Monday, September 27, 2010

Winter Warmer Mmm..

I have just made my favorite soup which really is a meal in itself. I love making this as it really is wholesome and good but what I also love about it is that there is no real waste. Because its all vegetables the only things that gets thrown away are the peelings an the other reason it's a winner is that it easy to make and I get 2 nights out of it (or one night if feeding four people). You need a blender though. So, although this is not a recipe blog, I thought I'd share this with you as not only will it make you feel good inside, it will make your Eco conscience feel warm and cosy too.
Get stuck into this winter warmer...

Sunday, September 26, 2010

"Mistakes? I've made a few, but then again..."

....well perhaps not too few to mention but this is something that is going to happen along the way. You know, like when you go into a shop and see something that you really love, and without a thought, little old you goes and makes the purchase and leaves with a big satisfied grin on your face. Once your home and it's time to think about being the environments Green Friendly Giant, it dawns on you that you have made a big mistake and bought something like PVC leggings that cant be recycled or wont break down or whatever. Your heart drops and you wonder if you should give it or up and throw in the towel. Don't do it. I have made this mistake too and so have several others. The retail world does not always cater to our Eco friendly efforts and it can be tough to get it right sometimes. Here is my confession.


Sunday, September 19, 2010

The Simple things



It's September now and everyone is back to the usual work and school routine and thoughts of holiday's are put aside for the moment. Still my brain is working overtime with things that I can keep doing to make sure I am not wasting energy, money and time. I too am going to be back on course tomorrow as everyone is back to college I think. So for me I think that routine will need real organisation and discipline. The next few months will be a test as I am sure I will come in the door most evenings exhausted. Will I throw all my hard effort down the drain? I really hope not. So I remind myself that the little things I do will matter.
Dark evenings that arrive around 4.30pm over the coming weeks mean more lights on, and wintry days that continue through the night mean heating, hot dinners that use electricity and gas and ultimately more money!!! So what can I do to help myself and save a few pennies  which will also help the environment? Lets see....

Monday, September 13, 2010

Back to the Nitty Gritty!


Going back to my recycling post I mentioned getting used to what you throw away and becoming aware of different items that can be recycled. Still there is something else that can be done to reduce the amount of waste that gets thrown in the bin and can be a huge help to you. Composting! "Yuk!" I hear you say? No no, it really is easy so listen up. There are plenty of things that can be composted such as grass, newspaper, egg shells, all vegetable peelings, egg cartons (although I prefer to give mine back to the market for re-use) and citrus peelings (in moderation and these I find help to keep the flies away too). Lets face it I bet there's plenty in this short list that goes into the landfill isn't there? Why not compost it and then when the summer comes you wont need to buy the expensive compost.
"It's too smelly. It encourages rats and vermin. I cant be bothered..."
 ..are some of the usual reasons I hear for not composting. Really, none of these are true as I have found out.....                      
                                                                          

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Mobile friendly or mobile trendy...






Samsung S7550 Blue Earth

I must confess that for most of my life I have been a gadget girl and a mobile phone was top of the list for some years. It was my treat to myself and every 12 months when my phone was due an upgrade, off I went to the phone company I was contracted to and upgraded to something swanky with extras that could bring me tea in bed, clean the house and let me have conference calls, all at once whether I needed those extras or not. I paid quite a price for this unnecessary luxury of extras when I could have got something much cheaper which did everything I needed. "How did we manage without mobile phones" people always say. Lets be honest, we managed perfectly well until the late 90's when, as I recall, they seemed to shoot up everywhere. Still, I am one of those people and I really do think that mobile phones or cell phones (depending where you are) are quite important and productive. We see "the latest model" every year and we go through them so fast even though, 9 times out of 10, they are still functioning perfectly when we buy the next model. What a waste you might say? What a waste indeed!

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Growing my own

"The Good Life", Richard Briers and Felicity Kendal
 Have you ever watched The Good Life on the G.O.L.D. channel, which was a nice evening telly series created in the 70's for BBC 1 I think? The idea of a married couple giving up everything to have a life of self sufficiency intrigues me and watching them grow their own vegetables and practically running a mini farm in the back yard in "suburbia" with varying degrees of success (and hilarity too) makes me want to throw caution to the wind and join in! How simple it is made to look and how happy they are with their lot. Surely I could do the very same couldn't I?