year, usually in November. Just once, take a break from the "shop til you drop" culture. You may want to do it more often. Website: www.buynothingday.co.uk.

General

G01 ** Distribute leaflets to publicise "Exeter Climate Action". The message is important, but it’s only going to work if everyone knows about it. Contact 07801 136937 to get a bundle of A6 Flyers.
G02 **** Join Friends of the Earth This is where you can make a real difference. Contact Sue on 01392 276822 or email: exeter.foe@eclipse.co.uk.
G04 ***** Write letters about Climate Change to the local newspapers. This is a great way to keep the issue in the public mind.
It also sparks up a debate and allows us all to understand what the real issues are.

When you have chosen a Commitment or two click on the Commitment Form to Stop Dangerous Climate Change.
Your name will appear on the "Hall of Fame" within a week or so.


Latest Update:
December 2005
Web page updated by Maurice Spurway - Exeter FoE