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Associate Article

 06 September 2008 06:43 BST

Eco-aware living

The environment is a topic rarely far from the news these days and what with so much recent media attention being given to our impending ecological peril and the growing political currency attached to the notion of eco friendly living one could easily feel overwhelmed. However much one might feel compelled to live a greener life the array of measures and steps we are urged to take in pursuit of the ecological good life; from carbon offsetting to sticking a solar panel on your roof, are many and varied. Here are a few easy ideas you could consider:

The first is pretty straightforward - cut down on your driving. If we’re honest most of us could probably find alternative transport for at least some of the time we spend driving. It could mean getting a bus or train to work or sharing a car for shopping trips. The most effective way of reducing the size of your carbon tyre track however is by getting on your bike; if you live within a cycleable distance of work then for extra motivation look no further than your daily transport costs and the amount of early morning traffic stress you’d be saving yourself, its good exercise too.

When it comes to your finances, you could choose to invent only in ethically and environmentally aware FTSE 350 companies and Legal and General offer ethical unit trusts.

Everyday tips include making an effort to cut down on your food shopping waste. Try to buy food loose rather than pre-packed and avoid disposable shopping bags, most supermarkets sell cheap reusable bags that are eco friendly as an alternative to all those plastic bags you never know what to do with.

While we’re on the subject of food why not grow your own vegetables? It might sound time consuming and impractical but this small step towards self sustained living is worth considering. Not only will you be cutting out veg that has been imported (at great ecological cost) from the other side of the world, you’ll also be saving a fortune on organic produce, the ecologically sound but often rather pricey alternative. If you haven’t got a garden you could look into the availability of local allotment space (be prepared for a bit of a waiting list). Green fingered urbanites could even investigate the possibility of hydroponics.

Make sure your home is effectively insulated; the cost of improving your insulation will quickly be recouped in saved heating costs. In fact there are multitudes of ways you can save energy in the home - switching off electrical appliances rather than leaving them on standby, using energy efficient light bulbs and switching off lights when nobody’s in the room for instance.

It’s also well worth assessing the efficiency of your boiler, especially if it’s getting on a bit; the typical lifespan of a boiler is about 15 years and aging models are unlikely to be performing their task very efficiently. If you are getting a new boiler then a high efficiency model could save you up to £240 a year and dramatically improve energy efficiency in your home. End of story

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