Eco Friendly House And Garden

These little critters will eat 100’s of garden pests and help to pollinate 1000’s of plants.
 
By encouraging these little understood bugs into your garden could really improve your success in the plant world, helping to kills off pests, help generate seeds and fruits throughout the year.

So lets find out about these very different little insects and see what they can do for us - and what we can do for them.

Bumble Bees:
These are the first things we think of when we talk about bees, and we often see them in the garden as a big, furry bumbling bee, humming loudly as it moves through the plants in our yards.

These bees are not kept in hives and actually live in holes in the ground, compost heap, disused bird houses or old trees.  At the end of the summer the queen is mated and heads of alone to live out the winter before producing offspring the following spring.

She generates plenty of offspring and a colony could number up to 300 individuals as it lives out the summer feeding on and pollinating our garden plants and trees.

They have a sting, but rarely use it.

Honey Bees:
These are the ones that are kept in hives and produce plenty of honey - which bee-keepers use for human consumption.  They don’t need human intervention and can make their own hives in trees and roof spaces if necessary.

They are similar in shape and size to wasps rather than bumble bees, but don’t have the pinched-in ‘waist’ of the wasp.

They always live in large colonies and cannot survive alone for very long.  They can, however, travel and arrive in your garden in a huge swarm of up to 20,000 individuals!  Quite a site to witness as they settle as one writhing mass on a tree or building.

They are rarely ever dangerous to humans unless you antagonise them - although they will sting you.  Experts can be called in to move the swarm quite easily to a less populated environment if you don’t want quite that many in your garden!

Solitary Bees:
The other types of bees live in loose groups but do not swarm or form colonies.

They are similar in appearance to honey bees, and can be used commercially to pollinate crops just like the more popular honey bees.

There are about 250 types on solitary bees in the UK, and many live in small holes in the ground but stay close to other solitary bees spread out over some distance.

Wasps:
Although they send us into a fear frenzy on site due to their habit of stinging us - they can be very beneficial to your garden or allotment.

The queen will set up a nest of mushy paper and fibres in the spring and start to produce larvae to build up her colony - which can reach 20,000 in a few weeks if the conditions are excellent!

Adult wasps eat nectar and sugary liquids, but they feed their young on insects, so can be seen feeding off plants and killing aphids too! 1 worker wasp could catch around 100 aphids a day off your plants to feed their young.

However, if the colony becomes too large the adults may require more natural food than your garden can supply and so they will turn to other sources - like our kitchen for jams, bee hives for honey etc. and this is when they come into conflict with humans.

But as with all the different bees, if you can tolerate them around your homes and gardens you can get yourself some free insect control and some free fruit and flower generation!

So what are you doing to encourage them to your garden?

The old fashioned way of washing the dishes can really make a difference to your water use!

I know that there are many eco friendly dishwashers on the market, and they can well be more eco friendly in the busy family kitchen than filling up the sink all the time (if you use the economy setting, use eco friendly low-phosphate, low-chlorine detergents and stop the machine before the dry cycle). However, for those of us with too small a kitchen for an A-rated dishwasher or not enough dirty dishes to fill one up - then the humble bowl of hot soapy water is our only option!

Well, here are a few tricks to make sure that you make the most of your water, waste as little detergent as possible and really get those dishes clean!

I know it seems a bit basic to list these things, but my partner just throws everything in the same sink (greasy lasagna dishes and half-filled coffee cups alongside my nice wine glasses) and fills the sink to the very top!  An eco kitchen disaster!

Before The Wash:
Firstly, always scrape off your dirty dishes with your cutlery or a specific plastic scraper rather than rinse them under running water.  Running water speaks for itself: Out of the tap and down the drain!

If you really want to rinse your plates, then do it over a bowl or in your sink with the plug in and save the water for use with soaking your most soiled kitchenware.  I know it doesn’t sound nice to soak your oven trays in a mixture of old gravy and cold water, but you are going to rewash them later anyway - and they can’t really get any dirtier than they already are, can they?

