Wipe your bottom on newspaper....

.......and nine other great New Year resolutions

Ok, I am only joking about that one but i want to help you become greener in 2009! Check out our top ten New Year resolutions to help you conserve the planet and the cash in your wallet this New Year.

1. Cleaning without toxic chemicals is a wonderful way to turn your home into a healthy and healing place to be in the New Year. Unfortunately, over past decades the ever-expanding store of home cleaning products has included a number of dangerous weapons, loaded with strong, artificial colours and fragrances and harsh cleansing agents like bleach, ammonia, alcohol and more.. There are a great range of green cleaning product ranges such as Ecover, Clearspring and Bio D that are as effective as the traditional chemical laden products you find on supermarket shelves. And don’t forget multi buy and bulk options to save you even more money.

2. Try eco appliances around the home –as well as doing a great clean they can cut your energy bills. For instance, check out the new Ecolectric PerformAir 1000w Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner for a spotless and healthy carpet. This bagless upright is light, easy to carry, gets into places you wouldn’t imagine and has a huge 4.2 litre capacity for less frequent emptying. As well as being packaged in recycled and 100% recyclable materials, it has an economical 1000w low energy motor leading to a 50% energy saving, helping to reduce your energy bills but without compromising on performance. It is a great vacuum cleaner!

3. Every household in Britain produces more than a ton of waste annually, almost 80 per cent of which is buried in landfill sites, polluting ground water and producing gases that contribute to climate change and global warming. You may already recycle the waste you produce, but what about not producing it in the first place? Try and buy in bulk! http://www.ecotopia.co.uk/ sells many products in bulk quantities to save you money and reduce packaging by refilling old containers.

4. Shun at least one non-green product all year. Make it something that you really like, but can live without it but would purchase if it were more eco-friendly. You can always write to the company that manufactures this product and tell them why you now choose not to buy it

5. Not so fantastic plastic! Stop drinking bottled water. Drinking tap water reduces your carbon footprint, landfill rubbish and saves you money. Need water for the gym – buy a reusable bottle!

6. The best resolution to make for the earth is to use the car less or get rid of it altogether. Walk, bike, use public transit or car share. The emissions and money saved will be immense!

7. Make one day a week a meat free day! Meat farming produces enormous amounts of greenhouse gases. Sticking to vegetables once a week would have more beneficial effects than reducing car journeys.

8. Grow your own to beat the credit crunch. Make sure the only crunch you feel is the bite of your home-grown vegetables next year with Ecotopia.co.uk’s range of grow your own seeds, tools and accompaniments . As well as tasting great, you could save money, get fit, do your bit for the environment and be super-trendy all at once.

9. To make it easy to switch off chargers and electronic equipment when you’re not using them, get a standby buster to switch off all your machines and equipment. It will help you save electricity and money! Check out ecotopia’s range of energy savers here.

10. Use energy saving lightbulbs

Give bees a chance!

Help fight the decline in the bee population

While Albert Einstein did not say "if the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would have only four years of life left” there is a lot of truth in this comment. I am seriously worried are the decline in the bee population and encouraging people this Christmas to consider that a bee is not just for summer, they are needed for life - Life of the ecosystem.

We are in serious trouble without our friends. Not only are they the only insects that produce food for humans in the form of honey, they pollinate more than 100 crops as well as 90 percent of all flowering plants. We couldn’t begin to duplicate the work accomplished by bees - every bee makes 10 or more flights per day and each flight lasts more than one hour, visiting between 50 to 100 flowers.

So what can we do to help the bee population survive the current climate? It isn't difficult to make your yard, garden or even patio space a haven for beneficial bees. You'll be helping these important insects, as well as bringing more nature to your backdoor.

Ecotopia are now doing some great deals on bee habitats to encourage customers to support these beautiful creatures. Try our wooden Bumblebee Nester at £19.99 or the ceramic nester at £16.59. These nesters are ideal to attract bees to your garden. Check out our other bee homes like the solitary beehive at £19.53, the insect theatre at £29.31 or pollinating bee log at £14.67.

And don’t forget we have a whole host of Burt’s Bees’ Product for Bee lovers!

eco appliances

Try eco appliances around the home –as well as doing a great clean they can cut your energy bills.

Check out the new Ecolectric PerformAir 1000w Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner from all good retailers for a spotless and healthy carpet. This bagless upright is light, easy to carry, gets into places you wouldn’t imagine and has a huge 4.2 litre capacity for less frequent emptying. As well as being packaged in recycled and 100% recyclable materials, it has an economical 1000w low energy motor leading to a 50% energy saving, helping to reduce your energy bills but without compromising on performance. It is a great hoover!

I am loving the Morphy Richard's New Ecolectric Toaster from www.ecotopia.co.uk. There’s nothing like great toast. You’ll get it quicker too, thanks to the unique auto-close lid that keeps the heat around the toast, which means less waiting around. ...it helps you do your bit to save the planet Better still, by keeping the heat in, that same innovative feature - the lid - helps use 34% less energy. So you can enjoy your breakfast without eating up valuable resources.

Morphy Richards also do an eco iron and kettle which again save electricity!

no more shop sarnies!

Save money & ‘Lunch Box’ it!

Would your parents disapprove of your workday lunch costs? Try bringing your lunch in reusable containers a couple times a week to conserve cash and landfill space and you could save over a staggering £500 a year.

The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) claims that throwing food and packaging away rather making your own lunch costs the public £5billion a year. WRAP officials reckon if the food and packaging for take away luches was not wasted it would also save 18million tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year, the equivalent of taking one car in five off the road.

So raid the fridge every morning to make a much healthier lunch from last night’s leftovers and help save the planet!

