Brown turns down heat and Mandelson gets on his bike to support 10:10

Politicians pledge to make lifestyle changes as part of campaign to cut emissions by 10% by the end of 2010
James Randerson
guardian.co.uk, Monday 7 September 2009 23.42 BST
Gordon Brown will be turning the heating down in Downing Street; Lord Mandelson plans to cycle more; Oliver Letwin is installing solar water heating and Nick Clegg is considering eating less meat.
These are among the lifestyle changes revealed by senior politicians from across the political spectrum as part of their pledge to the 10:10 climate change campaign, which requires cutting emissions by 10% by the end of 2010. The 10:10 campaign, which launched last week at London's Tate Modern, has signed up nearly 13,000 people as well as numerous hundreds of businesses, organisations, universities and schools. The entire cabinet and Tory front bench have pledged to do their bit for the campaign.
The prime minister said he would turn down his central heating by one degree, ensure his appliances were not left on standby and recycle more. "It is these small changes that, if everyone does them, will make a big difference," Brown said, "With fewer than 100 days until [UN climate talks in Copenhagen], this is a great opportunity to show we are all prepared to take action."
Mandelson, who is often criticised by environmentalists for placing business interests above green concerns, said: "To reduce my carbon footprint, I am going to cycle even more, look out for a smart meter [and] stop leaving the TV on standby."
He pointed out that he has not owned a car for years and, referring to the protest by Leila Deen in March, he added, "I've been engaged in the low carbon agenda for years, long before that misguided young lady threw a cup of slime on me."
The opposition has also pledged to cut emissions. Oliver Letwin, who chairs the Conservative party's policy review, said he was in the process of installing solar water heating and he had already fitted low-energy light bulbs.
Grant Shapps, the shadow housing minister, uses a real-time energy meter to monitor how much electricity he is using. Caroline Spelman, the shadow communities secretary, said she had already double glazed her home, replaced conventional light bulbs with energy-savers and increased the thickness of her loft insulation.
Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, said: "The 10:10 campaign is one of those fantastic initiatives encouraging people now to take action before it's too late."
He is considering cutting down his meat consumption, using the train more, using his laptop instead of his desktop computer and switching to a greener taxi company.
The energy and climate change minister, Ed Miliband, said he planned to use a home energy monitor to flag up when he had left equipment switched on. "That could mean a cut of between five and 15%. It won't just save CO2, it'll save cash too," he said.
The 10:10 project, which hopes to replicate the grassroots success of 2005's Make Poverty History campaign, is led by Franny Armstrong, the director of this year's eco-documentary The Age of Stupid. It is supported by the Guardian and has attracted a coalition of public figures and companies including the online supermarket Ocado, city law firm Slaughter and May, energy company E.ON, chef Delia Smith, author Ian McEwan, DJ Sara Cox and actor Colin Firth..