Ecover Promotions At Big Green Smile

I’m always looking for deals and there are hardly ever ones for environmentally friendly products, so when I spotted this at Big Green Smile I thought I’d share the good news.

BGS has a 3 for 2 deal on 5litre tubs of Ecover liquid here. It also includes Ecovers 10kg washing powder.

You may think they’re expensive normally for 5litres but they’re not at all – the fabric softener lasted me just over a year and is less than £12! Add that to a 3 for 2 deal, plus delivery of around £5 (or free for orders over £50), and it’s a great deal.

As an addition, Big Green Smile also has 10% off Ecover laundry tablets.

World’s Best Cat Litter Review

A review of something I haven’t personally test per-se, but my cat has. World’s Best Cat Litter has a great name, and has some claimed green credentials. Most normal cat litter is made from natural clay (or sodium bentonite), which is formed into pellets and dried. The clay is strip mined from the earth in a destructive process that leaves a indelible mark on our environment.

The corn used to produce the World’s Best Cat Litter are the same corn varieties approved by the USDA /EPA/FDA, and EU European Union for food use. This corn is also used to produce many ingredients, including corn sweeteners, food starches, corn oil, used in the production of high quality food and pharmaceutical products. This corn and/or its components are also used in the production of animal feeds.

Since the corn used is all natural and biodegradable, it is very safe for people, pets and the environment. There is no silica dust for you and your cat to breath in, if your pet ingests the litter it is digestible (so no need to be concerned about intestinal blockages), and over time the litter will naturally degrade and not be sitting in a landfill 100 years from now.

It claims to have unsurpassed odor control, and while it wasn’t the best in the world on that score, it wasn’t bad and not really noticeable as we clean the box regularly. Some people said their cats have not liked the texture, but ours didn’t seem bothered. It’s flushable but I didn’t try that as there’s no point (and I think it’s still not recommended in California at least).

Clumping was pretty good and scooping not a problem, overall it worked well. I would prefer to some degree that it wasn’t made of edible whole kernel corn that could be used for human food, rather than cat’s waste, perhaps looking at using some sort of inedible corn by-product.

You can buy it now from Amazon and pet stores of course!

Quick Recycling and Reusing Roundup

Ther have been a few stories around recently about my favourite form or being environmentally-conscious – turning old things into something new. Buying new eco-goods is a great step but I always prefer bringing something already made back to life.

A British company called Specialbike is offering customers the opportunity to turn their old, rusted and broken bike into something brand-spanking new. And if you don’t have your own bike, they do it anyway with found or bought bikes and revitalise them.
 
 

Old cast iron radiators might not be very energy efficient but a Candanian company can turn them into something better – an electric radiator. EcoRad uses 99% recycled materials in its conversion process and restores the lustre of the old radiator as well as giving it its own thermostat so you can control its heat output directly.
 

Teddylux actually changes the use of an old garment into something new – cashmere sweaters into cuddly toys. Based in Georgia, Teddylux takes sweaters from donations and uses them to make animal toys.
 
 
 
 

Boston-based Reknit turns old sweaters into something different every month – it was scarves in January and is gloves this month. You can send your own sweater in, or for a bit more money, can just ask the ‘mom’ to knit you a pair anyway. The site creator’s mom does the knitting and sister takes the photos. You can even vote for what mom should knit next month.

Canadians Get Eco License Plates

News comes in via Springwise that Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation aims to recognise drivers of green vehicles with their own special license/registration/number plate – whatever you want to call it.

The aim for ministers in the Canadian province is to have one out of every 20 cars powered by electricity by 2020 – and this idea is a way of encouraging motorists to switch. The green plates are just part of a number of incentives such as rebates but the plates are more than just status symbols. They will (for the next five years at least) give the drivers the right to drive in the High Occupancy Vehicle lanes, even if there’s only one person in them. Also they’ll give them access to recharging facilities and access to special parking places at businesses, and public buildings.

The plate (pictured) will have green lettering on a white background with the picture of a trillium in the middle. It was selected from four choices in an online vote that ran from July to October.

Traidcraft Fair Trade Rubber Gloves Eco Product Review

Just a quick review this week as it was something I bought not planning to review but because I needed a pair of rubber gloves. I picked up this pair of Traidcraft Fair Trade Rubber Gloves from some supermarket, I actually can’t remember, but when I was using them recently (during a blocked up sink incident I’m trying very hard to forget) I thought I must write about them.

Traidcraft work with a company in Sri Lanka called Firstlight (named after the fact farmers tap the rubber trees first thing in the morning) to pay farmers a regualr and fair wage and offer them assistance with equipment and technical support.

There’s not much else to say about the the gloves, they fit nicely (size medium) and have a little bit of grip on the fingers to help. I don’t really know why you would but non-Fair Trade rubber gloves, especially as they’re only around £1. You can learn more about Traidcraft here and buy the gloves from supermarkets and online from places like Big Green Smile.

Conservation Chocolate

Original Beans offers three varieties of single-origin chocolate, from Ecuador, Bolivia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Nothing original about that, but what they do is plant a tree in the rainforest where the bar’s ingredients originated.

Each chocolate bar carries a certificate with a lot tracking number. The number tells you where the new tree is located. “By entering the tracking code on the company’s website, customers can not only trace where the cacao beans in their individual bar were grown, but also what their contribution is to the chocolatier’s rainforest replenishment efforts. Hence the company’s mantra: One bar, one tree, go see.”

[Via: Springwise]

How To Lower Your Fuel Bill

By fuel, I mean petrol or gas, whatever you like to call it where you are. Some tips that are good for your wallet and the environment are around reducing fuel consumption when driving.

CouponSherpa recently published some tips, including:

3. Drive Sanely
Drive like Evel Knievel and you’ll pay for the thrill. Wind resistance increases dramatically with speed so, for every mile per hour over 55 you drive, your fuel economy goes down by 2 percent. Speeding, sudden braking and jack-rabbit starts are notoriously inefficient ways to drive. Not only will driving sanely maximize your fuel efficiency but it will also reduce wear and tear on your vehicle.

4. Smooth It Out
The Environmental Protection Agency recommends “smoothing” your driving by accelerating and decelerating gradually and anticipating stops and starts. If you have an overdrive gear, use it as soon as your speed is high enough. If you drive a manual transmission, shift to a higher gear smoothly and as soon as possible without bucking. As the Car Guys say, “Believe it or not, due to an unexplained Einsteinian time warp, you’ll also get to your destination in about the same time.”

You can read the full lower your fuel consumption article here.

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