Everyone can do something - and lots of small changes can add up to a big difference! Depending on what you choose to do, you can also save money and get fitter!
Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
Insulation & Draught Proofing - helps you save on heating bills, too.
Switch Off, Not Standby - save more energy by switching off appliances at the socket. There are lots of other energy & money saving tips here.
Save Water - Treating and transporting water has a carbon footprint. Save money & carbon by using less.
Get a FREE Water Efficiency Check - provided by your water company, Affinity Water.
Low Carbon Transport - walking, wheeling, cycling, public transport, lift shares, or even just driving more efficiently can all make a contribution.
Grow Your Own - Chesham has 5 allotment sites, or you can use your garden. Even small spaces like windowsills can be used for growing herbs.
Buy Locally - reduce your food miles. Check out local veg box schemes and visit Chesham Local Produce Market.
Eat more plants - animal agriculture makes a significant contribution to climate change. Why not try Meat-Free Mondays? If you want to try a vegan diet, Veganuary takes place annually, and there is a Chesham & Amersham Vegans Facebook page that can offer support.
Buy secondhand - there are lots of great charity shops in town selling clothes, books and much more. You'll also help raise money for charity!
Repair - get items repaired rather than throwing away and buying new. Why not visit the Repair Café? You can get items mended, or get advice on how to mend things yourself.
Reduce Food Waste - Check out Love Food, Hate Waste for tonnes of tips on saving food. You can donate surplus food, or get free food to stop it going to waste at the Chesham Community Fridge.
Refill - shop at zero-waste shops, like our local Refill Project, or shops in town that have Refill sections.
Recycle - there is kerbside recycling, and recycling facilities at the Latimer Road Household Waste Site, for a wide range of materials, including paper, card, glass, hard plastics, electronics and textiles. But did you know you can recycle your soft plastics at Sainsbury's? There's a bin inside the main doors. And there are textile and shoe banks in various car parks around town, such as Water Meadow Car Park.
Waste Wizard - recycle right; look up what you need to dispose of and the Waste Wizard will tell you where you can get rid of it.
Consider Compost - you can manage your garden and food waste at home in different ways. You can get discounts on composters and food digesters as a Bucks resident.
How to Help Biodiversity
Volunteer with local groups like Chesham Environmental Group, Sustainable Chesham, Chesham in Bloom, Friends of Lowndes Park or become a Citizen Scientist with the Chilterns Chalk Streams Project.
Water for Wildlife - ponds, no matter what their size, are great for wildlife. Rain gardens are wildlife-friendly as well as helping to manage surface water runoff.
Plants for Pollinators - help attract invertebrates to your garden, including bees, moths and butterflies
Hedgehog Highways - small gaps in garden fences are vital for allowing hedgehogs to travel whilst avoiding roads. Find out how else you can help hedgehogs.
Wood for Wildlife - log piles are attractive for all sorts of wildlife
Longer Lawns - cutting your lawn less frequently means more nectar & more plant diversity. If you prefer things neat most of the time, you could just try No Mow May
Record it! - there are all sorts of schemes and apps for recording what you see in your garden and more widely in Chesham, such as BTO's Garden Bird Watch, iRecord, the Road Lab and Mammal Mapper.
Garden Organically - gardening without chemicals means you can control pests whilst encouraging other wildlife.
Communi-Tree - help plant trees on Chesham's verges
Go Peat-Free - peatlands need to be protected as they store carbon, alleviate flooding & are important wildlife habitats
Try No-Dig - digging the soil when gardening releases carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. You can manage weeds and improve your soil using No-Dig techniques
Buy Fairtrade - Fairtrade farmers around the world help to protect flora and fauna.