let'S GO GREEN
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE - GREEN CLOTHES
A guide to a climate considerate wardrobe.
The fashion industry is the second largest industrial polluter producing 10% of global CO2 emissions. We wear 20% of our clothes for 80% of the time and 30% of our clothes have not been worn for 12 months!
So are you…………………… Ready to declutter your wardrobe?
1. Have a wardrobe ‘edit’ and clear out what you never wear:-
* Keep items you like and make you happy
* Donate to charity shops or homeless hostels
* Sell in dress agencies or online (eg Vinted/preloved/Depop)
2. Practice ‘slow fashion’:-
* Buy new less often and buy better quality, ethically sourced, natural fibres, recycled or renewable materials
* Buy second hand
3. Hire for one off special occasions.
Good luck with your wardrobe green spring clean!!
To help with all this, at our September Meeting we will be holding a Swishing event so if you are having a clear out and have some handbags, scarves or jewellery that you think would be appreciated by other members, then please save them until September,
_________________________________________________________________________________________
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE Eco-Friendly Gardening and Wildlife Friendly Gardening:
Intensive farming practices are drastically reducing bird and insect populations but as gardeners we can help to reverse this trend. The next few green corners will look at ways we can encourage more wildlife into our gardens to increase biodiversity.
1. Construct insect houses: use anything you have to make it: e.g. bricks for support, wood (lots), fir cones, straw, grass… We made an insect house with our grandchildren (great fun). After three years it needed to be moved and inside the numbers and variety of insects was astonishing:- wood lice galore, centipedes, millipedes, beetles (all in the rotting wood) worms, slugs, snails and spiders and many more small fast insects! Also plenty of fungal degradation….it was so encouraging to find this huge diversity in such a small area. But surprisingly bees did not use it! They need their own specialist bee hotels ....
_________________________________________________________________________________________
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE One way to reuse and recycle the thousands of ‘things’ we use every day is to mend and repair them for a more sustainable lifestyle. RECYCLE and UPCYCLE – make do and mend! Production of household waste needs to decrease by 33% by 2037 to reach emission targets. So why not take your broken, damaged or malfunctioning household items to the next TRANSITION WILMSLOW REPAIR CAFÉ: Saturday 2nd MARCH at St Chads Church, Handforth? 10.00 am to 1.00pm, last repair accepted at 12.30pm. Take along any of the following items to be mended or repaired: - Electrical items, Woodwork, Jewellery, Textiles and clothing, Toys (e.g. teddy bears!), Bicycles, Computers (advice) and General repairs. A group of very talented craftsmen and women will be there to assess and repair your items. Tea and coffee and cakes and a very friendly group of people make it a very sociable occasion. Put the date in your diaries!! In 2023 Ken Wallace of Transition Wilmslow calculated that their three repair cafés mended 125 items and saved approx. 3 tonnes of CO2e from going to landfill or incineration.
________________________________________________________________________________________
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE - HOW WE WASH OUR CLOTHES
This was our theme through 2023 and we will carry on looking at the many different ways we can all reduce, reuse and recycle the thousands of ‘things’ we do and use every day. Let’s start the New Year with how we wash our clothes.
1) Use Phosphate Free Detergents. Phosphates in the environment are damaging to wildlife in our waterways and lead to algal blooms, which lead to low oxygen levels and death of wildlife.
Eco Friendly Detergents:- Should we use liquids? Pods? Powders? Laundry sheets? How to choose an eco-friendly detergent? There are plenty of websites to help you:- ‘7 best eco-friendly laundry detergents that actually work’ (goodhousekeeping.com).
‘Do eco-friendly detergents actually clean your clothes’? See (Ecoglobalnews.com) - top choice for this website is laundry detergent sheets: better than any liquid or powder detergent.
Detergent sheets have the advantage of being plastic free with light weight packaging to cut emissions with no chemicals released into the water system.