Winterise your home

It’s November and it’s cold. Take comfort though in my credit crunching tips to help you winterise your home - protecting you and your investment. (Image courtsesy of energysavingtrust.org)

1. Beat the drafts

Worried about the draft? Drafts can waste 5 to 30% of your energy use. Start simple and adopt that old fashioned fixture – the excluder. Place a rolled bath towel or custom-made "snake" across the bottom of leaky doors and windows. Seal all the draughts around windows and doors will keep you warmer and lower the cost of your bills. Your letterbox can let in a nasty draught so fit a nylon brush seal or spring flap.

2. Turn down your water heater

Reduce hot water temperature - Set your water heater to the "normal" setting, unless the owner's manual for your dishwasher requires a higher setting. Savings are 7-11 percent of water heating costs. Insulate the first five feet of pipe coming out of the top of your water heater or the whole length until the pipe goes into the wall if that is less than five feet. Pipe insulation is available from your hardware store. You can also save money by insulating pipes.

3. Insulate, insulate and insulate

It may not be sexy but insulating your home can save you hundreds of pounds. Half of typical home heat loss is via walls, floors and lofts so make sure you insulate these key areas.

4. Reduce your thermostat

Turn down your thermostat - For every degree you lower your heat you'll save up to 5 percent on heating costs. Wear warm clothing like a sweater and set your thermostat lower during the day and evening, health permitting. Set the thermostat back to its normal position or off at night or when leaving home for an extended time saving 5-20 percent of your heating costs.

5. Give your Boiler an MOT

You give your car a regular service and so you should your boiler. Now is the time to get your boiler ready for winter; book a service with a qualified and reputable heating engineer so you can sort out any small faults before they cause a breakdown which can cost thousands. A serviced boiler will also work more efficiently, which can save you energy and money

6. Think curtains

Open windows on the sunny side of the house when the sun is up so that the sun can warm the rooms. Close all curtains when it gets dark.Do not have furniture close to or in front of radiators. If you have deep windowsills, curtains should sit neatly on top of them and not cover the radiator. Use lined curtains to keep the cold out and warm in

7. Heat reflective foil behind radiators

Fit heat reflective foil behind radiators on outside walls to keep the heat inside your home, with the shiny side facing into the room.

gorgeous goodies for Xmas

"Believe You Can" designs fun, colourful and exclusive Fair Trade fashion and home accessories. Founder and designer Louise Birchmore feels "passionatley about Fair Trade and believes in creating modern and innovative products" "Believe You Can" products are all handmade, and wooden items are FSC certified. This wonderful ethical and Fair Trade range benefits the Fair Trade producers business and community through "trade not aid", but also offers products perfect for the design conscious and ethically aware.

Have a Green Halloween

This Halloween think of the planet and have a green halloween. Putting together an eco celebration of all things spooky is as easy as having a traditional orange and black one – especially for children.

Here are our top 10 tips to get you started:

1. E-mail party invites rather than using the royal mail. There are loads of free Halloween themed party invite e-cards around or alternatively make your own out of scrap and recycled products. Try http://www.halloween.co.uk/ for a great selection

2. Serve local, healthy and seasonal October foods at your events. The options are endless. Remember pumpkins are not just decorative items. Make use of all pumpkin parts. After carving a pumpkin, make sure to save the seeds. Bake them and serve them to party guests or feed them to the birds. Pumpkin flesh is great or making pies, soups and even lasagna! Check out www. freerangereview .com to find local food to you! Apples also are at their best this time of year. So make use of the nation’s favourite crunchy fruit. Fill party bowls with several varieties of fresh apples, from granny smiths to pink lady’s. Bake a few apples for healthy, tasty dessert.

3. Use re-usable plates, cups, utensils, napkins and tablecloths. Paper party goods can be expensive and just add more clutter to our nation's landfills. Check out www.ecotopia.co.uk’s extensive range of eco tableware !

4. Make your own costume or buy one at a second-hand shop. An old favourite a charity shop cotton sheet still makes a great ghost. Can't find anything suitable in the house? Try http://www.freecycle.org/ for a great selection of second hand clothes, costumes and materials.

5. Autumn is great so experience nature. Visit a local farm. Pick fresh apples. Talk a long walk outside. Look up at the sky. Notice the moon. Remember, it's Halloween and take this great Bat Torch with you.

6. Give kids a reusable bag instead of a plastic or paper one to collect their goodies. Plastic and paper ones are bad for the environment and can tear easily.

7. Give away eco friendly treats such as organic sweets or fairtrade chocolate.

8. Instead of buying materials for decorations, gather supplies, arts and crafts throughout the year. Reuse and Recycle! For instance:
- Turn old tights into spider-webbing
- Paint foam peanuts (packing materials) and turn them into worms
- Turn old cardboard boxes into tombstones
- Reuse your decorations from the previous year

9. Facepainting? Use organic and eco friendly facepaints! Try http://www.greeneyedfrog.co.uk/Children/Artsandcrafts.aspx

10. Recycle and reuse as much as possible after your party or celebration. Put all costumes, decorations and anything save-able away for next year.

Be safe and have great green halloween.

Decorating?

Check out local Stroud author Lynn Edward’s Handbook for Eco Paints and Finishes at £9.95 from http://www.thegreenshop.co.uk/.

It gives a comprehensive introduction to the range of natural and eco-friendly, non-toxic paints and finishes available in the UK. The manufacturers of all these products are mindful of the health of our bodies, of our living spaces, and of the wider environment.

Auro Natural paint is available from http://www.ecotopia.co.uk/

It's Autumn!

Even though many of us are in denial, there is no doubt about it - it was the first day of Autumn yesterday! Though everyone has been saying that it’s been like Autumn for the last few months as summer has been so wet and cold, there is no smell in the world like that of a proper Autumn. It hangs in the air bringing an earthy smell and hues of burnt orange and gold. This is definately my favourite season!

