Council Reports The number one thing we can all do is to reduce our waste in the first place. One way to do this is to take your own bags to the supermarket so you don’t need to buy new ones. Some coffee shops will give you a modest discount if you bring your own reusable cup - if you do so, you won’t be sending a single-use coffee cup to landfill. These are habits which take time to cultivate; however, after a while they become second nature. Walk to School Week - May 2022 Sometimes, doing the right thing for the environment comes with added health benefits. For example, with the ever-increasing price of fuel it makes sense to leave the car at home when making short journeys and using a bike or walking instead. Encouraging children to walk to school, where possible, means that we can all enjoy reduced congestion and pollution, while the children are well on their way to meeting the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity per day to stay fit and healthy. This year, Walk to School Week runs from Monday 16 to Friday 20 May. Why not take advantage of the warmer weather and start a new daily habit? Turn off your engine Another way to save fuel and reduce your carbon emissions is to turn off your engine when queuing at a long red traffic light or when parked up. A lot of us worry that it is inefficient to do this but in fact, sitting with the engine running for 10 seconds uses more fuel than switching it off and on again. If we take the Mill Road/NAR crossroads as an example, this is a spot where we can often be waiting our turn at the lights for much longer than just 10 seconds! Most modern manual cars have a start-stop system fitted as standard so are designed to switch off when put into neutral. Smart meters Another rising cost for households is energy, both gas and electricity. If we watch what we spend on heating etc. then that helps both our wallet and the planet. One budgeting tool which you may wish to consider is a smart meter. The government has required energy suppliers in England, Scotland and Wales to provide smart meters to their customers. 15
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