Asking gets you everywhere

Contacting my local council’s environment department proved very worthwhile indeed. I am now involved with a voluntary conservation group that undertakes weekly maintenance of local nature reserves. I am also a voluntary warden of a local nature reserve that is managed as a wet meadow and woodland. It’s important to ask about potential voluntary roles, just because they aren’t well advertised or advertised at all doesn’t always mean there are non to be had.

What’s in it for me?

Volunteering has enabled me to meet new, likeminded people whilst gaining experience in my desired career in conservation. Gaining experience and learning skills is one of the most useful ways of spending your time whilst searching for a career. Meeting new people can also lead to opportunities and enable you to gain an inside knowledge of different job roles and current issues within the sector your volunteering in. Environmental volunteering also gives you the opportunity to be outdoors (which is a welcome break from the computer screen). It’s good exercise and allows you to visit new places.

Being eco        

Volunteering in the environmental sector, even on a small scale is not only beneficial to yourself and your own needs it also helps the environment. Clearing litter on the nature reserves gives me such a sense of satisfaction in knowing that I am working towards protecting the local environment and wildlife.  Environmental volunteering can also help the environment at large for example counteracting carbon emissions, safeguarding biodiversity and ensuring that ecosystems are healthy and thriving.

If you’re considering volunteering, seriously think about environmental volunteering the opportunities and benefits are endless and you get to become an active part of conserving the environment.

If you’re eco volunteering at the moment, drop us a tweet @helloecoliving, we’d love to hear from you!

This all in one nappy is suitable from birth and we’ve been using it with young Isabella from week 3 of her little life. The nappy has a lovely popper system that allows you to adjust the size. Using the smallest setting is perfect for our little lady and we haven’t had one explosion (touch wood!). The Velcro fastening allows us to get a really good fit around her little tummy and legs (and our little girl has very skinny legs!)

We’ve found that Isabella is comfy in this nappy and she can go a good four-six hours in the night without a change. This all in one nappy is quick and easy to use, making change time seamless.

After the nappies have been through the wash they dry pretty quickly and if they are washed in the morning, they are ready for use that evening.

We love the beautiful colours in this range, and will be expanding our collection very soon!

What we love:

The longevity! These nappies are suitable from birth to potty

Unisex! In keeping with their eco credentials, they can easily be used with baby number 2, whether they are a boy or girl.

Quick drying! For a first time, busy mum we’re so pleased that these nappies dry quickly.

First of all what is a Carbon Footprint?

A Carbon footprint is an estimated calculation of the amount of greenhouse gasses (e.g. Carbon dioxide and methane) emitted by an individual or group of people. Emissions of greenhouse gasses can be caused by a myriad of activities including; Travelling, using your laptop and even drinking bottled water.

I’ve often thought about my own Carbon Footprint, reaching the conclusion that it would be rather low because I car share, I’m a pescetarian and only eat fish once a week, I switch everything off at the mains after use and I haven’t had a holiday that entailed a flight in over a year. Unbelievably my carbon footprint was calculated by WWF to be 7.91 tonnes per year, equating to around 2 Planet Earth’s. This is (I am pleased to say) below average for the standard British citizen, which is calculated at 10.92 Tonnes per year. The size of my footprint is still however quite surprising and much higher than I’d like it to be.

So what can we do to reduce our carbon footprint? Does it involve a lot of change and inconvenience in our lives?  Well, yes and no.

One of the main contributors to a high carbon footprint is food, specifically meat and cheese. Lamb and Beef are the highest contributors to carbon emissions due to the fact that these meats come from ruminant animals that produce methane (a potent greenhouse gas).   Chilled and Frozen foods are also high up on the carbon emissions chart because they need more storage energy than non perishable products.

Eating no meat and selling your fridge freezer is obviously not an option (for most). Eating less meat and or being more selective of the types of meat you regularly eat e.g. swapping chicken for beef is more realistic.  Buying organic produce is also a recommended way of reducing your carbon footprint (albeit at a premium). Buying seasonably and locally produced goods or growing your own are other good ways of combating you carbon footprint.

One of the main ways we can all work towards significantly reducing our carbon footprint is by making ourselves aware of our shopping and eating habits, what we are buying and where it has come from.  Just by becoming more aware of the whole process involved in the production of our food and applying that knowledge towards informing our choices, we can begin taking small constructive steps that don’t have to cause a great degree of inconvenience in your life. Why not take the carbon footprint test today and see how you score?

