Interview: Konnie Huq On Npower Climate Cops Campaign

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The Climate Cops Green SOS Academy took place at Shakespeareâ??s Globe in London last week. Students from 10 schools across the UK received coaching from Piers Morgan and Konnie Huq and learnt how to get their local media and community involved with their Green SOS â?? a project which the students want to implement in their local area to improve the environment. We hear from Konnie about being that little bit greener... How do you try to be green? I try my hardest to make sure that my house is really green - itâ??s the best place to start if you want to see immediate change. I always make sure the heat doesnâ??t escape from my house by drawing the curtains when it gets dark and not leaving doors open. I also love getting all of my old clothes together to give to charity shops or even taking them to a recycling bank for clothes. Also I try to cut back on packaging in my house so instead of buying lots of small cartons of drink Iâ??ll just buy one big one and I always recycle any packaging thatâ??s left. The simplest changes can be the most effective; I use energy saving light bulbs, I try not to leave the taps running unnecessarily and I donâ??t leave things on standby. Do you try to encourage others to be green, if so what is in your opinion the best way to do this? I always try to encourage people to be green because sometimes I think people are a bit reluctant to make changes to their lifestyle because they think it will be a big compromise. So the best way to encourage them is to show them that going green can be really easy and that they donâ??t have to give up the things they really like - plus they can even save money! Things like using a jug of filtered water in the fridge rather than bottled water when my friends come over. And if Iâ??m cooking dinner for them itâ??s always good to try and make sure that the food has come from the local area that way it uses fewer food miles which reduces my carbon foot print, and it usually tastes much nicer. When did you first become aware of climate change issues? My parents and teachers have always taught me to be really aware of the environment. So even when I was young I was taught to recycle and turn the lights off when I leave the room. Then as I grew up I think I saw it much more on the TV and radio so that just encouraged me and reinforced to me that itâ??s really important to take care of the environment. Do you think you have a large carbon footprint, if so what do you do to try and combat it? Even though I try really hard I could definitely improve my carbon footprint. Things like; making sure I donâ??t have more water in the kettle than I need when I boil it, or checking that I have set the right times on my central heating so it doesnâ??t stay on when I leave the house. I love walking now and itâ??s so much easier leaving the car at home, itâ??s great not having to worry about parking tickets, plus it keeps me fit. Why have you decided to lend your support to the npower Climate Cops campaign? I think the npower Climate Cops campaign is an amazing and fun way to learn. Itâ??s a brilliant opportunity for students from up and down the country to learn from environmental experts and media experts about how to lead effective green campaigns in their local areas. Itâ??s also a chance for the students to meet each other, exchange ideas and to learn form one another. What role do you think the people like yourself in the media spotlight can play in helping to combat 'green' issues? Being in the media spotlight means that more people will see what you do and your message will spread faster. So I always try to set a good example in my lifestyle and take green issues seriously. It is important that people can see that being green is not that difficult and that it doesnâ??t mean you canâ??t still have the things you enjoy. Also itâ??s really important to support friends and other people in the media spotlight who are trying to tackle green issues. How do you think students can help to help raise awareness of 'green' issues? I think that that the best way for students to start raising awareness of green issues is by talking to each other. That way they get to hear other peopleâ??s ideas and itâ??s a really quick way to learn about what other people have experienced. Also, itâ??s important that people see the benefits of bringing about green changes as something that will not only benefit the environment but will also benefit them. So highlight how the change will improve their lives, for example if you return junk mail to the senders and ask to be taken of the mailing list then youâ??ll be cutting down on wasted paper and also you wonâ??t have so much junk mail! What do you hope students participating in the Climate Cops campaign will learn from their experiences in their communities? Hopefully the students will learn that bringing about green changes in their community is really possible and that by working together they can manage a successful campaign that will last. I think that once they have gained the know how, it will stay with them and will be something that they will be able to continue to use through out their lives and even pass on to other people. What are your top five tips for going green? Use energy saving light bulbs Find some environmentally friendly washing up products for the house Take old clothes to a charity shop or to a recycling bank Try to reuse your plastic bags Next time you go to buy make up see if you can just buy some refills, it works out cheaper and it saves on packaging

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