GreenFan.org

When you go food shopping there are a number of choices available which can help you to buy more responsibly both towards the environment and to your local area.

Before you go shopping think about your main concerns, so if you want to support your local businesses then take a trip to your local shops and famers markets rather than using a big name supermarket, or if you are concerned about fair trade then you may prefer to shop at a supermarket as some chains can provide a large number of fair trade options which support international fair trade schemes around the world.

If you are interested in eco friendly farming methods then there are a number of organic and free range produce on offer from most good stores and local markets, which can help you to support more natural food production techniques.

You may not be able to shop completely green every time you go out to the shops, so don’t worry if sometimes you do need to pop to a big supermarket instead of the local shops, just as long as you are aware of more eco friendly shopping methods and put them into practise as often as you can.

In the UK it is estimated that as many as 229 million cups of tea and coffee are drunk every day, and that is a significant cost in terms of electricity to power all those kettles.

You can help to save on carbon emissions and reduce power consumption with just a few simple changes to the way you make your daily cup of tea:

• Keep It Simple – buy a concealed element kettle as this will mean you can boil less water when you make your hot drinks, as some exposed element designs need a certain amount of water in them before they will work properly. Also avoid kettles with fancy neon lights and ‘stand by’ features which use a lot of electricity.
• Measure Water – only boil as much water as you actually need to make your cup of tea, so fill your mug with water and then use this to fill the kettle, instead of filling it straight from the tap.
• Boil Once – if you put the kettle on to boil don’t wander off and do something else, as if it takes to long you will have to boil the kettle again when you come back which is a waste of time and energy.

Recycling nappies is actually an old concept, as before disposable nappies were widely available most parents had to use cloth nappies for their babies which could be washed and reused any number of times. Although this can seem like a chore, it is much better for the environment for you to cut down on use of disposable nappies as these account for a large percent of all landfill waste and on average over 8 million nappies are thrown away in the UK alone every day. Disposable nappies can take up to 500 years to decompose, and not only can you save on waste by using cloth nappies but you could also save as much as £500 a year, as you will not have to buy expensive nappies only just to use them once and then throw them away.

If you do want to use cloth nappies then it is a good idea to have a tumble dryer as you can go through a fair number of nappies a day and you will need to be able to wash and dry them quickly so that you don’t run out.