A wind-up lantern is the perfect eco-accessory for the garden
For eco-friendly light on the go, use a Freeplay wind-up lantern. Perfect for camping, travelling, or even just in the garden, this is a perfect eco-friendly source of light and requires almost no effort to run – as little as 60 seconds winding gives you up to three hours light. This portable lantern is fitted with a dimmer switch so you can set it to your perfect brightness – maximum light if you need it, or a more subtle glow. The Freeplay wind-up lantern doesn’t need batteries or replacement bulbs so is cheap to run and environmentally friendly – no toxic batteries to dispose of and no mains electricity needed. It also has a cluster of ultra-bright LED lights as a primary light source but a second, single LED bulb to use as a directional light – so you can use it like a torch if needed. When fully charged the light gives you around three hours of bright light but lasts an impressive 70 hours at the lowest setting – perfect for lighting on the go. (You also get 40 hours of directional light from a fully charged lantern). Pleasantly retro looking in design, this lantern in fact utilises modern wind up technology to create the perfect eco-solution and to give you the light you need anywhere, anytime.
Light up your garden with a solar powered plant pot
Add a glow to your gardening with these fun, funky solar powered plant pots. The pots soak up the daylight, which charges the pot’s internal LED bulbs. These built in bulbs cause the pot to glow gently in the dark, adding a magical touch to your garden or patio. The pot’s solar panel comes on a separate spike attached to the pot by a cable so that, even if the plants don’t sit in direct sunlight, you can simply place the solar panel in the best position to maximise the sun it receives. It’s easy to do – no mains wiring required – plus it’s splashproof to guard against the joys of the British weather. The amount of time the pots glow depends on the amount of sun they receive, varying between 6-8 hours in summer and 2-4 in the winter – so plenty of time for you to enjoy their evening glow even on these winter nights. You can choose one of these lovely eco-friendly pots that glows white, or one that changes colour – and if you cluster a few together they make a stunning display that will put even the most exotic plant to shame. So why not brighten up your garden with a solar powered plant pot?
Greener gardening with a Worm Works wormery
Most people are slightly squeamish about worms, but this Worm Works wormery shows that they can be your garden’s best friend. This stacking wormery is easy to use: you simply add your kitchen waste scraps and the worms will eat their way through it, leaving rich compost in their wake. Worms are actually super environmentally friendly creatures, eating waste and creating plant-friendly compost – they eat their own body weight every day and double their population every 60-90 days, so as your wormery (or worm farm) grows, you can increase the amount of scraps you add to it. This stacking wormery operates simply, harnessing the surface feeding nature of the Tiger Worms that live inside it. They rise to the top of the wormery as they feed, so that you just need to pull out the bottom tray to access the compost. The liquid fertiliser gathers in a chamber at the bottom, and the wormery is fitted with a tap so that this can be easily drained. So not only will you save money on shop-bought fertiliser, you reduce the amount of rubbish sent to landfill. The wormery needs little care – it looks after itself when you are on holiday – and can be stored inside or out. Easy to assemble, the Worm Works stacked wormery is made from 100% recycled plastic, so is good for the planet and the garden!
The unique Composphere lets you easily make compost for your garden
If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to be greener in the garden, the Composphere is the perfect way to do this. With a generous 351 litre capacity, this unique garden composter is designed to make it easy and quick for you to have great compost for your garden. The Composphere is made from 100% recycled plastic, so is environmentally friendly, and is designed to be super easy to use. It is similar to a traditional compost tumbler but isn’t limited to a frame, instead you can roll it around the garden, tumbling your contents together. If you also use an accelerant – organic, of course – you could have some great compost in weeks, so in plenty of time for your spring gardening. If you need to store the Composphere, you simply unscrew it and the two hemispheres rest inside one another. The Composphere also allows you to move it around the garden easily so you can spread your compost without any hassle – perfect especially for those with larger gardens. The Composphere design has already proved popular and has been featured on the BBC and in Garden News. As we throw away a huge amount of organic waste every year – much of it going to rot in landfill where it generates harmful gasses – using your food waste to make compost in a Composphere makes sense for the planet, and for your garden.
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…
Help your local wildlife with natural habitats from Wildlife World
Winter can be a tough season for wildlife, especially as our unpredictable weather can disrupt the habits of even the hardiest animals. But a rich and varied wildlife is vital to keep our eco-systems balanced, so helping support this where you can is one easy way of boosting your green credentials. Wildlife World can help with this – they are a small UK-based company (so no air mile issues!) who have been specialising in making eco-friendly wildlife habitats for over 10 years. Products are make from either reclaimed wood or FSC-certified timber and finished with water-based stains and paints, so are non-toxic and environmentally friendly. Wildlife World produce a selection of habitats depending on the garden space you have available and the wildlife you would like to attract: these include hedgehog houses, bird feeders, beehives, ladybird insect towers and bat boxes. Designs range from simple but stylish to the ornate, such as a white gothic nest box. For super keen wildlife enthusiasts, Wildlife World also produce nesting boxes fitted with colour cameras, so you can not only help the animals flourish, you can record beautiful images to keep a record of your avian visitors! Separate wildlife camera box kits are also available. So no matter how small your space, you should be able to find an eco-friendly solution to help you keep your local wildlife thriving through the winter.
