Pat on the back, I already do that....light bulbs.

This is a post that I'm going to start doing as a reminder to myself of what I'm already doing to be green, and to give some information on why I'm doing what I'm doing.

So today, its the energy saving light bulbs.  Ok, this one is slightly null and void seeing as, as of September last year all non-energy saving light bulbs were removed from all shop shelves in the UK, but I have been using energy saving light bulbs for the last 10 years so I'm going to add this as its my first one.

So what's the problem with the old style bulbs.  Mainly that they were completely energy inefficient, with 90% of the energy going towards heats and only 10% going towards light.  They also didn't last very long and I found I had to change a bulb per fitting every 12 to 18 months.  In contract, energy saving bulbs do, on average, use 80% less electricity and can last up to 10 times longer than what used to be the traditional light bulbs, and, when 30% of the electricity we use in Great Britain goes towards lighting, this makes a huge difference to our general carbon dioxide production.  Of course, there may be a bit of a grumble about having to spend £1.99 for the cheapest energy saving light bulb rather than 40p for the golden oldies, the money saved on energy bills can range from £10 to £30 a year (making it worth the extra £1.59, especially as you'll have to buy less of them over the years), and I've noticed that I haven't had to buy any new light bulbs since I brought them all after moving in on my own 3 years ago (apart from one that fell to the floor due to a bad light fitting).  Another big issue people have with these bulbs is the fact that they seems to take much longer to come to light, especially when the surround area is cold.  Thankfully, the latest generation of energy saving light bulbs have greatly reduced the amount of time it takes for them to become fully lit.  But I also find that you do get used to the dim start.  In fact, I now find the sudden light from old bulb feels a bit uncomfortable to me, especially first thing in the morning........there's really no need for that.

The lights that I've been talking about in this blog are the ones usually most available to you and are actually known as the compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), but there are other options available to save energy when turning on the light. 

• The first is one we all know and probably don't love from the office, the normal fluorescent tubes.  Long and slim they work on the same principle as the CFL, funnily enough, and produce a good amount of energy, but are generally only four to six more times energy efficient then the old bulbs though they do last much longer.  I really don't like the light that comes off these tubes, but they do make great lighting for kitchen and is the only place I have this light in my home.
• The next type is one that I think is the most interesting and has the most potential and that's light emitting diode (better known as LEDs).  On the whole, they are more effecient than CFL, last longer (up to 20 years!), can be dimmed to different light intensities, and reach full lighting almost straight away.  They're also tiny.  The big problem is that the light given off by LEDs isn't great for general indoor use and is beaten by the CFL hands down.  But work is still being done on LEDs and I definitely think they'll be part of our future lighting.

A little health warning though.  CFL bulbs contain mercury and so, if they do break, they release this chemical. The general advise is to open the windows for around 1\2 hours after you notice the break, where rubber gloves while collecting the broken bulb, pick up the bits using kitchen roll (brushing etc can cause any chemicals lurking around to be lifting into the air for you to breath in), place in a bag and close tightly.  It's usually better to throw the remains away in the special bin provided at council dump sites rather than just in your bin. 
While LED lights are usually seen as been relatively 'clean' they have been found to contain trace amounts of lead, arsenic and lead, and so, need to be handled with just as much care as CFL bulb.
However, if you're thinking that means that the good old incandescent bulbs where much better, they did contain lead levels which where shown to exceed hazardous waste limits.  However we light our home, there are some chemicals that have to be put in these bulbs.

Empties #2

So I'm continuing to use up the items I have in my stash instead of buying more items.  Of course, with Christmas having been and gone, and with me being that age now, I got a lot of moisturising creams and shower gels, so it'll be a while before I get through them.

So firstly, Boots Extracts Mango shower gel. One item I got for Christmas with a body butter (which I haven't tried yet), its a Fairtrade item with the mango also being organic, so a big thumbs up on that point. It does smell absolutely amazing, I love mango, and the scent lingers on your skin afterwards. And, while there's no information on the tube about animal testing, Boots does have a no animal testing policy. However, quick look through the ingredients list show that there are sulphates and parabens in the product, all of which I'm trying to move away from as my dry skin really doesn't react well to these ingredients, though those with normal skin would probably be fine.  Which means that, as lovely as it smells, I wouldn't buy this myself.

Then there's the Naked Smooth Jojoba Oil Silk Conditioner.  I love this stuff, love love love it.  I have long hair and, though naturally soft, it can get dry very easily so the jojoba oil here really help keeps it conditioned.  And while my hair looks thick its actually a lot of fine, easily frizzy hair, which this product helps remove without me having to add anything extra afterwards.  Of course, the best bit is that it's not tested on animals, and the ingredients are sulphate and paraben free as well as vegetarian and vegan friendly (no bees wax here).  I've already brought another one!  So far I haven't come across a Naked product that I haven't liked, they just seems to suit my skin and hair so well, smell gorgeous and their values fit mine perfectly.  All their products are even made in the UK and yet every item is completely affordable.

I've also used up what was left of my Boots Sun, Swim and Gym leave-in conditioner which I had brought for when I was going to the gym to work out and needed something quick to use as a conditioner.  While it does state that it leaves your hair soft and shiny, as well as replenishing moisture I really didn't notice any difference in my hair between the times I did or didn't use it.  It also didn't make my hair any less difficult for me to get a brush through and, though its not exactly what conditioners are for, I do like my conditioner to help on that front.  As with the Boots Extracts shower gel there's no information about animal testing on the bottle, which I think would be good if they had that, and a quick glance at the ingredients list shows five different paraben ingredients.  While I never sprayed this product onto my scalp I did get itching around my neck and showers (if wearing a strappy top) whenever I used this product and its it's likely that it was connected to the parabens. Needless to say I won't be buying this item again.  On the plus side, it does have UV filters and the spray bottle it really good, so I think I'll be saving that for use at a later date.

