Share your experience, join community action groups, lead by example and make your voice heard by those in power.
START WITHIN YOUR COMMUNITY
Share your experience | As you make these positive changes to reduce your environmental impact, share your experience with your family, friends, customers and clients. Don’t be a bore or confrontational. Instead, talk positively, and be honest about the ups and downs. Conversations are a great way to spread big ideas. Social scientists have found that when one person makes a sustainability-oriented decision, other people do too. We often evaluate what our peers are doing and adjust our beliefs and actions accordingly. For instance, patrons at a US cafe who were told that 30% of Americans had started eating less meat were twice as likely to order a meatless lunch; half of a survey respondents who know someone who had given up flying because of climate change said they flew less as a result; in the US, community organisers trying to get people to install solar panels were 62% more successful if they had panels in their house too. |
Share feedback | Share feedback with restaurants and shops you go too. Positive feedback, signalling that you chose their shop because of their waste and environmental practices, can only reinforce good practices. If you feel confident, you can also contact shops and brands with poor performance, share your concerns, explain why you won’t buy certain products and ask for more sustainable options. Otherwise, just avoid those, but let them know why you avoid them (suggestion box in the shop? Note on their website or Tripadvisor? Email to management?) |
Join a climate action group | As individuals, there is so much we can do. Climate action groups are the local solution to a global crisis. Right now, people just like you are coming together to develop practical, local solutions and make their towns and cities more climate-friendly. Join a group such as Extinction Rebellion, Youth Strike 4 Climate or find other local groups on https://takeclimateaction.uk/join. You could also add a green perspective to a group you already belong too (parent association, local group of companies, …). |
Launch your own Bin Bag Challenge group | What about becoming a facilitator for a Bin Bag Challenge group? Not only will it help you advocate for behaviour change within your community, but if you haven’t managed to go through all the challenges this time, it will give you additional time to catch up! Contact us to get the facilitator toolkit and tips to set up your own group. |
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD BY THOSE IN POWER
Tell your Member of Parliament | Tell your Member of Parliament, local councillors and city mayors that you think action on climate change, biodiversity and pollution is critical. > Find out who your MP is, and the best way to contact them. > This briefing paper highlights how climate action can help address issues that concern the UK public. Share it with your local MP. |
Look up environmental policies and vote with the climate in mind | Make sure the future of the planet is part of your decision in the next elections. Talk about climate change if you get polled or surveyed. |
Go to talks and debates locally | Go to talks and debates locally and ask the speaker a question about how climate change relates to their field |
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