GREEN TIPS

• WITHOUT BREAKING A SWEAT:
• Buy the best. When you're replacing something, try and buy a replacement that is going to last a long time, even if that means spending a little more at the outset.
• Give a carbon-offset gift. You can now express your love for the planet as well as your love for a friend or relative by giving a 100 kg carbon dioxide offset pack.
• Travel off-peak. If you have to make a journey by car, then try and plan your journey so that you avoid peak times. Getting stuck in traffic is bad for your mood as well as being bad for the environment.
• Defrost naturally. If you need to cook a product that is frozen, don't use your microwave's 'defrost' function. Plan ahead and let any frozen products defrost on your kitchen work surface.
• Shop on the way home. If you can, pick up your shopping while you are already out and about (for example, on the way home from work). This will save an additional journey which saves fuel.
• WITHOUT LEAVING THE HOUSE:
• Clean your shoes with olive oil. The shoe polish you buy in shops is often packed with environmentally unfriendly ingredients. Leave the olive oil on your shoes for a couple of minutes and then buff them up with a dry cloth.
• Fish around. If you're buying fish, make sure you are not buying a species that is threatened by over-fishing. Ask your fishmonger where the fish came from and try and find a retailer that stocks local sustainable fish.
• Don't be a drain on the environment. Most drain cleaners contain highly toxic ingredients, so if you have a blockage either use a plunger or rustle up your own homemade version by mixing baking soda with boiling water.
• Have a shorter shower. Turbo charge your morning routine by having a shower that lasts for no more than five minutes and avoid listening to the radio in the shower. You'll save energy and water, and have a few more minutes for the journey to work.
• Reuse foil. Try and minimize the amount of foil you use and when you do need to use it, just run it under the tap to clean it and then use it again. It's stronger than you think!
• WITHOUT LEAVING THE NEIGHBORHOOD:
• Don't go automatic. A car with a manual gearbox is generally more fuel-efficient than an automatic. If you don't know how to drive a manual, or your skills are rusty, then take a few lessons - it's easier than you think!
• Shop locally. Reduce pollution and congestion by walking or cycling to your local shop rather than driving to supermarkets.
• Wake up and smell the chlorine. If you do have to buy detergents or cleaners, then try and choose one that is chlorine-free, as chlorine is bad news for the environment.
• Eat before you leave the house. We tend to buy more when we are hungry, so make sure you only go shopping on a full stomach.
• Hire power tools. Before you rush out and purchase the latest power tool, consider how often you are realistically going to use it. You can hire most tools for a fraction of the cost or borrow them from a friend or neighbor.
• WITHOUT LEAVING THE OFFICE:
• Don't doodle. Doodling is a widespread habit - but it wastes paper, so whenever you catch yourself mid-doodle, stop!
• Don't make a green mistake. Correction fluids are often solvent-based which is bad news for the environment. Correction tape is a better option - but better still is to cross something out!
• Get a smaller notebook. When stationery needs to be ordered and notebooks are required, encourage the office to buy the smallest size you can find. This will encourage you to write small and use every inch of the paper.
• Start a 'lift share' board at work. Put up a notice offering to share lifts if you arrive and depart work at the same time as your colleagues. And encourage otehrs to offer lifts to other parts of your town.
• Reduce your font size to fit the page. If you have to print a hard copy that is just for reference, then reduce the font size, margins and line spacing so that more text can fit on fewer pages.

Published by The Lagoon Group, Managing Editor: Simon Melhuish, Series Editor: Nikole G Bamford, Designer: Stephen Godson