Eco Friendly House And Garden

These days, can you just pick a chair you like the look of?

Of course you can, but do you want to? I mean, what is the history of that chair? Is buying it going against some of your principles? Have you been paying to NOT buy that chair – and then buying it anyway?

I mean where your chair comes from, what it is made of, who made it and how it was made are all important ethical and environmental issues – as well as how that chair got to your store, how it is held together, and what will happen when you don’t want it anymore.

And is it even safe to use?

If you donate to or fundraise for wildlife, humanitarian or environmental charities you should consider these questions in detail – otherwise you could be causing the very problems your charities are trying to prevent.

By not thinking about the direct and knock-on effects of what you choose to buy – and therefore endorse – you are not only wasting your time and money – you are helping to destroy the very things you believe in.

Does that chair look better in your home that that tiger did in a jungle?

If you could actually see that painted chair off-gassing volitile chemicals in your nursery – would you still want it in your home?

The above examples just tell you what actually does happen in all these cases – but just because you can’t see it at the time – it doesn’t mean you can ignore it.

Study The Facts:
It is very easy for all of us to just carry on as ‘normal’ and buy whatever we want when we want to – and that may still be true for food and medicines – as these are human essentials and people aren’t willing to change that much.

But buying non-essentials like chairs and other furniture and nik naks should really be considered in a lot more detail as you have a clear choice about what you do and don’t buy. And when you buy anything – you are saying to the manufacturers that you agree with, or at least are not bothered by, what they are doing.

If you buy non-FSC wooden furniture you are saying that you don’t mind if rainforests are destroyed along with the animals and plants living in them. You are paying them to destroy an ecosystem.

If you buy non-organic or high VOC paints and adhesives in your chairs you are saying that you don’t mind if animals as well as our own air and waterways are slightly polluted with potentially dangerous or toxic chemicals. You are paying to risk the lives of both people and animals – and ultimately our food crops and drinking water.

photo credit: PINTOY®

The Grey Areas:
Of course, there are always a whole range of factors that go into making a chair, and what you feel strongly about – but say the perfect eco and human friendly chair = 10 points.

Even if everyone only settled on a midway chair or 5 points that is still going to make a huge difference to our planet as well as the lives of individuals. Ironically it is probably schools, nurseries and offices which buy all the worst furniture as the wholesale companies they use for practicality don’t often have such green credentials.

So the very place where young people play and eat, and the very places where adults spend most of the days are causing a huge dent in this 5 point average life.

I know price and ease of purchase are huge factors working against you buying the best eco products – but it isn’t just your choice of chair you are making – you are helping to choose the future, your family’s future.

So next time you really need a new chair – think about what else what you could be losing in exchange.

Reusable bags are all around us these days – but what are the pro’s and cons?

I myself use several types of different bags for different occasions – but my friend thinks that they are the worst thing ever! Why are there so many types and why wouldn’t you like them?

Their Purpose In Life:
After listening to my friend discussing why he didn’t like my reusable bags – I asked him why they were invented in the first place. He went for the eco friendly angle – but in reality, they are just a replacement for a plastic carrier bag.

photo credit: Rachel Medina

Now I really don’t like plastic bags from supermarkets as they have no real shape, they are noisy, they tear easily, they are painful to carry if heavy and you can’t put them over your shoulder to carry. However, my reusable bags are the opposite to all this.

Bulky Jute Bag:
My bulky jute bag has great shape to it, even when set on the floor. The handles are soft and wide and just long enough to sit over my shoulder if I want to shift the weight.

It is larger than A4 so I can keep books and notes in it, and being open-topped I can easily get things out and find things as and when needed.

It does have its downsides though; firstly this open-topped feature means that security is low when I am in a crowd or when I take a rest and place my bag on the floor, and if I don’t have anything in the bag (like on the way to the library) you can’t fold it up and it tends to flap about in the wind.

Flimsy Cotton Bag:
I have several flimsy white cotton bags with various different companies advertising on the side – but all are basically the same shape and size. They are very easy to shove into my rucksac or other bags so that when finding something extra to carry they can flap open and be filled with goodies.

They are a light as a feather and so I can take all 4 out with me without them becoming a nuisance – and I am not too bothered if I carry them around all day and don’t use them.

And they can be washed.

Their downside is that they have no structure whatsoever and loading them up 1-handed can be a bit of a pain sometimes. With the extra long and thin handles (perfect for over the shoulder action) they can get all tangled up when trying to unfold and carrying them by your side is impossible – as they drag along the floor.

