Eco Friendly House And Garden

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!

Is the old-fashioned paper magazine got to go if you are trying to create an eco friendly house?

Well, This is one that even I struggle with, as I love to hold things in my hand when I read them – especially if it about something that I am passionate about.

But should I feel guilty about all that paper, all that ink and all that postage?  Should I be scrolling down on my computer instead?

So, to help you decide, I am giving you the green versions of all the problems along the way - and why paper doesn’t have to be physically recycled to be eco friendly!

The Paper:
No longer does a magazine have to be made with illegally or unsustainably ‘farmed’ virgin pulp from the rainforests of the Amazon or Borneo.  It can be made from either recycled paper, or from FSC certified wood.

The first option means that you are actively making all your other recycling worth while as you are creating a market for used goods – and the more people that buy recycled goods, the more recycling we will see as a whole.

The FSC certified paper will mean that the paper you are reading has not been sourced from anywhere that is damaging the environment or the habitat that it came from.  And as new trees are planted all the time to keep the woodlands balanced, more carbon is absorbed from the atmosphere than if the existing ‘older’ forest remained intact.

The Ink:
There are many different inks available today that are less polluting than existing versions, and those that are made with vegetable oils are becoming much more common.  This trend means that the components of the ink are now naturally degradable rather than releasing man-made chemicals into the environment.

There are also techniques that mean that less ink is used per letter typed, therefore reducing the volume or ink used per magazine.

The Postage:
Many magazines are now packaged in biodegradable clear packaging – which will clearly state how to dispose of it – but there are many that are not – so you may need to write to them and ask why?

Also, many magazines (even those in biodegradable wrapping) and those who write about global issues, still fill their magazines with advertising material, which ultimately weighs down the overall package. 

Not only are these ‘leaflets’ making the postal service use more fuel to transport them (imagine 10,000 people all getting sent the same 3 leaflets extra – it soon adds up for more fuel), but they will no doubt get put straight into the recycling bin, as most people just want to read the magazine, not read about greener grass or an over 50′s health plan!

The Opposition:
So, should we all read our magazines online instead?  With no paper, ink, postage or deforestation to worry about it should be an easy decision, right?

One clear benefit will be financial – but not for you and your friends. If you can’t pass on your old magazines to your friends and family anymore, then they will all have to buy their own copy – which will mean that ‘real’ eco magazines will get 1000′s more £’s or $’s to put towards their green causes!

But on the not-so-positive side – well, lets just think about this first:  How green is the computer, laptop, e-reader or smart phone you are reading your online magazine on?

Now I know that there are many computers involved in the making of the paper magazine these days, but that’s where it stops.  So unless you have an eco friendly branded electronic device – how many rare minerals and toxic compounds have been used to create your ‘online magazine’?

And, are you charging your laptop or ‘phone with renewable green energy – or are you still using the uber polluting coal-fired electricity to keep your devices going?

And one final point is what will I read in my doctors waiting room if all magazines are online only?  Will the surgery need to provide e-readers for us all?  Or will we have to bring our own?

All around me I see baby trees that are never going to become beautiful oaks or great maples!

In lawns, grass verges, church yards and driveways, I see little trees that have spent all winter putting all their effort into growing – only to be guaranteed to last only a short time more.

With the closing in of the lawn mower season – many of these little survivors will have their tops cut off and live no more!  Yet more can be found growing in ridiculous spots – like a crack in the concrete or up against your home – and will never be allowed to grow to full size!

But, you can help them!  You could give a tree a helping hand – in the same way that we need them to clean our air and feed and protect our wildlife in return.  And it won’t cost you a penny – nature has given you them for free!

So why not move them to a better place while why they are still only tiny, and give them a better chance at growing up!

But How Do I know What A Baby Tree Looks Like?
Luckily for you, spotting a baby tree is so very easy as they nearly all look virtually identical at the moment – growing about an inch or two high out of the grass – see the picture below:

All baby trees grow these same 2 leaves as their first leaves so once you have seen one you will know what they all look like!

It’s only the following set of leaves that are the same shape as their adult leaves – so in a way it is sometimes a little surprise to find out what it is exactly that you have saved!

