Devon County Council

Although we recycle 45% of our household rubbish in Devon, 225,000 tonnes a year still ends up in landfill with the potential to release half a million tonnes of CO2.Reducing our rubbish and recycling more is easier than ever. With recycling collection schemes and centres across the county, you can dispose of paper, cardboard, cans, plastics, bottles, food and garden waste in an environmentally sensitive way. Let’s keep up the good work.

Find out more at www.recycledevon.org

Over its lifetime an 11 watt low-energy light bulb consumes less than one fifth of the energy used by a traditional 60 watt bulb. Each one you fit will lighten your electricity bill by £35, paying for itself in a year. If every household in Devon swapped two normal 60 watt bulbs for low-energy ones, we’d save over 100,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions. Together, we’re powerful.

Become enlightened and see for yourself. Try the light bulb calculator at www.tvec.org.uk/energy_calc.asp

Using energy from sustainable sources will reduce your CO2 emissions and save you money over time. A solar hot water system, small-scale wind turbine, solar photovoltaic panels, ground source heat pump, or a wood chip boiler can reduce your reliance on fossil fuels. Renewable Energy for Devon (RE4D) offers free independent advice and support to households, businesses, public sector, schools and community organisations, plus grants to eligible small businesses and community organisations.

For free independent advice contact 0800 512 012 or email energy@re4d.org

Did you know that leaving appliances like TVs, set top boxes,

DVD players, phone chargers and PCs on standby costs the average Devon household over £37 a year in wasted electricity? If we all switched off our appliances we could prevent over 50,000 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.

Don’t be a waster. Switch on to switching off at www.est.co.uk/myhome or phone 0800 512 012

Every year over 17 billion plastic carrier bags are given away which is equivalent to 290 bags for every person in the UK. Many are not re-used adding around 100,000 tonnes to our landfill sites every year. While some stores offer customers incentives to re-use plastic bags or recycle them, the best option is not to use plastic bags at all.

Go on, buy a proper shopping bag for life.

Insulating your home is the most effective way of keeping it warm. Without proper insulation nearly 25% of the heat in your house will disappear through the roof and around 35% through the walls.

By installing the recommended depth of loft insulation (27cm or about twice the length of this card) you could save up to £220 a year on fuel bills. Cavity wall insulation could save a further £160. Together, these measures will save about a tonne of CO2 per home. Heat your home, not Devon!

For free and impartial advice call the Devon Energy Efficiency Advice Centre on 0800 512 012 or email info@wcea.org.uk…and for businesses call Envision on 0845 456 9350 or email save@envisionsw.org.uk

Over the course of a year the food we eat in Devon has travelled over 230 million miles generating around 240,000 tonnes of CO2. Devon has some of the best food and drink in the country, which is grown and made by people who are passionate about providing quality food. Buying Devon produce (from farmers’ markets, local shops, box schemes and online) supports Devon’s economy, reduces your ‘food miles’ and means you know exactly where your food has come from. It’s fresher, it’s tastier and it’s good for Devon.

To find out more about how and where to buy Devon produce, visit www.foodiedevon.com

Eco-driving isn’t just good for the environment, it’s lighter on your pocket too. The UK’s Driving Standards Agency proved that by driving smoothly, avoiding sharp acceleration and heavy braking, fuel consumption can be improved by over 8%. For the average Devon household that’s an extra 1,000 miles for free. And we could also reduce CO2 emissions by over 120,000 tonnes per year.

So remove the roof rack, avoid short journeys, stick to the speed limits and keep your tyres at the correct pressure.

Visit www.est.org.uk/myhome/efficientdriving or phone 0800 512 012

100 Devon Eco-Drives to be won. A one-to-one driving experience to learn how to reduce your fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. Simply email us with your name, address and contact number. rshelp@devon.gov.uk. Head your email ‘Eco-Drive’. Winners will be selected at random, and notified by 2/7/07.

Whether it’s the daily commute, a quick visit to the shops or picking the kids up, many of us automatically reach for the car keys. But if we had just one car free day every week, we could save over £120 a year on petrol bills and around 300 kilograms of CO2 emissions as well.

So why not give your car the day off? Call Traveline on 0871 200 22 33 or visit

www.traveline.org.uk or register at www.carsharedevon.com

Washing clothes at 30ºC instead of normal temperatures means you use 40% less electricity, saving you over £10 a year on your electricity bill and half a tonne of CO2 over the lifetime of the machine. If every household in Devon washed at 30ºC instead of 60ºC, together we could reduce our emissions by a massive 18,000 tonnes each year. Need a new machine? Buy an A-rated energy saving recommended appliance – that could save you another half a tonne! Lower

Get the full low-down at www.est.co.uk/myhome or phone 0800 512 012

Today, about two thirds of our electricity is generated by burning coal and gas in power stations. This releases millions of tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere every year. By switching to a green electricity tariff you may be able to reduce your contribution to climate change. You may even find it will cost you less.

See how changing your electricity supplier can make a real difference to our environment at www.uswitch.com or phone 0845 601 2856

The ideal temperature for a room is between 18°C and 21°C. Reducing your room temperature by 1°C could cut your heating bills by up to 10% and save you around £50 per year. If every household in Devon turned their thermostat down by 1°C, we would save 75,000 tonnes of CO2 every year. Sometimes the smallest change really can make a huge difference.

For a better living environment go to www.est.co.uk/myhome or phone 0800 512 012

*Free ThermometerTo ensure that your room temperature is correct, 2000 thermometers are available

from the Devon County Show and our Community Road Show bus.