The Result?
Well, I just love my reusable bags (including the fact that nearly all of them were free with a promotion) and although they each have their uses – they are a zillion times better than plastic carriers – and much easier to use than a bulky rucsack with zips (and the fact that it is on your back!).

I mean, if you get them any bigger, they would just be holdalls – which are of course – reusable bags too!

I think that small reusable bags have filled a niche that needed filling – with or without their perfect eco credentials – and I would be just as happy to use a non-organic material reusable bag over a carrier anyday.

photo credit: New Internationalist

Now that the Holidays are over – you will have plenty of things ‘left over’.

It’s not just the food that gets left over after all your family have finally gone home – there are all sorts of other things around the house that need to either be stored for the year, re-used, recycled or given away! 

However – the food is the easiest to sort out – so make that your priority!  No matter how much you plan to buy less this year – it doesn’t always work out like that – so sometimes you end up with much more than you wanted – but don’t worry – you can make it all go to good use if you think ahead!

photo credit: Dplanet::

So, get your pen and paper to hand, and start sorting everything out!

First Things First:
Before you can start making plans for your left-overs – you need a diary!  You ned to be able to plan not only the next 4 weeks – but also the whole next year.

Ideally you will have the next 4 weeks on a day to day diary – and then the rest in months – this way you can organise which days you need to have eaten certain foods by and which days you already have plans for, and then dot things off into the future for birthdays, holidays and next winter!

It’s amazing how quickly days can come around when you are working and visiting friends!

Food For Thought:
So, starting in the fridge you can start planning your food – as this food normally has the shortest dates!

Go through everything in the fridge and write it down on a sheet of paper with the latest date you could eat it by; then look at fruits, cakes and breads etc, working your way through absolutely everything you have in the freezer and cupboards – including those traditionally ‘long-dated’ items – just to be sure. 

I’ve noticed stores selling very short-dated items over the holidays as people are just buying everything!  So never assume that things have long use-by dates – check everything properly.

Once you have listed everything, you can start to put them in date order and plan your meals over the next few weeks.  That way, you can plan to eat everything before it goes out of date – wasting as little as possible!

By actually having a list of when you need to eat or drink things by infront of you – you will be able to see what you can’t use in time – and so could open up the opportunity to invite people over to yours to help finish it off – or take things over to someone else’s house when you visit them!

New Creations:
Don’t forget that food doesn’t need to be thrown away by it’s use-by date if it is made into something else; for example all those root vegetables could be made into a lovely soup and frozen for another month!

Once cooked – meats can be frozen, bakery and dairy can also be preserved ‘on chill’ for many weeks after they can be used in their refrigerated state.  So by using your kitchen skills and your left-overs – you could spread your food over the next month without really trying too hard!

I know your compost heap might miss out on a few things – but we all know that food is in short supply on a world-wide scale, so why not make better use of it all – even if it means buying a specialist book on it – and trying some new dishes with the family!

Future Gifts:
No doubt, on your list there are boxes of chocolates, biscuits, wine and other products that have another 6 months or a year or 2 still to go – so why not think about keeping them to hand for upcoming birthdays and as yet unplanned dinner parties with family and friends.

I have biscuits for cheese and bars of chocolate that has more than a year on it that I am planning to hold on to in my ‘spare’ kitchen cupboard for some get togethers!

Of course – you are more welcome to eat them all yourself!

Having a small indoor pet can really help you to save on waste and improve your recycling!

The statistics just in on the amount of food families waste is unbelievable and what with throwing away all those cardboard boxes and toilet rolls!

So why not get your very own micro-processing unit for these such things?  And have some great fun along the way…..

Rodents:
Getting yourself a little furry friend from a rescue centre could be one of the cutest things you acquire this year!  Maybe it’s a furry hamster, a cuddly guinea pig or a tiny mouse – whatever tickles your fancy could be worth its weight in gold in terms of that badly bruised apple or those wilting vegetables!

Whether it’s a tiny thing in a cage indoors, or a larger pet outside in a hutch – it can help you to break down your waste into more useful ingredients!

Those cardboard tubes can be chewed up by your gerbils making them easier to compost – or those veg could be converted into concentrated compost by a bunny rather than rotting in the air and attracting flies!

Any pet which has gnawing teeth and eats fruit and veg is a winner!

