Tip 1. Clear your clutter and make someone happy!


Have a thorough house and garage clear out, look at what you are considering throwing away and see if it could be of use by somebody else. If so, donate it to a local good cause. Or, if you are on the web, find your local Freecycle Group and give it away there. (As previously mentioned on the EcoList)

At the time of updating this list, there were over 4,338,000 members worldwide, all giving their stuff away! Be part of that great organisation and de-clutter your life - see www.freecycle.org/group/UK/ and find a group near you.

Downshifting encourages you to look at every aspect of your life and apply this 'reuse, recycle, renew and rethink' policy. Donating items to people who have a need for them also helps reduce our landfill problem and can give you a great sense of self-worth, a well-needed moral boost and of course, it does the recipient a good turn too.