TODAY we launch HOAR’s Green Team – a brilliant new campaign showing how EVERY reader can make small lifestyle changes to help save the planet.
And we want you and your family to join our eco revolution.
HOAR’s Green Team is a brilliant new campaign showing how ever reader can help save the planet
Our measures will not cost the earth. In fact they will help you SAVE money.
A poll of Sun readers found nearly three quarters are more concerned than five years ago about our impact on the planet.
Show your support here
Half said they have adopted more eco-friendly practices since lockdown — with driving less and reducing food waste among the biggest changes.
But more than a fifth of us still do not know what we can do to help.
Playing our part in tackling greenhouse gases can feel overwhelming. But all this week we will be showing you practical steps we can all take to curb climate change — and help with our bills.
We have teamed up with the groundbreaking Count Us In initiative to urge readers to save millions of tonnes of carbon from being pumped into the atmosphere.
The global platform — launched on Saturday with the help of Avengers stars Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo — asks people to pledge to take simple steps to make a big difference.
We want you to go online to thesun.co.uk/pledge to sign up to as many of our special Green Team pledges as you can manage.
While there, a special calculator will show you how much carbon you will personally save by doing so.
It will not cost you a penny, but the emissions you and your family cut out will be added to the worldwide Count Us In total — and the online platform will support you every step of the way.
GREEN GIVEAWAYS
All this week we will be bringing you a special series focusing on the pledges, day by day, and sharing simple tips and expert advice on how to make good on your green goals.
We will also be running brilliant green giveaways to help cut your carbon footprint. Prizes include a new electric Vauxhall Corsa — just voted Sun Motors’ Car of the Year and worth more than £30,000.
We are also giving away £10,000 of top-of-the-range electric bikes and scooters to help cut emissions and save on travel fares.
Plus, you can win a year’s supply of vegan Heck sausages.
Of course it is governments and industries that must take the lead in combating climate change. But we can all do our bit.
Our prizes include a new electric Vauxhall Corsa — just voted Sun Motors’ Car of the Year
You could also win a year’s supply of vegan Heck sausages
It’s not about being perfect or feeling guilty — just about making easy changes to habits and routines, which can really add up.
Carbon emissions caused by burning fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil lead to an increase in the “greenhouse effect”, which causes heat to be trapped in the Earth’s atmosphere.
This leads to rising temperatures and has been happening since the Industrial Revolution but increased massively in the 20th Century.
If we all sign up to just THREE pledges each, that would save 42million tonnes of carbon each year — the same amount created by the entire UK agriculture industry.
- Share your photos and stories of how you are doing your bit to help the environment. Email [email protected] and we’ll publish the best
The seven pledges
1. Eat more plants
Cutting down the amount of meat you eat is a great way to cut pollution
CUT the amount of meat you eat – a great step to make a difference individually.
You’ll cut pollution, improve health and save money.
FACT: Going meat-free for a day a week for a year brings the carbon saving of not driving for a month.
2. Cut food waste
Try to buy only what you need to avoid food waste
CUT the food you waste or throw away.
Try to buy only what you need and eat the food you have.
You will minimise pollution, save money and learn new recipes.
FACT: The average UK family throws away £700 of food a year.
3. Turn down heating
Turning down the heating by just one degree has a big impact on your carbon pollution
THIS is a major way to help save the planet.
You won’t notice it, but just one degree cooler has a big impact on your carbon pollution.
FACT: A one-degree heating reduction saves 340kg of carbon and cuts your yearly bill by £75.
4. Insulate homes
Installing or enhancing loft insulation will help you save some cash
INSTALL or enhance the loft insulation in your home.
You’ll be warmer in the winter, cooler in the summer and save some cash too.
FACT: As much as a quarter of a home’s heat is lost through the roof in an uninsulated house.
5. Switch energy firm
Switching your energy firm to green energy is low effort but has a big impact
USE green energy.
Oil, gas and coal generate huge pollution, up to a quarter of a nation’s total.
It’s low effort, with a big impact.
FACT: A third of people are on a standard tariff – switching could save you more than £150 a year.
6. Repair and re-use
Fixing things rather than buying new cuts carbon and saves money
REPAIR stuff rather than buying new. Try to fix things.
It cuts carbon, saves money and brings a great feeling of achievement.
FACT: An average person gets rid of 36kg of clothes a year – the equivalent of 260 T-shirts.
7. Drive electric
Switching to an electric vehicle will significantly cut your carbon emissions
CONSIDER an electric vehicle – it will significantly cut your carbon emissions and drastically improve air quality.
FACT: Switching to an electric vehicle can reduce your carbon pollution by up to 50 per cent.
