You can make your life simpler and easier, and contribute to a healthier planet at the same time! Here are 6 reasons why you should rethink your recycling habits.

1. It’s Easy.
It really isn’t a complicated process to become more environmentally friendly and recycle where you can.

Your local council will usually supply you with specific rubbish bins and let you know when they are collecting what type of recyclables. Furthermore, most containers now carry symbols to let you know whether they are recyclable or not, and packaging is become more and more reusable.

If you think about it, the only issue is in finding the little extra space in your kitchen or backyard to sort your rubbish. This can be a positive thing, because your actual garbage will now be smaller and easier to manage!

2. Most Packaging can be Re-Used.
Remember those promotional bags that stores hand out to you? Particularly if they’re a cloth bag of sorts, holding on to them will mean they’ll come in handy at a later stage.

There’s always an occasion where you need a sturdier bag but don’t want to carry an extra handbag. Furthermore, plastic containers are great for freezing meals, taking lunches to work, or even to use for a picnic!

3. It Can Save You Money.
Buying a few green bags at the supermarket now will save you having to pay 10c per every plastic bag you use – a charge that is becoming more and more common in supermarkets and other big stores.

Not only can these bags carry more, you won’t have to worry about the plastic bags splitting at the most inconvenient moments or wonder where to store your ever-increasing pile of them.

4. Great Storage Options.
Boxes, bags, and plastic containers: they can all be reused and can help you organise your pantry, your basement, or anywhere in the house where you might need some creative storage solutions.

It’s also a healthy habit to make sure you are covering your meals in the fridge, meaning they stay fresh longer and you don’t have to worry about cross-contamination.

5. It’s a Feel-Good Thing.
Taking a little extra effort to help reduce waste, and making innovative use of what is essentially an expensive and wasteful use of paper, plastic or other materials – is something you can feel good about! Not only are you saving money, you are helping towards saving the planet.

6. You Need To.
The simple fact is, you need to start now if you haven’t already, because eventually you won’t have a choice.

In many countries you are now required to pay a bond for when you purchase anything that is plastic or glass. Why not get into the habit now so you benefit from the convenience and savings earlier rather than later?

Recycling is necessary so we can attempt to reduce the speed at which our landfills are overflowing. But it’s also beneficial to you personally in so many ways – so why not start today?

Photo: Revolve Eco-Rally

The report, entitled: “Opportunities for System and Semiconductor Manufacturers in Hybrid and Battery Electric Vehicles” produced by Wellingborough-based IMS Research, an independent provider of market research to the global electronics industry, reckons that 16% of all vehicles manufactured worldwide by the year 2021 will be electric cars – including hybrid cars, plug-in hybrid vehicles, and battery electric or fuel cell vehicles.

Of course this is educated guesswork, but it makes for very interesting reading. For investors, the feed-in technologies may mean there are manifold opportunities for smaller companies to gain a foot-hold.

A great deal will depend on the price of oil. But despite recent relatively small pull-back the oil price continues to rise inexorably fuelled in particular by burgeoning demand from China, India and other growth economies.

This, in turn, has caused consumers all over the world to seek out cars which are far more economical to run than most of the models currently available.

Photo: jokke75

Hybrid cars, in particular, are increasingly becoming the choice of “best family car” for families seeking improved fuel economy whilst simultaneously looking to make greener life choices.

The hybrids combine fuel economy with practicality due to the lack of a need to be re-charged and sales are on the increase whilst purely electric car manufacturers struggle.

A lot will also depend on public policy around the world. Pick up any newspaper at the moment and you’ll read about governments around the world having to drastically cut spending in order to balance the books.

And when the financial purse strings really get tightened, then public spending on environmental subsidies may fall victim in the short term. But over the longer term, government policy around the world is certainly on the side of all things carbon-reducing.

Photo: Sidereal

Let’s look through the process of road construction in any wild area. For example, we can take forest. To lay the road in such a section, it should be cleaned from trees first of all. Certainly, it will influence the wild nature of this area. Depending on the dimensions of the road and all its features natural damage is usually calculated. Laws of many countries make provisions for such cases. It should be either paid an appointed sum of money for each tree or transplanted a new forest area, which is equal to the damaged one.

After that the ground is prepared for laying asphalt. Depending on the kind of future road, climate conditions and other factors, the number of layers for the road is defined. There are several types of asphalt equipment used for various climate zones.

All in all, many companies try to use eco-friendly road constructions schemes today. So, western countries are already close to saving as many gifts of nature as we have for now.

Photo: Pink Dispatcher

Savings on utility bills
You will find that you save a significant amount of money on your utilities as you use less electricity, gas and water. There are a number of ways you can do this. By having solar panels on your roof you can use the sun’s energy to power your home and heat your water. With the right water saving appliances, such as the dishwasher, you will save water, and you can also reduce your water usage by having the right shower head and a toilet that uses less water per flush.

