Zoe our Eco Warrior, has been busy finding out some Christmassy eco tips:
12 days of Christmas
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12. It’s Christmas Eve
On the twelfth blog of Christmas my true [green] love sent to me:
Twelve drummers drumming and a drum roll for everyone you know and love. Stop and have that glass of wine, mince pie, or a cup of tea. Give your time this Christmas. These most valuable gifts become little ‘movie moments’. Memories are for life, not just for Christmas. (I think that’s the final cliché. Phew).
A Christmas Eve tip:
There is no eco in this tip but if you want to watch Santa’s magical journey tonight, you can:www.noradsanta.org.
And a partridge in a pear tree.
Merry Christmas everyone.
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11. Switch off
On the eleventh blog of Christmas my true [green] love sent to me: From the ghost of Christmas past to the ‘Phantom load’ of Christmas present. Phantom loads are when
your appliances are switched off (not at the mains) but still using power. Phantom loads can cost approximately 30% of your annual electricity bill. Ebenezer Scrooge would be proud. (Warning: some appliances do need to remain permanently connected to the electricity supply.)
A little eco tip:
The Ghost of Christmas yet to come…Christmas future, if you are up for it, go for it. Do the January sales for next year’s presents. Remember, make a list and stick to it.
And a partridge in a pear tree.
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10. Ten lords a-leaping
On the tenth blog of Christmas my true [green] love sent to me:
Just when you thought you were done with all that cooking malarkey, there it comes, the bubble and the squeak. That’s when you mash it up and pop it in the oven until crispy. Then a spoonful of Cranberry makes the crunchy bits go down, the crunchy bits go down in the most delightful way.
A little eco tip:
The ghost of Christmas past is that jumper. With that in mind, your New Year’s resolution can be: donate all those unwanted gifts to charity after Christmas, they will be loved and appreciated by others. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.
And a partridge in a pear tree.
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9. OMG…
On the ninth blog of Christmas my true [green] love sent to me:
Do you dread the big Christmas food shop? If you don’t do this already, it’s probably a habit worth forming. Maybe almost too obvious… drum roll… MAKE A SHOPPING LIST and stick to it. And when you end up buying less, spending less and wasting less, you might want to give a little nod to all those generations of grandmothers who passed the idea on.
A little eco tip:
This is probably the best tip of all time. Buy your drinks in bigger (not smaller) bottles. What? We hear you cry. One large bottle generates less waste than several smaller ones. My, what a marvelous excuse, we mean tip!
And a partridge in a pear tree.
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8. USB it.
On the eighth blog of Christmas my true [green] love sent to me:
Two turtle doves or two rechargeable batteries? That is the question. Picking up those AA batteries at the till is almost a habit we need rehab for. Help is here in the glorious shape of USB Rechargeable Batteries. Tune out. Plug in. Recharge. A mini revolution is here.
A little eco tip:
Defrost your freezer before Christmas (like we all have that much time on our hands). But if you possibly can, it will stop you wasting food, create space for the scrummy leftovers, you’ll be stocked up for the rest of January, and your freezer will definitely work more efficiently.
And a partridge in a pear tree.
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7. Saucy and plastic-free.
On the seventh blog of Christmas my true [green] love sent to me:
Shop ‘til you drop. But don’t drop your shopping in those useless plastic carrier bags. It’s all about the bag for life. Plastic is so last millennium. Organic cotton or hemp bags are this year’s new black. The biggest challenge is not owning one of these beauties but to damn well remember it.
A little eco tip:
It’s the little things. Go British all the way if you can. Choose locally made British sauces to go with your Christmas dinner. Apparently over half of the C02 generated from a Christmas dinner for 8 comes from…wait for it… imported cranberry sauce! How very bizarre! But apparently true.
And a partridge in a pear tree.
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6. British bubbles.
On the sixth blog of Christmas my true [green] love sent to me:
Obviously our love for Generation Press’s new alcohol free B2 press won’t stop us sharing a drop of the hard stuff with friends. Champagne. What’s in a name? Hunt out your locally grown Sparkling Wine.
British Sparkling Wine may not come from that exclusive region in France, but it’s all fizz to us.
A little eco tip:
Cover those pans boys and girls. Cook your lovely spuds and sprouts with a lid. It can cut the carbon footprint by almost half because the water reaches boiling point faster, means cooking time is shorter and you get your Christmas dinner quicker. I know it’s not an exotic ‘Nigella’ type tip, but it’s a tip all the same. Mmmm.
And a partridge in a pear tree.
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5. Treeeee.
On the fifth blog of Christmas my true [green] love sent to me:
When the old lights have tripped the light fantastic and given up their glitter for good, go LED. If London’s Oxford and Regent Streets
and New York’s Rockafella Plaza can do it, then we can too. Lovely LED. They will save you money, energy and being cooler in temperature less of a fire hazard. (A timer would be worth having too.) Maybe even make your outdoor fairy lights solar powered. Being this good, Santa will definitely be coming to your house.
A little eco tip:
Buy a real Christmas tree, not a fake one. They smell gorgeous and when you take it down, chip it, compost or burn it next spring with your garden waste. Do not burn indoors on an open fire until it has completely dried out and gone brown (due to the oils in the needles).