Check out http://www.moreeco.com/ 's top 5 Green Tips for Saving Energy and Cash this Autumn

1. Save up to 10% on your water heating!
Chances are you can turn down the thermostat on your home’s water heater a few degrees, and still have plenty of hot water for everyone’s daily shower, not to mention the dishes and laundry. Lowering the temperature from 140 to 120 would reduce your water heating costs by 6 to 10%. Give it a try!

2. Get an Energy Monitor
According to the Energy Saving Trust, 8 out of 10 of us Brits do not understand their energy bills or understand what energy rates they are on. Get a closer handle on your home energy use with an advanced energy monitoring device.

3. Unplug Unused Chargers
Even when they aren’t charging anything, plugged-in mobile phone, laptop and other chargers continue to draw electricity. Briton’s throw away about 8% of our annual electric bills this way, wasting millions of pounds. The solution is simple: just unplug them, or plug them into a standby buster and flip that switch when your device has pulled enough juice.

4. Turn fallen leaves into compost
Rake up and shred fallen leaves and add them to the compost bin. Besides autumn leaves, you’ll find other carbon-rich materials in your garden. Look for waste-material that are brown in color such as sawdust, straw and dried grass clippings. Even your teabags, coffee grains and newspapers are great to add.

5. Out with the old and in with the new or freecycled!
Freecycle any of your old summer clothes that you will not wear anymore and help benefit someone else. If you fancy an item for your winter wardrobe check out moreeco’s list of ethical clothing retailers such as Adili, Seasalt, Gossypium and Green fibres and earn yourself points, as well as free carbon offsets on all purchases.

Big Carbon Experiment - Families Wanted

Save Energy and Win an Eco-hamper

Gloucestershire residents are being asked to take part in an exciting new energy saving competition. Communities will go head to head in the competition to see who can reduce their energy consumption the most over a 6 month period. Winners will be awarded an Eco Hamper for each household as well as tickets to travel to an International Awards Ceremony in Brussels .

All participants will receive a variety of energy saving gadgets and eco goodies throughout the competition, including energy saving lightbulbs, eco kettles and hot water tank jackets, and will have the chance to win spot prizes of standby saver gadgets, water powered clocks, fridgesaver plugs and wind up radios and torches. Competition organisers are looking for 10-15 households in each of the following areas:· Cam Parish · Stroud Town · Wotton Town · Cirencester Town · Gloucester City · South Gloucestershire · Tenants of Fosseway Housing Association · Tenants of Gloucester City Homes · Tenants of Cheltenham Borough Homes · Tenants of Two Rivers Housing · Tenants of Stroud District Council

To take part or find out more contact the Severn Wye Energy Agency ( www.swea.co.uk) on 0800 512 012. If you are not in one of these areas but would like to be involved, please contact Severn Wye Energy Agency to find out about other projects in your area

Check out the Energy Saving Trust Website

The Energy Saving Trust are a non-profit organisation that provides free impartial advice tailored to suit you. It's advice can help you save money and fight climate change by reducing carbon dioxide emissions from your home.

Other useful stuff you can find on the site includes:

• Guides to grants
• Calculate and reduce your carbon footprint - There are so many ways to reduce your impact on climate change - use our new carbon cutter to create a personalised action plan that suits your lifestyle.
• Simple measures to get started - 10 things you can do today
• Free home energy report

Great site with some good info!

Green Loyalty Scheme @ www.bemoreeco.com

Check out this fab green rewards site at http://www.moreeco.com/

What is moreeco?

MoreEco is a shopping reward site that searches the internet for the best organic, green, environmental, and natural online retailers and negotiate with them a reward level which can be passed on to the moreeco registered users.

Once you have chosen your shop click through and then you are then on the retailer’s own site and will be dealing directly with them from that point.

Why use it?

You get loads of green stuff for free and unlike the green rewards site, http://www.moreeco.com/ only uses green retailers and checks out their ethical credentials too. Everyone's a winner!

Flight offsetting tool

Found this piece on the www.bemoreeco.com blogsite, which i thought was really useful.

Calculate your flight emissions with this neat tool

This is a handy new tool from Carbon Planet. It lets you enter in your next flight details and work out how much CO2 your trip will cause. Not everyone on the plane, just you. Though it does assume a full flight. As we know, this isn’t always the case.
Anyhow, it’s a good estimate and it even divides between economy, business class and first class.
So try it out before your next trip, then use a CO2 offsetting program to fly carbon neutral.

Also be sure to read the two supplement pdf guides on Greenhouse Gas Flight Emissions and the Myths of aviation CO2.

Get a free ecotopia.co.uk reuseable bag by entering 'give me a free bag' in comments box at checkout with any purchase! A cool design means that these bags can be used for more than just shopping and at 24litres (34cm x 22.2cm x 32cm) they are large enough for a wide variety of uses.

*while stocks last

I am loving Bags of Change (http://www.bagsofchange.co.uk/) which tackles both ethical shopping and that eco hot potato, the plastic carrier bag.

Instead of reward points, Bags of Change awards shoppers a discount off ethical local and online , sustainable, organic and fairtrade goods when they use one of the hemp and organic cotton bags at a participating retailer.

Great concept and the bags are so funky!

Go free range and save a hen!

Why not adopt some hens, save on the food miles and do something good for sustainability - and give a second chance to some of the 20 million battery hens currently living in dire conditions, with no possibility of exhibiting natural behaviours.

The Battery Hen Welfare Trust website has loads of useful information on the adoption or sponsorship process and the rewards of keeping chickens. A great organisation that works with battery farmers to make positive changes within the industry, they've rehomed over 97,000 hens to date and can count Jamie Oliver and poet Pam Ayres amongst their patrons.

I’ve just signed up to the website One Hundred Months which provides a monthly action on helping tackle climate change.

Backed by organisations including Greenpeace, www.ecotopia.co.uk and the good old WI!, it’s based on the conclusion that even using cautious calculations, we have only one hundred months before we pass the climate’s ‘tipping point’ - the point of no return - where the chance to tackle global warming could be far beyond our reach.

