What you can do to help

At home
At work
At school
In the garden
Travelling
At the shops

Contributing to sustainable development does not mean abandoning your present way of life. You can make a significant difference simply by making small changes to the way you go about your everyday life. There are also ways you can become more involved. Some changes will improve your local quality of life, others will improve quality of life on a global scale, but all of them will make a difference!

At home
Households are responsible for 30 per cent of UK energy use. If every household installed two energy efficient light bulbs, enough energy would be saved in a year to supply all street lighting in the UK. Just by adjusting your daily routine slightly, you can make a big difference at home to become more energy efficient:

For details of energy-efficient light bulbs and other ways to save energy and money, please click on the link.
Let clothes dry naturally rather than using a tumble drier.
Cut your fuel bills by heating your home correctly. Click on the link to see how the Energy Saving Trust Advice Centre can help with reducing heating bills.
Switch off all lights and electrical appliances when not in use. A television left on standby can still use a quarter of full power.
Fixing dripping taps can save up to 13 litres of water a day, attend to those annoying drips straight away. Also, don't leave the tap running while you clean your teeth. For tips to reduce water consumption, please click on the link.
Return unwanted mail and ask for your name to be removed from the mailing list to reduce paper waste. You can contact the Mailing Preference Service, who can arrange for your address to be deleted from around 90 per cent of mailing or e-mail: mps@dma.org.uk.
Share magazines with friends and pass them on to the doctor, dentist or local hospital for other people to read in waiting rooms.
Recycle as much as you can - to find out about Sevenoaks District Council's kerbside scheme, please click on the link. To find out about local sites available to recycle glass bottles & jars, clothing, shoes, books, CDs and videos etc, please click on the link.
Give unwanted clothes, toys and books to charity shops or jumble sales
Store food and other products in ceramic containers rather than foil and plastic wrap. See 'Slim Your Bin' for more tips to reduce waste.
Put sanitary waste and wrappings in the dustbin, not down the toilet.

At work
A photocopier left on overnight wastes enough energy to print 1,500 A4 copies. You can initiate discussions to look at simple changes that can be introduced within your workplace at minimal or low cost. This will also help to raise awareness amongst colleagues.

Carry out an environmental audit of your workplace and see how you can create a 'greener' office. To find out about greener offices, please click on the link. Re-use envelopes and always recycle paper after use.
Car share whenever possible, try setting up a car sharing scheme at your workplace to improve air quality. To find out more about air quality in the Sevenoaks District, please click on the link.
Look at recycling plastics, glass, electrical and white goods and cars. Click on the link to find out about ReMade South East's waste market development activities.
Promote recycling by setting up a central scheme for your workplace to recycle cans, glass, plastic containers and paper.
Encourage your work colleagues to turn off lights and computers when they are leaving the office to save energy. See the Energy Saving Trust website for further details.

At school

Schools in the UK spend over £400M annually on energy. It is important than ever that our children understand the importance of protecting our environment. Not just the local environment, but the global environment. And it's vital that they can learn what impact our actions have on the planet.

Encourage your school to register to become an Eco-School. The Eco-schools programme allows schools to promote environmental awareness in a way that involves a range of curriculum subjects, as well as extra-curricular activities. To find out more about Eco-Schools, please click on the link.
Your school can host a litter campaign including designing posters and leaflets which could be displayed within the local community. A free Litter Education Resource Pack has been created, called 'All About Litter' for Kent primary schools as part of the Clean Kent Campaign.
Your school can get creative with compost using resources and activities available to reduce the amount of waste your school sends to landfill. For a Creative Composting Teacher's Pack produced by WRAP and Recycle now, please click on the link.
Introduce changes in your school to conserve water, help the environment and so save money. Carry out a fun and interactive Water Metering Project, with the Water School Website.
By conducting a fun energy audit, your school can set targets for reducing unnecessary energy use and regularly monitoring consumption. Get a free school resource pack from the CREATE website.
School grounds provide an ideal opportunity to introduce children to the natural environment, wildlife and biodiversity in a practical way. Create a nature or wildlife area within your school grounds as a great outdoor classroom activity. Contact Kent Wildlife Trust for information on ways to support wildlife in the school.
Encourage your school children to walk more by setting up a Walking Bus. To find out about setting up a Walking Bus, please click on the link. To find out about other sustainable travel initiatives supported Sevenoaks District Council, please click on the link.

In the garden
30% of the household waste we produce can be composted. A little effort can ensure your garden stays beautiful without harming the planet. Minor changes to the way you garden can also create a haven for wildlife.

