Green Living
IT CAN BE EASY LIVING GREEN
Inside: MUST HAVE GADGETS BE CLEAN AND GREEN ECO-PARENTING FOR MODERN PARENTS WIND FARMS: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR RECYCLING? Cover photo by Moyan Brenn
Contacts
Photo by Holly Hardiman
Editorial
Green Living aims to raise awareness, be entertaining and help to save you money. We are here to advise, not preach, about living that little bit greener. We’re not going to dumb down the environmental issues we face and we’re certainly not going to act as if nothing is wrong. Our team of writers strive to offer an interesting and entertaining take on living green. In this issue the team discusses the success of upcycling and freecycling, we investigate energy saving gadgets and offer an insight into other ways of producing energy. Steph and Tajah visit Sheffield to see what really happens to your recycling, while Tajah and Sam took part at a Nappucino meeting where they discovered how to have an eco-friendly family.
Emma Chapman Emma is a journalism student from Lincolnshire. She will be travelling around Australia and Asia pursuing her passion for photography. Page 2 | Green Living
Samantha Viner Samantha is a journalism student specialising in online and print journalism. She has produced a Lincolnshire food and drink website and has a keen interest in technology.
Steph Wilson Steph is a journalism student who will be running away to Australia to pursue a career in music PR. She has a keen interest in live music and culture.
Tajah Brown Tajah is a journalism student from London. She will be working for Business Media Group and hopes for a future in the industry.
Want to get your hands on something you’ve seen in this Where to get your magazine or want to get in touch with someone? Then gadgets look no further. H2O Shower Here’s a complete list of the companies and products The Powered Radio featured in this issue of Green Living. RRP: £34.99 Companies Available online at www.tangogroup.net Viridor recycling Dan Cooke Eco Kettle 2 Website: www.viridor.co.uk RRP: £39.95 Available online at Screaming Green www.ecokettle.com Heather Bolden Phone: 01522 567203 Vexia Econav Website: www.screaminggreen.co.uk RRP: £149.99 Available online at Canal Farm Cottages www.amazon.co.uk Richard and Mary-Anne Drinkel Phone: 01472 388825 Powermonkey eXplorer Email: ma@canalfarmcottages.co.uk Portable Solar Charger RRP: £65.00 Energy Saving Experts Available online at Mike Andrews www.powertraveller.com Phone: 01225 862266 Website: www.energy-saving-experts.com Philips Econova LED TV RRP: £1,199 Energy Saving Trust Available online at Phone: 0800 512 012 www.philips.co.uk Website: www.energysavingtrust.org.uk Solar Sound 2 RRP: £69.99 Available online at Contact Us www.devotecindustries.co.uk The Green Living website can be found online at: H20 water powered Can Clock http://greenliving.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk/ RRP: £10.99 Available online at Our writers are on Twitter too: www.tangogroup.net @samanthaviner @StephWilson @e_chapmann @tajah_brown
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Household analysis
Contents
The Tedstill Family
Contents Context 4| Climate change 5| Deforestation 6| Food 7| Transport
8| Wind power
Energy 8| Wind power - for & against 10| Solar energy
Alternatives
Bob and Sue Tedstill at their family home in Peterborough. Photo: Bob Tedstill
Heating on: Two hours per day 18° (only in winter)
Tumble drier: Same as washing machine Washing machine use: At least once per day Monday to Friday. Saturday and Sunday: six times per day.
Hot water on: Everyday to heat the airing cupboard
Temperature: 40° most washes 60° towels and bed linen
One suggestion with this house is to purchase or borrow an energy monitor, preferably one that is wireless, they cost as little as £30, and use it to see
how much electricity is used by both the tumble dryer and dishwasher. When you understand how much an appliance is using it’s easier to think about how to save energy.
Household bills: Electric £40/month Gas £30/month Water £27/month
Appliances: Power off at plug Dishwasher: Daily on weekdays, twice a day on weekends Energy saving lightbulbs: Three out of fourteen rooms
Our expert says
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There is no need to have a 'hot cupboard'. If the pipes and/or cylinder are un-insulated it will cost more to heat the water, and an expensive way to dry clothes.
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12| Recycling plant 16| Freecycling & Upcycling
26| Gadgets
Household 20| Green household 22| Gardening 26| Gadgets 30| Eco cars 32| Ecobabies 34| Household analysis
Other
32| Ecobabies
2| Editorial 35| Contacts Green Living | Page 3
Context
Household analysis
GLOBAL WARMING Photo: Stefan Gara
The Hall Family
Global warming is one of the major issues the world faces today, but what’s causing it and what does it mean? Emma Chapman looks at the basics. he debate between scientists, politicians and industries over the cause of global warming has many views. Some say it is part of the natural process of climate change, whilst others say our activity is causing global warming alone. Then there’s some who believe in both; that we are simply speeding up a natural process. Whatever the causes the effects are very visible. The polar ice caps are melting at a significant rate causing rising sea temperatures and extreme weather systems are occurring more frequently with greater impacts, according to the European Commission. The three fossil fuels are: oil, natural gas and coal. These non-renewable energy sources are used mainly in power stations
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and to fuel vehicles but will one day run-out. Burning fossil fuels generates greenhouse gases and relying on them is unsustainable, hence the need to find and use more renewable and sustainable ways of generating energy. For example wind, solar and tidal energy. Greenhouse gases are mainly carbon dioxide and methane, they occure naturally in the atmosphere however the levels are increasing un-naturally. The carbon dioxide forms a blanket around Earth, which never leaves. When the rays from the sun reach the ground they are reflected off but are met by this blanket on their way out of the atmosphere. This means the heat is reflected back down to Earth and is causing the planet to warm as it can’t
escape. The ozone layer is vital; it protects us from the Sun’s harmful UV rays by not allowing them to reach the ground. However its structure is being damaged by CFCs. It is a layer of oxygen gas with three molecules (O3), instead of the usual 2 (O2). CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) are another group of greenhouse gases and are used in hairspray, aerosols and fridges. They are broken down by sunlight when released into the atmosphere and it is the by-product that breaks down the ozone layer, making it O2 and stripping it of its protective ability. Reducing our independence on fossil fuels is the key to reducing global warming and everyone can make a difference by being a bit greener. ■
