Choosing the right baby nappies for your new baby can be quite a daunting task. There are so many different types, brands, sizes and shapes on the market.

The cheapest disposable nappies often contain harsh chemicals such as absorbent gels and bleaching agents. These chemicals cause damage to your baby’s skin and to the environment. It may shock you to hear that up to 8 million nappies are thrown away every day in the UK, and that 90% of these end up in landfill, where they can take up to 500 years to biodegrade!

Real nappies can be more expensive to buy, and are more time consuming to wash, but they could save you a staggering £500 (compared with disposables). Also, due to the UK waste management problem, some local authorities offer mothers incentives to choose real nappies over disposables. For instance, Denbighshire County Council offer mothers real nappy vouchers worth up to £75.

But what if you want the convenience of a disposable, without feeling guilty?

Spirit of Nature offers a wide range of affordable baby nappies which are kind to the environment and to baby’s skin. They offer real nappies, semi-disposables and ECO-disposables, as well as biodegradable sacks & liners.

Bambo Nature and Moltex Eco nappies are a fantastic alternative to conventional disposables. They have the same great features as standard disposables, but are made from natural fibers, free from harmful chemicals, and come at an affordable price! ECO-disposable nappies biodegrade in as little as 6 months when put in a worming compost and they take significantly less time to biodegrade in a landfill site.

Spirit of Nature also offers the very best of both worlds! Weenees nappies are natural, reusable nappies which contain disposable and biodegradable nappy liners. This is THE Eco Friendly Compromise to the debate!

When you are choosing baby nappies for your new baby, make sure that they are kind to your baby’s skin and to the environment!

Check out baby nappies at Spirit of Nature!

Wood pellets have become the standard source of fuel for many homes across the world. Countries like Sweden pioneered the usage of this carbon-neutral fuel while now it is a rage in homes in the UK as well as US. There are several criteria and norms of quality that get followed while assessing the relative quality of the pellets.

DIN 51731

This is essentially a European standard of establishing the overall quality of wood pellets. While on the whole this is a holistic method of identifying the condition of the pellets it fails to take into account an essential factor like abrasion. In addition to this it also does not include any assessment of the process of manufacture to be done. Thus in essence the standard is lacking because of the absence of certain parameters.

Norm M 7135

This is traditionally originated from Austria. There are far more criteria included in this method of assessing the wood pellets. Factors like abrasion which are absent in the DIN 51731 are included in the Norm M 7135. The overall stability as well as hardness quotient of the pellets is ascertained before it is given this quality check. Using a Lignotester the wood pellets are stressed in order to ascertain their abrasiveness. The dust that is an outcome of this exercise is then evaluated for abrasion standards. If there is a lesser fraction of dust obtained it indicates a much more solid set of wood pellets which in turn yields a lower abrasion count.

How inspection is carried out

The institute of DINPlus is responsible for certifying and assessing the norms of quality in the wood pellets. The certification process is carried out by the certification members who strictly follow all the standards as laid down by the DIN Certco. There are several controls which get placed to secure high quality of the wood pellets. One additional guarantee seal is provided by the PVD or the Pellet Association Germany and the seal is called the GGuaranty seal. This seal has the same stringent set of criteria as recommended by DINPlus.

What criteria are ascertained?

There are many criteria associated with the wood pellets which are assessed before a seal of approval is provided. Aspects like the diameter of the pellets, the length, density, heating value, humidity, sulphur, chlorine, ash, nitrogen content as well as the levels of abrasion and press aid all are taken into account before assessment begins. It is to be noted that all quality checks are considered only till the point when the wood pellets are loaded. After that these aspects are not taken into account.

ONorm 7136

This is another norm which takes into account the quality of wood pellets during and after transportation. For example the pellets can actually go through plenty of wear and tear during the process of transportation. Therefore this standard emphasizes the quality of the bunker, supplier, as well as transportation vehicle too. Aspects like scales on board, quality of suction mechanisms as well as insulation from humidity levels are all calibrated. Thus this norm aims to establish a superior quality level during the transportation of wood pellets.

About the Author:
For more details please contact Michael Beikircher at michael.beikircher@gruenland.it. The offical website address is http://www.pelletdilegno.com.

The whole purpose of skincare products is for the lotions and potions to be absorbed by your skin. Simply put, if you're putting it on, it's going in. And that means your body will be soaking up all the ingredients in your skincare products - whether they are synthetic or natural.

