Call instead of Travelling

A green Eco saving scheme is to call or email your other offices, customers or business partners more, instead of getting in the car to see them and pumping more toxins into the atmosphere. Technology nowadays allows for things like meetings to be better orchestrated with the use of conferencing calls and internet meeting tools, so there is no need to travel halfway across the world or country to attend a 2hr meeting, saving the environment and your company money.

Visit City Numbers for 0800 Numbers to give your customer an incentive to call you back, instead of arranging meetings saving them money and travel. Anything that we can do in order for a great Eco saving should be done and pushed through, as at the end of the day if there is no longer a sustainable environment due to pollution, then there is no business!

Easy Eco Tips: How to reuse your coffee grounds and tea leaves.

As a nation of obsessive coffee and tea drinkers we are disposing astonishing amounts of used coffee grounds and tea leaves that can be recycled, reused and brought to a new life, therefore reducing general waste from each household or café and making the planet a more environmentally friendly place to live.

Other than having the pleasure of just drinking coffee, their grounds have a number of uses within our homes. Treat your flowers to a rejuvenating supplement. Coffee grounds are high in acidic and full of nutrients. Use as mulch in the soil for those acid-loving plants. Another use in the garden is that it can also deter ant infestations and snails/slugs from around your flowers and bushes. You can also use coffee grounds as part of your beauty regime. Mix together with a little coconut oil and brown sugar to make a natural skin exfoliator, then rinse off in the shower and experience how irresistibly soft your skin feels.

Used tea leaves have endless purposes. As Britons we pride ourselves on being big tea lovers. We can take our patriotism to a new level by making the most out of what we love.

Tea leaves can also be used for the same purposes as coffee grounds within the garden, warding off pests and feeding your plants. Used tea leaves as deodorisers around the home. Sprinkle them into your cat litter tray to diffuse the smell, scatter them over your carpets, leave for ten minutes then vacuum up. The vacuum will also give off that refreshing smell. Dried tea leaves can be placed in the fridge to absorb odours in the same way baking soda does.

Tip #157 – Simple tips to make Laundry more eco-friendly

Clothes Line

Everyone does laundry. Most of us hate it, but it has to be done. There are new washing products being developed that operate at really low temperatures. However, here are some other ideas to make your washing more eco-friendly.

Use the coldest possible water to do your washing.
Only do full loads of washing.
Buy eco-friendly, phosphate free laundry detergent
Dry your clothes outside when it’s good weather.
Dry your clothes indoors when it’s terrible weather (most of the UK then!)

Tip #160 – Go by train rather than plane

Plane

Did you know that a Eurostar train journey between London and Paris requires just one-tenth of the energy compared to the corresponding flight!? A lot of time and money is being spent to make flying as eco-friendly as possible. However, given the vast amount of energy needed to get a plane into the air means that it will always require a large amount of energy. However, trains do require less energy as they have no need to take off.

Sure, sometimes it’s easier to fly, but if you have a choice, try to avoid it. In the UK, public transport has a long way to come in terms of frequency, reliability and cost, but somehow we need to find a way to make it better!

Tip #159 – Fit radiator reflective panels

HeatKeeper Radiator Insulation Panels

By now, you probably know that radiators expend a significant amount of heat by warming up the wall. The HeatKeeper Radiator Insulation Panels are speciailly designed panels that will reflect heat back in your rooms.

The panels are fitted behind your radiators, reflecting heat back into the room. The panels only take a few minutes to install since they are attached using double-sided tape. However, using these panels can result in a 20% reduction in your heating bills, and pay for themselves in less than a year!

Tip #158 – Use eco-friendly buttons on your clothes

Tree Buttons

TreeButtons are hand-crafted wood buttons that are made from cross sections of Cherry, Birch, Oak, Maple and Apple tree branches. The buttons are dried in a kiln, retaining around 6 to 10% of their moisture so that they don’t warp or crack.

The buttons are hand-finished with sandpaper, and then preserved with an exotic nut oil to leave a smooth and fashionable eco-friendly button. Using wood-based buttons avoids the need for any plastic-based buttons and is a completely sustainable product.

Tip #156 – Match the saucepan size to the hob ring

Cooking on a Gas Hob

When cooking, ensure that the size of the saucepan matches the size of the hob ring you are using. This applies to both gas and electric cookers.

This means you are not paying (as much) to heat the air. Gas flames should only heat the bottom of the pan and not the sides. This will also help prolong the life of your saucepans.

Tip #155 – Avoid using hotel toiletries

Hotel Toiletries

Don’t take the toiletries from your hotel, these are mainly plastics that will go to landfill. Instead, fill small bottles with your own shampoo from home.

You could even complain to your hotels to stop stocking plastic-based toiletries. Perhaps encourage them to source eco-friendly toiletries that use recyclable or biodegradable packaging instead (they could use it as a marketing ploy).

Thanks to this tip from Nik of Transition Southampton

Tip #154 – Reuse office printouts as notepads

Notepad

If you have unwanted A4 paper that’s only been printed on 1 side, then it tear or cut it up into halves or quarters. You then end up with A5 or A6 sized notepaper. I’ve got several wads of these around the home, and they’re clipped together using bulldog clips or staples.

Clearly, if you’ve got confidential material on the paper, it’s probably best to shred or burn it instead! You also might want to avoid printing too much in the first place!

Tip #153 – Organic and natural slug control

slug

I’ve recently started gardening, and one really annoying pest are slugs. They only come out when it’s dark and damp, when you rarely want to be outside. So here are some tips on controlling the little critters the eco-friendly way.

  • Orange halves – these deter cats and attract slugs. You then just dispose of the slugs once they’ve been caught (chickens love them!).
  • Coffee spray – make a weak coffee syrup with ground coffee and water, then lightly coat your plants. You might only need to do this near the base of the plants.
  • Physical barriers – scatter crushed egg shells, sawdust or wood shavings around plants at risk. You also might want to try hot chilli powder!
  • Slug hunting – this one is a favourite of my Dad’s. Simply go out at night with table salt and a torch, and pour it over the critters. It essentially turns them inside out by drawing out the water inside them.

Some of these Slug Control tips are from an article by Sustainable Echo.