Recent Comments

1. Switch off and unplug appliances and chargers - 21 Aug 2005

   Lynne – with the laptop you also need to consider the life of the battery. Laptop batteries have a finite life – depending on how much they’re drained and recharged.

   If you’re not using your laptop at the time, it makes sense to unplug it once it’s charged. But if you’re using it, keep it plugged in until you’re done.

2. Switch To Energy Saving Lightbulbs - 21 Aug 2005

   Remember that the design of energy-saving bulbs is such that they use a little bit more power to get started but then run very efficiently.

   This means that they’re great for your living room, where the light might be on all evening, but wasteful in places where the light is only used in short bursts. The under-the-stairs cupboard would be a bad place to use one!

3. Ditch The Disposable Items - 21 Aug 2005

   Once you’ve recharged those batteries, though, don’t forget to unplug the charger!

4. Recycle Your Inkjet Cartridges - 24 Aug 2005

   We changed the ink on our HP printer this week, and included inside the box for the new cartridge was a pre-paid envelope for sending back the old one. Couldn’t be easier!

   However, the envelope was addressed to go to France by air, so I’m not convinced just how much good it’s doing the planet over all.

5. Switch off and unplug appliances and chargers - 25 Aug 2005

   You can run most (if not all) laptops without the battery. Of course, a battery sat on the shelf will gradually discharge itself over time, too.

6. Make Your Own Greetings Cards - 31 Aug 2005

   I always think that greetings cards are something to send if you’re unable to give the greeting in person – so yes, I agree. But then part of me thinks am I just being a typical insensitive bloke, so end up buying cards anyway. Hmm.

7. Improve your home's energy efficiency - 30 Sep 2005

   We live in rented accommodation, so we’re limited in what we can do to the structure or major equipment. However, we’ve been focussing on doing really simple things like making sure the curtains are drawn to keep the heat in, switching off unneeded lights, and we tend to keep the heating at about 15 degrees. I think we’d absolutely boil if we turned it up as high as 21!

8. Switch off and unplug appliances and chargers - 01 Oct 2005

   The energy goes into the air as heat. Feel your chargers – they’re warm.

9. Give Your Unwanted / Unworn Clothes To Charity - 10 Oct 2005

   I just read in out local paper how a small charity shop chain in our area is forced to spend £15,000 a year disposing of donated items that are not good enough to sell. I guess the trick is to be realistic about what is worth donating, and what may be better taken to the clothes bank for recycling.

10. Phone a friend - someone who has sent you a card this year who you don't see often - 07 Jan 2006

    I haven’t been phoning friends – but I’ve been making efforts to contact them in other ways. Mostly via email and IM (instant messaging). I think that counts!

11. Give Something Away - and declutter your life - 24 Jan 2006

    I managed to get rid of a great big box full of old computer books using our local Freecycle list this weekend. They were gathering dust and going out of date, and now they’re in the hands of someone who’ll actually use them. Result.

12. Slap a Ticket on an Urban 4x4 - 12 Feb 2006

    Someone slapped one of these on my Freelander in the summer. It amused me because with just a 1.8l engine and 30mpg, my car is at least as efficient as many larger family cars. I drive less than 12,000 miles a year. I can sleep soundly at night knowing that I’m not ‘guzzling gas’.

    A far greater problem surely has to be poorly maintained cars (under-inflated tyres are a terrible waste of fuel), older less efficient vehicles, and unnecessary use of things like air conditioning.

    So yeah, I’ll pass on this action.

13. Can't ditch your car? Switch it! (To LPG) - 13 Feb 2007

    I’m not an LPG user myself yet, but I noticed that it’s not always easy to find out where you can refuel your LPG vehicle. The data exists, but it’s not always easy to use, and some companies even charge for it.

    In the spirit of being generous, I put together a simple, free directory for finding LPG fuel stations at getlpg.org.uk.