Category: Uncategorized
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Electrickery
It was Catweasel who used this term; apt really. The claims of many manufacturers that ‘this blanket runs for 1p an hour’ or ‘cut your bills will a microwave snood’ felt unfounded. I believed I was being conned but following a lovely present I investigated further. Traditionally I have access to the three main types…
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Using the corporate …
Several companies have written recently offering free ‘eco’ products. Wessex Water offer a filter, or free shower head which reduces flow, so limiting the amount used. They are also giving away free shower timers to encourage shorter spells under water. British Gas now offer Peak Save, a 50% reduction of electricity on Sundays [11.30 to…
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The colour change kettle
I am a fan of glass kettles. Not simply, because you can easily see the level. I was also able to abort the heat, prior to the energy-intensive boil – when liquid is converted to gas. Roll in the colour change kettle. A gimmick? Yes, probably, and a bit of fun too. After all, the…
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Climate Cafe
One of the consequences of living a low consumption lifestyle, is that it is the climate that benefits. The adage of thinking globally whilst acting locally runs true. I am so fortunate residing in Sherborne but it is the community of repairers, activists and recyclers who truly drive the low consumption lifestyle.
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Bio pooing
12 days in, I am doing really well with my new hip. My gluteus is still bruised though and sitting on the hard edge of a toilet extension painful. Towards the end of the pandemic, when we were released into the wild, one condition was that we could survive ‘under our own steam’. The plastic…
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Keeping Cool
I have been bleating about the same routine for years, and then suddenly they are saying the same thing on the BBC news. The concept is a simple one. Leave your blinds down all day to stop the sun heating your well-insulated house. Open the windows at night when cooler and use the draft to…
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Food diary
I’ll be under the knife soon and the uber professionals at my pre-operative assessment, suggest I keep a food diary; to ensure I had all the minerals and vitamins I needed. It’s a great exercise to help you reflect on your consumption. Cereal or toast most morning and loads of (beer) water too. Try it!
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Solar drying
It’s a beautiful day. Every dry in the wind and sun saves resources. This is a simple fix, I use a retractable Minky line and wooden pegs. Enjoy the sun.
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Biting the bullet – to improve fuel efficiency [myth busters]
![Biting the bullet – to improve fuel efficiency [myth busters]](https://lighttouchliving4.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/img_1494.jpg?w=1024)
After a speed ‘awareness’ course – yes, I know – I slowed down. With time on my hands – which I have made – I think more. And so, having made my car run far more efficiently I have been thinking about how to further tighten the screw. The goal is £20 a month. Let’s…
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Bath water recycling
I have two luxuries: good coffee and a luxuriant bath. Beer; is an essential. Baths use water, gas, and electricity but a little of those resources wasted can recouped by redirecting the used water to your garden, or car wash, grey-water. This is not a light commitment but once set up fills a gap in…
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Flexitarian or Vegan? and everything inbetween
I was a vegetarian for some time whilst serving my country. They had six menus which rotated systematically, therefore you got something different each day of the week! I was spending a lot of time with a vociferous feminist vegetarian and believed in what she did and preached. It was a good time. Eventually I…
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Waste not; want nought.
Today was Fareshare day. I am a volunteer, not a member; yet. After supplying 30 members with ambient and processed food, – generously donated by supermarkets – we turned to the veg. Unpopular and underused these misunderstood products are the key to great diet. Volunteers are rewarded with a pick of the remainder whilst waste…
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Earth 2; food
A essential resource; hedgerow? garden? allotment? local shop? or supermarket? Do you think before you buy or go for the most convenient option. I recently attended a basic cookery course ‘mens breakfast banter’. It helped me to remember some basics, eggs, milk, bread, cereal. It also came with some funding from the gut cancer foundation.…
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Dip below £100 a month for bills!
Water £13 [Wessex] Electricity Bill £25 [British Gas] Wi fi £20 [fibre nest] Food £20 – local Petrol £20 – BP So, you can do it, this doesn’t include rent, insurance or council tax, but these are largely costs which are determined externally. This is a great challenge but only by thinking carefully and changing…
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Christmas, without the cost.
We have lost our roots with Christmas. For many years a celebration of a birthday, the three primary days were simple: on the Eve, wander to a local shop to buy a gift; often an orange, unwrap your decorations. Christmas day, celebratory poultry with seasonal vegetables, preprepared pudding and cake, and then opening of your…
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The low consumption holiday – Pembrokeshire
The very notion of travel involves energy and movement overland. This year, after the Christmas fury, I took time off in Pembrokeshire. I decided to take my car, signing in at 999cc. The plan was a two-base excursion with daily spokes, out into the hinterland and exploring by car. Initially, I found two lower-end rooms…
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Water 2: A bill, Great news!
It was with anticipation I awaited my water bill, having spied the meter reader, on his hands and knees outside of my house. I didn’t need to worry as I had utilised this resource conservatively. I had never really interrogated the costs and so when it arrived at £79.69 I assumed it was for three…
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Fire 1; heating
A new house gives you an opportunity to design your heating from the outset. Sadly wood wasn’t possible in a timber frame! Fossil fuel? Yes, it is the only real option for many as underfloor warmth or heat exchangers still come on-line. So how do you achieve the ‘below £30’ bill challenge? 1. Have separate…
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Air 1; carbon
There is a stark reality in the reduction of carbon and the improvement of air quality. We produce most of this through our use of cars. We also contribute by warming our houses, eating tropical foods, and through our purchases. Firstly cars. There are very workable solutions: walking, cycling, buses, boats and rail. The worst…
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Water 1: greywater
We use water for three things: drinking, flushing and cleaning. Drinking tap water over bottled water is one of the most immediate changes you can make. It is also used in cooking. I drain the cold water from my tap into a series of litre high milk bottles as the hot water runs, saving two…
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Earth 1: resources
Aside from our travel and heat, the main resources we consume as humans are through packaging. Mainly food. I now know more about wrapping food and my ideas have shifted. There is a three way division of waste: biodegradable, recyclable and waste. I generate very little of the latter. We are fortunate that biodegradable matter…
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Earth, water, air and fire.
The elements provide an excellent framework for laying out your green thoughts. Some use 5 with aether or spirit as an additional idea but I shall focus on 4 in this occasional series. 1. Earth – the giver of resources, mostly rocks but also fossil fuels. Aluminium, hydrocarbons, glass and wood. Talcum and kaolinite, lithium…
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