Then just before washing up, sort your dirty utensils and crockery in order of cleanliness, with the hardly used plates and glasses first and the greasy, oily plates and pans towards the end.  I know it sounds a bit old-fashioned, but if you put all the greasy stuff in first, then the clean stuff will never get clean!  You don’t really want to add oil to the water your clean glasses are sitting in, do you?

Setting The Scene:
Now you are ready to start running the water, but first - make sure that if you don’t have a second sink or half-sink as well as your main one - then you must use a washing up bowl.

The reason is that, if you are not rinsing your stuff before washing it, then the odd cup might have some coffee still in it - now, do you want to pour that coffee into your clean water?  No.  It needs to be poured into the other sink or down the side of the bowl!

Basically, you need to keep your water as clean as possible for as long as possible through out the wash!

And, don’t worry about the hot tap pouring out cold water into the sink or bowl first, as it will probably get too hot anyway after a while - better not waste it for no reason, eh?

Also, if your hot water is through a boiler, it might be cheaper energy-wise to boil the kettle for your dishes rather than heat up the whole tank, so either coincide your washing up with your shower or use the kettle to make a cup of tea at the same time as washing up!

Also, it’s not a bad idea to have at least 2 scrubbing aids or scourers/sponges/cloths.  One for the really clean stuff, and one (or more) for the really dirty stuff.  No point wiping your cups clean with a cloth that has got burnt pasta all over it!  And, it means you can keep using them for longer as, once you ‘clean’ one gets to dirty to be ‘clean’, it can become your ‘dirty’ one for pots and pans etc.  A double life!

Washing Up, At Last:
Now, get in there with the washing up as normal, all the clean stuff in first - rinse if you have to, or better still dip in a bowl of cold water you already have to one side to avoid waste again.  However, if you don’t over-use your detergent then you shouldn’t really need to rinse it anyway.

As you move through to the dirty stuff, don’t forget to change your weapon of choice, so keeping the clean cloth or scourer clean, and getting out the tougher (dirtier) cloths or scourers as you progress!

All the while you are pouring your dirty liquids down the drain, the water should last longer for you so you don’t need to change it as early as you might normally.

When the water finally gets to dirty to clean things properly in, you can still ‘wash up’ all the remaining dirty things in the same water, but put them back on the dirty side of the sink. 

Why leave them still covered in baked-on or dried-on food until you wash up again?  Why not get them virtually clean with the already warm water so they are nearly clean for the next time!  You would have got rid of most of the grease and stains this time around with your old water.  Nice one.

Drying Up:
Don’t dry up!  Things dry themselves pretty well in just an hour or so - so leave them to it! 

Using a dish cloth to dry your things means that you make that dirty - so it will have to be washed too!  Why create more work for yourself when you should be sitting down drinking that nice cup of tea you made yourself at the beginning!

If you had a smaller oven tray - would you waste less food?

Today’s society seems to be very much about bigger products for bigger value - and for many products - bigger also equals more eco friendly, for example a larger bottle of shampoo means less packaging than 2 smaller bottles and is usually cheaper as well.

However, there are certain things that we do that a bigger just for the sake of being bigger - and this normally involves food.

Super-Size Me!
There has recently been a growing trend in ordering the largest amount of food possible in restaurants just because you can.  You tell yourself that it is ‘just a little bit more’ so it is worth it.

Well, it’s not.

Have you ever wondered how these chicken breasts or beef burgers can be so cheap?  Well, there is a reason for it - and it’s not nice. 

Large food retailers (chain restaurants, popular take-aways and large superstores) have demanded that the meat for their meals be cheaper - and to make things cheaper, you have to make more.  One quote was that large chicken factories have machines that need to process 8000 birds every hour just to make enough meat to sell at the low prices we are used to.

