A garden heater can be a great idea if you’ve been wanting to spend more time in your garden. Gas-fuelled patio heaters are available, but a wood-fired garden heater, such as a chiminea or firebowl, is a more environmentally-friendly option, and if you use garden waste as fuel, it can help you keep your garden tidy.

There are a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and, when you’re choosing one, ensure you pick the one that best complements your garden design. Modern clay chimineas are very efficient and will reduce fuel to a fine ash while providing excellent space heating. Depending on your garden, steel chimineas, with their sleeker, more modern looks, are worth considering. Durable cast iron chimineas add a traditional flair and are more suited for gardens with a more rustic feel.

There’s no need to worry about the ecological damage caused by harvesting, packing or transportation when you use wood and green waste from your garden. Even an average-sized garden can produce a surprising amount of burnable fuel from general maintenance.

Green garden waste contains a lot of nitrogen, but drying transforms a lot of this nitrogen into carbon and results in a more efficient burn and less smoke. Green garden waste can include clippings from woody shrubs, trimmings from the herb or vegetable garden, twigs and soft green foliage. Dry them by hanging them in the sun for a day or two. If you have a lot of thick, woody cuttings to dispose of, they will take longer to dry. If you’re pruning or clearing a tree, you can season the wood yourself. Make a wood store (even something as simple as a couple of pallets to keep the wood off the ground will do), loosely fix a tarpaulin over it to keep it dry while still ensuring some air can still circulate, and let the wood dry – a couple of months for larger branches, or up to 6-9 months for timber. A small amount of wood ash is good for the compost heap since it contains high levels of potassium, but it’s also very alkali, so be careful not to use too much.

Avoid pine and cypress clippings as they are very resinous, so they catch very quickly and smoke, both things you want to avoid! Never burn grass cuttings for the same reason. Fallen leaves are a quick, free source of fuel – simply gather up dry leaves and pack them loosely into a paper bag, and, if you don’t need them straight away, store them in a cool, very dry place.

If you’re looking for an environmentally-friendly fuel for your chiminea, firebowl or fire pit, you should consider relying on some home-grown fuel; it’s cheap, environmentally-friendly, and can help you clear your garden at the same time.

Laura Phillips writes for chimineashop.co.uk

Do you want to make a positive difference to the environment and save money at the same time? Well, here you can, thanks to the following 5 eco-friendly money saving tips…

1. Energy Saving Light bulbs

Did you know that by replacing your standard light bulbs with energy saving alternatives you could save serious money and protect the environment? Energy saving light bulbs also last twelve times longer than ordinary ones and come in a range of colours to suit every taste. What you waiting for?

2. Turn off appliances Before Bed

Before you go to bed make sure all your household appliances are turned off. A common mistake many people make is to leave their electrical devices on standby overnight which can prove extremely costly over a year. You can save up to 40 watt-hours of energy a day by doing this simple energy efficient tip, which equates to around £10 a year.

3. Recycle Your Bottles!

By recycling your household glass you can lower water pollution by 50 % and air pollution by 20 %. Sadly, glass that isn’t recycled can take over a million years to naturally decay. Get recycling now!

4. Air Dry Your Clothes

Next time you need to use the tumble dryer, instead use a clothesline and air dry your clothes naturally. This will save you serious amounts of money over the course of a year and help the environment by saving on gas and electricity usage.

5. Recycle Your Furnishings

Sadly, creating furnishings wastes a plenty of energy and creates a lot of pollution. In certain countries human rights are often ignored and workers who make clothes work in terrible conditions and are often paid unfairly. Make a difference by recycling your own furnishings. Recently I made second hand foam cushions for myself. I used old fabric from foam cut to size and modified my old cushions using a sewing needle and thread.

Did you find these tips helpful? Could you go green?

Feng Shui, which is pronounced Fung Schway, is a Chinese discipline that involve using aesthetics in design and decoration to produce a harmony of energies in a room or building. There are some very deep concepts involved, however most of the surface concepts are simple enough that almost anyone can perform miracles with this discipline.

The base concept is to capture and enhance positive Qi, which is pronounced Chee. The Qi is energy and can be positive or negative. According to this discipline, the wind carries the Qi and it is captured by water. There are certain elements that help a room or building capture the good energy and release the negative.