Recycled, environmentally friendly and safe materials
An eco-friendly home should be constructed with recycled materials where possible. You can buy recycled bricks from houses that are being torn down and you can use recycled timber. You can also choose to build a home from materials such as mud brick or even a straw bale home. Eco-friendly homes are often constructed from materials that are considered safer and help protect your health, for example better paint and formaldehyde free building materials.

Re-sale
Probably not something you would be considering doing in the immediate future, but one day you may decide to sell, and having an eco-friendly home puts you in a good position within the market. Today people are becoming more aware of climate change and of the benefits that the environment and their hip pocket experience when owning an energy efficient home. You will find that you will be able to ask a higher price than a standard home of a similar size.

Preserve your surroundings
An eco-friendly home will have been built with as little damage to the surrounding natural area as possible. The trees around your home should be well established and will save you having to spend a lot of money at the nursery on sizeable plants to create shade in your garden. The natural shade will also help keep your house cooler in summer, reducing your need to switch on your air conditioner. With the outdoors preserved as much as possible it will mean that any native birds and animals may still visit and live in your property.

Healthy lifestyle
By living in an eco-friendly home you will be undertaking a much healthier lifestyle, as well as reducing your impact on the environment. Your home will be constructed from materials that are non toxic and you will be breathing in cleaner air, due to a limitation of these toxins as well as having an established garden. As well as the house you can start to change your lifestyle habits by eating healthier, using green products and updating your appliances to more energy efficient ones.

Interestingly, the new shade sails are getting a lot of traction in the domestic market because they can deal with so many outdoor space cover issues. These shade sails can be very big, as well as very good looking, and they provide excellent protection in places ordinary covers simply can’t manage.

They also come in a truly futuristic looking range of styles, shapes and colours. If you’ve seen some of the dazzling new overhead pool covers showing up all over the place, those are just some of the new shade sails. They really are something special, and they can add a fantastic look to the outdoor areas.

The issues with outdoor space cover

Many of the big new homes have a lot of space inside, and not enough cover outside. That can cause some problems, notably in handling the outdoor spaces.

The issues:

• Covering outdoor space can be ultra-expensive, particularly if you’re looking at designer costs.
• Getting the right style and range of cover is expensive. If you want to build, it’s major expense upfront.
• Some of the design options aren’t particularly flexible for outdoor areas. You may need to install privacy screens, awnings, or other designs which are OK for some roles but not for others.

Then there are the other domestic issues. If you’ve got family, particularly young kids, you’ll know the problems:

• Covering play areas.
• Creating safe play space.
• Privacy
• Special events
• Pool area covers
• Entertainment areas
• Pet’s needs

Other outdoor domestic needs have their own issues, like covering exposed vehicles. For gardeners, outdoor spaces pose other problems:

• Windbreaks
• Sun shade covers
• Seasonal microclimate covers for special plants
• Cover for fruit trees

These issues are the usual basic problems for homeowners. They tend to develop as the household expands and the family grows up.

The customized canopy concept

All those problems have an easy fix- Customized shade sails. Shade sails have a lot of features which make them the perfect solution to a whole range of domestic building and space issues. Custom canopies can be created to deal with any environment. The “custom” element is the big breakthrough that’s getting homeowners’ attention around the world. The shade sales can be used anywhere, they’re stylish, practical, and above all, they can do their jobs properly.

Sail shades are very easy to install. They only need a good frame to provide their protection.

There’s another benefit that’s not so obvious from the designer information- These shade sails are tough. They’re about as low-maintenance as any outdoor cover can get. They really are built to last, made from the same strong materials used for ordinary shade covers.

If you’re trying to manage your outdoor space, shade sails should the first option you check out. They really do work with any home and any outdoor space.

Photo: OSMapping

A huge amount of paper gets used in offices around the world every day, so it is important that workers are aware of the need to recycle paper.

Offices should have a policy of providing plenty of paper recycling bins. It is vital to communicate to staff that they should recycle paper whenever possible, and this can be done by using posters and sending out regular email reminders.

One way of increasing the amount of paper that gets recycled is to appoint a specific recycling adviser who walks around the office. They can monitor the amount of paper that is being put into ordinary waste baskets, and advise people who are not bothering to recycle that their actions have been noted. Paper that ends up in office shredders should also be recycled.

Those people who are responsible for buying office stationery such as shredders have a special role in ensuring the company is as environmentally friendly as possible. There are very many companies who provide recycled notepads and office paper, and online price comparison sites will allow purchasers to get the best value.

It is worth bearing in mind the bigger picture, however, when buying recycled materials online.

It may well be cheaper to source such products from abroad, but that would be to ignore the carbon footprint.

