Green Thing Blog

This is a guest post from heater specialists Economy Radiators on heating your house the green way.

Keeping warm in winter can be costly for you and for the environment. But there is plenty you can do to minimise the cost of both. Here are five top tips for people who want to maximise domestic warming whilst minimising global warming.

1. Switch to a ‘green’ energy tariff or supplier
Specialist suppliers that source much or all of their electricity from renewable sources are becoming both more common and more competitive, as are 'green' tariffs from mainstream suppliers. Even if you’re on a tight budget, it’s well worth investigating whether a green plan might be right for you: they can sometimes work out cheaper than the alternatives. Do the Green Thing personally recommends Good Energy as the only fully renewable energy supplier.

2. Insulate
Whether it’s double-glazing, cavity wall insulation, loft insulation or just the humble draft excluder, are you doing everything you reasonably can to make sure the heat you generate stays inside your home? Insulation will save you money in the medium to long term as well as upping your green credentials, and many people are eligible for grants to help towards or even cover the up-front costs.

3. Green space heaters
If you use electric space heater (one that heats just one room rather than central heating), investing in a new one can often be another way of saving money and energy. The most recent models take advantage of new technology that allows them to provide the maximum amount of heat using the minimum amount of electricity. Some features to look out for include a thermostat, which will allow you to keep your room at a constant temperature and not waste money by over-heating it and a timer to give you more control over when the heater goes on and off.

4. Green central heating
If you use central heating, then getting a ‘power flush’ to clean out your system may be a good way of making it more efficient. Turning down the thermostat a few degrees and pulling on a jumper is the quickest way to save money and energy. Only use central heating when you need it. There’s an urban myth that claims it’s more efficient to keep it on all day and night, but this is not true. Make sure the heating’s off if there’s no-one in, and rely on thicker duvets and pyjamas to keep warm at night. More drastically, if your radiators are old, then getting them replaced with newer, more efficient models can be a cost-effective option in the longer term.

5. Heat pumps and other ‘alternative’ heating systems
If you’re really serious about making a difference, then there are a number of exciting new technologies that can help you heat your home in an environmentally friendly way. Heat pumps take warmth from the air, ground or water, and use it to heat your home. They are designed to work even in low temperatures and are already really popular in Scandinavia. For example, in Sweden, they are used in 97% of new builds. Under-floor heating is another alternative for people with the budget for more substantial work. It heats the house more evenly than conventional central heating, and is great for keeping your feet nice and toasty.

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This is a guest post written by Sarah Leeds on behalf of ASOS, online retailer of vintage jewellery and accessories.

With this wintery weather are you looking in that wardrobe thinking, well, what was I thinking? You wouldn’t be the first person not to have anything both fashionable and warm. Before you start contemplating how far past Christmas you can get away with festive knitwear, or before you hit the shops, consider DIY fashion and customisation.

You don’t need to have a degree in fashion design to give your old clothes a new lease of life. A needle and thread and a few cheap items from your local haberdashery should do the job. Here’s a bit of inspiration on how to turn your old clothes into new season fashion.

(Image: prudentbaby)

Embellishment – A great way to update a tired shirt, dress or pair of jeans is by embellishing with studs, beading or sequins. Studded and sequinned clothing will be big this year and this is something that we can easily create ourselves at home. Start small by adding embellishment to the neckline (or back pocket of jeans), or for a more eye catching look scatter evenly over the front of clothing.

Fabric off-cuts – Many fabric shops will sell off-cuts of fabric cheaply and this can be used to update old clothing that is perhaps less fashionable this season. For example, lace panels will camouflage garish colours or patterns. If your sewing skills fail you and you don’t mind taking risks, fabric dyes are easy to use and work well on cotton.

Another way to use fabric off-cuts, particularly for men, is to use patches of patterned fabric to update a plain cotton or denim shirt. Use this year’s Aztec print to add patches to the elbows and pocket, or even panels across the shoulders. This can be easily removed and replaced with new fabric next year.

