Lets Go Shopping! Eco Shopping!

How eco friendly is your supermarket? Do you think they are actually making an effort to become more eco friendly?

If you didn’t see any of The Peoples Supermarket on TV last year then be inspired and see what is possible when a group of people get together to provide better shopping ethics. Visit www.ThePeoplesSupermarket.org

It is clear that the big names want to be perceived as more eco friendly but what are they actually doing? When I use my local supermarket I do my best to remember to bring my own bags. When I forget and reach the check out then I can sometimes receive a stern but polite reminder to bring my own yet other times when I forget I am being offered more plastic bags than I know what to do with! Why would I want a plastic bag when I have only bought one item?

But I have to ask myself…..

“We certainly can and should do our part but what are the supermarkets doing to help the problem!?”

Think about all of the packaging that the suppliers use! Did I really need all of that plastic and card with that new toothbrush? Just to throw it in the recycling when I get home?

Every little counts!

Embarrassing how the UK throws away billions of plastic bags a year yet Germany are leading the way with their no plastic bag policy! hmmmmm….

And what about other shops we go to? Some are really making an effort to reduce packaging and do as much recycling as possible. Can you think of somewhere you go to regularly that would be considered Green? What about your local garden centre? These guys should be the role models when it comes to being green but sadly some of them are more interested in selling cheesy gifts than doing any recycling. They could be great distributors for domestic solar panels and wind turbines! I wonder if they ever will venture into being green? How eco friendly is your local garden centre?

How eco-friendly are your local shops? As always I love to hear all of your comments so please feel free to comment below!

We all love our planet but what can we do to help us preserve it?

Global warming is a much more important subject than most of us think. I believe that the majority of humans will only see the importance of global warming when they are actually getting hurt by the process. We all need to be aware of the amount of co2 emissions that we are producing and what the effects are. Our planet is our life! Our future is our children!

So what can we do to help the future generations before its too late? Start looking for a new planet? Or… Just take some simple steps in order to reduce the global warming phenomenon. Which is easier said than done for some people but if we all participate then I am sure we can save the world!

Energy saving around the home. Do not leave appliances on standby. Almost half of the power used to supply the average tv is used when it is on standby! You can save more than 70% of the energy lost just by fitting double glazing! Use energy saving light bulbs! Simple! Be more aware on what your thermostat is getting up to. You could save a nice little sum of money if install a programmable thermostat. Also, move your thermostat down 2° in winter and up 2° in summer. This could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment. Take a shower instead of a bath. Simple!

Its not rocket science guys!

Energy saving on the road. You can reduce CO2 emissions by changing how you drive. Click here for tips on eco-driving!

Why not…. Plant a tree. Or save a forest! Support renewable energy projects. Get your school or business to be more green. Eat fresh, organic and locally grown food. Or become a vegetarian!

What? Become a vegetarian!?

Yeah, why not? Because you love a nice and succulent medium/rare steak? Become a vegetarian. This is arguably the best way to reduce global warming in our lifetimes (please do not be too rude in your comments on this article). Albert Einstein said it himself ‘Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.’ I could go on with some more quotes about vegetarianism by well respected leaders (contact me if you want to hear them), but for now lets get on with some facts.

Methane is 21 times more powerful than the greenhouse gas CO2. Animal agriculture produces more than 100 million tons of methane a year. This methane is produced in the digestive processes of livestock, it may be a small amount of methane from each cow but this planet does have a lot of cows! And because cows eat a huge amount of grass and they have multiple stomachs this causes them to produce a large amount of methane, which they exhale with every breath.

If we eliminate our consumption of animal products by becoming vegetarian then we could eliminate the main producer of methane. I am not suggesting that we kill all of the cows! But once we all participate in being a veggie then we need not produce as many cows, which will result in lower amounts of global warming. Easy!