Make 2012 the Year You Went Green!

We cannot be perfect in every way, but we can all do our bit! Here are some simple BGB ideas to try this year!

Recycle your Christmas Tree and Christmas Cards

It may be too late this year to recycle your real Christmas Tree but remember that in January 2013 you can take it to one of the many community drop off points and they will be collected for composting. The trees are first chipped, then composted to be used as a soil conditioner to benefit other plants and trees. The needles that drop as you clear the tree from you house need not be wasted, put them round your shrubs as a mulch.

Check your local council website for details of where to leave your trees for pick up!

You have an unwanted artificial tree? Then offer it to 'Freecycle' (www.uk.freecycle.org) Spare landfill; offer other unwanted goods to them and feel a warm glow of satisfaction!

Christmas cards can be taken to retailers like Tesco or WH Smith if they have a bin in store. The Woodland Trust benefits from these schemes.

Look for Environmentally friendly Packaging and Use Long life Bags

We have all bought Christmas presents this year and many items come in flashy eye catching packaging. Spend this year considering reducing the amount of packaging rubbish you put in your wheelie bin/dustbin. Buy products in returnable or recyclable containers as often as you can. Can you buy a similar product with less packaging? See if your supermarket has signed up to the Courtauld Agreement (www.wrap.org.uk). Glance at the signatories (as of May 2011) and make a note of the organisations who have pledge their support to the initiative to reduce waste. For those who have time on their hands: you can read most retailers' policies on their website. Make a big effort to use longlife bags rather than being disorganised (or lazy!) and using more and more plastic bags.

Save money. Start using your leftovers! Be more organised with your food shopping!

This is an area we are all struggling to keep on top of, but we must stop chucking perfectly good food in the bin. Christmas can leave us with a lot of unwanted food. Each year we throw away 7.2 million tonnes of food in the UK and every UK household could save between £250 and £400 a year if they found uses for the food that is thrown away. Around half of this, it has been estimated, could have been eaten. The BGB kitchen suffers badly with this. Having busy family lives means that food goes past it's sell-by-date unnoticed, or you have fallen for the 'buy one get one free offer' at your local supermarket. With that in mind we recommend the recipe pages on www.lovefoodhatewaste.com. There are some inspirational ideas on this website.

I CAN'T DO THIS! I HAVEN'T GOT TIME! I hear you cry! Stay calm, even if it is only once a week, try looking in your fridge and see if you can make a new meal out of those seemingly unwanted items, or that left over roast meat. Try a risotto. So warming and easy to prepare. BGB have leftover cream and feel inspired by the Mocha Pots on the above website. Yum! There goes the New Year diet! Or go for a spicy start to the day. Use your stale bread and try the French Toast with honey and don't forget good old Bread and Butter pud! (You can make a chocolate or marmalade one as alternatives to the normal sultana.)

Green Hint: Plan your meals for the week if possible. Always take a list with you when you shop and STICK TO IT! Think of a meal that will cover two days such as a large casserole. One day serve it with dumplings and/or potatoes and the next offer crusty bread as a side dish. And don't forget to compost your vegetable peelings. (There are many compact compost bins available on the market.)

After those lovely creamy Mocha Pots (last section) and large portions of warming Bread and Butter pud, our thoughts may turn to our waistlines. Did you know there is a green way to keep fit? Forget about joining the local indoor gym which can harbour all those nasty winter bugs and get a breath of fresh air, make new friends and help the environment as well! Take a look at http://www.btcv.org.uk. Experienced leaders guide you through a range of practical projects, giving you the opportunity to tackle physical jobs in the outdoors, improving both your strength and stamina, boosting your practical skills and confidence while benefitting your local green spaces. No lycra needs to be worn in the making of your new figure!

Car shares are not just for Christmas!

They are not always practical, but if you live in an area where this is feasible, consider car sharing. www.catcharide.co.uk will give you some ideas. Cut costs. Cut emissions.

Read a book and become more informed!

Those of you who fancy a read on one view of what occurs when the subject of climate change raises it's familiar head, might like to get to grips with 'Climate Change (Head in the Sand) by Hadyn Washington and John Cook ISBN-10: 1849713367. An interesting website on the subject is www.skepticalscience.com. Here they are 'Getting Skeptical about Global Warming Skepticism' and will challenge those who prefer to ignore the warnings signs and remain skeptical about this issue. A new read to enjoy is: Green Philosophy: How to Think Seriously About the Planet by Roger Scruton ISBN-10: 1848870760. Scruton says the only way to make people care about the environment is to start in their own back yard and the only way to save the planet, he argues, is to work together to protect the home we all love. Makes sense.

Switch to Green Energy!

