Recent Comments

1. Know your local political leaders - 19 Nov 2005

   I know who my local MP is and have written to the previous ones several times over the years. However, I’ve never written to or contacted local council. I read all their blurb pre elections, but it never occured to me to contact them about actually getting stuff done once they’re on the council. Having travelled to Sweden and Germany where recycling bins are available on the high streets of some towns (ie bins to seperate stuff), a bit like @ GB I’ve just decided to write to the local council about doing something similar here.

2. Slow Down, Calm Down (Stick to the speed limit) - 19 Nov 2005

   On A roads it can be difficult when someone is trying to drive in your boot for miles I know they’re getting angry behind me so I try to pull in if I can and let them carry on. But it can be quite stressful. I try to listen to 70/80s throw-back stations to chill out and sing along as I drive, especially after a long day. It helps me.

3. Stop Taking Plastic Bags From Shops - 20 Nov 2005

   Looking @ www.obviously.com/recycle/guides/shortest.They’ve got loads of tips about good and bad recycling. As reagrdsEllen’s thoughts about plastic bags they say: ‘Plastic grocery and produce sacks are commonly, but not always, made from plastic types 2 or 4. These bags are often collected in barrels at grocery stores, and usually end up as plastic lumber. Collection is not particularly profitable.’

4. Give it up for Christmas - 30 Nov 2005

   This links in well with the sermon at my sister’s church last Sunday which suggested that we should view Advent a little like Lent. The idea of making some sort of sacrifice over that period was also suggested. Brilliant idea Harv

5. Ditch The Disposable Items - 06 Dec 2005

   Anyone of you moon cup users got any tips about how much to trim the stalk, or did you not at all? I ended up having to go to A&E to have one removed a year and a half ago and have been too scared to try again!

6. Slow Down, Calm Down (Stick to the speed limit) - 11 Dec 2005

   Still early days for me, but have driven a couple of longer journeys and found it less stressful. Instead of trying to get places faster and feeling tempted to put foot down on motorway I know look @ speed limit and distance calculate rough est of time and just tell myself that that’s how long it’ll take. It’s out of my hands and that feels better than pressuring myself to go faster on the off chance I might get somewhere quicker

7. Recycle Your Greetings Cards - 20 Dec 2005

   Someone mentioned reusing wrapping paper. If it’s in reasonable nick (but not good enough for rwapping presents) it can be saved to use for pass the parcel too, makes a change from newspaper!

8. Switch To Energy Saving Lightbulbs - 01 Jan 2006

   Have one energy saving bulb, but am going to go and buy a supply so that as the bulbs go they’ll be replaced with low ebergy bulbs.

9. Stop Taking Plastic Bags From Shops - 05 Jan 2006

   Like turbo I was dismayed at the large number of bags which arrived when I shopped on line. Tesco allegedly recycle any carrier bags, their’s or anyone elses, which you give them back when you do internet shopping. Keep my bags for life in the hall so that I’ll see them when I go out to the shops (found putting them in the boot meant I forgot to get them out at the supermarket

10. Give it up for Christmas - 05 Jan 2006

    Money given to http://www.justgiving.com/annaw-m

11. Switch To Energy Saving Lightbulbs - 12 Feb 2006

    Have now got some for the replacment as the old ones die out. Can’t use them in the dining room or lounge as we havedimmer switches, unless anyone knows of a suitable bulb. If I get really adventurous may swap switches to none dimmer

12. Take A Mug To Work - don't use plastic - 12 Feb 2006

    Daisy I’d love to know how you get on with that. The obvious thing is to take insulated mug with lid and they should be able to fill it with approp vol of fluid. Perhaps if you had a branded one fromyour favourite coffe house? I’ve a Starbucks cup which was recommended by a friend and reckon if you were going into Starbucks it should be ok. Perhaps you could write to the head office/manager if you always use the same place and ask them about it?

13. DIY vegetables! - 12 Feb 2006

    Am gonna try growing some potatoes and maybe some carrots in my concrete garden (in tubs etc) this year. Not sure how it’ll pan out as I got a pet rabbit last week and he may just eat everything!!

14. Shop locally - 19 Feb 2006

    Anyone in the Reading area this might be a good one: www.truefood.coop/truefood.html A friend recommended it to me so am going to give it a try. Since I started reading where all my organic veg @ Tescos comes from have realised that it’s all travelling miles, as highlighted by someone else on here. So as three of them are wihtin walking distance of my home no excuse not to try!!

15. Take A Mug To Work - don't use plastic - 23 Feb 2006

    Starbucks in the UK will give a 10pence discount to customers who bring an insulated travel mug, regardless of whether it’s one of theirs. Perhaps we should all write to companies encouraging them to let customers use their own mugs?

