Greener Living Network

Green Holidays – Tips for Camping in the UK

Editor — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 21:06:50 +0000

Whether you want to “rough it” with basic camping, or prefer the “glamping” approach, there are some important things you should consider.

Top 5 tips for camping in the UK

1. Be prepared for the weather – Whether you are going for the basic approach, or the take-everything-in-the-car-you-can-possibly-fit-in approach, you will need to make sure you can stay dry and warm. So make sure your tent is waterproof. Check the seams, and treat with a waterproofer every year, especially if it is canvas. Pitch the tent in the garden and put the garden hose on it to make sure there are no leaks. Make sure you have suitable warm and waterproof clothing, and sunscreen/hats if you are going in the summer. A sleeping bag suitable for the time of year you are travelling is also essential.

2. Choose the right site – Some sites are very basic and may offer no more than running water, whereas others will have electricity, entertainment facilities, laundries and gyms. Sites such as UKcampsite.co.uk will let you enter your requirements and search for sites. You will also be able to read reviews of the sites. If you have particular requirements such as wanting to have a camp fire, or an adults only site, then you will also be able to search by these criteria.

3. Get the best equipment you can afford – The basics you will need are a tent, a sleeping mat, a sleeping bag (or duvet), a torch, and a water carrier of some kind. If you plan to cook you will need some type of camping stove (open fires are permitted only on a minority of campsites in the UK), and cooking and eating utensils. A flask is also useful. It’s fine to start with cheap equipment and then upgrade once you know you enjoy it, but the better equipment will be more efficient and will usually last longer.

4. Think about safety – Campsites are generally safe places but it is important that you take care of your belongings. Don’t leave anything valuable in your tent and lock anything expensive in your car overnight. Don’t pitch your tent too close to another one, as that can pose a fire risk. If you are out on the site at night, make sure you have a torch as it can be difficult to see guy ropes and it is easy to trip. You can get special luminous guy ropes which are easier to see. If you have small children, other safety measures are available, such as bells for the flaps of your tent so you know if someone is leaving or coming into your tent. Camping websites and forums have some great information about equipment, and about safety.

5. Relax – Camping holidays don’t always go to plan. Be prepared to change your itinerary, and to deal with little adventures. If you face them in a relaxed and positive way, they could well turn into the happy memories of your holiday.

Andrew writes frequently about travel and eco-holidays. He also maintains a blog on solar panels .

http://www.goearthfriendlynow.com/

Vegetarian Restaurant Review – Greens, Manchester UK

Editor — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 19:32:36 +0000

Situated 15 minutes outside of Manchester in the affluent Didsbury neighbourhood, Greens has become something of an institution for Manchester vegetarians and foodies alike, serving up delightful vegetarian fine dining over the last eight years. Though the menu tends to stay the same for long periods, (mainly to ensure old favourites like the Cheshire cheese and sage sausages are not removed) there are enough new innovations every few months to keep people coming back to try new vegetarian meals. Current popular dishes that are worth trying include the oyster mushrooms and Chinese pancakes as well as the veggie sausages in bubble and squeak beer gravy. Also thoroughly recommended is the goats cheese and beetroot pie, which is accompanied by a delicious and elegantly laid out salad.

As ever the staff were friendly, attentive without being pushy and new the menu inside out, able to recommend their own favourites and knowledgeable enough to know which wines work with which dishes. If you’re heading there on a weekend you’ll almost certainly need to book, but it is well worth it, as the place is relaxed but buzzing and will offer you a thoroughly great fun, and delicious, night out.

Prices are reasonable and when you’re done there is an excellent pub over the road, the Metropolitan, and a taxi rank nearby in case you’ve overdone it. Recommended.

Alex is a financial blogger and writer and a vegetarian. He loves writing about vegetarian food and green issues although he spends most of his time writing about finance and business from mortgages to taxes to payday loans .

Green News – Greece Allocates $1.4 Billion to Solar Power Generation

Editor — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 18:51:32 +0000

Considering all of the economic troubles taking place in Greece at the moment it would be difficult to imagine that the country has time to be forward-thinking about its own future investments and energy independence. But that is precisely what is happening at the moment. With admirable foresight Greece is plotting a long-term strategy for getting the nation back on its feet using the one thing it has in abundance – sunlight. The country’s environmentalists received a boost this week with the announcement that the Greek government will be quickly implementing two or three large scale solar photovoltaic projects with a total investment of in excess of a billion Euros. It is their belief that projects of this scale will not only set Greece up for the long term future but also help to revive their industries in the short term too.

For many this would appear to be a strange turn of events considering the troubling state of the country’s finances. But many economists and clean tech experts see the move as a smart one and a clever investment. With investment in solar continuing apace across Europe and nations around the world Greece has the perfect opportunity (and weather) to get ahead of the game and to invest in the sun as a way to revive their fortunes. Reports this week suggest that Greece are planning to add more than 450MW capacity to their national grid network and that there will be a further 600MW added and fed into that grid by the beginning of 2012. That would represent a staggering investment and put them at the forefront of European solar power.