Around 2 million chickens are ‘processed’ every week by one of the largest factories in the US - just to break even - and that is just one.  Imagine how many chickens are ‘processed’ a week in the whole US?  Or the whole World?

Down-Size Me!
It is a hard thing to think about the minimum you could eat to be satisfied - or in the rising number of people ‘full’.  You always think ‘it would be a waste of money to buy the smaller size and finish it when for just a few pence more I could get a lot more’.  And that’s what retailers want you to think.

They have to produce so much food to keep the prices down that they are forever trying to sell you more of what you already eat to still make money.  And we fall for it every time!

Buy 1, Get 1 Free, 20% extra, 3 for the price of 2.  They are all doing the same thing - they are making the retailers money - not saving us money.

How much stuff do you buy that you don’t eat, or that goes out of date before you get the chance?  Loads.  The stats are terrible.  But they make us buy it because it’s ‘cheap’.

Well, I think you need to change you tactics - and fight back!

First Steps:
Plan your meals - by knowing what you are going to cook and eat on certain days means that there won’t be time for food to go out of date as you have planned to eat it in due time.  Buying too much food sometimes makes you unable to choose the most short-dated ingredients. 

Busy lifestyles also make us eat whatever is ‘quickest’ to prepare rather than what we should be eating - all this leads to waste.  We end up replacing the fast-food over and over again, leaving the healthy foods to sit and rot!

Don’t be lured in by special offers - they are only really there so the store doesn’t lose money.  If the store gets a great deal on 10 million of product A, then they have to sell it - so down goes the price and you buy it.  They win!

Start buying enough to be satisfied rather than full - It’s all too easy to cook to much, then try to cram it all in leaving you ready to pop!  But you don’t want to waste money and larger meals are cheaper per serving, arent’ they?

Well, only if you eat them!  So why not prepare a meal for 4 people to use bulk ingredients, but plan to divide up equally and freeze the remaining portions for another meal time.

Buy Smaller Utensils - if you only had a small oven tray, then you wouldn’t be tempted to cook more than you needed - and you would save power on your cooking as they were smaller. 

Also, rather than cooking parts of your meal at different times or all over the kitchen, why not use smaller pans and fit them all in the oven at the same time.  That way, nothing has to share trays - so the meat juices don’t ruin the potatoes!

And less to wash up - which is always good news!

Choosing The Right Font For Your Printing & Help Save The Planet!

Well, I’m not saying that this new invention will drastically reduce levels of methane in the atmosphere, nor will it clean up the oceans and help coral to re-grow - but it will make a difference to your contribution to other environmental issues haunting us today.

It will save ink - lots of it.

What Is This Great Idea?
Basically it’s a typeface - like Verdana or Tahoma - that has got holes in it!

It’s called EcoFont, and at normal printing sizes (size 10 for example) it looks just like every other mainstream font. Perfect for printing your emails or on-line receipts.

You can’t see the holes in the letters until you make the font larger - for example up to size 32, but for normal use you won’t really notice them. So you can carry on as normal.

Apparently the Dutch company that invented this EcoFont are called Spranq, and they say that this will save a fifth of the ink used in similar fonts - that is a lot of ink for personal uses.

And let’s be honest, there isn’t a lot of personal printing that needs to be in perfect font, apart from the odd letter to the bank or a job application. The rest of the stuff you print won’t do any harm if it’s a bit ‘holey’ will it?

What Can You use It For?
Well, you can download the font free from ecofont.eu and get a good look at it and see what size you are happiest with - or whether the holes at the larger sizes even bother you that much anyway.

And it can only be used for printing drafts of homework and things at the last minute anyway. I mean, you can write you essays or reports in your preferred fonts and sizes, and only when you want to print the draft can you highlight the whole thing and change the font to EcoFont before printing.

After you have printed you can hightlight it all again and return it to your nice fancy font for the final report. That way it doesn’t have to be your ‘new font’ for ever - it can be your new printing font!

