How we can all do our bit to best help us save the planet
Hello and welcome to my new column on living a greener life. My name is Angela Terry and I’m an environmental scientist and mum-of-three. I’m here to highlight the easiest and most effective ways of changing the way we live to help protect the planet and the things we love.
With all the confusing – and often contradictory – information out there,
I will share the best practical tips, simple swaps and straightforward advice.
I’ll also be throwing in the latest eco-friendly celeb news for good measure!
I hope to prove that going green isn’t necessarily expensive or difficult.
And it can also often be fun! There are so many simple things we can all do to cut our carbon footprints.
Often these changes bring other benefits too, like saving you money or boosting your health and wellbeing.
Going green is about wasting less, being creative and, often, remembering good old-fashioned tips from times gone by.
You might hear some people say that it’s down to governments to tackle the climate crisis and that personal action just isn’t worth it.
Of course, it goes without saying that politicians have a crucial responsibility.
They need to take the lead and deliver the policies that encourage low-carbon lifestyles and ensure big polluters pay so we safeguard our future.
But the truth is that we can only meet our climate targets if we all do our bit.
After all, it’s personal action – when it’s adopted on a wide scale – that drives government decision making.
Likewise, if everyone starts buying greener products and services then, businesses will react quicker and invest in cleaning up their own act too.
It’s about government, business and personal action reinforcing each other.
To achieve the monumental cuts in carbon pollution that are so urgently needed, we all have a part to play.
Our kids and grandchildren are counting on us.
Thankfully, most people now want to go green.
As someone who’s worked as a carbon scientist, green energy pioneer and at the Forestry Commission, I know this firsthand.
Friends and family are always asking me for advice on how to be more eco-friendly.
Such was the demand that three years ago I set up my own social enterprise.
Called One Home, it’s the UK’s first independent source of information on green living and climate adaptation.
It exists to help people make informed decisions that will benefit them and the world around them.
That’s what I will be doing in this column too.
I hope it will inspire you to go green!