Green up your life

What you buy, how you travel, how you live - you can reduce your environmental impact (and save money too) by following these tips:

Avoid disposable batteries

Use rechargeable batteries instead - they'll save you money in the long-term. And buy a solar powered battery charger to reduce your environmental impact even further.

Recycle cans

Recycling aluminium cans is far better in terms of resource and energy consumption than creating new cans. And you can even make money from collecting them. Find out how at
www.thinkcans.com/

Use your library

Buying new uses up the world's natural resources. Libraries let you borrow books for free. You can also rent CDs, DVDs, and games console games for a small charge.

Mini-pack madness

Biscuit mini-packs or individually-wrapped items use unnecessary packaging and are usually more expensive. For lunch boxes, open larger packs and wrap using greaseproof paper (which is bio-degradable).

Manage your microwave

When you've finished with it, switch off the microwave at the wall. It takes more energy to power the display clock than the oven.

Shut it

Avoid leaving fridge doors open. Each minute the door is open uses three minutes of energy to cool down again.

Computer crazy

1,500kg of waste is produced in the manufacture of a single PC. So only buy new equipment if you really have to. It's better to buy second hand and upgrade. If you have to buy new, go for a machine that upgrades easily and will last longer. And do you really have to buy a new keyboard, mouse, speakers etc? To donate your computer equipment, visit www.donateapc.org.uk

Paper magic

The day-to-day demand for paper is putting immense pressure on the world's forests. Think creatively about how to reduce your paper use - always use both sides, think before you print, send e-cards instead or make your own recycled paper. Directions are available at
www.recyclezone.org.uk/az_makepaper.aspx

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