Yesterday, PriceMinister launched a fab campaign - The Green Chain - for bloggers to raise money for charity. If you take part in their eco interview, they will donate £10 to one of three great environmental charities - Surfers Against Sewage, Trees for Cities and the Young People's Trust for the Environment. If you tweet or join the Green Chain Facebook page as well as blogging, PriceMinister will donate an extra £1 for each. You can read all about The Green Chain and how to take part here. And now for my interview... read to the end to see if I've tagged you!
Turning the heating down by just one degree in your house saves 240kg of CO2 a year. It would take eight trees to soak up this amount of CO2! Are you currently doing anything to make your home eco-friendly?
Our house was only built 3 years ago and is well insulated so we don't waste much heat - I insist the family all put on extra jumpers and socks rather than turn up the heating in Winter (much to the annoyance of my husband). We use washable nappies and wipes for my son, and use environmentally friendly cleaning products where possible (I'm a big fan of the e-cloth and water technique!)
Rainforests once covered 14% of the earth's land surface, now they only cover 2%. How are you reducing your use of paper?
I avoid excess packaging wherever possible and am getting into the habit of reading articles online rather than buying lots of magazines. If I'm entering competitions, I recycle old greeting cards to use as postcards - and at Christmas I try to give presents wrapped in reusable cloths or boxes. I hate to see the aftermath of Christmas - binliners of shiny paper that can't be recycled!
At PriceMinister we believe that trading second hand items online is a great way to extend the life span of products. Have you ever thought of buying or selling second hand items on or off line?
I've bought and sold online since the early days of auction websites: I try my hardest to win things that I need, but if I can't then I always prefer to buy second hand. Most of my son's toys have been picked up as a result of adverts on Mum forums, and I intend to sell them on again when he's grown too old for them. I'm often amazed at what people throw away and often I return home from the local rubbish tip or charity shop with as much as I took there in the first place! You can pick up some fabulous gems at car boot sales which can make you a fortune online.
One of the biggest environmental challenges we face is Freshwater Shortages. Are you taking measures to reduce your water consumption?
My best friend lives in Japan and they're fantastic at recycling water in the home. The bathwater is used by every family member, and afterwards it's used for the washing machine. There's also a sink built into every toilet, so that when the cistern fills you can wash your hands in the fresh water that's going in... such brilliant, simple ideas! In our home we have a water meter and new toilets with the mini flush option, and I also moan at my husband to have quicker showers! We have a paved/decked garden so we use a watering can rather than a hosepipe - it's a bit too tiny to squeeze in a water butt.
How do you choose the produce that goes into your shopping basket?
I've recently started getting organic veg deliveries from Riverford and this has made me aware of how much fresh supermarket produce is flown in from far away. I really make an effort now to buy locally sourced foods, sustainable fish and organic products with less packaging. What drives me up the wall is people in supermarkets who use a plastic bag to put two onions or a couple of carrots in, and then use new plastic carrier bags at the till too....grrrr!
What is your favourite green space near home?
Attenborough Nature Reserve is a beautiful complex of water, trees and islands, and is one of the world's top ten 'eco destinations'. It's a wonderful place to go walking with Ryland, it's full of birds and wildlife yet so close to the city. If you ever travel by rail from London to Nottingham, the train takes you right through it!
Which charity will you support and why? I'd like to donate my £10 to Trees for Cities. I live not far from the centre of Nottingham and trees and green spaces make such a difference to the kids growing up here.
Please give us the url of a fellow blogger (or bloggers) you would like us to contact to raise an extra £10.
I'd like to tag Inside the Wendy House, Making it Up and Me and My Shadow - and I look forward to reading your interviews ladies!
Our house was only built 3 years ago and is well insulated so we don't waste much heat - I insist the family all put on extra jumpers and socks rather than turn up the heating in Winter (much to the annoyance of my husband). We use washable nappies and wipes for my son, and use environmentally friendly cleaning products where possible (I'm a big fan of the e-cloth and water technique!)
Rainforests once covered 14% of the earth's land surface, now they only cover 2%. How are you reducing your use of paper?
I avoid excess packaging wherever possible and am getting into the habit of reading articles online rather than buying lots of magazines. If I'm entering competitions, I recycle old greeting cards to use as postcards - and at Christmas I try to give presents wrapped in reusable cloths or boxes. I hate to see the aftermath of Christmas - binliners of shiny paper that can't be recycled!
At PriceMinister we believe that trading second hand items online is a great way to extend the life span of products. Have you ever thought of buying or selling second hand items on or off line?
I've bought and sold online since the early days of auction websites: I try my hardest to win things that I need, but if I can't then I always prefer to buy second hand. Most of my son's toys have been picked up as a result of adverts on Mum forums, and I intend to sell them on again when he's grown too old for them. I'm often amazed at what people throw away and often I return home from the local rubbish tip or charity shop with as much as I took there in the first place! You can pick up some fabulous gems at car boot sales which can make you a fortune online.
One of the biggest environmental challenges we face is Freshwater Shortages. Are you taking measures to reduce your water consumption?
My best friend lives in Japan and they're fantastic at recycling water in the home. The bathwater is used by every family member, and afterwards it's used for the washing machine. There's also a sink built into every toilet, so that when the cistern fills you can wash your hands in the fresh water that's going in... such brilliant, simple ideas! In our home we have a water meter and new toilets with the mini flush option, and I also moan at my husband to have quicker showers! We have a paved/decked garden so we use a watering can rather than a hosepipe - it's a bit too tiny to squeeze in a water butt.
How do you choose the produce that goes into your shopping basket?
I've recently started getting organic veg deliveries from Riverford and this has made me aware of how much fresh supermarket produce is flown in from far away. I really make an effort now to buy locally sourced foods, sustainable fish and organic products with less packaging. What drives me up the wall is people in supermarkets who use a plastic bag to put two onions or a couple of carrots in, and then use new plastic carrier bags at the till too....grrrr!
What is your favourite green space near home?
Attenborough Nature Reserve is a beautiful complex of water, trees and islands, and is one of the world's top ten 'eco destinations'. It's a wonderful place to go walking with Ryland, it's full of birds and wildlife yet so close to the city. If you ever travel by rail from London to Nottingham, the train takes you right through it!
I'd like to tag Inside the Wendy House, Making it Up and Me and My Shadow - and I look forward to reading your interviews ladies!
