Whilst researching subjects for this blog I have come across stories, sites and products I think are great.  So what I plan to do is let you have, once a month, a few thoughts, sites and products you may like to have a look at.  I will also have a ghost story for you…just to keep you on your toes.  There will also be a small ghost hidden somewhere in the blog for you to find and I will send a certificate to the first person who finds the ghost.

One site I have been pointed towards is www.panchulistore.com, a company from the USA supporting women in India through the retail of wonderful looking scarves.  The products are from natural materials including nettle produced by newly trained women in some of the less affluent villages in a region of the Himalayas, Kumaon.  Set up by Mukti Datta, it is an ethical company supporting training and fulfilment of the people who work to produce the garments.  It is a wonderful story in this age of take, take ,take.

Another site is a little of a worry but again worth having a look www.globalactionplan.org.uk and read the report ‘An inefficient truth’ where many myths are laid to rest and the truth is not always what it seems.   

As for products I would suggest a look at the www.soorganic.com where they sell so many great products I have had difficulty in choosing.  I have tried some of the products and would welcome your thoughts about any purchases you make, and how easy it was to buy on line.  What was the service and delivery like?

January
Buy local organic produce, perhaps one type at a time over the year.   This will reduce food miles and help the local economy as well as reducing the amount of chemicals consumed through non-organic spraying.  Soft fruits are the most likely to contain a high level of chemicals if not organic.  It will also get you to buy fruit and vegetables that are in season thus reducing air miles that out of season produce travel from all corners of the world.

February
Get rid if the plastic shower curtain as they contain a chemical, Phthalates that is an endocrine disrupter linked to male hormone problems in the reproductive system.  If possible plastic bottles of grooming products should be avoided too so look for those in glass bottles if possible.  Replace the curtains with ones made of bamboo, hemp or unbleached cotton for a warm touch in the winter and easy to wash and dry thus helping to keep the bacteria down.

March
After the cold of the winter, it is time to get the windows open for at least thirty minutes a day to get rid of bad air.  Recent test found that there is up to 60% more pollution inside the home than out.  Every night have at least one small window open to allow air to flow through the house.  By using natural air conditioning like this, the home will feel fresh and those inside will have fewer sniffs and colds, as the bugs are blown away.

April
Chemicals appear in the fabric of containers used every day for holding grooming and make up products across many ranges.   They are in day-to-day beauty products such as antiperspirants that use aluminium salts to block pores and linked to Alzheimer’s.  Have a look at organic alternatives from companies such as www.soorganic.com and www.naturallyfabulous.co.uk.  Some use rock crystal whilst others use natural ingredients that eat the sweat enzymes and deodorises with sweet smelling Cedar and Sandalwood.  They can be as effective as aluminium based products.

May
Don’t be tempted to resort to the chemical store to help in the home or garden and use old tried and tested methods such as soot around apple trees to stop bugs getting into the fruits,  sharp sand to keep slugs at bay or urine to keep mice and foxes away.  There is also Diatomaceous earth, which is a natural enemy of many bugs and pests.

June
Have you ever looked quickly at the bottle of cleaning products? Many of the chemicals used are either environmentally unfriendly or carcinogenic so why not use the natural products our grandparents used.  Vinegar, lemon and baking soda to name just a few are all natural, easy on the pocket and kind to the environment.  In lime scale areas vinegar helps to remove the build up of lime on the elements.  Pour in white vinegar to the top of the element and leave over night.  Write a note on the kettle so that your early morning cuppa is not a shock!
Pour the vinegar down the sink to help keep things fresh and wash out the kettle twice with fresh water.  This water can be used to clean windows or even put into the car washer bottle.

July
Buy organic tea and coffee as this will reduce the amount of pesticides ingested as coffee has the highest level of pesticide use than any other crop.  By going organic, you will also be supporting some of the smaller farms and their workers. Organic milk would be another small way forward as it contains more vitamin E, Omega-3 and antioxidants that do not occur in  other milks and do not have the antibiotics found in the milk of intensive farmed animals.

August
Did you know  that taking your shoes off at the door and putting on slippers will slow down the build up of chemicals entering your home.  With all the residue falling and washing on to the footpaths and gardens, they attach to shoes and then get trodden into the home carpets.  It may not sound a problem but if there are small children in the home they often crawl and pick up objects from the floor.  These become the host for the chemicals or eggs of animal worms that are ingested from the toys.  A simple mat either side of the front door and slippers for you all will help and guest will soon understand and remove their shoes too.

