One year on - a quick greening audit.

It's been almost a year since I met John and not only did we start a relationship, but I also began to seriously audit my life as far as how green I was and how I could live a greener life. So looking back what have I done? What's changed in a year? Here goes:


Changed almost all my light bulbs to energy saving ones.

Moved my bank accounts to The Cooperative Bank, it's ethical and run by members, not shareholders.

Started recycling, paper/card, cans/plastics, glass.

Making sure I don't use plastic bags.

I'm using a roll on deodrant.

Not flying - but is this because I know this is a huge carbon user, or because I can't actually afford to fly? I'm still fighting that one out inside.

Began turning off things when not in use. This has been hard for me as standby is a much more accessible than my plug sockets.

Used public transport loads until having an accident in Nov, now less confident.

Drinking tap water (via my fridge) instead of buying bottled water.

Using an aluminium drinking bottle instead of a plastic one.

In the middle of auditing my clothes and seeing what I want and need to keep, what can be recycled, taken to charity shops, or sold on ebay. Why do I have so many clothes I've never worn?

I've been clothes washing with less soap and sometimes no soap at all.

I've been wearing clothes more than once whenever possible. I used to do this and then gave up on it once I had my children as the washing machine always seemed to be on.

I've tweaked my monthly finances and given myself a specific budget head to handle the extra cost of buying Eco products each month. This normally works really well but there are months when things are tight and I need to use the money for other things. I feel OK about this.

I've started composting!!! Oh yes, this is my newest experience! I have a wormery and a Bokashi unit. I'm learning how to use both of them and find it terribly exciting! Does that mean I'm sad? lol I'm also waiting for a 'normal' 300 litre composter converter to be delivered and can't wait to start using this too.

I generally use the microwave more. I part bake potatoes in the microwave, then let them crisp up in the oven.

I have a small 100 litre water butt, but need someone to fix it in for me. I 'think I could do it myself, but I'd hate to get it wrong.

I'm growing seedlings. Some flowers for LittleBoo, sunflowers and Aster, and herbs for me. I've also started tomatoes and early potatoes. I've yet to sow my beans and other things, including salad leaves.

I've bought 4 huge containers: www.hartcanna.com/pot3big.jpg Mine are the biggest ones in the picture with 350 litre capacity. They are almost a metre high and in diameter too.

I was concerned how I was going to fill them but then Robyn, via Freecycle sent two men over with 3 trailer loads of soil to fill them and a raised bed I have. Today a friend came to put up my rabbit hutch (Little Boo's 6th birthday is this coming week and she's getting rabbits) and I realise two of them are in the wrong place!!! Now I need around 4 or maybe more strong men to move them. It's not far at all, just 7 - 10 feet, but they are heavy!

Another ad in Freecycle this time I put a wanted ad for garden containers, trellis, hanging baskets and any other garden type accessories, resulted in a woman called Helen offering me 5 hanging baskets. (I hope to maybe get some more answers).

John has given me a huge amount of compost in different stages. I know it will make a huge difference to the quality of the soil and in the years to come to the veggies I grow in it.

I treated myself to a solar powered radio. It's really cool!

Things I will be doing:

I'm going to change my electricity supplier to Good Energy Ltd, who only use renewables. I'm on a contract with another company for a few more months, but once that's expired I'll move over.

Growing more veggies and fruit. Expanding my knowledge on how to do this.


So things have moved on during the last year. I'm not proud of it so much as excited by it all. I'm not doing so well I stand above others but I have changed my lifestyle considerably for me. It's been good to think before I buy, plan before I go on a journey, and search for other ways of doing things.

Even with all this my life is a contradiction in places and I learnt to feel OK that for many disabled people, or elderly people, perhaps even people living on their own, trying to be greener has to come second in many parts of our lives just now. My new wheels are bigger, no doubt more powerful and carbon heavier than my present version. But this is the vehicle that Motability have chosen for me and it will give me a freedom and independence I've not experienced for years. My independence is a great tool to enable me to give more in life. For me I have a basic philosophy at the centre of everything I believe in. It is that as long as we give more than we take, the books balance. This van will enable me to do that, so it becomes a necessary tool of my life and until Motability uses it's massive buying power to influence the car industry in a greener way, I'm happy where I am and sincerely hope many other severely disabled people are able to access the same grant I've been able to.

Nevertheless researching and increasing my knowledge and action of more Eco ways of living is still a priority. For example, the possibility of having more solar powered stuff, or even small solar powered panels, using them to power some of my life, like for example, the electrical stuff in my bedroom/office would be cool. Eventually I'd loved to go the whole hog and have solar powered water heating and the rest of the houses electricity use powered by the sun too. That's a dream for now but we all ned dreams.