One Little Thing

Change

2007-08-08T06:53:31Z

I've changed my profile to reflect my new aims. Bear with me.

Activism and pledges

2007-07-05T11:50:23Z

It seems that I was quite an activist over the weekend.
On Friday I attended the CATE disco and comedy night and managed to meet a couple of faces I knew online. I'd made a partial effort with my costume - it started life as a pair of trousers and had ripped across the seat a few days before the event so I added a fabric offcut and made it into a skirt. A lot of people had really made an effort to make their costumes out of rubbish - very impressive. I took a 'green' test and made a pledge to switch to green energy. To be honest I've been meaning to do this for some time and it was the push I needed. I'll let you know when it's done. I was rather disappointed to find that the venue itself was far from green, using plastic cups that they couldn't refill and probably didn't recycle. I realise that these are safer than glasses but would prefer to see some sort of intermediate stage - possibly sturdy plastic that could be washed and re-used? Perhaps we could persuade them to start recycling. What do you think?

Saturday saw me heading off to the VIVA Incredible Veggie Show (and breaking the SOCPA law as I passed through Westminster tube wearing a Friends of the Earth badge without a permit - oooh!). Now I've been vegetarian for 18 years but I haven't quite made it to vegan although that's what I aspire to be. The festival provided me with some great ideas for replacing dairy in my diet and some convincing reasons to do so. With food samples available all over the place it was hard to resist and I came away with a few jars and packets as well as a load of literature. I even had to buy an extra canvas bag to put it in. I will try to cut down on my dairy intake although I'm not going to make a straight jump to the vegan boat as I think I would probably just land in the water. I managed to resist a cheese pasty yesterday. It's a start.

We then moved on to LGBT London Pride parade and festival. We caught the back end of the parade just as it was moving off and worked our way forward to the Amnesty International float which was playing Eurovision hits as part of the current Amnesty campaign. It was wonderful to see so many happy people celebrating diversity and equality and I was indeed proud to be part of it. Not sure about the environmental part - there was a lot of litter on the floor and I'm not sure that it got recycled - but at least there were a few environmental stalls which I guess shows that people are interested.

So I have this week pledged:
- Switch to green energy
- Cut down on dairy

I also want to really work on promoting the current Greenpeace campaign asking supermarkets to make a total switch to energy efficient bulbs. Please take a few minutes to participate in this campaign as it is vital if we are to win the war against climate change. I filled in letters to all shops listed but if you really can't spare the time then at least please write to the two or three shops that you use most. Also consider putting details of the campaign in your own journal and/or emailing your friends about it. I will be.

Have you switched to energy efficient bulbs yet? Have you changed all the bulbs in your house? Don't wait until a bulb blows to buy an energy efficient one - you'll actually save money by replacing them all now! For further info see my previous post on energy saving CFL bulbs.

Talk to me.
I'll be back next week.

OneLittleThing: The Return - coming soon

2007-06-28T13:54:26Z

Ok so I wasn't back when I promised. I seem to have lost my ability to research and write blogs. I'm still making changes at home although not as many as I would like. In light of this I will be changing my profile slightly and re-shuffling my aims. Perhaps one thing a week was a bit ambitious.

Tomorrow (Friday June 29th) is the Crap At The Environment (CATE) Green Feet disco and comedy night in London. For those of you who don't know, CATE is a movement of people who -although they're not very good at it - are trying to be greener. So I'll be going along tomorrow and hopefully coming back full of enthusiasm and inspiration. If you're in the area you might consider coming along - tickets available on the door.

And then I'll write a whole new blog entry next week. Fingers crossed.

Subjects I have lined up (in no particular order) are:
Handkerchiefs
Washing up
Laundry
Toilet cleaner
Menstrual protection
Loo roll
Batteries

This Saturday (June 30th) I will also be exploring the VIVA Incredible Veggie Show. If any of you are considering becoming vegetarian this is a good place to start.

I had also hoped to create a website for the One Little Thing project, with a blog feed and tips, campaigns etc., but it just hasn’t happened. Partly due to lack of a web designer/editor and partly due to me being lazy. If any of you have web design/editing skills and would like to create some pages with me then get in touch.

Well I think that's it. I hope someone is still reading. See you soon.

Still here

2007-06-05T20:24:27Z

Hello everyone.

I am still here, I do still care, and I am still being green.

I just needed a break from writing blogs but I'll be back next week.

See you then!

No Post

2007-05-11T17:41:31Z

I've been rather lax with my actions of late. I missed a week and intended to make two changes and write two posts last week but only managed one. This week I've managed nothing. This makes me feel sad, disheartened and a bit of a fraud. If I can't take up my own challenge why should I expect anyone else to bother? The only reason I can give is that I'm dealing with a long-term health problem (nothing terribly serious, just rather difficult) and it sometimes catches me out. Take that as you will - as an excuse or a reason.

I was going to give myself a complete break this week and end the post there. Then it occurred to me that as I had titled my post 'No Post' and someone had last week asked me a question about cutting down on junk mail then maybe I should just do a quick post about that. I'm not sure what will happen next week. I'll try to post something although it might just be a quick tip. Or it might be a long post, I just don't know right now. In the mean time check out my personal journal for campaigns to sign up to.

Stopping unwanted mail

Recycling unwanted mail is better than throwing it away, but even better would be to stop it altogether. Less junk mail means less paper used means less trees felled and less of a carbon footprint along the way.

Reducing unwanted addressed mail:
- Register with Mailing Preference Service (MPS). This is a free service enabling UK consumers to have their names and home addresses removed from mailing lists used by the direct marketing industry. You can register the details of past occupiers of your home as well as your own name and any other occupants at your address. Within four months you will have removed your name and address from 95% of mailing lists.(You can also stop unsolicited phone calls and faxes by using the related TPS and FPS sites).

- Use the Bereavement Register to reduce junk mail addressed to someone who has died.

- Return to sender. Send junk mail back unopened and unstamped to the organisation that sent it (if there is a return address). Write 'Return to sender – unsolicited mail – please remove name from mailing list' on the envelope. Then pop it back into post box and let the people who sent it out deal with it.

- When completing forms always remember to tick the box to say you do not wish to receive further mailings from other organisations.

- Contact organisations that continue to send unwanted mail and ask to be removed from their database. Advice on how to do this can be found at the Information Commissioner's Office website.

- Tell your bank or credit card company not to send you information about their services or share your details with others.

- Opt out when voting. When you fill out your annual electoral registration form, choose for your details not to be added to the ‘edited voting register’ (which can be bought by companies who use the details for marketing purposes/sending junk mail).

- Ask for E-statements from banks and utility providers as this also cuts down on paper waste.

Reducing unaddressed mail:

- Contact Royal Mail and ask for an ‘opt out’ form. This will reduce the amount of unaddressed mail you receive. However, bear in mind that this stops all unaddressed items being delivered by Royal Mail, so you might miss out on important government and other information. Is this acceptable to everyone in your home? Also, Royal Mail only delivers about 25% of the total volume of unaddressed mail items in the UK. The opt out will not cover any other distributors, who will continue to deliver unaddressed mail items.

- Fix a notice by your letterbox. Putting a notice by your letterbox saying ‘No free newspapers or leaflets’ or 'No Junk Mail' may help stop local distributors putting junk mail such as takeaway menus and free newspapers through your door.

Recycle the Rest
Anything that you can't reject and send back should be recycled. Most junk mail can go in the paper recycling, although check what's inside envelopes as some companies send out free pens etc and you won't want to recycle those. White envelopes can go in with your regular paper recycling and brown envelopes can be composted or put in with cardboard recycling. Just remember to tear off the plastic windows first!

Further Info

Mailing Preference Service (MPS)
http://www.mpsonline.org.uk

DMA House
70 Margaret Street
London
W1W 8SS

MPS Registration line - 0845 703 4599

Bereavement Register - stops junk mail addressed to someone who has died
http://www.the-bereavement-register.com/

Royal Mail - door to door opting out. Contact them for a form.
http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/content1?catId=400126&mediaId=500081

Freepost RRBT-ZBXB-TTTS
Royal Mail Door to Door Opt Outs
Kingsmead House
Oxpens Road
OXFORD
OX1 1RX

or email: optout@royalmail.com

Information Commissioner's Office - Preventing Unsolicited Marketing
http://www.ico.gov.uk/Home/what_we_cover/data_protection/your_rights/preventing_unsolicited_marketing.aspx

Junk

2007-04-30T20:12:46Z

Once again missed my deadline for last week, so once again two posts this week: today and one at the weekend. This is a different subject to the one I was originally going to write about. This post was brought about by several things that have happened (or not happened) recently. The first involves skips.