It could be a mighty oak, a quivering willow or a festive holly tree – but either way – it is a tree that now stands a much better chance of survival if you move it to a flower border, by your hedge or wherever.  As long as it’s not on the lawn!

Watch Them Grow:
Now don’t worry about there being too many trees in your garden if you save them all, as these little babies take years before they will affect your garden – and many of them will become lunch for bunnies and deer or die naturally.

And it will take something like an oak about 30/40 years before it’s big enough for you to climb!  However, they could make a great hedge to make your garden more secluded.

Some of these trees will be smaller trees anyway, like holly, and so will actually look great as they grow up - as well as feeding the winter wildlife!

Maybe take photos of them growing over the years to see your work being rewarded.  And pictures of their first leaves can help you to identify them – and maybe help you decide where the best spot to move them to is.  

I mean, you wouldn’t want a great pine tree right next to the house, and a holly bush close to a path or garden bench could be quite uncomfortable! But an elderberry tree could be great near the kitchen to make some great summer drinks!

Have fun saving your free trees – and our environment!

Here we are again – with some quick easy steps to staying green…..

1) Buy Old Stuff:
Choose products that contain recycled materials otherwise why are we bothering to separate out our rubbish in the first place! 

There is no point expecting people to wash out and separate out all their plastics and glass if we aren’t prepared to buy the stuff we make out of it all!  Something is only worth making if people are going to buy it – I mean you don’t see trifle flavoured crisps or eyeball pies in your shops do you?

2) Buy New Stuff:
If you see a new product that supports Fair Trade, palm oil certification, MSC or anything else – make sure you are one of it’s new supporters!

If someone has bothered to make something that supports something you believe in, then the least you can do is buy it occasionally.  Sometimes these eco friendly versions are just as tasty as the normal things you buy, but that extra 50p you spend could make all the difference.

3) Bring Your Own Stuff:
We all remember to save our bags for shopping, and nearly all of us remember to take our bags to the stores – but then we go and leave them in the car! 

So, try to make a concerted effort to remember your bags when shopping, and to take more than you think you will need.  The number of times I only wanted ‘a few things’ and ended up remembering a whole load of other stuff – far out-weighing my original bag capacity! 

4) Leave Stuff Behind:
Make sure that you don’t buy fish that is not MSC certified – otherwise that might become a type of fish that you won’t be able to eat in the future – especially if it is being over-fished!

Isn’t it better to go without it this week rather than lose it forever!

The same goes for everything really.  My local store didn’t have my usual organic, free-range medium hens eggs.  So I didn’t buy any.  Firstly, I can go back to the shop tomorrow without having starved to death overnight: and secondly, buying the less chicken-friendly alternative in the shop lets the shop manager know that I’m not really that bothered about the type of eggs I buy!

I mean, if non-organic supermarket eggs sell just as well when the organic ones have sold out – and there is a better profit margin on the non-organic ones – then they might well let the organic ones ‘run out’ more regularly knowing that it’s more important that customers have eggs than the fact that they are organic!

Don’t let supermarkets decide what you can buy – make sure you tell them what you want to buy.

5) Make Your Own Stuff:
Rather than buy processed foods from Asia, and vegetables from Africa – why not try out some new recipes and using veg you can grow in your own back garden!

Try shopping in the fresh and home baking sections only for a week.  Don’t rely on someone you don’t know making a meal for you miles from your kitchen and then sticking it in a box for you and shipping it to your nearest store!

Give it a go!

Some simple tricks can stop your heating bill spiralling out of control and wasting all that energy!

Remember visiting you grandparents house and there were a few things that you didn’t have at home that you thought were funny.  Well some of them were totally eco friendly and we never took them on board.

Nans had these funny things as there wasn’t such a thing as central heating, so all of these were used simply to keep warm and stop cold draughts blowing aroundthe house.

Now of course, they can save energy, money and the environment too – so maybe I can take you on a walk around my nans house and see what you can do today.

Plastic Sheets: 18% of heat is lost through your windows.
In the colder rooms that weren’t used so often had tight plastic sheets taped over them on the inside.  Double glazing was unheard of so putting in your own secondary ‘glazing’ was the way to go.

