Eco Friendly House And Garden

I have been sitting in traffic lately – and have found out why there are always big queues!

People seem to have trouble accelerating away from their standstill when the lights go green; I’m not sure why but there is always a massive delay with people pulling away at the lights when they change.

Seemingly, people forget that they have just been sat in traffic for ages and so pootle about themselves when they get to the front of the queue – creating even more of a queue behind them.

It is the same as the people who queue up for ages in a fast food restaurant, swapping from leg to leg while they wait for the orders up ahead to clear – yet when they get to the front, they have no idea what they want to order – and stand there ‘umming’ and ‘ahhing’.

People don’t seem to connect their actions with cause of the problem – and have just come to accept queuing as a part of life rather than think about how they could make everything that little bit nicer if they just thought about others rather than themselves all the time.

The Traffic Lights:
I always wondered why the traffic all didn’t move forward together when the green light finally appeared.  The whole of a train can move forward at the same time – so why can’t a train of cars all go forward on green.

I thought that having sat in traffic for a while, they would all have their foot on the pedal waiting to take off again as soon as they could – but it seems as though people don’t do this.

photo credit: oksidor

I have recently watched people at the front of the lights sorting through their bag and not spotting the green light appear until someone honks at them.  I have also watched people not know whether to pass on the nearside or far side of a car at a junction when they have clearly had ages to think about it at the front of the queue (especially when passing on the passenger side means more cars can pass through at a time).

People pull away slowly, take extra wide corners, don’t accelerate at a normal speed and basically ‘dolly daydream’ a bit about the whole thing.

Yet we all need to get to work – and noone likes sitting in traffic!

Why Does It Matter?
Well being a slow driver doesn’t really matter in itself – but queues of traffic are no good for anyone.

Yes, we have all heard the stories about avoiding the busiest times on the road unless it is absolutely essential travel – and I am a true believer in this – but sometimes you just have to sit in it.

Now surely, if everyone sped up their actions a little bit around traffic lights and round-a-bouts etc, there would be less queues on the road – and less queues mean less sitting traffic; less pollution; less angry divers; less of a rush hour and faster moving traffic. 

All adding up to a healthier traffic network, less stressed people and means that the morning or evening commute will take less time and so more time can be spent at home with the family and less time is spent in your car polluting.

So next time you are sat in traffic wondering why the traffic isn’t moving up ahead even though you can see a green traffic light – think of the mantra: You aren’t stuck in traffic – you ARE the traffic!

Deciding to stay at home for the day – instead of a walk in the park – could end up costing more than you thought!

Obviously a day out on a plane won't be better than staying at home, but if you take yours kids out to a local park, woodland or beach – you could be saving electricity, water, food and all sorts of other resources.

Lets take a typical afternoon stroll and a day at home as comparisons for a family with 3 kids, and see what could happen in both instances – good and bad…..

Pack Up Your Troubles:

Right, so the kids are up and have had a tasty breakfast.  They have played about a bit with each other and are starting to get restless.  The sun is shining – so let's get going.

Firstly, you would make a nice packed lunch or healthy sandwiches, fruit, vegetable sticks and maybe yoghurts.  You then fill up bottles with some cordial, grab a blanket and some balls and off you all go.

photo credit: Chris. P

Even if you drive somewhere local first, the whole afternoon spent playing with the kids and eating 'raw' foods will have been very easy on the environment.

The kids will no doubt entertain themselves for most of the time, maybe learn something while they are exploring, find plenty of natural things to 'own' and have worn themselves out for when you get home!

It's Mine!

However, at home there might only be one of something – and so the arguments begin!  Maybe even forcing you to end up buying multiple items in the future to avoid the rows!

And will your kids choose to eat a cheese salad sandwich on brown bread if they had the whole kitchen to choose from? I doubt it.  There will be demands for larger meals of more processed foods (if you have them in the house) or maybe even a cooked meal instead – all adding up over the day and increasing the washing up and filling up the bin!

There is also the likelihood that they will want to play with electrical goods while at home too – as this is where the power is.  No doubt they won't be choosing the watch nature programs and play online puzzles either – they will be watching endless American movies and playing tiny consumer games on they energy-intensive hand-held gadgets!

Share The Love:

I am well aware that all kids like different things – and that taking out 3 kids every day can be very time-consuming and sometimes expensive – I'm just suggesting that a simple trip to the park isn't so bad to force on them.