I hate skips. I hate the wastefulness of them, the way that perfectly good items of furniture and building materials get thrown into them. I am not above salvaging/scavenging items out of skips. The problem is that I'm polite and like to ask the owner of the thrown-out items if it's alright to take them.

Last month I asked for a bench - a beautiful and perfect garden bench - from a skip along the road from my mother's house. The skip was for house clearance after the old man who lived there had passed away. I was told (by a builder) that the owner wanted £5 for it. Hmmm. Then why put it in the skip? I went to make further enquiries of my mother. I found out that the house was indeed being cleared by the old man's son and that my mother knew him. We went back along the road but no one being about we dropped a note through the door saying that we definitely wanted the bench and would there be any chance that he could drop it along (a few doors away) so that we didn't have to drag it out of the skip. We left the issue of money unmentioned. A few days later my mum bumped into the old man's son and he said that of course she could have the bench for free (the builder, as suspected was trying to make himself some cash) but that unfortunately someone else had piled a load of rubble on top of it. All sorts of goodies got covered in rubble. Too much rubble in the end to move. I never did get my bench and it went to the dump.

Last week I heard about a friend taking some furniture to the dump. Not only was the furniture in excellent condition but it was actually wanted by another friend who would have snapped it up given the chance.

Saturday saw me walk into a charity shop and get offered a pile of books for free as they were about to be thrown away. Arghhhhhhhhh!

Yesterday in another skip opposite my mum's house I saw a couple of large plastic bins - or potential plant pots as I prefer to call them. I couldn't bring myself to take them (that's stealing isn't it?) but I badgered my mother into asking for them. On the way home from my mum's I saw (oh the horror) a piano (albeit an extremely beaten up one) sitting in a front garden. I was a little upset, and the look on my face prompted my best friend to suggest that I commandeer it and use it as a planter!

It upsets me that I constantly see discarded or about-to-be-discarded items everywhere - items that I know could be put to good use. It worries me that I have to rescue as many as possible. Where will it end? Will I really end up with a piano planter? I've already asked to cannibalise my mum's dead washing machine. The drum will make a nifty planter (if I can get it out) and the glass part of the door makes a great salad bowl. It worries me more that other people don't see the use of these things. OK, maybe not a piano-planter, but at least that someone might want their perfectly usable furniture, clothing, whatever.

So this is my complaint for the week: stop throwing out things that can still be used!

The rule here - as always - is Reduce, Re-use, Recycle.

Reduce
Why do you need a new one? Can it be repaired, renovated, redecorated? If it's still suitable for the purpose for which it was made then don't throw it away! Often something just needs a new coat of paint or some creative jazzing up. By reducing what you throw away and what you buy, you save energy and resources - both in creating a new product for you to buy and in disposing of the old one.

Re-use
If you don't want something let someone else have it. Just because it's old, worn, or even broken, doesn't mean that someone out there won't want it. This can be either for the use which it was designed for (a bucket as a bucket) or for something else (a bucket as a planter). Creative re-use of an item (or part of an item) means that even if something is broken it can still be useful (a bucket with holes still makes a great plant pot). Think hard before deciding to throw something away.

Recycle
If you don't want it and no one else will take it then it's time to recycle it. Don't put it in the bin! Take it to the recycling centre!

How to Reduce, Re-use, Recycle

- Sell it at a car boot sale.

- Sell it or give it away free by advertising it in your local paper or in one of the huge number of free-to-advertise newspapers or websites. Try typing 'free ads' into a search engine and see what you come up with.

- Sell it on Ebay or another auction site.

- Give it to a charity shop or thrift store. Search for your local ones here. Check what they take before you turn up with a load of stuff. Many won't take furniture or electricals and some want items to be in nearly new condition. On the other hand there are some that will take and manage to sell almost anything.

- Give it away on Freecycle. Freecycle has local groups in countries all over the world and if there isn't a group near enough you can set one up! You'll need to sign up but then you can offer and request almost anything - from cars to cans, spoons to wedding dresses. You can advertise broken items as long as you state their condition, as someone may want them for spare parts. Items often thrown into skips can be in high demand, for example old wood (shelves, doors, floorboards) is snapped up by allotment holders for building compost bins. If you take something apart you can also advertise the bits (washing machine drum as planter). This week I used Freecycle to give away some pond plants and to get some tadpoles. I don't know how I coped without it!

- Swap it for something else. Swap websites are becoming more and more popular. Check out SwapXchange as just one example.

- Make it into something else. Junkk is a fantastic website, full of creative (and surprisingly useful) ways of re-using your old junk.

- Leave it in a box at the entrance to your home/garden with a note saying 'free to good home'. Someone will take it.

- See if your workplace has a noticeboard or online community/forum for selling/exchanging/giving stuff away. If not, ask for one.

- If you must hire a skip, put a sign up saying that all items within are free to takers. Stand any items that are most likely to be taken by the side of the skip and put a note on them saying 'free to good home'.

- Consider breaking something into its constituent parts and re-using, offering for re-use, or recycling it that way.

Further info

Guardian - Free to good home
http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,,2060859,00.html

Freecycle - give stuff away and get stuff for free
http://www.freecycle.org

Car Boot Junction - huge list of UK car boot sales
http://www.carbootjunction.com/

SwapXchange - swap or offer stuff
http://www.swapxchange.org/

Swapz
http://www.swapz.co.uk/

Junkk - amazingly creative and useful ways of re-using 'rubbish'
http://www.junkk.com/

Recycle This - practical and creative ways to re-use or recycle all kinds of items.
http://www.recyclethis.co.uk/

Waste Watch - info on waste reduction, re-use and recycling
http://www.wastewatch.org.uk

Recycle Now - lots of info on all aspects of recycling
http://www.recyclenow.com/

Greenchoices - recycling guide
http://www.greenchoices.org/index.php/waste-a-product-by-product-guide-to-recycling

Furniture Re-use Network - database of where to donate furniture and electrical items
http://www.frn.org.uk/donate.asp

Reduce Reuse Recycle - eco tips
http://www.reducereuserecycle.co.uk/

Wiki Dumpster Diving info
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumpster_diving

CraftyRecycling - LiveJournal community
http://community.livejournal.com/craftyrecycling/profile

Dumpster Diving - Livejournal Community
http://community.livejournal.com/dumpsterdiving/profile

Organic Box Scheme

2007-04-22T22:15:52Z

We ordered our first ever organic fruit and veg box last week. We had been meaning to do this for some time, the only thing stopping us being the concern that we were really rubbish at actually eating a lot of vegetables and that much of it would go to waste. Our solution to this has been to gradually increase the amount of vegetables that we buy and make sure that we eat them. A lone carrot or potato gets chopped up and used in a curry or stew. If something starts to look wrinkly we have to eat it right away rather than trying to pretend it's not there! By keeping our meals simple and quick we have ensured that no food is wasted and that we now get our five-a-day.

I have suggested this plan to everyone else who has declared their interest in a veg box but their hopelessness with vegetables. As with many things in life it takes a little planning and perseverance. Even if you have no skill in the kitchen (me) you can still chop the veg, boil it, smother it in a tasty sauce (from a jar!) and serve with pasta or rice. We aren't all Jamie Oliver and most of us don't want to be.

My veg box was £11.99 for 6 types of veg and 4 types of fruit. My first box contained potatoes, carrots, a cauliflower, onions, pak choi, mushrooms, apples, bananas, kiwis, oranges. We did a price comparison of these at the supermarket where we usually shop and the equivalent in organic veg there came to just 13 pence cheaper and only 3 of the items were UK sourced. In contrast, the pak choi in my veg box had a label on it with the name and address of the man who grew it in Cambridge!

We checked out three different companies that deliver locally before we made our choice. We based our decision on how well we thought the company did in terms of local sourcing policy, fairtrade, transport of foreign items, packaging etc. We finally went for Everbody Organic. Their veg bags and boxes start from just £6.49 for 6 items. They try to keep all produce seasonal, but with things like oranges and bananas (which I don't want to give up) they have to source from abroad. When they do they ensure that goods are transported by boat (not plane) and are fairtrade where possible. Packaging is a wooden crate with cardboard dividers that can be re-used. If there's a type of veg that you really hate you can have it permanently excluded from your order, and you can add extra fruit and veg to your box, as well as other grocery items. All in all a good deal I think.