If you didn’t want to open the windows through the winter, then why not seal them up for the colder months.  These days of course you can buy actual double glazing, retro-fit secondary glazing – or even buy an eco friendly equivalent of the old plastic sheeting called Eco Glaze which is acrylic sheets that are attached to your window with magnetic strips so you can put them on or take them off when you want!

Maybe even consider triple glazing in bad areas or just the leakiest window!

Giant Velvet Curtain: 15% of heat is lost through doors.
My nan had the most amazing thick red curtain on the back of the front door.  It was on a great big rail and it was more than twice as wide as the door and at least a foot too long – great for hiding behind!

By making sure that there was more than enough curtain to block any breezes made it all the more worth having.  I mean if you are fitting a curtain in the first place, it’s a bit pointless if it is too short or too thin.  Spend the extra pennies and get it right first time.

Maybe consider fitting a simple porch to buffer the outside and inside spaces.

Long Tube Of Socks:
Along the bottom of the lounge door when we were all sitting inside was a handmade tube of old socks and rags.  I suppose it could be made into a comedy sausage dog if you sewed ears on!

It was the perfect way to stop draughts coming under the door when you were heating just the one room.  Just like today – when you have the log burner on the go in the one room, keep all the heat in there too.  Modern equivalents can be plates you screw on to the bottom of you door with a furry edge – but I quite like the idea of making my own sausage dog!

Over-Patterned Rugs:  8% of heat is lost through floors.
Now, you don’t have to go an buy a bright swirly rug or a heavily-pattered dark red rug to stop cold air coming through your floorboards!

These days you can fill the gaps on old floorboards with man-made natural fillers, buy nice plain rugs in all sizes, or fit carpets with thick underlay to make sure that your home stays warm!

Maybe consider fitting underfloor heating if you are having other work done in your home.  This is a much more efficient way to heat your home than traditional central heating and means you can put your furniture where you want it rather than having to fit it around huge radiators…….. 

So, go round to your great aunts house or your friends nans and check out their energy and money saving tips!

Has your spring clean left you with quite a lot of things you don’t want?

Well, someone else might find a good use for them – so why not take yourself out to a car boot sale and see what you can make for things you don’t even want!

There are many car boots held every week across the UK although they may not be as widespread elsewhere, and they are great fun to do.

However, there are a few tricks of the trade that will make your car boot experience a lot better than just plunging feet first into it on that early Sunday morning!

1) Check Out Some Sites As A Buyer.
Make sure that you have visited a few local sites before you pitch your spot.  Some car boots aren’t as organised as others and can have stalls spread out over a large area of land but with stalls quite some distance apart – not good for sales!

Other sites can be a field of mud, others too small, and yet more with terrible access (or exit afterwards).  Some have a set start and finish time, but others just let people come and go throughout the day – which can leave you alone in the field if all your neighbours go home early!

And find out the price of a pitch – if the car boot costs more than £10 for your car – then make sure you have enough stuff to make the difference.  You will have to get up early, drive to the site, sit there all day hopefully selling at least that amount in goods and then probably queue up for ages to get out afterwards – so is it worth it?

2) Contact The Person In Charge First.
Make sure you have spoken to the person who is in charge before you get up early one day – as there are protocols to follow!

One car boot I went to where the entrance of which was on a main road had an unknown secret: you had to join a queue about 1/2 a mile away in a main back street half an hour before it opened to get a spot.  If you queued up outside the site when it was due to open – you were told to drive around the block and join the others – at the very back!

3) Find Out What You Can Sell.
This might sound strange, but some car boots will only allow old things to be sold – so if they see you there with plants, bulk goods and maybe even certain electrical items, you may get told off or outed!

Other places might be really strict on the amount of space you get, so having a clothes rail would be virtually impossible if you have a long table too!

Other sites have so much space that you can park your car sideways, therefore getting metres of space to display your things, and allowing you to have everything within touching distance of the customers, rahte than them having to rummage around in boxes under the table or having to ask you to pass stuff across to them!

4) Bring The Right Equipment.
Make sure that you can display most of your goods around hand-height so that everyone can see what you are selling and can have a good look – so this means a table of sorts like a decorating fold-up table (as you need to fit it in your car with all your stuff as well) and if you are selling clothes a rail would really make a huge difference.

