Blog

Top 10 Water Saving Tips for Summer...
Published: 30.06.2009

Summer has well and truly arrived this week and with the warmer temperatures comes an increased pressure on water resources across the country.  Here in the UK, the average person uses around 150 litres of water per day in their homes, much of which is accounted for by wasteful and inefficient practises. 

Taking a few simple steps to increase water efficiency around the home however will not only save more of this precious resource, it will also lead to savings in energy bills and the CO₂ emissions associated with them.  

There are numerous items you can buy for the home which will help save water such as Water Butts, Shower Timers or Water Saving Shower Heads but there are also plenty of ways to save water which cost nothing so we've put together our Top 10 Water Saving Tips so everyone can do their bit over the thirsty summer months.

1. Don't leave the tap running while brushing your teeth, shaving or washing your face.

2. Take a short shower rather than a bath.

3. Only use a dishwasher or washing machine when it's full.  A half full machine wastes water and energy.

4. Fill a saucepan of water for washing vegetables rather than leaving the tap running.

5. Once it has cooled down, use left-over water from cooking to water plants around the home and garden.

6. Check the toilet for leaks by putting a little food colouring in the toilet tank.  If colour appears in the bowl within 30 minutes and after no flushes, there is a leak which should be fixed.

7. If you are on a water meter, use it to check for leaks.  Take a meter reading, avoid using water for 2 hours and if after checking the meter again there is an increase, you have a leak.

8. Use a bucket of water and sponge for washing the car rather than a hose.

9. Water outdoor plants and gardens early in the morning which will slow evaporation of moisture and is also a good defence against slugs and garden pests.

10. Place a layer of mulch around trees and plants which will slow evaporation of moisture and reduce the need to water them.

 

comments (0)

Recycle Week - What's your pledge?...
Published: 22.06.2009

Recycle Week starts today, June 22nd and this years message 'Let's waste less' is encouraging everyone to try something new in an effort to cut back on waste and reduce the amount of rubbish we send to landfill.

I'm pledging to recycle my old clothes which haven't been worn for a while (inspired by Mary Queen of Charity Shops!).  I'm also going to get a lot stricter on food packaging this week and not buy anything over-packaged and finally one of my pet hates is seeing cans and plastic bags littering the street outside so whenever I spot any I'm going to take them home and recycle them.  And of course, it will be business as usual with all my usual recycling duties.

Over to you now!... what's your pedge going to be?

comments (0)

Eco Design Summer Fair...
Published: 18.06.2009

Over the next two weekends, the Eco Design Summer Fair returns and this time around its back, bigger and better than before with three events across the capital.

It all kicks off this Saturday, June 20th where the market will be taking place at Westbourne Grove Church in Notting Hill.  Friday the 25th see's things moving east to Brick Lane and a multi-media evening at the Dray Walk Gallery with fashion show, design stalls, speakers, music, workshops and an organic bar all under the one roof.

The market then returns on Sat/Sun 27/28 June at the Dray Walk Gallery in the Old Truman Brewery.  For readers interested in sustainable living and new eco design, the fair remains a unique opportunity to meet forward thinking designers and businesses in the green sector.  Entry is free and if you plan to pop along to any of the events please bring any old mobile phones you have at home too as there will be a recycling facility.

comments (0)

My Green Lifestyle....
Published: 09.06.2009

For anyone looking to pick up a few additional tips on leading a more sustainable and healthy lifestyle make sure you check out online magazine My Green Lifestyle.

Mygreenlifestyle is a digital publication (no paper - so very eco friendly!) with a new issue going live on the website at the start of every month.   It features lots of seasonally themed lifestyle topics each month - June is strawberry picking and picnic time and there are monthly give-aways and reader competitions.

We've been visiting the website for a number of months now and and it's a really informative and pleasurable read - best of all it's completely free, you don't need to register, simply click on the magazine cover to get your monthly dose of green living tips!

comments (0)

Eco Cradle on The Apprentice...
Published: 21.05.2009

My TV debut has come and gone...yes eagle-eyed viewers watching last nights episode of The Apprentice may have spotted me pitching the Eco Cradle to the fiery Deborah and yes, the one with the Sandhurst scholarship....Ben! (I'm being nice seeing as he was fired!)

The Eco Cradle was selected by the producers as one of around ten products which the teams had to consider before taking two each to the Baby Show in Earls Court.  Unfortunately it wasn't to be and the Eco Cradle was not selected for the final stages of the challenge but it was an exciting process to be involved with.

Deborah and Ben opted for a luxury rocking horse instead and lost the challenge failing to sell any.  If only they had paid better attention to my pitch and chosen more wisely! 
Since we introduced it last year, the Eco Cradle has consistently received lots of positive feedback from happy customers and remains in our opinion a truly innovative and intelligent piece of design with real environmental credentials.