I'm also making an attempt to grow some veg of my own this year. You can see some photos of my attempt here. I may have started some things off too late or early but only time will tell.

What you need to know about Fruit and Veg

Some facts on chemicals:
- Around 31,000 tonnes of chemicals are used in farming in the UK each year to kill weeds, insects and other pests that attack crops. (1) These work indiscriminately, killing the useful insects along wit the pests and making for a depleted eco-system.
- There is very little control over how these chemicals are used in the non-organic sector and in what quantities or combinations. (1)
- 447 chemicals are available to non-organic farmers to kill weeds, insects and other pests that attack crops. The most dangerous chemicals used in farming... have been linked with a range of problems including cancer, decreasing male fertility, foetal abnormalities, chronic fatigue syndrome in children and Parkinson's disease. (3)
- There are real uncertainties about the effectiveness of official safety regulation of pesticides, and some risks to human health are unknown.(1)
- 150 of the commonly used pesticides are potentially cancer causing. Some cannot be washed off. (2)
- There is official acknowledgement of the potential long term health dangers of chronic low level exposure to combinations of pesticides - the so called 'cocktail effect'. (3)
- The average Cox's apple is sprayed 18 times with many different chemicals. (3)
- Over 86 per cent of the public say that they do not want any leftover pesticides in their food. (2)
- In 2004, 40% of the fruit, vegetable and bread samples tested in the UK contained pesticides. (1)
- Pesticides have a devastating effect on the environment.(1)
- Through water rates people pay towards the £225 million needed to clean agricultural pollutants from our water supply.(2)
- In organic farming, natural methods are used to control pests, weeds and disease. For example, developing a good soil and healthy crops which have natural resistance to pests and diseases, encouraging natural predators, and well-designed crop rotations. (1)

So whether your concern is the environment or your own health, that all sounds like a good reason for going organic. But another concern is that so much of the organic fruit and veg that supermarkets sell is sourced from abroad and racks up carbon emissions on the flight over. This has started a fierce debate about whether organic from abroad is actually better than non-organic UK produce.

When at the supermarket do you buy UK produce or organic? Or fairtrade for that matter? It's a difficult question. Local organic box schemes are the best answer. They source organic produce locally, and their food is often fairtrade too. I am still sceptical of supermarket box schemes. I suspect that their supplies are centralised and therefore not truly local, and I wonder whether they give the small farmers as good a deal as the smaller local suppliers do.

Further info and references

Garden Organic
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk

(1) Soil Association
http://www.soilassociation.org/pesticides

(3) Soil Association http://www.soilassociation.org/web/sa/saweb.nsf/ed0930aa86103d8380256aa70054918d/50e5e6a2558967b280256f3f004ff4c2!OpenDocument

(2) Why Organic?
http://www.whyorganic.org/bigissues_pesticides.asp

Buy Local Food
http://www.buylocalfood.co.uk/

Royal Horticultural Society - Grow Your Own Veg
http://www.rhs.org.uk/vegetables/index.asp

Self-Sufficientish
http://www.selfsufficientish.com

Veg Box Schemes - find your local supplier
http://vegboxschemes.co.uk/

Action for this week

Sign up to a local organic veg box scheme. Check that the company actually sources locally and seasonally wherever possible, and that it has a good policy on any imported produce (e.g. bananas are all fairtrade as well as organic and always come by boat) and packaging. Get your neighbours to sign up too - either separately or by sharing a box.

Grow your own organic vegetables. Anyone can do it - even if all you have is a windowsill. Check out the RHS Grow Your Own Veg site, Self Sufficientish, or The Window Box Allotment for ideas. Garden Organic is also an invaluable source of information.

If buying organic fruit and veg at a supermarket check the country of origin and whether it has been shipped or flown in. Try to choose produce that has come less distance (like me you might need a geography lesson!) or has come by boat.

If you don't want to buy organic at all then try to buy locally - from farmers markets or nearby farms (yes city farms do exist!). This produce is better for the environment than its foreign-sourced equivalent.

More Recycling & overview

2007-04-17T23:54:22Z

I completely missed posting an entry last week. I've had quite a bit happening recently so instead of feeling like a failure I'm going to post two entries this week. This one - mainly an update - and one on Friday(ish!).

So what action did I take last week? Well, I managed to increase the range and amount of items that I recycle. When I took my drinks cartons to the supermarket recycling bank I found that they also had facilities for recycling cardboard, paper, glass, metal and plastic, as well as collecting clothes and shoes for redistribution in developing countries. Fantastic!

I already recycle paper and glass (doorstep collection), and metal and drinks cartons (bank), so now I can add plastic and cardboard - in truth the bulk of my bin - to the mix.

All types of card and brown paper can go to the bank. Plastics I'm not so sure about. The picture on the side of the bank is of plastic bottles but there is no indication of what actual materials it takes. The staff in-store aren't very knowledgeable, and the website is two years out of date. So I have emailed the store customer service department so see if they have some answers. Meanwhile I am saving all types of plastic until I have a definite answer.

The recycling area in my kitchen is rather overflowing this week, whilst my bin is only half full and won't need to go out for collection. If I can get down to one bin bag every fortnight on a regular basis I will be very happy.

Action for this week

- Contact your local council and urge them to increase the range of items collected in doorstep recycling schemes and banks. If there are already recycling collection facilities / banks in your area, make sure you use them.
- Contact your local supermarket and urge them to install recycling banks. Give examples of their competitors, or other branches of their own store, installing banks and urge them to do the same.
- If you are a parent or teacher, urge your school to get involved in recycling.
- Consider whether your prospective rubbish has another possible use. Plastic ice-cream containers make good lunchboxes, bread bags are good for sandwiches, yoghurt pots make good plant pots. Be creative or google it!
- Try to buy items with packaging that you can recycle.
- Crush and tear items to make them as small as possible to fit in your bin. Smaller waste is better waste!

Updates and Review

- Carrier Bags
I have successfully avoided carrier bags on shopping trips. I got caught out a couple of times at the local takeaway - when food comes packed in a new bag each time - but on the last occasion I handed the lady behind the counter a fabric bag along with my order and she was very understanding and actually seemed grateful that we were saving the store bags! Food was packed neatly in the bag and handed over to us. Bag smelt slightly foody but a couple of hours hanging outside did away with this. Friends keep bringing carriers into the house and leaving them here and although we recycle them this does not make me happy as it means that they aren't trying at all. Must try to convert them to fabric bags. Housemate isn't doing well on bag front either - discovered a nest of bags in his cupboard. *Sigh* Will keep trying. Discovered that carriers are sent all the way to China to be recycled. Not great for the environment at all.
Check out Carry On Carriers and My Recycled Bags and Plastic Bag Hunt for info and ideas.

- Power Management
Works fine on the computer. I've got really good at switching things off when I'm not using them and even turning them off at the plug.

- Energy Saving Bulbs
Working well. I'm completely used to them and now can't tell the difference in terms of light quality. I had some queries about these bulbs and decided to ask the professionals.

My questions:
"I have heard that energy efficient bulbs actually use more power than regular bulbs when being switched on and powering up. Is this true? I have also heard that if they are turned on and off frequently (e.g. if used in a quick-use room like a lavatory) that their life is decreased by a higher percentage than the same treatment of a regular incandescent bulb. Is this true?"

The responses:
"It is a widely held belief that it is more economic to leave the compact bulbs on however this is not the case. They do draw more power when warming up and only takes a few seconds. It is much more energy efficient to turn them off when not in use." npower (energy supplier)

"CFL bulbs work best if they are left on for over 15 minutes each time they are turned on... Frequently switching them on and off will shorten the life of the product." GE Consumer & Industrial (who make the bulbs)

"To run three 100 watt light bulbs or an equivalent for three and a half hours it will cost you 10 pence. For the same with Energy efficient light bulbs it will cost you about 2 pence. The energy efficient bulbs also last 15 percent longer as well as being cheaper. So they do use less power but as you point out they take time to power up, this is only a minimal amount of time and is barely noticeable once you are accustomed to it. When I first started using energy efficient bulbs I noticed them powering up, but now I am accustomed to it and it has no effect for me, after all it is only a matter of a few minutes before they are at the brightness of conventional bulbs. There is a benefit of leaving the lights on if you are in and out of a particular room every couple of minutes but that is it, if you leave the room for a longer period then a couple of minutes I would suggest you turn the lights off as normal." Powergen (energy supplier)

- Cut Flowers - not bought any.

