Sustainable Blackpool: Residents

A good place to start is by understanding your carbon footprint.

This includes your household energy use and (how that translates to carbon emissions), transportation, food and the products you buy. Understanding your carbon footprint can help you identify what you can do to reduce your emissions.

For a quick and easy general understanding of your footprint take the climate hero quiz. It takes around five minutes and will allow you to see where you have the most potential to reduce emissions.

Domestic emissions account for nearly half (48%) of Blackpool’s carbon footprint. Therefore, making our homes more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly is crucial to achieving net zero.

Blackpool Eco-Hub based at Palatine Library can help you on your home improvement journey.

Alternatively, you can email blackpoolecohomes@groundwork.org.uk or phone on 01253 226477

Other resources:

• Trust Mark is a national government endorsed scheme. You can use Trust Mark to choose from a database of government approved workers to do work on your home
• Find ways to save energy in your home is a selection of advice put together by national government
• Energy Advice for your home is a selection of advice put together by the Energy Saving Trust
• You can find funding advice for energy projects in Lancashire from Cosy Homes in Lancashire
• If you are looking for energy support during the cost-of-living crisis please visit our Cost-of-living help page

The circular economy is a way of consumption which involves the sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishment and recycling of existing materials and products as long as possible. In this way the life cycle of the product is extended

This slows down our use of natural resources, reduces landscape and habitat disruption and helps to limit biodiversity loss. It also has a direct impact on reducing carbon emissions by reducing industrial production and waste management needs, which both need energy in the form of fossil fuels.

Here are some ways you can be part of the circular economy:

Bulky Matters

When you’re having a clear out, larger household items can be collected by the Bulky Matters service and given a new life to those in need. 

The Re-Use Shop

Many items that end up at the Household Waste Recycling Centre that are still in good condition can be resold at the Re-Use Shop.

You could also donate to a charity or sell old items on secondhand websites, as well as using these places to buy items.

Blackpool based organisations include:

• Borrow It Blackpool
• The Re-Use Shop (Tip Shop) - ENVECO

Sustainable transport does not just help reduce emissions. It also helps to: 

• Improve air quality
• Save money
• Improve health
• Enhance accessibility and equality
• Reduce traffic congestion and noise pollution

Environmentally friendly methods of transport include electric vehicles, public transport, cycling and walking. 

This is not about stopping car use entirely, it is about helping people to consider more sustainable travel options. Whether journeys typically made by car could be done by walking cycling, public transport or car sharing.

The Land Trust has created a carbon calculator for transport. 

Other resources:

• You can find information on low carbon travel options at the Energy Saving Trust
• You can sign up to Shared Wheels to join a neighbourhood car share in your area or start up your own car share with friends, family and co-workers
• There is support for getting into cycling through Active Blackpool and The Salvation Army
• Blackpool has a recycle your bike appeal
• You can find the location of EV charge points at Zapmap
• You can get involved with Ramblers Wellbeing Walks

Wasting food also means wasting the energy and water used to grow, harvest, transport, and package it, which leads to unnecessary carbon emissions being released.

Reducing food waste is one of the simplest ways to reduce your carbon footprint. You can find out more at Love Food Hate Waste.

Eating more locally sourced food reduces emissions by cutting down on food miles (the distance food travels from farm to consumer). Try choosing seasonal, organic, and locally grown items. Alternatively, consider growing your own food to save on emissions whilst reducing your food bill.

Find out your food carbon footprint.

Other resources:

• You can locate local community fridges using the community fridge map
• Join a local food growing group or event. Find out more at Grow Blackpool, Blackpool Park Rangers and Revoelution

Climate change can be a complex topic. As such Blackpool Council is offering free climate change training to help residents, community groups and businesses learn more about how climate change will impact them and how they can reduce their carbon footprint.

Online short courses take around 2 hours with an accessible option available via a workbook for those residents who aren’t comfortable with online training

If you have a question or would like to find out more about the council’s climate work, you can get in touch via email at climate@blackpool.gov.uk or sign up to our climate newsletter.