A campaign to help West of Englanders reduce their reliance on dirty fossil fuels and embrace a greener future through simple, practical steps will be launched by Metro Mayor Dan Norris this coming Wednesday in Bath.

Action Net Zero's "Beacon of Hope" campaign will reach out to West of England communities to offer them practical advice, guidance and support on how to reduce their carbon footprint.

Actions can be as simple as eating local and buying seasonal food, ditching single use plastics or plugging your chargers into a timer plug to shut them off automatically when you are asleep, with the Mayor inviting locals to sign up to take at least one simple step to reduce emissions.

The "Beacon of Hope" campaign will have a particular focus on how locals buy and use energy, promoting "Be Energy Smart" actions and solutions throughout this year and next, and kicking off with a roundtable discussion that will bring 10 subject matter experts and Mayor Norris together to discuss how to accelerate the switch to cleaner, cheaper energy across the West.

Over the next 12 months Action Net Zero will gather best practice on the top ways to reduce energy use and make the energy people use cleaner. They aim to support 400 firms and their employees per year to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels, says founder Pamela Barbato, and support hundreds more in the wider West of England community to make simple changes to help reduce their usage too.

The Metro Mayor said that the campaign would help the West of England's drive to reach net zero by 2030. Dan Norris said: "Our commitment in the West of England to net-zero emissions by 2030, 20 years ahead of the UK Government's target, requires far reaching change in every part of the West of England. Everyone will need to do their bit. This campaign is important in helping us meet the challenge before us, and so safeguard our region, our way of life and our precious planet".

Pamela Barbato, founder of Action Net Zero, said: "We know many people want to be greener, to play their part to address the climate crisis but often don't know how to. Our campaign focuses on supporting communities across the South West, individuals and businesses to act now: to reduce their reliance on costly fossil fuels and transition to renewable energy solutions. By providing them with the information, guidance and solution providers to act now, we are here to help people be energy smart, reducing their reliance on fossil fuels".