Cleaning up London’s toxic air

I always use public transport and walk. I have switched to a 100% renewable provider as well as cutting gas, electricity and water usage by around 50% over the last decade (through a combination of changing what we do and buying energy efficient products). I try and avoid buying products with plastic packaging (but this can be very hard to find, or very expensive). We produce a tiny amount of black bin waste every week.We collect water in a water butt and recycle grey water. It is possible for us to make big differences individually but it does require change and it feels time for governments to introduce incentives for people to switch to electric cars, support renewables and not gas etc to support everyone to make the change. This is the most critical thing for our future so everyone needs to play their part but I can appreciate this is more difficult if you are on low income/having caring commitments etc so we need to provide more support for the changes required. 

Fat lot of good making the air in London better to breathe when an increasing number of people are unable to breathe it: because they're dead. Instead of betraying Londoners through skewed. warped, unbalanced, & biased meddling in international matters- Khan, & his pals, need to urgently & decisively & singlemindedly get a grip on rising crime in London (so more people stay alive to breathe the air they're so keen to clean up). Peterjohn.

I have carried out a retrofit on my house so that it is carbon neutral.  In 2018 I generated as much electricity as I bought from the grid.  I have external wall insulation, triple glazed windows, solar pv, no gas and an air source heat pump heats my water. I do not own a car, have not taken a flight for 4 years, get a local veg box, and don't buy new clothes. I have recently helped put solar pv on a local school and a local food growing site.  Yes I take climate change seriously!  We need many more incentives to take action and some strong, consistent leadership.

I have installed solar panels which both save and earn money, a further refinement would be storage batteries but I haven't discovered the cost or practicality of these yet. We have a smart meter. I have a plug in Hybrid car which only needs petrol on longer journeys this saves my local climate and my money, it incorporates anti crash software. Both my wife and I use public transport when practicable - but being around 80 this is not always possible.  We have no incandesant bulbs in the house and are careful with our use of electricity and gas.  We have double glazing, cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, water softener etc. Without radical change it is hard to improve on our present arrangements. We are both involved in Neighbourhood watch and residents association and concern for our surroundings.

One of the biggest problems (and contributors to) dirty air in London is the incessant building works just about everywhere. Until dirty lorries and building materials that pollute the environment are stopped, the dirty air will remain an issue.

Secondly, a Zero emissions zone should operate immediately out to the A406 and A205 boundaries (North and South Circular).  Finally, getting rid of Uber cabs will significantly reduce road traffic.

In our household, we make sure tht we have a zero food waste policy. I never throw food out. Left overs are eaten the next day or frozen, veg past its best is made into soup and all fruit and veg cuttings are put in the compost bin. We have stopped buying shower gel in plastic bottles and buy only soap. We hae had a smart meter installed and hive to monitor and rduce our energy consumtion. I put a cardigan on if I am chilly at home rather than boost the heating. Unless we are suffering from a cold or illness the thermostat is set at 20 only. We recylce everything that is recyclable. I organise clothes swap paarties with my friends rather than throw out of buy new clothes. We are looking at more ways to cut down on plastic and that is the biggest challenge. We never buy bottled water and have reusable bottles and containers for any outdoor eating and drinking. 
I would be keen to hold an event in our street to raise awareness about how to dispose of rubbish mindfully and how to use less plastic. 

I have done precisely nothing

I cycle to work on a daily basis and try to use the car as less as possible. I have installed double glazing at all the windows and try to turn off lights when not used.

We have taken many steps at home, including fitting solar panels, triple-glazing and extra insulation.

We were lucky enough to benefit from the FIT solar scheme, which means our system should pay for itself and start earning money for us within 8-10 years. The withdrawal of this scheme means it’s no longer viable for most people to install solar systems. As a result, huge amounts of free energy from sunlight falling on London roofs is going to waste. I feel this is something that needs addressing urgently with the introduction of an attractive new incentive scheme.

Air pollution is a massive concern to me, and is one of the reasons I wouldn’t consider cycling my 10-mile commute into the City. Exposure to toxic fumes is bad enough as a pedestrian. The other reason I won’t cycle is the high risk of injury or death on the roads in London. 

