Off to the supermarket today? While you are there buy an extra bag of groceries and when you get home put it straight in the bin!
It sounds an impressive waste of money and resources but, sadly, this is what we do as a nation! It seems we throw away a third of the food we buy and most of it is still usable. During a week when most of us buy more food than at any other time in the year, we would like to remind you of the reduction of waste. This timely snippet of information just helps to highlight the problem.
A new website has been launched to offer help and advice. "Love Food Hate Waste" is packed full of information, facts, case studies from real people and a mouth watering selection of recipes to help you cook without waste.
Bookmark http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/
How Much Food do you Bin?
Creative (crayon) recycling
I’ve just shifted a box of assorted crayons, found in a recent clearout, via Freecycle. What was a irritating ‘heap’ at my house is now a useful ‘collection’ at someone else’s house – such is the wonder of the Freecycle system. Had I known about Story Blox, I might have sent them to the USA!! Well, actually it would not make much eco sense – what with all that fuel to get them there - but for people closer to Ohio this is a great offer.
Story Blox will take your old, battered, nub ends of crayons and cast them into brand new, colourful, letters to spell out your kids name. They will then make a box to put the new crayons in and send them back to you. Recycling with flair and not that expensive – six letters for $5.00 and extra ones (if you need to spell out a longer name) at $0.50. [A]
Eco Radio?
You know how it is, you want to listen to cutting edge digital radio, be woken up to your favourite station, at a different time from the person you are laying next to, and save the planet – well now you can.
‘PURE’ have launched the ‘Siesta’, a smartly designed DAB radio which is one of their range of EcoPlus gadgets designed to minimise environmental impact.
On standby which, lets face it, is the state it will be in for most of its operating life, it consumes less than 1W. The packaging is made from a minimum of 70% recycled material and uses water based varnish. The documentation is printed on recycled paper using Soya-based inks and the unit’s insides have “…careful attention paid to the sustainability of all components
As a radio it has DAB and FM, multiple alarms, easy to find snooze button and scrolling text.
More details on PURE’s website
How Green is your Supermarket?
Well, if it is the Co-op, then VERY.
An independent study has identified the Co-operative Group as the most climate-friendly chain on the highstreet.
Truscost, an environmental research company, carried out research for the BBC’s Money Program and found that for every million pounds of turnover the Co-op produced £324 worth of carbon waste. Compare that to supermarket chain Somerfield who were way down on the list and produced £1,194 worth of carbon for the same turnover.
The Cp-op, which also operates its own travel business was the first travel agent to offer its customers the chance to carbon offset their flights.
More on this at The Independent
How Green is Your Company?
Ever wondered how green some of the larger manufacturing electronic companies are? Well Greenpeace have as well and just published the 4th edition of their "Greener Electronics" report.
Apple, which had a hard time from Greenpeace last time, has made the largest improvement because of a pledge to phase out PVC and other chemicals in their product line.
Nokia make it to the top of the list because they already did that! They also exceeded a set of Greenpeace benchmarks. Nice to know that someone is keeping an eye on all this. You can find full details on the Greenpeace website.
Consumer Pressure and Dixons goes Green
People often wonder if they can make any difference to eco issues and global warming without organising a riot. Well, it seems that your money talks and has made Dixons Store Group, Europe’s largest electrical chain, take a hard look at some of the products it sells.
They have noticed a rise in the sale of energy-efficient products so are now going to persuade their suppliers to phase out the standby function on TVs and DVD players. It seems that around 10% of an average household’s electricity bill is wasted because gadgets are left on standby.
Money talks!!
[From the Independent]
In the meantime, if you do have a lot of electrical equipment which sits on standby all day, have a look at this handy device which might help.
Celebrate Green Weeks in West Bridgford
On Saturday 9th June the West Bridgford Summer Gathering will take place between 10am - 2pm
Join us (behind the farmers' market in Bridgford Park), to help celebrating Green Weeks and visit the variety of people taking part: Freecycle, Ecoteams, Teddy Bear's Picnic, Craft, Plants, Cakes, Clipper Tea, The Green Box Shop, River Nene Organic Deliveries, Money saving Eco tips, the Vendablenda, Jo Jingles, U3A.
Carry your Juice Box
It seems we drink a lot of juice. Healthy and good for you but we then throw all the packaging away – tonnes of the stuff.
A women’s cooperative in the Philippines is doing something about it and making a range of bags, purses and accessories from recycled juice packs - non-biodegradable foil and plastic packaging that would otherwise go into landfill sites and incinerators.
The Cooperative began as an environmental project with the aim of 'cleaning and greening' the local neighbourhood. It has since become increasingly successful and now employs over 200 women and distributes its innovative products world-wide.
They have a huge range and orders are processed in London for UK delivery.
More details at www.doybags.com