It’s easy to just throw out those unwanted items but of all the fabric that is sent to rubbish tips, as much as 95% of these textiles could be found another use.

H&M, the Swedish high street favourite, has come up with the perfect solution in their new initiative. The chain store has announced this year that they’re making an effort to reduce the amount of textiles finding their way into landfills.

‘Long Live Fashion’ is asking shoppers to take unwanted items into their nearest H&M and with help from I:CO, they’ll do the rest for you.

For each bag of unwanted clothes you take into any UK store, you’ll get a £5 voucher to redeem on your next shop of £30 or more. Also, the items donated don’t have to be from H&M, giving you the chance to have a proper spring clean.

After bringing your bag of items in, one of four things will happen to your donations.

Firstly, if any clothing is in a good enough condition in which it can be worn again, it will be sold on as second hand goods.

With regards to the clothes that have seen better days and can’t be resold, they are then converted into other items such as cleaning cloths. If the textiles aren’t suitable to be reused, then the next option is to recycle the fabric for alternative purposes.

Lastly, if all other options aren’t applicable, the clothing and textiles can be used to produce energy. See? That polka-dot poncho does have a place in the world after all!

If you’re questioning where the cash raised from donations goes, the money is distributed between rewarding customers for the produce they bring in, donated to local charities or is invested in recycling innovation.

You must be wondering now how H&M benefits from all of this. The incredible answer is simple – they don’t (apart from some decent PR!). So, now you don’t have to worry about where your unwanted clothes are going and you can give items guilt-free, whilst playing your part in reducing the amount of waste that ends up in landfills.

Dig deep and do your bit!

We’ve been testing TotsBots Easyfit nappies for the past couple of months. They are one size fits all (8lbs-35lbs), with a fantastic popper system that allows the size of the nappy to be adjusted depending upon the size of your baby. Liv is four months old now, and the smallest setting fits her well, with no leakage reported to date!

The nappies themselves are a visual treat! The ‘Every Nappy Tells A Story’ range come with prints of Hansel and Gretel, Three Little Pigs, Chicken Licken, Jack and the Beanstalk and The Enormous Turnip. They caught everyone’s eye and attracted a range of complements from friends and family visiting us over the last month.

Visuals aside, there is so much more to these nappies than initially meets the eye! We were really impressed with the internal design of the nappy – once you start touching them, it’s hard to stop! They have a super soft minky lining which can be topped with a reusable fleece or disposable liner and boosted with a bamboo liner for overnight. During the day we were getting approx 3 hours from one nappy, and boosting for nighttime Liv was happy for a good 4 hours + without a change.

In terms of washing the nappies, TotsBots have their very own detergent ‘Potion’ which allows the nappies to be washed at a lower temperature, saving on energy. We used Potion on a 30 degree wash with soiled nappies and they came out brilliantly, so well worth looking at this. Normally non bio detergents have a recommended wash temperature of 60 degrees for soiled nappies.

After washing, comes drying, and we were pleasantly surprised that after drying overnight in our spare room they were dry for the next morning.

Overall, the nappies get a big high-five from both mum and baby!

What we love:

The longevity! These nappies are suitable from birth to 35lbs.

Unisex design! In keeping with their eco credentials, they can easily be used with baby number 2, whether they are a boy or girl.

Quick drying! For a first time, busy mum we’re so pleased that these nappies dry quickly overnight. In summer it will be even faster on the line!

Accessories! TotsBots have a whole host of washing accessories, from nappy bins to wet wash bags that are invaluable for when you’re out and about.

Pack of 5 Easyfits ‘Every Nappy Tells A Story’ £79.99 

We’ll start with the Green Gathering, 1st-4th August 2013. Held in Chepstow in Wales, this small yet cosy festival focuses on the key topic of educating people on how to become sustainable.

Shane Collins, one of the festival’s Directors said: “We have pioneered running festivals using only renewable energy. We provide a powerful example of thousands of people thriving in a field using no fossil fuels and producing no carbon dioxide. Our main output is lots of music, speakers, workshops and poets.”

Formed in the early 80’s, this family friendly gathering encourages others to be environmentally and ethically conscious, with key speakers from the Green movement and debates in their Green Forum venue.

