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Written by Administrator
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Thursday, 17 December 2009 22:49 |
While these may not have such an obvious environmental impact as washing machines and fridges, given the amount of washing-up brushes and kitchen cloths that we will get through in a lifetime it is still important to seek out green alternatives where possible.
The main way to make a difference is to avoid all plastic in your kitchen. Much of it can easily be replaced with wood - you can buy wooden washing-up brushes with natural fibre bristles made from sustainable resources, preferably with replaceable heads, for example. Metal, especially stainless steel, can also be more green than plastic; look for metal sieves, potato mashers, and so on. Getting rid of plastic washing-up bowls and using the metal sink is also advisable, from a hygiene, as well as a green viewpoint. Washing knives used to cut raw meat, for example, can leave a washing-up bowl harboring particularly nasty germs.
In your quest to avoid plastic you may be tempted by natural alternatives such as bamboo mats, but do not assume that they are necessarily eco-friendly. While bamboo can be grown sustainably it is not always done so, and there are concerns about the impact of bamboo harvesting on pandas in China, for |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 17 December 2009 22:49 |
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Written by Administrator
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Wednesday, 16 December 2009 22:49 |
Whenever possible, buy products that have some recycled content, such as kitchen paper, bin bags and glassware and don't forget to do your own recycling. You can tear up old T-shirts to use as dusters; use old toothbrushes for tricky cleaning tasks such as the grater and the juicer; empty jars of pasta sauce are ideal for storing dry goods such as rice or beans; and washing-up liquid or drinks bottles with the ends cut off can be used as protective cloches around young seedlings in the garden. Recycle plastic shopping bags by using them to line your waste-paper basket or take them back to the shops with you.
Instead of buying new, consider car boot (garage) sales, second-hand stores or markets for unwanted kitchen items - you will save money as well.
For the ultimate in recycling consider setting up a composting system - either a traditional compost heap or bin in the garden, or a wormery indoors. You will save on bin bags as you will have less than half the amount of refuse you did before and you will see your garden bloom with the help of all your leftover vegetable peelings.
For cans, glass and plastic bottles, newspapers |
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 16 December 2009 22:49 |
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Written by Administrator
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Tuesday, 15 December 2009 22:49 |
Other than reviving the use of the larder or 'cool room' in your home or no longer using foods that need refrigeration, there is little choice but to use a fridge and, for many of us, a freezer as well.
If you are buying a new fridge or freezer, the single most important thing to look out for is the kind of refrigerant it uses. In the past, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were commonly used as cooling agents. By 1986 a quarter of all global CFC production was for refrigeration, but once the hole in the ozone was discovered and CFCs blamed, fridge makers were forced to find a new gas.
They turned to hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) for the coolant and in the foam insulation, but these have now been found to contribute to global warming. HCFCs are being phased out - they are illegal in all newly manufactured fridges and freezers - but HFCs are still being produced and they continue to exacerbate the greenhouse effect.
But there is a 'green' alternative developed by Greenpeace called Greenfreeze, which uses a natural gas, hydrocarbon, for the refrigerant.
If you are not in the market for a new fridge or freezer, there are still ways |
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 15 December 2009 22:49 |
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