2) Wash at 30C to save energy
3) Always wash a full load
4) Ditch the tumble drier and hang your clothes to dry to save energy
5) All of the above will REDUCE water contamination, carbon emissions and save money………… NB YOUR FEEDBACK IS ALWAYS VERY IMPORTANT! PLEASE SHARE YOUR ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY DETERGENT FAVOURITES
_________________________________________________________________________________________
CLEAN RIVERS FOR PEOPLE AND WILDLIFE
How can Fulshaw Help?
Sally is asking us to download the Big River Watch App onto our phones and report visual Bollin river conditions at a point of your own choosing. E.g. wildlife and/or pollution present at your chosen site. It is extremely easy to do. Why not walk with a friend and report on the River Bollin?
The website with this information on is: https://theriverstrust.org/take-action/the-bigriver-watch
Future water sampling training: Sally tells us that she may have a training day at the end of January/early February to teach interested Fulshaw WI members and others how to carry out chemical water testing (not bacterial testing) and kick sampling in the water to look for indicator species in the Bollin. Also, the Sugar Brook that takes leachate from the Landfill sites into Lindow Moss could be included.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE - RECYCLING ELECTRICALS
* Household waste recycling centres take an amazing range of 300+ unwanted electrical items (check your local centre)
* Recycle or repurpose your old smart phones: https://dontdisappoint.me.uk lists 7 charities in the UK that recycles old phones e.g. Oxfam shops, Water Aid & Vodaphone etc.
* Remember to delete all your personal data (see details on the internet (wired.co.uk & which.co.uk).
* Donate unwanted working electrical equipment to charity e.g. British Heart Foundation and The Red Cross
* Shops now must take back your old appliance when you buy a new one.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
It’s time for the GREAT BIG GREEN WEEK! This is the UKs biggest ever celebration of community action to tackle climate change and protect nature.
The Climate Coalition is :
The UK's largest group of people dedicated to action against climate change with 130 organisations and 22 million people, including the WI, NT, Oxfam, RSPB, WWF and the Wildlife Trusts as members. Every year the Climate Coalition runs a Great Big Green Week and all WIs across the country are asked to participate in some way.
What can we do at Fulshaw WI?
We will have a short ‘Climate Quiz’ at our June meeting. But you can find activities locally and all over the UK at the www.greatbiggreenweek.com website.
If you have any extra suggestions, you think would be good for Fulshaw WI activities please contact Pauline Handley or Diane Atkinson.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Have you calculated your Carbon Footprint?
Go to https://footprint.wwf.org.uk. Well done if you have!!
Go on - have a go if you haven’t – it only takes 5 minutes and it is very interesting & easy.
NB the average Carbon footprint in the UK for 2022 was 9.5 tonnes carbon. If your footprint is lower than 9.5 tonnes or near the average - well done and if you are higher (like me) there is a lot we can do to reduce it.
Lower your carbon and lower your bills!
1. Through the year the Green Corner will look at the many ways we can make a difference: No-one can do everything but everyone can do something……
2. David Attenborough always says that the best thing we can all do is:- REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
3. REDUCE: fossil fuel use, meat & dairy consumption, buy less but buy well etc.…..
4. REUSE: plastic containers, clothes, plant pots, keep electricals longer etc.….
5. RECYCLE: clothes, plastic, cardboard, food to the compost heap, metal & everything you no longer want or have space for!
The Green Corner will come up with lots of ideas and suggestions on the 3 R's
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Why not take the 2023 Fulshaw WI New Year Challenge for a Green New Year Resolution?
I will reduce my carbon footprint by 10% in 2023 (and every year after!)
Steps to achieve a greener more sustainable lifestyle:-
1. Calculate your current carbon footprint in tonnes of CO2 that you release every year into the atmosphere. Everything we do adds to our footprint e.g. how we heat our homes, what we eat, what we buy and how we travel and more…
2. To do this there are lots of carbon calculators out there on the internet. Try the World Wildlife Fund carbon footprint calculator. Go to https://footprint.wwf.org.uk . NB the average Carbon footprint in the UK for 2022 was 9.5 tonnes carbon 3. The questions show us all what we can do to reduce the amount of carbon that our lifestyle produces annually. If you scroll down, at the end, you will find lots of good advice as to how you can reduce your carbon emissions.