Many parents I know think that the local park is so boring – but that is a parent-only point of view.  We as adults just see the same old swing, round-a-bout and climbing frame – but the kids will see castles, speed trials and ways to show off their bravery (or stupidity in our eyes!).

I know of kids who beg their God Mother to take them around the block on their bikes every time she visits – just because it is something different for them – rather than a life-changing experience.

So going out for a walk or picnic isn't just great fun for the family and energy-saving - it can also inspire and entertain! 

Using aprons and covers for furniture isn't just something nans and great aunties do – it's eco thinking!

We all know that the key to eco friendly living is making good things last longer – rather than throwing away cheap items and buying new ones instead.

And what better way to protect something valuable or just something that you don't want to have to replace that often, than using a protective cover when necessary.

I don't mean covering your carpet in plastic sheeting all year and not letting anyone sit on your furniture – I am just thinking of the simple ways to make your household items last that little bit longer - by reducing waste, and saving you some money in the long run too.

Protect Your Belongings.

Needless to say that when you go out in the mud and rain – you don't put on your Sunday best!  When painting your home I'm sure there won't be a silk blouse or sparkly evening dress anywhere in sight.

It's because you don't want to ruin something unnecessarily when you could have worn something less valuable – or something already dirty instead.  

So why, when you cook your favourite Mexican or Italian dish, don't you protect your everyday clothes?  No doubt you are entertaining friends or have just got in from work – so why aren't your 'nice' clothes worth protecting to?

photo credit: Leszek.Leszczynski

A simple apron – whether practical or indeed comical – could stop fat, dressings and sauces splashing onto your everyday clothes.  You might even make it into 'your thing' – like 'Sarah always has some comedy apron on' – no doubt leading up to whole host of crazy birthday presents from your friends and guests! 

You might be thinking – "but I can just wash the food off" and you are completely right – but at what cost?

Wash, Scrub & Tumble:

Most outer clothes can be washed less frequently than other garments – for example how many times do your socks get washed in relation to your overcoat?

But washing comes at an environmental cost, as do the washing chemicals for heavy staining, the hot water and the subsequent spinning and drying.  So why would you want to create more work for your household appliances and add to your growing budget?

An apron can be used day after day without excessive washing – basically you expect to have a dirty apron – that's what they are for!

And you clothes stay cleaner for longer, can be worn more than just the once in most instances and you will use less energy and resources per cooking experience.

And it's not just aprons that protect your clothes of course; so raincoats, Wellington boots, coveralls, and well worn clothing that you kept hold of over the years can all be used when things are going to get dirty fast!

Protect Your Home:

And it's not just your clothes that need protecting – your furniture and fittings could do with a little help too.

Rather than replace the whole entrance carpet due to the patch of muddy wetness near the door – why not buy a nice rug that covers that area and create a shoe storage area that will keep the mess contained.  That way you only need clean, wash or replace that rug instead of the whole downstairs!

Similarly, make a cover for the footstool that can be cleaned seperately, use a table cloth, tea and plate coasters as well as investing in a pair of slippers or house shoes for everyone to keep the whole place in perfect condition.

Other kitchen tips might include things to reduce the amount of cleaning you need to do and so reduce the chemicals needed.  For example invest in proper microwave containers to prevent explosive splashes up the interior and buy smaller oven trays as and when so that you don't have to clean a whole tray to cook 3 sausages or a few leeks!

And when you choose replacement fittings, appliances and paints, etc – look for the one you like that might last a bit longer depending on your families needs.  For example, darker wall colors in homes where hallways are narrow, so that things that bang against the walls don't leave obvious marks, and coarser darker carpets and rugs in home with back gardens that lead straight indoors – especially where dogs and cats are involved, as I know they don't wipe their feet!

Even internal doorways can become worn down through repeated use, so maybe consider rugs there too, and moving the furniture around always keeps the carpets fresh in a room where a 'pathway' seems to form – like around your bed or along the hallway between dining room and kitchen or wherever.

By protecting the small part of the whole item that will bear the brunt of your actions – you can make the whole item last longer, and you will soon see the eco (and financial) gains from your actions.

Do you wish you could grow oranges in your garden instead of apples?

Well, you will be happy to know that there is an easy answer: do nothing.  Just continue on with what you are doing today – and your garden will be transformed!