Boxes on the floor for books is perfect – but preferably pack them together in prices if you have enough, so a box for 10p and box for 50p books etc. Same goes for tiny toys or other little things, so, ‘Anything in the Box = 50p’ type of thing.

You will need a fair amount of small change if you are going to be serious about this, so at least £10 worth of 50p’s and less and £10 of £1′s should be a minimum – depending on the price of your goods. There is nothing worse than giving a price for something and then have to refuse the sale as you have no change left! Most customers bring small change – but it’s best to be prepared!

And along those lines – bring plenty of carrier bags from your re-using stash to give to customers – they are more likely to buy more stuff if you offer them a decent bag!

And a plastic sheet to cover everything if it rains wouldn’t be a bad idea!

5) Set Your Prices For The Good Stuff.
If you are selling some large or really nice items, then make sure you set a minimum price before you set out as otherwise you could come away with less than you deserve.

There are also the ‘early scavengers’ as I like to call them, who go to car boots for a living. They know what stuff is worth money and what things they can sell on their own stall round the back of yours for twice what you were charging!

How they do this is to start rumaging through your things while you are still getting them out of your car. They pester you with seemingly reasonable prices, or offer for bulk goods – which you think is great!

You are making money before you are even finished unloading – but remember, they are only buying it from you as you are a ‘newbie’ and they want to buy yours cheap and sell it on for more! So it’s something to think about – make less money straight away, or hold on to your higher prices and sell them for yourself through the day.

In fact, why don’t you do a spring clean with the car boot in mind – as it could help you be a bit more ruthless – especially if you are not sure if you want to sell a certain item. By setting a high price you definately won’t go below you can come away with a result either way – making a decent amount for it – or keeping it yourself anyway!

6) Enjoy Yourself!
Make sure you plan to make a day of it. Take decent clothes incase it is cold, and convince someone to come with you if you can (or at least pop in to see you half way through) otherwise you won’t be able to go to the loo or to buy yourself a hot drink if it’s cold!

Take a packed lunch if you can as some can start as early as 6am in the summer and finish after 3pm. Do you want to have to go hungry – or end up spending your takings on a car boot burger?

I’ve done them before and I would do them again – but I have made all my mistakes, so hopefully your won’t have to…..

Posting something isn’t just about getting it totally wrapped up in paper – it’s about sending with love!

What I mean is, that the actual packaging and size of the packaging you use can have a huge environmental impact when sent through the post – and also the item you are posting could be better selected if you really want to save resources!

The Packaging:
Starting with the materials you choose for wrapping, it would make sense to avoid non-recyclable materials in the first place as they can only be thrown in the trash upon receipt.  And wrapping something up and then putting it inside an envelope or another layer or wrapping for posting seems to be just a waste of resources.

Bubble-wrap should be used inside the packaging rather than as part of the wrapping so that it can be re-used at the other end in both parts.  I mean, if you send a gift wrapped in a sheet of bubble wrap and then put inside a normal envelope or sheet or parcel wrap – then both parts can be put to use again by the recipient or the envelope recycled!  However, using an envelope with it’s own bubble-wrap concealed within cannot be recycled - only reused as a whole.

And, you don’t really want to use heavy packaging – like loads of sticky tape – as this will make your entire package heavier to post and therefore it will use more fuel and energy to move from your post box to the recipients!

The Size Of It:
Many, many, many people use the wrong sized packaging when posting an item.  It makes sense to find out the categories for your countries postal charges so that you can find out which is the most cost effective way to post it – and – the most energy-efficient way to post it.

Buying or using a larger-than-necessary envelope will take up more room in the postal system than a smaller one – creating more journeys for the postman and their fleet of trains and vans when added to all the other post going the same way. 

And in the UK, the rates charged for packages depends purely on the dimensions – so folding a pliable gift a certain way could save you a lot of money!

Anyone who sells things over the internet will know all about the best way to package something!  For example sending a ‘packet’ weighing up to 750g (1st class) is £2.65 – but sending a ‘large letter’ weighing the same (1st class) is only £1.77 – with just a few millimetres between them!

It’s worth knowing the small print if you have a lot of gifts to send! 

And why post items that the recipient can get for themselves – for example; toiletries and cosmetics.  Why send weighty bathroom goods through the post when they can buy them in their own stores?  Just use a paper voucher for that store – or make a personalized voucher telling them what you want them to buy with your money.