4. WE CAN ALL DO IT AND WE HAVE TO DO IT! We can all make a resolution to live more sustainably…..
Happy New Year to all our members…….remember please spread the word on climate action!
_________________________________________________________________________________________
PLAN FOR A GREEN CHRISTMAS
We all know Christmas can be an expensive time, but did you know that the carbon footprint can be huge? Here are some tips to save money and to keep your carbon footprint down: -
1. Recycle wrapping paper & ribbons or use a fabric wrapping, brown paper, tissue paper or any recyclable paper. Decorate using your crafting skills!
2. Avoid glitter on cards and paper as it cannot be recycled. Use plastic free paper.
3. Choose sustainably and ethically produced cards.
4. Gift your time (with a lovely certificate/label) e.g. dog walking, gardening or babysitting. If you have a talent offer to teach it. You could pass on family recipes …….and so much more.
5. Choose a present to benefit the environment e.g. trees, plants, garden tools, bird feeders, bird tables and boxes (see shop.woodlandtrust.org.uk)
6. Reuse/recycle or even rent your tree (some garden centres offer live trees to rent). Buy a locally grown tree (e.g. the Christmas tree farm on Racecourse Road, Wilmslow). Buy one with roots to plant out. Recycle trees with no roots (e.g. Cheshire East Hospice collection).
7. If you have a fake tree you need to use it for 20+ years for it to be greener than a real tree. There are loads of excellent websites available with long lists of how to have a more sustainable Christmas e.g. friendsoftheearth.uk etc.… HAPPY GREEN CHRISTMAS TO ALL!
_________________________________________________________________________________________
CONSERVE ENERGY, SAVE MONEY AND STAY WARM
We should be aiming to waste less in everything we do and in this way we can reduce our carbon footprint and reduce the negative effects our lifestyle has on the environment. If we all try to live more sustainably it becomes a way of life. For lots and lots of tips for saving energy and money see the energysavingtrust.org.uk and moneysavingexpert.com.These include
1. Turn down the thermostat by 1C
2. Wear more clothes or wrap yourself in a blanket
3. Turn down the hot water temperature on your combi boiler to 55C
4. Reduce the central heating temperature in the radiators to 50C
5. Check your roof insulation is 270mm
6. Draft proof windows & doors
7. Have individual radiator thermostats to control each room temperature separately.
8. Replace halogen bulbs with LED lights
9. Reduce your shower time
10.Cook in the microwave
11.Wash clothes on cool
12.Hang out washing to dry it
_________________________________________________________________________________________
GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE
The Great Big Green Week (organised by The Climate Coalition) is the UKs biggest ever celebration of community action to tackle climate change and to protect nature. WIs throughout the UK are organising various activities to contribute to GBGW. The committee thought that Fulshaw members might like to go into their gardens and plan some nature friendly actions to help biodiversity. We all do some things on the list below, but we can always do more. Why not make a pledge to do something new that you have not done before in your garden and nature will respond: - Make a pledge for your garden wildlife and these are some of the things you can do: -
1. Plant seasonal plants for pollinators to flower all year round
2. Have a wildflower patch & let the grass grow long
3. Make a pile of logs for insects and frogs to hide in
4. Make a tiny pond in any suitable container.
5. Put out smaller bowls of water for birds, insects and mammals to drink
6. Have plenty of bird feeders – do try sub flower hearts
7. Make hedgehog corridors to link gardens
8. Put up bird nesting boxes (e.g., sparrows, swifts) and maybe even a bat box
9. Have plenty of bushes, trees & shrubs for the birds to nest in and hide in
_________________________________________________________________________________________
ARE YOU A GREEN TRAVELLER?
PLASTIC RECYCLING AT SAINSBURY'S
A guide to a climate considerate wardrobe.
The fashion industry is the second largest industrial polluter producing 10% of global CO2 emissions. We wear 20% of our clothes for 80% of the time and 30% of our clothes have not been worn for 12 months!