By carrying on as usual, everyone in the UK can make sure that they will never have a patchy lawn again, no dirty pond to clean out in the winter, no leaves to sweep off the drive in autumn and all round sunshine!

How On Earth?
Well, climate change will raise our global temperatures by 2-4 degrees and most of our native plants will die out (along with most of the wildlife) and be replaced by drought-resistant plants (which don’t shed their leaves).

photo credit: a.dombrowski

Higher temperatures will mean less water – and more hosepipe bans – so your lawn won’t be able to get enough water to survive.  You will then have to replace it for a gravel or stone surface, and watch those delightful ornamental lawns disappear and large grassland fields turn to dried mud.

There will be such a demand for drinking water that fountains, ponds and lakes will either dry up or be turned into reservoirs – so all the native wetland plants and animals will have to go – as we don’t want them to pollute our drinking water supplies, do we!

It’s all part of the Earths plan though – as due to the other effects of climate change, sea level rises will mean that there will less land available for farming, housing, leisure and agriculture – so we won’t have too much of a garden to worry about anyway.  We will all live in flats or terraced housing without plants or grassy parks – think of an Egyptian or Moroccan landscape to get the idea.

Make A Change:
I know we are still hearing the advice to ‘turn of your lights’ and ‘don’t leave your appliances on stand-by’ – but we still aren’t doing it!

Honestly: out of your 10 closest friends – how many haven’t even turned down their thermostat by 1 degree?  How many still leave the tap running while cleaning their teeth?  How many still wash a half empty load of clothes?  Or a 60 degree wash?

At the moment I can safely say that I do not do any of the 4 things listed – but I know plenty of people who still do all 4.  Ironically it is the people with kids who are the worst ‘because they are too busy’ – but they should be the most interested in the future of the planet as their kids are going to be living in it!

Are you up to the challenge – to live on a £1 a day? – she says….

Basically this book explains how the author decided to try to live on just a £1 a day for an entire year to save money for her sisters wedding.

And to prove it, she details every little penny she saves and how she does it.  From stealing food out of bins, to hand delivering Christmas cards, and from attending free events at the library for free drinks to hitch-hiking and wild camping!

The Book Itself:
Reading the book is very easy indeed as her writing style flows nicely – however, I did have some issues with the way she did things that really aren’t suitable for everyone.

She also listed endless ways in which she saved money – but not all were very good for the environment – such as ordering free samples of everything she could to use for herself and to give away as presents – as these small products use a huge amount of packaging in relation to the product within.

However, she did use an awful lot of great techniques that can’t do you any harm, like eating less, wasting less and buying reduced price food every day from your local stores.  She also raised a fair amount of money by simply finding it on the floor!  And many of her eco friendly tips can be put into practice immediately!

Attending all the free events did have the role of extra socialising and supporting local businesses and events – but was perhaps somewhat selfish in the fact that she would never join their club/gym/mailing list – she just wanted a warm room and free drinks (probably in disposable plastic cups).

The Author helps to explain how to get things for free – but this started to lean towards the ‘money saving at someone else’s expense’ rather than ‘homesteading and being frugal’! 

She also didn’t take into account any of her normal running costs like rent, bills and running the washing machine (although she was happy to discuss that washing clothes more often extended their lifespan – although how she thought that it washed for free I’m not sure!).  So, her money saving stopped at not spending it rather than saving it from other ‘leaky’ areas – like energy loss.

I totally agree that we can do a certain amount of things for less money – and we can certainly cut down on the amount of things that we buy and therefore waste – but maybe setting such a tight budget was unreasonable in an eco friendly sense. 

Result: 3/5
Although this book was a great read – and I did enjoy her tales and adventures – it is not really that eco friendly: hence the average score. For a general read it would get 4/5, but we are not here for just that – we are here to get eco friendly help and advice and I found myself arguing a bit with her over some of her thinking!

She still uses resources that use up a lot of energy throughout her ‘budget’ year – she just doesn’t pay for them! And in fact a lot of the things she gets for free are ‘trail size’ so are infact less eco friendly in the scheme of things. She also lives a life that is very dependant on others.

She didn’t think about growing her own food or making her own clothes, she just turned up at free local events and ate their food! She used the ‘free’ computers in the library (so the library pays), read endless books while sitting in book shops (ie brand new not paid for books that she put back on the shelf after reading) and still used her washing machine with impunity (well, she’s not ‘spending’ the money in cash – it comes out of her bank account invisibly)!