In order to be Eco-Friendly, slight modifications can be made to the Feng Shui arrangement. Most of these do not essentially alter the Feng Shui, but are rather a choice.

A great example is the choice of water. Most Feng Shui arrangements use an area filled with water, this is where the positive Qi is captured. The only difference when keeping to an Eco-Friendly design is that this water source should be circulating rather than standing.

As opposed to a basin of water, or a standing fountain, you can choose a flowing water source that recirculates itself. Many fountains operate in this manner and still have the same benefits in Feng Shui.

Another example of Eco-Friendly Feng Shui is lighting.Lighting in Feng Shui is supposed to be very soft and not harsh. In order to be kind to the environment, use candles when possible. Candles promote a very nice flow of energy while at the same time use less energy and help your home to be green. If you find that candles and not providing enough light, you can use a mirror to essentially “double” the light of some of the candles. However, keep in mind that in Feng Shui, energy should flow through a room, so make sure that you are not using too many mirrors that reflect toward each other.

Soft and light color choices are perfect for Feng Shui. Many times, when choosing a paint, the ecosystem get forgotten, do not let this happen. There are many paints that do not contain VOCs (volatile organic compounds), and these are perfect for your home. As far as Feng Shui, keep the colors light and avoid dark little corners.

In the end, a general non-cluttered look is great for Feng Shui and while not directly helping the environment, it helps lend an attitude to people that is good and green. Those that do not clutter their home are less likely to clutter the world. Keep your spaces open and clean, like the world you envision around you. Let good energy flow through your home and you will carry this energy with you throughout your day.

Michael Schnippering is the founder of of Feng Shui at Work. He is committed to the true art and science of Feng Shui. Over the years his Feng Shui practice has taken him to various parts of the United States, Germany, France, Spain, Colombia and Argentina.

The smartphone industry is developing at a rapid pace with the vast majority of people on Earth now owning at least one phone. While some people are content to keep the same phone for many years until it dies a natural death, there are possibly an equal number of people who feel compelled to have the very latest piece of smartphone technology such as the latest iPhone contract or Android phone. In today’s world of technology ‘the very latest’ can change from month to month.

One corollary of this fast changing world of technology is that it causes a huge amount of waste, with hundreds of millions of handsets being dumped in landfills each year. Many people will feel compelled to upgrade to a new device once their contract has ended and will simply throw an old phone in the bin rather than put it to some good use, especially if it is a particularly old phone.

The problem here is that mobile phones contain many obnoxious chemicals and it is probably not good for future generations if we keep dumping them in landfills. These chemicals are what are referred to as ‘leachates’, which can leak out from a landfill and contaminate surrounding areas. Some of the leachates found in phones include lead, copper, nickel, antimony and zinc which can wreak havoc on lakes and rivers.

Then there is also the cost to the environment of sourcing these chemicals in the first place, with all the health impacts and child labour involved. There are specific dangers for phone production, with many people working in manufacturing plants in Asia suffering from muscular degeneration and damaged eyesight due to chemicals such as n-hexane used in phone production.

Now there are companies who will recycle your old phone when it is no longer wanted, helping to prevent a lot of damage to our environment. They can either take the phone apart and strip it of its components with the aim of using them again in future products, or they can give them a bit of a clean-up (‘refurbish’) and then sell them on to emerging economies.

But while many of these refurbished phones will make their way into the developing world they can also be a great option for people living in the developed world too. Aside from perhaps a few cosmetic blemishes refurbished phones can provide exactly the same experience as a brand new smartphone. The added benefit is that they will cost significantly less to purchase.

Recycling old phones in this manner can help to cut down on the waste associated with mobile phone usage and also help individuals to save money when buying a new handset. Although it is not always possible to buy the very latest handset from phone recyclers, you can still obtain fairly recent devices that are in excellent condition. If you are not bothered about having the very latest device, want to save some money on your next phone and help the environment in the process then a refurbished mobile phone deal may be something that you should consider.

Is it me or is your electricity bill seemingly rising month on month? All energy costs are going to do is go up, and not down, and that is a fact of life, energy costs will continue to rise, so what can you do?

So you have read up on energy conservation? Maybe you have, and as a result you have ditched all of your old “Traditional” bulbs and replaced them with “Low energy” bulbs, but in reality how “Low energy” are these bulbs?

