Climate Change

Here are some ways you can help tackle climate change and reduce carbon emissions:

Spread the word – talk about the changes you make

Like many local authorities, Ribble Valley Borough Council has set a target to reduce its carbon emissions by 2030. We know our residents are worried about climate change because 54 per cent of you told us so in our 2023 People’s survey.

So, we have developed a Climate Change Action Plan, which aims to be a major step for the council to become carbon neutral by 2030. From rewilding Clitheroe Castle and the Edisford riverbank to planting carbon-busting redwood trees, installing electric vehicle charging points on our car parks, switching our fleet vehicles to electric where practical and preparing for food waste collections from April 2026, these are just some of the things we are doing.

Seeing others take positive climate action helps us to make more confident choices, and we can learn from their experience. As you make positive changes to reduce your environmental impact, share what you are doing with your family, friends and neighbours. Talk positively and be honest about the ups and downs you have experienced.

Use your voice, use your vote, in local and national elections.

You could volunteer with local groups such as Ribble Valley Climate Action Network (RVCAN), Readstone Environment Group, Longridge Environment Group and Ribble Rivers Trust.

Make your money count

You have the power to choose which goods and services you buy. Become an Ethical Consumer and shop ethically and sustainably – check out the ethical consumer website for 10 easy things you can do that have an impact.

Bank and invest your money responsibly

You could contact your bank, building society or pension provider to find out where they are investing your money, and ask if you can opt out of funds investing in fossil fuels.

There are also a number of ‘ethical banks’ you can consider for various accounts, including current and savings accounts. Ethical banking means using a bank that doesn't invest your money in things like fossil fuels, weapons, gambling, tobacco and other unethical industries, it does invest in positive areas, such as renewable energy.

Banks, pensions funds and big corporate companies often hold investments in fossil fuel companies. However, the discussion around responsible investment – weighing up environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors and taking them into consideration when investing money – is growing. 

Save energy at home

Use less energy at home, cut your carbon footprint and your energy bills by making small changes in your behaviour. The Energy Saving Trust offers advice on grants and financial support for home energy improvements, as well as plenty of useful tips on energy efficiency.

Switch to a green energy supplier

Check to see if you can switch your electricity and gas supply to a company that provides renewable energy. Information can be found about green energy suppliers here.

Transform your transport

Transport accounts for around a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions across the world. Get a head start by leaving your car at home and walk or cycle whenever possible, it will also help your health and fitness. Check out low carbon travel on the energy saving trust website.

Choose public transport, preferably electric options whenever you can. If you have to drive, can you carshare with others so that fewer cars are on the road. Consider looking into the options of buying an electric car.

If you need to fly for work, could you use video-conferencing instead. For trips in the same country or continent, take the train or explore options using an electric car.

When flying is unavoidable, pay a little extra for carbon offsetting.

For leisure trips, choose nearby destinations, and fly economy – on average, a passenger in business class has a carbon footprint three times higher than someone in economy.

Eat less meat and dairy

Avoiding meat and dairy products is one of the biggest ways to reduce your environmental impact on the planet. Studies suggest that a high-fibre, vegetables or a plant-based diet is also better for your health, and replacing meat with protein-rich pulses can also be cost-effective, so a triple win.

The National Food Strategy considers the wider food system of the UK as a whole. The 2021 National Food Strategy for England, commissioned by the Government, identified that we need to reduce our meat intake by 30% by 2032 to meet health, climate and nature commitments.

By eating fewer or smaller portions of meat, especially beef and lamb, which has the largest environmental impact, and by reducing dairy products or switching them for non-dairy alternatives, and by choosing fresh, seasonal produce that is grown locally all help to reduce carbon emissions from transportation, preservation and prolonged refrigeration.

Plan ahead when you eat out, check out the restaurant website and use apps to look at menus to choose sustainable, healthy options.