Avoid using a hose whenever possible - use a watering can for the garden and buckets of water for washing the car to reduce water consumption. To find out about water efficiency in the garden, please click on the link.
Try to water plants at sunset, rather than in the heat of the day - this will enable the water to soak through to the roots, rather than simply evaporate.
Let your grass grow a little longer - it will require less water and attracts wildlife. To find out more about being water wise in the garden and helping wildlife, click on the link and visit the Kent Wildlife Trust website.Don't burn rubbish - this can produce toxic chemicals, as well as releasing carbon dioxide, which contribute to climate change. To find out more about climate change issues around the home, please click on the link.
Don't use chemicals in the garden - use organic and environmentally friendly products in the garden that reduce pollution and are better for wildlife. To find out about organic products and organic gardening, please click on the link.
"Go Wild" in the Garden - make your garden wildlife friendly by putting up nest boxes, building a pond and planting a wide range of native flowers and plants. To find out more about "Go Wild" and wildlife gardening, please click on the link. For fact sheets on a wide range of wildlife gardening subjects, please click on the link to visit the Kent Wildlife Trust website.
Create a composting area to recycle organic waste including garden and food waste. To find out more about composting, please click on the link. For more information on recycling, please click on the link.
Recycle for Kent is now a partner in the Recycle Now Home Composting Campaign led by WRAP (Waste Resources Action Programme). Click on the link to find out more about Recycle Now composting advice. Composting your organic waste not only provides you with a valuable soil improver for your garden, but it also helps reduce the amount of organic waste you might send to landfill each week.
Become a volunteer with BTCV and become involved with a variety of projects as well as helping to advise other people on composting issues and help promote the need for waste reduction. To find out more about volunteering with BTCV, please click on the link.

Travelling

By the year 2025 the number of cars on the roads is expected to double, reaching 40 million. Today 50 per cent of our car trips are under five miles and 25 per cent are less than two miles. Making changes to the way you travel can help climate change, reduce carbon emissions and produce more sustainable transport. To find out more about sustainable transport, please click on the link.

Walk, cycle or use public transport rather than a car whenever possible. Reducing car travel reduces exhaust emissions, improves air quality and helps you become more healthy. To find out about the benefits of cycling, please click on the link. To find out more about public transport options in the Sevenoaks District, please click on the link.
Drive smoothly and in the highest gear possible to reduce carbon dioxide exhaust emissions.
Service your car regularly and check the pressure on your tyres as this can make a huge difference when it comes to managing fuel consumption. To find out more about improving fuel consumption, please click on the link.
Drive off as soon as you start the engine - leaving it warming up on the drive creates pollution and mechanical wear.
If you're purchasing a vehicle consider a more eco-friendly vehicle such as gas and electric power.
Approach your local primary school to start a 'Walking Bus' to ensure that your children walk to school safely with their friends. To find out more about Walking Buses, please click on the link.
Walk the dog from home, rather than travel in the car to the nearest park for a walk.

At the shops
Retail sales of organic food are now worth £1.12 billion and growing by £2 million a week. Waste reduction, at the household level, starts at the point of consumption by choosing products and services with the least environmental impact. Next time you are out shopping look a little closer at the labelling and think a little harder about where your shopping came from and how it was produced.

Where possible, buy refills for products you have already bought. Refills are available for all sorts of products such as foods, washing powders, air fresheners, baby wipes.
Always look for recycled and organic products. These products are widely available in most supermarkets and are clearly marked.
Reuse or recycle plastic shopping bags. Save any plastic or other shopping bags and use them on subsequent visits to the supermarket.
Support your local economy by using local shops and services. To find out more about local Kent produce, please click on the link and visit the Kentfare website for further information.
Visit local farmers markets to support local producers and suppliers and buy produce with a lower carbon footprint. To find out more about local farmers markets, please click on the link.
Look for Fairtrade products. This helps to ensure that international farmers in third-world countries receive a fair price for the supplies they grow. To find out more about Fairtrade and to find a list of Fairtrade products, please click on the link. You can also support local community groups to promote Fairtrade. To find out about local Fairtrade activities, please click on the link.
Consider the purchase and use of rechargeable batteries.
When you need to buy a new electrical appliance, look for the most energy efficient model. To find out about energy efficient appliances for the home, please click on the link.
Consider the amount of packaging on any goods. Try to avoid buying goods that are over-packaged and consider buying loose fruit and vegetables.
Remember to look for environmental labels and organisations such The Soil Association, the British Farm Standard, The Big Barn, the Recycled Symbol and the European Eco-Label. To find out more about the Soil Association, please click on the link.
To find out more about the British Farm Standard, please click on the link.
To find out more about the Big Barn and local produce, please click on the link.
To find out more about the recycled symbol, please click on the link.
To find out more about the European Eco-Label, please click on the link.

If you are putting your sustainable development ideas into action, we would be pleased to hear from you. We are interested to hear about any new initiatives in the Sevenoaks District. These could include small changes to your lifestyle or new group projects that are contributing to a better quality of life for people now, and for generations to come. Send your information to sus.dev@sevenoaks.gov.uk.

For more information contact:

Simon Davies
Partnership & Projects Coordinator
Call 01732 227374
e-mail sus.dev@sevenoaks.gov.uk

Sevenoaks District Council,
Council Offices,
Argyle Road,
Sevenoaks,
Kent
TN13 1HG

01732 227000