Or maybe you have not, and if so well read on, as you are probably wasting a fortune each month on wasted electricity due to your bulbs.

Well for a start even the low energy bulbs that are now being sold in shops as like for like replacement bulbs are still using far too much electricity, certainly when compared to LED bulbs.

Why is this? Well firstly LED bulbs use around one tenth of the electricity of a “Normal” bulb. Indeed a “Normal bulb” wastes a staggering 90% of its energy in heating gasses and not actually providing light. That is right, a normal bulbs electricity usage is spent 90% on producing heat and not light.

So let us think about that some more – most of the energy into the bulb makes heat and not light.

Crazy is it not? And that is where LED downlights come of age. It is quite literally the best, most energy efficient form of lighting on the market today. It lights up instantly and as such means it is the ideal form of lighting for visually impaired people.

Not only that but as I said at the start it is the “Coolest” form of lighting going, as virtually all of the energy is fired into providing light and not heat. This means that the bulbs save you energy on more than one front. Also they do need any warm up period that other bulbs need. Simply hit the switch and they are on.

Accordingly they are “On” with no fuss, heat or drama, straightaway.

They are now available in a wide range of fittings meaning that they can be used as a like for like replacement, and are ideal for replacing modern halogen bulbs.

They are also available in a wide range of colours and virtually all LED lights can be dimmed, thus these two features make them great for mood lighting applications.

So if you want to cut down on your electricity bills then take some time to look at LED lighting today.

On mentioning solar panels, the first thing that springs to most people’s minds is saving the environment, going green and reducing carbon emissions. However, are there any environmental downsides to solar power?

Photovoltaic solar panels, by far the most common sort, which generate electricity, can amount to over 600,000 tons of waste per year, which doesn’t get recycled. Whilst 90% of photovoltaic cells last for 30 years before a significant loss of performance is experienced, hence their common label as a “fit and forget” technology, they will have to be disposed of at some point.

Estimates places the number of photovoltaic modules already sold, in Europe alone at 1.4 million, and this is set to continue rocketing upwards. For example, many countries are experiencing growth rates about 100% in terms of the number of solar panel systems sold, due to the ever increasing number of valuable government incentives available to pay for them.

The production process of solar panels isn’t without its evils either. A massive amount of energy is required to produce these expensive systems, provided by fossil fuels, and – as with many other products – the waste metals are toxic, including mercury and chromium as the chief trouble-makers. The typical installation also requires environmentally-harmful materials – PVC and glues used both cause damage.

Fortunately, the good news is that the average domestic sized solar panel installation will save approximately 1,000kg of carbon dioxide being emitted every year. Given the long lifespan of these products, this could amount to over 30 tonnes of carbon being saved, which arguably more than offsets the difficulties of their disposal. Environmental groups have already recognised this issue of waste, and PV Cycle, a pan-European country has been created specifically to maximise the amount number of photovoltaic modules which get recycled to maximise the otherwise fantastic benefits of solar panels.

With the rising costs of fuel, many people are reducing their dependence on fossil fuels by choosing more responsible and greener solutions. As a lot of energy is used in heating and cooling the home, many homeowners look to alternative ways to insulate their home. Some options can be expensive, such as installing new windows, but thankfully there are cheaper alternatives.

Conservatory blinds maintain a consistent temperature throughout the house by insulating the window from heat and cold. As the house does not need to be altered in any major way to install the blinds, they are an incredibly convenient way to make the home more eco-friendly as well as add a nice decorative touch.

Conservatory Blinds Maintain Temperature 

Window-filled homes certainly have an appeal, letting in light, air and outdoor views. However, even a closed window can let in hot air in the summer and cool air in the winter. These older windows can be replaced, but it can often prove expensive, complicated and require professional installation. Blinds are a great way to improve the functionality of older windows, helping keep heat from entering the home in the summer and leaving the house much cooler without the need for air conditioning. On the flipside, they can also function to keep cool air at bay throughout winter, ultimately reducing the heating bill. It’s not just older windows that let in unwanted temperature conditions either – newer windows are susceptible to undesirable changes in temperature. Installing blinds is a great simple step towards a greener living.

Conservatory Blinds are Convenient

Conservatory blinds have many other uses in addition to regulating temperature. Certain shades can be used to darken the room, particularly useful for those with young children or those who work the second shift and therefore sleep during the day. Conversely, blinds come in a variety of shades that let sunlight in whilst keeping heat out.

