The ‘Save a Tonne’ Challenge 

Change a few little things about the way you and your family live so that you save one tonne of Carbon Dioxide each year. 

On these pages, you will find some more information about the Save a Tonne leaflet, more information about the topics we have covered and also the answers to some of the activities in the leaflet. 

Dare you take on the Save a Tonne Challenge? 

The first step to achieving the Save a Tonne challenge is to calculate your carbon footprint. That way you can measure how well you are doing. 

Calculate your carbon footprint by logging onto http://actonco2.direct.gov.uk  

Climate Change 

What is the 'climate'?

The word 'climate' means all the different weather that we get over a long period of time. When the climate changes, our daily weather can also change. 

‘Climate change’ is used to describe big changes in the worlds temperature. Scientists look at these changes for the past 100 years and use this to predict what they think will happen in the next 100 years.  

If you want to find out more, visit the Climate Challenge website www.climatechallenge.org.uk or why not have a look at the Cool Kids for a Cool Climate website http://www.coolkidsforacoolclimate.com/ 

Energy 

Did you know that nearly half of the United Kingdom's CO₂ actually comes from the things we do every day?  

We all use energy everyday but sometimes the energy we use may be being wasted or could be used more efficiently. This means that there are lots of easy things you can do to use less energy and help Save a Tonne of CO₂. Have a look in our leaflet to find more tips. 

Here are the answers to our Energy Quiz 

1. Replacing a 100W lightbulb with its low-energy equivalent will save you how much electricity over the lifetime of the bulb?

c) Around £100

2. What percentage of heat is lost through the walls of an un-insulated house?

b) Almost a third

3. Which is usually the most energy efficient way to cook/heat a meal?

a) In a microwave

4. How many low-energy lightbulbs would each UK household need to install to save enough energy to power all the street lighting in Britain?

a) 3

5. How much money could be saved per year across the UK if home appliances weren't left on standby?

c) Around one billion pounds

6. An average two-hour tumble dryer cycle uses the equivalent energy of a 20W low energy light bulb burning for how many hours?

c) 500 hours

7. How many additional homes could be heated by the heat lost through walls and roofs of UK homes?

b) 3 million 

Transport

Everybody needs to get around, but are you being as environmentally friendly as you could be when you travel?

Cars, trains, planes, boats and motorbikes all give out carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses. However, some of these ways of travelling use less energy than others. Walking and cycling don’t emit any greenhouse gasses at all. 

Here are the answers to the transport word search. 
 
 

 
 
 

For more information about travelling have a look at these websites

www.wymetro.com and www.kirklees.gov.uk  

Waste, recycling and composting

The best way to approach waste management, for any type of waste both at home and at work, is to consider the three 'R's – reduce, reuse and recycle.

The most important ‘R’ is to reduce; if we can reduce the amount of waste we produce in the first place, we wouldn’t have to reuse or recycle as much. Reusing is also very important. Try to reuse something as many times as you can before throwing it away or recycling it.

Recycling waste saves the raw materials and energy which are needed to make new paper, metal, glass and other items. 

Composting food waste reduces climate change effects. It means that fewer truck loads of waste are transported to landfill, so less greenhouse gasses are emitted. Adding compost to your soil provides the necessary nutrients for the growth of trees and plants, which in turn absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

For more information, go to the Kirklees Council website http://www.kirklees.gov.uk/community/environment/green/greenliving/garden/compost.shtml

Shopping

There are now lots of choices you can make when shopping that help take care of the environment. 

Take a bag 

The average person uses around 166 plastic bags each year, meaning over 100 million are used in Kirklees alone. It is estimated that it takes around 500 to 1,000 years for a plastic bag to break down in the environment, and every year in the UK 200 million plastic bags end up as litter on beaches, streets and parks. Hang on to your old shopping bags and take some with you when you next go to the supermarket. Also, lots of supermarkets now offer stronger reusable shopping bags.  

Look for the labels

Use labels to choose products that have a lower impact on the environment. For example, energy efficient appliances and cars, and sustainable fish.

Using labels to buy sustainable wood and peat free compost will protect important natural habitats that help balance climate change effects. Look for the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) label which means that wood has come from sustainably managed forests. 

Buy recycled and Fair Trade

Look out for recycled products. Recycled paper, kitchen rolls and toilet tissue are among the products now widely available. These save resources and energy, helping to combat climate change. 

Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. By requiring companies to pay sustainable prices (which must never fall lower than the market price), Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers.  

The Fairtrade system also includes environmental standards as part of producer certification. The standard requires producers to work to protect the natural environment and make environmental protection a part of farm management.  
 

Buy locally and in season

Buying local is simply to buy food (or any goods or services) produced, grown, or raised as close to your home as possible. Transporting foods long distances releases carbon dioxide and other pollutants into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. Buying locally helps the environment and supports local businesses too.  

Buying fruit and vegetables when they are locally in season can be a positive choice, as they are unlikely to have been transported long distances or heated during production. Consider eating more parsnips in January, asparagus in May, strawberries in July and apples in October!

There are two great farmers markets in the Kirklees area, one in Cleckheaton and one in Holmfirth. Each market is full of great local produce and other interesting, locally produced goods so why not go along and see for yourself.

Cleckheaton Farmers Market is on the 1st Saturday each month 9am until 1pm

http://www.kirklees.gov.uk/visitors/documents/cleckheatonfarmersmarkets.pdf

The Holmfirth Farmers Market is on the 3rd Sunday each month 8am until 2pm

www.kirklees.gov.uk/visitors/documents/holmfirthmarket.pdf

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We hope you have enjoyed working through our leaflet and you have risen to the challenge and saved your tonne of CO₂.

If you would like to comment on the work we have done, please contact us.

Thank you 
 
 
 

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Edited and produced by the 5th Spen Valley Scouts.
The views expressed in this website are not necessarily those of the Scout Association.