Air travel is growing by around 5 per cent a year, and although engines are becoming more efficient, carbon emissions are increasing by around 2.5 per cent a year. Why not take a holiday by train instead of by plane? With an increase in recent years in short internal UK flights, aircraft currently produce about 5.5% of our CO₂ emissions. Also, supermarkets fly in fresh produce such as green beans from Kenya and flowers from Columbia, this air transport uses over 30 times more fuel than shipping - try buying produce from closer to home.

If you are going out with your baby, why not take the pram, instead of going in the car? It's a good chance for both of you to get some healthy exercise and fresh air!

Cycling doesn't create pollution it's fun and will keep you fit. Many of the journeys we make are short enough to be cycled. In busy city traffic, cycling is often the fastest way to get around and parking is very easy! For longer journeys you can often take your bike on the train or bus and then ride for the rest of the journey.

Don't overheat rooms, wear a jumper instead! Turning down a heating thermostat by 1 degree could save up to 10% of the energy used, reducing carbon dioxide emissions and your bill!

A natural gas heating system releases less carbon dioxide into the air than coal or oil fired central heating.

Hopped on a bus lately? Using public transport instead of private cars cuts down on CO₂ emissions as buses and trains can carry a lot more people in one journey!

Why not give friends a lift? Car sharing reduces the number of cars on the road. How about sharing the journey to school or work? Your school or work may have a car share scheme, it could be worth asking if anyone else makes a similar journey to you. Alternatively you could park away from the school and walk the rest of the way.

Save money save the planet! Without loft insulation you could be losing as much as 15% of your heating costs through your roof. Insulating the loft is a simple and effective way to reduce heating bills.

Loft insulation works like a blanket, trapping heat rising from the house below. If the insulation is the recommended 270mm depth you could save around £110 a year on your heating bills and nearly 1 tonne of CO₂ per year! If everyone in the UK topped up their loft insulation to 270mm, £380m would be saved each year. That's enough money to pay the annual fuel bills of over 400,000 families.

Burning fuel to produce electricity releases large amounts of carbon dioxide into the air. Why not replace ordinary light bulbs with energy saving bulbs?

Traditional bulbs waste a lot of energy by turning it into heat rather than light. Energy saving bulbs work in the same way as fluorescent lights; an electric current passes through gas in a tube, making the tube's coating glow brightly. This means that they use less energy and are cool to the touch. Because they use less electricity they can help save money on electricity bills!

The things made in factories start their life as natural raw materials. Trees are used to make paper and cardboard, metal ore is dug from underground and turned into all sorts of things from cans to cars.

Using recycling bins at school or work is a great idea as much of the waste we throw away like plastics and glass, can be recycled, reducing the amount of energy needed to make these things from scratch.

Much of what you buy becomes waste - and it just gets thrown away. Taking action on waste is essential, since we are using natural resources at an unsustainable rate which contributes unnecessarily to climate change.

Each year about 100 million tonnes of waste is produced from households, commerce and industry combined. Most of this currently ends up in landfill, where biodegradable waste generates methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.

Shopping locally saves on fuel for transport. Buying locally grown produce that has not travelled far is even better! Next time you're in a shop check which country things have travelled from. You may be surprised to see how far they have come. By eating more locally grown food, you reduce the CO₂ needed to transport food around the world. Remember to take a re-useable shopping bag with you so less energy is wasted on making plastic bags and wrappings.

Having a bath is enjoyable, but having a shower reduces the amount of hot water required! Low-flow showerheads are even better as they use less water than a normal shower, saving energy and reducing CO₂ emissions.

The earth is naturally warmed by rays (or radiation) from the sun, which pass through the earth's atmosphere and are reflected back out to space again.

The atmosphere is made up of layers of gases, some of which are called 'greenhouse gases'. These gases are mostly natural and make up a sort of thermal blanket over the earth.

This lets some of the rays back out of the atmosphere, keeping the earth at the right temperature for animals, plants and humans to survive which is about (60°F/16°C), so some global warming is good. However, if extra greenhouse gases are made, the thermal blanket gets thicker and too much heat is kept in the earth's atmosphere. That's when global warming is bad.

One way to get more miles for your money and ease the pressure on the environment is by driving at a sensible speed. Motorists can use up to 30% less fuel if they drive at 50mph rather than 70 mph and accidents reduce by 3-6% for every 1mph reduction in speed.

Other good ideas include not accelerating or braking sharply and making sure the car is regularly serviced. It is also a good idea not to leave the engine idling for too long either as it wastes fuel.

If you can walk, cycle or use public transport for almost all of your jouneys your family may not need to own a car at all! Some taxis now use a fuel called City Diesel, which is a lower emission diesel fuel.

All motorized travel is carbon-intensive, but bus and rail are generally far better than cars. Going by train is a good way to travel medium to large distances, as trains carry large numbers of passengers very quickly. Some train companies are now looking into using bio-diesel fuel, which is a cleaner alternative to the conventional fossil fuels.

Is there room in your garden at home, school or work to plant a tree? All plants use up carbon dioxide as they grow, helping to offset our carbon emissions. Trees can also reduce the amount of energy we use for heating by acting as windbreaks!

Walking and cycling are great ways to reduce CO₂ emissions - they don't need to use any petrol or diesel! So, as well as getting fit and healthy you will be saving money - and the planet!

A walking bus is a fun and healthy way for children and adults to travel to and from school. As well as using energy (calories), you can chat with friends who walk with the bus. Walking for just 15 minutes a day can equal half the amount of exercise recommended for children. Also, research has shown if you make a short journey by car, you are exposed to more pollution than if you walked!!

When washing clothes, 80 per cent of the energy is used to heat the water. Choosing a low temperature cuts the amount of fuel needed to heat the water, reducing carbon dioxide emissions and your electricity bill too!

Hanging the washing out to dry rather than using the tumble drier is also a good energy saver.

Burning fuel to produce electricity releases large amounts of carbon dioxide into the air. After heating and air conditioning, heating water is the biggest user of energy in most homes. Insulating your water tank, so water stays hotter for longer, will cut the amount of energy required and help reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Buy a small car with a fuel efficient engine. Lighter cars use less energy and a smaller, fuel efficient engine will reduce your fuel use. The car tax is also cheaper. If you want to eplore the countryside 'off road' why not walk or cycle? You will see more and have a great time too.

Walking to school is cool!