Some top tips for a green summer
Make the most of the longer days by leaving your curtains open later in the evenings. Not only is it nicer to have the natural daylight, it uses less energy too.
Give your tumble dryer a rest and save money and energy. If you have a garden or outdoor space use a clothes line. Hanging your clothes outside means they'll dry quickly and at no cost to you or the environment. If you don't, use a clothes airier to dry your clothes instead of the tumble dryer.
Make the most of the longer summer days and let your feet do the work - cycle to and from work, or walk if you're near enough. Not using the car means less petrol or diesel and a smaller carbon footprint to boot.
When the evenings start to become a little chilly, think twice about turning the heating on. Instead why not put a jumper on?
When watering the garden in hot weather only do it in the evening or early morning to minimise evaporation, and direct the water at the soil rather than the leaves.
Want to light up your garden for a summer get-together?
Solar-powered lights are worth investigating, and there are plenty of candle-holders and oil-burners on the market that will help to create atmosphere for special events
Use vinegar as a natural weed killer. It needs to be around 10% strength to work so pickling vinegar is best. Fill a spray bottle with pure vinegar and spray on weeds. Be sure to coat the weeds evenly and do not spray on plants you wish to keep. It is said to be more effective on sunny days.
Top tips for going green
As you know we are going green at Hastoe and have already seen the energy bills in our offices reduce by encouraging staff not to leave their appliances on standby at night (the Director of Operations has to crawl under her desk to do this which is a source of entertainment to us all!). With the credit crunch biting, here are some energy and money saving tips that we recommend to you:
It has been said before but turning down your heating thermostat by two degrees will save 500kg of carbon dioxide and can cut your heating bill.
Always finish one pot before starting another. Buy only the fruit and veg that you are going to eat – in short - don’t throw money in the bin! Buy just the right amount of food to save 190kg of carbon dioxide.
It’s greener to re-use than to make from new. Have you thought about using bread bags for dealing with the things that pets leave behind? Recycle as much as possible, to save 330kg of carbon dioxide.
Change fewer light bulbs – Switch to low energy light bulbs. They are longer lasting, saving 130kg of carbon dioxide and can cut your energy costs.
Never been to a charity shop – heard about vintage chic? What about a clothes exchange with your neighbours, especially children’s clothes and school uniforms, and winter coats for the adults? Old is the new ‘new’!
And the simplest and most cost effective of all - think before you buy - reduce the amount of goods you buy by a fifth and save 550kg of carbon dioxide, enough to fill nearly 3 double decker buses.
Some other useful sources of information
www.bbcgreen.com
for more tips, useful information and help with taking action
www.energysavingtrust.org.uk
for advice on energy efficiency
www.actionco2.directgov.uk/carboncalc
to calculate your annual carbon footprint for home and travel
www.climatecare.org
to measure carbon footprints for individual journeys
www.recyclenow.com
for helpful recycling tips
Going Green at Hastoe
The carbon footprint of domestic housing is one of the biggest contributors to global warming in Britain – so when you look at it that way, it is you, our residents, who can make the biggest impact on saving the planet. We want to do all we can to help you in doing this. It is also where communities working together can really make a difference, so it may not seem like much to turn the light off when you leave the room – but what if every Hastoe resident did it every day!
Get in touch, get involved
If you would like to have your say on Greening Hastoe, contribute ideas or want more information on our plans and activities, we welcome your questions and input - please contact us at
greening@hastoe.com.