tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121031442024-03-13T04:55:53.311+00:00The Small EnvironmentalistThere is no one giant step that does it. It's a lot of little steps.
<i>Peter A. Cohen</i>smallenvironmentalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11266419508599382319noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12103144.post-1118872576502954242005-06-26T12:00:00.000+00:002005-06-26T19:06:48.393+00:00Week 6 - Organic BoxesOrder your fruit and vegetables through an organic box scheme.After last week's attempt at the farmers' market and in the local shops I thought that perhaps I could save myself some time and just get my seasonal fruit and veg delivered direct to my house.Most box schemes deliver locally produced, organic fruit and veg that is in season. Some even have recipe suggestions, to help you deal with thesmallenvironmentalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11266419508599382319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12103144.post-1118872520339730332005-06-19T12:00:00.000+00:002005-06-26T19:07:36.820+00:00Week 5 - Buying fruit and vegFruit and vegetable shopping - buy local and fair trade and go organicThis is a tricky one. How do you chose between the fair trade banana that is flown from the Caribbean and the pesticide covered British asparagus?According to Friends of the Earth it is better to buy local and organic. This week I am going to try and do all my fruit and veg shopping by this maxim. It will be interesting to see smallenvironmentalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11266419508599382319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12103144.post-1118869506638532372005-06-12T00:00:00.000+00:002005-06-26T19:08:05.480+00:00Week 4 - RecyclingDispose of redundant items responsiblyRather a vague title I know but I'm talking about disposing of paint, old mobiles, old computers and the like.I'm having a clear out at my place and it's amazing how many pots of old paint, mobile phone chargers and old printers I've accumulated. Apart from ebay, there are any number of places that will take your tat.Click here for my attempt.Click here for smallenvironmentalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11266419508599382319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12103144.post-1118409050138255722005-06-05T12:00:00.000+00:002005-06-26T19:08:36.270+00:00Week 3 - RecyclingGet a kerbside recycling box (only from certain councils)Kerbside recycling is getting increasingly popular with councils as they are pressured to meet government targets. Defra says that "30 per cent is the national recycling target for 2010, and an achievable medium-term goal for all local authorities, supporting delivery of Landfill Directive targets to divert biodegradable municipal waste smallenvironmentalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11266419508599382319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12103144.post-1117639916312948172005-05-29T12:00:00.000+00:002005-06-26T19:09:07.030+00:00Week 2 - Water savingGet a water butt.With the recent warnings about a hose pipe ban this summer, this seems like a good idea. Hopefully it's not going to be too late for your garden for this to work this summer.Click here for links to buy.Click here for further information on water saving.Click here for my attempt.smallenvironmentalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11266419508599382319noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12103144.post-1116874109734041012005-05-22T12:00:00.000+00:002005-06-26T19:09:24.270+00:00Week 1 - LightingChange all the light bulbs in the house for energy saving bulbs (also known as Compact Fluorescent Lights). This will save money in the long run and means that you use less electricity and so have less of an impact on the environment.Click here for my attempt.Click here for further information.Click here for where to buy.smallenvironmentalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11266419508599382319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12103144.post-1119350306250102272005-01-01T06:00:00.000+00:002005-06-22T12:10:20.700+00:00Week 6 - My attemptStarting at the Soil Association directory I tried to find out who my local box scheme delivery companies are. I selected my area but wasn't really blown away by the options. The ones suggested all seemed a little limited and rather expensive. I decided to widen the search and came across Abel & Cole. Their full service is only available in London, the Home Counties and parts of South England, smallenvironmentalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11266419508599382319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12103144.post-1119273182564619352005-01-01T05:00:00.002+00:002005-06-22T11:40:23.236+00:00Week 5 - My attemptNot to sound like an old woman, but does anyone else think that apples and pears don't taste as good as they used to?I lived in France for a while about a year ago and the difference in the quality of their fruit and vegetables compared to ours is amazing. What is more amazing is that they are only just across the channel.Perhaps farm subsidies have something to do with this but I also think thatsmallenvironmentalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11266419508599382319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12103144.post-1119275596910236492005-01-01T05:00:00.001+00:002005-06-22T11:38:25.380+00:00Buying Fruit and Veg - further informationFriends of the Earth give some criteria for buying fruit and veg (and other food). They are that food should be (a) seasonal, (b) local, (c) pesticide free, (d) not GM, (e) fair trade and (f) good for wildlife.(a) I have absolutely no idea what is in season when. I have found a couple of sites that can help me out but, surprisingly, it wasn't easy. I do think that this flags up the education smallenvironmentalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11266419508599382319noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12103144.post-1119266265649101332005-01-01T04:00:00.000+00:002005-06-20T11:35:32.406+00:00Week 4 - My attemptI'm having a clear out of my flat. It is amazing how many computer cables, mobile phone chargers, pots of half used paint and general tat that I have acquired.The local charity shops have benefited from donations of unwanted clothes and non-electrical nik-naks. Let's just hope no one comes looking for that napkin set they gave me as a 21st birthday present.Unfortunately, the unused paint in my smallenvironmentalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11266419508599382319noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12103144.post-1118868920304904622005-01-01T03:00:00.002+00:002005-06-20T10:52:16.040+00:00Recycling - Links and further informationKerbside boxes - many councils now have these schemes as the