What’s Best For What?
Well, needless to say, they all have their specialities in the biodegrading world – and size is a factor too.

Guinea Pigs and rabbits are the best for munching large amounts of food waste – such as left-over allotment materials that aren’t great for the family – including stalks and stems of most plants. 

And not only does their used bedding go great in your compost heap – but they can be harnesses in the garden as lawn mowers as well!  Get the right shaped run and you can move it regularly around the lawn to keep it nice and trim!

Communal living smaller animals can be just as useful – for example 3 gerbils.  They love to chew anything and try all sorts of fruit and veg.  Perfect for shredding up those cereal boxes into easy-to-compost pieces – and creating a nice used bedding material or cardboard, vegetable waste and sawdust!

What’s Not So Good:
Syrian hamsters are probably the least useful – but still cute!  They only live alone and aren’t too big – so there is only so much waste they can eat for you!  They also don’t chew up cardboard as much as gerbils – but can be easier to handle for the younger kids!

Rats generally eat meat in their food so aren’t too good at creating compostable waste – however a couple of rats can certainly get through your leftovers if you give them a chance!

Degus and chinchillas are specialist eaters – so can’t be given fruit or too much variety in their diets – hence not many foods and treats available for them in the pet stores!  It makes them very ill – so not too good for an eco friendly pet!

However – whatever small pet you choose to help your out with your composting and waste food control – make sure you consider a rescue animal first.  There are hamsters, gerbils and rabbits waiting patiently in rescue centres all over the country for a good home.

Could you be one of them?

Should you use normal plastic loads of times – or biodegradable plastic just the once?

There have been many recent developments in the plastic industry and the most controversial is the biodegradable versions that we had all waited so long for!

However, there are some unforeseen problems with these new versions – and it is a difficult eco friendly choice between them and ‘normal’ plastics.

See the 2 examples below of the 2 ways in which these plastic can be more eco friendly:

1) Buy a product in a normal plastic bottle and either re-use it forever or recycle it again and again, or;

2) Buy a product in a biodegradable plastic bottle (either HBP or OBP) that contains ingredients that will speed up its bio-degradation or turn it into compost when you dispose of it.

The 2 don’t mix!  It has to be 1 or the other!

What Does Biodegradable Mean?
If you first consider the word ‘biodegradable’ in its general meaning – it is any product (solid or liquid) that will break down naturally into environmentally safe and virtually natural products that can be used by living organisms in around 6 months.

However, there is no legal definition in terms of products in the stores – so anything claiming to be ‘biodegradable’ could be just that – or could be nothing of the sort; even if it has green pattern all over it and a picture of some wildlife on it!

So, what these biodegradable plastics are trying to do is to be better than existing plastics.  They claim that they will break down into less harmful and polluting particles relatively quickly compared to standard plastics, and so will have less of a detrimental effect on wildlife in the long term.

Don’t forget that existing plastics will also break down naturally (in the sense that if you leave a carrier bag part buried in your garden – it will eventually fall apart) but the plastic doesn’t actually disappear, it will just be in ever smaller parts.

Why Biodegradable Plastic Then?
Well, there has been an awful lot of bad press for plastic lately – what with sea turtles swallowing carrier bags and albatross feeding bits of plastic to their young – not to mention the Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch that people were looking for a way to make plastic bottles, containers and other products get a lot smaller a lot quicker.

By making a plastic that breaks down as soon as possible means that whole bottles and bags won’t be found floating in the sea killing birds and turtles any more!

Washed Up Plastic Waste

You still need to be aware of the way the products break down though to be most effective – for example the 2 types of biodegradable plastic currently available as HBP (hydro-biodegradable plastic) and OBP (oxy-biodegradable plastic).

And as their name suggests; one needs water to break down quickly and the other needs air – so bury these in bin bags in land fill sites won’t really make either of them disappear any quicker than normal plastics – but imagine they were litter in the countryside or rubbish floating in the Atlantic.

It’s a whole different story then!  They would soon disappear making our wild areas cleaner and safer for living things!

What’s The Problem Then?
We have discussed that biodegradable plastics must be the best for the environment then – as they don’t stay in the environment for ever and ever as whole plastic products – they break down fast into less harmful particles!  Right?

Well, it’s not so clear cut as you can’t recycle them. 

Adding either HBP’s or OBP’s to recycled plastic can actually be more harmful than good – as these new plastics are designed to break down – so they can actually render a recycled plastic product virtually useless in just a few months!  And many councils are actually trying to get them banned as a result!

