Preston Green Pledge

Help us tackle climate change locally and make Preston net zero by 2030...

In April 2019, we declared a climate emergency. We pledged that our own activities would be net zero carbon by 2030 and that we would use our leadership and influence in the city to work with others towards making the district of Preston zero carbon by the same date.

To help ensure we meet our net zero goal by 2030, we are currently developing a climate action plan. In the interim, we have produced a Climate Action Statement (PDF) [3MB]  outlining what we're currently doing as a council.

Make a Preston Green Pledge

'I pledge to take up home composting.'

To reach our aim of making Preston net zero, we need support from residents, businesses and communities.

Help us reach net zero by pledging to make three small changes to reduce your carbon footprint, help tackle climate change and make Preston a greener place to live, work and visit.

Make a Preston Pledge

Whilst individual action alone will not reduce climate change, lots of people making many individual actions will help towards change on a larger scale.

Pledge ideas

The following ideas are small green changes that you can make to help tackle climate change in Preston:

• Reduce your food waste - If each person in the UK stopped wasting food for one day, it would do the same for climate change as taking 14,000 cars off the road for a year. 
• Take up home composting - home composting is a natural way of recycling garden and kitchen waste, which would otherwise end up in landfill and produces methane—a greenhouse gas even more potent than carbon dioxide
• Avoid single use plastics - single use plastics, (e.g. plastic bags, plastic top disposable cups etc) not only require energy to produce and recycle, but are difficult to recycle and most end up on landfill sites where they can take hundreds of years to decompose
• Drive and fly less - for shorter journeys leave your car at home and walk or cycle. For longer journeys, consider public transport or car sharing. Transport is responsible for almost a quarter of carbon dioxide global emissions
• Use local food -  locally-grown produce takes less energy to transport and supports the economy where you live
• Reduce your energy use and bills - small changes to your behaviour at home will help you use less energy, reducing your carbon footprint and energy bills (e.g. switch off lights/replace light bulbs with LEDs or other low-energy lights/unplug electrical appliances/use energy efficient appliances/insulate your home etc)
• Switch to renewables  - by switching to a company that provides electricity from solar, wind, or hydroelectric energy, you can reduce your household emissions and save money on your energy bills
• Raise awareness - Your local community might not know much about climate change. You can change that by raising awareness. E.g. School projects and fundraising events can help educate students and their families about climate change issues and encourage those around you to reduce their footprints. 

To get an idea of how large your environmental footprint is currently visit WWF - How big is your environmental footprint.

Support for local businesses and organisations to reduce their carbon emissions

For local and national support for businesses in Preston and Lancashire to reduce their carbon footprint and go green visit Invest Preston - reduce business carbon emissions.