Environment

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• Ideas

On your doorstep

• Keep a corner of your garden wild to provide a home to plants and animals that are running out of places to live
• Use alternatives to moss in your hanging baskets
• Buy peat-free composts or, better still, make your own out of fruit and vegetable peelings and other organic waste. It will save digging up peat landscapes elsewhere. You can find out about Composting in the Environment section of the website.
• Use organic fertilisers
• Encourage insects such as ladybirds and hover flies to live in your garden to keep pests down rather than using pesticides
• Offer to help with the upkeep of gardens in your street
• Survey a piece of nearby land (ask permission first), and see how many different types of plants and animals you can find. Look again a few months later and keep a record.
  

Out and About in the Countryside 

• Do your bit to protect the countryside by using footpaths and cycle tracks. Otherwise, you could damage the place you want to go and see
• Walk or cycle next time you go out. By taking the train or bus you can see a lot that you would miss in a car
• Use local shops and buy local produce whenever you can to help put something back into the area you have enjoyed
  

Recycling and Reducing Waste 

• Try to cut down your rubbish to one bin bag a week. Take any newspapers, magazines, junk mail, glass bottles, aluminium, unwanted clothing and books to recycling centres. You will find them at most supermarkets and some car parks. Some district councils also collect. You find out about your nearest recycling centre in the Environment section.
• Use refillable containers
• If you are buying cleaning products or weedkillers, look for ones that do the least damage to the environment
• Think about what you are buying - the loose tomatoes are likely to be the same as the ones in layers of packaging. Somebody has to pay for this packaging, it could be you, and it will be the environment!
  

Be efficient with energy 

• Next time a bulb goes replace it with a low energy one - it will save energy and will save you money in the long run
• Turn off all appliances, including your computer and standby lights in your TV, VD and video, when you are not using them
  

Leave your car at home 

• We all have things to do and places to get to, but it does not always have to be by car. Think about using the bus or train, walk whenever you can, or cycle
• Ask friends at work or school if anyone wants to share a car journey
• Set up a safe 'walk to school' club
• For short journeys, walking or cycling can save you money and help you to keep fit
  

Use water wisely 

• Use bath or washing-up water to water the garden or flush the toilet
• Use a glass of water instead of running the tap when you clean your teeth
• Channel water from your roof into a water-butt to water the garden