How to become more eco friendly??

Lillylilly

Hi lads..

I'm new to the eco- friendly way of living and am looking for tips on how to do more for the environment.

I do the obvious stuff like recycle and watching my general energy consumption but wanna do more!!!

Thanks in advance for the advice,

L.

ircoha

Lillylilly wrote: »

Hi lads..

I'm new to the eco- friendly way of living and am looking for tips on how to do more for the environment.

I do the obvious stuff like recycle and watching my general energy consumption but wanna do more!!!

Thanks in advance for the advice,

L.

The recycle bit may be the obvious stuff but for me the reduce and re-use is much more important, with the idea of reducing consumption in the first place being far more imoportant than recycling.

Its funny now how people feel much more comfortable with producing waste now that they have 3 or 4 different bins to dump it in and thats before u get to the 'Bring Centre' with your 4.2L or greater SUV full of waste.

For me reduce or conserve is where it is at with a close eye on the embedded energy.
For example, shipping bottled water from Fiji.

Or my latest example: quarry the stone in India, ship it to Brazil for the stonemason bit and then ship it to Bavaria to clad an eco-house.
" Ya, mein Haus is a Passiv-Haus mit de thermal mass von de wonderbar cut stone"

Grizzly 45

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Its funny now how people feel much more comfortable with producing waste now that they have 3 or 4 different bins to dump it in and thats before u get to the 'Bring Centre' with your 4.2L or greater SUV full of waste.

Well, at least if you are lugging all that waste in your SUV you are bringing down appx 1.5 tonnes:D.So it would be most commendable.
4.2 Litres...Hmmm unless you are driving a Yank Tank.Not too many of them around

Design_Dude

ha, buy a wind mill, or get a wood pellet boiler, theres good grants on all that stuff.

Capt'n Midnight

Reduce car usage, by using alternatives or traveling more off peak.
Become vegetarian - meat production uses many times it's weight of oil.

Glowing

Get a bicycle!

Save money on petrol, reduce your emissions, and get fit at the same time!

ircoha

Glowing wrote: »

Get a bicycle!

Save money on petrol, reduce your emissions, and get fit at the same time!

exactly, cycle before you recycle:pac:

prospect

ircoha wrote: »

The recycle bit may be the obvious stuff but for me the reduce and re-use is much more important, with the idea of reducing consumption in the first place being far more imoportant than recycling.

Exactly,

I was dividing all our waste up:
- Raw green waste to the composter
- Cooked waste & meat to the 'Big Pig'
- TetraPak - Cling Wrap - Plastic - Glass -Cans & Tins - Paper - Magazines etc to the recycling.

Then I got thinking, it would make my life easier if I didn't have to do that as often. So I cut down on the packaging when I buy stuff. I try to bulk buy if possible. I re-use as much as possible, waste paper makes a great weed barrier in the garden, just spread it around a few sheets thick and cover with mulch/pebbles/twiggs.

I don't buy papers anymore, I use the internet instead. I have any bills sent to me electronically if possible. I grow my own veg.

I am lucky that I have space to hoard. I am very careful about what I get rid of. I recently got my hands on two heavy duty pallets that were being destroyed. They made fantastic shelving for my garage. My next big project is to make up a large rainwater collector, to use for washing the car, watering the garden, cleaning windows, etc.

I could go on, but I am sure you get the idea.

Glowing

Overpackaged products really annoy me. Try avoid them if possible because they're such a waste.

Also if you aren't fortunate enough to be able to grow your own veg, try get them from a local farmers market, or at least try ensure your stuff isn't flown over from the other side of the world!

Húrin

The most eco-friendly thing you can do is not one you hear much in the media.

More than any other action, you will do more to save the earth's climate by regularly writing to or emailing your political representatives at all levels. Let them know that you care about climate change and the environment in general, and insist that they support eco-friendly policy.

Get informed. Mark Lynas, James Lovelock and George Monbiot are among the many good writers on this subject. They all have books and websites.

Lillylilly wrote: »

Hi lads..

I'm new to the eco- friendly way of living and am looking for tips on how to do more for the environment.

I do the obvious stuff like recycle and watching my general energy consumption but wanna do more!!!

Thanks in advance for the advice,

L.

Create a compost bin or heap, and put your food wastes there instead of the landfill. If like me you pay for your waste per collection this will save a lot of money too.

Grow your own vegetables. The compost produced after a year will help this process. It's a tranquil and clean way to have a good time )save for all the dirt!(

Cycle or walk. Good exercise.

Live like someone in the 1940s and go to church more.

Design_Dude

good advice húrin