We all know that there is only a reason to make a product if it is financially viable – so reducing the need for plastic recycling could cause an end to recycled products!

And if the biodegradable products are meant to break down – then we are actually creating a market for more and more plastic to be created.  Rather than re-use your old toiletries bottles and food containers again and again – you would have to keep buying new ones instead!

So, is the new plastic actually any more eco friendly than the old?

There are still more tips coming to me for your horse, pony or stable yard!

It is so easy to see a new top tip when you walk through the yard – either by doing something yourself or seeing someone else doing it.  Sometimes, your friends might be doing something that saves then time or money or just because it’s easier – but it could be a great eco friendly tip!

1) Learn to sew!  Putting patches on elbows, new hems on your rugs and darning your woolly socks together can all make your existing clothes last longer!  You don’t need to look perfect at the yard – especially if it’s cold or raining!  Making your clothes last longer means you get to spend your money on more exciting things! 

2) Go solar-powered for those little things like the stable radio – or you can get wind-up versions too.  Maybe buy a solar powered ‘travel charger’, so while you are mucking out – your mobile phone could be charging itself up naturally!  And make sure your lighting is powered by a green energy supplier!

3) Make sure you always muck out your horsebox or pony trailer as soon as you arrive at your destination to prevent the damp bedding soaking into the wooden floorboards.  Obviously, the longer you let the moisture soak in, the more damage it can do – and the shorter the lifespan of your trailer!

4) Learn to make your own equipment if possible, like feeding a piece of reused foam through the headband of a head collar to act as a poll guard.  This way you get to use all your old bits and bobs from around the house – and the stores don’t need to keep making more of everything!

5) If your horse eats it’s fresh bedding (or you want to make your bedding last longer) - you should mix in some of the old bedding when mucking out.  Not only will this mean that you need less bedding each time – but your horse should stop eating the wrong materials – and prevent wasted vets fees and your time!

6) Also to save vets visits, wasted treatments and last minute panics – keep a record of your horses medical information.  For example knowing the temperature of your horse before and after exercise, in summer or in winter can mean that you know for definite when there is something wrong.  Saying that your pony is ‘really hot’ isn’t the best way of judging for treatments and medication!  So if you have a definite record beforehand – you will be sure when something is wrong or when something is just the ‘top end of normal’.

7) And again – store your feed and medicines in metal dustbins or other suitably waterproof and pest-resistant containers.  That way you will keep things vermin-free as well as avoiding leaks and breakages.  This all adds up to less wasted products, no contaminated feeds and no poorly ponies - there really is no need to waste time, energy or money ever again!

8.) Use a left-over piece of plastic drainpipe to put over the top of a stable door to prevent your horse crib-biting.  By cutting it into 2 pieces, you could rest it over the top of the door to stop it being destroyed!  Not only will this stop you having to repair or buy a new door eventually – but can’t hurt the horse either!

9) Depending on the size of your own land – why not fence off a small area and grow your own hay.  Either feed as hay or make it into haylage instead.

10) Or why not go organic – and grow your own horse veg!  A few lines of carrots, some turnips, garlic and even an apple tree don’t need a lot of room – and could mean fresh organic and local veg for your pony (and you!).

Well, what do you think of those then?  Any help to you – I hope so.

Well, there are never just a few ways to be eco friendly around the yard – there is always something else!

So, to help you get even greener in the stable –  I have put together another 10 top tips for you and your horse or pony to help save resources and making things last longer!

1) By picking out your horses feet while still in the stable means that the bedding stays where it is needed – rather than being swept away when you clean the yard!

2)Always keep a list of all your eco suppliers to hand – not only for yourself, but also to recommend to others if they need something specific.  That way, you won’t have to resort to the easiest suppliers when you are in need!

3) Always wear an old baggy t-shirt over your jumpers when grooming or doing ‘hay’ related jobs as they won’t stick to it – whereas your jumper will just get covered in hay or hair – and need washing more often! 

4) Grow your own organic veg for your horse or pony as well.  Make sure you grow your own selection of horse-friendly veg as well as all the things you need; so turnips and carrots should be on the list!

5) When feeding hay to your horses in the field – make sure you select the least windy area to do so – otherwise you will be wasting hay as it blows across your field rather than getting eaten! 

6) Same goes for other feeds – you need to make sure that your horse is getting everything he needs and none is wasted.  So weigh out feeds and hay if necessary, as well as not over-feeding or allowing your horse to kick over the food bowl or tread on the hay.

