Low Carbon: Fly the green flag on friday

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We all know Britain is Great, but now we can make our green and pleasant land even greener - with the first Green Britain Day.

Friday is when everyone starts working together to cut our carbon footprint in time for the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

Among the celebrities taking part are Olympic hero James Cracknell and gold medal Paralympic swimmer Eleanor Simmonds. This time they are leading a race of a different kind - against climate change.

But you don’t have to have a gold medal on your chest to take part.

Edf Energy, the first sustainability partner of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, has come up with a range of ways you can help.

And pupils at more than 800 schools have been working out how the nation can go greener before the Games. On Friday, they will open their doors to invite local communities to share their energy-saving ideas.

At 20 cities, including London, Bristol, Brighton and Edinburgh, there will be eco-events to help people learn more about going green.

The free advice will include cycle surgeries to help you leave your car and get back on your bike. Garden experts will also give tips on how to grow your own fruit and vegetables.

You can even sign up to your own team at the Team Green Britain website. Log on and pick an area of your life where you feel you can make the most difference - whether it’s what you eat, wear, or how you travel.

Team Swap encourages people to exchange unwanted clothes by holding “swap shop” parties. And by joining Team Energy, you can find how to save up to 20 per cent off energy bills.

Olympic gold medal cyclist Victoria Pendleton will show us how to make our wardrobes more sustainable. She will be wearing a green Union Flag dress made by British designer Wayne Hemingway using recycled materials.

For its first year, Green Britain Day - which is expected to become an annual event - will climax with a concert at the Eden Project, starring rock legend Paul Weller and indie soul band Florence and the Machine.

Double Olympic gold medallist James Cracknell says: “Three years from now, Britain will play host to the biggest show on earth.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to inspire people across the globe with the very best of British - including worldleading environmental change.

“We must, as a nation, start taking action now.”

Sebastian Coe, chairman of the London 2012 Organising Committee, adds: “Green Britain Day is a great way for people to come together and make a difference.”