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Hot Tips Have you ever stopped to consider how many chemicals we use around the home and how it maybe affecting your health - nevermind the environment? Do you suffer from for example: skin sensitivities/allergies, headaches, nausea and possibly breathing problems? Would you like to try a kinder alternative solution to chemicals and create a more friendly, healthy living environment for you and your family? Now you can... Firstly, you will need to have a good look at what you are using and storing by way of cleaning chemicals around the home and then make a decision to use it no more. Here comes the fun part...THROW IT ALL AWAY (RESPONSIBLY) OF COURSE, and stock up on lemons, fragrant herbs, bicarbonate (baking) of soda, white vinegar/apple cider vinegar, beeswax, sugar, salt, borax, old newspapers and soft cloths created from old clothing. Bicarb or baking soda absorbs odours, it deodorizes, and is a mild abrasive Distilled white vinegar cuts through grease, slows down mould growth, and helps break down grime build-up Borax disinfects, deodorizes, and reduces mould growth Washing powder cuts grease and cleans dirt Cleaning Ovens - forget about the suit of protection, gloves, goggles, breathing apparatus and plenty of circulating fresh air while using chemicals, swap over to water and bicarbonate of soda. Soak the oven walls with water, apply a generous amount of baking soda to the sides and let it soak for approximately 15 minutes and wipe away with a sponge. Air Fresheners - Do not use a spray to cover up underlying odours - simply open the window or place sachets of fragrant herbs or flowers around the home. Or leave 2 teaspoons of vanilla in an uncovered dish. Or try some baking soda mixed with a quarter cup of vinegar, or simmering lemons, grapefruit, or orange slices in an open pot or hang oranges with cloves. Silver/metal - apply a paste of baking soda mixed with water or put in a saucepan and cover with sour buttermilk. If using the latter option, let it soak overnight and rinse with cold water the next day. Bronze, Brass, Copper and Steel/metal apply salt dampened with lemon juice or vinegar. Chrome/metal - use apple cider vinegar on a soft cloth or rub with lemon peel. Glass Cleaner - mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and one-half cup of white vinegar in one gallon of warm water. Disinfectants - one-half cup of borax to one gallon of water Drain Cleaners - may require more than one attempt, pour 3 tablespoons of washing powder down the drain with plenty of water. For unclogging pour one handful of baking soda and one-half cup of white vinegar down the drain pipe and cover drain for one minute - repeat as needed. Furniture - for oak use one quart of beer that has been boiled with one tablespoon of sugar and 2 tablespoons of beeswax...let mixture cool and wipe it on the wood with a dry chamois cloth. For mahogany, mix equal parts of warm water and vinegar - polish with a dry chamois cloth. Bizzare Cosmetic Alternatives that really work! Toothpaste - add an equal mix of salt and baking powder together and add mint for flavouring, put in blender until a smooth paste has been achieved. Hair Rinse - collect stinging nettles, chop and boil until soft, let cool down. Bottle the infused water and use after shampooeing. Hair Conditioner for dry hair - blend together one-third of a peeled ripe advocado with one-third cup of mayonnaise. Apply to scalp, massage, rinse then shampoo. Hair Spray - Chop one whole lemon and cover with hot water, bring to boil, keep boiling until half the quantity remains. Squeeze the lemon and liquid through a cheesecloth strainer...if it appears too thick, dilute with water. Store in a pump type bottle and keep in the fridge. The following information is a list of environmental, humanitarian and global groups which it is hoped that you will find useful
Women's Environmental Network - (www.wen.org.uk) Trees Have Rights Too - (www.treeshaverightstoo.com) Save Our Bees - (www.saveourbees.org.uk) The Nag Platform - (www.thenag.net) The Greening Campaign - (www.greening-campaign.co.uk) The 11th Hour Action Network - (www.11thhouraction.com) Sustrans for sustainable travel - (www.sustrans.org.uk) The Rainforest Foundation - (rainforestfoundationuk.org) Restore The Earth - (www.restore-earth.org) People & Planet/Student Network - (www.peopleandplanet.org) Peace One Day - (www.peaceoneday.org) Global Action Plan - (www.globalactionplan.org.uk) Greenpeace - (www.greenpeace.org.uk) Green Party - (www.greenparty.org.uk) Friends of the Earth - (www.foe.co.uk) Fairtrade - (www.fairtrade.org.uk) Earth Hour - (www.earthhour.org) Earth Day Network - (www.earthday.net) Downshifting Week - (www.downshiftingweek.com) Do The Green thing - (www.dothegreenthing.com) Close The Door Campaign - (www.closethedoor.org.uk) Climate Rush - (www.climaterush.co.uk) Clean Up The World - (www.cleanup.org.au) Canvass your MP - (www.canvasyourmp.com) Campaign to Protect Rural England - (www.cpre.org.uk) A guide to feeding birds from Wildlife Watch Feeding birds near your house gives you a chance to see wild species close up. When to feed them and why: If you can you should feed birds all year round. Feeding birds in the winter and spring can help them survive when normal foods may be in short supply or hard to find because of freezing conditions. Feeding birds in the spring and summer increases breeding success. What to feed them: Scraps of bread, cake, biscuits, cooked potatoes, chopped bacon rind, suet cheese, seeds and dried fruit can all be popular. If you have pocket money to spend, mealworms make a treat for many species. Where: Bird tables, window-sills, wall tops. Try and choose somewhere safe from cats but where you can see from inside. Keep a list of visitors to your garden. Water: Remember to put out a shallow bowl of freshwater for birds in freezing weather or when weather has been dry. Don’t feed birds: Salted nuts Desiccated coconut Don’t stop feeding them: Birds will soon rely on your supplies. Once you have started, even if you’re only putting out a little bit, you should be regular with your supply. This will bring you the greatest variety and number of birds. If you cannot feed all year, then stick to harsh winter months and early springs. Easy Feeders Try making bird cake for your own hanging bird feeder. Mix together bird food in a bowl- use bird seeds, dried fruits, cooked rice, breadcrumbs, grated cheese and chopped nuts. Stick it together using hard cooking fat – like lard or dripping. It is easier if the fat is melted and carefully poured over the ingredients. Ask an adult to help with this. You could use waste fat from the bottom of a grill pan. When you have your sticky mix of bird cake you can choose how to present it to the birds.