The site gives you month by month guidance on doing your bit. The first action is to invite others to join so click here http://onehundredmonths.org/

For more info... read the guardian article http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/aug/01/climatechange.carbonemissions

tea and coffee

I love filtered coffee and drink copious amounts of the stuff along with my 5 cups of tea a day - fairtrade of course. I have been digging around the internet to see what i can do with leftover coffee grains and tea bags.

First, if you're a tea lover it's better to buy loose-leaf tea or tea bags without strings. Used tea bags can be recycled as compost as can coffee grains. These can be put straight on to the garden or into plant pots

Tea is also good for the skin. Before you recycle it, you can put a tea bag on your face. It can make your skin fresh and even smooth.

Find food local to you

Find the very best local produce with River Cottage & Free Range Review. Join THE local food community to discover, review, add and discuss your fave foodie places. Remember to vote for your favourite Glos outlets

I love this gadget

Firewinder is a decorative, 100% wind-powered outdoor light which harnesses the power of the wind from whichever direction it blows, to create a simple yet magical visual effect with a universal appeal. Easy to install, you simply mount it on a tree in your garden, on your roof terrace or attach to a post or wall and watch it light up and glow every time the wind blows! Firewinder magically breathes with the wind - in low winds the lights shine with a dim intensity and as wind speeds increase, the faster it spins and the brighter it shines, creating a pulsing, twisting glow in varying and inconsistent wind speeds. http://www.ecotopia.co.uk/product/140/dd0147/firewinder.html

I so want one!!

Green Electricity

What is Green Electricity?

'Green electricity' means electricity produced from sources which do not cause negative impacts upon the environment. Of course, every type of electricity generation will have some impact, but some sources are much greener than others. The cleanest energy sources are those which utilise the natural energy flows of the Earth. These are usually known as renewable energy sources, because they will never run out.

Green electrical companies such as Ecotricity harness power from natural sources, like the wind power, the sun (solar power) and water (wave), that don't pollute and don't contribute to climate change.

Deep green electricity sources

As mentioned previously, Green electricity is harnessed from natural sources, like the wind, the sun and water, that don't pollute and don't contribute to climate change. We call these Deep Green, because they're the ultimate in clean electricity generation. They don't involve any burning and offer a pollution-free, endless source of electricity.

Pale green electricity

There are other sources of green electricity. We call these Pale Green, because in most cases they involve some form of burning and there is some associated environmental impact. Examples of Pale Green sources include sewage, landfill gas and biomass. The first two provide a non-intermittent and comparatively cheap source of power and in most cases enable significant greenhouse gas savings compared to conventional sources. Pale Green sources helped Ecotricity to kick start the UK's green electricity market place and to get them where they are today, but they are no longer a feature of our generation. Our focus is on building new Deep Green capacity: the most important factor in reducing the threat of climate change.

The future of green electricity

Creating new Deep Green energy sources is crucial in the fight against climate change. This will mean a significant boost to green electricity capacity in the UK and will have a major positive impact on the environment; reducing Carbon Dioxide, other gas emissions and pollution. Every unit of green electricity that is made directly replaces electricity normally generated from conventional polluting sources.
Green Electricity Policies

Green Electricty companies should adhere to the following standards when it comes to their policies:

Increase the use of green electricity.

Minimise energy use wherever possible. Continual improvement on environmental issues where economically feasible.

Control the activities of the company to minimise risk of pollution to the environment.

Minimise the production of waste where possible and any disposal of waste produced will be carried out with due care for the environment.

Minimise the use of new products where other recycled materials are a suitable substitute.

Make every effort to ensure that where waste materials or products can be recycled they are recycled in an environmentally responsible way in order to conserve resources.

Be a responsible employer and neighbour.

Ensure that all employees carry out their duties in line with the above statement and, through training, are aware of their obligations.

Minimise the use of mobile phones and monitor existing use.

Ensure that our operations comply with or exceed current legislation and other relevant requirements

Cleaner home, cleaner Environment

With increasing emphasis in the media on climate change and the way in which we pollute our planet, environmentally friendly consumers i welcome Ecotopia’s move to increase accessibility to quality, natural household cleaning products.

The online ethical shop is a specialist supplier of Ecover products and is now the cheapest internet source of all Ecover branded items.

Many householders are unaware that the chemicals they use for washing their dishes, clothes and home can leave harmful residues, or contain petrochemicals which do not biodegrade once they have been thrown away,” says Ecotopia director, Steve Jones. “The government estimates that in, around 100 million tonnes of household waste is produced annually. Most of this waste is not recycled, ending up instead in landfill sites. This generates methane as it biodegrades which then adds to harmful greenhouse gases polluting the atmosphere.”

Ecotopia supplies a huge range of innovative, ethical products which can be easily incorporated into everyday life. Actively promoting a lifestyle which produces less impact on the environment, the emphasis is on hip not hippy. “Along with products such as the recycled car tyre mouse mats and bamboo screen computer monitors, the Ecover range is a fresh and fun way to do your bit for the environment,” adds Jones. “ Ecover shower gels and Ecover hand soaps are kind to the planet and to skin, making use of natural ingredients like lemon and Aloe Vera. Not only do Ecover products not cost the earth, they actually smell nice too!”

All Ecotopia Ecover products contain plant extracts instead of chemicals and are sold in 100% recyclable containers. To encourage consumers to make a commitment to creating healthier homes, all ordesr over £100 are delivered free of charge.
Find out more and order online at http://www.ecotopia.co.uk

DIY Energy Audit

Easily Find Out How Much Energy You Are Using

Energy costs continue to rise, placing ever-greater pressure on households. And the energy you use to heat your home is a large part of your carbon footprint.
By knowing what to look for you can conduct your own home energy audit. Here's how to get started.

