The Guardian

It is a classic case of slowing down with the Joneses. Across Britain, planes, trains, ferries and buses have cut their speed to conserve fuel. Motorists are doing the same, or leaving their cars at home altogether. And petrol is just the start: falling sales on the high street show that overall consumption is slowing, too. This national downshift is usually reported as bad news, but perhaps there is a silver lining. The economic slump and soaring oil prices might just be a long-overdue wakeup call. Maybe this is our chance to relearn the lost art of slowing down.

According to a report by the Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation, Toronto is lagging behind Montreal and Vancouver as a bike city. Although Toronto has more bike lanes, the city’s ranking drops when land mass is taken into account.

Stats from Statistics Canada show that younger Canadians are more willing to use sustainable transportation compare to their older colleagues. More than 60% of those who cycle, walk or take public transit are between the ages of 15 and 34.

A 2006 Statistics Canada survey shows a trend towards more environmentally friendly living – close to 6 in 10 households use compact fluorescent bulbs and more than 4 in 10 have programmable thermostats.

Despite this, the survey suggests that there’s still a big improvement needed for a greener lifestyle.

A survey from Statistics Canada states that pleads and ads don’t make Canadians act more “green-y.” Results are seen when bans and laws are set.

The British government is planning to introduce a “green home service” to help residents create environmentally friendlier lifestyles. The service will offer advice, installation services and loans.

This Environment Agency’s publication outlines suggestions from 25 experts of things we can all do for the environment. We at Zerofootprint are proud to say that we are initiating several of these suggestions. In particular, #39 – Zerofootprint.net does just that – our pool of green information provides our users with ideas, facts and ways to reduce their footprints; #33 – our online calculator helps you count and track your carbon footprint; and #26 – we outreach to cities, using them as standards for nations to follow to initiate change.

A global survey of 22,000 people in 21 countries shows that 83% are willing to make personal sacrifices to combat climate change.

Source: Point Carbon

“Four out of five people are prepared to change their lifestyle to help combat climate change, with half ready to pay more in energy taxes, according to a BBC poll of 22,000 people in 21 countries.”