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:

Choose energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs. See www.saveenergy.co.uk for further details
Let clothes dry naturally rather than using a tumble drier
Cut your fuel bills by heating your home correctly. See how Kent Energy Centre and the Council can help.
Switch off all lights and electrical appliances when not in use - your TV left on standby can still use a quarter of full power. See Energy Conservation for further energy saving information
Don't leave the tap running while you clean your teeth to reduce water consumption. Fixing dripping taps can save up to 13 litres of water a day
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 their waiting rooms
Use 'Real Nappies' (washable cloth nappies) instead of disposables to reduce waste
Recycle as much as you can - use your kerbside scheme or local sites for available for glass bottles & jars, clothing, shoes, books, CDs and videos etc, see local recycling services for further details
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 1500 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
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 local air quality
Look at using environmentally friendly stationery products in the office. See ReMade Kent and Medway for further details
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 anually 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.
Your school can host a litter campaign including designing posters and leaflets which could be displayed within the local community. Kent County Council have also produced a free Litter Education Resource Pack '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. See Eco Schools Litter Pack and Creative Composting Teacher's Pack produced by WRAP and Recycle now
Introduce changes in your school to conserve water, help the environment and so save money. Carry out a fun and interactive Water Metering Project, using the Water in the 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 who may be able to assist your school
Encourage your school children to walk more by setting up a Walking Bus. Also consider other sustainable travel initiatives supported by Kent County Council or Sevenoaks District Council.

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
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. Visit the Kent Wildlife Trust website
Don't burn rubbish - this can produce toxic chemicals, as well as releasing carbon dioxide (see The Carbon Trust website) , which contributes to climate change
Don't use chemicals in the garden - use organic and environmentally friendly products in the garden to reduce pollution and is better for wildlife
Gardening for Wildlife - make your garden wildlife friendly by putting up nest boxes, building a pond and planting a wide range of native flowers and plants. Wildlife Information Sheet ( PDF 130K file details)
Start a compost heap, bin or wormery to recycle organic waste including garden and food waste. It will produce excellent compost. See Recycling Services for further details
Recycle for Kent is now a partner in the Recycle Now Home Composting Campaign led by WRAP (Waste Resources Action Programme). Residents of Kent can now buy compost bins at a discounted price. 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 BTCV Compost Advisor to advise other people on composting issues and help promote the need for waste reduction.

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.

Walk, cycle or use public transport rather than a car whenever possible, its good for the environment and healthier for you
Drive smoothly and in the highest gear possible to reduce cardon 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
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.
Does the dog need to travel in the car to the nearest park for its 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. They are available for all sorts of products such as foods, washing powders, air fresheners, baby wipes etc
Always look for recycled and organic products. These products are widely available in most supermarkets
Reuse or recycle plastic shopping bags. Consider taking your own shopping bags to the supermarket
Support your local economy by using local shops and services. Visit 'Produced in Kent' for further information
Visit the local farmers markets to support local producers and suppliers
Look for Fairtrade products, this helps to ensure that international farmers in third-world countries receive a fair price for the supplies they grow (see the list of Availability of Fairtrade products). You can also support local community groups to promote Fairtrade
Consider the purchase and use of rechargeable batteries
When you need to buy a new electrical appliance, look for the most energy efficient model
Consider the amount of packaging. Try to avoid over-packaging, consider buying loose fruit and vegetables.
Remember to look for environmental labels and organisations such The Soil Association, Organic Standard British Farm Standard, The Big Barn, the Recycled Symbol and the European Eco-Label.

If you are putting your sustainable development ideas into action, we'd love 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