Look at the many companies that are offering green energy. We cannot guarantee that your bill won't be dear, but your conscience will be clear! The RSPB recommend the Green Energy Helpline, a renewable electricity comparison and switching tool. By following the RSPB recommendations through their website (www.rspb.org) you will secure a donation to help their work to protect wildlife, as well as becoming a green energy user. Happy switching!

Start a Recycling Scheme at the office

See www.reclyclenowpartners.org.uk They have posters you can download and pin up to remind your colleagues where they can put their rubbish (in the nicest possible way).

Help save an Orchard

Since 1950s nearly 2/3 of the UK's orchards have fallen victims to developers, industry farming, and change in land use. Orchards provide habitats that suit insects such as the noble chafer beetle which lives in the dead wood of older fruit trees. Declining birds species such as the lesser spotted woodpecker find nesting and feeding areas in traditional orchards, also various fungi and wildflowers find their ideal habitat there. The loss of fruit varieties and their rich heritage will continue unless we all try to help when we see our local orchards under threat. Natural England and the National Trust are both organisations who are active in preserving rare varieties of apples, pears and plums, so investigate some of the work they are doing by logging on to their websites www.nationaltrust.org.uk and www.naturalengland.org.uk See if there are any local activities you and your family can get involved in this year. You can even help by planting an endangered fruit tree in your garden. There are many heritage fruit varieties available from suppliers. www.applesandorchards.org.uk have a catalogue of varieties you can download.

Change from disposable nappies to reusable ones

Calling all Young Mums! Save money and the environment by using cotton nappies. It has been estimated that every disposable nappy ever used is still in a landfill site somewhere (a fact I passed on to my bemused teenager). Scientists think these nappies will take up to 500 years to decompose. Not a good thought. Take a look at www.cleangreennappy.co.uk. Consider a change! 

Green up your home and save money!

You can do so many things in you own home to help the environment, many of which you will already know about. So many of these will actually save you money; like draft proofing your windows and doors (save on heating), insulating your loft, putting in a 'Flushsaver' your toilet cistern (save money on water). Take advice from Green Granny! She knows best!

Use energy saving light bulbs, which although expensive to buy will save you money and energy over time. Implement some of these initiatives in 2012!

Help clean a beach!

If you live near the sea, look out for a community beach clean. These events have various sponsors throughout the year, but one of the main events organised in September is Beachwatch Big Weekend. See: The Marine Conservation Society at www.mcsuk.org. Litter is swamping our oceans and being swept up on to the beaches. It comes from many sources: the public, fishing activities, sewage pipes and shipping. Plastic is one of the main culprits and simply does not biodegrade. Join a beach clean event, do your bit to save wildlife being damaged by our litter and make a few like minded friends in the process! Kids will love a day on the beach and will learn to help the environment too. Beachwatch Big Weekend is on 15th/16th September 2012. Click on the map on the Marine Conservation Society's website for your local beaches!

Get involved with the Transition Organisation ( see article on local events). Heard of it? Well, if you haven't and you actually want to help your local community by joining in and supporting local projects then log on to www.transitionnetwork.org. There you will find all sorts of initiatives to help make fairer, happier and stronger communities. Some examples are: community supported agriculture, seed swaps, tool libraries, urban orchards and much much more! There is a map to help you find your nearest transition group.

Let's end on a high with a subject close to BGB team's heart!

Grow your own fruit and vegetables

It is so easy. Even if you only have a balcony or a couple of pots on your windowsill for herbs, such as chives or parsley, it will give such pleasure to know that you grew it. You can grow carrots or potatoes in deep bags that are now on the market. Even runner beans will grow in a tub with canes to support them. If you have conventional flower beds you can mix your vegetable plants with the other plants. 

Here are some suggestions: Red Chard or Rainbow chard will look fantastic amongst your flowers as they are a leaf crop with bright coloured stems. I have even seen them used for their decorative value in municipal flower beds in France! Use in cooking as you would spinach, but the stems which are thicker than spinach and are great in a stir fry!  There are even attractive dwarf beans coloured yellow, green and purple that you can plant in containers.  You can easily plant a rhubarb plant and then enjoy it's sumptuous crop year after year.  Why buy stems from the supermarket?

Support your Local Vegetable Box

If it is not practical to grow your own veg, then a vegetable box scheme would support your local grower and also inspire you to eat more seasonably. When the BGB veg plot is bare, we rely on our local scheme and with the delivery of our box of veg goodies our minds turn to recipes that would incorporate these. A hearty winter stew with the parsnips and swede, combined with beef. What more could you want on a cold winter's day? We are even still receiving winter salad all grown under cover locally.

We hope these BGB ideas will get you excited to do your bit and enjoy yourself this year while you help your environment.

Happy Green 2012 from the BGB team!