Fifty ways to greener lifestyle; How can you help the environment as you go about your daily life. Helen Livingston has 50 ways to go green.Byline: Helen Livingston1. Make you own sandwiches in the morning. This saves on packaging and cash - around pounds 4 a day, or pounds 1,000 a year. 2. Try to buy things in glass containers rather than cartons. These are easier and more cost effective to recycle. 3. Re-use plastic carrier bags or buy a cotton bag for shopping. These are stronger - and trendier! - than plastic! 4. Join your local Freecycle Network. This is an international movement where people can give and get unwanted items for free, so less is thrown away. Find you nearest group at www.freecycle.org 5. Reduce the amount of junk mail See spam and junk faxes. you receive by signing up to the Mailing Preference Service The Mailing Preference Service is similar to the Telephone Preference Service, it reduces the amount of unwanted direct mailings. at www.mpsonline.org.uk/mpsr/. Stick a "No junk mail" notice next to your letter box. 6. Old fridges and freezers, containing CFCs and HCFCs, are harmful to the environment. When buying a new one, get a "Greenfreeze" model. Comet will collect and recondition re·con·di·tion tr.v. re·con·di·tioned, re·con·di·tion·ing, re·con·di·tions To restore to good condition, especially by repairing, renovating, or rebuilding. your old one for a small charge. 7. When watering plants in the garden, aim for the roots rather than the leaves. This reduces water loss by evaporation. 8. Water plants in the evening rather than the mor ning . 9. Use rechargeable batteries instead of disposable ones to save money and energy. 10. Use public transport whenever possible. 11. Buying a car? Compare the energy efficiency of different makes and models before you buy at www.vcacarfueldata.org .uk 12. Try the Phone Co-Op. They have an environmentally responsible approach. Visit http://www.thephone.coop/ 13. Refuse mobile phone upgrades. If you do need to recycle an old phone many can be recycled. Check out www.recyclingappeal.com/scope/ 14. Recycle old CDs, DVDs and their cases. Collect yours and send them to Polymer Reprocessors. Visit www.polymer-reprocessors.co.uk/ for details 15. The average person in the UK throws away pounds 424 of food each year. Cut down on waste by making a shopping list and sticking to it. 16. A compost bin A compost bin is a container used to make compost. These bins are often made of hard plastic and are cylindrical in shape, sometimes resembling a barrel. Compost bins can be as simple as a square slatted enclosure or as sophisticated as a tumbler, which allows for the or wormery is a great way to recycle kitchen waste and creating free soil conditioner. 17. Give pot plants instead of cut flowers. 18. Buy locally produced goods at farmers' mar kets. 19 Only buy fruit and vegetables when they are in season. 20. Ask local shops to stock greener products. If enough people ask, it's in the retailer's interests to respond. 21. Buy drinks and other products in large containers to save on packaging -and it is cheaper. 22. If you have a glut of fruit, vegetables or herbs, store or preserve them. Visit www.bbc.co.uk/food/news_and_events/events_seasonalglut1.shtml 23. Turn the room thermostat down by one degree centigrade centigrade /cen·ti·grade/ (sen´ti-grad) having 100 gradations (steps or degrees); see under scale. cen·ti·grade adj. Celsius. . This can save pounds 30 a year. 24. Try using wheat or rice bags to keep warm. They are widely available in the shops or you can make your own. Heat the bag up in a microwave for a couple of minutes. 25. Don't leave appliances on standby. This costs the average household pounds 37 a year. 26. Use bars of soap rather than dispensers, to save on packaging. 27. When defrosting your car, avoid de-icing products and use a jug of cold water (which freezes less quickly than hot water, and won't crack the windscreen). 28. Satisfy your sweet tooth with honey, a natural product, rather than with artificial sweetener s. 29. An estimated 83 square km of wrapping paper will be thrown away this year. Avoid excess by re-using gift wrap. Use string instead of tape to preserve wrapping paper. 30. Try making your own Christmas decorations. Paper chains are easy to make and a good substitute for tinsel tin·sel n. 1. Very thin sheets, strips, or threads of a glittering material used as a decoration. 2. Something sparkling or showy but basically valueless: the tinsel of parties and promotional events. . Decorate dried pine cones from the garden. 31. Buy a Christmas tree Christmas tree Evergreen tree, usually decorated with lights and ornaments, to celebrate the Christmas season. The use of evergreen trees, wreaths, and garlands as symbols of eternal life was common among the ancient Egyptians, Chinese, and Hebrews. with roots that can be planted outside or kept in a pot for next year. 32. If you have an artificial tree, get the most out of it, but avoid buying a new one. Their production is resource and energy intensive, and they're difficult to recycle afterwards. 33. If you have a real Christmas tree, don't throw it away - compost it! 34. Give greener gifts this Christmas. Vouchers for a massage, cinema or theatre trip are a great alternative to consumer goods consumer goods Any tangible commodity purchased by households to satisfy their wants and needs. Consumer goods may be durable or nondurable. Durable goods (e.g., autos, furniture, and appliances) have a significant life span, often defined as three years or more, and . 35. Wash vegetables in a bowl rather than under a tap to save water. You can then use the water on house plants. 36. Instead of using air fresheners, save money and simply open the windows! House plants also help keep the air clean. 37. Boil the amount of water you need for a cup of tea, rather than a full kettle. 38. Pressure cookers and steamers both save energy. 39. Bottled or fresh lemon juice is really effective for cleaning. 40. Use a lid when you're cooking with saucepans. This will avoid condensation and reduce heat and energy loss. 41. If you can, use writing paper on both sides. 42. Used coffee grounds coffee grounds a term used to describe vomited blood. See hematemesis. can go straight on the flower borders or in your compost heap. 43. Stale bread is ideal for making croutons, bread and butter pudding Bread and butter pudding is a traditional dessert popular in British cuisine. It is essentially a baked form of French toast. It is made by layering slices of buttered bread scattered with raisins in an oven dish into which an egg and milk mixture (sometimes with vanilla or or breadcrumbs (these can be stored in an airtight jar or in the freezer). 44. If you have children, consider joining a toy library. You can save money on toys, and meet other children and parents. See www.natll.org.uk/ for more details 45. To save paper and money, use real handkerchiefs rather than tissues. 46. Re-use envelopes and help charities by sending them used stamps. Tear the stamps off the envelopes and take them to your local Oxfam shop or send to RNIB RNIB Royal National Institute of Blind People (UK) Stamp Recycling, PO Box 185, Benfleet SS7 9BH 47. Draw your curtains as it gets dark. Avoid putting curtains in front of a radiator - they will block the heat and funnel it straight out of the windows. 48. Switch to energy-saving lightbulbs. Some use a quarter of the energy and can last up to 12 times longer. 49. Collect rain water in water butts and use it for watering indoor plants, washing the car and other outdoor jobs. 50. Throwing away your old spectacles? They could be used to help people in the developing world. Most UK opticians now act as collection points for old glasses, otherwise you can post them to Vision Aid Overseas, Newton Road, Crawley RH10 2FZ. CAPTION(S): 1' 2' 3' 4' 5' 6' 7' 8' 9' 10' 11' 12' 13' 14' 15' 16' 17' 18' 19' 20' 21' 22' 23' 24' 25' 26' 27' 28' 29' 30' 31' 32' 33' 34' 35' 36' 37' 38' 39' 40' 41' 42' 43' 44' 45' 46' 47' 48' 49' 50 |
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