Alex is a writer and blogger about all things green. He writes for a number of eco blogs about everything from recycling to peak oil to solar panels .

Green Advertising

Editor — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 20:01:12 +0000

When choosing how to market and advertise products or services, companies want to ensure that you are hearing and seeing whatever it is that will make you, the consumer, go out and make the decision to use their goods instead of others. Advertising has some tricky and sly ways of making people think and see only the good things about a product or service, and it may not even be true. One way that many companies are doing this today is a tactic that is called “greenwashing.” Being more environmentally friendly and aware is something that more and more people are trying to do in their lives, and so if someone sees that a product has more green qualities than a similar product, then he or she is likely to choose the greener one in the end. Advertising and PR for businesses are really taking advantage of this so that you will choose their product over another even though the claims might not be entirely true. So how can you avoid greenwashing. -Look for products that feature irrelevant claims that seem to be green. For example, if you see a product that is advertised as CFC free, then know that this claim is in fact irrelevant. By law it is a fact that CFCs are banned for use anyway, so the fact that a product mentions this in no way makes it greener. -Avoid vague claims on your products. Many companies are using claims like all-natural and organic on their products, when those claims are really very vague. There are many poisonous and toxic things out in the world that occur naturally and are therefore all-natural, so do not equate all-natural with green. -Do your homework and check for lies. Believe it or not, there are actually companies who lie and claim to be LEED certified, Energy Star certified, and Energy Star registered and they are quite the opposite. Research products and service before you make the decision to buy it, because you might be getting something that is not green at all. -Advertising can be quite tricky especially when you are looking to help out and be greener in your purchases. Be certain that you fully understand that there is definitely greenwashing going on encouraging you to but these products and services that might not be environmentally friendly at all. Do your research and find out for yourself who and what the greenest is.

Five Great Green Shopping Sites

Editor — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 19:52:57 +0000

In the past it was extremely difficult to get hold of good deals on green products because they were so hard to find – normally you would need to seek them out from specialist markets or shops and this small scale meant that the overheads of the companies were always high. Thanks to the internet however it is now really easy for customers to connect with their favourite green companies and for those companies to send out their products by mail to customers all over the world. As such it is now possible for those people who prefer to only shop green and to put a bit of thought into what they buy, to enjoy the same level of choice and decent prices as people who buy all their stuff from the big sites like Amazon, Coupon Croc or other large online retailers. If you’re new to browsing the internet for green shopping sites, here are some good ones to start with:

Co Op America is a good place to start, as it will help you to find the best deals and shops in your local area and your immediate community. Shopping locally is, after all, the greenest way to shop with local farmers markets meaning your products arrive on your plate with no carbon footprint.

Google Directory – obviously this is a much broader directory, bit if it’s green and it’s online – you’ll find it here.

Greenfeet.com – a cool little site that sells a wide range of stylish green products for your house and garden.

Green Home Shopping – Another wonderful site you can use to basically make sure that every product in your home, from cleaning to stationery, is friendly to the planet.

Green Deals Daily – A daily deals site specifically dedicated to green offers. Visit this regularly to save money whilst saving the planet.

Queen Platform Bed Frame

Editor — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 21:49:43 +0000

Having problems with bed frames? Then go get a queen platform bed frame just like I did. I got engaged recently and my fiancée wants me to buy a queen size bed. So I planned to buy a metal queen platform bed frame first and then a mattress on it. Unlike wooden frames, metal frames stay for longer durations and are less costly.

Contour memory foam pillow
As I am suffering from spine problem, my doctor suggested me to use contour memory foam pillow. I found these pillows to be very helpful in solving back problems as well. Once you use these pillows you will get more relax and comfort. One can have a good sleep if they get these pillows. These pillows last for many years and costs low.

Platform metal beds
I am searching for a cheap beds and found platform metal beds to be the best one that I can get from the market. I selected platform bed to be metal because of its stability and cost. These beds come in frames that can be easily fixed without any trouble. Another reason to go with metal frames is because of the patterns you find in them.

Air mattress adjustable bed
I spend most of my time on bed so I bought air mattress adjustable bed for my comfort. These beds are easily adjustable with a click of a button. Unlike spring mattress wherein springs exhaust over time, air mattress adjustable bed have no issues related to comfort. Nowadays many people are looking for these kinds of features that are not offered by any other mattresses.

Wrought iron bed frames
While I was looking for the bed frames for my guest’s room I found wrought iron bed frames to be the best one. I strongly recommend every one to get these bed frames as you can get different styles. Besides design they are also very tough. These bed frames have nice swirls and stylish curves which gives a great look to your bed room.

Letterhead Printing

Editor — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 20:36:28 +0000

Letterhead printing is the perfect way to add a personal touch to your stationary. Writing letters is a great way to make friends and family feel special. Everyone receives tons of email, but writing a letter is becoming a more unique way to stay in touch and may soon be a lost art. It will put a smile on your friends’ faces when you send them a letter with your personal letterhead. You can get as creative as you want with your letterhead and choose colors and images that you want to represent you. A nice pad of paper with letterhead is great to have available for writing notes that you may need to write to yourself or others. Just don’t leave an anonymous angry note somewhere because it will not be so anonymous! Stationary with letterhead printing also is a great gift to give to people. Your friends are sure to appreciate a gift of stationary with their own unique letterhead that you designed. They will probably even write you a thank you note on a piece of the paper with their very own letterhead!

