6 easy ways to take action on climate injustice from your sofa

As the government makes decisions about how to rebuild our economy, they need to know that most of us don’t want a return to business-as-usual. Research suggests that MPs know they have to take more action on climate change, they just don’t think their voters are interested. So, let your MP know that you want decision makers to prioritise building a cleaner and fairer world.

Not sure where to start?

Ask your MP to stop public money being used to reboot the same broken economy. The Build Back Better campaign is led by Green New Deal UK and in collaboration with loads of other organisations from environmental groups to trade unions to social justice charities. They’ve created a quick and easy way to ask your MP to make sure any COVID-19 bailouts for corporations include conditions that safeguard the interests of workers, the public, health, and the environment. So, what are you waiting for! Click here to take action.

Sounds like something you can’t do from your sofa right? Wrong! 9yr old Lara proved this was something she could do from home when her school closed during the coronavirus Lockdown. From scoping out possible locations, to getting permission from landowners, there’s a lot of tree planting work that can be done from home. And as Lara found, this ‘homework’ is actually exciting. Reimagine your neighbourhood and get ready to turn your vision into reality when the planting season comes around in November. Lara worked with climate action charity Possible to make a step-by-step guide to show us how it’s done. 

Encouraging our friends, families and colleagues to make climate-friendly choices isn’t always easy. But not talking about the climate crisis makes it easier for us all to ignore. Without bringing others onboard, we just won’t be able to avoid climate chaos. So, spend some time preparing for those tricky conversations.  Check out these tips and tricks from climate action charity Possible. And to keep up to date on the latest climate news, we’d suggest signing up to the Carbon Brief mailing list.

Even if you have a really ‘green’ lifestyle, you might be inadvertently financing the climate crisis. From the energy supplier you use at home, to the banks and pension fund you use, your money could be going straight into fossil fuel extraction. And we know it can feel a bit complicated and overwhelming to work out if this is the case.  

The good news is there is a quick fix, and our friends at Switch It have created a web tool that makes it really easy to assess how your bank or energy provider is performing, and find an alternative.

We love a win win situation and improving energy efficiency is a simple way to reduce your household’s carbon footprint, and shrink your energy bills at the same time. You can make the energy you buy go further, by switching to LED lighting, and preparing for colder months by layering up your home. There are lots of great tips and tricks for improving energy efficiency at home, but to get you started here’s some advice from Bulb.

We know that some of our choices have higher carbon footprints than others, but it can be difficult shaking habits we’ve lived with our whole lives.  Why not try choosing a finite period of time to make some sustainable choices to help your climate action become more of a challenge and less of a chore?  Whether it’s a plastic-free fortnight, or flight-free year, or second-hand September, pick the period of time that would work for you. And if you can, get your friends, family or colleagues involved.