Debra, Jake, Steven and Sarah outside their family home. Photo: Deborah Warr
Household bills: Water £50/month Electric £45/month Gas £80/month Heating on: Eight and half hours (Oct - March) 19° Off (Apr-Sept) Hot water on: Five and a half hours
Tumble drier: Daily (Oct-Apr) Line dried when possible Washing machine use: Daily Temperature: Usually 40° 60° for stains 90° for whites
Appliances: Power off at plug Dishwasher: Daily Energy saving lightbulbs: 50 per cent of the house (eight out of sixteen rooms)
Our expert says
Although energy saving lamps have suffered from some bad press over the years the choice is now huge and ranging from just 39p from some supermarkets make
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economic sense too. But what do you do with those halogen lamps we are so fond of ? Many can now be replaced with LED lighting, these will last much longer and the
lighting levels can be maintained too. Energy can also be saved by replacing standard on/off switches with timer switches and sensors. Green Living | Page 37
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Household analysis
Context
The Mayers Family
Deforestation Photo: Ben Britten
Forests are a vital part of the eco-system and cover 31 per cent of total land area but they are disappearing quickly. Samantha Viner finds out more. his year has been declared the international year of the forests by the United Nations. Deforestation may seem like the least of our worries here in the UK. We have the National Forest covering our countryside like a thick green blanket but other countries are less lucky. Some of the largest forests in the world, including the Amazon, are being destroyed to fulfil our need for reams of paper and decorative coffee tables. Scientists believe that forest loss is responsible for about 23 per cent of current man made CO2 emissions. We’re taught from an
T Jerome, Rickelle and Javion Mayers outside their one bedroom flat. Photo: Alisha Mayers
Household bills: Water £30/month Electric £40/month Gas £30/month Heating on and temp: Two hours per day. 25° Hot water on: Five and a half hours per day
Tumble drier: No Washing machine use: Three to four times a week Temperature: Usually 30°
Appliances: Both, we turn some applicances off at the plug and keep some on standby. Dishwasher: No Energy saving lightbulbs: Yes
Our expert says
A young baby shouldn’t have to impact too much on the household bills. The main change to save energy is to reduce the heating temperature to around 18 degrees, possibly
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21 in the living room. Just a one degree change can save £55 per year so this small change can have a huge impact. Although of course for all but the coldest days in the spring there should be
little need for the heating to be on. Even with a young baby the temperature does not need to be so high. The low washing machine use per week is economical.
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early age about how trees absorb CO2, they then use energy from the sun to turn that CO2 into sugars for plants to grow. The plants decay and are used for respiration creating CO2, or are turned into fossil fuels which are burned creating CO2. The cycle continues endlessly. That is until you take millions of trees out of the equation. Recycling is the obvious solution. Newspaper and junk mail can be pulped and reborn as office paper saving the excess deforestation. Just because it’s not on your doorstep doesn’t mean it doesn’t affect you. The WWF found that British firms have been using wood from countries
such as Malaysia where illegal felling is putting the whole community under threat. WWF also found that companies have been selling wood with ethical credentials where no such credentials exist. The Forest Stewardship Council said, in a press release, that the “FSC enables you to buy forest products of all kinds with confidence that you are not contributing to global forest destruction.” By recycling and checking where your wood comes from, we can help slow down the effects of mass deforestation around the world. You can check wood credentials at www.fsc.org ■ Green Living | Page 5
Context
Photo: Tamara Dunn
Don’t bin it, eat it...
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How can you save money? Small changes to your every day life can make a big difference to the bills. Samantha Viner asks Mike Andrews for his expert tips. onthly bills can be a pain but we all need heating, electricity and hot water. To help show how you can save money we’ve profiled three everyday households. Our expert, Mike Andrews at Energy Saving Experts, has given his top tips to help these households save money on their bills. Jerome, Rickelle and Javion Mayers live in a one bedroom flat in
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The average UK household is throwing away an astonishing £366 worth of eatable food each year. Steph Wilson exposes your waste. taggering figures gained by the Open University in 2006 found that we in the UK throw away 8.3 million tonnes every year, with most of it ending up in a landfill rather than council food disposal. The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs said that: “It is important, not just as part of our commitment to sustainable production and consumption, but is also a vital part in our battle against dangerous climate change.” Research carried out by Defra has shown that the
Household analysis
UK is above the EU average of household waste, and most of what we recycle is compost. There are simple little steps every household could do to reduce their food waste, that would have the equivalent of taking one in five cars off the road. Gavin Chapman a head chef at the Bail House hotel in Lincoln gives his advice. “The best piece of advice I could give any home cook would be when thinking of a dish or meal try to think in your mind of more than just the meal you are cooking with the same ingredients.
“Like a dish we do is poached chicken in a garlic and prawn cream and if we have any left the next day for lunch we make a very nice chicken pie.” ■
around the country. The Tedstill’s live in a four bedroom detached house in a small village in South Lincolnshire. Sue and Bob both have a half hour commute to work and enjoy gardening in their spare time. Did you know something as small as turning your heating down by 1° you can save around £55 per year. Little things like this can make a huge difference when saving money.
About our expert
The little things can make a huge difference: • Don’t prepare too much food: Make a shopping list. • Reuse leftovers: Compost your waste it’s better for your garden. • Grow your own: In your garden, allotment or balcony.
