Get involved in climate and environment
By making small (or large!) efforts to reduce our carbon emissions we can each help to:
- protect our environment,
- protect our own health by reducing air pollution,
- protect other species
- help to generate more green jobs,
- as well as, in many cases, saving ourselves money.
So many different areas of our daily activities are responsible for adding to our household’s overall carbon footprint. Yet many of us may think that, as an individual, our contributions to carbon reductions will be quite insignificant compared to the scale of the problem. However, as individuals working together for the same goals the difference will be significant.
Top tips to get started
There are so many ideas and tips on what we can all do to make a difference to protect our environment, reduce our carbon footprint and reduce waste, including energy and water wastage. Here we have collated a selection of ideas for you. See if any inspire you to make some small changes in your life.

Sustainable Food
Eat well, reduce your carbon footprint, and maybe save yourself some money too. Pictured: Transition Horsham local sustainable network

Reducing waste (including water)
Ways to reduce, re-use and recycle your household waste, plus top water-saving tips. Pictured: Shipley Community Repair Cafe

Home energy
Keep your home warm and reduce your energy use with this advice on home heating and energy efficiency
Sustainable travel
Be part of the bigger picture and help to reduce global CO2 emissions by choosing to travel sustainably. Pictured: Dr Bike bike workshop

Shopping wisely
How changing your shopping habits could help reduce the amount of textiles sent to landfill every year
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Join a community action group
Communities across the District are doing amazing work locally to help cut carbon emissions and protect the environment. Why not join them, or you could start your own action group? Active green groups locally include:
- BilliGreen
- Go Greener Rudgwick
- Greening Cowfold
- Greener Shipley
- Greening Steyning
- Nuthurst Carbon Busters
- Sussex Green Living
- Sustainable Henfield 2030
- Sustainable Southwater
- Transition Horsham
Contact your local parish to see what actions they are taking.
For advice and support on how your community group could get involved, contact climatechangeaction@horsham.gov.uk
Apply for grants and funding
There are lots of grant and funding schemes available to help you make changes at home or in your community that help the environment. This includes our Community Climate Fund, Nature Recovery Award, Green Leap grant , home energy grants and more.

West Sussex Climate Action Hub
West Sussex County Council have some great ideas to help and support you too, including a new county-wide Climate Action Hub for the whole community. We are supporting County in this exciting project and we very much hope this will be a hub for the whole community to use and engage with for sharing climate-focused events, news and community initiatives. You are invited to join the discussion forum there, pin your group activity onto the interactive map, and share your event news for all to see.
Know your carbon footprint
- A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide and methane) that are generated by our actions. For those who want to know what their own carbon footprint is, WWF has produced a carbon calculator. It is an online questionnaire that does not require complicated answers to give you your footprint. This clever tool also gives you guidance on how to reduce your impact.
- The BBC has produced a handy little video to get you started on thinking how you might reduce your carbon footprint:
Watch the BBC Video: Five ways to reduce your carbon footprint
Watch these short films to get you started
- BBC: Climate Change - the facts: (4 minute programme) Looking at the science of climate change Sir David Attenborough outlines the challenge it poses for all of us.
- BBC: Climate Change - the facts: (60 minute programme). You will need to sign into the BBC account to view this.
- Breaking Boundaries : The Science of our Planet (10 minute on YouTube). This is a trailer for a longer film on Netflix but still informative.
- How to Save a Planet (8 minutes on YouTube) Produced by WWF and narrated by David Attenborough.
- Top tips for fighting climate change and biodiversity loss (1.29 minutes on YouTube, no sounds). Graphics video from The Eden Project.