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Our Green Living Tips

Here are Jo's and Sarah's tips for green living


JO SAYS:
 
• Turn on a tap these days and the chlorine’s so strong it can be like walking into a swimming bath. If you’re buying bottles of mineral water to avoid drinking that stuff, it might be worth investigating a reverse osmosis water filter, which basically takes out all chemicals, radioactive materials and pollutants. They’re not cheap – but can pay for themselves over a year or two. (An even bigger luxury – but one my husband Craig and I felt was worth it as we had to completely re-plumb our house anyway and plan to live here for the rest of our lives – is a whole-house water filter, so that even our shower/bath water is ultra-, ultra-pure.) We got ours from the Pure H20 Company (a.k.a. Aquathin Ltd.) at www.pureh20.co.uk, who’ve always given great service.
 
• Trust me: vinegar is the ultimate household multi-purpose cleaner. Best of all is clear white vinegar, but failing that I often resort to organic white wine vinegar or apple cyder vinegar for cleaning glass, pictures, surfaces, cutting through dusty build-up on paintwork – and I throw a capful in the washing machine in place of fabric conditioner, for fluffy towels and soft linen.
 
• Dry cleaning fluid is bad for clothes, bad for the planet (and almost certainly bad for us, if it rubs against our skin). When I complained to a girlfriend recently that my clothes were wearing out, she blamed dry cleaning – and suggested I try airing and brushing more, instead. I now have a capsule cleaning collection in a small basket by my wardrobe: lint roller, clothes brush. I sponge clothes rather than throw them in the laundry hamper, and iron rather than drop on the floor – and I’m probably saving £20 a month (not including wear-and-tear) on cleaning my trousers and jackets.
 
• When they first launched, Ecover household cleaners were less-than-effective. (I have memories of decidedly grey underwear…) But if you’ve given up on them, it’s time for a revisit: the packaging’s been redesigned (I’m sorry, but it’s a factor!), and the formulations are much more effective, including a new Biological washing powder which works as well as any conventional powder I’ve tried. Incidentally, if you do suffer from dry, itchy body skin – and haven’t been able to fathom out why – it’s always worth switching washing powders, as these highly fragranced, highly-chemical products are often the culprit. Biological powders, in particular, were always a no-no for anyone with sensitive skin, because they tended to irritate – but the enzymes in Ecover’s have been specially chosen for their non-irritancy. According to their website, ‘one of the criteria we use when selecting raw materials is that the ingredients must not fasten to textiles – which minimises the chances of skin irritation and allergies.’ In fact, they continue, ‘we use the same criteria that cosmetics firms use to test ingredients for their kindness to the skin, which are much stricter than the criteria used by conventional detergent manufacturers.’ I buy my Ecover at the local natural food store.
SARAH SAYS:
 
• First things first, understand why nature is so important by getting out into it. And enjoying it. Go for a walk anywhere: in a park, by a river, in the country, in your garden… Listen to the birds, look at the animals, notice the plants, smell the flowers. I went for a walk in Devon recently with my horse (we live there) and as we lazed along in the sun gazing out over the fields and looking at the hazy blue hills in the distance, a tree by the roadside erupted into a charm of goldfinches twittering away as they seduced mates for nest building. Later I went for a walk with a friend in the moonlight. High up on a ridge, the full moon hung over us lighting the landscape. It was so beautiful, it took our breath away. That phenomenon has been with us unchanged since the world began but the last hundred years has seen more species become extinct than ever in our history.
 
• Bring nature into your house: buy yourself a bunch of fragrant flowers or a house plant, a perfumed candle like Aveda's natural Pure-Fume range (which also comes in oils for diffusers and tea lights), room fragrances by Spiezia Organics (see our Perfect Presents column), put lavender on your pillow and scented plant oils in your bath (my favourite is Neals Yard Remedies Rose and Geranium, see our Offers page for a special discount on this.)
 
• Be a white witch – grow your own herbs. It’s the time to plant herbs of all kinds, either grow your own from seed or buy plants. You don’t need a garden, just a sunny window ledge or door step. Our new favourite drink at beautybible.com planning meetings is mint tea: just put a bunch of roughly torn mint in a teapot, fill with freshly boiled water (filtered or bottled if possible – it tastes so much nicer) and infuse for 5 to 10 minutes. Add honey if liked. For more information look in our new book The 21st Century Beauty Bible where there’s a section on herbs and their uses.
 
• Turn off switches: I used to be profligate about leaving on lights and completely overlook the tiny lights on the TV and my computer (which use an extraordinary amount of electricity). Now I make a point of doing a sweep and turning off everything at the wall. Cheaper for me, better for the planet. Also, light your evening meals with candles instead of electric lights: wildly romantic, very flattering (lines and wrinkles simply disappear) and eco-friendly.
 
• Lastly, try and buy everything in big containers. According to Aveda, who are packaging shampoos and conditioners in litre-size packaging for Earth Month, one litre bottle uses 43 per cent less packaging than four 250 ml equivalents. And make sure packaging of all kinds is post consumer recycled (PCR). There’s weasel wording on many packages and ‘recyclable’ does not mean ‘recycled’.
 
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