1. Get to Know Your Energy Bills

Bills are never fun, but don't forget that they contain valuable information along with the pain. Compare your heating costs by month for as many years past as you can, and look for trends in usage or obvious changes. Do you see any spikes? Can you remember why? Your utility can make older bills available to you by calling customer service.

Note both the kilowatt hours you are typically using as well as the amount your utility is charging per KWH for electricity and gas. Get to know what it is that you are paying for every month.

Choose a Green energy provider like Ecotricity or good-energy.co.uk

that provide you with electricity from 100% renewable sources, such as wind and hydro power.

2. Locate Air Leaks

Simple leaks can sap home energy efficiency by 5 to 30% a year, according to the goverment. So take a close look at places where two different building materials meet, such as corners, around chimneys, where pipes or wires exit and along the foundation. Make sure good seals form around doors and windows, and that no mortar is cracked. Any gaps or holes should be plugged and/or caulked.

Use the incense test: carefully (avoiding drapes and other flammables) move a lit stick along walls; where the smoke wavers, you have air sneaking in and heating sneaking out.

Make sure the floor of your attic, including the hatch, is insulated, and that the material isn't crumbling or compacted, which means it has lost its effectiveness. Similarly, check your cellar ceiling, as well as cellar walls. Hot water pipes and furnace ducts should be insulated. So should exterior walls (determine this by carefully removing the cover from a power plug, or drill a small hole in the back of a closet).

If you find any problems, call in a professional, or go DIY and buy some fresh insulation yourself. Learn more about insulation here.

3. Examine Heating Equipment

Not surprisingly, heating usually accounts for the biggest home energy loads. Inspect heating and cooling equipment annually, or as recommended by the manufacturer.

4. Lighting

Energy for lighting accounts for about 10% of your electric bill. Examine the wattage size of the light bulbs in your house. You may have 100-watt (or larger) bulbs where 60 or 75 watts would do. You should also consider compact fluorescent lamps for areas where lights are on for hours at a time. Your electric utility may offer rebates or other incentives for purchasing energy-efficient lamps.

5. Turn it down

Heating: make sure your equipment is efficient, and, if it doesn't harm your health, turn it down a couple of notches. Gas is better than coal and electricity, which you should avoid. If installing a new gas central heating boiler, fit a condensing model - much more efficient.

For more help:

To get audits in the UK go to www.est.org.uk/check
The EST (Energy Saving Trust) can also be contacted on 0800 512 012 and have a responsibility to give free and impartial advice on renewables as well as other energy saving measures to householders.
If you are looking for help and are a business please contact the Carbon Trust http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/ 0800 085 2005.
These organisations are funded by the taxpayer and are good ports of call for anyone wanting to save energy or reduce their carbon emissions.

10 small steps, 10 great strides to being green!

Everyone's fussing about global warming and environmental degradation, but what can the average resident do to help the South West - and the planet?
Today, i would like to launch the 10 small steps, 10 big strides campaign! From unplugging phone chargers when not in use to buying environmentally friendly compact fluorescent light bulbs, we can make the South West greener!
The 10 steps are simple but actionable measures that collectively can make a very, very big difference - they are things that everyone can do!
Here's the list:

Change conventional light bulbs to compact fluorescent ones

Buy appliances with the environmentally friendly ENERGY STAR label

Don't air-condition an empty room

Unplug chargers and appliances when not in use

Switch to green power through your energy provider

Walk or take public transportation or join a car share scheme

Recycle your glass, metal, paper and plastic

Bring your own cloth bag to the supermarket

Use green cleaning products

Switch to paperless bank statements and online bill paying.

Wildlife Sites in the South West

You don't need to go far to see some great wildlife and nature in the South West. There is some near you. There are very well known sites across the UK, National Parks, National nature reserves, RSPB reserves and WWT (Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust) reserves, but there are many other great wildlife spots all over the place. Every county in the South West has a wildlife trust that will run a series of local reserves and county councils have their own nature reserves and there are plenty of other places where there is ample wildlife.
Click here for all the best sites in the South West, though we have no doubt that there are plenty we don't know about (please let us know by emailing us about anywhere that you can recommend).

Saving the Bumblebees!

Bumblebees are beautiful little creatures They are also important pollinators of wildflowers and crops. 3 species are now extinct and 9 more are threatened - they need our help...

It isn't difficult to make your yard, garden or even patio space a haven for beneficial bees. You'll be helping these important insects, as well as bringing more nature to your backdoor. I have bought a Bumblebee Nester.This nester is ideal to attract bees to your garden. Bumblebees also love plants of course!

The greater the plant diversity, the more bees you will attract and support. Always try to choose as many native plants as possible, and consult with nursery staff or other experts to find vegetation that will thrive in your specific conditions.

Here is a partial list of bee attractors:

Annuals

Asters
Calliopsis
Clover
Marigolds
Poppies
Sunflowers
Zinnias

Perennials

Buttercups
Clematis
Cosmos
Crocuses
Dahlias
Echinacea

English

Ivy
Foxglove
Geraniums
Germander Globe
Thistle
Hollyhocks
Hyacinth
Rock
Cress
Roses
Sedum
Snowdrops
Squills
Tansy
Yellow Hyssop

Garden Plants

Blackberries
Cucumbers
Raspberries
Squash
Strawberries
Watermelons
Wild Garlic

The Bumblebee Conservation Trust need your help! In order to conserve our bumblebees, it's crucial that we understand them. Here's where you can help.....

Beewatch 2008

They urgently need your help to map the distributions of our bumblebees (even the common species). Please record what species you see in your garden, or when out for a walk. Try to identify them yourself, but if you're uncertain then take a digital photograph and email it to the trust - they will identify it and let you know what species you have. Please include a post-code (or grid-ref) and date in your email to beewatch@bumblebeeconservationtrust.co.uk

Nest Box Trial

These days most good wildlife gardens contain several bird nesting boxes. The birds use them, and we love watching them building their nests and raising chicks. Not surprisingly, bumblebees need homes too! They probably struggle to find natural nesting sites, so the trust are keen to encourage people to start providing artificial sites in their gardens.....