So are you…………………… Ready to declutter your wardrobe?
1. Have a wardrobe ‘edit’ and clear out what you never wear:-
* Keep items you like and make you happy
* Donate to charity shops or homeless hostels
* Sell in dress agencies or online (eg Vinted/preloved/Depop)
2. Practice ‘slow fashion’:-
* Buy new less often and buy better quality, ethically sourced, natural fibres, recycled or renewable materials
* Buy second hand
3. Hire for one off special occasions.
Good luck with your wardrobe green spring clean!!
To help with all this, at our September Meeting we will be holding a Swishing event so if you are having a clear out and have some handbags, scarves or jewellery that you think would be appreciated by other members, then please save them until September,
_________________________________________________________________________________________
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE Eco-Friendly Gardening and Wildlife Friendly Gardening:
Intensive farming practices are drastically reducing bird and insect populations but as gardeners we can help to reverse this trend. The next few green corners will look at ways we can encourage more wildlife into our gardens to increase biodiversity.
1. Construct insect houses: use anything you have to make it: e.g. bricks for support, wood (lots), fir cones, straw, grass… We made an insect house with our grandchildren (great fun). After three years it needed to be moved and inside the numbers and variety of insects was astonishing:- wood lice galore, centipedes, millipedes, beetles (all in the rotting wood) worms, slugs, snails and spiders and many more small fast insects! Also plenty of fungal degradation….it was so encouraging to find this huge diversity in such a small area. But surprisingly bees did not use it! They need their own specialist bee hotels ....
_________________________________________________________________________________________
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE One way to reuse and recycle the thousands of ‘things’ we use every day is to mend and repair them for a more sustainable lifestyle. RECYCLE and UPCYCLE – make do and mend! Production of household waste needs to decrease by 33% by 2037 to reach emission targets. So why not take your broken, damaged or malfunctioning household items to the next TRANSITION WILMSLOW REPAIR CAFÉ: Saturday 2nd MARCH at St Chads Church, Handforth? 10.00 am to 1.00pm, last repair accepted at 12.30pm. Take along any of the following items to be mended or repaired: - Electrical items, Woodwork, Jewellery, Textiles and clothing, Toys (e.g. teddy bears!), Bicycles, Computers (advice) and General repairs. A group of very talented craftsmen and women will be there to assess and repair your items. Tea and coffee and cakes and a very friendly group of people make it a very sociable occasion. Put the date in your diaries!! In 2023 Ken Wallace of Transition Wilmslow calculated that their three repair cafés mended 125 items and saved approx. 3 tonnes of CO2e from going to landfill or incineration.
________________________________________________________________________________________
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE - HOW WE WASH OUR CLOTHES
This was our theme through 2023 and we will carry on looking at the many different ways we can all reduce, reuse and recycle the thousands of ‘things’ we do and use every day. Let’s start the New Year with how we wash our clothes.
1) Use Phosphate Free Detergents. Phosphates in the environment are damaging to wildlife in our waterways and lead to algal blooms, which lead to low oxygen levels and death of wildlife.
Eco Friendly Detergents:- Should we use liquids? Pods? Powders? Laundry sheets? How to choose an eco-friendly detergent? There are plenty of websites to help you:- ‘7 best eco-friendly laundry detergents that actually work’ (goodhousekeeping.com).
‘Do eco-friendly detergents actually clean your clothes’? See (Ecoglobalnews.com) - top choice for this website is laundry detergent sheets: better than any liquid or powder detergent.
Detergent sheets have the advantage of being plastic free with light weight packaging to cut emissions with no chemicals released into the water system.
2) Wash at 30C to save energy
3) Always wash a full load
4) Ditch the tumble drier and hang your clothes to dry to save energy
5) All of the above will REDUCE water contamination, carbon emissions and save money………… NB YOUR FEEDBACK IS ALWAYS VERY IMPORTANT! PLEASE SHARE YOUR ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY DETERGENT FAVOURITES
_________________________________________________________________________________________
CLEAN RIVERS FOR PEOPLE AND WILDLIFE
How can Fulshaw Help?