Conservatory Blinds are Decorative 

Whilst some may feel that blinds chosen for their functionality might not be stylish, they are in fact a popular decorative choice for many homes. With so many different varieties of colour and style, such as vertical and Roman blinds, there is bound to be a set for every room regardless of size or shape. They also provide enough space for homeowners to mount decorative curtains, ensuring a window decor as practical as it is complimentary to the home.

Everyone knows that it is important to make eco-friendly choices in home design. However, these choices can be cost-prohibitive. Fortunately, the increasing popularity of conservatory blinds has provided an option for families that want to take the green option without spending a lot of time, money, and energy on major home improvement projects.

It’s always important to make eco-friendly choices when decorating and designing the home. Whilst these choices can be cost-prohibitive, the increasing popularity of simple home improvements such as conservatory blinds have provided a much more time, money and energy effective alternative to major home improvement projects.

Consumerism and ethical lifestyles do not, for many people, fall under the same umbrella. The two areas, however, are very much entwined and by following guidelines it is easy to make a huge difference to the environment by deciding exactly where the money from your wallet goes. There are two ways of doing this – boycotting brands and positive purchasing.

Boycotting

The first of the two options, boycotting, is the easier of the two to undertake. By researching which brands and products are created in immoral means it is possible to steer clear of purchasing them. Similarly it is easy to look at the materials that products are made of – synthetic products, such as plastics, often require toxins in their creation whilst natural materials do not. By buying natural resource equivalents of goods it is possible to recycle or re-use them at the end of their usefulness. Similarly wood, for example, bio-degrades at a much faster rate than synthetic materials and, as such, provides a much smaller burden to the environment.  Therefore boycotting man made materials can help improve one’s green credentials, particularly if organic products are purchased instead.

Positive consumerism

Positive consumerism is the opposite to boycotting goods – rather than not purchasing items that can cause a negative effect on the environment, positive consumerism recommends buying items that help the green cause. Positive consumerism is in some ways easier to research when the consumer knows what they are looking for; positive companies are likely to be proud of their environmental contributions and, as such, will label their products with badges of honour. This is the opposite of less moral brands; unlike in animations, where toxic goods have large skull and crossbones placed upon them, it is unlikely that negative goods will advertise themselves as such.

What to look for

There are a number of different labels which, when identified, can help a consumer assemble an environmentally friendly and morally just shopping list. The most famous ethical label, of course, is the Fair Trade one. This label represents the fact that every single worker in the process of creating Fair Trade goods will be justly fiscally compensated for their work and will be guaranteed a safe working area too. There are many similar labels which can highlight a good’s green credentials – the Worldwide Responsible Apparel Production and Ethical Trading Initiative labels are two such recognised tags. Various symbols on clothing, including those that denote they are made with organic materials, are worth pursuing also.

Positive goods and brands

Away from looking at labels there are other areas worth considering. When buying food it is possible to decrease a carbon footprint by  purchasing only locally sourced goods – any foodstuff that is purchased in a supermarket will have more than likely have been flown or shipped in, as well as being driven to the market, which will have created a large carbon footprint via transportation. Purchasing food from farmer’s markets can help combat this particularly if the food purchased is organic. Similarly it is worth investing in charitable and philanthropic brands wherever possible. Many good providers user, as consumer incentives, charitable schemes aimed at helping, both nationally and internationally, those in need with regular aid and donations. Many of these are environmentally targeted and, by purchasing from these brands rather than immoral or amoral alternatives, it is possible to make a positive impact on the environment.

Kieron Casey is a BA (Hons) Journalism graduate who blogs regularly on a number of topics including ethical shopping, solar power and the environment.

While people love to joke about the effects of global warming, it’s hard to deny that the weather is changing. We’re seeing more weather at both extremes, with warmer summers, and colder winters. Most older homes aren’t equipped to deal with this kind of extreme weather, and homeowners are feeling the effects of the weather in their wallets, as their heating bills skyrocket.

The quickest and easiest solution to the problem of energy efficient homes is to fit double glazing, and insulation. Some older homes may already have double glazing, but could see large benefits if they upgraded from an older design to more modern windows.

