My sustainable health

Active travel

Leaving the car behind for your local trips is good for your health. Here are some ideas for alternative ways to travel.

Walking

Did you know that a brisk 10-minute daily walk has lots of health benefits and counts towards your recommended 150 minutes of weekly exercise? (Source: NHS)

There are lots of great walks to try locally and you can find some local routes on our walking pages. Surrey County Council self guided walks also has useful information about walks across the county and Slow Ways are building a national walking network.

If you have a buggy or a wheelchair, you can also find local walks on Surrey County Council's website.

If you want to try walking to school, you could consider a Walking Bus – a group of children walking to school with one or more adults. 

Cycling

Did you know, regular cycling can help you maintain a healthy weight and reduce the risk of a number of serious illnesses such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and stroke? It can also boost your mood, improving the symptoms of some mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. (Source: NHS)

Cycling is another great way to travel around the borough and beyond.

• Surrey County Council has lots of information on facilities, routes, training and more
• Sustrans has lots of information about what’s available at a local and national level
• Cycling UK has advice on cycling to work

Air quality

Reducing the number of vehicles on the road that use internal combustion engines will help reduce air pollution. For more information on air quality in Reigate & Banstead, visit our Air Quality pages.

Diet

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a report in 2019 stating that countries with high levels of meat consumption are increasing global warming, and that plant-based diets provide an opportunity to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change.  The Soil Association has more information on the link between Meat and Climate Change.  Eating seasonally and locally reduces food miles.

Reducing food waste is the most important way to reduce carbon emissions associated with our diets, as every stage that food takes from the farm to our plates to the bin has an environmental impact. The Love Food Hate Waste campaign has lots of great tips and recipes to help – you could also save money too – Love Food Hate Waste estimate the average family could save £60 per month by saving food from the bin

Green spaces

Green spaces are vital for our physical and mental wellbeing and the borough has a rich variety of woodlands, lakes and open space.

Our Greenspaces team look after the borough's green spaces, including 55 parks, and facilities including outdoor gyms, playgrounds, skate park and multi-use games areas. See the Parks and Countryside pages to find out more.

There’s also a lot of information about how to make more sustainable choices if you have your own green space in our sustainable homes section here.