Go Carbon Neutral!

Going Carbon Neutral is about reducing and offsetting the value of your personal carbon emissions. The idea is to minimise the size of your eco-footprint (the level of carbon pollution your lifestyle produces) in order to try to combat climate change.

Reducing means you seek to shrink your personal carbon emissions through a mix of avoidance and energy efficiency.

Offsetting means you pay companies to maintain carbon reduction projects worldwide and/or tree-planting programme, which will nullify your carbon emissions.

This is our pain-free guide to going Carbon Neutral.

To Reduce your emissions:

  • Switch to a green energy supplier that generates electricity from a renewable source eg wind, solar, hydro-electric, or install your own renewable energy systems if this is feasible for you. Find a provider in our directory.
  • Make sure your cavity walls, loft space and hot water tank are insulated to current standards and windows are double glazed.
  • Try to replace white goods such as freezers, washing machines etc. with high efficiency AAA rated appliances as you go. Find out more here.
  • Use low energy lightbulbs – you can even buy replacements for some halogen bulbs. Energy saving products include wind up torches and radio’s, solar powered items and ‘sava plugs’ for fridges and freezers. Check out our energy saving page here.
  • Avoid using the car where feasible – or convert your car to LPG (liquid petroleum gas). If you have a diesel, check out bio-fuel as an option. Investigate electric or Hybrids, if appropriate and affordable to you.
  • Make sure you recycle and compost as much as your circumstances allow.
    See our sustainability page here.
  • Don’t leave appliances like the TV on ‘standby’ or your mobile phone charger plugged in when you’re not using it – they are still using electricity when apparently idle.
  • Don’t waste water.
  • Reduce food miles by buying locally produced fruit, vegetables and meat; or if you have the space and the time, why not try growing your own?

To Offset your emissions:

Many of the sites below have carbon calculators which will help you to work out the volume of your personal carbon emissions for the year, through energy consumption at home, through driving your car using petrol or diesel, or by aeroplane travel. They then calculate how many carbon reduction projects/trees will be needed to consume or soak up that carbon, and will charge you an appropriate amount of money to manage these projects.

Carbon Clear
Carbon Clear offers carbon neutral advice to business and individuals – includes a carbon calculator.

The CarbonNeutral Company
Assess your carbon emissions through online carbon calculators. To offset your carbon footprint choose from climate-friendly projects around the world.

Carbon Offsets
High quality carbon offsets to business and indivuals – includes carbon calculators.

Climate Care Ltd
Purchase an allowance that offsets your annual carbon usage in one go through tree planting.

Climate Friendly
Founding member of the International Carbon Reduction and Offset Alliance, and provider of carbon offset credits and renewable energy certificates.

CO2 Balance
Purchase an allowance that offsets your annual carbon usage in one go through tree planting. Includes a CO2 calculator.

EcoSecurities
Sourcing and developing carbon credits from GHG emission reduction projects.

EquiClimate
Carbon offset scheme from Ebico.

Pure
Carbon offset scheme using only Kyoto compliant credits. Includes a carbon calculator.

Treeflights
Plant a tree for each flight you book.

Woodland Trust 
Includes a tree planting programme to offset the carbon emissions of Companies.

Other interesting sites on the subject:

Ashton Hayes Going Carbon Neutral Project
A village in Cheshire aiming to be the first in England to go Carbon Neutral.

Carbon Trust
A Government funded company promoting the reduction of carbon emissions among businesses.

The Climate Group
An international charity devoted to promoting and sharing best practices in carbon reduction projects around the world to Governments, companies and organisations.

Climatic Research Unit
The CRU is based within the University of East Anglia and aims to improve scientific understanding of past climate history and its impact on humanity, the course and causes of more recent climate change, and prospect for the future.

The Hadley Centre
Is part of the Met Office, and researches into climate change.

IPCC
UN Agency website looking at the impact of and solutions to climate change.

Low Carbon Britain
Consultancy, advice, training, courses and lifestyle solutions to assist organisations in reducing their carbon footprint.

Mike Jackson Domestic Energy Assessments
Home eco-surveys, energy performance certificates and renewable energy advice and information in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Stop Climate Chaos Coalition
Campaign to stop building of new coal-fired power stations and invest in renewable energy instead.

The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
Academic organisation that co-ordinates various disciplines research into climate change. Its aim is to promote public awareness and develop sustainable solutions.

The UK Climate Impact Programme
Government funded organisation that exists to prepare companies for the effects of climate change.

UK Power
Calculator that will work out the running costs of your electrical appliances.

Woods Hole Research Center
US Center which combines analysis of satellite images of the Earth with field studies in ecology and economics to measure, model and map how humans are changing the world’s ecosystems.