Shropshire residents urged to 'go green' on 7 May

Shropshire County Council is encouraging people to ‘go green’ on Wednesday 7 May, to mark national ‘Connect to your Council’ day.

The day aims to remind residents they can easily access information on green issues and council services, and help the environment, by logging on to their local council’s website.

On 7 May residents will be able to check the impact their lifestyle has on the environment by visiting the Shropshire County Council website – www.shropshire.gov.uk - and using the CO2 calculator to work out their carbon footprint.

The site will also offer some simple tips and advice which will help people to reduce their carbon footprint by making some small lifestyle changes – each of which can help the environment and could save them money.

John Everall, Shropshire County Council’s cabinet member for environment and sustainability, said: “We can all take a few small steps to reduce our impact on the environment. For example, turning a thermostat down by one degree could reduce carbon emissions and cut fuel bills by up to 10 per cent.

“And planning our grocery shopping a little better will help cut the £424 of food that the average UK household wastes every year. It will also benefit the environment by reducing methane levels, and help lessen the harmful environmental impacts from producing, packaging and transporting food.“

The ‘Connect To Your Council Day’ is part of the Department of Communities and Local Government’s Take-Up Campaign, which aims to encourage citizens to put themselves in control by accessing their council services online.

It is estimated that acesssing council services online, rather than travelling, could nationally help to save over 14,000 tonnes of CO2, the equivalent of 5,362 return air flights from Heathrow to Malaga each year.

Shropshire County Council’s website contains around 9,000 pages of information and services, and is visited around two million times each month by around 123,000 customers. The most popular areas of the website include: publications, job vacancies, community information, news, schools, libraries, and Shropshire facts and figures.

Over 180 computers are available for use free of charge in libraries, and in 35 broadplaces across Shropshire.

29 April 2008