(Image: ASOS)

Jewellery – If customising clothing isn’t for you, there are ways to avoid the pitfalls of buying on-trend clothing. Stick to a classic style that will transcend the seasons and keep your look current by adding key accessories or jewellery. To avoid buying into a throwaway trend, wearing timeless vintage jewellery adds a unique twist to a basic jeans and t-shirt combo. Plus when you’re bored with it you can sell it on – it’s win-win!

Hopefully these ideas will give you some inspiration to update your old wardrobe.

P.S. Love a bit of green fashion? Check out our all time favourite eco fashion pieces.

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(Image: shutterstock)

Happy Burns Night Green Things! Today is the celebration of the birthday of Robert Burns, the famous Scottish poet. Today is the day to embrace all things Scottish. Yep, even that Scottish man on the bus. Go on, give him a hug.

To help you on your way to a great Burns Supper you'll need:

(Image: shuttershock)

A haggis, of course. Organic is great. Or vegetarian for those of you going Easy on the Meat (or are just plain repulsed by the idea).

(Image: shutterstock)

Neeps. That's turnips to you non-Scots. In season right now and delicious to boot. Last year we wrote a poem about neeps, complete with some classic Scottish words and phrases to get you in the mood.

Tatties. By which we mean potatoes, another seasonal veg.

(Image: shutterstock)

Whisky. Another Scottish staple. If you don't have any, you can make some out of wee, like the Gilpin family. Although we don't recommend it.

Some Burns' poetry. It is his birthday after all.

Some bagpipe music, for when you bring in the haggis.

And of course, the Address to a Haggis, to be read out to your meal before you stab it with a large knife.

Drink sensibly, stab your haggis responsibly and read poetry freely. Happy Burns Night!

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We come across a lot of wonderful, strange, inventive and all-consuming fashion ideas over the last few years. So, inspired by Vivienne Westwood's new climate revolution line, we thought we would put together a few of our all time fashion favourites. From the bizarre to the beautiful. And we really mean bizarre.

Clothes made from milk (and the best blog title we've ever come up with).

The only dress you'll ever need.

Clothes made from the scraps on the factory floor (not that you would know it to look at them).

Beautiful bags made from vintage fabric. And some of your money will go to help widows and orphans in Malawi. Double thumbs up.

Manolo Blahnik's....made from fish skin.

Or perhaps you would prefer shoes that come with their own repair kit.

When it comes to accessories, these compostable ones are stunning.

And a wooden watch wooden look out of place either.

Sling on a pair of glasses. Made from human hair. Obviously

And then top it all off with a jacket made from an old blow up sex doll. .

P.S. Ever wondered where your donated clothes go? We went to Oxfam's clothes warehouse and were blown away by what we discovered.

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Yesterday in Geneva, the UN launched their new food waste campaign, Think Eat Save. The campaign is aimed at reducing food loss and food waste around the world, saving money, land, water and lives.

Food loss is what gets spilled, spoilt or otherwise lost during the production, post-harvest, processing and distribution stages. It is also food that loses its nutritional value along the way.

Food waste is what has made it to our shops, our shelves, our fridges and is good quality but doesn't get eaten. It's left to spoil, rot and wilt. This usually happens in the retail and consumption stages.

The news recently has been awash with the revelation that between one third and one half of the world's food is wasted. This is around 300 million tons worth of food, a figure that could feed the 900 million people hungry in the world. A statistic that makes you sit up and look guiltily at the mouldy bread in your cupboard.

Food waste is a massive global problem that has negative humanitarian, environmental and financial implications across the globe. And it's about time we, as a planet, took some decisive action on it.

Read more about Think Eat Save here.

P.S. Of course, there are plenty of people out there already who have been campaigning and encouraging us not to waste food - Tristram Stuart and his Feeding of the 5K with ugly but delicious vegetables, the Plan Zheroes joining up surplus food with charities in need, the Culinary Misfits who produce incredible meals from wonky fruit and veg, London Glider Cider who make cider from the city's unpicked apples and The Kitchen Revolution who help you save money, energy and food with their great recipes, tips and ideas.

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