Peterborough. The eightmonth old baby can be a handful and certainly impacts on energy use with increased washing machine use. The Hall family live in a four bedroom semidetached house in South Derbyshire. The two teenagers, Sarah and Jake, like to spend time outdoors with their two rabbits and guinea pigs. Debra home schools the kids while Steven works full time commuting
Mike Andrews is the Director and founder of Energy Saving Experts. He has many qualifications that exceed the industry standard. Photo: ESE
Mike Andrews founded Energy Saving Experts in 2007. His passion for the environment and interest in sustainable building was enough to spur him on to create the company. He has gained a reputation as a key figure in the energy assessment sector of the industry as well as contributing to the 4th edition of the Architects Handbook, revising Conservation of Fuel & Power, and
Sustainability. Qualifications include: Non Domestic Energy Assessor Level 4, On Construction Energy Assessor, Public Building Energy Assessor, Domestic Energy Assessor, Home Inspector, Licensed Code for Sustainable Homes Assessor, Certified PassivHaus Planning Package User Mike is the Director of Low Carbon Bradford Community Interest Company. ► Green Living | Page 35
Gadgets
Context
Take a walk or cycle
Photo: Andrew * Via Flickr
Cutting down CO2 emissions can help prevent climate change. Tajah Brown writes about the alternative forms of transpor to cut CO2 emissions. f all forms of transport, cars give out the most CO2 emissions. To reduce the emissions plan journeys to make them shorter or share cars. Driving If you don’t want to share a car then using public transport could cut emissions; using one form of transport instead of individual cars can make a big difference. Sharing a car with friends or relatives could save you money and cut down emissions. The Energy Saving Trust suggests using alternative fuels such as Diesel or
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Photo: Scotticus_ via Flickr
Hybrid cars. Hybrid cars run on petrol and electricity. John O'Shea, from the Energy Saving Trust, gives advice about driving and how to reduce your CO2 emissions. “Drive off from smoothly. Modern cars are designed to move straight away warming up the engine just wastes fuel and actually causes engine wear. “Anticipate road conditions so that you drive smoothly and avoid sharp acceleration and heavy braking. This saves fuel and reduces accident rates.” Cycling and walking The Act on CO2
organisation says that there are different ways of reducing CO2 emissions by the use of transport. If your journey is two miles or less you could cycle, this could save up to £600 a year and walking is free, it’s good exercise and doesn’t produce any CO2 emissions. Flying Act on CO2 state that four per cent of the UK represent 30 per cent of flights for leisure. The Energy Saving Trust says that flying doesn’t just release CO2 emissions it affects to climate change by giving off vapour trails and gases. ■ Green Living | Page 7
Eco Parenting
Energy
Who would want to
Are reusable nappies the new trend?
he Nappucino meetings are a social event for parent and their children. It’s a way to see and touch the products instead of looking at it on a computer screen.
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You can ask questions and find out how to use the products. There is also a try before you buy offer which can help parents new to the eco parenting decide if it’s for them. Miss Bolden says “It’s
more of a social thing for mothers getting together, I’m a big believer in this it can be really lonely with a new baby so getting out and about and meeting like minded parents does help.”
Tonia
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“We enjoy having them as they’re rather sophisticated to look at.” Mary-Anne Drinkel has lived near a wind farm for three years. Photo: Steph Wilson
By Steph Wilson a r y - A n n e Drinkel owner of Canal Bank Cottages, Louth, has lived with 20 wind turbines behind her house for three years now. “We were against it, we thought it would harm the landscape, but we have actually got used to them and they’re quite enjoyable to look at.” She explains that the turbines don’t interrupt life as much, “We have to do our bit for the
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environment. We have got used to them, and we look out in the morning to see which direction the wind is going. “You don’t really notice them after a while you just kind of block them out.” “We were changing the photographs on our website using a professional photographer, and he was gobsmacked and thought the turbines were marvellous and wanted to take photographs of our
cottages with them in. People do come and have a look at them, as it’s not that often people get the chance to view them up close.” Overall, she’s happy with the wind farm. “We’re all for renewable energy, and we’re comfortable with this, we’re happy to be part of [it].” It just goes to show that wind turbines can be integrated into the community and accepted as an alternative form of energy. It can also add to the landscape creating an attraction for the local community.
Tonia mother of 18 week old baby, Eva. Photo: Samantha Viner
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Becky
When it came to me having Eve I thought I’ll give it ago and I was given some freebies. When she was 10 weeks I tried the reusable nappies and entered a whole new world and fell in love with the whole cloth nappy thing and now I’m obsessed. It does actually work out cheaper as long as you’re sensible about the number of nappies you buy. ■
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It’s the eco environment side of things and also she has a reaction to cheap, plastic, crappy manufactured nappies so this is much better for her. The patterns are what I like, they are really pretty but some people get really into the designer side of things. I’m a bit obsessed with it.
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Becky and her two year old daughter Evie. Photo: Samantha Viner Green Living | Page 33
Energy
Eco Parenting
live near a wind farm? The Screaming green store holds a Nappucino meeting for the parents. Tajah Brown learns about eco baby products and parenting. creaming Green launched in May 2009 the store is located in Lincoln’s Healthy Hub. The store sells reusable nappies, environmentally friendly baby products and potty training essentials. Two mums Heather Bolden, 27, and Sophie Barker, 37, opened the shop in December 2010 with the idea of helping other mums take on eco parenting. They started Nappucino meetings and home visits to give demonstrations to the parent and show them where to start. Bolden says “we go out and visit people at home and do demonstrations with the different nappies and that’s all free, there are no obligations and we have agents in different parts of the country.” The shop sells a range of products from potty training pants to fair-trade organic cotton clothing
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and washable baby wipes. The Bumgenius brand of reusable nappy is made of organic materials such as an absorbent cotton inner layer and laminated polyester waterproof outer layer which speeds up the drying process. The nappies are adjustable and fit from birth to potty training stage. It fits babies from seven to 35 pounds and the elastics on the legs make sure everything stays in. Bolden mother of three year old Lucy encourages women to embrace the eco-friendly parenting. “Try not to buy so much
stuff, there’s a real temptation when you’re pregnant to get everything. “All the magazines are telling you that you need all these different things, most of the time you don’t need half of the things that the books and the magazines suggest” says Bolden. The mums were passionate about eco friendly baby products but found it hard to find the products that suited them. “I think the shop benefits mums and dads because it’s somewhere they can get advice” says Bolden.