The Carbon Trust say an average 6ft fake tree will produce 40kg of carbon during its cycle from production to landfill. Compared to a real tree that will produce 3.5kg of carbon as long as it is chipped and composted correctly. See if your Council will collect your tree and chip it. Ours does.
And a partridge in a pear tree.
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4. Yum yum.
On the fourth blog of Christmas my true [green] love sent to me:
Being the fourth generation of printers, situated on a farm in a barn in the middle of a field surrounded by sheep, we get a local delivery of organic fruit and milk. We reckon it’s well worth buying and eating local. This Christmas, try supporting your local producers and even look at free range organic stuff too.
A little eco tip:
This tends to scare mothers and grandmothers. Dare to mention the idea of ‘Secret Santa’. Rather than buy a present for every member of the family, (1) Pull a name out of the hat, (2) Only buy a gift for that one person. (3) Done. It’s great if you manage to get everyone to agree. Good luck with that one.
And a partridge in a pear tree.
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3. Bah humbug.
On the third blog of Christmas my true [green] love sent to me:
Buying less is definitely more. One thoughtful Christmas present far out weighs lots of random presents. It’s good for your soul, good for your pocket, and good for those kiddies who get way too many toys that take over your home when you’re not looking.
A little eco tip:
Clear out your old stuff. And get the kids to choose some of their old stuff to give away to your local charity shop, nursery or hospital. Make some room for all the new Christmas stuff. ‘Space’ is the word, is the word, is the word.
And a partridge in a pear tree.
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2. Read all about it.
On the second blog of Christmas my true [green] love sent to me:
Christmas Cards! Buy recycled Christmas cards. Or charity recycled Christmas cards. Better still DIY cards. Get your own cards printed or print your own using 100% Recycled FSC Post Consumer Waste (PCW) paper for your cards and envelopes.
A little eco tip:
Wrap your presents with old newspapers, magazines or posters. Then add a little ribbon, string or draw a bow with a big fat marker pen. Everyone has one lying around somewhere, don’t they?
And a partridge in a pear tree.
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1: Ho ho ho.
On the first blog of Christmas my true [green] love sent to me:
Confession: A season to be jolly and an ideal opportunity for the odd cliché here and there. But hey, who doesn’t love a cliché at Christmas?
This year make it all about spending quality time with everyone you love. ‘Tis the season to MYOP. Make Your Own Presents. Any talent you have, use it, make it, bake it, knit it, draw it or paint it. It will be loved if made with love.
A little eco tip:
There are brilliant eco-friendly gift alternatives online - no longer the guilt purchases of the hippy past. At last, beautiful things beautifully designed.
And a partridge in a pear tree.
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Posted by: Eco Warrior , November 23rd 2011 —
Category: Eco Warrior — Share: delicious , Digg , Email
It was great to see four of the
LCA//BA Graphic Design graduating students come to us for their very first business cards.
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Chloe, Ian, Liam & Ollie wanted some stunning looking cards in time to hand out at their final shows. Initially each of them had their own specifications, but with some discussion we helped all four come up with individual results whilst keeping the processes to a minimum. They each received a set of one colour, foil blocked (shinny black), one sided, business cards printed on Pristine white, Colorplan, 540gsm. We then gave each of them the option to have a special coloured edge, this added that super added value and individuality.
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Good luck guys!
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Chloe Galea
Ian Edward Prentice
Liam Hine
Ollie Saward
Posted by: Scrub , July 25th 2011 —
Category: Miscellaneous , Print Process Tags: Business Cards , Colour Edging — Share: delicious , Digg , Email
From today we will start saving our pennies and will invest in planting trees. We finally found a local tree initiative we love where trees will be planted at a forest in Sussex, UK.
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As long- time believers in sustainable print, planting trees is a logical next step for us, together with our other long-standing initiatives of using renewable energy, constantly improving our recycling rates, and being both FSC certified and Carbon Neutral. As part of our Tree Initiative, we will also soon be launching our limited-edition recycled products, which reuse materials otherwise wasted in the print process. So not only do we demand less raw material for these products, we vastly reduce our waste output. But not only are these little items clever in their production & materials, a percentage of proceeds from sales will go towards our tree planting scheme.
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We are always looking for new ways to improve and our Tree Initiative is just another one of many steps towards our goals.
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If thats not enough, here are three other reasons why we think its really worth doing:
01. If just 4% of land in the UK was planted with woodland over the next 40 years, it could rid us of 10% of predicted gas emissions in the same period. Woodland in the UK currently covers just 12% of its total land, which falls far short of the European average of 37%. A 200% increase in the UKs tree planting rate would improve woodland coverage to 16% which all helps, but the UK still has a long way to go to meet its hugely challenging emissions reduction targets. Our Tree Initiative is our own contribution towards this goal.
02. One tree can produce 260 pounds of oxygen a year.
Two mature trees can produce enough oxygen to support a family of four, annually.
03. A single tree can absorb the carbon produced by one car travelling 26,000 miles, in one year.
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Tree Initiative Launch 2011
Posted by: Eco Warrior , May 18th 2011 —
Category: Miscellaneous — Share: delicious , Digg , Email