And why would the kids mind if their things were printed in a font with microscopic holes in it anyway?

Think of the money saved in ink-cartridges and the reduced pressure on natural resources by using a fifth less ink than you currently do!

Add this to other eco-office inventions such as the Eco Printing Software and recycled paper and you could be eco friendly and money-saving at the same time!

Renewing your magazine subscription on time is helping the environment?

I recently received a subscription reminder for my National Geographic membership - way in advance of my current subscription ending.  And I almost put it to one side.

Knowing that I would renew it - why did I leave it to one side for later?  Was it because I thought why give them my money several months before they needed it?  Was it because I was hoping to book a vacation and thought I’d leave the money in my account just in case? 

It doesn’t matter why - because I didn’t do it in the end - I paid for another 2 years (the most you can pay for in advance) there and then.

Why Was I So Prompt?
Firstly, I know that - like every other organisation in the world - they would remind me again nearer the time - sometimes several times in fact so there was no chance that I would forget to do it.  And that was one of the reasons.

Why create all that extra administration and paperwork and postage and energy waste - when all I needed was 1 piece of paper.

If you follow the possible paper and energy trail of not renewing until the last minute - it starts to get a bit messy……

1) Computer system at NG HQ flags my account up as needing renewing - so 1 staff member or just the computer software itself triggers the 1 renewal letter to be sent to me - along with the renewal form and their standard complimentary envelope.  It gets printed, gets posted and gets delivered to my door.

2) I receive the reminder and leave it on the side.

3) After receiving no reply, the NG computer triggers a further reminder letter, payment form and complimentary envelope which is printed, posted and delivered again.

4) I receive the reminder and immediately throw it away into the recycling - as I know I already have the original form - and I remind myself to send it off this time - but leave it a week or so.

5) The NG computer still hasn’t received my renewal and has passed through various screening systems that NG staff are no doubt monitoring and keeping details of.  This processing isn’t free and certainly uses up a lot of NG’s time and resources.

The system then triggers a final reminder letter for me - with the obligatory renewal form and envelope - all printed, posted and delivered.

6)  I receive the final reminder and am encouraged to act on it - sending the payment in the post - and throwing out the other reminder letter, form and envelope for recycling.

I’m also sure that if you allowed your subscription to expire - that most companies would continue to write to you to try to in you back again - wasting more resources and putting up the price of it in the process! 

I mean they can’t staff all those offices, computers and memberships and send all those letters for free every 12 months to millions of people!

What a waste!

And It Doesn’t End There…..
I have the choice to renew for either 1 or 2 years on the form - and if I only do 1 year - this all gets repeated every 12 months!

If you can subscribe for longer - do so.  Not only does this save on renewal paperwork - but it’s better for you!  You get to pay today’s price for it rather than the cost in 2 or 4 years time - which will no doubt be higher!

If memberships give you the chance to sign up by direct debit then do this instead as it saves them having to send out the renewal form and envelope to you - they just need the ‘Thank You’ letter to be sent every year.  You sometimes get a better deal this way too as you are saving them money.

If your membership company is a UK charity - then make sure you sign up for the Gift Aid scheme - where they can claim back the tax on your donation or membership fee - raising more money for something you believe in and support - and at no extra cost to you!

If you can, sign up for their details and/or magazines to be sent to you via email - saving on printing and postage.  Make sure that you also tick the boxes to say that you don’t want to receive whatever it is that you know you won’t read - that way you get less wasted mail - whether it’s their newsletter or junk mail.

If you are joining a company for the first time - make sure you tell them if you do not want their ‘joining’ gift.  Again, this will save them money and ultimately the environment as it won’t be affected by them getting it to you!

And Finally:
Unless it says FREEPOST only on the envelopes - always put your own stamp on the envelope so that the companies you are supporting can keep more money for themselves.

