Thursday 17 May 2012

It's not easy being green...

Kermit the frog was wrong.  Well, maybe not completely wrong, but being green doesn't have to be that hard either.  We've been making an extra effort this week for sure, but for me it was always about sustainable behaviour change - not one extreme week that made others think how terribly hard it was to love our planet and conserve resources.

We couldn't go without power - Mr 2's room needs heating at night and electricity is currently our only option for that; we needed to cook and I think our electricity is "greener" than using gas.  We also need hot water - my staff and clients are unlikely to be impressed if I stopped showering.  Vehicle use was necessary at times too.

I set a goal at the beginning of this challenge to produce no more than a supermarket bag full of rubbish - and we did it!  It was actually more like HALF a small bag, and it was so light that it didn't even register on my scales.
Usually in a week we'd fill both these bins - one with recycling and one with landfill waste - but what you see sitting on top is all we produced in the last 5 days!

Mr Neats has come up with a cunning plan today - he's going to rig a rainwater collection system by placing a 200L drum under a downpipe.  Obviously in winter this water won't be needed for the gardens, but we plan to use it for washing the car and other jobs.

Making a cup of coffee this morning reminded me that we always try to buy Fair Trade products where possible, and this week is actually part of Fair Trade Fortnight where people are encouraged to take part in Oxfam's Biggest Coffee Break which raises awareness and funds for their work towards a fairer and more sustainable world.  It sounds silly, but my coffee always tastes better when I know it's farmed sustainably.  You can look for certification on all sorts of products - All Good Bananas are another example.  See what else you can find.

On my way to collect our office mail this morning I realised I haven't mentioned walking yet.  Walking is a sustainable form of transport as well as being good for body and soul, and whenever we go for a walk it always makes me sad to see how much litter is discarded in our streets.  So I pick it up and put it in the nearest bin (or take it home for the recycling).  Mr 2 now picks up litter wherever we go and puts it in the bin - he's so proud of himself too.

I'll be back tomorrow to update our electricity use, then on Monday the judges are coming to visit and see how green we are around the home.  Meanwhile, keep your fingers (and toes) crossed that they like what we've done!

Today's tips:
Harvest rainwater - easy and free!
Buy Fair Trade
Pick up litter - be a tidy kiwi
Keep your fingers crossed for us.

2 comments:

  1. Well done Neats, love your blog and love what you guys have done.

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  2. Thanks :-)
    So for some reason I've been unable to make a new post all weekend, so will try at work tomorrow to double check, but something odd is going on :-(

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