Borough Life Winter 2006: Cool heads tackle a red-hot topic
Wigan Council has been working out how to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide it puts into the earth’s atmosphere 3,700 miles above our heads.
With the help of the government-funded Carbon Trust, the council is working on a carbon management plan which will spell out how it can reduce its impact on the planet.
2006 saw the longest summer ever recorded, thanks to global warming, and if temperatures continue to rise, the borough could see more flooding, heat-related summer deaths and disruption within the local economy.
Cabinet member for the environment, Cllr David Molyneux, said: “There are many things the council can do to save energy and waste, for example installing solar powered water heating. Our street lights are powered by electricity generated from wind and we’re also considering installing a wind turbine to generate energy.
“Switching off lights and computers at the end of the day can make big savings, not just in carbon but also in our energy costs – and that will benefit all council tax payers”.
The council’s sustainability co-ordinator, Janet Withington, says:
“This programme should reduce our carbon emissions by 15 per cent over the next five years. If the earth were a football, the atmosphere would only be the thickness of a thin coat of paint around it. Small changes made by individuals can have a big impact in reducing our carbon dioxide emissions and prevent climate change.”
- New research has revealed Britain’s most costly and environmentally damaging energy habits are ordinary actions that we fail to realise have an impact – over-filling kettles, washing at 60º degrees unnecessarily, leaving lights on in unoccupied rooms, revving our engines and over-using fuel.
- Energy saving up to a third of the average household’s annual energy bill. Find out more…
- From the Local Energy Advice Centre on 0800 512 012 or by logging on to www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/commit
- From the Energy Saving Trust at www.est.org.uk
- Businesses can contact the Carbon Trust for support on 0800 085 2005 or at www.carbontrust.co.uk
All the borough’s street lights, like these on the East Lancs. Road, are now powered by electricity generated by wind turbines.