It’s still going to be the same gift – just from the store 10 minutes from their home rather than your store 500 kilometers away!  The items have already been driven across the country from the factory to the warehouse and then to your store – why get the postman to drive it somewhere else as well!!!!

The Gift Itself:
If you know you are posting something – then make sure you choose wisely.  Why send an item that is going to be costly to post in the first place?  And – are you going to pay the postal service to guarantee it arrives in one piece or more importantly credit you if the item is lost or damaged before it even arrives!

And, would it not be more eco friendly to have the item delivered directly to the person in the first place.  I find it quite funny that the wrapping of a gift is so important.  Some people have a gift delivered all the way to their home (at a cost) then wrap it themselves (at a further cost) then post it back out to the recipient (at even more cost!).

Why not just get it sent directly to the recipient in the first place – and have already told them to expect it and not to open it until you desire.

It’s still ‘wrapped up’ by the company - and it is still a gift from you?  This is even worth doing for overseas deliveries in some instances as the company your order from may well have overseas distribution sites that make posting items direct more cost and energy efficient!

Or better still – buy them an item that is virtual, so you don’t have to post anything!  Why not buy a ‘gift’ that helps others rather than clutters up our homes further, like charity gifts, memberships, or other good causes!

Make a difference with your money rather than making more things for landfill!

There has been more and more talk about reducing the amount of natural materials we use in everyday products like clothes and home furnishings – but they last a long time.

Why hasn’t there been more attention paid to disposable natural materials that only get the one use before being discarded – like feminine hygiene products.

There are a huge number of females on the planet that need to use these items every month, and for several days of every month. But we just use them for a few hours then throw them away.

Not only are tampons linked with serious and potentially fatal health issues, but they are also a great polluter with it’s links to chlorine bleaching and the whole products are also polluting in themselves when incinerated and with less-then-eco friendly (irresponsible) ‘owners’ flushing them down the toilet!

One recent quote from 2008 estimated that around 2.5 million tampons, 1.4 million sanitary towels and 700,000 pantyliners were being flushed sown into public waste water systems – which all needs to be cleaned up!

Personal Hygiene Problems.
Besides the fact that they are excessively packaged to keep them clean, they are sometimes also highly scented (wasteful and more noticeable to other females), with added gels or lubricants (often known pollutants or endocrine disruptors), added colourings (wasteful and possibly allergy-triggering), they also come in a range of different sizes and types that are really a waste of resources.

All this choice might make it seem a fairer choice for females – but isn’t it just a way for ladies to use the wrong product?

For example, a lady buying 1 box of tampons may buy the medium strength variety as a general ‘favourite’ for most of the cycle, but then towards the end of the cycle may need only the least strength variety – but will she go out to buy them separately? Probably not.

She will continue to use the same ones she already has in the bathroom, using more resources than she actually needs. However, as they are only a ‘disposible’ product some people don’t worry too much about something they have in excess.

It’s the same a those people who throw away the used plastic knives and forks after a garden party rather than wash them up and save for next time. They are made to be disposable, so you find yourself (and your guests) just throwing them away!

Now, I am not suggesting that you re-use disposable sanitary products in any way – but at least only use the smallest least-wasteful product for your needs. Or, find yourself a re-usable product that does the same thing!

Re-Usable Products.
You might be amazed at how many products are out there for sanitary protection – if only you could drag yourself away from the highly marketed products you repeatedly buy from your high street drug stores or super markets!

There are many companies that make washable sanitary towels out of terry cotton that are made in a variety of sizes. They are fully adjustable to make a perfect fit for everyone and are fully machine washable and tumble-drier friendly!

There are also washable sponges that work under the same principle as tampons, but are fully re-usable and therefore eco friendly!

And finally, there is a new style of product known as ‘The Moon Cup’ or ‘The Keeper’ (depending on the material used) which is re-usable and contains no known harmful chemicals.

These small cups are designed to fit inside a female in the same way as a tampon, but instead of ‘absorbing’, they ‘collect’. Therefore, instead of throwing them away after use, you actually just empty them, rinse them clean, then re-use.