Sally is asking us to download the Big River Watch App onto our phones and report visual Bollin river conditions at a point of your own choosing. E.g. wildlife and/or pollution present at your chosen site. It is extremely easy to do. Why not walk with a friend and report on the River Bollin?
The website with this information on is: https://theriverstrust.org/take-action/the-bigriver-watch
Future water sampling training: Sally tells us that she may have a training day at the end of January/early February to teach interested Fulshaw WI members and others how to carry out chemical water testing (not bacterial testing) and kick sampling in the water to look for indicator species in the Bollin. Also, the Sugar Brook that takes leachate from the Landfill sites into Lindow Moss could be included.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE - RECYCLING ELECTRICALS
* Household waste recycling centres take an amazing range of 300+ unwanted electrical items (check your local centre)
* Recycle or repurpose your old smart phones: https://dontdisappoint.me.uk lists 7 charities in the UK that recycles old phones e.g. Oxfam shops, Water Aid & Vodaphone etc.
* Remember to delete all your personal data (see details on the internet (wired.co.uk & which.co.uk).
* Donate unwanted working electrical equipment to charity e.g. British Heart Foundation and The Red Cross
* Shops now must take back your old appliance when you buy a new one.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
It’s time for the GREAT BIG GREEN WEEK! This is the UKs biggest ever celebration of community action to tackle climate change and protect nature.
The Climate Coalition is :
The UK's largest group of people dedicated to action against climate change with 130 organisations and 22 million people, including the WI, NT, Oxfam, RSPB, WWF and the Wildlife Trusts as members. Every year the Climate Coalition runs a Great Big Green Week and all WIs across the country are asked to participate in some way.
What can we do at Fulshaw WI?
We will have a short ‘Climate Quiz’ at our June meeting. But you can find activities locally and all over the UK at the www.greatbiggreenweek.com website.
If you have any extra suggestions, you think would be good for Fulshaw WI activities please contact Pauline Handley or Diane Atkinson.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Have you calculated your Carbon Footprint?
Go to https://footprint.wwf.org.uk. Well done if you have!!
Go on - have a go if you haven’t – it only takes 5 minutes and it is very interesting & easy.
NB the average Carbon footprint in the UK for 2022 was 9.5 tonnes carbon. If your footprint is lower than 9.5 tonnes or near the average - well done and if you are higher (like me) there is a lot we can do to reduce it.
Lower your carbon and lower your bills!
1. Through the year the Green Corner will look at the many ways we can make a difference: No-one can do everything but everyone can do something……
2. David Attenborough always says that the best thing we can all do is:- REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
3. REDUCE: fossil fuel use, meat & dairy consumption, buy less but buy well etc.…..
4. REUSE: plastic containers, clothes, plant pots, keep electricals longer etc.….
5. RECYCLE: clothes, plastic, cardboard, food to the compost heap, metal & everything you no longer want or have space for!
The Green Corner will come up with lots of ideas and suggestions on the 3 R's
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Why not take the 2023 Fulshaw WI New Year Challenge for a Green New Year Resolution?
I will reduce my carbon footprint by 10% in 2023 (and every year after!)
Steps to achieve a greener more sustainable lifestyle:-
1. Calculate your current carbon footprint in tonnes of CO2 that you release every year into the atmosphere. Everything we do adds to our footprint e.g. how we heat our homes, what we eat, what we buy and how we travel and more…
2. To do this there are lots of carbon calculators out there on the internet. Try the World Wildlife Fund carbon footprint calculator. Go to https://footprint.wwf.org.uk . NB the average Carbon footprint in the UK for 2022 was 9.5 tonnes carbon 3. The questions show us all what we can do to reduce the amount of carbon that our lifestyle produces annually. If you scroll down, at the end, you will find lots of good advice as to how you can reduce your carbon emissions.
4. WE CAN ALL DO IT AND WE HAVE TO DO IT! We can all make a resolution to live more sustainably…..
Happy New Year to all our members…….remember please spread the word on climate action!
