London is one of the most eco-minded counties in England, according to new data.
The research by Household Quotes found Greater London ranked second in their ranking, just behind Bristol.
The research looked at the average monthly search for solar panels, insulation, double glazing and heat pumps and then divided the county’s population by that calculated value.
Cumbria, Cornwall and Merseyside also made it into the top five.
London has not become a green power house overnight, with data in 2020 alleging it to be the greenest city in Europe.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has presented his priorities on the environment working to the 2050 target of making London a zero-carbon city, offering the next generation a chance.
Since the cost-of-living crisis, many have been forced to take a closer look at their household bills and how they can save money which goes hand-in-hand with the environment.
When asked whether these rankings could be tied to denser living and the cost-of-living crisis, Joshua Houston, Eco Expert at Household Quotes said: “We believe London placed high up due to the efforts to make the city more environmentally sustainable over the past few years in particular.
“An example of this is the addition of ULEZ, which has been admitted to cut vehicle emissions.
“As for the cost of living crisis, people across the country have been looking at new ways to save money, and insulating your home is a great way to do that.
“This would be even more important in London given the notoriously high cost of living.
He explained that the research was first conducted to identify which of the English counties were the most aware and concerned about the environment.
Whilst London scored high, Leicestershire was the lowest ranked eco-minded city with a huge disparity between the two.
In particular, the HouseHold Quotes spokesperson felt the research was even more significant since the recent manifestos and policies that came to light over the run up to the recent general election.
He added that whilst Bristol ranked the most eco-minded linking to the Green Party’s gains in the city, it seemed that the same political party performed well in Greater London and Manchester, supporting the research claims.
This comes after the Office of National Statistics released new data suggesting that between October and December 2023, the UK released 133 million tonnes of emissions into the atmosphere.
Perhaps another reason why the environment needs to be in our minds more than ever.
House & Gardens Manager at Rainham Hall, Jude Merritt, suggested that a focus on community groups involving the outdoors could be another reason for Londoners and those further afield finding the environment comes to mind more.
Rainham Hall is a Grade II listed Georgian property owned by the National Trust which has undergone a transformation to allow access to the community gardens.
Jude said: “We don’t have a carpark and I would not be surprised if this was a purposeful decision by the trust.
“It’s that focus on the environment, for the future, encouraging people to come by public transport they are already thinking forward in a green-way before they’ve stepped foot on the grounds.
“Just today, we had a bunch of women coming down to socialise and garden, enjoying the weather, responding to the environment with people, it offers up a community as well.”
Whilst the data was measured looking at environmental infrastructure and ways of cutting costs whilst being green, Jude’s suggestion that initiatives in the city have allowed more Londoners to gravitate and therefore think more about the environment seems probable.
Featured Image Credit: Neil Howard licenced under Creative Commons