Hypnorum Survey

The Trust are keen to record the spread of our new arrival, the Tree Bumblebee (B. hypnorum). This species arrived about 6 years ago from France, and is gradually spreading north. It's a very distinctive looking bee - take a photo if you can and let them know where you see it!

Can trees help cure Asthma?

No, they can't but a new study by the British Medical Journal has shown that trees can really have a positive effect on children's health!

Children who live on tree-lined streets have lower rates of asthma, suggesting that those leafy green areas may be as important to public health as they are to quality of life.

Researchers with the British Medical Journal published their findings in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health after conducting a study on rates of asthma among four and five year olds in New York.

With asthma rates climbing – up 50% nationwide between 1980 and 2000, with the greatest increase in urban areas – a solution as simple as tree planting would be a welcome. The benefit of trees was felt regardless of proximity to pollution sources, family income or population density.

Unfortunately, the study found no benefit to older children.

Trees shade buildings and sidewalks, helping to lower temperatures and keep energy costs down, and they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping to limit the growth of greenhouse gases that fuel to global warming.

It's raining now but it is going to be a hot summer so think about saving water now!

I believe water is the most precious resource on earth. Full stop! It’s the main substance that separates our planet from all others and makes life possible. That’s why it’s so important to know your water saving devices. The availability of water impacts every part of our lives. While salt water is quite abundant on our planet, fresh water sources become more depleted every year as ever-greater demands are placed upon them. These increasing demands, have made water more precious than ever.

Careless use of our water resources is the surest way to bring about a future water crisis. That’s why it’s important to learn about water saving devices now. The place for each of us to start saving is in our home, and most people are surprised by the impact they can make there.

Check out my top water saving devices here:

The fabulous Interflush WC water saving kit costs £17.95 fits on top of your WC siphon and connects to the front mounted flush handle. Did you know that every person uses 150 litres of water per day. 60 of these litres are used for toilet flushing. The Interflush™ saves half of the flushing water, that is 30 litres per person per day. Hippo's are great too at £1.20 each..With this in your cistern you will help conserve your water supply.Each Hippo will save between 2.5 - 3.5litres of water when fitted in an average cistern of 9litres

Watergreen at £19.99 has won the Waterwise Marque by Waterwise, the leading authority on water efficiency. WaterGreen is a clever syphon pump. Put one end in your bath; the other end out the window, connect to a hose, squeeze the pump and let gravity syphon your waste water onto your garden. It moves water from your water butt, bath, shower or sink to your garden - simply, cleanly and affordably. It can also be used to empty cisterns, blocked sinks and dishwashing machines. It stores neatly and can be used at any time. Best of all, you can use your hosepipe to move recycled or rain water, even during a hosepipe ban! Easy: a few squeezes of the hand pump gets it going, then it runs by itself. Efficient: empties baths in minutes and can be left unattended Flexible: fill a water butt, wash the car or use straight onto the garden Convenient: attaches to any standard garden hose Effective: recycles water - saving money, your garden and the planet.

Check out the Tefal Quick Cup at £59.99. For real instant drinks here's a very clever device that brings you instant hot water at 95C. In this way it uses around 65% less energy than conventional kettles. Only the water that is required is heated instantly - no pre heating is required and therefore no cooling and loss of energy takes place. it also has a filter and produces ice cool water!

Have you heard about the 'cycle to work' scheme?

Cycle to Work scheme

Do you cycle to work or would you like to cycle to work?

The Cycle to Work initiative takes advantage of legislation introduced by the government to encourage employees to bike to work as part of the government's Green Transport Plan.
By allowing Income Tax, National Insurance and VAT exemptions employees are effectively provided with the use of a bicycle and accessories as part of their employment package through a salary sacrifice scheme. Depending on earnings an employee could save up to 50% on the full retail price of a bike and associated accessories.

For more info visit http://www.cyclescheme.co.uk/

Skill swap in the South West

All over the world, people are registering at the freeconomy community. They’re all tired of the lack of community in their areas and the focus on money, and have decided to do something about it. By signing up to freeconomy, you are able to contact, and be contacted by, others in your area with the aim of sharing your skills and to help one other for free. It’s a fantastic way to get to know people in your local community, and to make a real contribution to your area. The online freeconomy community is only just a year old, but is growing rapidly and already represents 90 countries. The idea is to share skills, tools and room/land with people who live near you.

The south west has several hundred members with more skills than you can imagine and there is something for everyone!

Registration is free and easy so join now.

Make your vote count this week

I am getting so much election literature through my door for the local council elections which are being held on Thursday, it is not funny! It is all being recycled though....

However, the Labour candidate's promo made me giggle stating about being green and how much they are into supporting recycling - but the leaflet was not printed on recycled paper. They certainly do not practice what they preach! However, when i bought this up with the Labour candidate ( a very nice chap) who was on the other side of the road canvassing the neighbours he was like... 'oh yeah, good point.'

I feel this is the same for my local MP who claims he is 'green and cares' but doesn't actually back up what he is saying. Due to this i have decided to launch a campaign to make our councillors and MP's in Gloucestershire greener! I am going to contact my MP's first and educate them on holding a greener office...I will keep you posted!

Actions speak louder than words..

Anyway my point is to make your vote count this election and vote for a candidate that actually has and will make a difference rather than just regurgitating what they have been advised to say!

Save our Post Offices Campaign

WH Smiths is not good enough for elderly and disabled of Cheltenham!

Following the successful county wide rally in Gloucester on 19.4.08, Save Our Post Offices campaigners will be outside WH Smiths in Cheltenham at 1pm on Thursday 24th April the opening day of it becoming the central post office to access its disabled access and the impact of the closure of the main post office on the elderly and disabled in Cheltenham.

