Whilst walking through one of our city parks I noticed an number of small oak trees struggling with tall grass and mowers cutting them down to be shrubs rather than trees. Then I thought what if…
When you go into the woods, park or public grounds where oaks or other native trees are growing during the autumn, look out for the acorns, and other seeds from the trees. Gather a few up and take them home with you. Don’t gather hundreds – just two or three.
Once home find a pot and some compost you just have in a bag (!) and plant your seeds. Leave on a windowsill with a plastic cover until the first shoot appears.
Take great care of the sapling as it grows up to 12 inches high (30cm) when it can return to the green space from which it came. Choose a spot with light and away from the mowers where you can plant your tree, or trees, going back over the years to see your tree grows and eats up and stores your carbon emissions from flying, driving or just living. Simple, easy, fun and environmentally friendly. Just one note of caution – make sure you only plant trees from seeds you find in the wild – do not be tempted to take garden centre trees into the wild as the root stock they are grafted to may be an invasive foreign species.

Always delighted to hear stories that the plastic bag is getting ruled out of people’s lives the town of Modbury. Nestling in the valleys and hills of South Devon the town, inspired by the actions of one woman, filmmaker and resident of Modbury, Rebecca Hosking who had been out to Hawaii filming the devastation plastic is causing the wildlife there. She hired a local gallery and showed the film to residents and shop keepers. Once the film was over she asked how many people felt they now wanted to go plastic bag free – they all raised their hands. Proof is in the fact that the big store, the Co-op, have signed up to being bag free as have the other 42 traders of all shapes and forms. They have started a global trend that has people visiting from far and wide to see the bag free town.
One resident, Sue Stanton, who is vice-chair of the Chamber of Commerce said that they were not eco worriers but after seeing what had happened to the beaches of Hawaii the towns residents were determined to keep their famous beaches plastic free. Have a look at www.plasticbagfree.com for more details of how you can help your town go bag free.
Well done the residents of Modbury. Therefore, if in Devon, or any where else for that matter, make sure you take your bag for life if shopping.

It is back to basics when it comes to saving fuel and keeping bills low. Simple ways can each reduce your consumption by 5% but done together will make a dramatic dent in your outgoings.

1. Keep the vehicle maintained to the highest level you can – good service will cut down on wear and tear as well as increasing miles per gallon.
2. Check your tyre pressure each week so that you are at the ideal pressure for the vehicle – fuel consumption can go up as much as 10% if tyres are under inflated.
3. Remove roof racks that are add on to the vehicle as these will cause additional drag and increase consumption as under inflated tyres will.
4. Forget the air conditioning and opt for the natural air system in the car through the vents. As a small engine if used to provide the extra power to cool the air in an air con unit it can use one third as much fuel as running the vehicle.
5. Keep windows closed unless you have a very old vehicle as all new vehicles are designed to be aerodynamic.
6. Walk or cycle for shirt trips rather than take the vehicle – gradually build up the length of trip and you will enjoy it more than trying to go on long hauls initially.
7. When waiting in a line of traffic or stopped, turn off the engine, as this too will save fuel. A vehicle can use more fuel when idling.
8. If you can use public transport – do. It will be kinder to your pocket in the end. Look out for car share schemes for those who live out of reach of a good transport network.
9. Green up school runs by taking other parents children on a rota basis or – better still if there are safe ways of doing so – start up a walking bus where children and parents walk to school.
10. Just leaving the vehicle at home one day a week will help keep you fit, help your outgoings and introduce you to people you may have only seen from the vehicle.