_________________________________________________________________________________________
PLAN FOR A GREEN CHRISTMAS
We all know Christmas can be an expensive time, but did you know that the carbon footprint can be huge? Here are some tips to save money and to keep your carbon footprint down: -
1. Recycle wrapping paper & ribbons or use a fabric wrapping, brown paper, tissue paper or any recyclable paper. Decorate using your crafting skills!
2. Avoid glitter on cards and paper as it cannot be recycled. Use plastic free paper.
3. Choose sustainably and ethically produced cards.
4. Gift your time (with a lovely certificate/label) e.g. dog walking, gardening or babysitting. If you have a talent offer to teach it. You could pass on family recipes …….and so much more.
5. Choose a present to benefit the environment e.g. trees, plants, garden tools, bird feeders, bird tables and boxes (see shop.woodlandtrust.org.uk)
6. Reuse/recycle or even rent your tree (some garden centres offer live trees to rent). Buy a locally grown tree (e.g. the Christmas tree farm on Racecourse Road, Wilmslow). Buy one with roots to plant out. Recycle trees with no roots (e.g. Cheshire East Hospice collection).
7. If you have a fake tree you need to use it for 20+ years for it to be greener than a real tree. There are loads of excellent websites available with long lists of how to have a more sustainable Christmas e.g. friendsoftheearth.uk etc.… HAPPY GREEN CHRISTMAS TO ALL!
_________________________________________________________________________________________
CONSERVE ENERGY, SAVE MONEY AND STAY WARM
We should be aiming to waste less in everything we do and in this way we can reduce our carbon footprint and reduce the negative effects our lifestyle has on the environment. If we all try to live more sustainably it becomes a way of life. For lots and lots of tips for saving energy and money see the energysavingtrust.org.uk and moneysavingexpert.com.These include
1. Turn down the thermostat by 1C
2. Wear more clothes or wrap yourself in a blanket
3. Turn down the hot water temperature on your combi boiler to 55C
4. Reduce the central heating temperature in the radiators to 50C
5. Check your roof insulation is 270mm
6. Draft proof windows & doors
7. Have individual radiator thermostats to control each room temperature separately.
8. Replace halogen bulbs with LED lights
9. Reduce your shower time
10.Cook in the microwave
11.Wash clothes on cool
12.Hang out washing to dry it
_________________________________________________________________________________________
GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE
The Great Big Green Week (organised by The Climate Coalition) is the UKs biggest ever celebration of community action to tackle climate change and to protect nature. WIs throughout the UK are organising various activities to contribute to GBGW. The committee thought that Fulshaw members might like to go into their gardens and plan some nature friendly actions to help biodiversity. We all do some things on the list below, but we can always do more. Why not make a pledge to do something new that you have not done before in your garden and nature will respond: - Make a pledge for your garden wildlife and these are some of the things you can do: -
1. Plant seasonal plants for pollinators to flower all year round
2. Have a wildflower patch & let the grass grow long
3. Make a pile of logs for insects and frogs to hide in
4. Make a tiny pond in any suitable container.
5. Put out smaller bowls of water for birds, insects and mammals to drink
6. Have plenty of bird feeders – do try sub flower hearts
7. Make hedgehog corridors to link gardens
8. Put up bird nesting boxes (e.g., sparrows, swifts) and maybe even a bat box
9. Have plenty of bushes, trees & shrubs for the birds to nest in and hide in
_________________________________________________________________________________________
ARE YOU A GREEN TRAVELLER?
- Are you a green traveller? 50% of journeys are less than 2 miles! Can you walk, cycle or use public transport for those short trips - helping to keep you fitter and healthier? In the UK 55% of transport emissions come from passenger cars. Cars release a huge amount of carbon dioxide and particulates into the atmosphere, the exhaust fumes dramatically decrease the quality of the air we breathe Even in the suburbs pollution is surprisingly high. Just put in your postcode to www.addresspollution.org and you will find the values of air pollutants for your own house and neighbourhood. Be prepared for a surprise!
PLASTIC RECYCLING AT SAINSBURY'S