name: Rania Kudsi
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50 ways to become greener family
06 June, 2008
Going Green: 50 ways to become a greener family
We asked you to share your best tips for making your family more eco-aware and environmentally friendly and you rose to the challenge. Here are the fifty best tips given to us by Raisingkids' members.
1. Hot water. We don't have a combi boiler so there is a bit of a wait for hot water when the tap is first turned on. We save the cool water that comes out before the hot water starts for watering plants.
2. Feeling fruity. If your fruit is going off, don't chuck it. Most fruit can be turned into something yummy, apple cake, banana bread, peach cobbler etc.
3. Ready, steady, cook. If the oven has to be on for any length of time, shove something else in with it. I do cakes when I'm roasting a chicken. Or I cook 2 chickens at once so one of them is cold for the next day's dinner or lunchbox.
4. Thirty-something. Turn the temperature down on the water, the heating & washing machine, saving energy & pennies. Wash most things at 30 degrees.
5. Cold corners. Have thermostatic controlled radiators so any rooms that are not in regular use get turned down to minimum.
6. Baby bottoms. I'm making my own baby wipes - bits of a fleece blanket cut down and hemmed. I'm also making wipe solution using a cup of water, a couple of drops of baby wash, 1 drop lavender oil and 1 drop tea tree oil and keep in an old refillable spray bottle! Much better than the wipes that you can buy, many of which contain lots of chemical products in them.
7. Car-share. Don't make a special trip to the bottle bank – if a friend or neighbour is going there, ask them to take yours as well and return the favour.
8. Re-use water. Certain supermarkets are now also doing their own version of environmentally friendly cleaning products which do not affect the water table. Not only are they kinder to the environment but if you use one of these or Ecover products for washing up then you can re-use your washing up water on the garden.
9. Boiling point. We bought an Eco kettle so we are knowingly only boiling the amount of water we need any excess is popped into a bottle in the fridge for drinking.
10. Plugged in. Make sure your stereo, PC or television isn't left on standby and that no mobile chargers are left plugged in (my kids need constant reminding!)
11. Car criteria. My new car's a low CO2 one, it was one of my criteria when looking.
12. Nappy valet. I used washable nappies - the square cloth ones. We kept some of them because they are so absorbent, and now years on they make fantastic window cleaners/floor mopper uppers! The trouble is that my girls never fail to tell everyone they used to be on their bottoms.
13. Bag lady. Keep plastic or reusable bags in the car whenever you go shopping.
14. Shank's pony. Walk or use public transport whenever possible, or car share for school runs.
15. Double up. Share a shower - you can have fun being green too!
16. Pick your own. Never buy fruit or veg from the supermarket that comes in a package. I buy only the pick-your-own and then I re-use the plastic bags for items that go in the freezer.
17. Boxing clever. Use sandwich box instead of sandwich bags.
18. Paper cuts. Buy books second hand wherever possible. This isn't something that would have occurred to me until a couple of very environmentally conscious people joined my book group!
19. Reading group. Glossy magazines are passed round to interested friends and family members - and they do the same.
20. Freecycle it. Join Freecycle - you become a member of your local community and then you tell people things you do not need any more and if they want them they arrange to collect. Also if you want something you can ask if anyone has one kicking about you can have. As long as it's legal and you do not want any money anything goes - kids toys, beds, wardrobes, fairy wand etc.
Wild thing. Go foraging! I've made dandelion salad, nettle soup, nettle omelette, lots of things with wild raspberries and blackberries. We also have LOADS of wild garlic around for the picking. Apparently you are allowed to dig the stuff out by the bulbs as, if left to itself, it goes mental and strangles out other plants so trimming it back is actually beneficial to the environment.
32. Us time. Twice a week we have an 'everything off' day - no TV, no computer, no lights (just candles), it's also a wonderful opportunity to just sit and chat without any distractions. Late nights by candlelight = great ghost stories!
33. See clearly. Get rid of your old specs by taking them to an opticians that send them to third world countries, rather than throwing them away.
34. Tree hugger. The Woodland Trust is running a Tree For All campaign, and is offering free trees, as well as some funding, to schools and community groups. Anyone can get involved, including families and individuals.
35. Tip off. I like a bit of tip foraging and lucky for me the guys who work at our own are great at letting us 're-home' stuff for free. So far I've had two beautiful wicker hampers and also managed to get two huge sheets of thick plywood one day - made shelves for the garage and my daughter's bedroom.
36. Soaking wet. If you have a child that has just grown out of disposable nappies, rather than chuck the unused ones away, you can open them up and use them at the bottom of plant-pots and hanging baskets (under the soil, obviously!). They help retain moisture, so your plants will need less watering.
37. Time of the month. I use reusable sanitary wear in the form of a Mooncup, and use biodegradable natural cotton sanitary towels and liners.
38. Little pigs. We've recently got some guinea pigs - these have turned out a real bonus in encouraging our girls about 'all things green'! Not only does having a pet teach the importance of looking after your environment but the guinea pigs eat all the vegetable peelings and the paper we shred is perfect bedding material. They're also brilliant at cutting the grass – we move their run around the garden we don't have to mow the grass as often, saving us time and energy!
39. Candid camera. I go to the chemists and ask for their old camera film cases with lids and use them for storing my seeds until the following year.
40. Rolling stock. If you use roll-on deodorant (which is better for the environment than spray anyway), when the bottle is finished, use a knife to carefully prise out the roller ball; give it a good rinse with water and then fill with poster-paint - et voila, a chubby 'paint-pen' for the kids.
41. On your bike. I recently got a child seat for the back of my push bike, we walk or cycle most places.
42. Gardener's world. Start a compost heap, it'll save you a fortune at the garden centre.
43. Galloping gourmet. Make most of our meals from scratch. If you have fewer ready meals, there'll be less packaging.
44. Wrapped up. I always re-use bread wrappers by emptying out crumbs and use them for wrapping sandwiches or covering food.
45. High energy. If you need to replace appliances try get the highest energy efficiency rating that you can afford. This will save you money in the long run too.
46. New broom. I sweep daily to keep the use of the Hoover to a minimum.
47. Flushed with success. We have a brick in the toilet cistern which helps save water.
48. Whites right. Line drying washing is obviously eco-friendly too, and the sun is a great bleaching agent on whites.
49. Lagging behind. There is a energy efficiency trust that will give grants so that you can improve your lagging and save the world at the same time.
50. Avoid the draught. Use draught excluders to keep the house warmer so you don't have to use radiators as much.
Mum Arrested For Leaving Child In Car
06 June, 2008
Mum Arrested For Leaving Child In Car 13 March 2008
Mother's good deed costs her dear
Treffley Coyne was having a good day. Her husband had collected just over $8 dollars for charity in his office, so she drove into town with her children and one of their friends to find a charity to give to. Coyne stopped her car when she saw a Salvation Army charity collector and popped out with her two older daughters and a friend to donate the money. It was cold and sleeting, Coyne's two-year-old was sleeping, so she locked the car and stepped less than 10 yards away to put the money in the donation tin.
Unfortunately for Coyne when she turned to go back to the car she was accosted by a community service officer who promptly arrested her and charged her with child endangerment. The mother of three now faces a potential jail sentence and fine of $2500.
The case has caused uproar in the states with people coming out on both side – for and against the mother.
'She was on a tirade, she was yelling at me,' Treffley said of the community officer. Having called her husband who told her not to say anything more, the mum was handcuffed and sat in the back of a police car by the time he arrived on the scene.
A service provided by Al Bawaba