Nottingham council recently ran a campaign to encourage home owners to upgrade to more energy efficient windows, and to save energy in other ways, and other councils are following suit.

The thought of upgrading windows might seem strange, but there have been a lot of improvements in the technology used to make double glazed windows, as Nottingham council were quick to point out.

For example, modern double glazed windows use inert gasses such as argon or xenon in between the panes. These are much more efficient than normal air when it comes to trapping heat. Also, modern windows use energy efficient, Low-E glass. This glass has an invisible coating of metal oxide on one of the panes. The metal oxide allows heat and sunlight to pass through it and enter the house, but reduces the amount of heat leaving the house.

Another recent innovation is “warm edge” spacers. Double glazed windows have a small spacer that keeps the two panes apart. In older windows, these spacers were often made of metal. However, metal conducts heat fairly well, so it is not an ideal choice. More modern windows use other materials for their spacers.

The energy efficiency ratings commonly seen on appliances can also be seen on double glazing. Most modern double glazing installations can be considered to be worthy of a “B” rating at the very least. There are “A” rated double glazing panes available, and some companies also produce triple glazing, which would be suitable for areas that are extremely cold, or where noise pollution may be a problem.

An owner of a typical three bedroom home can expect to save more than £100/year just by switching to double glazing. The savings can be even higher in areas where gas is expensive, and may also be higher for homes that are located in cold areas, or homes that are exposed to high winds.

Taking the step to invest in modern double glazing may seem intimidating at first. The up-front cost of getting new double glazed windows can look prohibitively high, but the energy savings, and the increased comfort, offered by modern double glazing makes it a wise investment. At current energy prices it may seem like it would take a long time to pay off the cost of double glazing, but energy prices increase frequently, so the investment should pay for itself more quickly than you might expect.

This post was written by James Harper on behalf of Stormclad, expert suppliers of windows Nottingham. James writes on subjects related to home improvements and energy efficiency.

People are increasingly becoming aware of their impact on the environment, and many are trying to figure out ways to save energy and have a better effect on the planet. If you are looking into ways to make your home more energy efficient, skylights, sunrooms, and quality windows can help lower your energy bills, and give you greener alternatives in your home.

A green home is a healthier place to live, requires less maintenance, and gives you a more comfortable living space.

Skylights

Skylights might seem like a luxury item in a home, but they can definitely fall into the green area of home improvement. Not only does the look of your home improve, but the lighting is better and it is a more comfortable place to be. Of any window in your home, a skylight has the most potential to increase the energy efficiency. Skylights also maximize the amount of natural lighting that you have in the home. And knowing that you are investing in a better world for the generations to come is also worth the value that it may cost upfront to install a skylight and decrease your home’s carbon footprint.

It is important, however, to understand the best location for a skylight in your home. Not all areas will benefit from having a skylight. Southern facing skylights will be the most beneficial when it comes to energy savings. A wisely placed skylight can help heat your home in the winter, and if it is shaded properly, it will also maximize the energy savings in the summer.

Sunrooms

The addition of a sunroom to your home can also be a green alternative to help you save on rising energy costs. The same concept applies with placement of skylights as with sunrooms. You need to have them facing to the south to bring you the most energy savings.

A sunroom that faces south will get direct sunlight all year round, and provides the most impact during the winter. If you install stone, brick or concrete floors, you can also get additional passive solar heating in the winter because these materials soak up the heat and release it when the temperatures cool off.

Windows

Windows can help or hurt your energy consumption depending on the quality and efficiency rating. They can contribute to the heat in your house in the summer and allow the warm air to escape in the winter. If you are looking to replace some windows in your home, consider spending more on better rated windows that will save you in the long run. Depending on the age of your windows, you can increase your home’s efficiency by 30% or more with good windows. Double pane windows will give you more efficiency and Low E windows prevent heat loss in the winter and keep the heat out in the summer. The type of window frame you have can also either help you or hurt you. Aluminum and steel frames don’t help your energy efficiency, but wood, vinyl and fiberglass frames that are insulated will help with your overall energy bills.

Skylights, sunrooms and windows are three areas where you can help the sun work for you to reduce your energy bills. By looking into these green alternatives and others, you will be creating a more comfortable, convenient and cost-effective home.

This post was written by Derek Dasher who blogs about home security and other home-related topics at YourLocalSecurity.com.