To minimise “manufacturing miles”, it is good advice to buy from companies sourcing their products from within the UK. Buying from China means your products have to travel around 11,000 miles, so your intention to be “green” and buy recycled paper products can have a negative environmental impact.

1. Kitchen paper or kitchen towel is a huge waste of the world’s resources. Think how much you get through and what it costs you: switch to washable fabric tea-towels for mopping up messes and it is a step in the right direction. Reinstate the cloth handkerchief instead of paper tissues too and that’s a clean sweep – pardon the pun.
2. Put a lid on your pans. Simple but very effective as food will cook quicker, using less energy and less water too – you only need enough to cover what you are boiling, avoid the temptation to fill the pan right up as it will take longer to boil, again wasting more energy.
3. Clean kitchens with white vinegar instead of chemical based cleaning products. Kinder to the environment and very cheap. Don’t think that your house will smell like a chip shop either, it wont – the smell evaporates very quickly and the resulting shine is impressive.
4. Don’t immediately throw food out on the ‘best before’ date. I am not suggesting you take a chance on a week old packet of prawns, but with fruit and vegetables use your eyes, your nose and your sense of taste. We can all tell the difference between a mouldy black strawberry and one which is just very ripe. Don’t be brainwashed by the packaging and eat what you can.
5. Dust off your microwave. You might only use it to defrost things at the moment but have another go at cooking with it. The microwave method is highly energy efficient and actually you can get great results – Google microwave chocolate sponge pudding recipes, that’s all I’m saying!

These are all easy changes to make, so keep up the good work and add a comment if you come up with any other ideas to share.

Photo: Wysz

We all know that heat rises, and that trapping warmth inside our homes is essential in the winter months. What you may not have thought about however is that this also applies elsewhere on a smaller scale. For example, certain kinds of mattresses are cleverly designed to keep your temperature constant through the changing seasons so that you don’t need to have the heating on overnight in order to be comfortable.

Sleeping well in your double beds without driving your other half to distraction with your cold feet is all very nice, but there are many other simple things to do as well: close doors behind you to keep spaces warm and open windows instead of running air conditioners or fans. Another thing to look at is whether you are running your heat and water system in the best way for your lifestyle.

The times when it is programmed to heat the house or heat water may not be exactly right, and you may be wasting energy unnecessarily. If in doubt refer to the manufacturer’s instruction manual, consult an expert, or simply find what works best by trial and error. It may be that you need to set things up differently for the week and the weekends and this could make a big difference.

Be smart around the house and start doing easy things which just need to become a habit – you will soon feel the benefit in your home and your energy bill.

Photo: amatern

Luckily for such individuals, there are chest freezers, normal fridge freezers, and American fridge freezers on the market that mean you don’t need to make a compromise between safety, style, and energy efficiency. The fridge freezers of today are modern in look and come with a range of practical storage options that allow you to keep food fresh for longer while saving energy.

Perhaps one of the best is the Hotpoint RFA52P. Shelves that can be rearranged according to preference and the sort of food items being stored and spacious salad boxes are two popular features of a product that has an A-class energy rating, making it one of the best options around and at a relatively low price as well.

The Samsung RSH1DLBG is a product that both looks good and performs well under the surface too, which many sleek-looking items around the house fail to achieve. Like the Hotpoint, it has a top-class energy rating and is also able to boast a couple of additional features, such as an ice cube dispenser, that make it edge ahead of the competition in what is a truly competitive market.

These two models are also extremely reliable, which is so important in a modern household, so don’t worry about making these your starting point when you next seek out your new fridge freezer.

Photo: jblyberg

Take dishwashing, for example. We may have always used the dishwasher to wash dishes, simply due to its convenience, but is this the best option for green living? Are integrated dishwashers less or more energy friendly? There really are so many questions to take into consideration.

The first assumption that many eco-friendly people make when they think about using a dishwasher is that it may save time, but it certainly doesn’t help to save the environment.

However, a study conducted by a German university a few years ago actually revealed a surprising statistic. The study, conducted by the University of Bonn, found that dishwashers can use around half the energy and one-sixth of the water that a standard hand dishwashing session results in. With this rule apparently applying even to the most uneconomical of dishwashers in comparison to the stingiest of hand dishwashers, the news will surely come as a relief to those who can’t stand the thought of standing by the sink for hours after cooking a tasty dinner.

If you are looking at buying a dishwasher in the near future, make sure you look for the EST’s Energy Efficiency Recommended logo or the EU energy label. This will not only save you money but will also ensure that you’re protecting the environment from the unwanted effects of using a machine as much as possible. Eco tablets are also a good investment; they may be a little more expensive than economy dishwasher tablets but they do the job just as well and entail a far reduced pollution risk.