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Julia Bradbury: I've always felt guilty about my carbon footprint

Julia Bradbury attending The Animal Hero Awards held at Grosvenor House Hotel, London. (Credit: Ian West/PA Wire)
Julia Bradbury attending The Animal Hero Awards held at Grosvenor House Hotel, London. (Credit: Ian West/PA Wire)

Julia Bradbury has admitted she carries a burden of guilt about flying around the world to present travel shows.

The former Countryfile presenter - who has teamed up with Smart Energy GB to mark World Environment Day - said she does her best to offset her carbon footprint by supporting the planting of new trees.

Bradbury, who presented a series on Australia for ITV earlier this year said: “I am incredibly aware - it’s something that I have been doing for more than 20 years, it’s my career. I’ve always been conscious of my carbon footprint and I’ve always felt a level of guilt that goes with that carbon footprint.

Read more: Exclusive: Countryfile's Julia Bradbury reveals how her children are helping to shape the future

“So I do carbon offset. I do plant and and contribute to the plating of thousands of trees every year.

“I know that that isn’t the full solution, but what I try and do in all the programmes that I make is try to raise awareness of these issues that we’re facing.

“So while I was in Australia there were three key stories that I insisted were included across that eight part series. One of them was deforestation, one was coral bleaching and ocean warming and I also took part in a turtle rehabilitation programme showing the damage we are inflicting upon turtles, not just with pollution but plastic pollution.”

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The 48-year-old mother-of-three revealed that in an effort to conserve energy at home she has two dishwashers.

Bradbury explained: “I have two smaller dishwashers. so that the smaller dishwasher uses less water and less energy because it’s half the size of the big one. So if you do need your stuff to be clean but you don’t have a full dishwasher you don’t have to use all of the water and all of the energy to clean the dishes that are in there.”

The My £10K Holiday Home presenter also explained she does as much as she can to educate her seven-year-old son Zephyrus and four-year-old twin daughters Xanthe and Zena about environmentalism.

She said: “We try to recycle clothes. A lot of clothes get handed down even though I have a little boy and then two younger girls. That’s alright, they’re gender neutral clothes.”

Bradbury added: “My children tell me if we’re out and somebody serves them a drink with a plastic straw in it. They refuse the plastic straw, they ask for the straw to be washed and go back into the pack and they tell the person serving them that the turtles and the dolphins are being killed because of plastic straws.”

And the family carry a big to pick up litter wherever they go.

Bradbury said: “My children look down and they say, ‘Look mummy cigarette butts! Cigarette butts!’ And I say, ‘Don’t touch it that’s disgusting, I’ll pick it up.’

“We have a little canvass bag that we cover around us and we pick up rubbish when we’re on the streets.”

Bradbury urged people who wanted to conserve their energy use to look into getting a smart meter.

She said: “By getting a smart meter you’re taking a small step towards creating a better future for our children and grandchildren. It’s so easy to do, just search: ‘I want a smart meter’ or call 0300 131 8000.”