Stylish solar-powered Sun Jars provide eco-friendly lighting for home and garden
Solar powered lighting is many things, but it is rarely beautiful. However, eco-friendly designers Suck UK Design have come up with an innovative lighting solution that manages to be both green and stylish. Their Sun Jar lights combine solar technology with classical design to provide energy efficient lighting. Made with a traditional Mason jar, the lights contain a solar cell, rechargeable battery and low energy LED lamps. Simply leave in direct sunlight to charge up the Sun Jar, and it automatically activates when it gets dark or when the lights are switched out. (There is an override switch located inside the lid so you can turn it off and conserve the power). Because the Sun Jar uses warm coloured LED lights and the glass is frosted, it gives a warm glow – looking like sunlight diffused through the jar. With no visible external switches, it will intrigue and impress visitors! The Sun Jars are also watertight, so make ideal garden illuminations as they can be left outside whatever the weather. As they give a warm rather than harsh glow, they are also ideal energy efficient and safe nightlights for children. Suck UK Design produce the Sun Jars in a range of colours including pink and blue (the Moon Jar) so you can combine them to beautiful effect. For anyone who likes a more high-tech looking lighting solution, though, Suck UK Design also produces Glow Bricks, which use the same technology placed in an actual lightbulb, encased in an acrylic brick. Available in green and blue, these sharp designs give a contemporary look to your lighting, as well as saving you energy and money.
Eternaled and PIR: eco-friendly floodlights
Unfortunately, gone are the days when doors could be left unlocked at night without the fear of burglary. Sadly, gone too are the days when doors can be left unlocked during the day – even open windows are a risk in this age of social and moral decadence. Nevertheless, despite the oft-reported mobs of ASBO-crazed teenagers and recession-hit scoundrels who bring horror to communities up and down the country, the present day and age is also no time to be leaving the lights on. In fact, one of the few remaining social crimes happens to be relatively new: environmental inefficiency.Indeed, whilst the aforementioned unruly delinquents are served up meaningless anti-social behaviour orders and thieves are handed fines or suspended prison terms, anybody seen doing harm to the planet is likely to face a public hanging, at least metaphorically speaking. Thus, installing old style security floodlights may seem like a great idea to those who do not fancy having their properties ransacked, but to others they may appear to be an incredible waste of energy. Fortunately, the Eternaleds Floodlight Bulbs are on hand to make home security an environmentally friendly pursuit. Available in 9W and 18W varieties, the LED floodlights from Eternaleds offer energy savings of around 80% over their incandescent cousins. Furthermore, the bulbs feature a shatter-proof plastic casing with passive cooling technology, which basically means the bulbs are kept cool enough to be handled. Also of value to the environment, these superb floodlights contain no hazardous or toxic materials, such as mercury, which can cause harm to the local environment on disposal. Indeed, the Eternaleds bulbs provide basic home security in an entirely eco–friendly manner.
Another eco-friendly solution is the solar powered PIR Light Stake. Retailing at under £30, this can be wall mounted or freestanding and is ideal for driveways and gardens. Operated by a motion sensor, it is a perfect green choice for security lighting.
Being Green is Good For the Environment – Seeing Green Is Good For Your Health!
We know green spaces are good for the environment and all realise the importance of the role of trees and grassy areas (particularly in built-up and inner city areas). Now, new research has been revealed in The Times Newspaper Online, showing that ’seeing’ greenery is also good for your mental health and emotional well being!
Environmental biologist, Ross Cameron, of the University of Reading, has revealed ‘Urban green spaces are good for your health’. Mr Cameron uses examples of crime reduction, domestic violence reduction and stress reduction, in studies carried out in Chicago. The studies concluded more trees and greenery in urban areas had a positive impact on social well being.
Furthermore, Mr Ross Cameron suggested we must protect our green spaces from ‘garden grabbing developers’. Mr Cameron expressed his dismay at the large sections of domestic gardens being paved, concreted and asphalted over. Highlighting the importance of domestic gardens by citing a study in Australia whereby the risk of dementia onset was delayed in correlation to the amount of time spent gardening. Getting children into gardening early – for instance with a children’s vegetable garden – can also teach them valuable lessons about nature and food, encouraging them to eat vegetables and therefore decreasing their risk of obesity and other diet-related conditions. Finally, Mr Ross Cameron told the Times Newspaper urban green spaces should be awarded the same protection as the countryside, in order to allow us all to benefit – emotionally, mentally and socially! So, do yourself a favour – mentally, socially, emotionally and environmentally – keep your garden lawn. Yes, concrete may be low maintenance, but why risk depression and crime, for the sake of having to get a lawnmower out every fortnight or so!
Offsetting Your Carbon Footprint: Grow Your Own Tree
There is nothing new about growing fruit, vegetables, plants or flowers in the garden, which are seen as effective ways in which organic produce can be cultivated at home to save money the green way. Furthermore, people are now more conscious of their individual impact on the environment, which is commonly expressed in terms of the so-called carbon footprint. Much like a normal footprint, the carbon variety refers to the impression left on the environment by a particular individual or household in the context of harmful CO2 emissions.
Every person leaves a carbon footprint behind them and, in this increasingly eco-conscious community, each is accountable for it. As such, many homeowners have sought to reduce their carbon footprint by adopting renewable energy sources, such as installing solar panels, insulating lofts and cavity walls, upgrading boilers and installing underfloor heating, which typically uses less energy than conventional radiator systems. However, there is a greener way in which carbon footprints can be offset somewhat. Indeed, if every home that has a garden or access to public grounds planted a tree, the world would literally become a much greener place to live.
Trees are beneficial to the environment not least because they support eco-systems in a general sense but also because their leaves absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Thus, the Grow Your Own Tree kit from Canova, which comprises a compostable grow bag into which the included silver birch tree seed is sowed and eventually planted into the ground, provides a convenient way to grow trees, which will considerably offset carbon footprints. And if you don’t have access to a garden? There are a range of kitchen friendly options, from organic herbs in a bag to instant kitchen boxes or instant compact herb gardens.
