Recent Comments

1. Switch to Green Household Cleaners - 22 Dec 2006

   Being both vegan and Eco warriors my partner and I have been using animal free, environmentally friendly products for a number of years. The Ecover range is brilliant.

2. Get Rid of Your Car - OK, ambitious, but... - 22 Dec 2006

   Until May 2006 both my partner and I had cars, but had discussed selling one and sharing the other for some time, since he started working from home so most of the time his car was just sat in the drive. When his car was written off (not his fault!) we made a conscious decision not to replace it. He now walks to the local shops and post office, therefore getting excercise. We have saved many £££s on car insurance, running costs and road tax. We have reduced our carbon emmissions and have reorganised our lives so we bulk shop once a month, saving further ££s. We may have been partly forced into it, but it’s one of the best decisions we’ve ever made.

3. Give Something Away - and declutter your life - 22 Dec 2006

   It took us the past year to sort it out after moving, but we took 5 large house-moving boxes full of un-required ‘stuff’ to our local Waggy Dogs charity shop. It felt good! Go-on and have a big declutter over Christmas. Does anyone know anyone that takes/re-uses self-recorded Video Tapes, all films – nothing dodgy! We’ve got 50 to 100 to re-home or re-cyle. Can’t bear to throw them away??

4. Turn Off The Tap When Brushing Your Teeth - 22 Dec 2006

   This automatically happened when we changed to a rechargeable toothbrush. If you remove the brush from your mouth whilst the bristles are still spinning, toothpaste goes everywhere, so you daren’t! The tap only goes on at the end to rinse. I know someone will groan at the thought of a rechargeable toothbrush but at least we only have to replace the heads now and not the handle as well. Also we bought one with interchangeable heads so we share the handle..obviously not at the same time though.

5. Shop locally - 22 Dec 2006

   We are both vegan and have bought organic and fairtrade products since they have been available. We now buy our weekly fruit and veg plus wholefood products from sunnyfields.co.uk get gifts from amnestyshop.org.uk and other fair trade, organic and eco friendly products from naturalcollection.com. Try your local Co-op store for vegetarian, vegan and fair trade wine. All their own brand bottles are clearly labelled and delicious!

6. Become A Blood Donor - 01 Jan 2007

   Steve & I use to donate blood annually but last donated about two years ago and have slipped out of the habbit! We used to aim to donate blood twice a year and will get back into the routine during 2007. For info visit www.blood.co.uk

7. Stop Taking Plastic Bags From Shops - 03 Feb 2007

   We have 2 bottle carriers (take 6 bottles each)provided free from the Co-op when we bought wine from them a few years ago, which we take with us when we do a wine stock up. Not all Co-op stores have them, but it’s worth asking. We have always used plastic carrier bags as bin liners for unrecycleable items and take spare ones to one of our great local independant health food shops who turn them in-side-out and use them for their customers. We only go to the supermarket once a month now, so have reduced plastic bag use further. If you’re out shopping for various bits in different shops you don’t need a bag from each shop. Most shop assistants ask if you want a bag…just say no.

8. Plant some bulbs - 03 Feb 2007

   Our first daffodil popped out 2 days ago! It stands tall and proud and hasn’t been found by the sqirrels yet…bless them! It is surrounded by other shoots and buds. Spring is on the way.

9. Recycle Your Stuff - 03 Feb 2007

   Does anyone know anyone that takes/re-uses self-recorded Video Tapes, all films – nothing dodgy! We’ve got 50 to 100 to re-home or re-cyle. All labelled. Can’t bear to throw them away and have them landfilled?? They must be of use to someone? Tried the freecycle website twice and had trouble getting anywhere both times.

10. Dry clothes outdoors. - 03 Feb 2007

    Yes this is definately something to do weather permitting. To be honest we only use our line in the spring and summer as we found that items are usually still damp even at the end of a nice day in the autumn and winter. We have clothes horses and a rail in our airing cupboard. There’s no tank in there now but the hot water pipes still run through it and create warmth, ideal for drying clothes. We use Ecover fabric conditioner in our wash. Nice smell, economical, environmentally friendly, not tested on animals and vegan.

11. Put Your Money Where Your Heart is (Bank Ethically) - 03 Feb 2007

    Changed from Lloyds (boo hiss – I liked the black horse, clever, sneaky marketing) to the Co-op (hooray) well over 10 years ago and upgraded to Smile Oct 2005. A fantastic bank with clear ethical values. That’s two words that can’t be associated with many banks! Smile is all internet based and offers current, savings and ISA accounts as well as all the other financial options. Very very easy to switch and use. Highly recommended.