7) And use bags or sacks when transporting hay and straw across the yard so it doesn’t all blow away for the same reason.  And noone wants to sweep the yard more than they have to!

8.) Get your horse to wear a summer sheet underneath their winter rugs, as they are much easier to wash – so making your winter rugs last longer and keep your horse warmer!

9) And for you – if your long boots have split up the leg – then cut them off at the ankle and use them as a spare pair of short boots for odd jobs around the yard!

10) And finally: If you manage to puncture your plastic boots in the yard – fix them yourself with a bicycle repair kit – making them waterproof again. That way you won’t need to splash out on a new pair! Boots can live forever – or as long as you want them to!

Yippee – that should save you some money – and save the environment from more wasted resources!

Good job!

We bulk buy products to be eco friendly – so does a bigger house give the same benefits?

We’ll not if you are just a single person or a couple – but what if you involved the whole family or some friends?  And I don’t mean join some commune or hippy campsite – although they are both options for some people.

What I am talking about is a great idea for saving energy, combining skills and resources as well as improving everything else ‘in bulk’.  So how about it?

The Theory:
I would love to live in a large home surrounded by land – but I know this would be a bit selfish in the overall scheme of things – so how about a compromise?

How about planning to live in a house with other people, whether they be my mum or sibling – or even friends – And it doesn’t need to be as bad as it sounds: you would plan to buy a property that still allowed you your privacy, for example a 3 story town house, divided into 2 sections or a detached property with a ‘granny annexe’ as part of it.

This way, you can pool resources too, like a joint investment in a garden allotment, solar panels, wildlife garden etc, as not only will you have more combined finances with this arrangement – you will also have a larger amount of space to work with.

2 couples living in townhouses may only have a small courtyard garden and a thin sliver of the terraced roof – but combine those 2 mortgages or using a larger deposit could mean you are able to buy detached, with more garden, off road parking, fruit trees, a larger roof and less overheads: only 1 TV license, one Council Tax, lower energy costs (the first so-many units are higher priced), lower food costs (buying in bulk), the list goes on……

It has all the same advantages as buying a 2 litre bottle of shampoo rather than 4x500ml bottles – but on a much larger scale!

Other Benefits:
For starters, all the maintenance costs will be shared between you all, insurance bills and repairs will all be halved – so more money to spend on green investments.

The security of your home will be increased as when you are away, the other people will probably still be around – and the animals and plants can carry on growing while you are busy.

Magazine subscriptions can be shared, and days out can be treated as ‘family’ tickets as there will always be enough people to make up the numbers! Less cars even, depending on your situation – and more shared journeys – or less journeys even; well if you are going to the store – then your flatmates don’t need to!

Food should never go out of date if there are twice as many people around to eat it – and if you ook together then imagine the energy savings!  And there will always be enough dirty dishes to fill the machine – and clothes for a full wash!

And can you imagine how great it would be for the kids to grow up in a friendly environment where they can learn skills from all the people around them, and live in an house with a bit of character and a large garden with chickens in it!

Sounds perfect – I just need to find some similar-minded friends…………

National Family Week (UK) runs from May 31st to June 6th – but make yours and eco friendly one!

The event is all about celebrating Family and your time together – either indoors surrounded by books and films or outside knee-deep in grass and surrounded by bird song!

But there is no reason why your events can’t be green, local and without creating enough waste to fill your entire bin!

There are many events being held around the country that are on the official website, but why not use their guide to make a week of eco friendly fun for yourself your family and your friends.

The weeks events are running along a sort of ‘schedule’ to help give people a rough plan if the week, and you can do as little or as much as you like – or create your own eco fun, but the week is as follows:

Monday – Eco Friendly Picnic:
Why can’t you arrange an event where you make an old fashioned outdoor feast, with local or organic produce brought in bulk – rather than everything in it’s own tiny bottle or individual wrapping.  Why not get one person to bake an enormous cake, one to bake a loaf of fresh bread, one to chop homegrown salad and bring home-laid hard-boiled eggs for the filling. 

Buy huge bumper packs of crisp and nibbles to share out and bring all fully reusable plastic plates and bowls to take home after.  And don’t forget some tubs to collect wild blackcurrants or fallen apples in!

