Eat seasonably
24/06/09 09:00 AM Filed in: Food
Here’s a great little website you should bookmark that details what food’s in season. It has a really clever interactive food calendar. Click here to visit.
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It's National Recycle Week!
23/06/09 08:47 AM Filed in: Recycle
It’s easy to get involved this Recycle Week. We can all help by doing anything from re-using carrier bags to recycling old electrical items and remembering to put the recycling out, reducing food waste and even home composting!
However you choose to waste less, it’s easy, it helps the environment and you might even save money in the process.
Everyone’s invited to join in! To show how much we can all contribute as individuals, we’ve put together a list of easy-to-achieve pledges which include:
I pledge to…
• recycle all my cartons
• recycle all my glass
• recycle all my newspapers and magazines
• sort and recycle my old electrical items
• re-use my carrier bags
• use my leftovers to make delicious lunches
• choose peat-free compost
• recycle drinks bottles and cans when I am out and about
• look out for the new ‘Recycle’ packaging labels
• home-compost my kitchen and garden waste
• go waste free for a day
• donate/recycle my unwanted clothes
Why not make your pledge now and you’ll receive details about the positive effect your pledge will have on the environment, plus hints and tips on how to make a difference?
So, join us and let's all waste less this Recycle Week... Make your pledge by clicking here.
The UK must plan for a warmer future
18/06/09 05:37 PM Filed in: Climate Change
The UK needs to plan now for a future that will be hotter and bring greater extremes of flood and drought, says Environment Secretary Hilary Benn.
By 2080, London will be between 2C and 6C hotter than it is now, he said.
Every part of the UK is likely to be wetter in winter and drier in summer, according to the projections.
Summer rainfall could decrease by about 20% in the south of England by the middle of the century.
Read the full BBC news report here or find out more directly from Defra’s UK Climate Prediction website.
By 2080, London will be between 2C and 6C hotter than it is now, he said.
Every part of the UK is likely to be wetter in winter and drier in summer, according to the projections.
Summer rainfall could decrease by about 20% in the south of England by the middle of the century.
Read the full BBC news report here or find out more directly from Defra’s UK Climate Prediction website.
Planet friendly household cleaning
18/06/09 05:05 PM Filed in: Hints and Tips
Despite all the powerful new cleaning products that have been produced, using advanced chemical technology and sophisticated ingredients, many cleaning jobs can be just as effectively done using “old-fashioned cleaning remedies”. These are tried and test methods passed down from our great-grandparents and are just as effective today as they were before the invention of the cleaning products industry.
So the next time you need to do some household cleaning, don’t rush out to buy a host of harsh chemical cleaners – check out these traditional cleaning remedies. Not only are they better for the environment but they’re often better for your bank balance too!
Baking Soda
Baking soda is a wonder product that is sadly underused in the modern household. Mixed with lemon juice, vinegar or even just some water, it produces a gently abrasive paste that is a great all-purpose cleaner and stain remover. Not only does it work on a variety of surfaces but it does not does not produce a corrosive effect, like many other strong cleaners.
Baking soda is particularly good for cleaning stainless steel items and is also remarkably effective on tannin stains from tea and coffee. Use it as a paste to rub into stain in crockery and also on crayon marks on walls or wallpaper. You can also gently scrub with a damp sponge sprinkled with baking soda.
Baking soda’s most famous property is probably its deodorising action –it has an incredible ability to absorb odours and can neutralise them as well, which makes it a great cleaner for the refrigerator and deodoriser for the dishwasher (sprinkle one-half cup baking soda on the bottom of the dishwasher between loads). It is also very effective at masking any odours from pet stains and general odours in carpets – simply sprinkle some baking soda over the carpet and leave for 10-15 minutes before vacuuming the whole area.
Lemon Juice
Lemon juice contains citric acid, which is a mild acid – this results in a bleaching and deodorising effect and also helps to dissolve grease. Lemon juice diluted in hot water is a great gentle cleaner for the kitchen.