Now let’s have a look at Latitude Festival, 18th- 21st July 2013. Located in Henham Park in Southwold, this bigger event – about to host it’s eighth festival – is growing both in size and reputation. From information provided by organisers at the festival, the most notable ‘green’ effort by them is their recycling initiatives. For example, ‘Camper’s Waste Kits’ are provided for festival-goers on arrival, containing a clear bag for recycling and a biodegradable bag for compostables.

There’s more – the festival concentrates on encouraging sustainable travel to and from the event, with those who opt into their ‘goCarShare’ scheme getting the chance to win tickets to the festival next year.

Latitude also received a top industry certification for its environmental achievements last year, as well as using bio-diesel to run the onsite generators and they’re currently working on hybrid solutions such as solar power.

Glastonbury, 26th-30th June 2013 – now this is one festival that doesn’t really need much of an introduction. Well, for those who’ve missed it or have been living under a rock, this iconic event is set to make a return after having a break since 2011. Started in 1970, the festival has since evolved from it’s hippy roots to offer more of a mainstream event, providing big names but remaining conscious still of its carbon footprint.

The event also conducts a ‘Love the Farm, Leave No Trace’ campaign encouraging attendees to take their tents home with them and to be aware of the rubbish they’re producing throughout the weekend.

Lucy Smith, the festival’s ‘Green Issues’ coordinator, said: “As one of the largest music festivals in the world Glastonbury festival has a responsibility to reduce its environmental impact. We want to keep increasing the numbers of people that come by public transport each year, invest in alternative technologies, reduce the transportation of water, sewage and rubbish, and use energy saving technology to help the event become more sustainable.”

All that’s left is to pack your waterproofs and wellies, and welcome sunshine and cider…but remember to recycle those cans! Happy eco festival going!

Featured below are five ways to be more environmentally friendly, boost efficiency within your garden and quite possibly save some time and money.

Avoid peat based soils

Peat based soils still dominate the market despite the fact that harvesting peat destroys precious wetland habitats and emits greenhouse gasses including carbon, contributing to climate change. The irony is that many famous gardeners (who should be setting the standard) continue to use peat based composts regardless of the availability of alternatives. B&Q is an example of an easily accessible supplier, they sell their own brand of peat free soil and stock miracle grow peat free soil. Peat free soil is just as productive as peat based soil, mixing in manure rather than unnatural fertilisers will also produce brilliant eco friendly results.

Be water smart

Last year our weather cycle was at extremes first there was widespread drought resulting in hose pipe bans and then there were floods. In response to this irrigation systems where being installed, which can be expensive and not always as effective as you might think. Others responded by planting drought resistant plants. One of the best ways to keep your garden efficiently watered is to water it in the morning or at night (to avoid scorching from the sun and maximise your plants water intake). Watering for longer periods, making sure the water reaches deep down in the soil rather than just quickly watering the surface will also encourage plant roots to grow deeper, making your plants more resilient. A hose isn’t necessary, a decent sized watering can will suffice and installing water butts where possible, even slim line butts can provide an easy, cost effective and sustainable means of water collection and storage.

Cooperate and recycle  

Most people will be aware of the benefits of recycling but it really can’t be over emphasized. There are lots of objects that are not even remotely related to the garden that can form an ingenious use, from plastic bottles and shoes to bath tubs and wheels. If you see a skip in the street don’t be too proud to ask if you can have a look, they will probably be glad of any extra space and you might find some treasure. Get your friends and family on board with growing vegetables, even if they don’t like gardening they might contribute towards some seeds with the promise of a few home grown vegetables. Sharing garden space, materials and car journeys to buy gardening gear will also cut costs and is good for the environment.

Don’t stick to regimented planting

Although it may be tempting stick to monoculture, planting all the same vegetables together in perfect rows of raised beds it’s not necessarily the most productive method of growing. Why not try something different this year and reap the rewards. Try companion planting, which is the practice of growing plants together that are “friends” and can form a symbiotic relationship which ranges from enhancing flavours to preventing pests. The most common example of companion planting is Tomatoes and Basil, the vegetable and herb naturally collaborate in cooking although you may not have thought to grow these two together.  There are many different companion plants and it’s really not as complicated to do as it sounds. Permaculture is another option in which you can include companion planting. Permaculture, in simple terms is the practice of planting many different edible plants together rather than one crop. Permaculture is in essence working in harmony with nature, often mimicking planting patterns found naturally although it is a very flexible system. Overall Permaculture can be extremely productive, beneficial for wildlife and a natural means of discouraging pests.