Cemex Goes Green

Editor — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 18:33:57 +0000

It’s no secret that our environment today is facing numerous threats. Watch the news, read the paper or browse the net and you will surely come across terms like “climate change”, “global warming” and “carbon footprint” among others. Because of the critical condition that our earth is in, more and more companies are assuming responsible roles to adopt more eco-friendly operations. Some of the biggest companies that have joined the green campaign are General Electric, McDonald’s, Home Depot and more.

Cemex California is one of the companies that are among this list of companies going green. Cemex is one of the largest cement manufacturers in the world today and is actually the largest producer of building materials. In 2002, Cemex received the International Corporate Environmental Achievement Gold Medal from the World Environment Center. This honor is given to companies that prioritize environmental performance along with business growth. Aside from efforts to preserve the environment, Cemex has also expanded its vision to the protection of the safety and health of its employees.

The environmental policies of Cemex were spearheaded by CEO Lorenzo Zembrano back in 1993, even before green technology became a hot topic in the corporate world. Today, the company continues to use technology that allows its operations to be more energy-efficient. Cemex also continues to promote an environmentally friendly culture not just among its workers but also among its suppliers, clients and shareholders.

In 1994, Cemex also launched the Ecoefficiency Program. Thanks to this program, the company has been able to reduce its carbon emissions, recycle and reuse materials and find alternative sources of energy.

What are the other things that you can do to make your business go green? Turn off appliances and equipment that are not in use. Go for paperless communication. Use emails and other forms of electronic messages instead of printing documents and using the fax machine. These are only a couple of things you can do to make your business more eco-friendly.

Plant Some Wildflowers for Earth Day

Editor — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 17:43:36 +0000

As you probably know, Earth Day will be celebrating its 40th anniversary this coming April 22. To celebrate the event, organizers from all over the country are launching activities in order to gather participants and raise awareness about the environmental issues that we are facing today. Some of these activities include sports events, songwriting competitions and tree planting.

Even if you have not signed up for any of these events, you can still do your part for Mother Nature. On Earth Day, why not gather some of your family, friends and neighbors and start planting some wildflower seeds? All of you can plant on a single site, such as a community garden. Or you can gather your loved ones and show them how to plant the seeds in their own gardens. Planting wildflowers not only allows you to do something for nature but also beautifies your home and community.

Before you can plant the seeds in any area, you might need to do some site preparation first. You can do this by cleaning off the weeds from the site and keeping the soil moist everyday for about two weeks. When it’s time to plant the seeds, you can use a drill-seeder which can be bought in any gardening store. If you don’t have any access to this tool then you can simply use an ordinary rake.

One of the best things about wildflowers is that they can flourish in almost any size of land. Whether you have a small garden or several acres of land, wildflowers can be a good idea for you.

Once you’ve planted your seeds, you might notice birds trying to eat the ones you’ve planted. If you can come up with a way to shoo these birds off, do it. However, don’t stress if you see a bird or two hovering about. Chances are a few birds won’t eat enough of the seeds to keep them from growing.

Are there such things as Green, Organic Pet Medicines?

Editor — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 21:16:30 +0000

Traditional pet care may include its own set of adverse reactions and side effects. Some of the pets may not react well to the artificial or chemical ingredients. But before going for the use of homeopathic, holistic, natural or herbal pet care products, ask for the recommendation of your veterinarian.

There are many things that you need for the well being of your pets- good pet food, Frontline Plus, cute clothes, and many other things.

If you are concerned about the medical care of your pet, then you should take the suggestion of a Veterinarian, and follow his or her advice.

It is recommended to use organic and eco-friendly products for your loving pet. There are many organic health products and pet medicines for animals:

Organic vitamin and mineral tablets: These eco-friendly medicines assure the health and well being of your loving pet.
Organic omega capsules: These act as organic supplements to keep high energy levels in your pet.

Organic flea and tick remover: These pest controllers help in killing fleas and ticks. These insects create lots of problems in your pets. Fleas feed on pet blood and may create problems like anemia, allergic reactions, skin irritation and in few cases, death too. Fleas sometimes also carry tapeworms that may infest the pets. Ticks carry various diseases like babesiosis, Lyme, and ehrlichiosis etc., so you should be careful, and remove them if they are present.

Organic Health nuggets: These organic foods are delicious in taste and your pets will love them.

Organic digestive tablets: These are rich in fiber and keep your pet’s digestive system working fine.
Organic eye and ear drops: These eco-friendly products help in keeping your pet’s eyes and ears clean and healthy.
Organic teeth care products: These take care of your pet’s teeth and help in preventing various dental problems like gingivitis etc.

These organic medicines keep your pets clean and healthy.