government puts pressure on them to meet EU targets. If you live in a block or on an estate then it is more than likely that there are recycling facilities on site. Contact your council if not.It seems to me that the EU is reassuringly serious about what happens to our waste materials. Although it's not always clear whether the UK smallenvironmentalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11266419508599382319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12103144.post-1119002186682383192005-01-01T03:00:00.001+00:002005-06-20T10:40:51.746+00:00Recycling - Where to BuyI know, it seems strange to be listing where to buy new things when talking about recycling. However, there are some handy bits of kit to make recycling easier. Hopefully you can even recycle the new things as well.Home Recycling UK have everything you could ever need to help with your recycling and are recommended by good old FoE. Recycle Now also have all types of bins and crushers as well as smallenvironmentalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11266419508599382319noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12103144.post-1118868967059471272005-01-01T03:00:00.000+00:002005-06-20T10:40:22.313+00:00Week 3 - My attemptWell, to be honest, I already have a kerbside box. I did have to call up recently and get a new one though, as the old one was "borrowed". Islington Council was remarkably efficient and it arrived in a couple of days.They have also started to take plastic and cardboard now, rather than just the glass bottles and newspapers they collected previously. I'm not entirely sure that it all goes to be smallenvironmentalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11266419508599382319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12103144.post-1118687109152165242005-01-01T02:00:00.002+00:002005-06-15T21:05:21.910+00:00Water Butts - Where to buyTry contacting your local council to discover whether they have any links with water butt suppliers to provide cheap equipment to their residents.Gone GardeningBlackwallGreenfingers.comEven GreenerOak BarrelAs well as B&Q, Homebase and other DIY places.smallenvironmentalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11266419508599382319noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12103144.post-1118683674521264282005-01-01T02:00:00.001+00:002005-06-15T20:36:22.160+00:00Week 2 - Water saving: My attemptI remember receiving some information from Islington Council about water butts for the garden. There's a company that works in partnership with the council to provide cut price containers for residents. Call 0800 316 4454 to see if there are any arrangements in your area.The butts provided by the council are rather ugly, large green plastic things and would take up a great deal of room in my smallenvironmentalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11266419508599382319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12103144.post-1118856627746662902005-01-01T02:00:00.000+00:002005-06-15T20:35:23.770+00:00Water Saving - Links & Further InformationAlan Titchmarsh has some helpful hints on water saving in the garden. This Environment Agency site also has further information on conserving water at home. The RSPB also has tips on saving water in the garden, as well as a list of drought tolerant plants (and mainly native species at that).Thames Water has a great deal of information on saving water, as well as links to yet more web sites with smallenvironmentalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11266419508599382319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12103144.post-1119436628342135762005-01-01T01:00:00.003+00:002005-06-22T10:47:01.766+00:00Links & Other BlogsLinks The Energy Saving Trust Environmental News NetworkGrist MagazineFriends of the EarthEcotopiaEnvironment Agency Other Blogs City HippyTreehuggerPath to Freedom smallenvironmentalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11266419508599382319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12103144.post-1117037569585143122005-01-01T01:00:00.002+00:002005-06-14T09:05:46.396+00:00Lighting - Links & Further informationI have seen claims that you can cut energy wastage by over 75% (about £7 a year for an average energy bill or about £65 over the bulb's lifetime) by using Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs. Of course, this depends how much you spent on the original bulb. Sixty-five pounds might be over-ambitious if you paid £35 for the bulb in the first place.This website has a graph showing you how much money you smallenvironmentalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11266419508599382319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12103144.post-1118662451133432862005-01-01T01:00:00.001+00:002005-06-14T09:05:20.703+00:00Week 1 - Lighting: My attemptI did say that there would be some things that people had done already. Looking around my flat, all the normal bulbs are already energy saving - I got free bulbs when I changed my electricity supplier.Energy savers are generally expensive creatures, don't always give off enough light and break too easily for what they cost. So, rather than just changing all the light bulbs for energy saving ones smallenvironmentalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11266419508599382319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12103144.post-1118663197647050002005-01-01T01:00:00.000+00:002005-06-14T09:04:39.743+00:00Where to buy energy saving bulbsWhen shopping look for the European Energy Label. Energy saving bulbs should have an "A" rating.Megaman UK does the widest selection of light bulbs that I can find. Not only do they have bulbs equivalent to the long fluorescent tubes but they also have energy efficient versions of the pin halogen lights that go in spotlight fittings as well as something other sites have said don't exist, dimmer smallenvironmentalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11266419508599382319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12103144.post-1116630871304467452005-01-01T00:00:00.001+00:002005-06-20T13:05:00.696+00:00The ManifestoWelcome to the Small Environmentalist. This blog is going to track my attempts to become a better environmentalist. At the moment I recycle my bottles and newspapers; I have some energy saving lightbulbs; occasionally I buy organic produce; and, when I remember, I look for FSC approved timber. I have a few excuses for why I don’t do more and this blog is an attempt to address them. smallenvironmentalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11266419508599382319noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12103144.post-1118874804585640532005-01-01T00:00:00.000+00:002005-06-15T22:38:33.986+00:00Puppy Plumsmallenvironmentalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11266419508599382319noreply@blogger.com0