Climate change-related news are becoming increasingly present in the media. Some of them are aimed at giving a warning, some of them are cataclysmic, some of them technical; however....it is a fact that actions are needed NOW and by EVERYONE. We no longer say that only the Government or the municipalities are responsible for climate change-related actions. Yes, they should provide strategic analyses and recommendations; however, their implementation to a large extent depends on the private sector and on the citizens themselves.
The results of a recent survey of public opinion on climate change in our country showed that large part of the respondents are aware of climate change and its consequences. However, the fact that 48% of the respondents do not take action since they don’t have sufficient information or don’t know how and what they can do to reduce emissions that cause climate change shows that sharing examples and good practices is needed.
For this purpose, the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning, in cooperation with the UN Development Program, started a series of activities aimed at informing citizens about: “What is in fact a #ClimateAction?” and “How to recognise what we should/could do?”
The platform www.klimatskipromeni.mk contains concrete examples of #ClimateAction, divided in 5 categories.
Look at the personal examples/actions of your neighbours/friends/children in the households section. The motivation varies (to reduce costs or to improve living conditions), but the goal is the same: cleaner and healthier living environment and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
Slobodanka Mitevska is a fantastic example on how you can achieve a lot WITHOUT using additional financial resources, such as subsidies and grants, with good domestic budget planning. And as a result, the household maintenance costs are reduced by 2/3.
"We started introducing changes 5 years ago. Step by step, without any subsidies, by using savings and loans, with the support of family and friends. We have insulated our house, installed good windows, and installed a wood pellet central heating system. We changed our car as well. We bought a second-hand petrol car and converted it to gas. And the most recent change is the solar collector for water heating fitted to our roof.
The money that we save is being invested in the education of our children.
They are my greatest motivation.”
And the two little sisters from Kozle have actively participated in the plans of their parents to use as less energy as possible for heating and cooling the house where they live and they advise: Investing in energy efficiency and clean energy is worth i it!
“We are two sisters, Sofija and Eva, from the municipality of Kozle. We moved here four years ago when our parents upgraded our grandparents’ house. Our parents decided to follow the trends and use as less energy as possible for heating and cooling. Therefore, when building our home, we spent more money in order to install good wall and roof insulation. We have also installed a heat pump, which is more expensive, but it uses very little energy to warm or cool our rooms. At the same time, we fitted a solar panel to the roof which converts clean solar energy into thermal energy, so now we have plenty of hot water all the time. In this way, during winter, we study in warm rooms, whereas in summer, we read books at pleasant ambient temperature, and the electricity bills are very low“
We hope that the examples will serve as an inspiration and will motivate you to
• Save energy or to improve the energy efficiency of your home;
• Use water smartly;
• Reduce the amount of waste generated by you/your family;
• Buy energy efficient appliances;
• Use more environment-friendly transport;
Share your #ClimateAction by clicking on the button INTRODUCE A NEW #CLIMATEACTION