Green Living

Good ideas for both the committed and the reluctant environmentalist

Here are a few more ideas from me. You can make a difference. Don't be overwhelmed by the problems facing the planet. Simple actions by you are important.

1. The huge volume of disposable nappies and women's sanitary products used in this country is a massive landfill problem for us all. When my daughter was in nappies we used re-usable traditional cloth nappies almost all of the time. Disposables were reserved for changes on days out etc.. Re-usable nappies have developed a lot since those days making them more convenient and easy to use. There are many suppliers of re-usable nappies and women's sanitary products but if you have trouble finding them try contacting Cuddlebabes or the Women's Environmental Network on 020 7481 9004.

2. The detergents that we use every day make our household liquid waste far more harmful to the environment than it was for previous generations. If you are connected to the main sewer then expensive techniques have to be employed to degrade these detergents raising the cost of our water or reducing the quality of our rivers and streams. If you are not connected to the main sewer then any water or land pollution remains closer to home. It can pass through the soakaway contaminating your garden soil and its water including any vegetables that you might be growing. When it is taken away and spread on the fields the effect is the same. Your contribution to this pollution can be reduced by using more environmentally friendly detergents that break down more easily to less harmful by-products. Try using EcoVer or BioD products, they are very effective and often available from local shops and supermarkets. Again if you have trouble finding them try the "Natural Collection" catalogue on 01225 404010.

Revd Nigel Tuffnell