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Teafund's lent carbon fast is great. A tip sent to you each day. One that struck me the other day was can you find a new way of saving paper today? Print on both sides, re-use envelopes. I guess if we all look at how we use/discard paper we can find a way of saving/reusing more. I think I can use more used envelopes as scrap paper.
I actually got up this morning and went for a run after quite a few mornings of just turning the alarm off and rolling over! It was great. I love it once I am out. Fresh air, the sun coming up, not too cold thankfully and getting some exercise. I am much happier if I have time outside walking/running in the fresh air. I think I spend too much time indoors! So, I encourage you to get out and enjoy the fresh air! Natural light and fresh air - I think we were designed to be in contact with it! I think there are lots of things we can learn from being a dog and this is one of them, having fun outside!
... but how about ordering local, organic flowers. For more details see The Nag's page on guilt free flowers.
Only buy jiffy bags that are stuffed with shredded cardboard (such as Jiffy original ones) rather than bubble wrap as they are 100% compostable and biodegradable.
A good source of eco friendly products...Nigels Eco Store.
Firstly let me apologise to anyone who has given up chocolate for lent, as I am about to talk about chocolate! Fairtrade chocolate is now widely available in most supermarkets which is great. But why not fairtrade Easter eggs?!! In our local high street shops you can get a fairtade Easter egg from about 3 places (Coop, Oxfam and Waitrose). So what about all other other high street supermarkets?! A friend asked M&S why they are not stocking them, particularly with their Plan A (which i guess is focussed around climate change and not justice in trade), she was told they didn't think there was enough demand and if enough people rang head office to complain they would do something about it. Well OK then - here's the number: 020 7935 4422. Let them know what you think. Shops should be selling fair trade goods as it gives justices to the growers not because there is a demand = money to be made.
So as Easter approaches, don't forget to hunt out for Fairtrade Easter eggs. Where have you seen them for sale?
Having got back from Cornwall recently, staying in the small village my father-in-law lives in reminded me of the importance of community. He lives in a lovely community where people know each other and look out for each other. Community seems to be very unfashionable at the moment but I think it is vital to contented living. I think we are designed to live in community. I think people yearn to be in community hence the popularity of social networking website. Now a-days it may not be community based on where you live, with the people traveling to work etc. we are quite a desperate society. A lot of people find community through clubs that people travel to. Do you have a sense that you are part of a community - a community where you meet face to face, not just on-line? Who do you turn to if you have a need? Do you have someone you can borrow a cup of milk from?! Although we live in London we are lucky to be part of the most wonderful community through our local church. If you yearn to be in a
community how about looking in the local paper to see what you can get involved in in your area as a first step?
It's all over the press today, it's funny as it was going to be my tip of the week anyway - bottled water. How about giving up buying bottled water - just try it for a week and see how you get on. Fill a used bottle with tap water and carry that around instead. Think of all the money you will save. Think of all the plastic bottles you would not be using. Think of people around the world who do not have clean drinking water, we do and we still choose to buy bottled water.... For more tips see the Water section.
Off to Cornwall for a few days today so may not get much time opportunity to blog. It is great going down there as we stay in a village from the 1950's with no broadband etc. Time to slow down and take a pause for breath (as much as you can do with a crawling 8 month old that doesn't stop moving during his waking hours!).
My tip this week seems to be a big one, but is far easier than you imagine! It is to move to the only ethical phone provider in the UK - The Phone Coop. The prices are pretty much the same as BT but you have peace of mind that they are 100% ethical. They have won Ethical Consumer magazine and Which awards. It is far easier to move than you anticipate. We moved over a couple of years ago and it was seamless.
Yipee!! Thanks to the Energy Saving Trust's help it was 100% free. It was finished at about 4pm. In the evening we had to turn the heating off as we were too hot (not sure why the thermostatic valves hadn't kicked in)!! Forgot to turn it back on and have been fine this morning without the heating!!! If you haven't done it - do it!! I think we can consider having the heating on long and low now as the house is insulated well (if we need it on at all!!).
Did you see Wife Swap on Sunday/Channel 4? We don't have a TV but heard about it from Janey's fab forum (well worth signing up, will have a link from here at some point) so we downloaded it from Channel 4's 4OD site. Fantastic stuff. An radically eco-friendly living family (the are self sufficient and live off €7/month) and a family of rich consumerists (the teenage girl had a monthly clothes allowance of £300) swap. One end of the spectrum to the other. Inspiring and thought provoking. I did think the children in the eco friendly family would benefit from some more interaction with society - but do not think going to school was necessarily the answer. Well worth watching.
So it is pancake day which means Lent starts tomorrow. Are you giving something up, or perhaps starting something?! Every year I cannot decide whether to do anything or not. This year Tearfund have launched a cutting carbon for lent campaign so I will do that! I will also start something - spending more frequent time in silent reflection/prayer, perhaps 10 mins a day to start with. So, sign up with Tearfund and enjoy your pancakes tonight!!
Change to THE only electricity provider that sources all its energy from 100% renewable sources - Good Energy. Ecotricity does have a 100% renewable tariff but still sources 75% of its energy for its main tariff from coal, gas and nuclear. It is so easy to change, it does cost slightly more but the more people that move to them the cheaper it will become. When we changed the increase was only about £20 a year - well worth the peace of mind that we are using 100% renewable energy. Other 'green' tariffs do not supply 100% renewable. So, what are you waiting, for sign up here!
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OK, what one thing are you going to do to make your life more environmentally friendly this weekend? Buy some low energy light bulbs? Have a clear out and give some things to a charity shop/sell on eBay? Buy some more environmentally friendly cleaning products?
What have you been meaning to do, perhaps this weekend is when you will do it.... For us it is get rid of the last bits in the loft/friends garage that we just do not need or use.
