Thick and toastie warm....

Half of the heat we loose from our homes is through our windows and walls. We have learnt the value of double and even triple glazing for reducing heat loss and therefore heating costs, but we are still lagging behinde in our use of good quality insulation for the same task.

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Home-improvements/Home-insulation-glazing

can help you find good installers in your local area and help you to cut costs and keep youselves warm and toastie.

Drip, drip drop...

One dripping tap can waste 5,000 litres of water in a year!



Make sure when you turn off your taps, you turn them right off. If you see it drip, change the washers. They cost a few pence from the hardware sho and will save you the cost of 5,000 litres of water and the environment the cost filtering, pumping, distributing and sanitising all that wasted water.

Star light, Star bright....

Before I came to Norflk the only time I remeber seeing all the stars was in the lake district. Where the stars actually outnumber the street lights and bulbs in the houses. I remember being fascinated that there were so many more than i ever realsied. Suddenly the thought of there being an infinite number of stars had a real meaning, it wasn't just an abstract theory.

I'm waffling, I know, but I do have a point. The lights we use to light our homes, our offices, our streets, schools, hospitals and so on, use up billions of pounds in energy, billions of watts of energy and priceless resources of oil and coal which are burnt to produce the energy. All needed to make life safer and better i hear you cry - and in most instances i will agree with you. However, there is vast amounts of this light energy that is wasted. Lights left on when we go out to work for the day, because we forgot to turn it off. Lights left on in the office because no thought to turn it off. Tiny things in the realms of the time it take to affect a real change, by simply flicking a switch.

Recycling

Waste is probably one of the easiest things we can reduce, yet still one of the biggest failures of our government. Whilst steps have been taken to improve this I have to say that on the whole the facilities for recycling the waste of the nation are pitiful, collection is shocking and education is appaling!
Billions of tonnes of waste are procuded every year, but most people ae still unaware as to what they can recycle. What is suitable for a compost heap and what isn't. What can i do with my old bike? All these questions and more are things we will try to answer as we work through Deepdale's Eco-tips.

Today's top tip for reducing the aount of waste you create in your kitchen....
Buy produce from your local shop. Walk there and back, so you will only buy what you can carry. By purchasing your goods from a local source you are reducing your CO2 emissions by not using a car or public transport. You will hopefully take your own sturdy bag with you to carrry your shopping in and so reduce the amount of bags and packaging you will have to ispose of. Your support of your local shop will help to keep the shop going, therefore increasing the turnover, leading to increase in work and affluence in the local area. It also helps to create a feeling of community spirit with in the local area which has many bennefits both economical, environmental and social.

All by buying your potatoes from your local green grocer's. Simple!