We thought we were 'green' - but we can do so much more

The Hawkes family from Battersea were shocked when The Evening Standard and Climate Care revealed just how big their carbon footprint was.

Before our inspection, the Hawkes claimed to be a "green" family. They recycle what rubbish they can, they don't use plastic carrier bags and have their weekly shop delivered to avoid a car journey. Daughters Poppy, 10, and Kitty, eight, walk to school with their mum, Debbie, and for their main summer holiday the family takes the ferry rather than going by plane.

However, they did admit to several flaws - they drive a 4x4, and leave appliances on standby constantly. Their Victorian home also has few energy-saving devices.

HERE IS HOW THEY FARED

STEP 1: THE CALCULATION

The Hawkes estimate that the carbon footprint of their home, air travel and car is above average - in band C based on the easy-to-complete questionnaire.

However, to make sure, Debbie undertook a more detailed analysis with Climate Care. The biggest shock was their car. "I was surprised that our car has a carbon footprint that is almost the same as our home," said Mrs Hawkes. "People criticise drivers of these cars for not needing a vehicle this size - but we really do need seven seats as there are five of us. If the grandparents or any of the children's friends want to come with us on a day out, we need the extra seats. However, we avoid short journeys, so our annual mileage is only around 10,000 miles a year."

Despite this, their 4x4 produces 4.3 tonnes of CO2 a year while their home produces another 4.4 tonnes. Add the 5.75 tonnes produced by air travel and that amounts to 14.45 tonnes of CO2.

"I was a bit shocked that we produce so much CO2 each year," said Mrs Hawkes. However, we are a family of five ... so when we halved our footprint between the two adults in our household it came to a more reasonable 7.225 tonnes of CO2 each."

STEP 2: THE REDUCTION

"Finding out my carbon footprint really made me think about how much energy we use," said Mrs Hawkes. "I think that, like many others, investing in energy efficiency is one of those things you add to your long list of things to do that never get done.

"I have already turned the heating off for a few hours during the day and I now try to remember to turn off TVs, games consoles and the computer rather than leaving them on standby." Eros Green Card holders are being offered The Green Concierge Service, which usually costs £199, with 20 per cent off until 30 April - a £39.80 saving.

"They sent round a really efficient assessor who spent around three hours investigating every aspect of my home, from the cellar to the loft, and came up not only with suggestions for ways to save energy - and therefore carbon emissions - but also provided fact sheets on how energy-saving works," said Mrs Hawkes.

Some of the measures are relatively inexpensive - such as long-life light bulbs - and yet can result in significant energy savings.

"One of the most useful aspects of the service was the thermal images she took of our home. They clearly showed where we were losing heat - even from doors we have had recently fitted. So draught excluders - particularly around our sash windows - are going to be a priority. They are another inexpensive measure that is going to cut our carbon footprint.

"She also highlighted that we have no hot-water cylinder thermostat or cylinder insulation and pointed out that the pipes from our boiler are not lagged. Our boiler could do with upgrading to a combination boiler, so that is another priority. This alone could cut 15 per cent off our CO2 emissions.

"Closing the chimney, laying 250mm of loft insulation instead of 100mm and buying an energy monitor - so that I can keep an eye on energy use and stop wastage - are other recommendations we are going to act on. We are also considering switching to a green energy tariff now that we have been shown how to do it.

"Our home was given an energy efficiency rating of F - the second lowest category - but we have the potential to move that to an E if we adopt all the recommended savings. However, some, like solar hot water and double glazing, are expensive."

STEP 3: OFFSETTING

If the Hawkes adopt all the measures suggested by the Green Concierge Service they could cut the carbon emissions from their home by as much as half - but that would involve a considerable investment in solar panels and double glazing. "We think that, realistically, we could probably cut just over one tonne of CO2 a year. As we take only one holiday by plane - and that is nearly always in Europe - and keep our car use to the absolute minimum, that is about the most we could realistically expect to reduce," adds Debbie.

That brings the carbon footprint of this family to around 13.3 tonnes of CO2. For just £10 a month, using an Eros Green card, they can offset this.

WHAT IS CARBON OFFSETTING?

Your carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) caused directly by your consumption of energy. For instance, whenever you drive or fly, or when you use electricity or gas CO2 is released.

While cutting down on carbon emissions should always be your aim, some are inevitable, and these can be offset. The term "offset" simply means to counterbalance.

By offsetting the emissions that you cannot prevent, you ensure an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide is no longer produced elsewhere in the world. So for every one tonne of CO2 you produce, you invest in a project that ensures that the same amount of CO2 is no longer produced elsewhere or is removed from the atmosphere.

We chose Climate Care because they are world experts in carbon offsetting with over 10 years' experience, who last year helped more than 500 businesses and 60,000 individuals.(see www.climatecare.org for further details).

Register for your Eros Green Card here

The Eros Green Card does not replace the existing Eros Card: it has all the same benefits but the added advantage of helping you to be environmentally friendly. If you have a query please call our helpline on 0845 6022754