Measuring your ecological footprint takes less than 5 minutes and could set you on a life-changing journey...Start the calculator

Tom's profile

1.86 planets

I live in the countryside with my wife and two small children. I’ve been trying hard to reduce my environmental impact for the last year, at work and at home; in particular I’ve stopped driving to work, given up flying and replaced our boiler. I’m particularly interested in personal carbon trading.

Add Tom to your friends

Tom's diary entries...

Personal Carbon Rationing

Posted by Tom over 5 years ago

Tom has done all this ...

Food
Cut down on meat and dairy produceHelp

Did you know: Because of the large area of land or sea needed to raise livestock and catch fish, eating less meat and fish could reduce your food footprint by up to 40%
Travel
Reduce your car use for short journeys, especially those under two milesHelp

Did you know: Over 1/4 of all car journeys made in the UK are less than two miles. Walking, cycling or taking public transport instead will help reduce congestion and carbon dioxide emissions and could also reduce your overall footprint by about 4%. Walking and cycling are ideal low-carbon ways to get fitter and to get to know your local area.
Home
Unplug appliances when not in use and avoid using stand-byHelp

Did you know: Some appliances, like digital set top boxes, use nearly as much energy in standby mode as when they are switched on. Almost a billion pounds of electricity is wasted every year in the UK by people leaving appliances on standby!
Stuff
Don't buy or use super-energy inefficient products like patio heaters

View all their completed eco tips

Tom has pledged to ...

Food
Reduce your food miles and avoid buying produce which has been air freighted to the UKHelp

Did you know: Per mile, air freighting releases 10 times more CO2 than goods transported by road and 50 times more than sea freighted goods. Reading the labels can help you to find out the country of origin of your food, and retailers can tell you how it was delivered to the store. This will help you make informed choices about the distance your food has travelled before it lands on your plate.
Food
Buy more seasonal foodHelp

Did you know: Although we could meet over 70% of our eating needs from food grown in the UK, we import more than half of the food we consume. Buying locally-grown, seasonal food would mean we could reduce our food miles, use less packaging to preserve fresh produce, and not least help us reconnect with the annual patterns of seasonal produce.
Stuff
Use recycled products
Stuff
Avoid over-packaged products