Futureproof Cumbria

Month: November 2019

  • Raise funds for CAfS as you shop this Christmas

    Raise funds for CAfS as you shop this Christmas

    Did you know that when you shop online, you can raise funds for CAfS at no cost to you whatsoever?

    We always encourage you to consume as little stuff as possible, and to support local businesses for the things you really need to buy. But for those purchases that you need to make online, it’s really easy to generate funds for CAfS.

    It’s like giving a little Christmas present to the environment with every purchase you make.

    Shopping with most big online retailers

    Some of the biggest online retailers will make a small donation to CAfS when you shop with them. Argos, Amazon, Booking.com, Boots, M&S, eBay… the list goes on! It’s all done through Give As You Live. Here’s what to do:

    1. Go to http://www.giveasyoulive.com/join/cumbriaactionforsustainability and fill in a few details to register.
    2. Then start your online shopping trip each time at www.giveasyoulive.com, and click on the retailer you want. You’ll go straight to their website, but your purchases will raise donations to CAfS.
    3. It’s even easier if you use Google Chrome. You can add the Give As You Live extension and it will pop up if you’re shopping with one of the retailers that are part of the scheme. With just one click, it’ll sort out any donations to CAfS.  There are instructions for adding the extension at the bottom of this page.

    Shopping on Amazon

    If you’re shopping on Amazon, you can help us by accessing it via Give As You Live. Amazon also has its own way of raising funds for charities when you shop with them. It’s called AmazonSmile.

    1. Instead of going to amazon.co.uk, go to https://smile.amazon.co.uk
    2. Shop as normal
    3. Amazon will donate 0.5% of the net purchase price (excluding VAT, returns and shipping fees) of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases

    When you go there for the first time, it will prompt you to log into your Amazon account and then ask you to choose your charity. Search for Cumbria Action for Sustainability. You should only have to do this once. Find out more about AmazonSmile >

    How to add the Give As You Live extension to your Google Chrome browser

  • General election 2019 – Ask your candidates the hard questions

    General election 2019 – Ask your candidates the hard questions

    We go to the polls on Thursday 12 December 2019 to elect new MPs for Cumbria and a new government for our country. Will it be a government that will take the transformational actions needed to cut the UK’s carbon emissions in time to halt damaging climate change? That’s up to us as voters.

    Climate science demands that every country reaches zero carbon by 2030. The next government is crucial – by the time another general election comes around, it will be too late to put in place the range of actions the science demands. This is our chance to choose MPs who will prioritise tackling climate change and the ecological crisis – the two greatest threats that mankind is facing.

    Here’s our guide to working out what each party will do to address the climate and ecological emergencies, and what their targets for a zero carbon Britain are.

    1. Ask your candidates

    Visit www.whocanivotefor.co.uk and put in your postcode to find out which MP candidates are standing in your constituency, with links to contact details. Email or phone your candidates and ask them what their party will do to address climate change. Let them know that these issues are forefront in voters’ minds.

    Questions to put your MP candidates

    Earlier this year, we asked young people what questions they wanted to put to Cumbria’s MPs and other senior politicians. With their futures on the line, young people came back with a fantastic range of challenging questions. Have a look below for inspiration!

    Youth Questions for MPs

    2. Read the parties’ manifestos

    Parties are launching their manifestos now, setting out their policies on a wide range of issues, which should all include climate change and wider environmental challenges. Here’s where to find the environment and climate change sections in the manifestos of the main national parties fielding candidates in Cumbria, along with their targets for zero carbon emissions in the UK:

    Party Link to environment policies in manifesto Net zero emissions target for the UK
    Conservative Party https://vote.conservatives.com/our-plan 2050

    “Reaching Net Zero by 2050 with investment in clean energy solutions and green infrastructure to reduce carbon emissions and pollution.”
    Green Party https://campaigns.greenparty.org.uk/manifesto 2030

    “New green homes, new green transport and new green jobs will get us on track to reduce the UK’s carbon emissions to net zero by 2030”
    Labour Party https://labour.org.uk/manifesto/a-green-industrial-revolution/ 2030

    “Our Green New Deal aims to achieve the substantial majority of our emissions reductions by 2030”
    Liberal Democrats https://www.libdems.org.uk/plan

    Click on ‘Our Plan for a Green Society and a Green Economy’

    		 2045

    “We will set a new legally binding target to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2045 at the latest, and implement a comprehensive climate action plan, cutting emissions across all sectors.”

    (See ‘Climate Action Now’ section under ‘Our Plan for a Green Society and a Green Economy’)