The Loop is a new concept from Teresa Ttillebacher and Birgit Dejaco from Austria and is a must have for every green home. This trendy piece of furniture is actually a structure where you can grow your own plants and provide energy to all kitchen appliances!
Continue reading "How to transport your garden into your kitchen" »
As the weather gets warmer its time to get togther with friends and BBQ. But this year what if you can carry the whole set up, that is your BBQ grill along with all your buddies, on the river? The BBQ-Donut stands true to its name, it is part lounge, part restaurant table, part BBQ, and part water activity platform.
The Ladybird is a new invention that is designed to maximise your small bathroom space. It is literally a sink in which you can take a bath! The Ladybird contains a removable sink that empties into the bathtub. The finished product looks very nice but irrespective of how clean you keep your sink, we are not sure how many people would rush to take a bath under it!
Article provided by
http://www.ecofriend.org/entry/maximizing-space-a-sink-in-which-you-can-take-a-bath
Our homes account for 27% of the UK’s CO2 emissions so it makes sense for homeowners to think carefully about how they use energy. But just what are these eco-friendly products that everyone’s talking about? The organisers of The London Homebuilding & Renovating Show have put together a simple guide to help you through the maze of greener living.
With average energy bills now around £1,135 a year, and gas and electricity suppliers putting prices up twice last year, it's no wonder that over 30% of UK households have carried out energy saving home improvements over the last twelve months. Making energy savings are even more important now that the Energy Performance Certificate has been introduced as part of HIPs.
There are many ways in which you can use energy more efficiently and save money at the same time. EDF Energy have put together the following energy saving tips that will help you reduce your fuel bills at little or no cost.
Some time ago, Lance and Joanna Stewart, a young couple living in London became fed up with the amount of junk mail they received through their door. 
A farmer in Somerset is to convert his gas-guzzling jaguar into an eco-friendly car which runs on fuel made from apples.
Henry Hobhouse plans to transform the vehicle to use methane rather than petrol, and he plans to create the fuel using natural waste products - including apples found on his farm.
[The Metro]
Continue reading "Simple ways to cut the bills and help save the planet" »
Keep your living space cleaner, greener and healthier by avoiding these chemicals ...
Formaldehyde
Perc (perchloro ethylene)
Phthalates
VOC (volatile organic compound)
BPA (bisphenol A)
BFR (brominated flame retardants)
BPA (bisphenol A)
Used in many plastic products, research has implicated BPA in a number of hormone-related defects including breast cancer, miscarriage and polycystic ovarian disease, as well as diabetes and insulin resistance.
Continue reading "Chemical jargon buster: BPA (bisphenol A)" »
BFR (brominated flame retardants)
Synthetic chemicals added to many consumer goods, including carpeting and bedding, to make them more fire resistant. They can cause hormone disruption.
Continue reading "Chemical jargon buster: BFR (brominated flame retardants)" »
Formaldehyde
A volatile organic chemical. Low-level exposure can cause burning and watering of the eyes, nose and throat. Higher exposure can result in skin and lung allergies and it has been linked to asthma and cancer.
Perc (perchloro ethylene)
A volatile organic chemical that is a hazardous air pollutant and groundwater contaminant that causes dizziness and nausea, and lover and kidney problems.
Continue reading "Chemical jargon buster: Perc (perchloro ethylene)" »
Phthalates
A common chemical added to plastic products to make them more flexible. The most common form, DEHP, can affect hormones in particular causing a range of 'feminising' effects.
VOC (volatile organic compound)
Chemicals that evaporate or vaporise at room temperature, react in sunlight to form ground-level ozone and are often toxic to health.
Continue reading "Chemical jargon buster: VOC (volatile organic compound)" »
Do one thing: take the bus
A double decker bus carries the same number of people as 40 cars, so if every one of the 6,800 scheduled London buses were filled it would save 272,000 care journeys a day.
More and more people are realising the importance of looking out for the environment. For those of you thinking of building a property, here is some eco-inspiration for you.
A Welsh couple with a todler and baby with no savings were offered the opportunity of building a property in his woodland. The project took around 1500 man hours and cost £3,000. The full story is on his site, but here is some food for thought:
The house was built with maximum regard for the environment and by reciprocation gives us a unique opportunity to live close to nature....Building from natural materials does away with producers profits and the cocktail of carcinogenic poisons that fill most modern buildings.
My main relevant skills were being able bodied, having self belief and perseverence and a mate or two to give a lift now and again.
Read more about this fascinating project on this website.
Recycling has finally taken off in Britain. The amount of household goods we reprocess has increased threefold since 2004 and an amazing array of recycled goods, from tin cans to floors, and solar-panelled iPod chargers are now appearing in the shops. But it is recycling really the answer to our environmental woes?Think about all the energy consumed in collecting, sorting and reprocessing a glass bottle - recycling is hardly guilt-free. And, but sanctifying the rapid purchase, use and disposal of products, it could be argued that recycling actually encourages our unsustainable habits, masking our throwaway culture in a pious green glow. Or the mantra: 'reduce, reuse and recycle,' recycling really is the last option.
Continue reading "Recycling is on the increase but is it the answer to our eco worries?" »
on the up...wood
Timber is the only renewable, natural building material. Not only is it recyclable and easy to reuse, but it can counteract CO2 emissions. Trees act as carbon sinks, extracting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and converting it into carbohydrate for the tree;s growth. And the by-product of that process is oxygen.
Wood-processing industries are also far less energy-intensive that those for other common matierials.