Lawyers acting for Save Our Post Offices have alerted Glos County Council chief executive Peter Bungard to the council’s legal duty under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to take account of the impact of post office closures on the disabled and elderly. We believe moving the central post office to WH Smiths will restrict access and so make the keeping open of Hewlett Rd, Edinburgh Place and Woodmancote even more important.

Cheltenham resident Sydney Tavender representing St Dunstan’s Association for the military blind will be helping Save Our Post Offices with our assessments. Sydney says: ‘it’s a disgrace moving it to WH Smiths, it shouldn’t be on the first floor, there’s no escalator coming down, the lift is a goods lift at the back of the store and they’re doing it on the cheap by not paying what the old post office staff got.’
Contact Sydney on 01242 516827

Save Our Post Offices is appealing to those elderly and disabled who feel they will be severely affected by the closure of their local post office and feel WH Smiths is an inadequate replacement to contact Save Our Post Offices with their details. We will pass these on to Glos County Council for them to take account when formulating their plans regarding the replacement of any of the county’s post offices.

Save Our Post Offices also notes that Royal Mail director Richard Handover was chairman of WH Smiths until 2005 and now WH Smiths have the franchises for 76 crown post offices around the country.

Report of Rally in Gloucester Sat 19th April 208

On Sat 19th April Cheltenham post office campaigner Carmela Walker Bishop joined others from Gloucester, Stroud, Dursley and Lydney, outside the Guildhall to hand in a letter for Barry Dare (Glos County Council leader) supporting what the council has done so far to develop a rescue plan for our post offices under threat from the government closure programme. A motion has been passed to ‘investigate’ a plan and a cross party meeting involving MP’s and councillors from around the county took place on 16.4.08 to discuss what the council could do, with talk of saving 5/6 post offices. But Save Our Post Offices believe much more needs to be done to produce a comprehensive plan covering all threatened post offices that the local community believe are vital to keep open.

The rally was addressed by:
Save Our Post Offices campaigner Carmela Walker Bishop (Cheltenham)
83 year Dolly Berryman from Podsmead (Gloucester)
County Councillor Brian Oosthuysen (Stroud East)
County Councillor Phillip McLellan (Barnwood)
Town Councillor Ronnie Harding (Dursley)
Save Our Post Offices organiser Chris Moore (Stroud)
County Councillor Roger Brown (Cirencester) sent his support but was not able to attend.

Chris Moore says 'The government are attacking our communities by closing our post offices and selling some to big business like WH Smiths but Gloucester County Council could put together a comprehensive rescue package for our condemned post offices where there's a will there's a way.'

Lend your support on this important issue by contacting:

Chris Moore (Save Our Post Offices campaign)
07810 732379 or chrismoore61@yahoo.co.uk

Why i love freecycle

Have you heard of Freecycle.org? I hadn't until about a year-and-a-half ago until my sister Rachel told me about it – she is an avid freecycler!! Basically, you join an email list (Yahoo Group) for your town and when you have something to give away, you ‘offer it’. Group members reply and you pick one to come pick up your item. If you're looking for something, you can post a ‘wanted’ email and see who has what you're looking for. It's easy and free, though there can be A LOT of emails flying around, especially on weekends where everyone seems to be cleaning out their garages.The mission of Freecycle is to reduce waste and keep useful items from going to landfills, but I have found that there are so many other benefits:

First, people can get things for free. Second, people usually post up stuff that they think isn't worth selling, which makes Freecycle good for avoiding landfill. Third, people come and collect what you've advertised, so it's very convenient for you.

Junk Mail - The postman hates it!!

Junk Mail - don't we just hate it? I had 4 pieces through my letter box today alone. I am registered with the Mailing Preference Service (MPS) to stop much of this junk mail but you do have to renew every year and i had let mine lapse.

Unwanted mail is not something we just have to live with. We have the power to be more selective about what comes through our letterbox.

MPS is for you and everyone who wants to be removed from up to 95% of direct mail lists in the UK.

HOW IT WORKS

The MPS stops personally addressed unsolicited mail. Once you are registered it takes between one to four months for the service to have full effect, though you should notice a reduction of mail during this time. Meanwhile, any junk mail that you get through the post can be recycled. Check out Recycle for Gloucestershire for more information

REGISTERING IS FREE!

To register with the Mailing Preference Service:
Visit http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/ or Download, complete & send the attached registration form, or
Call 0845 703 4599 (local rates)

These other preference services are great for getting rid of unwanted annoying sales people and faxes

Telephone Preference Service linkwww.mpsonline.org.uk/tps
Fax Preference Service linkwww.mpsonline.org.uk/fps

Earth Day 2008 - 22 April

Will you take the train or bus to work? Start washing your laundry in cold water? Just turn off a few more lights? Lower your heating? However you're planning to honor Earth Day on the 22nd and combat climate change, i would like to hear all about it – the more unique, the better.
Yes, we can tackle climate change – but only if we all pitch in.

Google is taking part using their maps where you can post a notice of what you will be doing on April 22nd.

Check out this google tool which gives you a chance to do your part – and inspire your fellow citizens to do theirs. Share your ideas, put yourself on the map and let your fellow users know what you've committed to do for Earth Day 2008, and for the rest of the year.

For me, i shall walk to work, lower my heating in my house and put on an extra jumper if i am cold and buy a standby buster . I have wanted one of these for ages as they let you switch appliances off completely so that they use no electricity - rather than leaving them on standby, unnecessarily using electricity that is costing you money and contributing to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

Buy Local, Buy Ethical...

I am on a mission to change my food buying habits and switch to locally grown or ethical goods as much as possible. I have been on this quest for the last few months but realise I need to step up a gear!

