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Question:-) What power cell is based on a natural shape, provides photovoltaic power during the daytime and at night piezoelectric power?

The other day I was asked about natural condoms which took me back a few years…no don’t be rude. My thoughts went to an archaeological dig I was on in Wales as a teenager when we came across a submerged jar containing animal skins stitched in the shape of a long straight sock. Little did we know at the time we had found a jar of natural condoms. So my mind rambling I started to research if this product was still available and, guess what, it is. The lambskin condom called ‘Fourex’ and another Kling-tite both use the thin intestine of the animals to provide the sheath. Whilst the natural skin condom does prevent the larger sized sperm escaping, it will not protect against the smaller HIV/AIDS cells so one may like to use the condoms the Vegan society approves, made by a company going by the name of Condomi who use natural latex and no plastic. Even the government in Brazil are getting into the production of natural latex condoms as a way of protecting their rain forests. The idea is that trees are tapped for the natural latex in the Chico Mendes reserve as a cash crop rather than allowing trees to be cut down for the ever increasing need for hard wood. The government estimate that Brazil imports 100 million condoms into the country so the latex will provide a good income for the farmers and locally produced condoms. This, in turn, will cut down on air or sea miles thus reducing the countries carbon footprint. Unfortunately, there is no natural product based female condoms I have been able to find. However, the Femidom is a product made from polyurethane that is safe to use and if disposed of in a tissue and then the bin it is a suitable alternative.

1.  With local shops facing a bleak future start to go down to the local shop,  get to know the staff who in turn will be more than willing to pass on what’s fresh and in season.  Buying locally supports the local economy, provides jobs and, if you walk or cycle there, gives you some exercise into the mix.  Besides the local shops are good sources of gossip…not that I listen but…

2. We are all told to buy organic food as it saves the environment but if faced with produce that is organic from half way round the world with so many air miles is it really the way forward.  Many conventional farmers treat the countryside with regard and do use chemicals but more and more are reducing their use of chemicals and going back to traditional methods.  So buying non-organic from a local farm is better than flying in produce and as more farmers in the UK go over to orgainic farming our food miles will reduce.

3. Don’t throw away aluminium foil but wash and recycle as 1kg of recycled foil saves 8kg of bauxite, the mineral used to make it, as well as 15kw of energy and nearly 4kg of chemicals produced in the extraction process.

4. Refuse to have anything with genetically modified produce.   With millions of farmer’s worldwide growing GM crops, there is a push to introduce GM crops here.  Many opponents, including farmers, believe that if GM crops came to the UK, all our organic and traditional crops would be lost. 

5. Re –use carrier bags as often as possible.  With the billions of bags handed out by the big supermarkets our landfill sites will start to look like plastic bag heaven.  Buy the heavy weight plastic, hemp or natural cotton bags instead.  There is even a fashion accessory bag on the market, it folds to a tiny size and when open holds a goodly amount of shopping.  You know the bag I mean!

6.  Like local shops farmers markets are seeing a rise in popularity so why not get out there and find one to shop at once or twice a month.  Supporting the markets supports the farmer and in turn, the economy of an area.  Norman Baker, MP, headed up a team who produced a report about super markets and the staggering fact that just 26% of the cost of goods in a typical bag are food costs, the rest is for transport, packaging and overheads.  So cut out the intermediary and shop directly with the producers who will have facts about their produce supermarket staff do not.  It has also been known for local produce in a supermarket, sold as local, to have travelled over 400 miles in order to be packed!

7.  Buying ‘A ‘rated appliances such as fridge and freezer combined will reduce running costs and do not contain CFCs, (Chlorofluorocarbons) which contribute to the hole in the ozone. 
8.    Re-cycle and re-use as much as possible, mend and patch rather than throw away.  Households in the UK produce over 30 million tonnes of rubbish each year.  Enough rubbish to form a pile 10 meters high around the world so with landfill sites increasingly under pressure the less we throw away the better for the environment and our pockets.

9.  Get composting.  Save your peelings, used tea bags, eggshells and coffee grounds for your compost bin or, if you do not have a garden, keep for friends who have gardens.  An old ice cream plastic container is great as a storage vessel because it has a lid.  At garden centres and online garden shops all sorts of compost bins for all needs are to be found.  You may even consider a wormery, in which hard working worms eat their way through your waste from the kitchen and a bi-product is rich liquid manure.

10.  Using the above compost start your own herb garden in portable earthen pots rather than plastic or any container you like.  In the summer during the BBQ season, fresh herbs are available for the chef.  In the winter, they can sit near the kitchen door giving a splash of colour and fresh.  Herbs love windowsills, bathrooms, even bedrooms.  Growing tomatoes, lettuce, strawberries and even potatoes in tubs act as a talking point and you have cut down on food miles.  Besides any excess herbs can be dried to provide supplies throughout the winter months.