The Baby Genius brand. Photo: Samantha Viner
Designer nappies sell well. Photo: Samantha Viner
“It definitely would have had an affect on the price of people’s properties.” Doug Rodwell was against the wind farm coming to Baumber. Photo: Steph Wilson
ampaign activist Doug Rodwell was against plans to build a wind farm in Baumber, that were successfully scrapped by local people power. “My main objection was that it was an inappropriate location. They won’t get the maximum benefit out of them anyway because the land isn’t on a rise.” He felt that the locals wouldn’t feel the benefits.
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“To me the downside is the local residents, and none of it is being returned to the people that I can see, not even in terms of cheaper electricity. A big factor is that an awful lot of people are making a lot of money out of this. We took guidance from the people and the majority were against the decision.” But he favours other renewable sources, “Off shore wind farms I don’t
see as a problem, I’m told that they are seven times more efficient than the non shore wind farms. I favour the approach that individuals benefit from maybe micro-generators in their gardens, solar panels.” “It definitely would have had an affect on the price of properties. I think people should have a choice.” The company withdrew its plans, highlighting that wind farms aren’t suited to everywhere tastes, as some people favour being able to have a choice in how they want to renew energy ■ Green Living | Page 9
Energy
Eco cars
Supermarket Solar panels are the future of eco friendly living. Tajah Brown compares Tesco’s and Sainsbury’s Solar panels to help you decide. here are many benefits of buying Tesco’s solar panels. You can save money by cutting up to £65 off your bill per year. Not only can the solar energy used provide electricity for your household it can also heat your water. Tesco’s installation for solar hot water costs about £3,899 and a complete installation costs £7,499 this includes double club card points on your purchase. Investing in the installation will be worth it because you could save up to £867 per year. When buying solar panels the benefits are endless. You don’t have to find a supplier, you can save Photo: Pixor
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hundreds of pounds and reduce your CO2 emissions. John Clarkson, the Project Development Coordinator, talks about the benefits of using solar panels. He says ‘the potential profits are huge. However whether it is worth while is up to someone’s own financial situation and particularly age’ “I have no doubt that renewable energy like solar PV is about to get even bigger. But how much it will contribute will depend on population growth, growth in demand and the economic ability to purchase such expensive systems”
Photo: Saving money
How do the solar panels work? The PV panel is made of one or two layers of semi-conducting material. When the sun light shines on the layers it creates an electrical field, causing the electricity to flow. The electricity is then converted from a direct current into an alternating current and then goes into your home ready for use.
Drive green There’s a wide range of eco friendly cars and alternative fuels. Tajah Brown discovers the cars and fuels that reduce or stop CO2 emissions. f you want to travel in style and still reduce or stop your CO2 emissions then eco friendly cars is the future. There are a range of fuels you can use to help reduce CO2 emissions. They all produced with a blend of eco friendly resources such as sunflowers and corn. Bio Diesel Bio Diesel fuel is made up of the oil from crops, oilseed rape, sunflowers, soybeans and waste from cooking oils. They are all considered a renewable fuel. The benefit of using this type of fuel is that it doesn’t pollute the soil or waterways if leaked and is viewed as highly biodegradable. The downfall of this type of fuel is that it is not completely made of renewable sources it contains up to 7 per cent of diesel fuel. If you use diesel fuel then its worth considering Bio Diesel because the prices are the same.
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Bio ethanol Bio ethanol fuel is CO2 neutral and made from a mixture of 5 per cent ethanol and 95 per cent unleaded petrol. This type of fuel is also made from eco friendly resources which are starch and sugary plants such as barley, corn or cellulose from trees. If you use the standard petrol pumps and want to reduce your CO2 emissions then Bio ethanol fuel is the right choice, it helps save the environment and is the same price as the standard petrol fuel. Liquefied petroleum This type of fuel is best suited for light vans, but depending on your car you can convert it to use Liquefied petroleum gas. It costs around £1,500 to £2,000 to convert your car but the benefits are worth it with lower engine noise and it cost 30 per cent less then the standard petrol car. Liquefied petroleum gas is a mixture of propane,
butane, produced by oil refining or natural gas. Electricity powered cars If you want a car that doesn’t produce CO2 emissions then the electric car is the answer. The electrical power is generated from a range of sources such as tidal, solar and wind power. The hybrid cars can use both use both electric engines and the traditional petrol or diesel engine. There are different types of hybrid cars Mild, Full and Plug-in. Bibi Van Der Zee, an environmental journalist at the Guardian, believes that 2011 may be the year for alternative fuels. “As petrol prices climb, it looks as if the breakthrough moment for alternatively-fuelled cars has finally come. "The jostling between hybrids, electric vehicles and fuel-economy specialists is about to get really serious." ■ Green Living | Page 31
Eco cars
Energy
solar panels ainsbury’s solar panels can create up to 54 per cent of your household’s electricity supply with little maintenance. If you do choose Sainsbury’s solar panels you are entitled to 10,000 Nectar points on your purchase. The installation and set up costs up to £9,999 but the annual earning and
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saving have been calculated and you could save over £800. You can save and earn up to £22,000 over 25 years and the solar panels have a guaranteed 25 year warranty. One of the benefits of solar panels are again the reduction of CO2 emissions and the large amount of savings.
Hayley Jones, from Sainsbury’s energy staff, talks about the company. “With our solar panels we are in partnership with British Gas all the information can be found on our website, we also offer a Home Energy Assessment and in some cases free cavity wall and loft insulation.”
