How to save the Earth

THE scenes of polar ice caps melting. The news that summer is now hotter than it's been for many decades. The sight of flowers in early spring. We're pretty used to being told about the threat of global warming, but just how many of us act? The simple truth is all too few.

A survey taken in the region reveals just 35 per cent are doing their bit to save the planet (compared with 41 per cent across the country). What is a cause for some concern is that the bulk of these are older - among the over 45s, the figure soars to 48 per cent, while only 34 per cent of people under 34 said they were trying to go green.

Yet while the North-East may care little, it's not alone in its disinterest, with experts worried that the world is not responding to the threat. It was because of this concern that World Environment Day was born, and now the UN-backed campaign is gaining credence by the year. From local lobbyists' point of view, the day is thoroughly worthwhile.

"Each year there's a different theme and the theme this year is climate change, so we're working with the Energy Saving Trust, trying to get the message across that there are things that individuals can do and the cumulative effect can be pretty big," explains Bob Pailor, environment protection manager at the Environment Agency. "The four general areas where people can do things are the use of resources - energy, water, gas - travel, which is whether you can travel making less use of cars; the waste side - can we produce less waste from what we use?, can we recycle?; and I think the one that's increasingly coming to the fore is the whole food issue - can we eat local produce?, can we eat food that's been produced reducing air miles, reducing the environmental impact of processing?, so it's really in those four areas that individuals can do their bit."

Yet Bob admits it's not just down to people acting on their own. In terms of food and what we eat, he feels that business plays a part. "There is talk of supermarkets putting labelling on food, showing its carbon footprint," he says. "That hasn't happened yet, but I think the general message is that if people buy food locally or even grow a little bit in the garden, those are little things they can do."

While in the past, his organisation would have focused more on industry, Bob says that companies have shown that they are willing to go green. As a result of this improvement, there's been a shift in its priorities. "If you look at Teesside, for example, they've done an awful lot," he says. "I'm not saying it can't get better, but if you look at things now, the cumulative impact of individuals is on a par with the impact of industry, so if we're going to move the environment forward, we need to get the message through to individuals. We're working on a twin track."

This stance is backed up by the facts - of the emissions overall, a quarter come from people's homes. It was to help address this problem that a pilot was set up, where households wanting to cut waste could seek advice within their regions. Of three new centres to spring up, one has its base in the North-East, and its director feels it's proving beneficial.

"Last year we advised over 80,000 households and the results of the actions they have taken are estimated to have saved over 100,000 lifetime tonnes of carbon," points out Steve Hunter, who heads the Energy Saving Trust Advice Centre. "New centres will be getting rolled out across the country this year following the work in the North-East."

The major hazard to the globe is all the carbon we produce - it's claimed that carbon dioxide made now will still be here a century on. What Steve is anxious to ensure is that we bring the levels down. "What we do basically is give free, impartial advice to any household in the North-East on how to save energy, the most appropriate use of renewable energy in the home and sustainable transport," he says. "All they have to do is ring the freephone number and we can fill in a free home energy check. We can do it on the telephone with them or they can do it online or by post."

The first suggestion that is made concerns the matter of cavity walls - if they do not have insulation, it's recommended that they should. Steve says the measure is quite cheap, yet gives the most pronounced results. "It's the single most effective thing that everybody can do," he says.

"Over the lifetime of the house it will probably save over 8,000 tonnes of carbon, and it will pay for itself within two or three years. Cavity wall insulation is by no means drastic. It's done in an hour or two and nobody comes into the house. It will cost no more than £349 and in a lot of the schemes, you will get it considerably cheaper. It will probably save you £160 a year."

What Steve is keen to get across is that through this and other changes - the sort of things that aren't much effort - we really can reverse the trend. He feels we all must make concessions if the world is to survive. "Some people would argue for more taxation on big cars and driving in towns, and certainly that would send a clear message out to people, but in the end, we have to make some choices and that's my view - that we all need to understand and make choices for the right reasons," he says.

"Taxation will go so far, but it won't change everything. It's the choices we make every day that in the end will make the big difference."

For a free home energy check ring 0800-512-012.