Small green changes

Small changes to your every day life can make a difference to your pocket as well as the environment around you. Spare a daily through for our planet with out simple suggestions.

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The smallest changes

• Take a shower instead of a bath and you'll use half the water.
• If you use the same plastic carrier bag twice, you save the energy to manufacture 4 billion bags each year.
• Switch of electrical items at the power source each night. You'll notice a huge reduction in your electricity bill over the year.
• Over 700,000 tons of detergent ends up in the sewage plants and waterways each year. This can be prevented by using an ecological washing powder.
• Don't keep the tap running whilst brushing your teeth. We currently waste 180 million litres a day by not doing this.
• Seven trees worth of paper are used each year for the average family.

Environmentally friendly homes

• Ensure you have adequate loft insulation to stop heating escaping.
• Check the lagging on your hot-water tank and cold water pipes.
• Check your thermostats are correct. If you turn down the heat by just 1 degree you can save 10% on your bill.
• Let the sun into your home for instant free heat.
• Draw your curtains at night to prevent heat escaping.

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Environmentally friendly kitchens

• Always use lids on your pans to reduce heat loss.
• Turn down the heat as soon as anything boils, a gentle boil uses less energy.
• It's more efficient to use a small gas flame on full blast than it is a large flame on a low setting.
• Ensure your gas flame is blue and not yellow. If not, get it looked at.
• Only boil the amount you really need. Use an electric kettle instead of the gas hob.
• Don't open the oven door unless it's essential to avoid losing heat.
• Don't leave the fridge door open for too long, as it will have to work harder to regain it's cool temperature.
• New fridges and freezers are up to 75% more energy efficient than those made 30 years ago. Investing in a new fridge can save £100's of your bills.
• Use your old coffee grounds, teabags and fruit and vegetable peelings for compost in the garden.
• Washing up liquid is a good multipurpose cleaner for floors and surfaces as well as dishes.

Fast UK recycling facts

• Approximately £424 worth of food per person is thrown away each year.
• Only 7% of plastic waste is recycled out of 2.95 million tons produced each year.
• 26 million trees are cut down each year to be made into Sunday papers.
• The British public, waste over 6 billion pounds of electricity each year. That's equivalent to giving everyone in the British population £105.
• The UK produces enough waste to fill the Albert Hall every two hours.
• We now use 70% more water than we did 30 years ago. Flushing the toilet is to blame.

Walk and cycle where possible

Improve your fitness and cut down on your carbon emissions at the same time. If you can walk the kids to school, it will be better for the whole family. If you can cycle to work instead of drive, you'll improve your fitness in no time and save money on petrol as well as eliminate the stress generated to yourself in traffic jams. Plot your route on our maps.