 Take part in our ambitious Planet Pledge campaign
We have launched an ambitious Planet Pledge campaign to inspire and encourage people to make small and big behavioural changes to help address the climate emergency.
A Planet Pledge is a solemn promise an individual chooses and delivers during the course of the year to tackle climate emergency.
More than three years ago, we declared a climate emergency which commits us to playing as full a role as possible in reducing our carbon footprint to be carbon neutral by 2030.
We are working on a comprehensive carbon neutral plan for the borough, highlighting the importance of taking a more aggressive approach to tackling the climate emergency. We need your help and we are asking people who live, work, study and provide services in Wokingham Borough to empower others by sharing and actioning at least one ambitious pledge on our Engage Wokingham Borough website.
You could pledge to use active travel as your main transport, install renewable energy sources such as solar panels, shop locally or cut down on single use plastic ending up in landfill. Together, we can all make a difference and help save our planet.
Make an ambitious Planet Pledge today by sharing the actions you or your family will do this year to help tackle the climate emergency. You will need to sign up to a free account to take part but once signed up, you will be able to have you say in current and future consultations.
 Keeping warm with resident Helen
Meet climate saving champion Helen, a resident from Woodley, who has carried out a number of energy-saving installations to her home to help keep it warmer whilst lowering her carbon footprint. These include installing loft insulation, solar panels and external rockwool cladding.
Helen’s chalet bungalow, which was built around 1910, does not have cavity walls which meant heat was escaping through the walls. She decided to improve her home to keep it warmer which in turn would reduce her gas usage, saving her money. She installed loft insulation and external rockwool cladding, an effective wall insulation material which enhances the thermal performance of a property. She has noticed a significant improvement in keeping her home warmer.
Helen’s advice to help keep your home warm include:
- Use your radiator valves and only heat rooms which have someone in them
- Eliminate draughts where possible
- Insulate your home where possible
- Keep internal doors closed
- Keep yourself warm by layering clothing, bedding, using electric blankets and hot water bottles
To help improve the insulation of Helen’s bedroom, work is currently taking place to replace the old lath and plaster walls and ceilings in her bedroom with a layer of insulation and Steico insulation board. Steico insulation board is environmentally-friendly and is made from natural wood fibre materials which protects against cold, heat, noise and moisture. It also stores CO2 and reduces CO2 emissions by conserving heating energy. We look forward to catching up with Helen once this work has been completed.
If you are interested in ways to heat your home more effectively, the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and ECO Flex Help to Heat scheme aims to help eligible residents reduce their carbon emissions and lower their fuel bulls by making poor performing homes more energy efficient. For more information and to check your eligibility, visit our energy saving and climate webpage.
 Constructively challenge our climate emergency work
The Climate Emergency Overview and Scrutiny Committee is set up to scrutinise our Climate Emergency Action Plan and reports to the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee.
The committee meets every two months and offers the opportunity for residents to have their say, ask questions and constructively challenge and work with our Executive and other public service providers.
To find out more visit our website or to send a question, email Democratic Services at democratic.services@wokingham.gov.uk
 Tell us how we could improve your journey
We want everyone who walks, cycles, takes public transport or drives around the borough to answer some simple questions to help us make this safer and easier.
Your views will guide our updated Local Transport Plan, a strategy document outlining how we make all kinds of improvements to footways, cycle lanes, roads and other routes.
This will offer more ways of getting around the borough and more chances to leave the car at home, especially for shorter journeys, which is essential as we strive to reduce air pollution and congestion, tackle the climate emergency and make healthy living easier.
During this initial engagement, which runs until Sunday 12 March, we’re asking your thoughts on things like more support for electric vehicles and cycle parking, or providing more space for pedestrians on pavements in village and town centres.
This will be followed by more detailed consultation and we would like you to take part now so the draft reflects your wants and needs from the outset.
In last month's newsletter (16 January), we quoted a University of Oxford study that high-impact beef producers create 105Kg of CO2 whilst low-impact beans, peas and other plant-based foods create just 0.3Kg of CO2 which includes processing, packaging and transportation of these.
We would like to clarify that the figures stated were for 'high-impact' beef producers worldwide rather than specifically for British beef production, which has a lower impact than the global average.
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