How can I make a difference individually?

I believe that one person can’t make much of a difference to being sustainable. With a population as big as ours we need to get people to come together and make a difference that way. For instance if one person turns lights off in a room what difference will that make? It may cut down that person’s electric bill but it isn’t going to stop climate change. However if everyone in halls of residence in England turned out lights in empty rooms this although would only make a small difference it would be a significant difference.


This Christmas I will be living with relatives in a town called Redditch which is called a new town.

Redditch is a bit similar to Milton Keynes which is also a new town. It is a leafy town of a few hundred thousand people and is classed as a commuter town between Birmingham and Worcester.

The way the town was designed is so that people can get around pretty easily by using the dual carriageways. This is in theory quite clever in that compared to other local towns as Redditch suffers from no rush hour gridlocks therefore cutting carbon emissions.

However this has its negative effects, in terms of car usage. I hate the fact I have to use my car to get around the town, but I am not left with many alternatives as the bus links are pretty poor and very expensive. The bus links out of the town are pretty none existent and the cycle routes are dangerous and go through country lanes that are at national speed limit which are bendy and unlit after dark. I am shameful to say that this Christmas there will be five cars outside the house. Although they are all small cars the pollution that we will be putting into the environment is one that will be heavily on my mind.


However a plus note is that the recycling scheme that is in place is pretty effective. We have several bins and boxes in which to get rid of our waste. I admit in our household there will be five of us which means we end up with a lot of waste however we all make an effort to recycle what can be recycled.


One thing that we do a lot in our household and is urged by Redditch District Council is to Freecycle. This involves instead of throwing things away donating them to organisations instead. We have got rid of a lot of furniture such as living room chairs and bedroom furniture this way. http://redditch.whub.org.uk/home/rbc-live-recycling-reuse-freecycle-furniture-and-electrical_items


I think individually I could do a lot more to make a difference, but even if I did do more how would I know that it is making a difference?