In fact this time I have not 1 but FIVE Goodie Bags to give away courtesy of fellow Blogger Vikki Chowney.
Vikki recently organised a Swishing event in association with Global Cool. Unfortunately I couldn’t make it, but was kindly given some goodie bags from the event to giveaway to Retro Chick readers.
The bags consist of a Yelp! branded reusable shoppping bag filled with goodies donated by sponsors eHive and Red Cube, plus CHOCOLATE and a gorgeous felt flower from Henry & Jayne.
I’ll chuck in a few extra Retro Chick goodies as well for the lucky winners.
To enter just leave a comment telling me your best tip for greening your life or reducing your Carbon Footprint. Whether it’s your wardrobe, travel arrangements or your home if you’ve got a handy tip, let me know!
The best 5 tips will be picked by the editor (that’s me folks!) after the closing date which will be in 2 weeks time on the 24th June! UK residents only on this one I’m afraid!
My decision WILL be final, so make sure you impress me……
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check out the Crafts Council and local artist communities websites for dates of open days, not only will you be able to pick up unusual gifts but they will have been locally made so will have a lower carbon footprint! They may also use recycled materials or reuse objects and give them a new lease of life, and you never know you may just buy a piece by the next Damien Hurst!
At work, if you have one of those wall-mounted instant hot water boilers, make sure it’s switched off overnight and at weekends. Saves power and it also means that you don’t make that monday morning coffee with water that’s been on the boil for 48+ hours.
Grow your own garlic. Pprobably won’t win because it’s all fashionable and cliched now, but it’s dead easy, and garlic is an ingredient we use all the time. All you need to do is select a little patch in your garden, or if you don’t have a garden buy a cheap trough from the pound store and fill it with compost, take an ordinary garlic bulb bought from the supermarket, break it into cloves and plant them the right way up (google for pics) just below the surface of the soil. Mine are currently growing away very happily even in a pretty shady position. Just so long as I remember to water them.
Holiday in the UK. There are hundreds of fabulous places to visit that you don’t need to get on a plane for.
Even if it rains, there is nothing better than an empty wind-swept beach on a rainy day.
Volunteer for the RSPB, British Trust for Conservation Volunteers, local Wildlife Trust or similar organisation. You may end up clearing gorse to enable the indigenous wildlife to return, monitoring plant, animal, insect or bird numbers, acting as a warden for a fragile area, hedge-laying, dry-stone walling, or tree-planting. See if your employer will allow you to go as a group of work-mates. You’ll have a fun day out, feel like you have really achieved something and feel like you have given something back too.
Always carry a spare cotton shopper in your handbag (prefably unbleached and fairtrade cotton, or even the ones made from recycled plastic bottles!).
Not only will you save yourself the cost of the carrier bag in the shop you will do your bit to reduce the amount of carrier bags which end up on landfill sites.
Unplug your mobile phone as soon as it is fully charged and don’t leave it plugged in overnight – that just wastes electricity.
Put on a jumper and turn the heating down.
Make good use of your local charity shops as both giver and buyer. Maybe even as a volunteer too.
Get into composting and growing your own.
Learn to sew – then you can adapt and change the clothes you have to update them rather than buying new clothes all the time. It’s amazing what a difference a fresh set of buttons makes to a jacket.
Don’t bother with bubble bath, use sea salt fragranced with pure essential oils to soften your bath water.
I’m sure I have a load more!!
Re-use, re-use, re-use. Old tops can be used as dusters, Ribbon and wrapping from parcels can be used again, old Xmas cards can be cut up to make next year’s gift tags, torn jeans can be cut to make shorts etc. Look at how you can use things in different ways before you throw them away.
only plug in electronics as needed. we all have so many things just plugged in when maybe we only use them for a short period of time per day. For example, stereos, lamps, toasters, microwaves, electric water boilers, air conditioners, cell phone chargers, laptops, blow dryers, etc should be unplugged as soon as you’re finished using them. having them constantly plugged in is a waste of energy and money! it’s such a simple way to be green and will become a habit after a few days of doing it!
In need of some new furniture or maybe you have a bag of clothes that you no longer wear then check out your local Freecycle website.
Not only will you be helping somebody else out but you will also be saving reusable items from ending up on the tip.