Encourage wildlife

By encouraging wildlife into your garden not only are you helping to conserve British wildlife species you are also providing yourself with free organic pest control. While bees and butterflies are needed for pollination, birds, hedgehogs and certain insects eat pests. Insects are a particularly useful pest deterrent and easy to attract by simply implementing plants that they are attracted to. Pest eating insects include lady beetles and lady beetle larvae, lacewings and damsel bugs.

Each year the Fairtrade Fortnight introduces a themed campaign, this year’s theme “Take a Step in 2013” Promotes awareness of the plight of small holder farmers which make up 50% of the worlds hungry people (Fairtrade Foundation, 2013). A petition asking David Cameron to endorse a sustainable food system will be sent prior to the G8 Summit which includes an innovative style of campaigning, in the form of “mini marchers”.

The mini marchers will be placed in Parliament Square when the petition is handed to Mr Cameron just before “World Fairtrade Day” (12^th May). Follow the link below and add your name to the petition to create a mini marcher of yourself and get involved in this worthwhile campaign.

Fairtrade Fortnight first began in 1995 and since then the event has gone from strength to strength, raising awareness of Fairtrade, from Fairtrade Synagogues to human teabags.  The Fairtrade symbol is something that most people will be aware of, it’s a symbol that we glance at in the supermarket typically on bananas or luxurious chocolate.  While buying Fairtrade products may give us a small sense of satisfaction, do we give much thought to Fairtrade beyond the label and the supermarket?

Fairtrade Fortnight is a great opportunity to refresh yourself with the concept behind the label and learn the story of the farmers behind the food we so readily consume.  The great part is it’s also fun to get involved with.

Sites to visit:

Fairtrade Fortnight 2013 – http://step.fairtrade.org.uk/

Fairtrade Foundation – http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/

World Fairtrade Day 2013 – http://step.fairtrade.org.uk/worldfairtradeday

My First Years: personalised organic sleep suit

When it comes to your little person’s beauty sleep, you want to make sure they are tucked up lovely and cosy for the night ahead of them. What’s great about My First Years, is not only are their sleep suits 100% organic, you can personalise them for free. They arrive in the most adorable Tiffany style gift box, ready for any new arrival. Our mum-to-be fell in love with the softness of the sleep suit and was very excited to find out that there is a whole range of organic products on offer online!

£10 from My First Years

Born gifted: fair trade octopus and lamb’s wool blanket

Born Gifted has a fabulous little section of their website dedicated to organic gifts and toys. Within this section you’ll find the most delightful Fair Trade octopus rattle – it’s little face is adorable and it does a cracking job of keeping little ones entertained. At the bargain price of £8.99 including delivery we’d highly recommend this product as making a wonderful gift for a new born!

If you’re on the lookout for a blanket for little one, why not check out this lamb’s wool blanket . We love the bright colours, which is perfect for bringing baby home from hospital in, or using in a pram.

£39.99 from Born Gifted

Daisy Roots: Organic camper van gift set

This gift set is beyond adorable! Inside a beautifully packaged box you’ll find a t-shirt made from 100% organic cotton and embroidered with a VW camper van (one of our favourites!) as well as a tiny pair of embroidered camper van shoes. The little shoes are made in Britain, from only the very finest chrome-free tanned leather – better for the environment and for little toe suckers too!

Not only a firm fave with parents, but with the little people also!

£34.00 from Daisy Roots.

We received the owl covered Ergo Pouch sleeping bag before Christmas, and the 2.5togs meant it’s perfect to use between 18-23 degrees c, and it event comes with a handy room thermometer. With a zip up the front, baby only needs a sleep suit underneath and away he goes, off to sleep, nice and toasty!

The Ergo Pouch is not lacking in eco credentials, with both the outer and inner fabrics being 100% pure organic cotton. The manufacturing process is totally natural, using no pesticides or chemicals. The sleeping bag keeps baby’s temperature consistent with its breathable fabric.

The product washes incredibly well on a 30 degree wash and we can say baby sleeps happily in this product. (Perhaps it’s all down to the owls?!)

£49.95 http://www.ergopouch.co.uk/products/baby-sleeping-bags/warm-weight-sleeping-bags