Morphy Richards PerformAir bagless eco vacuum cleaner
There won’t ever be anything fun about vacuuming, but at least you can make this chore a bit greener by using an eco vacuum cleaner. The PerformAir bagless eco vacuum cleaner by Morphy Richards is great around the house – it is upright and easily gets around corners so you can get into every nook and cranny – but it is also great for the planet, as it uses up to 50% less energy than a standard vacuum cleaner. This means the eco vacuum cleaner saves you energy and money, but still achieves the high standards you would expect of today’s household appliances. Because the PerformAir eco vacuum cleaner is made by respected brand Morphy Richards, you can be assured it is eco friendly without compromising on performance. The eco vacuum cleaner also has HEPA filtration, which traps and retains microscopic particles such as pollen, making it an ideal choice for those with allergies (in fact, it has the British Allergy Foundation seal of approval!). The PerformAir eco vacuum cleaner is very light despite its 4.2 litre capacity so is easy to carry but you have to empty it less frequently, and has a click-to-clean filter, making it super easy to use. But its main eco feature is an economical 1000W low energy motor, which delivers the same performance as a 2000W but without the running costs or environmental impact. So while nothing can make the housework any more exciting, you can at least make it more energy efficient by using a Morphy Richards PerformAir eco vacuum cleaner.
Stylish and ethical – the Twig bench from Pinch
A beautiful and unique addition to any home, the handmade Twig bench is also eco-friendly and ethical. A stunning piece of furniture, the Twig bench is made from coppiced Hazel from the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust. Because of the nature of its design, each Twig bench is completely unique and, due to its production methods and materials, it is inherently environmentally friendly as the wood is sustainable and comes from carefully managed sources in the UK. The Twig bench was originally a one-off piece designed for Neal’s Yard Remedies’ Dorset head office, but popular demand has seen it be made available to the general public. The Twig bench is designed by London-based husband and wife team Russell Pinch and Oona Bannon, aka the award winning Pinch Design. Pinch specialise in using local materials in their pieces, thus reducing air miles and supporting British suppliers, as well as ensuring they can keep a tight control on quality. Each piece is handmade to order using skilled British craftsmen, which supports local artisans and reduces waste, as nothing is produced that isn’t required. And, of course, in buying handcrafted British furniture made by British designers, you are supporting not only sustainable crafts but helping British craftspeople flourish in a difficult economic climate! Carefully crafted and made to last, each Twig bench is meant to give a lifetime of loving use.
Sparkle with solar powered Christmas lights
Solar powered Christmas lights are a great way to add some festive cheer to your home without any green guilt! Normal Christmas lights use both energy and create CO2 emissions, but you can still light up your life with these solar powered Christmas rope lights. Made in Germany and created for the British climate, they are designed for both outdoor and indoor use, though they do work better outdoors where, on clear winter days, they should be able to store enough power to work for around two and a half hours every evening. Stylish and simple, these solar powered Christmas lights can actually be used all year round as beautiful garden decorations, but are particularly lovely at this festive time of year. The solar powered Christmas lights are available with yellow and red bulbs (or you could buy two sets for a mixture of both!). If you don’t trust the British winter to deliver enough clear light to charge these over the whole of the festive season, you can always use these to complement your existing traditional tree lights, only switching on the electric lights if your solar powered lights have not fully charged – you’ll still be saving energy and money, and doing your bit for a greener Christmas. And probably impressing the neighbours more than having a giant glowing Santa on the front lawn…
Keep out the cold with an Ecoflap
Save energy and cut costs with the Ecoflap door flap. The Ecoflap is a inexpensive, simple and easy to install device that simply sits on the back of your existing letter box, and is designed to exclude draughts and cold weather from your home, as well as stopping heat from escaping. This can save you energy and money on heating bills – a big relief at this time of year, when weather is getting colder and money is getting tight! Because the Ecoflap fits onto the back of the letter box, the front of your door looks the same, so you retain the aesthetics of your front door. The Ecoflap replaces the traditional methods of keeping draughts out: brushes, seals and gravity flaps, and it is completely draught proof. It also adjusts automatically to any size of delivery up to A4 and including relatively chunky newspapers and magazines (unfortunately the postman will still have to knock with all those Christmas presents!) With the spiralling costs of fuel and the pressures on the planet from our increasing demand for power, cutting our everyday energy usage is a small but important step we can all take to help reduce emissions and make the world a bit greener. Installing an Ecoflap is one way to help make your home more energy efficient, reducing your carbon footprint and your energy bills all at the same time.
Homemade charm with a handmade Kilim rug
In an era of mass-produced, identical, soulless products, there is something particularly charming about handmade goods, such as these Fair trade handmade Kilim rugs from Namaste. Hand-woven in India by skilled craftspeople using traditional production methods that have been passed down through generations, each handmade Kilim rug is slightly different, so each its own unique charm. The rugs are made from a mixture of jute and wool and come in a range of designs, including Birdsong, Inca and Diamond, and a selection of sizes. Each Fair trade, handmade Kilim rug is hardwearing and strong, so is an investment piece that will last for years, reducing the need to replace and therefore generate landfill waste. And when you buy a handmade Kilim rug from Namaste you can be sure that the skilled craftsperson has been paid fairly for his or her work, so your purchase helps small producers and their communities. So not only can you enjoy the beauty of a handmade Kilim rug in your own home this winter, you can rest assured that your money is not just helping a corporation fat cat enjoy a bigger bonus, but is helping traditional craftspeople keep their skills alive.