Companies or charities with more money in the bank (rather than being spent on postage and renewal letters) will ultimately stay in business longer, give you a better service and achieve their goals more successfully as a result!

That quick drive to the store before dinner could cost you your open spaces!

I’m not talking about the cost of car pollution on the environment - although that is becoming a major problem. And I’m not talking about the amount of front yards and gardens being concreted over for parking spaces - although this is seriously affecting natural water cycles and causing localised flooding.

What I’m talking about is your single little car on your ‘quick drive to the stores’ being one of 30 other little cars on a quick drive to the store.

How Can 1 Little Car Cause A Problem?
Well, imagine only the people that 100% need to be on the roads at rush hour were on the roads.  People going to work, emergency services and buses are who I mean here - and they all know where they are going.  As a result of their A - B actions, they may well run smoothly with no snarl-ups - I mean traffic lights and roundabouts are designed to keep traffic flowing to avoid congestion.

Now, add dithering drivers to the mix.  They either drive too slow, can’t decide which lane they should be in, are too busy fiddling with something on the passenger seat to watch the lights or are not in a hurry at all so make bad driving choices.

All these people are responsible for causing traffic delays - and these traffic delays get noticed by the residents and they want the traffic sorted out.  This can involve a whole host of changes.

Who Decides?
If residents get annoyed about traffic issues, councils want to implement more traffic regulations and traffic lights to control the flow.  They want to ‘improve’ the roundabouts and dual carriageways - which all make it more difficult for pedestrians to get around - what with all the railings and extra lanes to navigate.

The worst case scenario here is unfortunately the best alternative to traffic in towns - and that is to build a by-pass!  Heavy machinery is used here to plough out fields and woodlands to make way for a super-fast easy-to-drive-on dual carriageway!

I know that this won’t happen overnight - but it could already be happening.  Has your town got any roadworks going on?  Any ‘highway’ improvements at the moment?  Do you already have speeding cars and multiple junctions?

If you keep driving in rush hour or when you really don’t need to - you are causing some of these problems.  And there is a simple way to slow this development down - and it involves forward planning, buses, trains, bikes and your very own little feet!

Here we continue on from our debate with a look at what Organic and Fair Trade mean in terms of our food. 

One is more concerned with the health of the environment and ecosystem, while the other places more of it’s attention onto the growers and the farming communities of developing countries.

Organic:
Many governments have strict laws regarding the use of the word ‘Organic’ on food and feeds and they must be registered with a certified organic body.  However organic food can be imported from any country in the world, as long as it also has a certified organic body. 

The aim of organic farming is best described as optimizing the health and productivity of linked communities of soil life, plants, animals and people. 

As a result the environment is better treated; livestock and crops are not injected or sprayed with chemicals and the resulting food is as natural as can be and ultimately contains more natural ingredients and nutrition.

As a result the animals that we farm will be better treated (ie. have more space and more natural diets), the wildlife and watercourses will not be exposed to intensive farming and overuse of chemicals and associated problems, and the resulting food will be more nutritious and virtually chemical free.

Fair Trade:
This heading is more directed at the workers themselves, rather than the nutritional value of their foods.

Basically, it promotes the equality of workers in all countries by guaranteeing certain prices and certain working conditions that benefit small farms and local farming communities.

As it offers better quality of life to people, it therefore offers a great alternative to non-fair trade products from the same locations, for example fair trade bananas.  We can’t grow them here and have to import them; so why support poor working conditions by buying non-fair trade products?

The amount you pay is not that different, but more of the money can go into schools and communities rather than an international firms pocket!

Your Conclusion?
It is still very difficult to decide when you should by organic and when fair trade?  And can local produce even be fair trade?

You need to decide what is important to you first for each food type (as sometimes you will have little choice apart from not eating that food when you want - but when it’s available!).

1) If you want to reduce climate change then only buy locally and seasonal to prevent carbon emissions from extra resources and from flights and shipping long-haul.