16. Phone a friend - someone who has sent you a card this year who you don't see often - 26 Feb 2006

    This’ll have to be my Godson’s mother. We were great mates for years and then she moved away and we don’t see so much of each other now

17. Choose to have one meat-free day a week in your home - 11 Mar 2006

    Am already veggie and have been for 20yrs, maybe I could sneakily get my husband more veggie?? If you’re doing veggie curry consider using paneer (an indian cheese). It comes in a packet with a recipe on the back, there are about four different ones. It’s pretty good with spinach,k tomatoes and chick peas in a curry. At the risk if sounding cliched how about lentil burgers?Cook lentils, while they’re boiling fry thinnly chopped mushrooms, garlic and some diced onion. Then when nearly cooked add some pine nuts and fry briefly. Drain lentils well and mix with other stuff. Make into burger shapes and fry. I’ve got one of those frying pans with the circle that goes red when got enough so can actually fry without masses of fat. There are loads of stuffed avacado recipes online too.

18. DIY vegetables! - 16 Apr 2006

    Very excited as tiny shoots are coming through where I planted my carrots and there are some pretty healthy looking shoots from my potatoes.

    You can make something to water plants gradually using a plastic drink bottle (eg 2 litre bottle). You punch a hole in the base and fill the bottle with water then do up the lid, but not completely then put the bottle in your bed/pot upside down. It’s a bit of trial and error as to how tight to do the lid up. The water’s then slowly released into the pot. It’s a tip a friend gave me.

19. Ditch The Disposable Items - 16 Apr 2006

    Try www.mooncup.co.uk It’s described on the website as around two inches long and made from soft silicone rubber (it’s wine glass shaped minus the base). It’s an eco friendly alternative to tampons and because it can be sterilised and reused.

20. Energy Efficient Cooking - 24 May 2006

    Did it with pasta and rice, but potatoes weren’t cooking so ended up giving up and putting gas on. Think I should probably cut potato up smaller

21. Stop Taking Plastic Bags From Shops - 29 May 2006

    Cope a load of this website www.onyabags.co.uk

22. Stop Taking Plastic Bags From Shops - 01 Jun 2006

    Jo that sounds similar to the thing I found on a website, where did you buy yours?

23. Put Eco Balls in your Washing Machine - 04 Jun 2006

    Mine arrived yesterday and have used them, they seem ok so far. It does seem slightly insane to wash without detergent, but we’ll see. They’re much bigger than I expected somehow!

24. Switch it off at the Plug. (Don't Stand By.) - 08 Jul 2006

    So it’s ok to turn off my modem and the set top box and they’ll still work in the morning? Have always been sacerd that I’ll no longer be able to access internet/watch cable tv if I switched these items off at the mains. The microwave’s always on, but as we only use it a few times in the wk I guess there’s no need to have it switched. I like the idea of saving mega amounts of electricity. If we all did it it would make such a massive difference

25. Recycle Your Stuff - 08 Jul 2006

    If you’ve got stuff for the charity shops but can’t make it down or don’t know how to carry stuff to town centre shops some of the larger supermarket chains have bins for Oxfam (clothes, books and records), Salvation army (clothes) and a couple of other charities. It’s amazing.

26. DIY vegetables! - 11 Aug 2006

    Harvested my small potatoes from my old dustbin yesterday. Have some more growing in a tub and also some carrots

27. Give it up for Christmas - 23 Dec 2006

    Have given up coffe for the second yr running, normally I have 4 mugs of strong black coffee a day!! Will prob donate money to British Heart foundation, together with money saved by not sending Christmas cards to everyone I know!

28. Stop Taking Plastic Bags From Shops - 20 May 2007

    www.wrap.org.uk/wrap_corporate/news/uk_retailers This website may interest people. It has a list of retailers who have signed up to trying to reduce the impact of carrier bags. I fear that as many of them like us to use branded carrier bags we will end up being offered recycling of bags (as happens at Waitrose) or everyone will produce a bag for life and you’ll have to use a shop appropriate one!! Maybe I’m just a pessimist. I was v upset the other day to be told in Debenhams that it was company policy that if I purchased something it must go into a Debenhams carrier bag.

29. DIY vegetables! - 26 May 2007

    This looks exciting for any would be container vegetable gardeners. They’re suggesting tomatoes in a hanging basket! Think I might try that. http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/container/container.html

30. DIY vegetables! - 28 May 2007

    You can actually buy tomatoes ‘designed’ to grow in a hanging basket. My local Wyevale actually had some plastic hanging baskets planted up with tomato plants. Didn’t get that but have got some tomato plants in my window box, some aubergine plants in tubs and am trying to grow some herbs from seed mats!

31. Energy Efficient Cooking - 29 May 2007

    My Mum used to do a similar thing ironing when I was little. Start with the things needing the hottest setting and turn it down as she went before ironing the last few things with the iron turned off. Not relevant to cooking but still another energy saver.

32. DIY vegetables! - 16 Sep 2007

    I managed 2 courgettes, a number of cherry tomatoes and some small carrots. It’s given me eideas of how to do better next yr. Also have some netteles that started growing in one of my tubs so have cultivated them with a view to nettle soup before long! The weather just wasn’t right for some things.

33. Put Eco Balls in your Washing Machine - 06 Jan 2008

    Been using mine 20 months now!

34. DIY vegetables! - 05 May 2008

    I’ve just got 3 ‘patio fruit trees’; one green apple, one red apple and a pear. Off out today to get other stuff to grow in my tiny garden