Superheroes wanted! Can you take one of these actions against climate change?

1. Reduce your personal carbon footprint

Eat less meat and dairy. Eating meat accounts for about a fifth of all CO2 emissions globally.

Eating more vegetables, nuts, seeds and fruit is cheaper, healthier, and creates less carbon dioxide.

Avoid air freight food if possible.

Change to a renewable only electricity tariff.

Walk or cycle if you can, or use public transport, or look into changing to a plug-in electric car.

Electric vehicles now have ranges of about 200 miles. There is a £3,500 Government grant towards your first plug in electric car, and you may be able to get a home charger fitted free

Insulate your home with loft and cavity wall insulation, then ask about an air source heat pump.

If you are heating your home with oil or gas and it is fully insulated you may qualify for up to £10,000 renewable heat incentive from the Government.

READ MORE: Could you get your plastic profile down to THREE bags a year?

Avoid fast fashion. Buy clothes that you expect to wear often or for several years.

Donate wearable clothes to a charity shop and put worn out clothes into your recycling bag

Avoid buying presents for people that neither want or need anything. Spend time with them instead

2. Talk to everyone about climate change just as we do about plastic pollution

Ask people what they think about climate change and if they worry about it.

Tell them you do, and why, and what changes you make to your life to help combat climate change

If a radio, TV programme or newspaper is misrepresenting the facts on climate change, email and challenge them

3. Ask your MP to...

• sign the “Net Zero” letter asking the PM to back net zero UK emissions before 2050. You’ll find it on the Climate Coalition website,

• come to a meeting of your club or society to speak on Government action on climate change. Invite other speakers who will argue for more action,

sign the onshore wind energy letter to the PM asking that the National Planning Policy Framework is amended to allow small wind farms to apply for planning permission, and for onshore wind to take part in electricity market auctions,

• write to Michael Gove MP and Claire Perry MP to express your concerns that insufficient action is being taken on climate change

At the Royal Society website you can download “Climate Change - Evidence and Causes”, a very useful Q&A to prepare before meeting your MP.

The Met Office and NASA websites both have informative sections on climate change.

Jill Bruce

Women’s Institute climate change ambassador

Since I met Jill, my co-columnist, two years ago my lifestyle has changed in some of the ways she suggests.

But every step in the right direction counts so don’t feel daunted by her list.

Like me, set yourself a few easy targets so you will succeed.

Then, of course, find ways to let your friends know the source of your newfound happiness.

I followed the advice to pick the easy fruit first, so I bought my re-usable coffee cup which, at 25p off per drink, produced a rapid pay back.

I took my plastic water bottle everywhere and asked for free tap water refills in cafes which staff undertook willingly.

Then I decided to eat even less meat and the result has been I eat almost none.

But I eat even more dairy than I did and have become a butter, cream and cheese-aholic.

Emissions may have gone up not down. But we enjoy far more varieties of grains, beans, nuts and seeds.

READ MORE: Electric car chargers trial to start in Colchester this year

I follow Jill’s advice and buy loose fruit and vegetables mostly grown locally and in season, but I turn a blind eye to the miles a banana has travelled not to mention an avocado.

Walking and using my bike rather than a car are easy, because I live in town, but are impossible for people living further out without a public transport alternative.

But even if the car is unavoidable would a car-share be possible or a hybrid or all-electric version?

As for rail travel, there is much truth in “let the train take the strain” but not when it turns into a bus replacement at weekends.

At home we have turned the thermostat down to 18C, wash the laundry on 30C, don’t overfill the kettle and defrost frozen foods inside the fridge.

But we have no suitable location for solar panels and haven’t reviewed the insulation.

We annoy ourselves because we still leave lights on. Behavioural change is always a work in progress.

The important thing is to find the motivation and start and if one thing isn’t going, well try something else.

While making my choices I thought I should review my achievements on the recycling front with the expectation that I should get at least nine out of 10.

Not surprisingly paper, tins, glass and garden waste are easy, but once I started looking at the symbols on plastics I realised how confused I was.

It’s worse at present because what can be recycled varies from council to council.

Colchester Council’s website has useful lists.

I discovered I can recycle a plastic plant pot, a white garden waste bag and a tablet blister pack, but not a veg bag, crisp packet or any polystyrene or cling film, which all goes to landfill.

It is no exaggeration to say not only are you certain to help control climate change and environmental pollution but nearly all of them will benefit you in other ways such as making you healthier, happier and saving you money.