Top Tips for a Greener Eden

Get tips on how to lower your personal or business carbon footprint.

Personal carbon footprint calculators

Use the calculator on the Carbon Footprint website to find out your personal carbon footprint.

Green energy

  • Moving our energy away from fossil fuels is particularly important, as this industry produces a lot of carbon emissions. By switching to a 100% renewable energy provider, you can reduce your emissions drastically. There are a growing number of energy providers in the UK that now provide 100% renewable energy.

  • Improving your energy efficiency will reduce the amount of energy needed in your home. This can include using energy saving light bulbs and appliances, home insulation measures and heating controls.

  • Warm Homes Eden is an energy efficiency scheme delivered by CAfS, in partnership with us. The scheme aims to help people who find it difficult to heat their homes. It provides support such as energy efficiency advice, access to draught proofing and so on. This scheme aims to improve health and well-being at the same time as tackling climate change.

  • Phase 1 of Eden’s Green Homes Grant (LAD) Scheme ran to July 2022. Phase 2, which started in January 2022 is now at capacity.
    Find out more about the Green Homes Grant (LAD) Scheme.
    The next round of funding, Sustainable Warmth, launched in June 2022.

  • Investing in renewable energy is a higher cost investment. You can invest in alternative heating, or generate your own renewable energy to cut your carbon emissions.
    Find out more about renewable energy go to The Energy Saving Trust website.

Low carbon transport

The transport carbon footprint for Eden district is high. This is due to our sparse geography and low public transport provision. We are lucky to be a well-connected destination, with many large roads running through us, although this has a huge impact on our carbon emissions. Luckily there are things you can do to help reduce the impact of your travel.

  • For shorter journeys choose more active forms of transport. Walking or cycling are good for both mental and physical health. Improve your confidence and fitness by joining cycling or running groups.

  • See low carbon travel - Ecodriving on the Energy Saving Trust website to find out how to be more conscious of driving 'green'. It includes advice on driving smoothly to reduce unnecessary braking and acceleration.

  • Consider carpooling. Share journeys with colleagues and neighbours to reduce the number of cars on the road, save money and improve your air quality

  • Investing in hybrid or electric cars can significantly reduce your carbon footprint. With our partners, we will be installing electric charge points in the district over the coming year. We hope that by improving EV (electric vehicle) infrastructure, this will encourage Eden's residents to choose electric vehicles next time they buy. Further information on these charge points will be available in due course.

  • CAfS (Cumbria Action for Sustainability) is part of a partnership with Cybermore and Charge my Street to bring additional EV charge points to Cumbria. The project aims to bring EV charge points close to homes that do not have off street parking.
    Find out more to boost chargepoints on CAfS website.

  • Air travel is an extremely polluting activity. One long-haul flight generates more carbon emissions than the average person in dozens of countries produces in a year. Consider this when you book your next holiday and consider paying the carbon offset charge where possible.

Sustainable food and diets

What we eat and how we eat it is damaging to people and the planet. We need to eat the right produce: less, better quality and local. This will help save our planet, keep us healthy and support local farmers and businesses. We can:

  • Support local farmers and suppliers. This means produce is better regulated, higher quality and has travelled shorter distances.

  • Eat less but better quality meat and dairy. Focus more on seasonal, local grown fruit, veg, grains and so on.

  • Cut the waste by planning your meals and shop around them so you use everything you buy. For the food waste left over, ensure you separate this from your general waste.

  • We are awaiting government guidance on food waste collections. In the meantime you can personally compost your food waste. This will reduce the amount of food going to landfill and you can reuse it as fertilizer. You can buy compost bins at reduced rates.
    See our composting web page for more information.

  • Donate your surplus food. Give perishables to food banks or connect with others to share food. Food sharing services help reduce food waste, promote community and tackle food poverty.
    See set up a community fridge on the Hubbub website for more information.

  • Grow your own. Start a vegetable patch in your garden, or grow in an allotment. We have allotments across the district. Town and parish councils look after the letting of allotments.
    See our allotments in Eden web page for further information.

Business advice

Making changes in your business for the sake of our environment can also save your business a lot of money.

See helping businesses go green on the Invest in Eden website for advice. They signpost numerous useful business funds and support schemes available to do this.

You can also find help from a number of business advice centres such as The Carbon Trust.

Further reading

Last updated: Wednesday, 31 May, 2023.