What is a Feed-in Tariff? It is a way of earning money from the extra solar energy your household produces. Here’s what you need to know. • Feed-in tariff also known as Clean Energy Cash back. • It’s a reward for saving money and reducing low carbon energy. • You get paid for every kilowatt hour of electricity you produce from the
government. • Won’t have to worry about buying electricity for your supplier. • Could earn over £700 each year. • You can earn money for the electricity you generate but don’t use the
electricity is sent to the National Grid. • FiT pays for the energy you make and any spare which will go back to the national grid. • Tescos say that the average customer can earn up to £755 of tax free money.■ There are two different types of Feed-in Tariff Generation and Export.This picture shows the feed-in tariff cycle. Photo: uSwitch
Photo: Yurri via Flickr
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Photo: Steph Wilson
Alternatuves
Gadgets Solar Sound 2 RRP £69.99 The Devotec Solar Sound 2 is a solar powered bluetooth speaker system. The large solar panel on top of the device charges the speakers for between 12 and 24 hours and The Devotec Solar Sound 2 Bluetooth Speakers are a light and portable can be connected to energy saving alternative. Photo: Devotec Industries any bluetooth latest must-have touch speakers offer 10 hours of compatible device via the play time, and when the techonolgy. wireless bluetooth The speakers also have a sun is out they can play connection, or to other USB port to charge them continuously with no devices by a traditional in four hours if the sun is battery! 3.5mm headphone jack, A must have for those lacking, as it often does in which is included. the wintery months of the long days in the garden The neon blue touch with a good book on your UK. screen panel gives it a sleek The super eco-friendly Kindle. modern look with the H2O water powered This funky LCD display colours, the can clock lasts clock uses water to power for about two years before Can Clock needing a new H2O cell it. RRP £10.99 By using positive and which can be replaced for negative electrodes, the about £7. You not only save money H2O powered clock creates an electrochemical reaction on batteries but also in the water which creates eliminate the problem of electrical energy to power disposing of them safely. The can clock resembles the clock. When the water the dimensions of a normal evaporates simply top up drinks can and the the transparent can to keep transparent body will make a great talking point. the clock ticking. Stylish and good for the Due to the clock being sealed you only need to top environment, the H2O The H2O water powered Can up the water every six to water powered Can Clock Clock uses an twelve months, which is a is a must for any electrochemical reaction to lot cheaper than replacing gadget-minded individual power the LCD display. Photo: expensive batteries. and is a unique way to tell Tango Group Available in four bright the time. ■ Green Living | Page 29
Gadgets
Alternatives
Nintendo DSi. Powermonkey eXplorer Portable The solar panel can be Solar Charger left in any sunny spot RRP £65.00 to charge and it’s water This may not look like much but when you need electricity on the go it may be just what you need. The new Powermonkey eXplorer is a portable solar charger that is great whether on holiday in Spain, in the garden with a glass of wine or camping at a music festival. The solar charger is compatible with most types of phone, iPods, MP3 players, cameras and even portable games consoles such as the Sony PSP and
Econova LED TV RRP £1,199 We all hear about how turning the TV off at the plug, rather than leaving it on standby, can save money and energy.
resistant casing means it can handle anything you throw at it. The LCD screen displays the battery capacity and the current level of charge. The multiple connectors, included in the set, ensure that nearly every gadget can be charged in no time at all.
Well, Philips have created a brand new eco- friendly TV so you no longer need to worry. Made from recycled aluminium, the 42 inch screen TV uses only 40
Behind the scenes of recycling We all think we know about recycling, but what exactly happens behind the scenes? Steph Wilson takes you through the stages... o you’ve thrown your plastic bottle in the correctly coloured bin, what’s next? Your local council will have appointed a recycling company for your area that will deposit the recycling waste that is then transported in large quantities to a reprocessor. All other waste is discarded in a landfill. In 2009, the Chancellor Alistair Darling announced that landfill tax is set to rise by £8 a year until 2013 which is a price hike for taxpayers. A staggering 60 per cent of our rubbish could potentially be recycled, and for every tonne of plastic you could save the equivalent of two people’s energy use for one year. The most common products being recycled in the UK are paper, cardboard, plastic and glass. Dan Cooke, from
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The Powermonkey eXplorer is the ideal way to harness free energy to charge gadgets. Photo: Powertraveller
This eco friendly TV from Philips uses up to 60% less energy than your standard TV. Photo: Philips
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This simple to use solar charger makes the most of the free and sustainable energy from the sun to power our modern day ‘essentials’.
watts of energy when in eco mode and when turned off uses no electricity at all. Not only that but the remote control has a solar panel on the back so you need never worry about changing batteries. The TV is not only made from recycled materials, it is designed so that when the TV is no longer wanted it can be easily recycled. You may think that with all this ‘eco friendly’ talk that the quality won’t be there, but you’re wrong. The LED display has over 4 trillion colours with HD Natural Motion giving that razor sharp quality that we all desire.
Photo: Greg Marshall
Viridor, a resource recovery company specialising in recycling, have said that: “the UK currently produces around 29 million tonnes of municipal solid waste a year”. They suggest the way forward is to create “area waste strategies, waste audits, waste prevention programmes, public awareness raising and education.” If people are aware of the benefits of recycling and change their habits, the climate will benefit to. ■
Recycle at home: • Keep your recycle bin next to your black bin so you can do both at the same time. • Sort your rubbish and store them in a handy place, encourage your children to take part. • Check the date and put out your recycling, create a calendar and mark down the days so you don’t forget. • You can also ‘drop while you shop’, at supermarket recycle centres. Green Living | Page 13
Alternatives
What really happens to your recycling?
Steph Wilson visits Sheffield to take a look behind the scenes of a materials recovery facility, Viridor. They recycle up to 85- 90 per cent of all materials. ecycling is a bit of a routine for us all but what really happens to what you leave out?
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Step one This is a dirty MRF, sounds unpleasant right? It stands for Materials Recovery Facility which deals with un-separated materials, as opposed to clean MRF-s which already has them separated. This is unlike most dirty MRF as only five per cent goes to the landfill. All the materials are first fed up a conveyor belt to the shredder; this shreds them to be more manageable for the rest of the process and discards any materials that can’t be Page 14 | Green Living
renewed. The liquid from the bottles are collected from the shredder, which is then sent to a water board plant and renewed for electricity. .
