Go Green with your Chronicle.

Byline: By Amy Hunt

Since April 12 we have been asking you, our readers, to get behind our Go Green environment campaign.

We launched Go Green to try to make a difference to the environment of the North East.

Our mottos are Renew, Reuse, Recycle, and Think Global, Act Local, and that is what we want everyone in the North East to do.

We started our drive to get more people involved in recycling, saving energy in the home and at work, community clean-ups and other initiatives to make the North East a place to be proud of. We want to improve regional recycling rates, currently among the lowest in the country, clean up fly-tipping hot spots and reduce the impact our lifestyles are having on the environment.

These are big aims, but ones we feel we can meet with the help of Chronicle readers.

The main purpose of Go Green is to show everyone how their small actions can make a big difference where the environment is concerned.

Our campaign was launched by Environment Secretary and South Shields MP David Miliband in an event at Newcastle's Centre for Life.

Sponsors of Go Green, which include the Environment Agency, local councils, SITA UK, Groundwork and Nexus, were at the event, along with our Green couple.

They are Steve and Gil Emsley from Jesmond, Newcastle, who will help show others what they can do to reduce their carbon footprints as the try to alter aspects of their lifestyle over the course of our year-long campaign.

During the launch week we also published the first of four quarterly Go Green supplements in the Chronicle, with tips for people to help them reduce their impact on the environment.

Go Green is running through the daily Chronicle, our weekly regional Chronicle Extras and on our website Chronicle Live.

We have an online petition which people can sign up to and promise to reduce waste, recycle, reduce energy use and reduce fuel consumption to help us reach the targets of our campaign.

Every Tuesday in Community Chronicle, we have a column written by our Green Doctor, Prof Paul Younger of Newcastle University.

Prof Younger will aim to answer any environmental question our readers can throw at him, from how to measure your carbon footprint to how to recycle anything you can think of.

For great tips on going green, and to sign our pledge, visit chroniclelive. co.uk/gogreen. Send your questions for our Green Doctor or any ideas you have for Go Green to [e-mail]