I can't believe we've been doing the Challenge for six months now. We've really enjoyed it so far and are waiting for what North West Leicestershire District Council throw at us next! We just got an invitation to the Footprints Awards in May so we're all really excited about that. We've even googled the band and they look great - we can't wait!
What have we been up to?
We started off not being particularly green; I mean we used to recycle but didn't really think about what else we could do. Now we're really getting into it and it's not been difficult at all.
Our Energy
The first thing we looked at was the energy we use. We've got lots of spotlights in the kitchen, utility room and play room but had never thought about how much energy they use. When we got the Wattson we were really shocked at how much energy all our spotlights were using and how much it was costing us. So we've been down to the local retail store to replace lightbulbs and are waiting to trial a lightbulb library that the Council are looking to borrow. Apparently it looks like a brief case and just has lots of bulbs in it, including the screw-in spots that we're needing to get hold of. Trust me - change your lightbulbs and you'll see the difference in your bills!
As well as actually changing bulbs, we're a lot more aware of lights we have left on. We never left things on standby but we did use to leave lights on when we didn't need them. We're just waiting for the electricity bill to come through any day and are expecting our bill to drop, hopefully by quite a bit.
I've also changed how I do the washing. I now wait for a full load before I put the machine on. And I'm not using the tumble dryer half as much and tend to use it only for lighter things. I try and put things on the line as much as possible now and it's good that the days are getting longer so I can start doing this more. I actually went out and bought a clothes airer, which we put in front of the fire and when I hang things up at night they are usually dry by the morning.
So as well as being green, with two children we're obviously very interested in the money we can save. Phil is very keen on this!
Our Waste
When we got the Green Conewe didn't have any expectations or understanding of what it was to be honest. It was just something we were asked to do. We'd certainly not have gone out to buy one ourselves. But now that we've used it - fab! We wouldn't be without one and are telling everyone to get one. Every house in Leicestershire should have one. They only cost £7.50 at the moment - what a bargain!
Having children, we use the green cone for our food waste and leftovers. I made some pastry today for jam tarts and was able to chuck the leftover bits in the gren cone. You can also put in cooked food waste (which you can't do with a composter) and it just breaks it all down. We put in a chicken carcass a couple of months ago and it's rotting down amazingly. The good thing is that you're not having to put it in your main rubbish bin so it doesn't smell. We already had a composter so use that for peelings and so on, and we recently got chickens so they eat a lot of our waste food. The chickens have been a real hit; the kids have even taken them to school to show the other children where their eggs come from. They took in a sweetie and a cuckoo and the children loved it.
We're now trialling a plastic recycling scheme for the Council and that's working well. Phil throws the plastic bottles out the window into the bins, which looks funny. It's great to be able to recycle plastic and I really hope the scheme gets the go-ahead as we've put our rubbish bin on a diet and have been trying to see how little we can put in it every fortnight.
What have been the best bits?
We've really enjoyed the challenge of the challenge, if you see what I mean. I really enjoy trying to figure out what I can do with things instead of just chucking them out. So now I will make chicken pie from left-over chicken and banana cake from bananas that are a bit too ripe. Or we can feed them to the chickens - they love them.
Erin is part of the Eco-club at school so is learning all about environmental issues and what to do. The school have now got a food digester and composter.
What is interesting is that, before, I always tried to do my bit for the environment but now we're definitely going that extra mile and enjoying it. It's easy and doesn't intrude on family life and we've become a lot more aware of why it's important to do this and the different things we can do. You just have to think about it. When you hear about climate change on the news it's worrying. We don't want to leave the world messed up for Erin and Isaac when they grow up.
The worst bit
Because we're more aware of what we can do now, it's frustrating when you're out and about and see where people aren't doing anything when it would be so easy for them to do it. But you don't feel like you can say anything, even though you're bursting to tell them what they need to do!
Who's best at what?
We're all pretty good at switching off lights now but if you have to name and shame, it's probably Isaac because he can't reach the light switches yet! But we've got him a little stool that he can stand on to reach.
I'm probably best at getting every last use out of things. I boil up the veg peelings to feed the chickens rather than putting them in the compost bin. It makes for the most fantastic eggs - they have gorgeous orange yolks.
Erin is great at saving electricity. Erin pops in: "When my dad leaves my lights on in my room when I'm going for a shower then I switch them off. I always check things are switched off at the plug when we're not using it - telly, computer, and so on."
Issac is best at sorting out rubbish. He knows that banana skins go in the composting bin and is very good at making sure he sorts things for either the chickens, composting bin or green cone. We've got a real system going now!
Phil is best at looking after the chickens. And doing what he's told! Only joking.
What we need to Improve on
We'd like to cycle more; I'd like to get the kids on their bikes to go to school but it doesn't feel safe enough at the moment. So we'd like to see better cycle routes.
We'd like to see less packaging in the supermarkets. It's far too easy to come home and dump a lot of plastic wrapping in the bin and it's just not necessary to have it. And our bin is on a diet.
Phil's still not very good at going the extra few steps with the teabag!
Erin: "I think I'm very good at everything."
Isaac: "I'm getting better at switching off the lights without the stool."