2) If you want to be more environmentally friendly, then choose seasonal to reduce growth enhancers being used; and organic which will reduce the chemicals and fertilisers being used en masse in the countryside and waterways.

3) If you want to support developing countries and small farms, then buy fair trade (and possibly organic) to reduce their stresses and exposure to multi-national abuse and chemical overload!

4) If you want to ‘be healthy’ and reduce your families exposure to chemicals then buy locally and organically to reduce your exposure to artificial ingredients and chemical in your foods, but also from exposure from exhaust fumes from transported goods from elsewhere.

Sometimes, it’s not that easy - or that clear cut, but if you want to seriously make a difference, you are going to have to start making some decisions.

Several continuous small steps are better than one big single one.

I have put together some simple steps in the ‘beauty & fashion’ department that can help you make a move over to more environmentally friendly products without too much hassle.  And it can be a bit of fun too.

Many people are worried about which brand of this they should chose or what brand of that is better - but really the answer is to change bits of your lifestyle not just swap one thing for another.

It is always easiest to Reduce - this is the key to sustainable and eco friendly living.  Reuse comes a close second and of course never forget to Recycle - but focus on the life cycle of the items you are buying or thinking of buying and follow it from production, through use and then to disposal.

This brings me to the first fashion tip:

1) Stop Shopping!  The greenest products and clothes are those items you already have.  They have already been made - and it’s up to you to use them or recycle them.

If you decide to become ‘green’ overnight and go and buy something ‘organic’ or ‘bio-degradable’ instead - you are wasting all the energy, transport and ingredients that have gone into the one you already have, but are going to leave on the shelf.  Wasted.

We need to Reduce our consumption, so make sure that you keep wearing all your old clothes, use the last of that old shampoo or bubble bath, and don’t throw something away because you want something new.  Or, try Tip 2:

2) Have A Swap Party. There are many people like you who grow tired of the same shoes/top/beauty products/etc - so why not give them to your friends in exchange for something they ‘don’t want’.

You could come away with a whole new outfit, and change of facial regime or some household ingredients that your friends would otherwise have wasted.  Similarly, your ‘waste’ finds a second life!

3) Simplify Your Life.  Another things to consider when going to purchase a new item, is whether you actually need it right now.  I mean, rather than buying some nutritional supplements - why not actually consider eating more healthily instead!  Buying fresh local fruit and veg produces far less waste that factory-made tablets in tiny plastic bottles!

Similarly, technology out-dates itself overnight it seems - so rather than make that rash purchase - think about ways you can make do with what you have until you really have to upgrade.  Otherwise, you could be disposing of something that was perfectly usable for something that will be out-of-date in 3 months anyway!

And, most technology and appliances come ‘eco friendly’ these days.  With low energy rating listings and reduced-chemical electronics readily available and at a similar cost to the short-use energy-hungry models we brought last time!

4) Back To Basics.  Why do we need everything so perfumed and highly specific these days?  Can’t we just use unscented nappy-sacks, hygiene products and ‘exotic’ air-fresheners?  Use natural instead: tea-tree oil, lavender, along with other plants and herbs all have their uses - and without the chemicals!

Try Aloe for sun care, oats for facial scrubs, cucumber slices for eye recovery - and many many more.  I have seen quotes that ladies apply, on average, 126 ingredients and chemicals in daily beauty regimes!  That’s amazing really - and seeing as so many of those are potentially harmful to us.

Babies are particularly sensitive to chemicals yet we use an array of man-made (and potentially hormone-affecting) toiletries for them without any real reason - other than ‘we saw the advert’ and it said ‘this does this…..’.  Well warm water and an organic cotton cloth cleans even the dirtiest of bottoms!

See Part 2 tomorrow for further eco friendly tips…….

Finding Energy Efficient Appliances Should Be Easy…

It is now easier than ever to find yourself and energy-efficient electrical appliance without compromising on quality or service.