Lemon juice is also a great stain remover that’s not really used enough around the home. In fact, it is one of the first things you should try and can be used on a huge range of stains. For example, remove berry stains from your skin, clean stains from brass, copper and stainless steel cutlery and kitchen sinks, bleach ink spots on clothing, eliminate odours from a cutting board, and – especially combined with salt - help shift a whole host of different stains from fabrics.
When choosing a lemon for cleaning purposes, go for one which is firm and heavy, with a fine-grained skin as these tend to have more juice.
White Vinegar
White vinegar is cheap, easily available, and harmless to use – and again, a fantastic all-purpose cleaner. It is especially good as a natural glass cleaner, leaving glass sparkling, clean and streak-free.
Like lemon juice, it is a mild acid so it is particularly effective on certain solid stains, such as limescale and calcium deposits ‘soap scum’ from hard water – for example, in the shower and bath. It will even unclog the washing machine - simply pour one cup of white vinegar into the washing machine and run the machine through a normal cycle, without clothes, once a month. It also works on stubborn stains on furniture and upholstery, food stains from pots and pans, mildew and mould from bathroom tiles and shower curtains, perspiration from clothes, stains in toilet bowls and animal urine stains in the carpet.
Finally, like baking soda, vinegar is also a natural air freshener – placing a small bowl of vinegar in the room or spraying some into the air will deodorise a room filled with smoke or paint fumes.
Sunlight
Natural sunlight is a good alternative to the harsh bleaches used in many commercial cleaning products, which can be very damaging to the environment. In fact, natural, direct sunlight has one of the most powerful bleaching effects known. For stain, wet the stained area and leave it outside in direct sunlight, when it dries – wet it again and keep repeating this, until the stain has disappeared. Leaving objects in direct sunlight will also help reduce mould and mildew and all bedding and upholstery should ideally be put outside to be aired under direct sunlight periodically.
So the next time you need to do some household cleaning, don’t rush out to buy a host of harsh chemical cleaners – check out these traditional cleaning remedies. Not only are they better for the environment but they’re often better for your bank balance too!
Baking Soda
Baking soda is a wonder product that is sadly underused in the modern household. Mixed with lemon juice, vinegar or even just some water, it produces a gently abrasive paste that is a great all-purpose cleaner and stain remover. Not only does it work on a variety of surfaces but it does not does not produce a corrosive effect, like many other strong cleaners.
Baking soda is particularly good for cleaning stainless steel items and is also remarkably effective on tannin stains from tea and coffee. Use it as a paste to rub into stain in crockery and also on crayon marks on walls or wallpaper. You can also gently scrub with a damp sponge sprinkled with baking soda.
Baking soda’s most famous property is probably its deodorising action –it has an incredible ability to absorb odours and can neutralise them as well, which makes it a great cleaner for the refrigerator and deodoriser for the dishwasher (sprinkle one-half cup baking soda on the bottom of the dishwasher between loads). It is also very effective at masking any odours from pet stains and general odours in carpets – simply sprinkle some baking soda over the carpet and leave for 10-15 minutes before vacuuming the whole area.
Lemon Juice
Lemon juice contains citric acid, which is a mild acid – this results in a bleaching and deodorising effect and also helps to dissolve grease. Lemon juice diluted in hot water is a great gentle cleaner for the kitchen.
Lemon juice is also a great stain remover that’s not really used enough around the home. In fact, it is one of the first things you should try and can be used on a huge range of stains. For example, remove berry stains from your skin, clean stains from brass, copper and stainless steel cutlery and kitchen sinks, bleach ink spots on clothing, eliminate odours from a cutting board, and – especially combined with salt - help shift a whole host of different stains from fabrics.
When choosing a lemon for cleaning purposes, go for one which is firm and heavy, with a fine-grained skin as these tend to have more juice.
White Vinegar
White vinegar is cheap, easily available, and harmless to use – and again, a fantastic all-purpose cleaner. It is especially good as a natural glass cleaner, leaving glass sparkling, clean and streak-free.