Keep warm this winter with an Eco Flame
Everyone loves a real fire, but with an Eco Flame fireplace you can enjoy the effects of a real fire without any of the environmental drawbacks. Eco Flame fireplaces are designed to mirror the effect of a real fire and give all the comfort and warmth a real fire offers, but with the convenience of an electric fire. Eco Flame fireplaces use technology that only uses 10% of the power of a conventional electric fire. The Eco Flame fireplace comes with infra-red remote control to give you variable settings, and is designed with LED light emitter elements so that the power consumption of the flame effect is less than 10W. The LED light sources are also long life, designed to last the full life cycle of the Eco Flame fireplace, so there are no replacement costs, which also reduces waste and saves money and energy. Plus, as you don’t need fuel such as coal or oil, it is inexpensive to run and easy to maintain. On top of this, the Eco Flame fireplaces look beautiful and can be installed where it is impractical to have a real fire. So why not install an Eco Flame fireplace this winter and start enjoying those nights in by the fire, without worrying that you are impacting on the planet?
A Chimney Pillow saves energy and money
Now that winter has really arrived, many of us are feeling the chill. But how do you stay warm while saving energy – both to keep your carbon footprint and your bills low? One way to do this is to make sure you aren’t losing heat out of your house through poor insulation. There’s no point in cranking up the heating if your home is still draughty and cold! The chimney pillow from Dr Energy is one way you can save energy. This inflatable pillow comes in a range of sizes and can be inserted into any standard chimney. Airtight, tear-resistant and long-lasting, it is designed to allow ventilation, but prevent draughts or debris from coming down the chimney into your home. It is easily inflated (either by the mouth inflation tube or by a pump) and can be deflated and removed if you wish to use the fireplace, ready to be re-inflated and reused as needed. And don’t panic if you forget to remove it – the pillow is designed for safety, so it simply shrivels and deflates if accidentally heated. Cutting down draughts from the chimney is one way of reducing heat waste, but there are many more. Use draught excluders around doors to stop heat loss, and if you don’t have double glazing, hanging cold protection curtains can dramatically reduce energy wastage. These are thin, heat reflecting curtains designed to prevent heat loss in winter and protect from direct sunlight in summer, and are cheap and easy to install. Taking a few simple steps like this can help reduce your energy use this winter – saving you money, and helping save the planet.
Morphy Richards’ eco-friendly Ecolectric range helps you stay warm this winter
Winter is well and truly upon us, and as it starts get colder, many of us now rely on electric blankets to keep us warm through the night. However, these seem a wasteful solution for the eco-conscious consumer – but hope is at hand! Morphy Richards’ Ecolectric range offers a greener solution to staying warm this winter. The Ecolectric range builds on Morphy Richards’ recognised reputation for high quality, technically innovative electrical goods, offering a range that is stylish, practical and energy efficient. This also makes them cost efficient, given the ever increasing price of household energy. Its eco-friendly Electric Blankets are thin underblankets which come in single and double sizes. Morphy Richards are not only concerned about energy efficiency, they are also implementing greener manufacturing processes too. The blankets are manufactured using an environmentally sensitive, glue-free process, and they have ultra-thin wires for comfort and low wattage heating, and come complete with over-heat protection, so you can be sure you won’t get too hot! These energy efficient, durable and long-lasting blankets are also washable and can be tumble dried, so you avoid the need to use harsh dry cleaning chemicals.
Electrickery and Revolve turn old circuit boards into great gifts
We live in a world where we are constantly encourage to upgrade our electronic equipment to something newer, smaller, shinier – and that can have a terrible impact on the environment. Waste from electronic and electrical equipment is growing year on year as we replace items faster and faster – an estimated 50,000 tonnes of printed circuit boards alone are scrapped every year. One company is helping reduce landfill by using old circuit boards and recycling them into unusual and stylish gifts. Electrickery are based in Fulham, London – so no air miles to worry about! – and have been recycling circuit boards since 1999. They produce a range of fun products including recycled circuit board cuff links, recycled circuit board lamps and recycled circuit board business card holders, and because they use such a range of boards, no two items are the same – ensuring completely unique gifts. Meanwhile, on a similar theme, Revolve takes items destined for landfill and turns them into fun and contemporary gifts. These include recycled circuit board coasters, recycled circuit board notebooks, and recycled circuit board mousemats. Like Electickery, Revolve is a UK company – they are based in Huddersfield – so as well as ensuring that you are saving items from landfill, you can also be assured that your products don’t clock up the air miles. Also like Electrickery, Revolve create products based on their supply of destined-for-landfill circuit boards, so every product is different, giving each its own unique charm.
Quality ethical products from Nkuku
For high-quality, eco-friendly fair trade gifts and homewares, look no further than Nkuku. The name comes from a village in Zambia and was inspired by the travels of the founder of this Devon-based company, which aims to promote fair trade and reward traditional artisans in Africa and India by selling their work in the UK. Examples of this include the stylish Savannah leather case, perfect as an alternative to a briefcase. The Savannah is handmade from leather and is dyed using vegetable extract and tree bark by a co-operative in Rajasthan, so you can be assured that not only is the bag eco-friendly, the workers are paid a fair wage for their work. Nkuku also sells classic leather-bound journals and photo albums, made with naturally tanned leather and recycled paper. If you’d rather use vegetarian friendly materials, Nkuku offers stylish journals and photo albums bound in hand-printed cotton paper, which come in recycled cotton boxes, or books made from recycled saris, making each one different depending on the fabric used. If you are looking for eco-friendly homewares, Nkuku produces a range of handmade cotton bed linen, printed by hand using traditional methods and wooden block printing, as well as high quality woollen throws, made from recycled wool. So you can enjoy original, beautiful things for your home while knowing you are supporting a fair trade, environmentally responsible company and helping traditional artisans profit from their skills.
