It’s getting easier to be green

I’m not really a hippy chick (I look like a sofa in a kaftan for a start). But you don’t have to be Angelina Jolie to be eco aware, and realise that whatever you do now could have a direct impact on your children’s and their children’s future.

So, while we’re not OTT about it in our house, we are working on reducing our carbon footprint. We recycle, we’ve replaced all our bulbs (when they’ve blown) with low energy ones, and we try really hard to remember to turn off switches at night.

If you’re trying to live a greener life, Ethicalsuperstore.com is a fantastic source of eco-friendly goods – everything from nappies to water butts (a particularly good idea if we really are in for that long hot summer).

And I really love the new range of Sprig Kinetic Toys (available from Tesco Direct) for over three’s – they’re lovely and sturdy and made from recycled plastic and wood. My five-year-old nephew, Ben, can’t stop playing with his Discover Rig, although he finds it takes a bit of effort to get the sound and lights going (as it’s kid and not battery powered. Still, that’s probably no bad thing – at least he’s using up a different kind of energy.) 

 

He’s recently discovered that unlike leaves, pound coins, books and toys don’t actually grow on trees. ‘How much did it cost?’ he asked me yesterday.

‘Well Ben,’ I replied truthfully. ‘It didn’t cost the Earth.’

written by Liz Jarvis