The next thing is the only make-up item that I've used up so far, and its the Collections waterproof Longer Lash mascara in black.  Not really a lot to say about it really: it was waterproof, it was black, it made my lashes a little bit longer, but not a lot, and only cost me £2.99.  It wasn't the best mascara I've ever used, but for the price it was fine and, best of all, Collection 2000 don't test on animals.

The last product I've used up is something that I have really enjoyed using, which is the Skin Blossom Nourishing Face Moisturiser.  It feels lovely on the skin, 88% of the products are organic (certified by Soil Association) and made my face feel soft, helped by the jojoba oil, shea butter and vitamin E (though not with the Sodium Benzoate).  While it doesn't having any information on the tub, Skin Blossom is against animals testing and their website sates that none of their products are tested on animals.  When having a look at this product on-line I've noticed that the product has actually improved since I brought it and used it up.  While the product I used did contain some parabens in the ingredients list, it now has no parabens, which means those of us with sensitive and/or dry skin will get even more out of this product.  I love it when a company does that! However, while I do love this product and would recommend, I am wanting to move towards using products that I make up myself, and, so, won't be buying this again.

So that's it for now.  I'm still working my way through a number of small products I've been sent so I'm sure I'll be doing another one of these pretty soon.

The joys of exercise.

from gardengoatquote.wordpress.com

While we all know its good for us, it's not everyone's favourite thing to do.  In fact, most of us make any excuse to not do it........and where do you go to do it any way.  The gym is what usually springs to mind. Pictures of skinny, little, lyra clothed girls bouncing on the exercise machine, while you can barely keep up, all red faced and plump, does spring to mind, and while I didn't find it to bad when I did go (admittedly I did go in the early hours of the morning) I'm not really prepared to fork out the money I would need to every month.  Of course, there is also the issue of how environmentally friendly gyms actually are.  With all the heating, exercise machines, the number of televisions, and lighting all adds up to quite a large carbon footprint per person going.  Of course, if you could harness the energy people exert while exercising, it would be completely different, but as yet this hasn't happened. 

So, keeping right away from gyms, this is what I'm intending to do to keep fit, but be just that little bit more 'green'.  I do walk everywhere already, but I need something a little bit more active to stay healthy and possibly loose some of the weight I really don't need and might be doing me some damage. I still have a pair of running shoes from when I went to the gym, which means I can start running again without actually spending any money (until they wear out), and while running does usually takes it out of me I enjoy it.  The only problem I'm having at the moment is that when I would normally go running its still dark, and ever so slightly dangerous as I like running through the park.

So I've decided to try skipping, which I can do in my sitting room with a skipping rope that only cost me £2.99.  I found this article from Zest about skipping yourself slim, which seemed like a great idea.......after all I could skip for hours when I was a child.  Not quite so anymore, in fact I just about managed 30 seconds before I was out of breathe and had to stop.  It definitely takes a lot more energy than I remember and no way near as fun as it used to be.  I managed to skip for 15 minutes, though not without a lot of stopping, before I had to stop completely.  May need to work on this

Of course, the other option is to join one of the Green Gyms set up by The Conservation Volunteers around Britain, though unfortunately not in Dundee at the moment. Not only do you get to do cardio and strengthening exercise, but you also get to be outside and do something for the environment.  If there isn't one in your area you can always set one up.

Food, food, food.

Food is always a difficult one for me.  I'm already a vegatarian so, theoretically, my carbon footprint is almost half that of meat eaters, but the question is..where do I get my vegetables?  One of the biggest decisions is organic vs local.  Both of them have good and bad points.

Organic is healthier to eat as it doesn't get sprayed with as much pesticide and herbicide, has been shown to be less damaging to the environment, and more wildlife friendly.  However, a large number of the organic vegetables we get in Britain is from abroad, and you have to wonder about the environmental implications of that, and not all 'organic' farms are actually as organic as we're lead to believe (the policy can be a bit vague on this, so it depends on who certifies them).

Local food means that it has travelled less distance, meaning that less carbon dioxide is produced, and means that you're supporting local farmers and growers.  The problem here is on how the products are grown.  There's still research being done on the affects of herbicide and pesticides on humans when digested (and no amount of washing can completely remove all of these products), and these, with the fertiliser added to the soil, all have a negative impact on the environment.  Many of the processes on non-organic farms can also be very wildlife unfriendly.  Of course, this isn't true for all farms, and many without the organic certificate still look after the environment around them but can't necessarily afford to pay for the organic certification.

As with most things, a little but of research is important.  Local and organic is always best, though it can be a little bit pricey, but when both is not possible, for me, the best solution is to buy local but to pick farms that try to be as environmentally friendly as possible even if they're not organic.

I'm looking at trying out vegetable boxes as they are usually made up of local produce and reduce the amount of packaging use, another big issue connected with food.  I've gone for the Balirgowrie Farm Shop Small Produce Box and ordered it this week.  While they do have some local organic produce (and all there meat is organic so they're definitely worth supporting for that), almost all the produced are sourced either from local growers.  I'll need to test it for a few weeks before I can be sure on how I feel about it though.