Buying green
Woodland burial ( 7 July 2008)
I've stated in my will that I want a woodland burial, so I thought I'd best check out my nearest site at the Sustainability Centre and see if I liked it.
Intelliplug - cutting my wasted electricity ( 5 July 2008)
I've just got an Intelliplug so when I turn the PC off all the other devices are automatically turned off - leaving nothing on standby.
Solar powered iPods, iPhones and laptops (20 June 2008)
Infuriated when your iPod runs out of juice in the middle of a great track? Apple's patent for solar power could mean future iPods, iPhones and laptops charge themselves up in the sun.
How to make an unwilling population go green ( 6 May 2008)
Despite all the publicity surrounding climate change people's willingness to take drastic action is limited. We need a mixed approach to encourage and push people to reduce their impact.
The 'Jamie Oliver effect' on free range eggs (13 March 2008)
Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's recent programs brought home just how bad battery farming is. The result is a big jump in demand for free-range eggs and chickens.
The environmentally friendly MP3 player (11 March 2008)
Trevor Baylis has led the wind-up revolution and the latest gadget to get the Baylis treatment is the MP3 player. Or rather, the Eco Media Player.
Auction site for the green community (10 March 2008)
You can use the site to buy or sell vegetarian, vegan, hemp, fair trade - basically anything that's considered environmentally friendly.
Carbon Fast - Days 24 to 30 (29 February 2008)
O.k, so I've done a bit better this past week. I've finally finished my bathroom, which has resulted in lots of cardboard and wood that I needed to get rid of. I therefore took a long overdue trip to my...
Energy saving adaptor for your P.C (19 February 2008)
You plug your PC into the master socket on the adaptor, and then your peripherals, monitor, speakers, printer into the secondary outlets.
EDF green advert ( 9 January 2008)
EDF's new TV advert highlights their aim to reduce carbon from electricity generation. To show their commitment even the advert is recycled.
How desperate are you for a Christmas present idea! (14 December 2007)
Whilst a solar powered tyre gauge might be a pretty good idea, I think you'd have to have completely run out of ideas to buy this one as a prezzy! The gauge comes with a digital LCD display and built...
Green Christmas gifts 2007 (11 December 2007)
With Christmas approaching fast, what can you buy a loved-on that won't cost the earth - literally. The internet is awash with green gift ideas from toys to buying rainforests.
Tefal Quick Cup kettle uses 65% less energy ( 5 December 2007)
Looking for that green gadget for an environmentally-friendly relative? You could do worse than the Tefal Quick Cup that boils a cup of water in 3 seconds using 65% less energy.
Organic fruit and vegetable deliveries (29 November 2007)
Able and Cole deliver organic fruit and vegetables to your door. They even ask which vegetables you particularly like and dislike so you get a box of food you'll love.
Local Food Shops (21 November 2007)
The Local Food Shop website enables you to buy from some 200 producers and shops selling local or organic food and non-food items.
World's smallest solar-powered car (12 November 2007)
Nuna 4 completed the Panasonic World Solar Challenge at an average speed of over 90 kmh. But the world's smallest solar-powered car is unlikely to match that.
Turning back to the milkman (10 November 2007)
Instead of throwing away plastic milk cartons, why not sign up for deliveries by your milkman - in reused galss bottles, just like the old days.
Solar powered razor (10 September 2007)
There's a solar-powered version of most things now, including a men's razor for the days when you're stranded in the middle of a desert miles from a plug socket.
Low cost rechargeable batteries ( 1 July 2007)
Rechargeable batteries cost more to buy but save money over the longer term. And by shopping around you can get good batteries cheap on the internet.
Sky encouraging customers to go green ( 7 February 2007)
Sky are offering customers 10% off gofts and household products at The Carbon neutral company.
Offsetting your Carbon Emitting Life: What are REC’s and How to Buy Them? (20 November 2006)
Renewable Energy Credits encourage investment in renewable energy but are confusing. Consumers as well as businesses can buy them, but how and who from?
Environmental Christmas presents (17 November 2006)
Christmas is a time for giving - and it's easy to make it environmentally friendly. From charity gifts to eco-positive and Fairtrade presents you can get a wide range of gifts online.
Can we have some normal role models please? (10 October 2006)
The people in the media shown making their lives more environmentally friendly are admirable. But we need more role models who make a real difference in their everyday lives.
Toxic technology (20 September 2006)
Although the growth in electronic communications, online shopping and so on can have beneficial environmental effects, one of the big drawbacks is the toxicity of computer equipment. Greenpeace yesterday published results of a study of the toxic materials in laptops...
McDonalds hummer comments (13 September 2006)
Following my post about the McDonalds Hummer promotion, BNET has written about McDonalds' response on their own corporate social responisbility blog. Basically they have responded to lots of comments they have received by saying they don't think it's an issue...
Big Barn - local producers in the UK (12 September 2006)
There aren't an abundance of good UK-based websites helping you make the most of local farmers and producers so I was pleased to come across BigBarn. The idea is simple. You register and tell others to register, all giving your...
Supermarkets vying for green supremacy ( 9 September 2006)
The news that Sainsbury's is to sell over 500 of it's own-brand products in compostable packaging is the latest in a PR battle between the UK's large supermarkets. Tesco's have introduced rewards for customers who don't take plastic bags and...
Scotty solar charger ( 5 September 2006)
I recently took delivery of a Scotty solar charger - an neat device that charges mobile phones, PDAs and MP3 players using solar energy. I checked it out on the Green Shop and although I didn't see a definitive list...
McDonalds Hummer promotion (22 August 2006)
Never one to worry too much about the impact they have, McDonalds has run a promotion in the US giving away toy Hummer vehicles - the hugely inefficient cars made by General Motors for the army and Hollywood stars. In...
The first environmental car insurance ( 4 August 2006)
There are many things to buy that I imagine could do with an environmentally-friendly version, but I have to admit car insurance wasn't the first to spring to mind. However, I noticed a full-page ad in my Sunday paper...
Solar panels available at Currys ( 1 August 2006)
The BBC reports today that Currys - the electrical retailer - is piloting the sale of solar panels in three of it's UK stores. The panels sell for about £1,000 and Currys will do a free home assessment to...
