18/03/2005 - The Environment
Agency today (18 March 2005) launched a challenge
for World Environment Day with a call for
everyone to save time, money, energy and water
in three simple steps before breakfast:
1. Have a shower instead of a bath – and save
45 litres of water and the energy required
to heat it 2. Turn the tap off while you clean
your teeth – and save another 15 litres of
water 3. Only fill the kettle with the water
you need – reducing carbon dioxide emissions
by 20gms a day
Over a year, these simple actions would save
27,375 litres of water and reduce more than
7kg of carbon dioxide. After breakfast, you
can continue to reduce carbon dioxide emissions
by simply leaving the car at home and cycling
or walking to work, which would save a massive
1,296 kg over one year.
Television actress Jemma Walker says: "Everyone
brushes their teeth, has a cup of tea and
a shower in the morning. It's great to think
that you can do your bit for the environment
by just doing these normal things in a slightly
different way. Turning off the tap when you
brush your teeth, not overfilling the kettle
and having a shower - it's easy, something
even I can stick to! Join me and have a shower
for World Environment Day!"
The importance of reducing carbon dioxide
emissions and saving water is outlined in
an Environment Agency report on climate change*
and these actions form a major part of the
personal pledges that people can sign up to
for World Environment Day 2005.
Last year over 12,000 people signed up to
one or more pledges and in a year they saved
over 100 million litres of water, reduced
of carbon dioxide emissions by one million
kg and cleared half a million plastic bags
from the environment. This year the Environment
Agency hopes to beat these targets and is
urging everyone to take part.
"By working together a few small actions
can make an enormous difference to our world,"
says Environment Agency Chief Executive Barbara
Young. "There are 53 million people living
in England and Wales and if we all turned
the tap off when we clean our teeth, we could
save 1,590,000,000 litres of water a day –
enough to fill more than 630 Olympic swimming
pools."
Celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson made
several pledges last year and said: "I'm
amazed at how easily we can each make such
a tremendous difference to the environment.
When doing something this positive is so easy,
there really is no excuse for us not to adopt
at least one or two of these small everyday
actions."
To find out more information about how you
can make a pledge for World Environment Day,
log on to our World Environment Day webpage,
link displayed.
Issued on behalf of The Environment Agency
by The Forster Company. For further information,
please call Lotte Jones or Suzy Rigg on 020
10003 2230, email: lotte@forster.co.uk.
Notes to editors
1. World Environment Day is celebrated on
5 June every year
2. World Environment Day was started by the
United Nations in 1972 to focus worldwide
attention on the environment. In England and
Wales it is promoted by The Environment Agency
and the general public are encouraged to sign
up to one or more personal pledges that show
how they can make a difference to the environment.
Companies and organisations can also make
pledges to reduce their environment impact
3. You can make a pledge from 18th march at
the World Environment webpage, link displayed.
4. The report on climate change, which is
launched today, is called: The Climate is
Changing: Time to Get Ready and is available
on our website.
Environmental actions throughout the day:
Time of day Action Impact per person
When you get up Have a shower instead of a
bath and turn the tap off when you clean your
teeth Save 60 litres of water
Breakfast time Only boil as much water in
the kettle as you need Save 20 gms carbon
dioxide
Travelling to and from work Take public transport,
walk, cycle or share a car journey with another
Reduce 5.9 kg of carbon dioxide on an average
car commute
During the afternoon Book your next trip to
continental Europe by train rather than plane
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than
500 kg
Shopping Reuse bags when you go shopping instead
of using disposable plastic bags Save 4 bags
this week, 208 this year, from going to landfill
Tea time Only boil as much water in the kettle
as you need again; and consider turning green
waste into garden compost Save 20gms of carbon
dioxide and 530gms of compostable waste
Bed time Turn off the television (do not leave
it on standby) and turn off the tap while
you clean your teeth Save 82 gms of carbon
dioxide and another 15 litres of water