Trying to find ways to be eco friendly can indeed save you money – but money-saving actions are not necessarily eco friendly – and this book proves it!

ISBN: 978-1-906593-12-4

Here, we continue from yesterday, with the final 3 tips on making those small steps to running a healthy eco friendly house!

5) Don’t Do Disposable!  Try to reduce your consumption of disposable items – they are everywhere.  Pens, sticky note pads, razors, toothbrushes, cotton-buds, cotton wool balls, facial pads, tissues, baby wipes, hygiene wipes, even personal ‘lady’ items.

Try to find the longer lasting equivalent – it’s not less hygienic if you do it properly.  For example facecloths instead of wipes or cotton wool is perfectly clean and gets the job done – then gets washed – and does the job all over again!

Toothbrushes with changeable heads and razors with replaceable blades all go towards reducing waste – and reducing your consumption of new materials.

Feminine hygiene products now come unbleached, and in smaller sizes to help reduce waste and resources – but now even come in washable versions.  There is even the menstrual cup today (a small insertable item that will ‘contain’ rather than ‘absorb’) that does away with the need for cotton products altogether!

Similarly, the contraceptive device known as The Coil (an IUD) works perfectly well as a contraceptive device for most women – reducing the need for wasteful alternatives.

In sexually active individuals and couples, one Coil could reduce the need for a continual supply of ‘the Pill’ – filled with either/or both oestrogen and progesterone (which eventually leave our bodies and enter the water system and affecting animals and plants) and could stop the rising tide of used condoms filling landfills or floating down the beach!

6) Buy Big!  Make sure that you buy the largest pack size of your products that you can.  Not only does this reduce packaging per unit – it should also save you money and reduce your weekly trash pile! 

Therefore, not only will you need to shop less as a result, the container is more likely to be re-used for storage.  (You can keep a smaller bottle for decanting into if space is an issue).

Don’t be tempted by promotions or buy-one-get-one-free offers for the smaller products.  They usually work out the most expensive way to buy your products, weight more with the extra containers, use more ink and labels with their individual wrapping or information, take up more room in your house and create more waste.  Therefore their overall ‘cost’ is not actually any cheaper!

And Finally (7):
Try something new if it’s eco credentials impress you.  Remember that advertised brands in commercials and magazines, pay $$$$$$$’s to advertise – and it’s you who pays for it.

You pay for that model to walk along tropical beaches for an ice cream, or that famous person to fly a plane for some anti-aging cream, or a mountaineer to climb a high mountain for a washing powder.  That must mean that they are making a huge profit from you somewhere – and that means that their products are made a lot cheaper than the price you pay!

Unadvertised products usually put a lot more into their products as they sell by word of mouth saving advertising costs.  And, in all honesty – noone recommends a product that doesn’t work, taste good or fit properly. 

So trust a brand that has been recommended by people you know sometimes instead of just believing what you are told on the TV!

Let me know how you get on, or have any other tips…….

Have you ever wanted to know more about sustainable living, and get advice on converting your house and garden into more energy efficient and chemical-free environments? Well here is your chance.

The Homes For Good show in April this year, is all about offering advice and suggestions for every householder, offering new products and new approaches to old concepts that will make your life more ‘green’.

Why Change?
The choices we make can have a profound effect on the toxins in our home, the environmental impact of our house and garden and the effect on our local community.

Whether you are building a new house, garage, barn or other outbuilding from scratch – or redecorating or modernising an existing room or premises – you can make better choices. However, rather than researching everything from scratch you could always ask the experts, people who have been working in the industry for years.

You will also have the opportunity to talk to others like yourself, who are new to many eco-friendly concepts. We are all here for the same thing, so make sure you are prepared to talk to exhibitors and other visitors to get some answers regarding your concerns or interests.

What’s There?
There will be over 100 exhibitors including Eco Trust (sustainability), Neate (wind turbines), Green Stuff (IT solutions) and many many more covering solar, water, electricity, house-building, architects, conservation of old, lime suppliers and many for the eco garden.

There will also be free demonstrations where you can get your hands on some new and revolutionary technology. There will also be talks from experts and trade workers as well as books for research and products to buy.

All this for only £5 entry fee (£2 for students and senior citizens) and it’s free to anyone under 16 as well!

Check online at www.homesforgood.info for more information and directions.