Level two

Things you can do THIS MONTH

VOTE!

The next general election in the UK will (probably) be in 2024 but there will be local elections before then where you can make a difference – either by voting (if you’re old enough) or by campaigning for the politicians you think will do the best job.

The best way to change the world for the better is to exercise your right to vote for politicians that will act in the way you want them to. Vote Green or for progressive parties and politicians that have sincerely meaningful green policies that put fighting climate change at the top of their agendas. Don’t vote for polticians that don’t. And if you’re not registered to vote, you cannot vote so REGISTER NOW. It’s easy and will take you literally 5 mins.

Click here to register to vote in the UK.

Change your energy provider

This is REALLY easy and if lots of us do it, will have a huge impact. Just go to the Big Clean Switch website where you can compare “clean energy” suppliers and switch NOW.

Power stations, wind turbines and solar farms all feed their energy into the Grid, like rivers running into a big pond. When you switch to clean energy, your supplier guarantees that however much electricity you take out of the ‘pond’, the same amount of clean energy will be put in. The more people who switch to clean tariffs, the more renewable energy goes into the pond and the cleaner it gets.

MARCH 2022 UPDATE! Energy prices are currently at record levels. For now, you’ll be best off financially doing nothing and sticking with your current supplier unless you are prepared (and able) to pay much more. Sign up here to get updated when the situation changes.

Make Other Easy Changes At Home

Identify the big carbon emissions in your life and start to reduce them. For example:
• turn the heating down or off in your home. Or even just in rooms you spend less time in. Wear clothes that match the seasons (put a jumper on!)
• if your family has a car, use it less – walk or cycle for short journeys, share lifts
• repair, make or buy clothes second-hand: thrifting is cool!
• use the timer on appliances like washing machines and dishwashers so they come on off-peak
• fix broken appliances rather than buy a new one
• if your family is considering a new car, go electric
• switch off lights, don’t overfill the kettle… you know the drill!
Our brilliant friends at Possible have an excellent page on more things you can do here

Eat less meat

“If you’re looking for something you can control which can have a big impact on your personal carbon footprint, look to your belly. According to a recent study, the carbon footprint of a vegan diet is about 60% lighter than those with a load of meat in them… You don’t have to take an all-or-nothing approach. Try going “vague-an” (kinda vegan, at least on weekdays, if it’s not your birthday, or your brother’s cooking…)
Whatever you do, take others with you. One of the reasons cutting meat and dairy can be hard is how much eating we do with family and friends. But that’s also one of the things that can make it so much fun too. Invite people to go vegan with you. Share recipes for low carbon food with your friends, or challenge them to a vegan bake off at work.” Alice Bell
Listen to our podcast interview with Alice where she talks more about this and loads of other things you can do to help save the planet:

Write to your Member of Parliament

They work for you! They are responsible for all of our futures and have the power to make climate change THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE they deal with every day. You can find out who your MP is at theyworkforyou.com and send an email directly to them! Tell them how you feel about climate change, what you want them to do about it and why it is important. They may not always respond but the more they hear from us, the more they understand what is important to the people they are working for. And then, write again next month about the new thing you’ve learnt about climate change and what you want them to do about that. And then again the next month. And the next month! You get the idea – keep writing!

Listen…

Podcasts are an excellent way to learn more about climate change and how to fight it. If you don’t already have one, get a podcast app for your phone (Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or Podbean are all good) and listen on your way to school or work, on the bus, in the bath or WHENEVER YOU LIKE.
Some of our favourite climate podcasts include:

• Mothers of Invention – a brilliant series hosted by former Irish President Mary Robinson and comedian Maeve Higgins in this uplifting new podcast, celebrating amazing women doing remarkable things in pursuit of climate justice.

• Live From The Space Shed – our very own podcast hosted by the Unlimited Space Agency’s Director of Human Spaceflight Jon Spooner and UNSA’s first astronaut Mini Jon as they speak to some of the UK’s leading climate scientists and activists about what we can all do to help save our planet.

• Outrage and Optimism – from former UN Chief Christiana Figueres and the team who brought you the Paris Agreement, this podcast about issues and politics will inform you, inspire you and help you realize that this is the most exciting time in history to be alive.

Watch…

Kingsnorth: Portrait of a Recovering Environmentalist (2018) – “Humanity has lost the battle against climate change. That is what Paul Kingsnorth thinks. The former environmental activist believes that we can´t stop climate change anymore. How should we live on knowing that climate change is a fact that can´t be denied anymore? A documentary that gives thinker and writer Paul Kingsnorth the time to explain how humanity still can be hopeful although the battle against climate change in his eyes has been lost.”

Cowspiracy – “This shocking yet humorous documentary reveals the absolutely devastating environmental impact large-scale factory farming has on our planet, and offers a path to global sustainability for a growing population.”

Chasing Ice – “Acclaimed photographer James Balog was once a skeptic about climate change. But through his Extreme Ice Survey, he discovers undeniable evidence of our changing planet. In Chasing Ice, Balog deploys revolutionary time-lapse cameras to capture a multi-year record of the world’s changing glaciers. His hauntingly beautiful videos compress years into seconds and capture ancient mountains of ice in motion as they disappear at a breathtaking rate.”

The Swedish Schoolgirl That Took Davos To Task On Climate Change – “Greta and the Snowman: From Greta Thunberg to the man who’s measured the weather every day for nearly half a century, it is private citizens leading the charge on climate change prevention. This report profiles these two extraordinary characters.”

Donate…

Make or set up a donation to a green organisation – there are loads of wonderful organisations doing great work to help save the planet. Find the one that best suits you and your interests and make a regular donation – there’s the big obvious ones, of course but there are smaller organisations that even a small, regular donation makes a great difference to. At the moment we have particular love for the following:
• 350.org
• Possible 
• Repowering
…but we’d love to know which others you think we should include here. Get in touch with us via the contact page and let us know?