Oh well, maybe next time!...If you missed the episode, it can still be viewed on the BBC iplayer for the next week.  I'm about 14 minutes in :-)

comments (0)

Top 10 Free Energy saving Tips....
Published: 06.05.2009

We recently added the new Efergy Elite Electricity Monitor to our energy saving category which is a device that allows you to track how much power the electrical devices in your home or business are using.   This in turn helps users to adjust their electricity usage by learning which devices are power hungry and where electricity is being wasted or can be saved.

For me, this is one of the best energy saving devices on the market as it educates users on the relationship between switching on electrical appliances and the electricity, cost and carbon emissions associated with that action.  Over time you soon learn where to make savings and how much savings you are making, the average user knocking between 3 and 15% of their electricity bills.

There are other, simpler and free ways we can all save energy and below is a list of our Top 10 ways to save energy in the home for free!

1. Let the sunshine in - clean windows and pull back curtains during the day to benefit from as much natural light and warmth from the sun as possible.

2. Defrost your fridge and freezer for greater energy efficiency.

3. Descale your kettle so it will boil faster.

4. Cleaning the coils at the back of the refrigerator will also help improve efficiency.

5. Leave the car at home and walk or cycle to work - saves energy and allows you to enjoy the warm weather.

6. Clean your oven door - you'll be able to check on food without opening the oven door.

7. Adjust your thermostat to account of the warmer weather or better still switch it off altogether.

8. Check the arrangement of furniture so that they don't block any heating sources and waste energy.

9. Take a shower rather than a bath.  It saves water and the energy associated with transporting and heating that water.

10. Turn off the tumble dryer and let clothes dry outdoors in the warmer weather.

 

comments (0)

Mushroom growing report...
Published: 28.04.2009

As part of our ongoing quest to grow as much of our own produce as possible in a garden-less London flat I recently adventured past the herb/tomato/salad stage and tried out a mushroom growing kit - oyster mushrooms - not the magic ones!
It had actually been sat in the pantry for the past couple of months until the other week when I went at it with the knife as per the instructions!  Not expecting much to happen, it was a pleasant surprise to see a bumper crop spring up within a few days and a delicious breakfast of oyster mushrooms on toast followed....very yummy!

It's gone a little quiet since then though on the mushroom front - a second crop was promised in the instructions but nothing so far which is a little disappointing and expensive given the £10 cost.  Having read up a little today it looks as though I may have cut the mushrooms a little late - which dries out the substrate apparently.  I did a little googling and was surprised to come across this article mentioning some findings by Which? magazine.  Their testers had varying degrees of success, most reporting low yields similar to mine and the editor concluding the kits were a lot more expensive than buying mushrooms from the shops.

Ho hum... so perhaps not everything is suited for growing at home but I think it's important to report the bad and the good.  On a brighter note our herbs have all got off to a good start this year and I'm being adventurous in other ways trying out some red pepper and pea seeds which have just sprouted seedlings in the last few days.  It's still not too late to have a go yourself and if you need any help check out the Paper Potter which is the perfect little tool to get going with!

comments (0)

Cool Cardboard Kits.....
Published: 03.04.2009

Over the past few weeks we've introduced a great new range of cardboard toys to the kids section.  Ranging in price from just £2.99 up to £49.99 there's something to cater for all budgets and occasions.

We're really charmed by these new additions as cardboard is such a fantastic material for childrens toys.  It's light and flexible yet very strong and durable.  A lot of the models also come as blank canvases so kids can put their own stamp on them and let their artistic imaginations take over when decorating them.
Best of all though is the recyclability of cardboard.  As we all know, at some stage everyone grows out of their favourite playtime accessory and when that happens, unlike plastic which usually ends up in landfill, cardboard is easily and fully recyclable.

comments (0)

Follow us on Twitter....
Published: 03.04.2009

We're now up and running on Twitter so if you tweet you can follow us.  I can't promise we'll be as informative as Mr Fry or as witty as Mr Brand but we'll do our best to keep you up to date on all the latest going-ons here in the office.

comments (0)

The Age of Stupid....
Published: 10.03.2009

The Age of Stupid is a new climate change movie which goes on general release across the UK this coming March 20th.  The film centres on a man (Pete Postlethwaite) living alone in the devastated world of 2055, looking back at old footage from 2008 and asking the question: Why didn't we stop climate change when we had the chance?

With reviewers from The Ecologist saying "It knocks spots of An Inconvenient Truth" and The Guardian claiming it is "The first successful dramatisation of climate change to hit the big screen" - it's looking as though The Age of Stupid is a drama documentary not to be missed.

The film is also premiering at 64 different cinemas across the UK on March 15th which will make it the largest ever film premier in history.  For listings and tickets for this world-breaking premier check out the Age of Stupid website as soon as - at the time of writing, most of the London locations have already sold out.

comments (0)