Green Food Guide

Baby steps to a greener lifestyle

Don’t feel powerless in the fight against climate change - every little thing we do can help make a difference. Here’s some ideas that won’t take up time or money, but can help saving the planet. Plant two trees Every year, we throw away about two trees-worth of paper and cardboard, so why not plant a tree in your own garden, or donate money to a tree planting scheme. Join the Woodland Trust – the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. Next time you are buying a present for friends or family, why not send them a tree instead. We sent my husband’s green-fingered mum a crab apple tree for her birthday and she loved it! Go to www.tree2mydoor.com . Recycle aluminium cans Throwing one aluminium can into the recycling bin saves enough energy to run a television for three hours. With the amount of beer we drink at our home, that’s a lot of tv! Repair don’t replace Have you the latest mobile phone? The trendiest jeans? Read the latest bestseller? Saturdays are spent down the shops buying yet more stuff to fill our over-crowded lives. Instead of maxing out the credit card, why not think twice before buying the latest “must have”. Swap clothes with friends, borrow books from the library, download songs and movies off Itunes and get your mum to sew up holes in a favourite sweater (I know - it’s a skill I’ve never learnt). Buy reusable shopping bags If your average weekly shop uses 10 carrier bags, you can replace those with reusable bags to save over 500 bags a year. Our store sells some great reusable bags that fold up really small so are perfect for popping in a pocket when your out and about, and come in a variety of trendy colours and patterns. It just shows that being green doesn’t necessarily mean brown hemp and hessian. Circulate mags When you’ve finished reading your favourite magazine, why not circulate it to friends instead of throwing it away. Or donate it to organisations that need old magazines – schools, dentists, and doctors would appreciate the new reading. Or be really eco-friendly and ditch the papers all together, and read them online. Work greener Both my husband and I are very lucky as we work from home. So there’s no car journey to work, no pre-packaged sandwich and coffee for lunch, no new suit to buy to make an impression (its just pyjamas and slippers for us! Not really) Although we’re mostly glued to the computer, whenever we have to use paper we use recycled paper and print on both sides. We fill up ink cartridges instead of replacing them, and do all our banking by the internet. Make the most of natural light Not only is it better for us (just think of all the Vitamin D), but if we all use less lightbulbs, we’ll cut down carbon emissions and help stop global warming. Have one romantic evening a week and only light candles! Cut food waste This is one thing I really hate – throwing away food. I know bulk buying is meant to save cash, but I can’t stand filling up my cupboards and then forgetting things until they’re way past their sell by date. So I plan the weekly meals and buy accordingly, and rehash leftovers to make new meals - If we make a bean stew one night, we’ll reheat for lunch and have with jacket potatoes. You’ll certainly notice the effect on your dustbins (and the other effects from re-heated beans!) Grow a vegie patch You don’t have to be Percy Thrower to start a vegie garden nor do you need lots of space. Start a herb garden in a window box, plant potaoes and lettuce in pots, or go all the way and sign up for an allotment. A friend of mine did that very thing and loved the gardening and fresh produce she grew so much, she gave up her job to study horticulture. You never know unless you try it, and wellies are so fashionable these days! For more ideas, go to www.biggreenswitch.co.uk