Environment Monday - A quick checklist for simple ways to by more eco conscious and save money

 So you want to do your bit for the environment, but are not sure where to start? Here's a few ideas that will make all the difference.

1. Buy loose vegetables and use paper bags to put them in. When we buy pre packed vegetables in plastic containers, we usually buy more than we need, we are adding to the huge amounts of plastic in the environment and most of the time it costs more money.

2. Only boil the water you need when making a tea or coffee. Measure the water into the kettle by the cup. Kettles are massive guzzlers of electricity and over the course of the year, most people would save £30-50 only boiling the water they need.

3. If you are working during the day, put your heating on a timer. There is no point heating the house when you are not in it. If you time it to turn on 30 mins before you arrive, the house will be warm and you will save a packet.

4. Unplug your telly at night, rather than leaving it on standby. According to Money.co.uk the average UK household wastes £30 a year on TV's on standby.

5. Recycle your pets poo rather than using eco unfriendly poo bags. This artcile explains all.

6. Shop locally. When people compare the prices of your local shop, with a supermarket that you drive to, people rarely factor in the costs of their car journey or their time.

7. Grow your own fruit and vegetables. If you've got a garden, why not plant a couple of fruit trees? If you've only got a balcony or a window ledge, then you can still grow herbs and spices. Herbs such as chives make a cheese toasty simply scrummy and are easy to grow. Mint is another great herb and makes wonderful tea. 

8. Buy locally produced produce that is in season. If you've got a local farmers market, this is easy and cheap. The less we transport food, the less CO2 is pumped into the atmosphere.

9.  Support your local microbrewery. A subject close to my heart. Local microbreweries use local hops, there are no HGV journeys to get the beer to pubs/supermarkets and it is a far better tasting product. 

10. Don't use online delivery services. There has been a huge increase in traffic and pollution in London as we go shopping crazy online. See what local shops you've got and use them. I live in Mill Hill. We bought our telly from Kilworth Electrical, I bought tonights meat from Boucherie Gerard on Daws Lane, the bottle of wine I had last night from Mill Hill Wines and I'll get my wife's Xmas present from Rockman Jewellers who are amazing. You could always buy a guitar from our shop in Bunns Lane Works, if you want a truly amazing present.