We desperately need ‘greenway’ cycling and walking routes that are traffic-free. We also need these routes to link together, to be clearly signposted, and to be free from other dangers, such as muggers.

Having noticed the ‘traffic evaporation’ that occurs when roads are shut in the City (such as Cannon Street currently), I think there’s a very strong argument for closing many streets to deter traffic. We need to instil a culture where people think twice about driving and look for other options for their journeys. I own a car myself, but only use it once or twice a month, when absolutely necessary. I mostly walk or use public transport, and I feel the majority of people could do this at least some of the time (unless affected by disabilities, etc).

The Mayors comments have encouraged me to switch from uber to Lime Bikes to get into Central London. I guess Ive made London safer by having fewer car  journeys.

Buses really encourage cyclist safety now: I wave at buses. Taxis need the same training: they fight against cycles. Tfl need more funding to share their good behaviour message 

Seperate cycle lanes are great for getting more people cycling. Established cyclists and drivers must be reninded that its ok to be on the shared road when these cycle lanes are full.

I moved to a home with community energy. A great idea but we need more consistent suppliers so we create a centre of wxcellence in london: in 3 years, parts flown in from denmark, engineers and architects driving 100 milea to fix problems means that my heating and hot water has created 5 times the carbon of a gas boiler.

I would have liked to install solar panels, but unfortunately I don't have the roof space. Solar panels are definitely something we should be seeing more of in London though, especially on new builds.

I may also invest in an electric boiler when our current gas model is due for replacement in the next year or two.

Sold the car in 2015. 

Complained about Silvertown road tunnel - which will increase local air pollution greatly, and has no facilities for cycling and walking. If you continue to invest in making it easier to drive, then the air quality will continue to decline.

Please continue to build segregated cycleways, as these are safe for all ages and abilities. Blue paint does not a cycleway make.

I don’t own or use a car in London, but use public transport instead.

I have switched to a renewable energy company.

I have a SMART meter.

I have reduced my energy consumption by NOT turning on the heating in my home until 1st November, and turning it off again on 1st March.

I use LED bulbs.

I only buy seasonal fruit & veg, and bar bananas, do not buy fruit or veg that has been flown into the UK.

I shall be moving from London in the near future & buying a (cheaper) property in Kent. I shall use the equity released to ensure that my next house is as energy-efficient as possible. 

I don't drive - never learned to - and cycle everywhere in London most of the time, or take public transport. Or walk if it's local. I've been vegetarian for most of my life and have used green energy suppliers for household energy for several years as well. I fly once every three years, but never to mainland europe (as far as Italy).

Heating is the main source of CO2 in London, so more needs to be done to enable renewables. 

Switching to electric cars is a red herring:  a safer street environment for walking and cycling is created by fewer people driving, especially if the grid supply is not from renewables anyway. EVs still contribute to congestion, severance, traffic dominance etc which are barriers to people cycling (with or without cycle infrastructure), as well as reduced levels of physical activity.  If fewer people drove then you wouldn't need costly infrastructure - a bit of a catch 22 situation.  EVs still produce CO2 albeit at a lower level than petrol or diesel, but they are certainly not zero emission which is what is needed. Much more needs to be done re cheap flights and airport growth.

I bought an all electric car. I also stopped heating hot water by gas and used the immersion heater. I try to use electric heaters as far as possible to warm the house. 

I cycle to work every day come rain or shine.  I am carbon neutral in my commute.

I also have become a vegan, hence have elimated meat and diary products and eggs from my diet.  

I try to refuse plastic bags and packaging wherever I can try to encourage others to do the same.

Little steps admittedly, but if everybody did this we would be a bit further in our struggle to combat climate change and make this planet liveable for longer.

I turned vegetarian 2 years ago and I try to stay vegan as best I can I.e. not buying dairy milk but opting for soy milk instead. With regards to the environment in London I feel a lot more can be done in supermarkets with the overall reduction in plastic packaging. Also eco-friendly alternatives to items such as toothbrushes and cotton buds should be more readily available as I now use a bamboo toothbrush but I had to order this online. If more environmentally friendly options were readily available then I believe a lot more people would choose these over the standard plastic options. 

Also all households should be required to recycle their food waste and every borough should collect this and it be recycled as energy as not all households do.