- Nest box - not being lived in yet!

- Compost Bin
Going really well. I hadn't realised how much I used to throw away in terms of veg peelings, teabags etc. Bin is getting slowly filled up and looks like it's breaking down the offerings well! I thought that by this point it would be really smelly, and although there is a bit of a whiff when the lid is removed the smell when it is closed is minimal and not unpleasant.

- The Loo
Water-saver is working and saving water with each flush. No problems caused with blockages or anything else nasty. Am saving further water by not flushing if I have only peed. It's my house and no one cares!

- Books
hazel_tree suggested creating a book exchange at work/school/wherever. Grab some unwanted books, put them in a box/on a windowsill with some signs here and there referring to a 'book exchange'. People don't necessarily have to leave a book to borrow/take one but they'll soon get the idea. Maybe add some book crossing labels to some of the books.

- Drinks Cartons
revdode suggests that if your supermarket doesn't provide a recycling bank you can still give them back the cartons, (rinsed and with receipts). They then have to dispose of them, still to landfill but the supermarket will pick up the bill and this may persuade them to try and find alternatives.

hazel_tree tells us that it is not expensive to post cartons for recycling.
She says that she posted:
"41 Soya milk type cartons, 18 Innocent smoothie cartons. All with the whole top cut off and cleaned and squished as instructed. The postage was quite steep, at £5.31 but at 1.6kg I unfortunately had just tipped over into the 1.5 - 2kg band. It would have been more cost effective to have taken a few out or to have stuffed a few more in. It works out this time around at 9p per carton on average, plus the minimal cost of the parcel tape and the printer ink for the sheet of labels (printed onto the back of a used bit of paper)."

My council replied to the letter I sent:
"I am writing in response to your letter regarding the recycling of Tetra Pak cartons. Currently the Council has no plans to introduce a collection of Tetra Pak cartons at the kerbside for two main reasons.
1.Although Tetra Pak say their containers are recyclable and they technically are, it is not easy due to its structure. These cartons use aluminium sandwiched between layers of card and sometimes plastic. It is possible to separate the different materials for recycling but this would use a lot of energy and be expensive.
2.Also I believe one of the nearest recycling points for this type of packaging in England is Fife (a considerable distance) which again would use up fuel and cause unnecessary pollution. Because the containers are light and quite bulky, more lorries would be required to transport large volumes of material for low tonnages.
When choosing the materials to recycle, the Council must look at both the positive and negative aspects of recycling a particular material. After all, recycling should benefit the environment and use the least resources and energy possible. Local Authorities also have strict European and National Government targets to achieve and this also affects our policy.
At the moment we choose to focus our efforts on paper, glass and garden waste. We collect biodegradable waste (that which will rot down) as the Government encourages us to do so and because this type of material will cause environmental damage if sent to landfill. Glass recycling helps the authority to achieve targets in reducing waste sent to landfill because it is heavy. All of these materials can be transported efficiently and be easily reprocessed locally.
We acknowledge that there are other materials in the waste stream that are recyclable, however there are more readily recyclable materials e.g. cardboard, tins and cans that we would like to target before considering Tetra Pak cartons. I can assure you that the Council is committed to developing our recycling scheme and improving recycling rates across Welwyn Hatfield.
Thanks again for your enquiry and your interest in recycling."
Not so helpful. I will be reply and will post details here as and when things happen.

- Chocolate
Went down well. Lots of people got in touch to tell me about other brands that were fully ethical. Am waiting for replies from chocolate companies. Doesn't seem to be something that people feel they can change easily as chocolate is so often an impulse buy.

Further Info

Reduce Reuse Recycle
http://www.reducereuserecycle.co.uk/

Recycle More - Schools
http://www.recyclemore.com/index_category.asp?key=22

Recycling Guide - Schools
http://www.recycling-guide.org.uk/schools.html

Guardian - bags
http://environment.guardian.co.uk/waste/story/0,,2045794,00.html

Chocolate

2007-04-07T12:23:23Z

Well, it's Easter, so you're probably expecting me to write something about chocolate. Well it's actually a bit late - you've all bought your Easter treats. But I guess it might be useful for next year. I don't actually eat chocolate (I'm not allowed sugar) but I do buy it for Paul, who is a bit of a chocolate addict. And I was planning on buying him an egg this year.

So, what exactly are the problems with chocolate, or with Easter eggs specifically?

The issues can be divided loosely into three categories: people, environmental, animal.

People
It is ironic that as we are celebrating the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery, there are people in other countries who are still buying and selling slaves and using them to make the products that we buy. Nearly half the world's chocolate is made from cocoa grown in the Cote D'Ivoire in Africa, where 12,000 children have been trafficked into cocoa farms. We're not just talking child labour but actual slavery. When we buy chocolate we have no way of knowing whether it is produced by slaves or by paid employees. Stop the Traffik is a campaign calling for people to force the chocolate companies to give a guarantee that their chocolate is traffik-free so that we can choose to buy chocolate that is not made through trafficked labour. (1) Check out their MySpace page
and their Good Chocolate Guide for what to buy.

Fairtrade is an issue that is often in the news nowadays. The FAIRTRADE Mark is an independent consumer label which appears on products as an independent guarantee that disadvantaged producers in the developing world are getting a better deal. Check out the Fairtrade Easter Guide for ideas on what to buy.

Environmental
"Although cocoa leaves the smallest mark of all the tropical cash crops, as it requires some shade and forest cover and has few inputs, widespread clearing of the forests for intensive cocoa production on large plantations can result in destruction of ecosystems which are slow to regenerate. Intensive large scale cocoa production can also result in reductions in biodiversity and soil fertility, soil erosion, stream sedimentation and health and environmental problems associated with agrochemical application and run-off." (2)

Oh dear. That's not good news. My chocolate might just contribute to the destruction of the rainforests. If I buy organic I can at least know that I'm not contributing chemicals to the environment. Organic plantations are probably more sustainably managed but there is no guarantee. And the chocolate companies that I've looked up online don't seem to have any environmental info on their websites. The Soil Association has an Organic Easter guide that's worth checking out.

Chocolate eggs are also ridiculously overpackaged. Foil and plastic and cardboard. We used to manage without all the extra wrappings and still enjoy the eggs. Why can't we now? This is one of the reasons why many environmental associations are suggesting boycotting Easter eggs completely.

Animal Welfare
The image of happy cows grazing in green fields and wandering home to be milked at dusk isn't a totally accurate one. Dairy cows are forced to endure a constant cycle of pregnancies in order to produce enough milk for the industry. Calves are typically taken away from their mothers within 24 hours of birth and are slaughtered within two weeks. Milking is done by machine and cows often suffer from painful udder infections. For at least part of the year cows are housed in concrete stalls. Dairy cows are typically sent for slaughter after 5 years. You can read more about the dairy industry here and here. (3)

These are only some of the issues. Ethiscore breaks it down further.

After much consideration I decided to buy a Green and Black's organic, fairtrade and vegan 'Maya Gold' Easter egg. As with other eggs it is packaged in foil, plastic and card, but these are all recyclable and I will make sure that we do recycle them. However, I don't feel that this is an issue that I have resolved satisfactorily. I haven't managed to buy less packaging. I know nothing about the environmental effects of my purchase. I haven't really made a difference. I think the thing to do is write to some chocolate companies and gather a lot of information ready for the next chocolate-heavy holiday. At least I am more aware of the issues now.