Basically, manufacturers these days are trying to improve the energy efficiency of their electrical items to win your purchase. In Europe there is now the ‘Energy Rating Scheme’ (EU energy ratings from A (most energy efficient) through to G (least energy efficient)and that this is displayed on their and their competitors appliances. And in the US there is the Energy Star rating system doing the same thing.

Needless to say, many manufacturers want you to buy their products - and so they need to make sure that theirs matches up or betters the competition!! All good for the environment and the consumers pocket.

How To Get It Right:
Below are 4 simple steps to make sure that you are getting the best in terms of energy efficiency in your new appliances. They include just the basics - as obviously there are performance and branding issues that are specific to each household - as well as different budgets.

You also need to be aware that more energy efficient models are not necessarily better at washing your clothes or not breaking down all the time! The energy rating schemes only cover energy requirements - not the machines themselves - so you still need to research the products before purchase and read reviews or speak to the sales person in your store or on-line.

1) Research your products in advance.
Make sure that you have decided exactly what you need out of the appliance, for simplicities sake - a toaster that does 4 slices at a time or a dishwasher to fit in a small space in you kitchen, etc.

Once you have narrowed down your options, take a look at customer reviews to check usability and to line it up with your budget. Don’t forget that the price you pay will not always reflect what you get for your money and buying the cheaper model may cost you more in repairs than the slightly more expensive version that has a longer working life.

2) Look for the Energy Saving Logo/the Energy Star.
By checking which of your short-list have been labelled as more energy-efficient can help you make the right choice in terms of reduced running costs for yourself.

Buying a lower rated item in the EU (D-G) may well mean you end up using more electricity per wash - theoretically making the machine/appliance ‘cost more’ over the year:

Cost of Item + cost to run per year + cost of any repairs = actual cost of item to you.

Energy Ratings are now available on many appliances including TV’s, set top boxes, heating equipment and fridges - plus many more. Some items have more than 1 ’score’ in the EU so make sure you check each one.

3) Ask In Store.
As more and more consumers are wanting to know about ways to reduce their energy costs - retailers are better informed of their options. Staff take training in this area to make sure that they are advising you on the best product for your requirements.

They should be able to explain how the energy rating systems work in your country and for every appliance you are interested in. They should also know how to find out and compare details on all their models - for example showing which perform best on standby and whether certain items come with energy saving features like automatic ’sleep mode’. Up to 8% of UK TV energy is wasted while on standby!

If you have done your research before you arrive in the store, then you won’t be overwhelmed by the choices available when you get to the shelves - try not to be swayed by appearance if you are serious about energy saving. Wanting that pink version that is D-rated is only a passing phase!!!!

4) Consider Doubling up!
Integrated appliances are the way forward with energy-saving. For example buying a TV with built in digital receiver - only buying 1 product rather than 2. Fridge-freezers and washer-Driers do the same.

• Less raw materials to create - it’s all in one casing
• Less packaging - only one item instead of 2 or more
• Less transport - only 1 item to get to the store/your home
• Less products in total - less plugs and cabling needed
• Less electricity when on standby - only one power source

You may already have the second appliance - but when it is no longer required or breaks down - you then don’t need to replace it!

I hope that these few steps have been useful, and there will be more about appliances coming soon to help you make the better choices for the environment!

PS - cut down on games console usage if you can - they use loads of energy to run! A well used console can add around £160 EXTRA onto your electricity bill!!!

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Are You Thinking About Creating a Wildlife-Friendly Pond in Your Garden? Well here are a few pointers for you…….

There was a massive reduction in garden ponds and even those on farmlands - and as a result a lot of native mammals have lost their homes! It’s amazing how many animals rely on them not only for living in or breeding around - but as stop-overs on their way somewhere else!

And anyway - why should you just do it for the wildlife - a garden pond is a great place for you to relax yourself after a busy week working. Get yourself a comfortable chair, a drink and a good book and just sit back!

