Devon Town Outlaws Plastic Bags

Every trader in the Devon town of Modbury has decided to use environmentally friendly alternatives to plastic bags. Organic and fairtrade cotton bags will be on sale as well as paper and biodegradeable cornstarch bags and of course customers can reuse plastic bags they are already in possession of or any other form of bag or container.

The scheme has been led by wildlife photographer Rebecca Hosking and may seem like a bold move, but it will simply require a different mindset for customers. It's not all that many years ago that free plastic bags were first introduced and before then it was no great hardship for everyone to use resuable shopping bags and trolleys.

It will be interesting to see if other stores and towns follow suit, but Modbury is certainly setting a good example.

For more details on this visit The Times Online.

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'Save Money on Gas and Electricity Bills' is Picked up by Online Press

The following sites have published details of UK Energy Saving's new online utilities marketplace.
SanePR
PRLeap
PRLog
Pressbox
PR-GB
Free Press Releases

Related posts: Save Money on Gas and Electricity Bills - NOW LIVE
Save Money on Gas and Electricity Bills - COMING SOON

Save Money on Gas and Electricity Bills - NOW LIVE

UK Energy Saving has launched their new energy switch utilities marketplace. Visitors can save money on gas and electricity bills by using the site to compare supplier tariffs. This includes the ability to select green tariffs to ensure that you are using energy from a renewable source or that money from the supplier goes towards investment in renewable energy.

Visit the ‘save money on gas and electricity bills’ page on the UK Energy Saving site to get comparing and don't forget to let your friends know when you get a good deal!

Related posts: Save Money on Gas and Electricity Bills - COMING SOON

No More Weekly Rubbish Collections?

DEFRA have published a report stating that "concerns about overflowing bins attracting vermin are misplaced provided the waste is dealt with "in a clean and efficient way." It is thought that local authorities will see this as a green light to reduce bin collections to once a fortnight. Take a look at the article on this on the Telegraph website.

As this article mentions, however, many local councils already do this with some alternating between collecting recycling and landfill waste. This occurs in my area and we have no problems with overflowing bins. Perhaps this system in more areas would encourage people to more carefully separate their rubbish and use less packaging. I do acknowledge, however, that this system may cause issues in flats or houses without adequate bin storage facilities.

What are your thoughts?

Low Cost Energy Saving Lightbulbs

Look out for cheap energy saving light bulbs at John Lewis (49p each) and Netto (50p each). Major supermarkets also often have offers on so it's worth keeping a look out and buying them when they are cheap.

Recycle Your Old Jeans

We have just discovered that a UK shoemaking company are manufacturing sandles from old pairs of jeans. This is a great way to recycle so take a look at their website, Recycle Your Jeans. The parent company, Softwalker, also offer a range of hemp sandles.

Supermarkets Offer More Green Initiatives

Sainsbury's is the latest supermarket to launch a green initiative after major supermarkets have come under fire for their excessive packaging. On the 27th April Sainsbury's will be distributing their reusable, recycled bags rather than the usual carrier bags in order to encourage their customers to reuse rather than dispose of them. These bags are normally available at 10p each but, for one day only, they will be given away free of charge to shoppers.

In the meantime, Tesco have announced plans to include information on their packaging regarding whether it can be reused, recycled or composted.

Certainly all supermarkets and retailers should be looking at ways to reduce packaging, but we as consumers should not be complacent. Think about whether food such as bananas really need to go in a plastic bag, make sure you recycle packaging wherever possible and use reusable shopping bags rather than taking the free plastic ones.

Visit the BBC for more information on Sainsbury's disposable bag ban and take a look at the Energy Saving Trust article on Tesco's latest green initiative.

Related posts: Tesco Ups the Green Ante with more Green Clubcard Points

Save Money on Gas and Electricity Bills - COMING SOON

UK Energy Saving will shortly be launching an energy switch marketplace where you can save money on gas and electricity bills. You will be able to link to it from this page or you can drop an email to energyswitch@uk-energy-saving.com and we will let you know when the marketplace goes live.

Press Publish Details of Energy Watch Springtime Tips

The following press sites have published news of the Energy Watch page's new springtime energy saving tips.
PRLog
24-7 Press Release
SanePR
OpenPR
PRLeap

Think About Being an Eco-Friendly Gardener

As spring arrives and we start to get out into our gardens, we should think about whether our gardening can be more environmentally friendly? Here's a few thoughts:

Use less water - try and be prudent about how much water you use and invest in a water butt so that you can reuse rain water as much as possible.

Make your own compost - recycle, save money and feed your garden!

Use solar instead of electric lighting - modern solar lights are pretty good.

For more tips and suggestions visit the Energy Watch page on UK Energy Saving.

Apply for UK Live Earth Concert Tickets From Friday

It will be possible to apply from Friday 13th April for tickets for the UK Live Earth concert on 7th July. The concert, one of seven 24-hour concerts to be held on the same day around the world, is being produced by SOS - Save our Selves, a group of individuals and corporations dedicated to promoting the need to stop climate change. Major partners include Al Gore and The Alliance for Climate Protection and you can find out more about SOS on their website.

Headline acts for the UK concert include Madonna, Genesis and the Black Eyed Peas. Click here for a list of the artists and groups signed up so far. To apply for tickets, which will then be allocated by ballot, click here. Tickets are £55 each.

The Live Earth website can be found at www.liveearth.org