This document provides tips for living more sustainably, including: 1) Volunteering on organic farms through WWOOFing can provide free or low-cost accommodations while learning about sustainability. 2) Using cloth nappies instead of disposables can save money and reduce waste, though modern cloth nappies are more user-friendly than in the past. 3) Installing solar panels can generate income by selling excess electricity back to the grid, offsetting the upfront costs over time.

1. [ intelligenceliving ] [ intelligenceliving ]
We’re not saying you
Sweeten up
Britons spread, dribble and drip about 30,000 tonnes
should, but you could …
of honey a year but only 10% is produced in the UK
and honey prices are soaring. Add to this the desper-
ate plight of the honeybee and home beekeeping
becomes a very sweet option. It’s easier to master the
art of the apiarist than ever before – there’s a buzz
about the new ‘beehaus’, a plastic beehive designed
Daisy Dumas shares some wallet and eco-friendly tips for any garden, rural or urban, available at www.
omlet.co.uk. Traditionalists wax lyrical about wooden
beehives, available through www.paynesbeefarm.
have a go at wwoofing co.uk. Support bees at www.britishbee.org.uk.
Don’t be put off by the odd acronym, as World Wide Opportunities
on Organic Farms may change your holiday habits for good. Volun- ditch disposables
teering at a member farm means free or very cheap board and lodg-
ings whilst learning about organic food, sharing and sustainability in buy recycled Nappy changing may seem a
relaxed and often beautiful settings. Europe has thousands of mem- never-ending chore – understand-
bers – the UK alone more than 400 – so travel to your holiday doesn’t We’ve cottoned onto the able, considering a British baby gets
need to be carbon-heavy, either. Dig for details at www.wwoof.org. benefits of recycling, but for the through an average 5480 nappies…
industry to flourish, we need Not only are disposable nappies
to buy recycled products, torturous for landfills but it’s
Put your cash too. If there’s something
that you really need, consider
estimated that they cost about
£1200 a year compared to
in the attic visiting www.recycled £300 for cloth nappies
products.org.uk before set- (which have come a long
Investing in roof-top solar panels tling for a new version. From way since scratchy terry
not only generates clean electric- teepees to top hats, there’s a towel). Buy cloth nappies
ity for your home, but by selling vast range of high-qual- and wriggle-friendly
it back to the grid, you can earn ity, ingenious recycled fasteners at www.thebaby
£1000 a year for 25 years without products out there, like catalogue.com or investigate
moving a muscle. You can even this guitar from www. nappy-washing services at
claim for an additional £2500 simonleeguitars.com. www.changenappy.co.uk.
grant until April 2010. Visit
www.solarcentury.co.uk for
more information.
Charge on Join a Monitor
switch to the move community energy use
green power
Possibly the quickest way
The Solar Gorilla Laptop Charger is garden Less than £50 can save you many
a fold-up solar panel kit. Allow- times the amount in bills and
to boost your green
credentials with Compost leftovers ing off-grid If a windowsill is as far as your helps build awareness of energy
recharging for garden stretches and you yearn consumption. Simple to install and
doN farrall (bees); bbs uNited (top left); aNNa yu (flower)
minimal effort
Collect your biodegradable waste your laptop for a home-grown harvest, you use, energy monitors produce
is to sign up to
(and be shocked into throwing or phone, could consider branching out instant grati-
a renewable energy
less food away) and save it the compact into an allotment. You can find fication – try
provider, such as
from landfill by composting at gadget means out more at www.nsalg.org.uk. switching
Good Energy (www.
home. Happily, the government that you will Allotments are hard to come by your home’s
goodenergy.co.uk). It
solarceNtury.com (top left)
subsidises some home compost- be able to power up almost any- in some areas, so it’s also worth lights off and
takes all of five minutes Spread th
ing bins – check whether your Green e word: where and at almost any time investigating garden sharing at watch the screen’s digital
and guarantees your hear you would like to
peels, eggshells and teabags are We’ll sha r eco-savv – making nightfall your only www.homegrownuk.org, where count plunge. Some of the best are
home will not be re y tips.
eligible for a greener resting place at readers in them with other inconvenience. £139.99 from garden lenders allow neighbours to available from www.efergy.com
reliant on fossil fuels. Email us future is
sues.
www.recyclenow.com. at yo
@kinglio urgreenideas
www.nigelsecostore.com. reap green-fingered rewards. and www.eco-eye.com.
nmedia.c
om
60 NatioNal GeoGraphic GreeN | winter 2009-2010 www.GreeNNatGeo.co.uk | 61