Mutual benefit
There’s a chance on weekends to put your washing outside and monitor changes in the weather.
Compost: When you dig into nutrient rich muck you’ve made from wasted organic matter, you’ll understand
WE MAKE casual, unthinking choices every day. Choices in how we spend our money, and choices in how we behave with the resources coming into our homes. This spring is a time of renewal and the ideal season to become more focused with some new planet- friendly habits that can rake back some savings too.
HEAT WHERE YOU ARE
A zoned heating layout married to thermostatic digital control is commonplace in many new homes and for updated central heating systems is often not used to the full. Consider where you spend most of your time in daylight hours and set the heating accordingly. A 20-minute heating up period before you arise and a 20-minute cool off before you retire, trims a neat 40 minutes off your heating bills and a well insulated house will retain plenty of warmth.
THROW OUT A LINE
The weather is cheering up, so there’s every chance on weekends at least to put your washing outside and monitor any changes in the weather. If you don’t enjoy cardboard denims, finish the load with a 10-minute cool tumble to loosen out the fibres. Prices for a multi-stage rotary dryer start around €35. Where space is tight, we love Brabantia’s Wall Fixer Dryer, that folds out from any stout wall and will quickly earn its keep at €120.
NO IFS — GET A BUTT
If there’s one thing we have in Ireland, it’s plenty of rainwater, but most of it is neatly conducted down the rainwater system and out of our lives forever. Install even one diverter line and water butt to your downpipes (off the garage roof is ideal if you have one) and start harvesting that precious resource. Use the water for outdoor jobs from cleaning your wellies to watering the garden. Hozelock and other hose manufacturers offer clever devices to direct the barrelled water straight into your garden irrigation or general watering. Their water butt garden pump does the hard work for you at €79.99. (1.1bar, max flow 2200lph). Woodie’s.
HOST AN EXCHANGE EVENT
Barter and exchange were once the lifeblood of many communities, and everyone loves a freebie. Almost every home has a ballast of unused goods, deemed either useless to the owner or redundant but too good to dump. A toy swap would be a great place to start, taking a few lumps of once well-loved plastic out of the landfill. Don’t hand on faulty electrical goods or anything potentially hazardous, including second-hand car seats or safety gear.
LIGHTFOOT IT IN THE CAR
The RAC has revealed that up to 30% increases of efficiency are possible if you manage your journey in an energy efficient way. You should be in the highest and most appropriate gear possible. Speed up slowly, staying under 3000rpms. When slowing, anticipate, and let the weight of the car bring it to a slower speed before safely braking. Obviously the faster you go (over 55mph [88km] is the economy breaking point on most cars) the more fuel you will use. Make fuel consumption top of your list when replacing your car, and keep an eye on tyre pressure and any unnecessary loading of the car boot.
START COMPOSTING
Composting is one of those strangely satisfying projects. The first time you dig into that nutrient rich muck you’ve made yourself from otherwise wasted organic matter, you’ll understand. You don’t, strictly speaking, even need a compost bin and can form a heap open from below to the earthworms, and cover it with stout plastic to get the process going. Be aware that vermin may show an interest. A 250 litre container ideal for a standard family of up to five people, starts at around €50. Log onto Grow It Yourself Ireland to find an enthusiastic community to discuss everything surrounding sustainable composting and allotment growing. www.giyireland.com.
THINK SUSTAINABLE WHEN IMPROVING
There’s always a better way when building or improving your home, so research the ecological credentials of the materials. Sustainable materials may cost a bit more but often perform better and bring added benefits. Sheep wool or cellulose insulation can work as loose fill and batts. VOC free (or close to it) paint is now widely available in emulsion form, and will not release toxic fumes over time as the paint chemistry dries out and alters. For a larger project consider what the sustainable building group of suppliers www.ÉSCA.ie may have to offer.
HAVE you noticed the proliferation of the words natural, innocent, eco-this and eco-that everywhere you turn when out shopping? The term ‘greenwashing’ was coined by the New York environmentalist Jay Westervelt, who was quick to recognise how companies would profit from attaching environmentally friendly credentials to their products and services.
Today, it might be difficult to claim that some household product or material is better for the Earth without backing it up in full, and misleading environmental marketing is punishable by heavy fines in many countries.
Still, the visuals and key words that accompany a product may simply by the use of a phrase, image or colour suggest it was turned out by hand by a tribe of organic hobbits living in Tolkien’s Shire.
If something claims to be green, clean, environmentally friendly or sports a leaf, animal, forest, sky, child’s face or waving barley on the label — don’t assume that the contents were created using the best green, conscience practices.
The words ‘pure’, ‘clean’ and ‘natural’ for example, are nebulous and without a standard.
If one organic ingredient is used, the total product is not an organic one. Recycled packaging (indicated with a symbols including an arrowed triangle) is a good start, and can indicate that a company is committed to real change, but don’t stop there.
Read labels, cut down on packaging and look for the products offered from companies who invest more money on good practice in production rather than sly presentation.
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