Further info and references

(1) Stop the Traffik
http://www.stopthetraffik.org/chocolatecampaign/

Stop the Traffik - sign the declaration
http://www.stopthetraffik.org/help/declaration.aspx

Stop the Traffik - sign-up for organisations
http://www.stopthetraffik.org/help/membership.aspx

Stop the Traffik - chocolate guide
http://www.stopthetraffik.org/chocolateDownloads/chocolate_guide.pdf

Stop the traffik - Myspace
http://www.myspace.com/sttchocolate

Soil Association - Organic Easter guide
http://www.soilassociation.org/easter

The Fairtrade Foundation
http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/

The Fairtrade Foundation - Easter
http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/pr110406.htm

Ethiscore - chocolate bar report
http://www.ethiscore.org/report.aspx?id=214970&free=true

Friends of the Earth - chocolate testing
http://www.foe.co.uk/living/poundsavers/reviews/chocolate_survey.html

(3) Dairy cows
http://www.vegansociety.com/html/animals/exploitation/cows/dairy_cow.php
http://www.animalaid.org.uk/h/n/CAMPAIGNS/vegetarianism/ALL/477/

International Cocoa Organisation
http://www.icco.org/

ICC - top 10 chocolate manufacturers
http://www.icco.org/about/chocolate.aspx

(2) ICC - environmental effects of intensive cocoa farming
http://www.icco.org/faq3.aspx?id=pe01191

Action for this week

- Check out the Good Chocolate Guide and commit to buying traffik-free chocolate.
- Sign the declaration that you will buy traffik-free.
- Where possible try to buy Fairtrade and Organic.
- Consider buying milk-free chocolate (most dark chocolate or soya-chocolate).
- Try to choose chocolate with less and recyclable packaging. And recycle it!
- Drop an email to the chocolate companies that you would usually buy from and explain why you won't be buying from them anymore. Or if you really can't give up your favourites at least pester the companies for information on their environmental, labour, trade and animal welfare policies and urge them to improve on these.

Drinks Cartons (and update)

2007-03-29T14:45:57Z

I've been quiet for a while. At the moment I'm still struggling with illness and trying to have a full week of being well. Last week I didn't quite manage it and so no blog entry. But I haven't given up. In fact I've actually managed to make a lot of new friends, both on here and over at MySpace. Thank you to anyone who has added me recently. Feel free to make comments and suggestions.

Someone I spoke to recently who is doing a similar thing is comedian Mark Watson, who is Crap At The Environment but wants to get better at it. He is busy gaining followers and setting them environmental challenges and is definitely worth joining in his quest. Read his MySpace blog and check out his website. There is also an LJ community based around CATE. Go look.

And now to the subject in question:

Did you know that drinks cartons can be recycled?
Neither did I until recently.

It annoys me that the fruit juice and soya milk I buy are only sold in cartons. I have to bin the empty cartons and they end up in landfill. Even though I always flatten them down so that they take up less space in the bin I would much rather recycle them. And now I can. A carton recycling bank has just appeared at my local supermarket. This is great news and it's about time.

As I increase the number of items that I can recycle I need to make more room for storage. I have a small recycling area next to the rubbish bin in the kitchen and I empty and sort this every few days into individual containers in the garden. I'm lucky to have a larger space outdoors to keep my recycling, but if you don't have a garden you can still make room. The key to being greener (as with many things) is organisation. Know what goes where, make sure your entire household knows, and recycle it regularly, don't let it build up into an unmanageable mountain.

I've also written to my local council to ask them to start collecting drinks cartons for recycling. If I get a reply I'll post it here.

What you need to know about drinks cartons

The UK uses about 4 Billion drinks cartons every year. (1)

Cartons are made from:
Paperboard (typically 70-90%)
Low-density polyethylene (typically 10-25%)
Aluminium foil (about 5%, only in long life or aseptic packages) (1)

According to the Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment, carton production uses less energy from fossil fuels than any other beverage packaging and cartons have a low environmental impact throughout their life cycle. (2)

Tetra Pak - who produce about half of all drinks cartons for the UK - tell us that cartons are made from parts of tree cut-offs that that would normally otherwise go to waste as they cannot be used for timber, and that cartons are transport efficient as they are delivered flat-packed.

In terms of recycling, they tell us: 'In the UK, the recovered fibre is used to manufacture new high-strength paper-based products. The non-fibre remainder, mainly polyethylene and a smaller amount of aluminium, have been used in other countries in a number of applications including garden furniture, playground design, roofing materials and for energy recovery in municipal incinerators and cement kilns.' (1)

Now I don't believe everything that I'm told by the people who make and promote the cartons, as obviously they have a vested interest. But they do seem to be doing their bit to create and promote recycling facilities for their product. The Tetra Pak website has an informative short film about carton recycling and details of the recycling process. Tetra Pak has also surveyed all UK local authorities responsible for waste collection and in 2006 set up a £300,000 fund to help local authorities establish carton recycling schemes. The website provides a map detailing which areas of the UK currently collect, which are considering collecting, and which are not interested at all.

If your area does not currently offer carton recycling facilities you should urge them to set up either a carton collection scheme or a carton bank. Innocent drinks have provided a ready made letter for you to fill in, print off, and post to your local authority. You can find contact details for your local authority here.

You could also put pressure on local supermarkets to provide carton recycling banks. They sell the products so perhaps they should take some responsibility for recycling them.

If you are a parent or teacher, urge your school to get involved in recycling.

Whilst you are waiting for your council, supermarket or school to reply to your letter, you could start sending your packs for recycling through the post. Squash your packs flat, pop them in a box, print out some address labels and post them off directly to a recycling plant. Unfortunately this is not currently a freepost service so you'll have to pay postage.

Or how about using your cartons for a craft project? Tetra Pak has instructions for a panda puppet and a viking ship. Got a better suggestion? Let me know and I'll post it in the next blog entry!

Further info and references

(1) Tetra Pak - info and advice on all aspects of carton recycling
http://www.tetrapakrecycling.co.uk/index.htm

(2) Drinks Cartons - info from the ACE
http://www.drinkscartons.com/

A ready-made letter to your council from Innocent Drinks
http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/us/council.htm

Find your local council
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Dl1/Directories/Localcouncils/index.htm

Tetra Pak - print out labels to post off your cartons for recycling
http://www.tetrapakrecycling.co.uk/labels.htm

Tetra Pak Carton Craft - make a boat out of cartons!
http://www.tetrapakrecycling.co.uk/Panda%20Leaflet.pdf

Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment
http://www.ace.be/

Grovefresh - Beverage cartons and recycling
http://www.grovefresh.co.uk/PDF_01.pdf

British Soft Drinks Association - info on recycling and useful links
http://www.britishsoftdrinks.com/htm/qa/Packaging/Packaging.htm

Packaging News - latest news on packaging and the environment
http://www.packagingnews.co.uk/Channel/Environmental/

Action for this week

- Contact your local council and urge them to collect drinks cartons. If there are already recycling collection facilities / banks in your area, make sure you use them.
- Contact your local supermarket and urge them to install a recycling bank for drinks cartons.
- If you are a parent or teacher, urge your school to get involved in recycling.
- Post your cartons for recycling.
- If you can't recycle your cartons, at least pull out the corners and squash them completely flat before binning them, so they use less space at landfill.
- Consider buying your drinks in a container that you do have the ability to recycle, instead of a carton that you have to bin.

Books

2007-03-16T21:33:37Z

Book production accounts for 2% of world paper use.(1) Whilst this is a small percentage it is still a huge amount in terms of the actual amount of wood pulp used. And not all of it is from renewable resources. In fact, a good deal of it is from illegally logged timber - some from already decimated rainforests.

"The UK spends an estimated £712 million (US$1.4bn) on illegal timber and wood products per year - the equivalent of £11.76 per person in the UK. This equates to 7.2% of the total value of forest product imports (£9.9bn) in 2005." (2)

The WWF estimates that 26.6% (more than a quarter) of this illegal timber is used in the paper industry. (2) There are no figures to suggest how much of this paper makes it into the book trade.

So what can we do about this?
- Well, you can email your MP and ask them to support new legislation on illegal logging.
- You can put pressure on publishers to ensure that their paper is from certified renewable sources (or even better - recycled). Penguin have a statement on their website about the paper used in their books but many publishers don't see it as an issue. Email them and show that it matters.
- Make use of your local Public Library. They stock a wide range of fiction as well as reference books and could really do with your support. It's free to join and free to borrow books.
- In terms of saving resources and reducing waste it is always better to buy books secondhand. It is usually cheaper too. Use the guide below for acquiring books as well as for getting rid of them.

I am always surprised when people tell me that they simply throw books away after reading them. 'You mean give them away?' I ask naively. 'No, put them in the bin' comes the reply. This upsets me. What a waste of a perfectly good book. What a waste of precious paper. What a waste of a tree.

So I decided to put together a little guide on what to do with used books:

Make some money from them
- Sell your books online, on a site such as Amazon or Green Metropolis. Listing them is easy and there is the potential for making good money. Payment is direct into your bank account, so no messing about waiting for cheques to arrive.
- Take them to your local second hand bookstore and see what kind of price you can get.