So what does buying locally mean for Gloucestershire. According to the Soil Association:

• Buying local means boosting the local and rural economy - latest research from the New Economic Foundation shows that money spent on locally-produced food generates almost twice as much income for the local economy as the same amount spent in a typical supermarket


• It ensures farmers' fair share by avoiding the middleman. Creates better understanding between town and country and helps support improvements in farming. Cuts down on air miles, the least environmentally-friendly form of transport!


• It reduces processing and packaging

A big part of this new initiative will be to increase awareness about all of the great locally-owned businesses that are available in Gloucestershire. I hope that I will be able to motivate many of you to change your buying habits and support local businesses and where this is not possible with certain foods and the like - to go for green or ethical food. If you know of any local businesses that should appear on our website, send me an email and I will do my best to review and write about them .

A few of the stores that I visit regularly are:

• Over Farm Market - http://www.over-farm-market.com/

Great local produce such as cheese, veggies, stuffed olives and they do great homemade scotch eggs- plus a great day out for the family as they have a farm park!

• Gloucestershire’s Farmers Markets - http://www.gloucestershirefarmersmarkets.org.uk/

Fab local produce in Gloucester and Stroud

• Ecotopia - http://www.ecotopia.co.uk/A great range of foods (available over the web with next day delivery) based on one or more of the following principles - organic, fair-trade, ethical, recycled packaging. Check out their 'cafe direct' fairly traded coffee (It is the best coffee i have ever tasted and the farmers who produce it get a fair price and access to education and healthcare - see my previous post on the importance of buying fair trade coffee).

I also love Bottlegreen products. Nestled in a tiny village of Woodchester in the heart of the Cotswolds, the Bottlegreen factory has been carefully crafting a delicious range of soft drinks and Sorbets for 18 years. They are a great local success story. http://www.bottle-green.co.uk/

Over the next few months I shall be writing about other business and provide a brief summary about what they do, what they are known for and where they are based.I hope that my posts on buying local will motivate you to start buying local!

Do you know a community initiative that needs trees?

I am delighted to announce that i have now achieved 75,000 members of my facebook forest group. For those who don't know about it, this is a group designed to create eco awareness and for every 50 members, Ecotopia.co.uk are donating a tree to community projects.

75,000 members mean 1500 trees. We have donated trees to many projects:

The first Facebook Forest is being planted on a small plot of land just outside Minchinhampton on the Edge of what is to be the first carbon neutral market garden. Lucy Offord who is creating the market garden welcomes the Facebook Forest saying how this exciting project compliments the development she is carrying out with the market garden. The first site will have room for hundreds of trees. These will vary from year old to more mature saplings to help establish these new woodlands/ forests.Ecotopia will be looking to establish further Forests alongside other such environmental projects

We shall be supporting the Honeycombe Project by a donation of trees.The Honeycomb Project is a community interest company that creates eco awareness within communities in the UK and provides sustainable human habitats by following nature's patterns . For those that don't know this is a not for profit company somewhere between a charity and company. Assets of land, buildings,tools etc can never be sold for the profits of the directors, ever! They are protected by an "asset lock" which means any land they purchase will always belong to the community we serve! So all land bought for community farms will be held in "perpetuity" which means it will always be a community farm/orchard/allotment.See http://www.be-the-solution.co.uk/ for more information

We are also helping supporting anti social behaviour projects throughout Gloucestershire -watch this space! We are looking for more community projects to support so contact me on 07885975671 or on sarahobbin@btinternet.com for more info

Check out http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=12906572587

Join CarShare Gloucestershire

Thinking of Car Sharing?

Car sharing is when two or more people share a car and travel together. It allows people to benefit from the convenience of the car, whilst alleviating the associated problems of congestion and pollution. CarShareGloucestershire has been set up to provide a free carsharing service for all those who live in and around Gloucestershire. Registration is quick and easy - So register today and enjoy the benefit of car sharing.

Why buy fairly traded Coffee

Many people start the day with a few cups of coffee, or if you’re like our very energetic team at Ecotopia - a few pots of coffee. But have you ever thought where it comes from? If you haven’t checked out “Black Gold,” the acclaimed documentary that takes a look at the multi-billion dollar coffee industry and the poor farmers who cultivate the beans, then you should! You probably will never set foot in a large supermarket to buy your coffee again.

The film follows Tadesse Meskela, the General Manager of the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union, as he visits coffee-growing regions in Sidamo and Oromia, as well as a coffee processing center, a coffee auction house, and his union’s headquarters in Addis Ababa. He also travels to England and the US in an effort to promote Ethiopian coffee by eliminating the numerous middlemen.

With great frankness, Meskela uses “Black Gold” as a stage to describe the chronic situation Ethiopian coffee farmers face. When the price of coffee hit a 30-year low at the start of the Millenium, farmers struggled to feed their children and send them to school. Some quit farming. Others began growing a more profitable line - a local narcotic banned in the US and Europe. With their families malnourished and being forced to travel long distances to accept foreign aid, some farmers saw no alternative but to bring their families to government feeding centres.
So why do they call it black gold?

Coffee is traded as a commodity—just like oil or gold—and is second only to oil in commodity value. Because of the production surplus brought about by sun-grown coffee, the price of coffee has been chronically depressed on the world market, making it difficult for farmers to make a good living from year to year.

The price of coffee is rising, but little has changed in these communities. In Ethiopia, country that depends on coffee for about 40 percent of its export revenue, farmers make as little as 2.5p for every cup of coffee sold in Europe. Meanwhile, multinational coffee corporations collectively rake in as much as £160 billion each year, according to the film.

So why buy Fairtrade?

Fair trade organisations work directly with cooperatives of small farmers to eliminate much of the middleman costs and provide the growers with a stable price that ensures a reasonable standard of living. For instance, in 2004 the UK Fairtrade market guaranteed participating coffee growers a minimum of 126 cents per pound for arabica coffee beans, compared to a world market price of 52 cents per pound. Many fair trade organisations also encourage their growers to employ sustainable farming practices (such as organic and shade-grown).