September
Just by turning down the thermostat by a few degrees, you will save money and keep your home a healthier place and wearing a jumper inside could become a fashion again.  In our double-glazed, draft free homes, we suffer more colds, upset stomachs and itches caused by the build up of heat loving bugs that
multiply at disturbing rates.  Opening the windows with the heating off will flush out these germs and make for a happy family.

October
Give up meat for one or two days a week. By doing this you will reduce the suffering of intensive bred animals and reduce your intake of chemicals and animal antibiotics.  There are many exciting recipes for vegetarian family meals so have a look at www.vegsoc.org or try reducing the waste food being thrown away.  On average each household buys three bags of food and throws away the equivalent of one bag.  This when over half the world is starving.  Have a look at the great site www.lovefoodhatewaste.com that looks at ways of reducing our purchases and food being thrown away.  Some of the recipes are those my Grandmother cooked up for us when young and based on the war effort push to reduce consumption and use up all scraps.

November
If you are able to leave the car at home and take a bus or train to work, do.  It will save up to £1,000 a year and if you get of a stop or two early you will become fitter.  Sharing a lift will also do your part as will taking the stairs instead of the lift.  A recent piece of research found that the air inside a car on a journey of an hour or more has nearly 10 times more carbon monoxide and high levels of formaldehyde from the interior fabrics.

December
Instead of rushing out to buy endless retail driven, plastic and use for 10 minutes consumer goods why not make your own gifts.  For the cost of an old cotton shirt, you could make small lavender or herb bags.  Get the children to paint pictures on the back of cereal packets. Nip into the newspaper shop and buy a stick on calendar, as gifts to family and friends…love for a year for a few pence and little time.  For the more adventurous, why not make jam or pickle to hand out instead of the bath salts or pairs of one use socks (if they ever get out of the bag)

These are just a few of the things we can all do to cut down our own carbon footprint to help the planet and safe guard the future for the next generations.

With the festive season barrelling down the road towards us there are many ways to help the pocket, save the planet and keep the true meaning of sharing alive.  Today we seem obsessed by brand names no matter how expensive or to what cost the planet.  Why not have your own brand and make items for your friends and family that will be fun, inexpensive and made with love. 

Simple yet effective air fresheners can be hand made in a number of ways.  One the children will enjoy doing, as a family, is the orange and clove room hanging.  For this, you need a large orange, a length of ribbon and pot of cloves.  Place the orange on a side plate. Using the ribbon wrap it once round top to bottom then around the centre and tie off at the top.  Add a loop for hanging.  Next push the cloves in to the orange between the ribbons so that the juice makes contact with the clove. Cut a length of greaseproof paper or page from a magazine long enough to cover the top of the orange.  Fold up over the gift; pinch above so that it creates wrapping, and use a ribbon to tie off the gift.  Decorated the gift with a few hand made holly leaves, and berries, cut from magazines or newspapers on which to write the greetings to your friends and family.  You may like to brand it using names and places you like such as holiday places and names mixed.

Another room hanger is made of lavender flower heads, dried.  This is a good use for old shirts or cotton tops.  Cut out rectangle pieces of cloth about 30 cm (6” in old money) long and 10cm (4”) wide.  Fold in half and sew the two sides.  Turn the bag inside out and fill with the lavender (or mixed herbs) to within 4cm (1  1/2 ”) of the top.  Tie with a piece of ribbon or garden string.  Finish off with a holly leaf or handmade card.

Other things that are fun to make are pictures drawn and painted by you or your Children on to the painting at the bottom a small monthly calendar (available from newsagents and craft shops can be stuck as a year long reminder of the love put into making the gift.

Jams and preserves, bottled fruit and biscuits in hand made packets are always a treat to give and receive.  Go to www.thefoody.com, then to Recipes, and then click on Mrs Beeton followed by Jams and Preserves to get some wonderful recipes.  The family fun of collecting the fruit and vegetables from farmers markets, your own garden or hedgerows makes it all the more enjoyable.

Whatever gift decided upon the joy of making rather than buying and the fun of giving personal gifts will be the greatest pleasure of all.