Tuesday – Family Film Day:
Why not extend the picnic theme indoors with a great matinee of one or two of the families favourite films – make sure one is a classic musical to get everyone singing and dancing.  Before the first film, maybe all spend time in the kitchen mixing pastry and cakes so that when the film is over there is plenty of home-made food for everyone to tuck into before the next film!

Wednesday – Great Story Telling Day:
Rather than read other peoples stories – why not spend this day surrounded by scissors, glue and old magazines with a selection of pens and string – and have everyone create their own great adventure story from all your old magazines and bits of the outdoors like pressed flowers and leaves!  Something they can take away and keep.

Thursday – Green Road Trip:
Car or minibus, it doesn’t matter – but if there is an adventure to be had getting there is half the fun.  Rather than take the straight route – why not find the country lanes that go through tiny villages, steepled churches and fields of cows and horses.  Maybe even take in a ruined castle or 2 on the way as well – and don’t forget the camera and a tasty home-made packed lunch!

Friday – Eco Friendly House Party:
Anything goes here – whether it’s literally a party that goes on all night (without annoying the neighbours of course) or whether it’s a day-time party where people bring their family and some tasty goodies to share.  Or maybe help out with some spring cleaning or reducing and recycling.

Take one room of your home that really needs a sort out and get everyone involved. Whether it’s taking stuff to the recycling centre, community furniture project or around a friends – many hands make light work! Maybe get together to help an elderly relative or neighbour – or just your own home and ring some green changes!

Saturday – Eco Garden Fun:
Maybe this one could be an eco garden house party, where you all take it in turns to attack someones garden for the better, laying hedges, creating a wildlife pond, a bug corner, putting up bird feeders or just planting some veg! Things you never really get round to yourself – especially with the kids under your feet! Imagine to things you could achieve with 10 people instead of just you and your mum!

Whatever you choose to do, I hope you have fun – and maybe send in some photos!
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You may well be on your way to having an eco friendly house and garden – but what about having an eco friendly pony too?

In this article, I have just put together 10 easy tips for making your stable more eco friendly, and to make sure that you now only save money and time, but also preserve existing materials and reduce your waste.

Share tips with other people at your yard and get tips from them – as some things are best done by everyone anyway – like worming together. 

If only one of you ‘worms’ your pony – then you have wasted your money, as everyone else’s ponies will still be leaving worm eggs all over the fields for your pony to digest again!  What a waste of time (yours for dosing), food (as the worms eat it) and veterinary money (as your pony will still have worms and need working again!)  And think of the poor ponies too!

Anyway, on to these 10 great horsey tips for you to experiment with and improve on:

1) Clean your horse rugs regularly to extend their lifespan – and when they are past their best, use all the available parts for spares – like the buckles, straps and edging.  You never know when it might come in handy.

2) Cod Liver Oil and other liquid products are cheaper when brought in bulk, so make sure you get your friends chip in for the biggest container between you all – and then decant into your own reused containers (keeping a note of the expiry date).

3) Rather than keep buying or carrying about shovels and forks, why not invest in 2 small ‘sheets’ of board from around the yard and use them to pick up droppings or piles of waste. Less metal used for new tools and less trips to the store!

4)  And to reduce the amount of bedding thrown away when mucking out – use an old wire basket to sieve it first.  Once the solid waste is in the basket, give it a good shake and let the clean bedding fall back to the ground.

5)  Natural sheepskin numnahs can have their life extended by shaking a small amount of talcum powder on them after each use as this will help t absorb some of the sweat and dirt from the pony’s back and keep them usable for much longer.

6)  Use some old baler twine plaited together and strung across the tack room or elsewhere to hang up wet rugs after use.

7)  A great use of an old car tyre (which seem to build up all over the place) is as a secure holder for your horses food bucket.  Some ponies love to kick their food bowl around – wasting food in the process!

8.) Wash your tack using hot water and eco friendly washing up liquid, and soap well afterwards.  Not only will this keep your leather nice a supple for the pony, but will also extend it’s lifespan.

9) Buy really brightly coloured brushes, hoof-picks and lead ropes, etc, to reduce the likelihood that you will lose them in bedding or grass.  If you lose your equipment, you are as good as throwing it away – then you will have to consume more!

10) And the best till last - save up all your well rotted manure for paying gardeners and allotment holders!  Not only are you helping to keep their plots organic and local – but you will stop them buying artificial manures or unsustainable fertilisers and peats for their plants! 

Hope these are of use to you and maybe even inspire you to try some of your own ideas at the yard!