Climate Change

Big in the news this week are the floods that are affecting part of the country. Isn’t this what was predicted as part of climate change? Are we worried enough to do anything about it yet? And are we doing enough?

Green Initiatives

In Scotland, Lothian Buses have just put 15 eco-friendly buses on the road, and are planning more.

North London’s Brent borough has seen the opening of three new branches of Streetcar “car club”. This gives people the option of using a car when they need one, but not having to have the fuss of owning a car, and relieving traffic congestion and pressure on parking spaces. Access to a “car club” has been the deciding factor for some in their decision not to buy their own car, or to buy a second car in the case of some families.

Cranleigh in Surrey is planning to help its residents shop green by introducing a special Cranleigh re-usable shopping bag, available from local retailers, and promoting local shopping. Their inspiration has come from Modbury in Devon, a town that has become something of a tourist attraction since their ban on plastic bags.

If you’re one of the many commuters who has an Innocent Breakfast Thickie on the way to work, take the bottle home with you and pop it in your compost bin. The bottles are made from corn and will compost down within 6 weeks.

On the subject of packaging, Tesco’s consumer poll has shown that cereal boxes are considered to be the most eco-friendly form of packaging. The poll also showed that 77% would be willing to pay a refundable deposit, and 60% would use refillable containers. Imagine if supermarkets offered those options, wouldn’t it be great?

New York City has just opened its first green theatre complete with recycled glass tiles, bamboo plywood, low flush toilets, rooftop solar panels and energy-efficient glass windows. They are even serving organic beer and wine during interval.

Green Technology

ASUS has launched the EcoBook, an eco-friendly laptop made of bamboo. (via Traends! blog)

Competition

The Federation of Master Builders is looking for East Anglia’s greenest builder. Householders who have had building work carried out and who think that their builder knows his insulation from his solar panels can nominate him (or her) for the energy efficiency category of the Master Builder of the Year awards. If the builder that you nominate wins, you will win a holiday worth £3,000. Enter here.

Green Gifts that other bloggers have recommended this week

Keetsa! Blog likes recycled bottle cap fridge magnets by Love Eco.

If you’re looking for wedding present or house-warming gift for a lucky someone, check out this recycled stainless steel cutlery set, as featured on Hippy Shopper.

That’s all for this week folks! Wishing you all a terrific weekend.

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This video was made 15 years ago, but is still relevant, perhaps even more so now that we are even more aware of the damage that has already been done to our planet. And that is the saddest thing.

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Whether you are planning a complete bathroom overhaul, or just want to make a few inexpensive changes, we can help you make your bathroom an altogether more eco-friendly place.

The little things

The smallest and most inexpensive changes that you can make to improve your bathroom’s green factor is to change the way that you clean yourself. Source and buy natural and organic soaps, shampoos and shower gels. Even the supermarkets are stocking some of these products now, but there are much bigger ranges available from health food shops and online (visit the EcoStreet directory for plenty of options). By using more natural toiletries you are not only ensuring that you aren’t absorbing as many dubious chemicals into your body, but you are also not pouring these chemicals down the plughole and allowing them to end up in our water table.

Secondly, it’s very simple and easy to change the way that you clean your bathroom. Ecover and other eco-friendly cleaning products are available in most supermarkets these days, as well as in health food shops and online (again, you will find lots of options listed at the EcoStreet directory). Many people report a decrease in allergies when switching to eco-friendly cleaning products. To save money and packaging, you can take this a step further and make your own simple cleaning products, or even try microfibre clothes that only need water to do the same cleaning jobs.

Switching to recycled toilet paper doesn’t take much effort. Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Tesco have their own brands of recycled toilet paper, and Nouvelle is widely available too. Referring to yesterday’s blog post, Sainsbury’s have launched a new range of FSC-approved toilet paper.

Saving Water

The bathroom is the place where we use the most water in the home. There are some little tricks that we can use to save water, and some helpful gadgets to help us take that saving further.

Click here to read more…

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