David Ruffley MP has today written to the leaders of St Edmundsbury Borough Council and Mid Suffolk District Council asking what steps their Councils are taking to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from domestic sources.

New figures, published this week by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), show that, per capita, residents in St Edmundsbury and Mid Suffolk were responsible for 2.7 tonnes and 2.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions respectively from domestic sources in 2004, the latest year for which figures are available.

Nationally 44 percent of emissions were attributed to 'industrial', commercial and public sector sources, 29 percent to the domestic sector and 28 percent to road transport.

David said:

'These new Government figures highlight quite clearly that when we talk about global warming, we should not just talk about the car we drive and the contribution of big business- we all need to take a look at the way we live our day to day lives and what contribution we make at home.

'Nationally 29 percent of Carbon Dioxide emissions come from domestic sources and there are simple changes we can all make in our day to day lives to make our homes more environmentally friendly.

'By simply boiling enough water for the cup of tea we are making, we could save enough electricity in a year to run half of all the street lighting in the Country.

'By turning our washing machines down to 30ŒÁ C we can save 40 percent of the energy normally used.

'Total demand for electricity would fall by 3.5 percent if every conventional light bulb in domestic households was replaced with an energy efficient one.

'Energy efficient homes aren't just better- they're cheaper. This is the message we need to get across at a local level.

'Therefore, I have today written to the leaders of St Edmundsbury Borough Council and Mid Suffolk District Council; two Councils with an excellent record on recycling and green initiatives, asking what plans they have to encourage residents in Suffolk to make their homes and their daily lives more environmentally friendly.

'We're all in this together and we all can, and must, play our part in working towards a cleaner, greener future.'