Let someone else make money from them
- Take your books to a charity shop or charity bookshop and let them make some money for a good cause. It's best to check what type of books each individual charity will take, as well as what kind of condition they should be in, before handing them over. Some shops immediately reject and destroy certain books (Mills and Boon being a common example) and you don't want your good deed ruined by having your books sent to the tip.

Give them away/Swap them
- Offer them to friends and colleagues. Make a list and post it on your blog or email it out and see who wants what.
- Hold a book swap party. Set a date and tell your friends to round up their unwanted books and bring them over. Browse and exchange!
- Set them free with BookCrossing. Print out labels from the website, stick them in your books, and then leave them in public places (on a bus, at the dentist) for other people to find and take home. If you are lucky you might even get a postcard from your book, telling you where in the world it has ended up.
- Swap your books on BookMooch or Read It Swap It. List books you want to give away and post them to whoever claims them. Then request books of your own which people have to post to you.
- Offer your books on Freecycle. Find your local Freecycle group, join, and then start giving things away. Obviously you can claim and even request things - from books to biscuit tins, cookie cutters to cars.
- Donate them to Book Aid International where they will be sent to developing countries to help promote literacy.
- Create a book exchange at work/school/wherever. Grab some unwanted books, put them in a box/on a windowsill with some signs here and there referring to a 'book exchange'. People don't have to leave a book to borrow/take one and they'll soon get the idea. Maybe add some book crossing labels to some of them.

Recycle them
- If they have pages missing, are torn, crumbling, stained beyond recognition and really unreadable then you can recycle them. If you tear off the front and back covers and the spine you can usually put the pages in with your paper recycling (check with your local authority). The card covers can be recycled or composted.
- Turn your them into a piece of artwork or find a completely new use for them.

Further Info and References
Green Metropolis - Sell your books online and make money for yourself and The Woodland Trust
http://www.greenmetropolis.com/

Amazon - Sell and buy used books.
http://www.amazon.co.uk

BookCrossing - set your books free!
http://www.bookcrossing.com/

BookMooch - Give books away, get books you want.
http://www.bookmooch.com/

Read It Swap It - What it says on the tin!
http://www.readitswapit.co.uk/

Freecycle - Give things away, get things. All for free!
http://freecycle.org/
Book Aid International - Donate books to developing countries
http://www.bookaid.org/cms.cgi/site/getinvolved/books.htm

UK Public Libraries - A-Z listing with links
http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/square/ac940/ukpublib.html

Resources for book sellers and book collectors
http://www.2nd-hand-books.co.uk/

WWF - 'Illegal Logging: Cut it Out' report
http://www.wwf.org.uk/filelibrary/pdf/logging_full_report01.pdf

(2)WWF - Illegal logging news
http://www.wwf.org.uk/news/n_0000002064.asp

(1)Penguin - making books green
http://www.penguin.co.uk/static/cs/uk/0/aboutus/greenpenguin/makebooksgreen.html

Forest Stewardship Council
http://www.fsc.org/en/

Friends of the Earth - 'Paper Tiger Hidden Dragons' report on paper made from rainforests
http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/reports/paper_tiger_hidden_dragons.pdf

Water Saving: the Flush

2007-03-07T01:25:26Z

The eagle-eyed among you will have noticed that my postings have become slightly erratic. I originally intended to post every Monday but have got rather out of sync. I will attempt to rectify this in future. Making changes in my life takes a little forethought, research and planning. It is necessary to have several changes in progress at any one time, so that if something doesn't arrive on time, or doesn't quite work out as expected, I will still have something that I can complete and write about. Because I only want to write about the completed actions, things that I have actually done rather than just intend to do, as that way I am not cheating myself or anyone else. At the moment I am a little behind due to illness, and this post should have gone up last week, but didn't as the action was completed but the post wasn't! Some of you have already suggested issues you would like me to look into but I would welcome further ideas. Your feedback is always appreciated. And so to the issue in hand...

A few weeks ago I started to look into the issue of water conservation. I vaguely remembered a campaign in the 1990s for showers instead of baths, but that's about as far as my knowledge went. Oh, and collecting rainwater for the garden instead of using tap water. But I didn't really know why it was important not to use so much water.

There are many ways that we can help to conserve water, and I will examine them one at a time on this journal. The thing that I decided to focus on first was saving water each time I flush the toilet. This was prompted by an email that I received from Friends of the Earth (I am signed up for their daily hints and tips) and seemed to be an extremely easy thing which I could do quite quickly, and at the same time would have a relatively large beneficial effect.

Saving water with each flush involves putting a water displacement device (also called a cistern displacement device) into the toilet cistern. This takes up space which would otherwise be occupied by water and means that less water is available for each flush.

The first thing I did was to identify what type of cistern I have and approximately how much water it uses per flush. Going by the Waterwise guide it looks like a 7.5 litre flush. This was confirmed by some writing inside the cistern: plumbers marking the water level on routine inspections and adding the date. So definitely a pre-2001 toilet and therefore probably a 7.5 litre.

The recommendation for this is to use a Save-A-Flush bag. Thames Water are currently giving these away for free . I ordered one and it arrived within a couple of weeks. It is essentially a small flat bag filled with crystals which expand in water. The bag is very simple to install: press it flat to expel air (so that it doesn’t float), flush the cistern to empty it of water and then put the bag inside. After about 6 hours it has swelled to hold one litre of water. The back of the Save-A-Flush bag tells me that by using it I will save about 2000 gallons of water per year (about 35,000 cups of tea). I haven’t noticed any decrease in the efficiency of the flush mechanism and it all seems to be running smoothly. So simple.

Why we need to conserve water and how to fix your flush

"Fresh water is essential to our existence - it allows us to produce food, manufacture goods and sustain our health. It is also an essential part of the natural environment which supports all human, plant and animal life."(1)

"Of all the water in the world, only 3% is fresh. Less than one third of 1% of this fresh water is available for human use. The rest is frozen in glaciers or polar ice caps, or is deep within the earth, beyond our reach. To put it another way, if 100 litres represents the world's water, about half a tablespoon of it is fresh water available for our use."(1)

“Global water consumption has risen almost tenfold since 1900, and many parts of the world... are now reaching the limits of their supply. World population is expected to increase by 45% in the next thirty years, whilst freshwater runoff is expected to increase by 10%. UNESCO has predicted that by 2020 water shortage will be a serious worldwide problem. One third of the world's population is already facing problems due to both water shortage and poor drinking water quality. Effects include massive outbreaks of disease, malnourishment and crop failure. In addition, excessive use of water has seen the degradation of the environment costing the world billions of dollars." (1)

Around 33% (one third) of the household water that we use is for flushing the toilet. (3)

“There are around 45 million toilets in UK homes, using an estimated two billion litres of fresh water every day. Over seven million of those toilets use 13 litres of water, and approximately five million are the latest low-flush models.” (4)

“Considering the average household flushes 5000 times per year, savings of up to 5000 litres per year could be achieved just by simply installing a cistern displacement device.” (4)

Fix your flush

If your toilet was installed after 2001 then it is already water efficient. “The Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 require that all new WC suites installed after 1 January 2001 shall flush with no more than six litres.” (3)

If your toilet is pre-2001 then it may not be water efficient. As a general rule, the older the model the more water it is likely to use.

If you have a dual-flush toilet with the choice of a full or part flush then it will probably be water efficient and not need any modifications. Ensure that you use the appropriate flush each time. If you have frequent visitors using your toilet it might be worthwhile putting up a little sign explaining how to correctly use the dual flush mechanism, as not everyone is familiar with it!

If you have a post 1993 slimline toilet (average flush 4.5 litres) then it will not need any modifications.

- Water displacement devices
The simplest thing that you can do to improve water efficiency in your toilet is to install a water/cistern displacement device. There are several types of these around, suitable for different types of cistern.

Hippo-the-watersaver is a box-shaped bag that sits in the water under the large cistern float. When the toilet is flushed, the water confined within the Hippo is the volume saved. The Hippo has a small hole which allows a slow circulation of water to prevent stagnation and evaporation. A Hippo saves about 3 litres of water with each flush and works best on older cisterns of 9 litres or more.

Save-A-Flush is a small flat bag filled with crystals which expand in water. It saves 1 litre of water per flush and is best used in cisterns of 7 litres or more.

Freddie Frog is Anglian Water’s displacement device and is best used in cisterns of 9 litres or more.

Another alternative is to fill a plastic drinks bottle with water and place this in the cistern. Whether or not this works depends on the size of the cistern and if the bottle will fit in without disturbing its workings.