The dirty MRF separates the materials to be recycled. Photo: Steph Wilson
Step two The materials then go through a Trommel, which is a screened cylinder that separates all the materials
by size. This can be anything from crushed stone to biodegradable mixed disposable waste.
Step three The materials are then put through the overband magnet that separates the metals, such as aluminium, copper and brass. The deep permanent magnetic field extracts metal from the conveyor.
Step four The small and large materials then get separated along two lines ready for the next stage. The materials such as plastic film and large cardboard are separated manually, by a group of six
Gadgets Eco Kettle 2 RRP £39.95
The Eco Kettle 2 has a unique system to only boil the water needed. Photo: Product Creation Ltd
Britain is a nation of tea drinkers. It’s a little known fact that we consume well over 200 million cups of tea and coffee every day. This chrome kettle may not look like a great way to save money, with it’s hefty £39.95 price tag, but it has got a few tricks up it’s sleeve. You can cut time by up to 90 seconds each time you go to make a cuppa so you’re not left watching the kettle boil. The kettle also uses 31 per cent less energy than any other kettle and looks sleek
and attractive too. We all know that you can save energy by only using the water you need, but the Eco Kettle 2 allows you to fill the kettle to it’s full 1.5 litre capacity then release the amount needed, cup by cup, by using the knob on the lid. As kettle’s go, you can’t expect much but saving time and money can only be a good thing. The unique system for measuring only the water needed is great and quite frankly it’s surprising it hasn’t come up before.
Vexia Econav RRP £149.99 The Vexia Econav is a unique satellite navigation system that allows you, according to the blurb, to get the “maximum power and performance out of your vehicle in a customised way.” You simply input your vehicle details such as brand, model and registration details and the Econav does the rest. It then tells you in real time about the most efficient gear to use, when you are misusing the accelerator or brakes and even gives you a safe distance from the car in front.
The Vexia Econav allows you to make the most of your car’s energy consumption. Photo: Vexia
This techonolgy results in you getting the longest life out of key components such as tyres, engine and brakes. The Vexia Econav can reduce CO2 emissions by between 15 and 40 per cent by simply guiding the user to the best driving
technique which helps to contribute to a better environment. The Econav includes ‘Less Points Less Fines’ techonology. This tells you how many points you risk gaining by speeding, even in areas where there are no speed cameras. ►
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Gadgets
Alternatives
Energy saving gadgets Energy saving gadgets can be a great investment in the long run, despite the initial cost. Samantha Viner picks out some of her favourites. e all love to show off with our gadgets and when they save money it’s even better. Here we share some of our top gadgets including a water powered clock, an energy saving kettle and an eco-friendly TV with a solar remote.
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The H2O Shower Powered Radio RRP £34.99 This everyday gadget uses water pressure to power the radio, meaning there is no need for batteries, endless winding or potential electrical disasters. It’s powered through micro turbine technology, which is activated by the water pressure from your shower travelling through it. Vivian Blick, director of Tango Group, invented the Page 26 | Green Living
H2O Radio. He says patented technology “allows the radio to operate solely through the flow of water…and thus the world's first water-powered shower radio was created.” The radio is powered through the motion of water flowing through the micro turbine technology. This motion drives a generator which creates the energy needed.
A battery is also charged while the shower runs so that you can listen to the radio without the shower running. The simple installation is also a great feature of this gadget, simply fitting the radio in line with the shower hose. Using the shower to power something else makes perfect sense, and for those of you who like a sing-a-long in the shower, the H2O is the perfect gadget for you.
The H2O Shower Powered Radio will be on sale from March 2011. Photo: Tango Group
workers, who sort out all the materials into different piles. Not the most glamorous job but still an important part of the cycle. After this, the materials go on to two separate conveyor belts where the smaller materials go into an incinerator that then go on to be fuel.
Step six The materials then go through to the ‘Final Plastic Pick’. This is where certain materials such as cardboard and papers are flicked in the air to be separated for the last time to make sure they don’t get mixed up with the plastic materials. Any remaining soil gets taken out, and there is also a dust extractor to make sure all the resources that is renewable is clean.
The recyclable material is then packed into bales for the final stage of recycling. Photo: Steph Wilson
Workers manually separate some of the material. Photo: Steph Wilson
Step five The materials then go through a Destoner (a kind of vacuum that sucks up all the resources), which uses vibration and air classification to separate products of different densities. It drops the soil, stones, bricks and dust into a separate pile that can be used for roads. After this, the separated resources go onto a conveyor belt where they are again separated for different stages.
reprocessors and the manufacturers, which turn the clean crushed glass cullet into new bottles or fibre glass insulation.
The’ Final Plastic Pick’is the final stage to remove plastic materials. Photo: Steph Wilson
Step seven The materials are then packed up into bales that are then ready to be taken to the final stage of the recycle processes. Companies such as Viridor ensure the production and sale of quality recovered materials are given to the
The amount of material we are recycling in the UK is steadily rising. This trend for recycling is bound to grow with the increasing costs of filling landfills. Although this isn’t an easy process, it is easy for us. Simply put out your recycling and companies like Viridor do the rest. Without knowing you are helping to save the planet, and giving rubbish another lease of life. Reduce, re-use, recycle. ■ Green Living | Page 15
Gardening
Alternatuves
Greener Garden Freecycle has been described as a free and eco-friendly alternative to eBay, Emma Chapman takes a look at this inspirational movement.. reecycle prides itself as a non-profit organisation. Founder Deron Beal started the project in 2003 along with another non-profit organisation RISE. They drove around Tucson, Arizona providing recycling services to local businesses. Trying to prevent perfectly good items being discarded, the service and concept Freecycle as we know it today came about with Beal’s idea of creating an email group. This would provide an easier method of getting people to share items amongst themselves. The Freecycle network spread rapidly, from just a few friends to nearly a million members two years later. Today Freecycle is now in over 85 different countries with 4,926 groups and 8,119,004 members worldwide. The concept Beal devised within the first email group hasn’t changed and today’s
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networks stick rigidly to the same core values and aims. That is about giving and receiving completely independent of financial gain, with all of its members supporting the environmental movement to keep useable items out of landfills. As a result the members of Freecycle are keeping over 500 tonnes out of landfills per day! How does it work? Getting involved with Freecycle is easy. Sign up at: freecycle.org.uk and start reaping the benefits. Selecting from which geographical groups you want to receive emails from means you only get offers for accessible goods. As it’s self pick up to collect goods from one another, the last thing you want is to find something you’re looking for and then realise it’s 100 miles away.
