Low Impact Living

Worried about the size of your Carbon Footprint, or is the rising cost of electricity and gas getting you down? Whether your motivations are financial or fueled by a desire to save the planet for future generations, there has never been a better time to think about energy efficiency. Here you'll find important links to useful Low-Impact websites, energy saving specialists, plus help and advice to help you to shave pounds off your bills whilst also doing your bit for the environment.

Help Save The Planet (And Your Wallet)

1. Turn Your Thermostat Down

This is probably the easiest and cheapest way of saving money whilst reducing your impact on the environment. Turning down your thermostat by just one degree reduces carbon emissions and could reduce your heating bills by up to 10% (typically £40 a year). Turning the thermostat down on your water tank to 60º will save you a further £10 a year.

2. Insulate To Accumulate

Half of your lost heat in your home escapes through the walls and roof. Ensure that your loft insulation is the recommended 270mm in depth, which could save 1.5 tonnes of CO2 (saving you up to £220 per year). Equally, having your walls insulated is also a relatively painless experience, typically cutting the cost of your heating bills by a further £160 per year. For help, advice and even grants, click this link: www.energysavingtrust.org.uk

3. Switch It Off!

Many electrical devices can no longer be fully turned off from the mains, preferring instead to remain in an electricity-sapping Standby mode. Why not buy yourself a Bye Bye Standby (www.byebyestandby.co.uk). Costing just £29.99, you could pocket you as much as £37.99 per year. Bargain!

4. Clean Your Clothes And The Environment

Washing your clothes at 30º reduces your annual washing bill by 40%, but it's the tumble drier that's the greatest drain on your electricity; so only use it when you really have to. If you simply must use it always remember to wring out clothes or spin dry them, and never dry clothes on a radiator as it lowers room temperature, creates damp and can cause mould to form.

5. Greener Cleaners

Despite what the adverts tell you, it's easy to clean your home with ingredients that you probably already have in your cupboard. Bicarbonate of soda, lemon juice and white vinegar are every bit as effective around the home as shop bought cleaning products.

For a new approach to cleaning, why not take a look at these simple (and cheap) cleaning alternatives: www.houseofstrauss.co.uk

Alternatively, why not make these simple cleaners:

All Purpose Cleaner

1 teaspoon borax (available from chemists and Wilkinsons)
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 cups of hot water
1/4 teaspoon eucalyptus essential oil
1/4 teaspoon lavender essential oil
1/4 teaspoon tea tree essential oil

Mix all ingredients together and pour into a spray bottle for storage. To use, spray as needed on any surface (except glass) and rinse with a clean, damp cloth.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner

2 tablespoons baking soda
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon orange essential oil
1 teaspoon grapefruit essential oil
2 cups water

Mix all the ingredients together (being mindful of the fact that when you add the vinegar and baking soda together the mixture will foam) and then it let stand for ten minutes before you tip the mixture into a spray bottle.

6. Waste Not, Want Not

The average household wastes over £400 worth of food per year. Aside from the impact on your wallet, binned food will find its way to a landfill site where it will decompose and produce methane, a greenhouse gas that is believed to be 20 times more harmful to the environmental than carbon dioxide. Obviously there are no hard and fast ways to reduce the amount of food that you are wasting but why not make a diary of what you are buying and what you are throwing away. Most likely it's the perishable goods that don't get eaten (bread, milk, fresh meat, fruit and veg). Perhaps you could cut down on the amount of perishable foods that you buy or only buy fresh food as you need it.

7. Low Energy Light Bulbs

Low energy light bulbs can cost as little as £2, typically run for over 8,000 hours and can save you £35 per bulb over their lifetime. Moreover, modern CFL (Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb) light bulbs now come in a range of shapes and sizes that give off a much more natural-looking light than their predecessors.

Comparison Chart (or Which Bulb Do I Need)

8. Nappy Days

According to recycle.co.uk we throw away some 3 billion disposable nappies in the UK each year, of which 90% end up in landfill. However, for the paltry sum of £50 you can kit your little bundle of joy out in washable nappies, thus saving you £500 per year.

To find out more, point your browser here: www.recyclingconsortium.org.uk

9. Bio Diesel

With Fossil fuels both running out (some estimates suggest that our oil will run out in as little as 50 years) and causing great harm to the planet, renewable energy and lower emission fuels are becoming an important consideration for the millions of motorists in the UK.

One solution is Bio Diesel, which can be made from used vegetable oil that would have found its way to the dump. Bio Diesel's major advantage is that running it produces zero emissions and pretty much any diesel car can run on it without any kind of conversion. Those brave enough could even build their own Bio Diesel still, which could cut the cost of your motoring dramatically...

Why not check out: www.biodieselfillingstations.co.uk to see if there's a filling station near you.

10. Make The Switch

Changing energy suppliers is another obvious way of showing that you care for the environment, but be warned: it's likely to cost you a little more to do so. Moreover, it's possible that not all of your electricity will come from green sources. However, switching over to a green provider is an investment in the future; by supporting them now you'll be committing to a provider that is striving to produce all of its electricity by more sustainable means and the extra costs you'll incur are easily negated by following the energy saving tips above.

Check out: www.ecotricity.co.uk for more details

Other Useful Sites

Low-Impact Living Initiative
An Incredibly useful site from a non-profit-making organisation, offering a wealth of information, products and courses to assist people looking to minimise their impact on the environment.

BBC Lifestyle
The BBC's very own site devoted to all things green. As you would expect from Auntie Beeb, there are plenty of useful tips and links to some of the best websites devoted to a greener lifestyle.

Newhouse Farm
The Strawbridges' campaign to turn the nation green has been well documented on the hit TV series, It's Not Easy Being Green. However, this is the family's own website that aims to help others follow in their eco warrior footsteps

Friends of the Earth
For a more globally-facing approach to environmental issues, why not check out the Friends of the Earth website to help to support their continuing campaigns to make the world a better place for everyone.

Written by Julie Connery