How rainwater harvesting can help to conserve energy

Rainwater harvesting: an eco-friendly practice In our pursuit of sustainability, it is essential to explore innovative ways to conserve precious resources and reduce our ecological footprint. Rainwater harvesting offers a simple, yet effective, solution. By collecting and utilising rainwater, homeowners can reduce their reliance on mains water, which often uses significant energy for treatment and distribution. Understanding rainwater harvesting and its benefits Rainwater harvesting is the practice of collecting and storing rainwater that falls on rooftops and other surfaces. The collected rainwater can then be utilised for various non-potable purposes, such as watering gardens, flushing toilets, and washing clothes. This environmentally friendly…
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How rewilding and peat restoration play a vital part in achieving Sustainability

  Two key practices that contribute significantly to sustainability In the pursuit of achieving a sustainable future, it is crucial to explore and implement various approaches that restore and protect our ecosystems. Rewilding involves restoring natural habitats and reintroducing native species, while peat restoration focuses on rehabilitating degraded peatlands. Why rewilding is so important Rewilding plays a vital role in achieving sustainability by fostering biodiversity, improving ecosystem resilience, and mitigating the impacts of climate change. By creating larger and interconnected habitats, rewilding helps to restore natural ecological processes, support endangered species, and enhance ecosystem services such as pollination, water purification…
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How changing your diet can make a difference in the fight against climate change

Our food's ecological footprint We hope that you enjoy reading our foray into all things food - we appreciate that not everyone wants to change their diet, but we thought we would give you some… 'food for thought'! If you are looking for a way to make a meaningful impact on the fight against climate change, maybe it is time to look at what you are eating. The food we consume has an ecological footprint, starting from the resources used to grow and transport it, through to its carbon emissions during production and disposal. By changing our diets, we can…
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The importance of energy sufficiency in achieving a sustainable future

An introduction to energy sufficiency The term "energy sufficiency" refers to the societal need for access to enough energy resources that don't cause environmental damage. In order to achieve a sustainable future, it is important to become energy efficient and use renewable resources. Many individuals and businesses are now beginning to understand the importance of energy sufficiency in order to achieve sustainability. Achieving energy sufficiency will require a major shift in how we produce and use energy. It is essential that we move away from our dependency on fossil fuels and towards using renewable energy sources that are environmentally friendly.…
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One Planet Living: How to tread lightly on the Earth

Just how low can you go? How can you have a low impact, low carbon lifestyle, without sacrificing comfort or principles? You can make a start by using the WWF Carbon Footprint Calculator.  WWF: "Our world is in crisis - from climate change to the pollution in our oceans and devastation of our forests. It's up to all of us to fix it…" We all know that we need to take steps towards a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle, but how do we go about this? One answer is 'treading lightly', an increasingly popular philosophy for reducing our carbon footprint and…
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Damp and Mould: Why education and retrofit are key to eradicating the health scourge of bad housing

Damp and Mould: two of the most common problems in poorly maintained housing The more people who can live a decent life by being kept out of fuel poverty and out of hospital, the better off the entire country is. Take a look at this Headline: Tackling cold homes would save the NHS £540mn per year, new BRE research reveals Here I examine the causes and health impacts of damp and mould and explore how education and retrofitting can help to eradicate these problems, particularly in low-income communities. Causes of damp and mould Damp and mould are caused by excess…
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Turning the tide on pollution: the future of sustainable plastic management

Why it's essential that we turn the tide Plastic pollution has been a pressing issue for decades now, and it's high time we take action to turn the tide on this problem. As we continue to use more plastic products in our daily lives, it's vital that we explore new ways of managing plastics sustainably. In this blog, we'll dive into some promising solutions that are set to revolutionise how we produce, consume and dispose of plastics. The initial problem The problem of plastic pollution is not new, but it has gained increased attention in recent years as the volume…
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In praise of wind power

A new dawn for supersized wind turbines in the UK? Supersize onshore wind turbines that reach twice the height of Big Ben could be built in England if the de facto ban is lifted. The current tallest wind turbine in England is 126.5m at a site in Essex. Bank Renewables, which developed the wind farm in South Lanarkshire, said it would be looking for sites in England if the ban were revoked. The effective ban was put in place in 2015 by tightening planning restrictions in the National Planning Policy Framework. To end the ban, the relevant planning regulations should be scrapped or clearly…
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How much should I pay for a plastic shopping bag?

It's an inconvenient fact but… everyone should be thinking like this these days (we live in the plastic age, after all). Every plastic bag that's produced for consumers to carry their goods home should have a price attached. Or, every shopper should be responsible for bringing their own bags into the store with them. Did you know that a reinforced, reusable plastic bag has a lower footprint than a paper one? Many shops have now moved to paper bags, which is progress, but also still a waste, because these get thrown away too, often after only one use. Awareness needs to…
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Mr Angry goes zero! (nearly)

The biggest picture Well, it was bound to happen! Since the shock of the Russian invasion of Ukraine I've been thinking of ways to reduce the use of gas, as a sign of protest. In February we (my wife and I) curtailed our gas usage quite a lot, and it felt good too, at least we made a token gesture. However, I knew that this protest about an unjust war was not the only problem right now. The big (est) picture is the Climate Crisis. The chaos in our country seems to be omnipresent, and it's also a cost-of-living crisis,…
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