Like lemon juice, it is a mild acid so it is particularly effective on certain solid stains, such as limescale and calcium deposits ‘soap scum’ from hard water – for example, in the shower and bath. It will even unclog the washing machine - simply pour one cup of white vinegar into the washing machine and run the machine through a normal cycle, without clothes, once a month. It also works on stubborn stains on furniture and upholstery, food stains from pots and pans, mildew and mould from bathroom tiles and shower curtains, perspiration from clothes, stains in toilet bowls and animal urine stains in the carpet.
Finally, like baking soda, vinegar is also a natural air freshener – placing a small bowl of vinegar in the room or spraying some into the air will deodorise a room filled with smoke or paint fumes.
Sunlight
Natural sunlight is a good alternative to the harsh bleaches used in many commercial cleaning products, which can be very damaging to the environment. In fact, natural, direct sunlight has one of the most powerful bleaching effects known. For stain, wet the stained area and leave it outside in direct sunlight, when it dries – wet it again and keep repeating this, until the stain has disappeared. Leaving objects in direct sunlight will also help reduce mould and mildew and all bedding and upholstery should ideally be put outside to be aired under direct sunlight periodically.
Oxfordshire Eco-buildings Open Days in 2009
16/06/09 07:22 PM Filed in: Buildings
The Oxfordshire Eco-buildings Open Days this year are 10-13th September. Mark it in your diary now and find out how to get involved!
In season this month...
16/06/09 05:09 PM Filed in: Food
June is a great month for fruit and veg. You can eat without the air miles and if you have an allotment, even better, you can grow your own!
Here are just some of the foods that are in season now:
- Strawberries - why not pick your own?
- Broad beans
- Peas
- Gooseberries
- Carrots
- Tomatoes
- Spring onions
- New potatoes
Try here for even more in-season food for the month of June. I’m getting peckish now, so off to the kitchen to prepare tonight’s supper!
Leave the car at home, just for once
16/06/09 01:14 PM Filed in: Green
Swap just one car trip between 29 June-4 July ’09 and walk, cycle, use public transport or car-share instead. If we all take this one small action together we’ll cut car traffic by 10%. Take your first step now and maybe even win a prize by clicking here.
Our new website has arrived
16/06/09 01:14 PM Filed in: Website
We hope you like the changes made to the Dorchester Carbon Project website. Please feel free to leave comments or email any suggestions. This website is for the benefit of our community so don’t be shy! Come on, get involved!
Ebico and Groundwork roll-out 'Green Doctor' scheme for low income households
10/06/09 07:13 PM Filed in: Environment
Ebico today announces a commitment of £120,000 to help fund the expansion of environmental charity Groundwork's innovative Green Doctor scheme. The funds will support the implementation of Groundwork's ‘Green Doctor’ programme in fuel poor homes around the southeast of England and South Wales. The Green Doctor programme will be on-call to help cash-strapped householders by giving them advice and assistance that will improve the energy efficiency of their homes and save them money.
The scheme will see fully trained experts make free house calls to conduct energy use audits. Using a combination of technical and non-technical measures, from fitting draught excluders to topping up loft insulation, the two-year programme will help 1,250 households save £100,000 per year while reducing CO2 emissions by up to 680 tonnes each year.
“We are extremely proud to be part of the Groundwork ‘Green Doctor’ programme which not only delivers social benefits but environmental ones too,” said Phil Levermore, MD of Ebico Limited.
The scheme will see fully trained experts make free house calls to conduct energy use audits. Using a combination of technical and non-technical measures, from fitting draught excluders to topping up loft insulation, the two-year programme will help 1,250 households save £100,000 per year while reducing CO2 emissions by up to 680 tonnes each year.
“We are extremely proud to be part of the Groundwork ‘Green Doctor’ programme which not only delivers social benefits but environmental ones too,” said Phil Levermore, MD of Ebico Limited.