I am recycling my two children’s baby clothes, which cost so much new for so little wear – the nicest ones on Ebay or to Charity, the not so nice are being cut down and made into rag-rugs for their bedrooms, and a Rag Dolly for my little girl – a double green saving there as she is just as happy with her homemade toys as with imported, non-biodegradable platic tat! My “cherished” clothes (eg Christening outfits etc) are being saved up to make a memory quilt – pretty for a little girls bedroom and a nice memory for her in adult life.
Turn down central heating slightly – even just one or two degrees.
Fill your dishwasher and washing machine with a full load – this will save water, electricity, and washing powder.
Fill the kettle with only as much water as you need.
Car share to work.
Short journeys? Walk or cycle.
Sign up to a green energy supplier.
If it’s not in use, switch it off – laptop, TV, lights, etc.
And what Jess said!
Eat seasonally and locally. For those in the UK, fresh, in season strawberries in June, for example, taste infinitely nicer than imported Spanish berries in September. And less airmiles and support of local farmers mean that guilt-free bowl of strawberries and (locally produced) cream taste even better! Try it the next time you shop- it’s surprisingly easy.
There are so many ways to be green in the workplace. Talk to your procurement department about not purchasing throw away cups for the water machine. Staff acn easily bring glasses/mugs from home as most of us have too many anyway.
Make sure that all electrical equipment is turned off overnight where possible. This includes printers and photocopiers, also not forgetting monitors. Its amazing how much energy this could save in a large building. You could even nominate someone to send a reminder around every day or to do a sweep of the building and switch everything off.
Encourage people not to print unnecessary emails by putting a reminder at the bottom of your email signature. Also, recycle bins are a must for all wasted paper.
Remind people to turn off lights in rooms which arent in use permanently.
It really is down to the individual to make a difference. Why not set up a sustainability group in your workplace to bring these issues to everyones attention?
For double Green points normally you can be good just by recycling your junk mail, but if you cut all the plain sides of the mail and staple them together you have a handy little jotter for shopping/To Do lists and then when they are filled you can recycle as normal.
Kids are always outgrowing, wearing out or staining their clothes. For anything that is too tatty to be passed on/freecycled/charity shopped, cut out any pictures/sparkly bits or cut out squares of material. They can be used for sewing over small rips and stains on Tshirts & jeans (the squares can be cut into funky heart or flower or star shapes) so they get a whole new lease of life.
Get back to baking – it’s fun with the kids and you avoid all the excess packaging and e-numbers in commercial cakes and biscuits.
Great tips above, already covering lots of green ideas!
My parents were of the ‘make do and mend’ generation and two things they taught me to always bear in mind were:
- When buying, think ‘do I really need this?’
- Never throw anything away, recycle, donate, mend, re-use, always work out what can be done with it.
I keep a watering can in the bathroom so that I can reuse the grey water on my window boxes and flower pots. It also helps me to remember to water the plants!!
Buy from award-winning suppliers/shops with green credentials.
Greenest regards
Fill a (recyclable)plastic bottle with water and leave it in the thingy at the top of the toilet to reduce the amount of water you use when flushing your toilet.
Use energy saving lightbulbs and turn off all lights and electrical items when not in use.
Buy local goods that are in season.
Buy fairtrade or organic.
Buy items that come in the least amount of packaging possible or packaging you know you can recycle. No blue glass bottles at the bottle bank please!
Bring your own shopper with you whenever you go shopping. If it folds up its not cluttering up your handbag.
Turn down the thermostat, put on a jumper and ensure that radiators aren’t blocked by furniture as the heat won’t circulate around the room and will be wasted.
Use curtains and draught excluders – not only are they cosy they prevent energy loss.
Make sure your house is insulated properly and draught free.
Plan your meals in advance and freeze leftovers! No more food going off in the fridge.
Use natural cleaning products like vinegar and lemon juice. And plenty of elbow grease.
Grow your own veg.
Support local butchers as the meat will be locally and sustainably sourced. In this climate small farmers need all the help they can!
Bake your own bread.
Shower rather than bath.
Shop for second hand vintage or handmade gifts and clothes.
Asess your wardrobe and only buy things you need.
Get things altered to fit so you can get more wear out of them.
Charity shops are your best friend!
More to pass on the tips than enter the comp as I’m pretty late to enter now!! :]
After a good ebay/charity shop hunt a ladies wardrobe can never have enough coat hangers.
Did you know you can buy Bio degradable ones made from wheat!
Look exactly like the plastic ones, do exactly the same as the metal ones but make you feel eco smug.
I get mine from here http://www.wheatware.com
.-= Verity Vale´s last blog ..What a Ladybird! =-.