World Toilet Day 19 November

Did you know there was such a thing as World Toilet Day? No, it's not about giving toilets the day off or higher pay but appreciation does come into play a little. Here are some staggering toilet-related stats:

• 2.5 billion people in the world don't have access to sanitation such as a toilet and clean water to wash their hands
  
• 1.8 million children a year, so 5,000 a day, die because of diseases caused by poor sanitation and dirty water
• Every year around 60 million children (that's nearly the UK population) are born into homes with no toilet
• The average European uses 200 litres of water every day (that takes into account water used in the production of food and products consumed and used), while the average person in the developing world uses just 10 litres a day
• 97.% of the world's water is saltwater. That means that if the world's water fitted into a bucket, only one teaspoonful would be fit to drink.

(Figures taken from www.wateraid.org)

Makes your bathroom look quite luxurious now, doesn't it?! 

So, having read the depressing statistics, what can you do about it? Well, by watching how much water you use in everyday life you'll be conserving resources as well as saving yourself money (especially if you're on a meter) in energy costs. A few ideas are:

• Fit a hippo (the water-saving device rather than the big beast) in your toilet cistern to reduce the amount of water used for each flush
  
• Turn off the tap when you're brushing your teeth
  
• Shower rather than lie in a bath and try to get your time down to four minutes (it's doable, honest!). There are some fun timers you can get to liven up(!) and time your speedy washing, try savewatersavemoney.co.uk for a selection.
  
• If you're feeling flush (sorry) you could help WaterAid continue their quite remarkable work getting clean water and sanitation to those without by donating at www.wateraid.org

And if you're really serious about saving water you could employ the "if it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown, flush it down" way of thinking!

The joy of freecycling

For those already initiated in the ways of freecycling, you'll know what a marvellous thing it is. For the freecycle-virgins (like me till last week) let me enlighten you.

The Freecycle Network spans the globe and consists of groups of people who want to give something away for free and receive somebody's unwanted thing gratis. Noel Edmonds' swap shop without Noel Edmonds. According to their website (www.freecycle.org) there are more than four and a half thousand groups and nearly six million members worldwide! That's a whole lotta stuff being swapped instead of being binned or sold for commercial gain.

Here's how it works:

Log on to the website and search for a group near you. Register, agree to their rules (fair stuff like you won't ask for lots of items without giving away stuff too and that you won't sell for money) and away you go! I joined my local group and posted a message offering a sofa. Within 24 hours a nice couple came round to the house to take it away. They were pleased to have a free sofa in relatively good nick for their daughter and we were happy to get rid of a surplus sofa that wasn't ready for the scrapheap.

Next, I put an unwanted, but barely used, computer desk on the message board. Now, I hear you say, why don't I sell it and make some money? I could. I could put a note in a newsagent's window, wait for enquiries, haggle over the price, and then eventually say goodbye to the computer desk. Or, I could put it on eBay, let a bidding war start, or not, and wait for it to be collected, or not. But instead, I put it on Freecycle and within a couple of days waved it off to the good home of a local hospice. Admittedly, I made no money, but now I have more space in the shed and a warm and fuzzy feeling. 

Give it a go, you might like it!

Plastic by numbers

Have you ever wondered what the number in a triangle of arrows on the bottom of a plastic bottle or tub means? 

Plastic is divided into seven categories and the numbers show how the plastic can be recycled. The vast majority of plastic is made from oil so there's never been a greater need to recycle rather than send it to landfill.

What the numbers mean

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE). This plastic is often used for fizzy pop bottles and ready-meal containers.

High-density polyethylene (HDPE). This number is usually found on plastic milk bottles, my bottle of washing-up liquid has it stamped on the bottom.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Clingfilm, shampoo bottles and toys can be made out of this plastic. And dodgy trousers.

Low density polyethylene (LDPE). This is thin plastic like carrier bags and bin liners. It can rip easily which is why most plastic bags can only be used once.

Polypropylene (PP). My Chinese takeaway boxes have this number on the bottom. Don't worry, I reuse them to store ribbons and buttons!

Polystyrene (PS). Yoghurt pots, egg cartons, vending cups and the plastic used to package electronic goods are all made from polystyrene.

This number is used for any other plastic that doesn't fit into one of the categories above.

Not all plastics can be recycled by every UK council so it's worth finding out what your council can take. 

Interesting fact - PET bottles can be recycled into clothing. The plastic is broken down into little pieces and then spun into thread. This, quite remarkably, can then be used to make trousers, shirts, jackets, the list goes on. According to www.wasteonline.org.uk, it takes 25 bottles to make an adult's fleece! Check out www.recyclenow.com, it has lots of useful info on all kinds of recycling.