The simple keywords that all Freecycle members abide by when posting items keeps things clear and confusion-free. Capitalised ‘offer’ and ‘wanted’ before the post allows users to sift through the vast emails they have access to, to find what they are looking for. What’s on offer? Pretty much anything can be received and offered on Freecycle. Pets and humans are not to be included and posts containing such content will be removed by the group’s volunteer monitors. Anything goes, be it: garden gravel to bed frames, washing machines to fish tanks. Have a go at being a bit greener, scan Freecycle for offers or post your unwanted goods for others before going else where. ■
. Photo: Brian Rosen
Samantha Viner discovers that small changes to your garden can make it a haven for wildlife and also make it greener for the environment. BBQ in the sunshine with family and friends is the perfect way to while away a summer afternoon; but it’s not necessarily the greenest. There are many ways to enjoy a greener afternoon. You can live the English summertime dream with a burnt burger by using charcoal from renewable wood, which will help to reduce your carbon footprint. Candles in jars provide soft lighting for the
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evening as do the ever-popular solar powered lights. Buying quality wooden furniture and decking that has been sustainably sourced is also a huge help. The Forest Stewardship Council ensures that forest products are harvested responsibly and are from verified sources. Plants are, of course, the obvious option for a greener garden. They add colour and invite wildlife such as butterflies and honey bees.
Thinking carefully about what plants to have in your garden is key. If you don’t have that much time to dedicate to gardening use hardy plants that don’t require much care. Watering plants at the right time of day can also help to save water. The hot midday sun will dry plant beds out quickly so water them in the evening. Compost can be added to the soil to add nutrients and garden waste can be added back to the heap. ■ Green Living | Page 25
Gardening
Alternatives Photo: Lisa Clarke
Green Fingers
Upcycling: As good as it makes out to be? Upcycling has become a fast growing ‘green’ trend, turning unwanted items into usable ones, Emma Chapman questions how green it actually is. Photo: liza31337 via Flickr
Growing your own produce is another money saving trick that’s a lot easier than it sounds. Samantha Viner gets green fingered to save money. etting your five a day can be difficult to do and isn’t always cheap, growing your own is a great alternative. Saving food miles and growing organic food can give a great feeling of satisfaction. It’s a great way to get the kids involved and they’ll love to get dirty and see exactly where their food comes from. Tomatoes are an easy place to start and can be grown in a garden or even on a sunny windowsill.
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Classed as superfoods, due to their high vitamin levels, they are a sweet addition to any meal. Easy to grow from seed, simply plant the seeds in a pot in a greenhouse or against a sunny wall and keep them watered and nature will do the rest. If you’re lacking in garden space, then pots on a blacony or windowsill can do the trick. Herbs and salad leaves are easy to grow in small pots and having fresh herbs to hand will brighten up
any meal. Chives, oregano, basil and thyme are must-haves in the kitchen and easy to grow from seed. Pot them up, keep them watered and within a few weeks you’ll be able to use your own basil in home-made Italian classics. Don’t forget about your compost heap during all of this. Any plants that don’t make it can be added to the heap so the nutrients can be used again and compost can be mixed in with the soil for a nutritious start. ■
pcycling enthusiasts, such as the Worn Again Store in London, define upcycling as “the practice of taking something that is [usually] disposable and transforming it into something of greater use and value, leading to a higher material and energy benefits”. Whilst this is true, it is however just like recycling. In fact Greenpeace would say upcycling is recycling too, adding that: “Everything has a cost to the environment, and recycling is not as efficient as reusing, or, indeed not using it in the first place, but it is preferable to landfill or incineration”. Upcycling prides itself
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on contributing no extra pollution to the atmosphere when conducting its process. To enthusiasts this means it’s better than recycling. Green Living has picked up on the fact that if it involves no additional energy or materials to use it for another purpose it is undeniably greener than recycling. However, if this is not the case it is simply another word for recycling, with creative connotations. Consequently, there appears to be two methods of upcycling. The first method is true upcycling, it involves no additional energy or materials to create something useful and usable again. For
example: a vehicle tyre used as a swing, or old plastic bags and fabric woven by hand into a door mat. The second, taking something and it needing a manufacturing and deconstruction to make it into the desired product. It might sound like we are criticising upcycling, but we’re really not. We encourage everyone to keep materials and items out of landfill sites for as long as possible through either reusing or recycling. What we are arguing for is firstly reusing things in their original state before undergoing any other process. The true meaning of upcycling. ■ Green Living | Page 17
Green Households
Gardening
Photo: origamidon via Flickr
Green gardening Gardening is an obvious way to live a little greener but many people have no idea where to start.. Samantha Viner shares top tips for composting. omposting isn’t as difficult as people think. You simply fill up your heap and let nature do the rest. About 40 per cent of what you put into your rubbish bin can be composted, which helps to cut down the landfill and also gives you free gardening materials. You can choose to either use a compost bin, which is a lot tidier, or you can simply create a heap which then needs to be covered with cardboard. The ideal compost heap: • is easy to access • has no gaps in the side • has a cover • is in a sunny spot • is directly on soil or turf So your bin is set up, what exactly do you put in? It’s best to have some variety and experts recommend equal parts green and brown waste. It’s best to have this variety as some materials decompose a lot quicker than others.
