What is Climate Change ?
If you are keen to get started and want to learn a little more about Climate Change, we have created a short list of some interesting articles to read and videos to watch. Take time at this stage to learn more about Climate Change. It is important to know what the problem is, before you start trying to find your own solutions. Talk to your family, friends, neighbours about it and get their views too.

Recommended Reading [online]

• WWF Climate Change Campaign
• IPCC - Climate Change Reports
• 2nd annual report on Scotland's Climate Change Programme

Recommended Watching [online or DVD]

• An Inconvenient Truth - DVD available at Library - rent for £1.00
• The Story of Stuff
• The Convenient Solution
• What are we waiting for

Recommended Books
Linlithgow Climate Challenge have worked with Linlithgow library to provide a range of informative books stock which you can now borrow.

How much am I contributing to greenhouse gas emissions ?
Perhaps the best way to begin your personal or family campaign, is to take a baseline measurement of your current carbon footprint. To do this, there are many Calculators available on-line which step you through questions about your lifestyle and energy use.
Note : If you use more than one calculators you'll soon find that they give different answers, and this is because they use different criteria and questions. e.g. Some ask purely about energy consumption from cars/flights/home heating and lighting etc, while others also ask about shopping habits, and how much meat/veg you eat weekly as this can have a sizeable impact.

Step 1 : Use a carbon calculator to find the emissions for your household. [some examples below]

• UK Government Calculator - Act-On-CO2
• WWF Calculator
• Resurgence Calculator
• BP Calculator
• Google Carbon Footprint Project

Step 2 : Select a few things that you are going to change and discuss them with your family or people you live with. BBC Bloom is a good tool to help you choose. Start with some of the easier projects like changing light bulbs and switching off electrical devices, and move towards tougher changes as you gain confidence in your successes. ie Don't start growing your own veg. in autumn when you've never done anything like that before. Some things you will need help and advice with.

Some examples :
* Shop Local / Buy Local food / Reduce food miles
* Only buy the most efficient products. A rated.
* Check tyre pressures and remove roof racks if not used
* Measure your insulation in your attic. It needs to be 270mm thick.
* Switch off - don't use standby or leave electrical devices switched on.
* Hang your washing out and try to avoid using tumble dryers
* Car Share or better still, use public transport more.
* Consider UK alternatives to flying abroad for holidays.
* Recycle as much as you can and try to avoid buying excessively wrapped products.
* Join Linlithgow Climate Challenge, were you will meet like-minded people who are working their own personal projects as well as helping the town at a wider community level.

Step 3 : Start to make changes to your energy use, shopping habits, engage your family, children, neighbours and friends on your journey.
Step 4 : Find out about local initiatives via this website, you could join the allotment group or work to reduce plastic bags or many of the other projects that we are working on.
Step 5 : Review your progress after a period of time, say 3 or 6 months, and then re-use the calculator in Step 1.
Step 6 : Repeat the above.

Yes - step 6 is the hard part. If Scotland is to reduce CO2 emissions by 80% by 2020.

Still needing help ? - Contact the Linlithgow Climate Challenge and we will help you start your own carbon reduction programme. We can advise on ways to improve the energy efficiency of your home, direct you to grants and funding for home improvement/renewable energy etc.