?SOUTH Hams District Council and West Devon Borough Council are working in partnership with Torridge, and North Devon Councils to encourage local residents and organisations to take actions that both increase quality of life and reduce their carbon footprint to help combat climate change.

“Lifestyle Spring Clean Week” takes place from March 12-21 and is a joint project between the councils and local environmental entrepreneur, Mukti Mitchell which aims to make reducing your carbon footprint simple and enjoyable and show it can lead to healthier, more satisfying lifestyles at the same time. 

Other charities in the region, including Resurgence Trust, 361 Energy, Plastic Free North Devon, Beaford Arts and the AONB Biosphere Reserve, have also joined the project, which hopes to reach 25,000 people across the region. 

The project has been launched in response to the national climate emergency declared across the UK by local authorities including the four councils.

It began last October with "Find your Footprint" week where individuals and organisations could find out their carbon footprint using an online tool and then pick one action from a range of easy lifestyle options that can save CO2. They can now measure their footprint again to see how much it has reduced over the past five months, and celebrate their savings. 

Mukti Mitchell, director of Carbon Savvy, a CO2 saving advice provider, said: “It’s exciting that people across Devon are working together to both improve quality of life and save CO2.

"From my own experience it is the fact that this makes me happier and healthier that makes me so keen to do more. And Carbon Savvy is proud to be launching what we believe are the most accurate and user friendly footprint calculators on line this March, to make it easier and more fun."

Cllr Neil Jory, Leader of West Devon Borough Council, said: “As your Borough Council we’re proud to be partnering with Carbon Savvy, a Devon based community organisation, on the Get to Net Zero programme.

“In December we adopted the first version of our Climate Change and Biodiversity Strategy. One of the four objectives, Capability and Engagement, is to encourage collective action as we see that one of our key roles is supporting and signposting you, our residents and businesses, to the latest information and enabling you to do all that you can.

“This programme with Carbon Savvy is one way we can achieve this. The Lifestyle Spring Clean Campaign seeks to promote easy actions which reduce your personal carbon footprint and also have a positive effect on your quality of life. Carbon Savvy’s positive, uplifting advice shows how my quality of life can improve while living a low carbon lifestyle to help the planet. I invite everyone in West Devon to join the programme in March and get started on your own journey to living a low carbon lifestyle.”

To find out how much carbon you have saved since October go to: www.carbonsavvy.uk/findyourfootprint where you can take the survey in just five minutes and compare your carbon footprint.

And whether you’re taking part for the first or second time, you could win an electric bicycle when you take the lifestyle survey and one action at: www.carbonsavvy.uk .

Celebrate your savings by sharing how well you have done on social media using the hashtag: #LifestyleSpringClean .