12. Put Your Money Where Your Heart is (Bank Ethically) - 03 Feb 2007

    Forgot to say, Smile also pay interest INTO your current account. An added bonus.

13. Calculate your carbon footprint - 17 Aug 2008

    I’ve just calculated my personal carbon footprint, which came out at 4.7 tonnes per year against the average of 4.48. Oh dear, and I thought I was doing so well. I thought it may have been the old car but starngely enough my transport carbon footprint measured 1.66 compared to the average 1.80. Home 2.31 (2) and Appliances .73 (.68). I’m not one for buying new and therefore more energy efficient products unless an old one breaks. All our appliances are old and therefore score high but I’m not going to throw them or pass them onto another until they die.

14. Switch To Energy Saving Lightbulbs - 17 Aug 2008

    Ok so whilst calculating my personal carbon footprint I descovered that I had 31 light bulbs in my house but only 5 are energy efficient ones! We are in rented accom and there are 10 bulbs on dimmer switches, which as far as I know can’t have EE bulbs? Let me know if I’m wrong. We don’t leave lights on when not in the room…most of the time. Must remember to turn off lights when not in use. More sun would help!

    Joe – is there room for a mirror opposite a window as these create more light. Also, white walls make rooms lighter.

15. Shelve The Bottled Water - 17 Aug 2008

    We changed to bottled water some years ago, as we don’t like all the poisonous substances that come out the tap such as chlorine. Luckily we don’t have flouride in our tap water…yet. However we invested in an under sink filter system earlier this year, which gets rid of all the yuk and provides fresh water for under 1p/litre. We keep a few small plastic bottles that we fill from the tap and take out with us, as they’re lighter for carrying when walking. We replace these every 3 months or so. We also keep a glass bottle of tap water in the fridge so we have cooler water on hand. The glass bottle is actually an ex-passata jar. Our recycling bin is now not full of empty plastic bottles, our water costs less, no storage space needed for the bottles and we don’t fill the monthly supermarket trip trolley with bottles. Sorted.

16. Go Fair Trade At The Office - 17 Aug 2008

    I’m glad the above have had success with this. Has anybody found this hard to do? Every year for the past 5, including this one, I have taken fairtrade tea, coffee, hot chocolate, sugar even chocolate bars into work during Fairtrade Fortnight, left them on the surface in the kitchen and emailed to everyone to help themselves with a link to the Fairtrade web site. h chocolate always goes! People do try it but it seems that people’s taste buds are so manipulated to the Nescafe taste that everything else seems taboo! There’s still a sad little jar sat on the side but the posters have remained up, together with a ‘Buy Organic’ one. At least people are now aware of it and perhaps they have Fairtrade at home?

17. Go Fair Trade At The Office - 22 Feb 2009

    It’s that time again…Fairtrade Fortnight from Monday. I have Fairtrade sugar, instant drinking chocolate, Co-op shortbread cookies (sound delicious but not suitable for vegans…boohoo), bars of chocolate and GeoBars to seduce my co-workers. Wish me luck!

18. Go Ethical With Some of your Savings - 22 Feb 2009

    I have been very pleased with Smile and they have ISA, savings and current account options.

19. Choose to have one meat-free day a week in your home - 22 Feb 2009

    Me and partner Steve are both vegan so this one’s easy. I became vegan after meeting Steve so that’s about 15years for me and veggie about 7 years prior to that. Eat with a clear consious and at least go veggie. You’ll feel great and the animals will thanks you for it….they know, you know!

20. Buy Presents That Make A Difference - 22 Feb 2009

    I’m not so sure about the Oxfam ‘buy a cow or goat’ gift idea. Now the poor farmer (literally) has to buy something to feed to the cow or goat? Wouldn’t it be better if they did ‘buy some seeds/plants to grow and eat themselves’ gift idea? We always get Xmas cards and some gifts from Amnesty and then pressies from The Lantern Centre near Verwood…great ethics…great place.http://www.lanterncommunity.org.uk/the_lantern.php?PID=2

21. Put Eco Balls in your Washing Machine - 22 Feb 2009

    We’ve used ecoballs for over a year and found them to be good. We put a magnet ball in the wash too to reduce limescale and this stays in even on the rare occasion that we use a bit of detergent too. We’ve also got magnets on our main water feed pipe to reduce limescale, a magnet on our gas pipe from our boiler to make that work more efficiently and we use tumble dryer balls (yes they exist) to reduce drying time on the rair occasion that we use it…they really work.

