The natural world has been a great source of comfort and relief during the long weeks of lockdown as we stay local and get our daily exercise. Now, as restrictions are eased, we can chose to have a fresh start and make some positive environmental changes to our daily lives.

To kick this off, Saturday 27 March is Earth Hour. The yearly event where, all over the world at 8.30pm local time, WWF encourages us to turn our lights off to show support and raise awareness of our impact on the planet.

Great Yarmouth Mercury: Norwich taken from Mousehold on a night before Earth Hour.Norwich taken from Mousehold on a night before Earth Hour. (Image: Archant)

Rachel Sowerby, affordable warmth officer from One Planet Norwich, shares other achievable ways to reduce your carbon footprint.

1. Adapt where you shop

Buying local and seasonally reduces the energy going into producing and transporting your food. Shopping from farm shops, greengrocers and markets helps achieve this, as well as helping to reduce your plastic consumption as fewer items are prepackaged.

Great Yarmouth Mercury: Steve Yarham of the Ford and Yarham greengrocers and fishmongers in Gloucester Street.Steve Yarham of the Ford and Yarham greengrocers and fishmongers in Gloucester Street. (Image: Archant copyright 2011)

"About 10pc of humanity's carbon emissions come from making clothes", says Rachel Sowerby. Reducing your fast fashion consumption has a massive environmental and social impact. This could mean buying less, stopping buying new clothes for periods of time, making your own, or buying second hand.

Great Yarmouth Mercury: Owner of Taxi Vintage Clothing stall on Norwich Market, Mark Wright.Owner of Taxi Vintage Clothing stall on Norwich Market, Mark Wright. (Image: Archant Norfolk 2016)

2. Save water

Rachel Sowerby says how "water use accounts for about 6% of carbon emissions in the UK, mainly from heating water in the home". Small changes to the way we use water can have a large environmental impact, as well as financial.

These changes include washing up in a bowl rather than with the tap running, washing your car with a bucket rather than a hose, having slightly more shallow baths or reducing your shower time by as little as a minute.

3. Save energy in the home

Changes in the home include not leaving things on stand-by, only filling the kettle with what you need and turning lights off when not in the room.

4. Minimise food waste

As food in landfills breaks down, it lets off greenhouses gases. Reducing the amount of food that makes it to landfill will see a drop in harmful gases such as methane, whilst conserving the energy that has gone into making the food initially. Separating your food out into the right bins, or using a compost bin reduces what goes to landfill and can be used to make biogas and biofertilizer.

Not forgetting the packaging waste which food produces, recycle everything you can, making sure everything is clean and dry before you put it in the bin to make sure it doesn't end up in landfill.

If there is something your council doesn't recycle, there are shops and communities, such as Horsford Animal Sanctuary, which take certain items for specialist recycling.

Great Yarmouth Mercury: Recycle as much as possible.Recycle as much as possible. (Image: Archant Norfolk Photographic© 2007)

5. What food you eat

Cutting down or cutting out meat from your diet is one of the best ways to cut down on your carbon footprint, as it is thought that the meat industry now produces more greenhouse gases than the running of all our transport, cars, planes, freight and ships combined. Do what works for you, even if this is just meat free Mondays.

6. Power in the home

Switching energy supplier to a renewable energy company and insulating your home better is another change which could have large financial benefits as well as environmental ones.

7. Plastic

Using a reusable bottle or cup when you're out, looking for products which use little or no plastic, swapping plastic for bamboo toothbrushes, using a bar of soap in the shower, using a shampoo bar or a refillable shampoo brand, using tubs rather than foil or clingfilm... The plastic free alternatives are endless.

Great Yarmouth Mercury: Refillable containers and reusable materials.Refillable containers and reusable materials. (Image: Archant)

One Planet Norwich is a Norwich City Council initiative which promotes a more sustainable lifestyle through a range of eco events. Not everything here will be achievable for everyone, but whether you do one or all of these tips, any changes made can make a huge difference when repeated over and over.

Great Yarmouth Mercury: 2018 One Planet Norwich festival at The Forum.2018 One Planet Norwich festival at The Forum. (Image: One Planet Norwich)