Tip of the Month
Don’t buy cut flowers. Every year, we spend around £1.35 billion on cut flowers in the UK, with imports accounting for 80 per cent of the flowers bought each year. Because of their short shelf life, the flowers are usually flown in – which gives them a massive climate change footprint because of the aviation emissions. To avoid this you can buy potted UK-grown plants – or if you’re still going to buy flowers, choose those that are UK-grown and in season.
A number of organisations sell native trees and flowers mail order, such as: www.tree2mydoor.com
You can also do a bit of good by using Charity Flowers Direct – an organisation run by Age Concern for the benefit of 170 charities: www.charityflowers.co.uk
Tel: 0870 5300 600
Investigate The Postcode Plants Database to find out which plants are local to your area before you make any purchases: www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/life/plants-fungi/postcode-plants
And if you missed it, last months tip...
Invest in pedal power
To save money, look for second-hand bikes in reputable shops. If you need convincing of the benefits of cycling - for the environment, your health and your purse - check out http://www.whycycle.co.uk
Already cycling? Find out what else you can do to encourage more sustainable transport at Press for change.
York
is regarded as one of the country's premier cycling cities. It has an extensive
network of off-road cycle paths and on-road cycle lanes for cyclists of all ages
and abilities to enjoy.
Ample cycle parking is provided throughout the city, including several sites within the pedestrianised city centre.
York has recently been awarded Cycling City status. £3.68m of government money will now help to fund further improvements to cycling facilities in the city and get more people cycling.
Previous tips
Go see 'The Age of Stupid'
The Age of Stupid is the new movie from Director Franny Armstrong (McLibel) and producer John Battsek (One Day In September). Pete Postlethwaite stars as a man living alone in the devastated future world of 2055, looking at old footage from 2008 and asking: why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance?
The peoples premiere takes place across the UK on Sunday 15th March 2008 and it will be released in UK cinemas on 20 March 2009, followed by other countries.
Find out more at www.ageofstupid.net
Save energy and save cash
Carry out a Home Energy Check to find out how to save energy and save cash. The online questionnaire takes a couple of minutes, and you'll be sent a free evaluation of the areas of your home where cost-saving, energy efficiency measures can be made - see http://www.est.org.uk/myhome/whatcan/hec/
Recycle unwanted items
By 'recycling' unwanted items, less will end up in landfill. One person's rubbish can be another's treasure - the ideal way to save cash and save the planet! Visit http://www.freecycle.org/ or http://www.rag-and-bone.co.uk/ When you want to find a new home for something - whether it's a chair, a fax machine, piano, or an old door - you simply advertise it. Or, maybe you're looking to acquire something yourself. Simply respond to an advert, and you just might get it.
Credit crunch Christmas
Save yourself some money this Christmas, try something different and wrap your presents in newspaper or reduce waste and try your hand at making Christmas decorations this year. Paper chains are easy and make a nice substitute for tinsel.
Instead of baubles for the tree, wrap match boxes up like tiny presents, and hang with ribbon or a thread. You can hang dried pine cones or seed heads from the garden in the same way - stick on some glitter for a bit of sparkle.
It is estimated that up to 1 billion Christmas cards (17 for every man, woman and child) could end up in bins across the UK this year. Save money and paper by sending e-cards instead.
Shut it!
Avoid leaving fridge doors open. each minute the door is open it takes three minutes of energy to cool down again.
Monitor your use
Computer monitors use 60% of the energy needed for the whole computer. So don't just switch off the computer when you're finished. Turn off the monitor even if you only leave it for 5 minutes.