You must ensure that any displacement device is properly installed and doesn’t affect the flushing mechanism.

Do not use a brick in your cistern as suggested many years ago. Water saturation will cause the brick to crumble and this could cause blockages in the toilet.

Many water companies give away free displacement devices. Contact your local water company to find out what they are doing to help their customers save water.

- Flushing Devices
These are devices that can be fitted into existing cisterns in order to substantially reduce the amount of water used with each flush. Some make claims for water savings of up to 50% with each flush. The basic types are listed here.

- Grey water use
Grey water is water that has already been used in your home, for washing, laundry, or in the kitchen. It is possible to install a tank in your home that saves grey water and then diverts it to use for flushing the toilet. However, research has shown problems with this for use by individual households, in terms of storage and filtering out impurities, as well as cost. This might be a wonderful option in a few years time but for now does not seem viable.

One very easy way of using grey water to flush your toilet is simply by leaving the plug in when you shower, or after you take a bath, and then using this water to flush your toilet by collecting it in a bucket and tipping it down the pan. Just make sure that if you have used any heavy chemicals in the bath or shower that you don’t mix them with heavy chemicals down the toilet, as this could cause dangerous reactions.

- Rainwater re-use
It is possible to collect rainwater in a tank for flushing the toilet. This has less drawbacks than collecting greywater in a tank but is still quite a complex process.

Further info and references

Waterwise
http://www.waterwise.org.uk/

(4) Waterwise – Identify your type of cistern
http://www.waterwise.org.uk/reducing_water_wastage_in_the_uk/house_and_garden/toilet_flushing_at_home.html

Waterwise – Cistern displacement devices & water saving flush devices
http://www.waterwise.org.uk/reducing_water_wastage_in_the_uk/house_and_garden/toilet_flushing.html

Thames Water - FREE water-saving devices
http://waterwise.fortune-cookie.com/domestic/cisterns.asp

Three Valleys Water (take a water usage survey)
http://www.3valleys.co.uk/

Hippo - The WaterSaver
http://www.hippo-the-watersaver.co.uk

Save-a-Flush
http://www.save-a-flush.co.uk/

Interflush
http://www.interflush.co.uk/index.html

Friends of the Earth - water saving tips for toilets
http://www.foe.co.uk/living/tips/save_with_every_flush.html

DirectGov - saving water in your home
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Environmentandgreenerliving/Energyandwatersaving/DG_064370

(3) Environment Agency - Water efficient WCs and retrofits
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subjects/waterres/286587/286911/548861/862887/?version=1&lang=_e

Environment Agency - Greywater
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subjects/waterres/286587/286911/548861/565687/?lang=_e

Environment Agency - Rainwater re-use
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subjects/waterres/286587/286911/548861/861599/?lang=_e

Environment Agency - Waterless and vacuum toilets
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subjects/waterres/286587/286911/548861/862159/?lang=_e

(1) Save Water - a look at the global effects of water shortage
http://www.savewater.com.au/

(2) Water Footprint - calculate your individual or nations water footprint
http://www.waterfootprint.org/

BBC A-Z of water-saving tips
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/2945018.stm

Environment Agency - save water
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subjects/waterres/286587/?lang=_e&version=1

American Water - save water 49 ways
http://www.americanwater.com/49ways.htm

Water - Use it Wisely - 100 ways to save
http://www.wateruseitwisely.com/100ways/indoor.shtml

Action for this week

Quick and easy
- Identify your cistern type and whether or not it is water efficient.
- If your toilet cistern is not water efficient, install a cistern displacement device such as a Save-A-Flush, Hippo, Freddie Frog or even just a bottle filled with water. Contact your local water company and ask if they have any free cistern displacement devices.
- A very basic way of using greywater to flush the toilet: leave the plug in when you shower and then fill a bucket with this collected water and tip it down the toilet to flush away the contents.

Longer term
- If you have a bigger budget available, invest in a water-saving flush device which can be installed in your existing toilet.
- When installing a new toilet buy the one that is most water efficient.

Future planning
- As technology improves with research, consider installing a greywater or rainwater system for flushing the toilet.

Composting

2007-02-26T01:17:46Z

For some time now we have been asking our local council about providing us with a brown bin for the kerbside collection of garden waste. Each time we were told that no more bins were currently being given out. We were told that instead we could buy bags for the collection of green waste. Unfortunately these are flimsy, sold at few establishments, and cost nearly £1 each. However, we had persevered with these as it was the only way we could get rid of green waste. No provision is made by the local council for the collection of kitchen waste, and at no time did anyone suggest that we get a home composting bin as an alternative. So I was rather surprised to find out that Hertfordshire County Council has been offering discounted compost bins to residents for some time: just £8 for a compost bin that usually retails for around £30, £10 for a £40 bin and £20 for a £50 bin. And that includes delivery.

I enthusiastically phoned up to place my order, only to face the further surprise of being told that my area was not included in the offer. But I live in Hertfordshire! And the offer is for Hertfordshire residents! Why is my area not included in the offer? Apparently we weren't on the system. A glitch, a technical error. Call back in a couple of weeks - you'll be on the system then. But - I want my compost bin now!

At this point I was far from impressed. Firstly no one bothered to tell me about the compost offer, even when given ample opportunity. So the people I dealt with either didn't know or didn't care. Either way, not the best people to be promoting waste recycling. Secondly, on finding out about the offer, I was then unable to make use of it, even though I was theoretically eligible. My belief is that authorities need to make it as easy as possible for us to recycle, and to encourage any spark of interest in greener living. So this disorganisation and incompetence was really infuriating.

I did eventually call back (I am enthusiastic enough but I daresay that a good many other people wouldn't have bothered) and put in an order for a composter. And in a little under two weeks it arrived. I decided to go for the 330 litre composter. Made of black plastic and standing a metre tall it looks a little like the beginnings of a dalek. In fact on reading that swathing it in bubble-wrap would improve the compost-time I considered making a cover for it that would turn it into a dalek. Might actually do it if I find myself feeling creative with time on my hands...

Anyway. I have set it up in the back garden, in the alleyway which already contains our recycling bins. Since our back garden is entirely concreted (contrary to popular belief you can compost on concrete) I put a layer of earth down at the bottom of the composter to encourage worms (you'd be surprised how they get around) and other beneficial bugs. I then added some cardboard, as recommended in my compost book, to help soak up the liquid that would usually drain into the ground.

In the kitchen I have set up a lidded plastic container to collect appropriate waste. I have put a sign over the bin to remind myself not to throw away vegetable peelings etc. I'm quite surprised at how much I have collected in just one week and how it builds up inside the composter. So now all I can do is to keep filling and wait. With a little maintenance I should have wonderful compost in the not-too-distant future!

The joy of compost

- In the UK around 30 million tonnes of domestic refuse is produced each year, which contains on average about 38% organic content, such as vegetable peelings, tea bags and food scraps.(1) Instead of being sent to landfill where it creates greenhouse gases and contaminating leachate liquids, it could be composted and used to enrich the soil to grow plants.

- Vegetable and fruit peelings, tea leaves, coffee grounds, eggshells, grass, human and pet hair, plant prunings and clippings, straw and hay, and soft cardboard can all be added to the compost heap. You can also add the manure and straw bedding of vegetarian pets such as rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters.

- Home composting is by far the most environmentally sound way of dealing with kitchen and garden waste. If you have a garden you can compost.

- Local authority kerbside collections and community compost schemes also play an important part in turning kitchen and garden waste into usable compost.

- You can compost on concrete.

- Perennial weeds can be composted. Put them in a sturdy black sack and tie the top. When the weeds have rotted into a black sludge they can be added to the main compost heap.

- Local authorities may offer discounted compost bins. Check whether there are any offers in your area.

- There are many types of compost bin: plastic store-bought bins, home-made open-topped bins made from old wood, worm bins, beautifully crafted bins in the shape of beehives, even black sacks with the tops tied. Choose according to your garden size, budget, and the amount of waste that you are likely to have available to compost. The larger the family, the bigger the bin! Also think about which size and shape is most manageable for you personally.

- The time it takes to create compost varies. It can be as little as 6 weeks with a large hot heap, or as long as a year in a small cold heap.

- A properly maintained compost bin will not create a nasty smell.

- Ordinary composters can't take cooked foods, or meat, dairy products etc. However, you can also buy special food waste digesters which can handle these products. Check out examples here.