Be nagged

Nagging is not something we usually like, want or even ask for. Well, let me tell you about a website when you can sign up to be nagged every month! www.thenag.net is a fab website with the sole purpose of reminding you to do something to make the world a slightly nicer place. There are stock nags like switch to green energy, join a veg box scheme, that kind of thing, but also lots of imaginative nags suggested by other users. Become a Womble Nag sounds rather appealing.

The idea behind The Nag is to help people live more sustainable lives – many people doing small things adds up to a big difference. Nags are tracked to measure impact and visualised on a UK map. And if a nag plops into your inbox that you don't like the look of, you can miss it for a month. That's not really the idea but you're bound to find a nag more to your taste on the website. 

Now, I'm off to start implementing the Knit Your Christmas Presents Nag, family and friends be warned!

Message in a bottle

When I started writing about Belu bottled water I was heading in one direction but on further research I've done a u-turn. I was going to write that bottled water can never be good – why ship water cross-country or in from overseas when you can turn on the tap, the manufacture of plastic bottles uses barrels of oil plus they can't biodegrade so stay on the planet forever. But the odd thing about Belu is that they tell you to drink tap water, that tap water should be everyone's first choice. True, but curious coming from a company selling water (the Dragons would be horrified if confronted with that pitch).

Their view is that sometimes you're not near a tap, or you don't like the taste, and so you are going to buy a bottle of water. And if you're going to buy a bottle of water, make it theirs. (That's sounding more like a commercial business.) But, there's another but, Belu water does, as far as I can find out, appear to be a more eco-friendly choice than other bottled waters. 

The facts:

• the water come from within the UK, Shropshire to be exact
• the bottles are made either from glass or corn and the caps are recyclable
• the corn, or bio, bottle is compostable although commercial composters will break it down more easily than home composters. The bottle can also be thrown in with the rest of your recycling and recycled into other products.
• Belu gives their profits (the amount will be disclosed in a few months, says their website) to Water Aid to fund clean water projects in the UK and abroad
• the company is carbon neutral, sourcing clean energy where possible and offsetting any remaining carbon emissions
• they're working on a tap water filtration system to use in hotels and restaurants – yes they're making money but they're still encouraging tap rather than bottle use

Belu water is sold in some Tesco and Waitrose stores across the country so widely available if you're near one of two supermarkets. A pack of six bottles costs £2.69. Although I will still be trying to refill bottles I already have from the tap, if I am in desperate need of hydration away from home, I will endeavour to choose Belu over a less green brand.

Look up once in a while

Look what you can see when you take the time to glance up once in a while! I took this photo while driving (I wasn't actually driving) north on the M6 motorway. It's the best 'cloud that looks like something' I've ever seen! Just goes to show, stopping to smell the roses, or in this case, looking out the window at the scenery, has its rewards...

10 ways to take chemicals out of your home

1. Ditch the bottle of limescale remover and use white wine vinegar instead. Use it neat on tough stains or mix an equal amount of vinegar and water in a spray bottle. The vinegar smell disappears once dry but you can add a squeeze of lemon juice to disguise the smell as you clean. 

2. Instead of using kitchen and bathroom cleaner, try baking soda (also knows as bicarbonate of soda or sodium bicarbonate). Sprinkle it on the surface or on the cloth, whichever is easiest for you, and wipe as usual. 

3. Try pouring vinegar neat into the toilet and swill around the bowl instead of toilet bleach and scrub away.

4. Don't spend your money on fabric softener, simply add a splash of vinegar to the rinse cycle instead. This is particularly good for people with sensitive skin. 

5. If your dishwasher is getting clogged up, rather than buy a bottle of dishwasher cleaning chemicals, put a cup of baking soda into the machine and run it on a rinse cycle.

6. If you're the house-proud type who likes their wooden furniture to shine, it's really easy to make your own furniture polish. Mix one cup of olive oil and half a cup of lemon juice in a spray bottle. Spray a small amount on a cloth, you don't need much, and polish. Use another cloth to polish the surface dry. 

7. Keep your shoes smelling sweet with a baking soda bag. Fill the toe of an old sock (check for holes!) and tie up. Sit the bag in the shoe overnight and it will absorb the smell.

8. To descale a kettle, pour in a mug of water, a mug of vinegar and three tablespoons of salt. Boil the kettle and leave overnight. Rinse out several times before using it to make your morning cup of tea.

9. For super shiny stainless steel, rub on a teeny amount of olive oil.

10. Shake and vac the easy way by sprinkling baking soda on your carpet. Leave for a couple of hours and then vacuum.