Here's Friends of the Earth's visual review of 2008.
If you think you could help your local group and would like to get involved, please contact us.
Leading green electricity supplier Good Energy has teamed up with Friends of the Earth in the fight against climate change.
Good Energy buys 100 per cent renewable electricity and also gives financial support to households that produce their own renewable energy. Switching to electricity supplied by Good Energy gives people the opportunity to combat climate change by lowering their domestic carbon emissions. Good Energy was last month rated the best company in the sector in a Concerned Consumer survey funded by The Times.
Good Energy will be advocating the campaigns Friends of the Earth embark on in the coming months and will donate £30 to the charity for every customer who mentions FOE when they sign up.
Join Good Energy today and reduce your carbon footprint by up to one third.
Call 0845 456 1640 or sign up online at http://www.good-energy.co.uk
Some ideas to help Save Cash and Save the Planet in your own home:
Heating: Too warm? - Turn down your thermostat by a few °C, it will cut your heating bills. Too cold? - Wear more clothes or sit closer to your friends - raise the issue at your school or workplace.
Lighting: Turn off the light when you leave a room. Even adjust your curtains to let in as much light as possible. If you haven't done it yet, replace your bulbs with an energy-saving equivalent - it will use around a quarter of the electricity and last up to 12 times longer. They will give you a saving on your bills. Hassle everyone you know to change to energy efficient lightbulbs too!
Washing: Take showers not baths, it uses less hot water. Leaving hot water taps running without the plug in the sink is both expensive and wasteful. Dry your washing outside or hang it on a horse - try not to put your clothes in a tumble-dryer.
Insulation: Close your curtains at dusk to stop the heat escaping through the windows. Think about getting double glazing. Loft spaces, cavity and normal walls, floors, doors, windows and pipes can all be insulated to significantly cut down on the amount of energy used to heat your home. In time it will all pay for itself by helping to reduce your fuel bill.
Kettles: Don’t over fill your kettle. Heat the amount of water that you really need.
Pots and Pans: Choose the correct size pan for the food and the cooker. Don’t have flames up the sides of a pan on a gas cooker - it’s a waste. With electric, the base of the pan should just cover the cooking ring. Try to keep the lids on the pans. Steaming vegetables with the minimum about of water will keep more goodness in your food and make it taste better.
TV: Don't leave your telly or stereo on standby. In fact, turn off the TV and do something much more exciting. Campaign for not-for-profit public transport, knit jumpers or listen to a solar-powered radio.
Eating: Grow at least some of your own food. Reclaim some space to do this with others, get an allotment, grow stuff in pots. Buy ethical local food. Even growing herbs on your windowsill will help to reduce “food miles” that cause climate change.
Go Veggie!: Much of the food grown in the world is used to feed animals rather than us. Cow’s farts are the most damaging greenhouse gas, so why not think about going veggie?
Buy Green: Get your electricity from a supplier who sells “green energy” from renewable sources like wind power. Visit the websites of Good Energy and Ecotricty for details.
Travel: Talk with your neighbours and friends about what you could do collectively. Car share, set personal targets, walk or cycle to school / work.
Tourism: Take your holidays in England. Airplanes are noisy and polluting. Take your family for days-out on the train rather than sitting in airport departure lounges.
Some Contacts:
Centre for Alternative Technology - (Europe’s largest green energy centre) www.cat.org.uk Tel: 01654 705950
Ecotricity - (one of the suppliers of green energy to homes and businesses) www.ecotricity.co.uk Tel: 08000 326 100
Energy Saving Trust - (guidance on energy efficient ideas and products) www.energysavingtrust.org.uk Tel: 020 7222 0101
Friends of the Earth - (for more information, ideas and contacts) www.foe.co.uk Tel: 020 7490 1555
Good Energy - (one of the suppliers of green energy to homes and businesses) www.good-energy.co.uk Tel: 0845 456 1640
Garden Organic / HDRA - (organic gardening advice) www.gardenorganic.org Tel: 024 7630 3517
LiftShare - (online car sharing scheme) www.liftshare.org
Permaculture Association - (advice on designing eco-buildings and gardening) www.permaculture.org.uk Tel: 0845 4581805
Travelwise - (advice on travel plans for schools, businesses and individuals) www.travelwise.org.uk
Traveline - (public transport info.) www.traveline.org.uk Tel: 0870 608 2 608
PRODUCT REVIEW
“Freeplay Ranger” - solar powered/wind-up radio. Cost - approx £30
A small FM/AM radio, suitable for camping, in the shed or just around the house. In sunny weather the PV (photovoltaic) cell gets enough juice to keep it playing constantly, but in the dark or overcast (typical English weather) then a 30 second winding is needed occasionally, providing over 30 minutes of charge. The speaker is more than sufficient for both music and talking radio stations. Available on mail-order from, amongst other places, Centre for Alternative Technology.
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