Llanelli mum is green hero

A LLANELLI mum has gone from zero to hero and become a green champion.

Kathryn Mantovani-Davies has decided to turn her carefree lifestyle around to help protect the environment, reduce her carbon footprint and save money.

The mum of four, from Llangennech, vowed to change her ways after she was selected as Carmarthenshire’s green champion as part of the Welsh Government’s new climate change campaign, Way to Go last month.

For 12 months the council worker must adopt a series of simple changes such as using a bicycle or walking more, turning her heating down and recycling.

The 40-year-old’s moves are monitored and she must keep track of her progress online as well as posting on social media sites Twitter and Facebook.

Ms Mantovani-Davies said: “Having such a busy lifestyle working and raising my four children meant that I didn’t have time to think about to a change in lifestyle. I would regularly leave the heating on when not needed and put all my household rubbish into a black bag – I wasn’t a green person at all.”

“But it really is quite simple and using a common sense approach such as turning the tap off when brushing my teeth, or filling a kettle to the minimum required has made a big impact already. I have also made a saving on my household bills by turning down the thermostat to 18 degrees and putting an extra layer of clothing when it’s really cold.”

Way To Go is supported by Carmarthenshire Community Challenge’s sustainability campaign. The government initiative encourages everyone to think about changes we can make to help save energy and money, whilst tackling climate change at the same time.

Executive board member for sustainability Cllr Jim Jones said: “We fully support this campaign and it’s great to see people like Kathryn making a change for the better and at the same time saving her money.

“Children are being educated in our schools on the importance of sustainable living and it’s good for them to see these changes being implemented at home.”

If you are making a difference to your community then we want to know about it. Sign up to the Carmarthenshire Community Challenge at www.carmarthenshire.gov.uk/communitychallenge or call 01267 224902. You can also find us on Facebook/CarmarthenshireCommunityChallenge and Twitter/@CarmsChallenge.