The savings are immense. Not only can they save on natural materials, chemicals, packaging, transport, and disposal – they will also save you money! Month after month, year after year!

Both the Keeper and the Moon Cup are both accredited by the Good Shopping Guide, whereas Always, Carefree and Tampax are brands that get the highest levels of criticism for their eco friendly attributes!

I know it’s not Spring – but have a good clean out to get your home eco friendly!

We all hoard things.  Whether it is in the cupboard under the stairs, the garage or in the spare room!  So why not release your unwanted items into the world where other people need them!

What use is that tub of old paint, or that bag of clothes you don’t wear?  They aren’t doing anything hidden away in boxes and bags – so get them out into the world where other people can use them rather than buying things new!

How Do I Get Rid Of The Old Items?
Well, it depends on whether you want to give them away for free, or whether you want some money for them.

If it’s free you are after then there are plenty of options starting with your own local amenity site.  They are usually affiliated with a local recycling firm that takes away your furniture and electrical goods and them sells them at a reduced price to local people or people who are on a tight budget!

There are also many websites like FreeCycle that allow you to list anything you no longer want so that other people can come around to your house and collect them.  So it saves you a drive to the tip!

Most charity stores will take clothes and shoes as will the ‘Charity Bins’ at Superstores and some Retail Parks.  They can be quite fussy about electrical goods and damaged goods though.

If you want some cash for your goods then there are jumble sales, carboot or garage sales – or you can list the better items on sites like e-bay, from old toys to RV’s!  Virtually everything sells these days – and the buyers pays the postage too!

What Next?
Well, there will be things that can’t be used by others – like old paperwork and broken pots, torn books and tatty magazines.  So you need to thin them out into 4 groups:

1) Important documents and personal paperwork that you need to shred
2) Things that you think will be useful in the next few months or pictures for scrap-booking
3) Things that you can recycle
4) Things that you can only throw away

Not only will sorting things out give you more space at home and probably a few extra pennies in your pocket – but it will allow you to make room for the things that matter.

Like those recycling bins in the kitchen, the do-it-yourself corner where you can make and mend things, the kids can cut out magazines and paint pictures and you can feel good about having passed a few things on in the world – keeping the goods moving rather than creating demand for new ones!

Happy sorting!

Watch this short video – and it will jolt you into reality!

Where do you think all your stuff comes from?  What happens when you get that new phone?  How can we get our stuff so cheap?  What is the real cost of our spending?

All these are answered in this lively, well animated and well written short video by a well traveled, very experienced environmental investigator specialising in health and justice issues across the globe.

It is filled with some scary facts about what we are doing to our planet – or in reality what we are not doing to help our planet.

It highlights – with a fact-packed dialogue – what we are allowing to happen or are being coerced into thinking is ‘OK’.

Annie quotes that the US represents just “5% of the world’s population but uses 30% of the resources and makes 30% of the waste”  Is that right?  Or is that just how it ended up because no-one has really ever thought it was wrong?

Think about it!
She certainly makes you think about everything you are going to buy – or anything you have recently brought.  And it should certainly make you think about anything you are planning to throw away!

The cost of something shouldn’t be the value that the store attributes to it.  For example the $4.99 radio she talks about in her video could not possibly have only cost $4.99 to make. 

Firstly, the store has to make a profit and it needs to be packaged up and shipped across the world from where ever it was made.  So none of that is what it actually cost to make either – so we are down to about maybe $3.00 or less to make?

And how long would you think 1 single radio takes to make from it’s basic parts? About 30 minutes?  No, that would be stupid, right?  But would you work for less than $6.00 an hour? I don’t think so.

So, how much money do the people that build these get paid?  And we haven’t even started on the people it took to mine the raw materials and the time it took to shape them into the component parts.  And what about driving and shipping costs?

And we haven’t even started on the cost to the environment…… 

Yet to some people, throwing out an un-needed $5 radio is not a worry to them – it’s only $5. They don’t even think about what was destroyed or who was exploited to make it in the first place.

And you can be sure that many people do not think about what happens to it after they throw it out!

Well, Annie explains all in her hard-hitting fact-filled docu-video - but keeps it fun and a bit funny even.

And you can help out by showing people, schools, social clubs or anyone else this video to help change that!  Check out the resources on the site for more information.