Learn more about food that’s good for you, good for the planet and good for your wallet, and try out meat free and vegetable or plant based recipes for a change. Eating a more plant-based, seasonal diet can help tackle climate change, support the local economy and help us to live healthier lives.

Throw away less food and minimise waste

The energy and resources that were used to grow, produce, package, and transport food are also wasted when we throw food away. But we keep throwing perfectly good food away and over ten million tonnes of food is binned each year in the UK.

When food is taken to landfill it rots and produces methane and greenhouse gas.

By planning meals and properly storing leftovers you can minimise food waste and if you are able to consider composting which is an inexpensive, natural process that transforms your garden waste into a valuable and nutrient rich food for your garden. 

From April 2026, as part of the Government's national recycling scheme, the council has to provide a weekly food waste collection service to all Ribble Valley residents that want it.

Households will be provided with two free plastic caddies to store food leftovers in. The collected waste will be taken to a specialist waste recycling centre in Farrington, near Preston, where it will used to generate electricity.

You can learn more about how you can cut food waste at home by visiting the Friends of the Earth website here.

Avoid single-use items. Let brands know if you think they are using too much packaging – some will take customer feedback seriously. Ask for your purchases to be presented in recycled or minimal packaging.

Plastic pollution poses a significant threat to the environment through various mechanisms. It harms wildlife, disrupts ecosystems, contributes to climate change, and contaminates the food chain. Tips to reduce your plastic waste can be found on the World Wildlife Fund website

Sort your waste into the right categories so it can be recycled properly. Check out the Council website what goes in my bins – what can be recycled?

Reduce, reuse, repair and recycle

Consider buying fewer things, shopping second-hand and repairing whatever you can it means that less items are going to landfill. Electronics, clothes, plastics and other items we buy all cause carbon emissions at each point in production, from the extraction of raw materials to manufacturing and transporting goods to market.

Visit Clitheroe Repair Cafe and join a repair community.

Respect and protect green spaces

Ribble Valley covers an area of 583Km2 most of which is within the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The borough has an abundance of beautiful parks, gardens, and green spaces that are all important as they absorb carbon dioxide and are associated with lower levels of air pollution.

They help to regulate temperature by cooling overheated urban areas, can reduce flood risk by absorbing surface rainwater and can provide important habitats for a wide variety of insects, animals, birds and amphibians.

They also provide multiple benefits to public health, with studies linking green space to reduced levels of stress. 

You could create your own green space by adding pot plants to your patio, yard or window sill or balcony, and if you have your own outdoor space, don't replace the grass with paving or artificial turf. Transforming your green space into a wildlife friendly sanctuary is an easy and rewarding way to make a difference. For more information about gardening to support wildlife check out Wildlife Gardening on the Wildlife Trusts website.

The Council has been planting redwood trees and Miyawaki forests to boost carbon sequestration, he process by which trees capture and store carbon in their roots and branches.

You could Plant trees. The Woodland Trust aim to help people plant millions of trees each year. Whether you want to plant a single tree in your garden, or a whole wood, they have tools and resources to help. 

Support sustainable and regenerative farming

As consumers we can choose how we can contribute to preserving wildlife habitats. By buying locally shopping at farmers markets, local markets and signing up to local food box schemes we can help ensure a thriving future for farming.

We can help our farmers maintain the unique character of the landscape with its hedgerows meadows, woods, and traditional barns – see CPRE, the Countryside Charity website our local group is Lancashire, Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester

What is my carbon footprint?

Your carbon footprint shows how your lifestyle leads to carbon emissions and is an annual figure in ‘tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent or tCO2e’. In 2025 the average UK carbon footprint is 8.4 tCO2e.

Individual emissions are built up from your personal consumption of for example, electricity and travel, as well as the energy that’s required to produce your food and everything else you buy, whether it’s made in the UK or elsewhere in the world.

To find out more and to calculate your own carbon footprint visit the WWF carbon footprint calculator or download the myfootprint app.