22. Give Your Unwanted / Unworn Clothes To Charity - 22 Mar 2009

    You can also donate your unwanted clothes to a local homeless charity or shelter where the clothes are given free to those that really need them.

23. What can I do with my old bras? - 10 May 2009

    Yes and why do they go grey, even when you only wash them with white things? White shirts and sheets don’t grey, only undies? Are they manufactured with a greying gene in them to keep sales up? I think it’s great that old bras can now be recycled but I’m concerned that third world women feel the need to be western by wearing bras if it’s not something they would normally do.

24. Make your garden bee-friendly - 10 May 2009

    We encourge bees into our organic garden. We purposely planted a bed of wild flowers last year and have repeated it this year. Tip – we have recently learnt that where seed packets have F1 on the packet, even organic ones, they have been tampered with so that they’re desease resistant or mildew resistant etc. The problem is that when the plants grow from the seed and produce their own seeds, the new seeds are no good and you can’t regrow from them. We now try and avoid seed packets with F1 on them.

25. Fit a ShowerSmart valve - 10 May 2009

    We have ordered one of these FOC and we’re not over 70 or on benefits. Check out http://ekmpowershop9.com/ekmps/shops/eagashop7/index.asp
    You only have to be over 70 or on benefits to get the valve AND 4 free light bulbs.

26. Make your garden bee-friendly - 10 May 2009

    Slight adjustment to the statement above! The seeds from plants of F1 seeds will most likely grow but they will produce plants which take on the characteristics of one or the other of the parent plants, so you may end up with a plant you don’t expect.

27. Stop Taking Plastic Bags From Shops - 09 Jun 2009

    I’ve looked for ages for plain, sensible, flat bottomed zute bags, as I don’t want to advertise for any company and recently found some in Haskins (mmm so much for not advertising!), at only £1.99 I think. I intend to embroider my own design on them in the top corners so as not to weaken the strength of the bag. Great to use myself or as a gift for someone. Could embroider slogans too.

28. Give Thanks Before A Meal - 09 Jun 2009

    I always give thanks to my partner Steve for lovingly preparing our vegan meals…when I remember. Does this count?

29. Choose philanthropy, choose to give - 09 Jun 2009

    This was an interesting exercise. We give monthly and annually to Animal Aid (animal rights), Wateraid (human rights), Amnesty International(human rights), Conscience (anti war) and the Soil Association (organic). With gift aid this amounts to 0.9% of net income and only 0.7% of gross income. I expected it to be more. However, ontop of this we do give to the occassional emergency appeals (lower key ones not the big annual TV ones), always buy a Big Issue and enter the odd charity prize draw and raffle. We will look into joining an active charity that supports the environment. Maybe join Greenpeace again, as long as they’re anti nuclear? Some environmental charities are under the misconception that nuclear energy is green energy??! Any other suggestions welcome?

30. Shelve The Bottled Water - 05 Apr 2010

    Upgraded our office from using a bottle water cooler to having a mains fed water filter cooler system from Greencare. Very good service. Cheaper than the bottled water and you don’t have to store all those large bottles and struggle when lifting them onto the cooler! Also you never know how long the water has been bottled up for with bottled water. We had some disgusting tasting water out of one of the bottles once.

31. Make Your Own Greetings Cards - 05 Apr 2010

    I started making my own cards in the new year and enjoy the creativity usually lacking in my daily life. I bought some cards, envelopes and paper from one of the sales bins at Hobbycraft last year to get me going.

    The great thing about makig your own cards is that you can re-use all sorts of scrap card, paper, gift wrap, tin foil, leaves, old maps & atlases, TV guides (for wacky cards to people who enjoy their TV!), odd beads, wire, wool all sorts to make unique and partitially or entirely recycled cards.

    Also try cutting old calendars up and sticking the pictures onto paper or card for fairly instant notelets.

32. Make your own bread - 05 Apr 2010

    Homemade bread is delicious and doesn’t contain all the nasties of shop bought bread. What is all that stuff??! Homemade bread is especially yummy when served up slightly warm with a homemade soup. Yum!

33. Start An Allotment - Or Half A Plot - 05 Apr 2010

    We don’t have any allotment plots near us so we’ve built our own poly tunnel in the garden. Some materials like the plastic cover and ties/clips, were bought, but the rest is made from re-used bits – old scaffold poles for the 8 uprights, scrap plastic water/gas pipe for the arches etc.

    This will be the first year growing stuff in it. Will keep you posted.

34. Get someone to join the Generous Community - 05 Apr 2010

    I’ve just sent an email to most of my address book about joining. Even if only one more joins, that’s another one of us trying to make a difference, right?!