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Green waste includes: • Grass cuttings • Nettles and weeds • Raw vegetable peelings • Tea bags and cofee grounds Brown waste includes: • Cardboard • Waste paper • Animal bedding • Sawdust and wood shavings Other items, which don’t fall under either of these categories, include: • Crushed egg shells • Paper towels • Torn up natural fibres such as cotton clothing There are two methods to create a compost heap. The cool method and the hot method. The cool method involves filling the heap and leaving it to decompose. The hot method means that you have to ‘turn’ the heap. This simply means mixing the contents of the heap with a pitchfork when the heap begins to cool down; this is due to
the aerobic microbes slowing down. Turning the heap gives them more oxygen which gives them energy, heating up the heap. There is a method which is a mixture of the, the hybrid route. You simply fill the heap as you make the waste, as with the cool method, and then turn it when you have the time. The more often you turn the heap the quicker your compost will be ready. It is often thought that composting attracts pests such as rats but if maintained properly all you’ll get are slugs and fruit flies, which are an important part of the process. The method of composting you use will depend on how long the process will take. Some compost heaps can be ready in as little as six weeks but the average heap takes about a year with regular additions and turning. ■ Green Living | Page 23
Gardening
Green Households
A green
home
Living green doesn’t have to be testing, Emma Chapman discovers some tips for insulation, saving water, reducing energy and cleaning. our house has an important influence on the environment.
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Photo: E. v. Muench
Being a little bit greener can make a big difference on your bank account let alone the environment. The simplest and most efficient ways to get greener are to become more energy efficient. Cutting down on the electricity and gas we use, therefore saving money as well! Moving house to be able to generate your own energy is extreme, and let’s be realistic you’re not going to up and move just to live a little greener. Working with what we’ve got and making that greener is realistic however. Do remember though, it doesn’t have to cost thousands to be greener, so give it a go. The size of your house and location can influence how much of an impact your living has on the
environment. The size of your house influences that amount of energy you use in lighting and heating as well as the number of appliances you have. Depending on where you live will dictate how much energy you use on transport as well. Energy efficient scales (EU Energy Label) on appliances such as fridges and washing machines go from a rating of A to G; houses run on this scale too and are given Energy Performance Certificates rated accordingly. These are compulsory with Home Information Packs when buying/renting a new home, so you can pick the most efficient house to suit you if or when you decide to move. ► Page 19 | Green Living
Green Households
Green Households
Insulation here is no way of expressing how much money you will see fall off your heating bill by insulating your home. Around half the heat from homes is lost through walls and the loft. Draft proofing makes a lot of sense. If there is cold air coming in under a door or around a window then there is going to be paid-for warm air escaping out.
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Making sure doors and windows are sealed or using draft stoppers will cure this and keep the house a lot warmer, allowing you to turn the heating down. Insulating ceilings, walls and your roof is the most efficient way of saving energy. All modern or new houses are insulated when built, however older properties sometimes have no insulation whatsoever. A simple trick of placing
Water Conservation very time you turn the tap on, money and energy (not to mention water) comes out. Conserving water not only helps the environment but your energy bills too. Simple actions can make a huge difference, for example stopping the tap from dripping; it can waste up to 90 litres a week. Whilst brushing your teeth turn the tap off and then when rinsing, use a
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small glass it’ll save six litres of water every minute that is wasted from a running tap. When it comes to washing machines, modern appliances with ‘half load’ settings are the best for just a few items. However, older appliances will use just as much water no matter how many items are being washed therefore try and get a full load together
shiny foil behind radiators will reflect the heat back into the room, instead of letting it escape through the walls. Loft insulation is the most important, due to heat rising. There is even ‘green’insulation available, so you can be ultra green! It tends to be made out of either sheep’s wool, recycled newspaper or hay.
Photo: Alexander Bolotnov
before washing clothes. Toilets can use a lot of water when flushing, especially older cisterns, so for these older ones try installing a water-saving device; it can save up to three litres every flush. Or follow this golden rule for flushing only when necessary: “If it’s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down!” However, it’s not to everyone’s taste.
Reducing fuel & energy use ou’re just one person, what difference can you make? A lot actually, you can pass on the word; inspiring others to follow a greener lifestyle all through conversations with friends and family. Changing to a greener energy supplier is the biggest step in the right direction. There are specialist companies that only sell electricity generated from green sources such as wind turbines and wave power. These suppliers are not the only route to green energy, most standard companies offer green options for a small extra cost. Changing energy suppliers or paying to ensure you use green energy can seem like a big step take. If this isn’t what you want to do to be greener then just reducing how much energy you use at home is easy; follow these few steps to a fuller, greener bank account. In winter instead of reaching for the thermostat, reach for a
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jumper or a throw for the couch. Don’t live in an igloo but it doesn’t have to be on full whack either! In fact turning the thermostat down by just one degree can save up to a tenth on your heating bill. Think about the use of lights and turning them off when you don’t need them. Opening the curtains or blinds will do the same trick but using natural light is free. When light blubs need replacing have a look at the energy saving blubs available, they have advanced a long way since they first came about and no longer take ages to warm up. As well as lights, think about appliances. Turning electrical goods off at the wall instead of leaving them on standby will save a lot of energy and money. Checking the ratings on appliances such as ovens, tumble-driers, washing machines, dishwashers and fridge freezers before you buy them will help you make the greener choice.■
Top Cleaning tips: Try using baking soda on a damp cloth to: • Brighten up taps and chrome fittings. • Clean worktops, appliances and other surfaces. • Clean your fridge, inside and out. • Use baking soda instead of harsh chemical filled oven cleaners. Dampen the inside of the oven and sprinkle baking soda inside. Leave for about an hour then wipe away with a damp cloth. • Other uses include: Soaking dirty pots, using on shower curtains and unblocking drains as part of a combination with vinegar and boiling water. Or try using vingear: •It takes away grease and deodorises, so the bath, basin and kitchen sink will be limescale free. •An alternative is lemon juice; this works similarly to vinegar on limescale. •Cleaning windows and car windscreens with vinegar and water. Green Living | Page 21