You can hang a cone up easily by using string. With a coconut shell or a yoghurt pot you may need to make a hole and put the string in before you add the bird cake. Hang your feeder at a site where you can watch birds feeding without disturbing them. You could try smearing a bit of bird cake in the crevices of tree bark for birds that are too shy to use a bird table or feeder close to the house. Build a Nest for a Bumblebee by Wildllife Trust Bumblebees make similar nests to honeybees, but much, much smaller and not so well organised! They sometimes nest in empty mouse burrows but you can make a bumblebee home out of a flower pot. Many bee species are in decline so it’s great to help them out if you can by providing food (flowers) and nest sites. You will need
Instructions Dig a small hole under a bush and half-bury the pot upside down with a bit of dry grass or dry moss inside, and Hey Presto! A bumblebee nest! It needs to be somewhere not too hot and not too cold. Somewhere where it gets a bit of sun for half the day should do. Composting by Wildlife Trust Composting is the oldest method of recycling. It’s a great way of turning green wastes into rich, crumbly compost for your garden. How to Be a Rotter You can make your compost heap on the ground, or you could build a box. This will keep the heap dry, warm and tidy. Build your heap quickly. Collect green materials for a week or two until you have enough for a small heap. See our list below for what you can use. Then build a heap in one day. Bits and pieces can be added as the heap sinks down. Mix a variety of materials together. Avoid putting too many rough stems and twigs in the mix as they are very slow to break down. Grass cuttings are useful, but mix them in well with leaves, kitchen waste and stems or they will form a sludgy mess. Put the heap where it will stay moist (but not wet). Shady spots are best. Cover the heap with a bit of old carpet or a sheet of polythene- this helps it stay warm and stops it getting soaked. If it gets too wet it may start to smell. Try using an activator. This is a chemical that helps gets the composting process started. Your garden centre sells them, but grass cuttings also make good activators. Some composters recommend that the heap is turned once to ensure that everything gets a turn in the middle of the pile. Micro-recyclers need to breathe! To allow air to circulate through the heap, make a base from two rows of bricks covered with sticks and twigs. Firm down the heap, but don’t squash it completely. You want to leave small air spaces in it. Be patient! In ideal conditions compost may be ready to use within 2 months, however, you will probably have to wait longer than this. Ingredients for compost •Vegetables and fruit peelings • tea leaves •weeds •grass cuttings • Hair from the pet or family •paper • Horse manure •leaves •prunings • straw and hay (soaked well if dry) How to use your compost Compost is ready to use when all the ingredients have turned into a dark crumbly mixture with an earthy smell. Dig it into your garden soil to refresh its structure and replace lost nutrients. Spread it around plants to keep moisture in the soil, protect it from frost and stop weeds. Mix it in well with garden soil (about half and half) to make potting compost for houseplants. Any spare? Give it to your friends and neighbours. Grow Your Own Food by Wildlife Trust Growing your own food is great fun and good for wildlife too. To prepare your pot, make sure it has holes in the bottom for drainage. Put some stones in the bottom to help with this. Use peat-free multi-purpose compost to fill the pot. Ask for it at your garden centre. Put lots of manure in if you can get it. Potatoes need more earth than some other plants, but you can grow them successfully in tyres or anything of similar size. Strawberries- you can buy strawberry plants and plant them in pots in late spring- the fruit will hang down over the edges for a delicious harvest. You can also get special pots with big holes in for strawberries. Hanging baskets are also suitable. Tomatoes- some varieties of tomatoes can be grown outdoors, including trailing tomatoes. Why not try growing them in a hanging basket. Runner beans- grow these with a wigwam of bamboo canes for support. The flowers are pretty and attract wildlife, and the beans will be tasty. Pick them while they are still tender.
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