If you are thinking of creating a pond from scratch, then you have an advantage as you can make sure that it is shaped to suit the wildlife you want to see as well making it the safest pond you can and as large as you like! Big is best here.

Where:
A shady site will attract different species to a bright one so check your preferred species with the layout of your garden. If it is shallow and in direct sun you will almost certainly get an algal bloom which can be a nuisance - but could be skimmed off and used for compost!

Smaller ponds may well dry out in sun as they should only be topped up with rainwater. Never be tempted to use tap water to fill up a wildlife pond as you could kill almost everything in it!

A shallow pond will be a favourite for frogs, whereas a deeper one may well attract newts - although the deeper ones are more dangerous for small mammals (and children) and so need an escape route built in to allow creatures to climb out if necessary.

Obviously, a wildlife pond needs to be accessible by these creatures in the first place - so don’t expect your pond to become home to amphibians if it is surrounded by paving or gravel. Make sure tufty grass, lawns and shaded moist ground surround your pond - allowing them to walk or slither in from neighboring gardens or parks.

Safety:
If you have young children, make sure that you fence off the pond, or cover it with a secure metal grid. Ponds can be great fun, but they must be safe.

This counts for mammals too.

When:
If starting from scratch, start digging in the fall, when the ground is softer and the weather is bad (as this will allow it to fill up with rainwater. Make sure the bottom is filled with clay or clean sand rather than topsoil and make sure you have gently sloping sides leading in to it on at least one side. Ideally let this edge have direct contact with an unchecked lawn, allowing the marginal water plants move out onto the lawn a bit to help the transition.

The pond needn’t be over 50cms at it’s deepest - and this is safest for young children - although if over 75cm deep you may well avoid the whole thing freezing solid in a bad winter!

If your garden pond is built in direct sunlight, make sure that taller plants are around the edge to help keep the water cooler and a bit shaded. It’s not a problem to let the water level drop a bit in summer as the wet mud on the ledges will be great for invertebrates!

Fall is a great time to clean out your pond too. Amphibians have completed their life-cycles, the water in the pond will be a bit lower to make your job easier - but make sure that you don’t leave too much open water as this can be unattractive to many species. Offer up-rooted plants to your neighbors or compost them. Ideally you wouldn’t throw them into the ‘wild’ as they may contain invasive or non-native species imported in to the nursery you brought them from!

Plants:
Be aware that you may need to add some species for pond health - not all pond life can walk or float in the wind! There are lots of choices for plant-life but make your choice well.

Only buy native species when stocking up. Definitely avoid buying foreign species as they may be invasive and overrun the rest of your garden, but native species will be the best for native wildlife. Many animals have evolved to benefit from certain plants and this is true for your ponds.

Encourage a mixture of submerged, floating and emergent plants to your garden pond so they offer shelter and protection for your wildlife, but also a range of habitats for breeding and rearing young. Avoid using chemical to encourage their growth - or to reduce their numbers - as this will no doubt impact the wildlife.

Many water plants are very fast growing, so resist the temptation to make the pond perfect on day 1, and let native species colonise your garden pond over it’s first year and you will get that more natural look - free from invasive species!

Fish:
Ideally, you would not add fish to your wildlife pond as they may well eat all the wildlife that comes to your garden!

I must admit that fish tend to be the reason many people get ponds in the first place, and certain species are better than others, but best leave your new pond to the wild animals if that’s what you and your family want to see.

Humans:
Get a color chart of common garden insects and invertebrates so that you and your kids can easily identify anything that they see.

No need for great big books on the subject - just a page or 2 of the most common creatures. There is nothing better to get a kids imagination going than actually being able to know what things are easily. Things aren’t fun if you can’t get them right time and time again - make sure you brush up on it too so that you can encourage them further.

If they see something in the pond and you can tell them what it is straight away - they will learn about them easily and build on this knowledge. You could even learn a few things yourself!!!

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