Further info and references

Compost This - Searchable database of whether things are good, bad or maybe to compost.
http://www.compostthis.co.uk/

Recycle Now - Home Composting info
http://www.recyclenow.com/home_composting/

Recycle Now - Home composting in your area (check to see if there are special offers)
http://www.recyclenow.com/home_composting/in_your_area/in_your_area.html

Home Composting
http://www.homecomposting.org.uk/

Garden Organic - How to make compost
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/organicgardening/gh_comp.php

(1)Waste Online - Composting info
http://www.wasteonline.org.uk/resources/InformationSheets/Compost.htm

WRAP - composting info
http://www.wrap.org.uk/composting/index.html

Community Composting
http://www.communitycompost.org/

The Composting Association
http://www.compost.org.uk/

Wiggly Wigglers - worm bins
http://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/

Garden Organic - build your own compost bin
http://www.organicgardening.org.uk/factsheets/gg24.php

BBC Gardening - build your own composter
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/htbg/module7/making_your_own_compost1.shtml

Ironically, my local council have just re-vamped their website and now make mention of the Herts offer. They also say that they are now wheeling out brown bins for all residents who didn't get one first time around. Oh well. Better late than never.

Action for this week

Best
- Check out offers in your area and order yourself a composter. Alternatively, build your own. Or you might want to try out a worm bin. Get it set up in your garden. Get a lidded container to collect waste in your kitchen. Start composting!

Good
- How about sharing a compost bin with a neighbour (or two) if you don't have anywhere to put a bin yourself. You can collect waste in a lidded container in the kitchen and then empty it into the compost bin once or twice a week.

Better than doing nothing
- If you don't have a garden you should ask your local council about kerbside collections and community compost schemes. Some local authorities take only garden waste, some take kitchen waste too. The important thing is to badger them until they provide something!

Nest Boxes

2007-02-18T23:47:59Z

On the eco-front several things have been happening this week but I wasn't sure which one would actually get completed for me to write about. One thing was requested but has not yet arrived; another thing arrived but has not yet been set up; and one thing is still the subject of detailed discussion. So, on to the one thing that I actually did!

This week is part of National Nest Box Week, which runs from the 14th to the 21st of February each year. Launched in 1997 by the British Trust for Ornithology, the aim of the week is to 'encourage people to put up nest boxes to help breeding birds and other wildlife'.

Our British bird population is diminishing, and one of the reasons for this is lack of breeding spaces. As trees disappear from our landscape, so do potential nest sites. As we fill up holes in the brickwork of our houses, fix loose roof tiles, tidy our gardens, we eliminate more potential nest sites. We can help redress this balance by putting up nest boxes.

I was given a nest box for my birthday last year but for one reason or another didn't get around to putting it up. Receiving an email about National Nest Box Week was the reminder that I needed to get the box out of the shed and fix it up. I have been feeding the birds here since I moved in and find it so worthwhile. I love watching them milling about (I have a great view from where I sit typing this) and they don't seem too bothered by me when I go outside. I even have a robin and a blackbird that like to hang about whilst I am gardening. I've actually nearly stepped on the robin a couple of times as he has swooped in for a closer look! The open-fronted nest box that I have says it is for robins, so I'm hopeful that this little chap will approve of it. My garden is of a fair size, with several shrubs and even a couple of small trees in it, but neither is tall enough to be a nest box site. Also in the garden is a rather large pole, a couple of metres high, attached (fairly firmly) to the wall. I'm not sure what its original purpose was but it does look to be an ideal site for the nest box. I borrow a ladder from a friend but am thwarted in my attempt to buy nails of a large enough size to hold the box up. Finally, a kindly neighbour offers to dig some out for me and I'm ready to go. I'll be updating my personal journal with any progress in terms of birds moving in, and I'll add a brief update here if I get any chicks.

The BTO is also promoting Nesting Spaces: encouraging people to think of a suitable public site for several nest boxes and then persuade a local business to sponsor them to be fixed up. I might try to get involved in this. I'll add an update if I do manage it.

What you need to know about birds and Nest Boxes

- Many UK bird species are in decline. In a recent population status survey, 247 bird species were assessed. Of these assessed, 40 species - including the Starling, the Tree Sparrow and House Sparrow - are on the red-list (high concern) as having more than a 50% decline in breeding population in the last 25 years. A further 121 species are amber-listed (medium concern). (1)

- There are an estimated 5 - 6 million nest boxes in gardens across the UK. (2)

- Many birds roost in nestboxes, especially during cold winter nights. These roosts are frequently communal. The record number of birds found in one nest box is 61 wrens (rather like a Marx Brothers sketch?)
- The species that are most in decline due to lack of suitable breeding sites may be the ones that will benefit most from nest boxes. Check out the RSPB and BTO websites to find out more.

You can make your own nest box quite cheaply. Visit the BTO and RSPB websites for instructions.

If you don't feel like making your own, you can buy nest boxes from pet shops, garden centres, supermarkets or online. However, be aware of what makes a good or bad nest box.
- Always ensure that wooden nest boxes are from responsibly managed forests. In the UK these will have a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) approval mark on them.
- Don't buy a combination nest box/bird table. It will cause conflict between nesting birds and feeding birds.
- Don't buy a nest box with a perch on the front. The birds don't need it and it makes access easier for predators.

For more information, see the BTO site. The BTO and the RSPB sell nest boxes online and are probably the best place to buy from.

Some tips on feeding birds

Feeding birds in your garden, from your balcony or even from your office window, is enjoyable and worthwhile. The RSPB can provide solid advice about feeding birds, as well as selling the food and feeders. Whilst I won't reproduce that advice here, I will reiterate some things that often get overlooked.

- Peanuts. Whole peanuts can choke young birds. For nuts use a metal wire nut feeder so that birds have to break off a bit at a time.

- Do not feed salted nuts, crisps etc. Birds cannot process salt and will die if given too much.

- Do not hang food in nylon mesh bags. Supermarkets often sell these with nuts and seeds in as 'ready to hang', but they can trap birds' feet and lead to injury. Fat cakes/balls should also be removed from their mesh bags and put into a special feeder. It might be worth making a complaint to your supermarket about these mesh bags - either by instore feedback form, email, or on their free-phone advice line.

Environmental concerns

Looking at long-term environmental impact of bird-food and feeders there are several things to think about:
- Cheap plastic feeders won't last long. Handles and perches snap off and one overenthusiastic large bird can bring the whole thing smashing to the ground. Most are not recyclable or biodegradable. (I was bought three last year as a present and they have all now been retired to the dustbin).
- Invest in a sturdy metal feeder. In the long run it is much better value for money as well as more hard-wearing and environmentally sound.
- If you don't want to invest quite yet, why not buy a small plastic attachment that turns a 2-litre soft drink bottle into a seed feeder. I got mine from Betterware, but they are probably available in garden centres etc as well.
- Bird food is often sold with a ridiculous amount of packaging. This is often more true of the 'value' type food from supermarkets, where extra packaging makes it look as though you are getting more for your money. A fat-cake in a plastic tray, wrapped in a plastic bag with a cardboard cover is really overkill. Don't buy them. Complain to the retailer and the supplier.
- Even some of the RSPB approved bird-foods that I have seen in stores have a vast amount of plastic packaging with no indication that it is recyclable or biodegradable. Again, this issue needs to be taken up with them. I find myself more often these days firing off a quick email to a company requesting information or taking issue with something. If I don't get the response I want I try again.
- In terms of packaging (as well as price) it is usually best to buy in bulk.

Further Info and references

British Trust for Ornithology
http://www.bto.org

(2) BTO - National Nestbox Week
http://www.bto.org/nnbw/index.htm

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
http://www.rspb.org.uk/

RSPB - nestbox advice
http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/helpingbirds/nestboxes/nestboxes/index.asp

RSPB - nestbox shop (all FSC timber)
http://shopping.rspb.org.uk/mall/departmentpage.cfm/rspb/76555/1/1

BBC Breathing Places - Nest box Challenge
http://www.bbc.co.uk/breathingplaces/nestboxes/making_a_nest_box.shtml

(1) BTO
http://www.bto.org/psob/index.htm
http://www.bto.org/psob/redlist.htm

RSPB - guide to feeding birds
http://www.rspb.org.uk/birds/faqs/feeding.asp#tcm:5-50087

Betterware bird feeder attachment
http://www.betterware.co.uk/productdetails.aspx?pid=016621&cid=194&language=en-GB

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
http://www.fsc-uk.org/
http://www.fsc.org/en/