Going green for the day

11:32am Monday 5th May 2008

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RESIDENTS across York are being urged to go green on Wednesday - by using the Internet, calculating their carbon footprint and turning their thermostat down.

City of York Council is encouraging people to access council services and information through the internet, rather than travelling in to the authority's offices.

It says residents who use the website rather than travelling could help save more than 14,000 tonnes of CO2 nationally - the equivalent of 5,362 return air flights from Heathrow to Malaga each year.

A spokeswoman said Wednesday was national Connect To Your Council Day, which aims to remind people that they can easily access information on green issues, and an expanding range of services, by using the environmentally-friendly method of logging on to the council's website.

The day was part of the Department of Communities and Local Government's "Take-Up" campaign, which encourages citizens to put themselves in control by accessing their local authority services online, anytime and anywhere.

She said York council was also inviting residents to check the environmental impact of their own lifestyles by following the link on its homepage - www.york.gov.uk - to determine their carbon footprint.

A carbon calculator would show how people, their family members and friends, fared on the eco-scale by answering a series of questions based on their everyday lives.

"As well as finding out how green (or not) they are, residents are being challenged to go about reducing their carbon footprint by making simple lifestyle changes."