Ken's Top 10 Eco Tips

1. You can reduce your carbon emissions by what you eat.

Eat more chicken or pork instead of beef or lamb.

Beef production causes 4 times as much C02 as pork and 8 times as much as chicken. Lamb is even worse.
So try not to waste meat and have lots of light snacks of locally produced fruit and veg.

Best of all is a vegetarian diet with the odd meat meal if you can not go without meat forever.

 

2. Plan what you eat and when you eat it

Throwing food away wastes all the energy that was used in its production.

So plan your meals and don't buy more food than you intend to eat.

This way of thinking will also save money and cut down on your waste levels.

 

3. Recycle more items

Residents of Woking can now recycle biscuit tins and aluminum foil.
Screw up the aluminium foil into a ball the size of a cricket ball
and then pop into the recycling bins or bags.

 

4. Buy things that are made to last.

They may cost a little more initially but you won't have to replace them after a few
months and if they do go wrong they can probably be repaired.

Or just think about what you are buying - A multi purpose tool is better than
many tools for different jobs. Less resources go into just the one tool.

 

5. Shower not bath.

A bath uses 4 times as much water as a shower.

I haven't had a bath for years!

Production of clean water uses huge amounts of energy and costs high amounts of money.

 

6. Collect the rain.

If you have a garden or flower box always leave watering cans
and buckets outside to collect the rain.

Better still install a water butt connected to a gutter down pipe.

You will always have naturally clean water for your plants without wasting
drinking water from the tap.

 

7. Home insulation

This is the most cost effective, energy saving, upgrade you can make to your home.

I have noticed some fantastic deals at present on loft and wall installation and if you contact
The Energy Trust you may qualify for a grant to have it installed for free.

 

8. Have green fingers

Have a go at growing your own - children love this job too.

If you have an apple tree or pear tree then try to use the fruit as much as possible
to reduce your weekly shop of the same produce.

A garden can be a very enjoyable area with the benefit of saving you money.

 

9. Beeeeee friendly to wildlife

By allowing a small area of your garden to grow naturally and by providing
a few old logs, hollow bricks or a broken fence panel in a mound you will
encourage bees, butterflies and insects into your garden.

Did you know without any bees the world would not be able to grow enough
food to feed itself. Bees, butterflies and moths are the plants natural propagators.

This task cannot be done without the help of our insects and insects provide food for
birds and bugs, who provide food for rodents and mammals - the cycle goes on and on.

 

10. On your bike

Fix that bike you have stored at the back of the shed.

Leave it by the door or down the side alley and put a rear parcel box on it.

Now - if you need to pop down to the DIY store for a few nails - Use the bike.

You need a loaf of bread or a paper - Use the bike.

If you need to pick up the children from school on a nice sunny day - Use the bike.

If you want to have a pint in your local - Use the bike (and this avoids drinking and driving)

If you need to jump on the train - Use the bike to get to the station - Parking is Free.

Or like me - you just want to have some exercise - Use the bike.

If you are doing all these things already then pat yourself on the back as you are truly 'Eco Friendly'.

But if you can do just a few of these things or maybe take the bus or walk and leave the car
at home sometimes then we will all collectively make a massive difference to our world.

The world is all ours - let's ALL look after it.