Ordinary people often feel helpless when political leaders hold high-level meetings on the other side of the world.

They think there's not much they can do to have an influence if the politicians go against their wishes.

But no matter what the results are of the Earth Summit in South Africa, there are actions all of us can take.

Individually they will be small but taken together they can go a long away towards saving the planet.

The lifestyles of most of us in the West need to be modified for the sake of the world, particularly its poorer people.

We are causing pollution, wasting valuable energy and using resources which cannot be renewed.

The West produces vigorous democracies but they encourage companies that easily damage the environment and the fragile economies of the developing world.

The individual actions we can take include recycling, insulation and less travel. Most of them need not be inconvenient and several will prove personally beneficial.

People can also support firms that have eco-friendly policies and boycott those which have not.

It's no good just shaking our heads and blaming the politicians and big business.

If enough of us follow these principles, they will have to sit up and take notice.