> Top Ten Going Green Tips & Tricks

Tip #1 - Be organic

By buying organic goods, not only is it good for you, but its good for the planet as well. Organic goods by their very nature do not use any artifical feeds, chemicals or additives; which means a reduced environmental impact too boot.

Tip #2 -Buy fair trade goods

Fair trade means that the people who grow/produce or manufacturer what you buy are getting a fair payment for their efforts and are able to work in proper working conditions. Usually it also means they are working in a way which is suitable and low impact on the environment.

Tip #3 - Buy Locally

This applies to all goods. if you buy something which is locally produced or made, less transport has been required to make that good or produce available to you; hence a reduced impact on the environment.

A secondary benefit with food is that it will be often fresher and better for you than food shipped in over many miles.

Tip #4 - Say NO to packaging

Now a days almost everything you buy is wrapped in layers on layers of plastic based packaging. Basically vote with your wallet and do not buy it! More often than not that plastic will go straight into landfill. Complain to your local store manager...

Tip #5 - Educate the children

Children today are surrounded by a world full of millions of toys and instant delights - they must be taught to understand the real cost of everything that they want. Get the children involved in understanding the cycle of consumption in your house and how to recycle. Run your own 'carbon chart', i.e. give a figure on the cost to the environment of something they want (doesn't have to accurate, just educational).

Tip #6 - Use rechargeable batteries

Simple one this. Each none rechargeable battery essentially goes into landfill as is. A rechargeable battery, if used with a good quality 'smart' charger should be good for about 1000 recharge cycles - this is 1/1000'th of the environmental impact. if you really want to be super green, get a solar powered charger. The other big win, is that you have batteries available for use 'in house', no need to making an additional trip to the shop.

Tip #7 - Turn off & unplug

Must devices when left running in stand-by mode consume a good percentage of the power they did when fully on (i.e. 30 to 70%+) - this can not only seriously dent your electricity bill its also a 'hidden polluter' and its not something you would immediately think about as being a problem.

So if in doubt, turn it off.

Tip #8 - Go second hand

Second hand has two big things going for it. Firstly for you it will be cheaper on your pocket.  Secondly it will put no extra burden on the environment..  Why? Because any manufacturing costs of that item have already been incurred  for the first purchaser. In essence buying second hand is recycling in its purest form!

This can even be true for older cars, if you are going to do a small number of miles a year, the environmental construction costs of a new car will far outweigh any per petrol mile pollution savings.

Tip #9 - Transport

One of the biggest differences you can make to improving your 'green credentials' is to change the way you use transport. Short repeated trips to the shops are very nasty on the environment; the car keeps being used in its 'urban' cycle and you burn up many miles compared to what you actually achieve.

Aim for a balance:

• Use the car to its full potential and it is essential to the purpose in hand, i.e. batch shopping combined with the school run is a good start.
• When you have the option to easily use public transport, do so. You do not need to move everything across to public transport, for instance on the commute run, driving to the train station and using the train to take you most of the way into the city is a lot more Green than driving all the way in.
• Avoid the need to commute if you can, i.e. work from home when possible.

Tip #10 - Save water

Be wise in how you use tap water. Quite a lot of resources are employed in providing clean healthy water via a pipe to your property. It needs to be collected, cleaned, filtered, treated, stored and delivered on demand. In most parts of the world clean water is actually a rare resource!

Therefore:

• Install water saving shower and tap heads
• Look for energy and water efficient clothes and dish washing machines
• Harvest rain water for your garden

Tip #11 - Educate yourself

The best way to be more eco is to learn more about how to make yourself and your friends and family be eco. For instance we have plenty of online articles on how you can do this, see below, or just look at our Articles Listing.

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