It may shock you to learn that there are many chemical ingredients in skin care products that are banned from being taken orally, but given the green light for inclusion in skin preparations. These toxic chemicals are absorbed into the blood stream through your skin and some doctors believe they are the source of eczema, asthma and even cancer.

But not all chemicals are bad. Unless you are willing to keep your skincare products in the fridge, they need some chemicals in them to preserve them and give them a shelf life. What you need to do is to find skin care products that ideally omit or use the lowest concentration of potentially harmful chemicals.

The list of chemicals used by skincare manufacturers is extremely lengthy. Pick up any product on your bathroom shelf and you are likely to be baffled by the long, complicated names of ingredients. However it is possible to highlight a few ingredients that may be worthwhile avoiding, as they are recognised as the possible cause of health problems.

1. Parabens (methyl, propyl, butyl etc): Widely used as preservatives, Parabens have been linked to hormone function imbalance and have been detected in breast tumours. They have also been linked to asthma and eczema.

2. PEGs: Otherwise known as Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is used in cleaners and even some oven cleaners to dissolve oil and grease. They may also be contaminated with Dioxane, a carcinogen. PEGs are found in many personal care products.

3. Phthalates: These are found in so many products, from plastics to shampoo. They are believed to be hormone disrupting and can cause damage to vital organs. Diethyl phthalate (DEP) is found in fragrances but it has been linked to infertility and birth defects. Unfortunately manufacturers are not required to list phthalates on labels, so they are difficult to avoid.

4. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate: SLS is used in thousands of cosmetic and health care products, including most toothpastes. It is used to create lather. It's a strong degreaser that dries skin and hair and can cause eczema in some people. It took me twenty years to realise that it was the SLS in my toothpaste that was causing my miserable battle with mouth ulcers.

5. Propylene Glycol: This is recognised as a neurotoxin and is known to cause dermatitis, kidney damage and liver abnormalities. Even so it is widely used as a moisture-carrying ingredient (humectant) instead of glycerine because it is cheaper and absorbs well. It is used in antifreeze and hydraulic brake fluid and some manufacturers use it just to keep their machinery well oiled - it has no function in the product itself!

6. Diethanolamine (DEA), Triethanolamine (TEA) and Monoethanolamine (MEA): These are known to be hormone disrupters and can combine with nitrates to cause cancer. Unfortunately these ingredients do not need to be listed on product labels.

7. Synthetic Fragrance: This is a term used by manufacturers to hide a plethora of ingredients, many of which you may wish to avoid.

8. Alcohol: (Isopropyl Alcohol, SD Alcohol 40, Ethyl Alcohol): Alcohol is drying; it dissolves the body's natural moisture and strips the skin of its natural protection. Although it has been used traditionally to help spot-sufferers, in fact it simply encourages the skin to produce more oil, exacerbating the problem. Alcohol can destroy the skin's natural pH balance and even speed up wrinkling.

About the Author:
Written by Miranda Rijks, Marketing Director Face Boutique Ltd, http://www.faceboutique.com Email: mr@faceboutique.com Tel: 02079370225

It is not often realized that the materials used for interior design could be threatening the environment or even your health. It is always a wise option to look out for an eco-friendly interior designer who could bring your ideas to your life at an affordable cost while ensuring the materials used don't endanger the environment or put you at the risk of respiratory problems and other conditions.

Paint

A host of eco-friendly solutions are in the market if you only look for them. Eco-friendly paint is one, conventional paints and finishes are quite dangerous if scientific reports and investigations by interior designers are to be believed. They are said to release low level toxic emissions long after they have dried on your walls. Paints with Low-Volatile Organic Compounds (Low-VOC and No-VOC) are the solution. You can feel the difference they are free from odor, thanks to the lack of harmful chemicals. Some of these eco-friendly paints are however expensive and may turn those on a budget off. But it is important to remember that it is almost impossible to create 100% non-toxic and non-allergenic paint even though manufacturers claim so. What can be done is to use paints that have a lesser concentration of the harmful elements which is effectively what the Low-VOC and No-VOC paints are.

Wallpaper

For those who would like a bit of vibrancy added to their walls, eco-friendly wallpapers are around. The problem with the regular wallpapers lies in the inks that are used while manufacturing. Eco-friendly wallpapers feature water-based inks; these inks are printed on chlorine-free paper obtained from forests specifically managed for the purpose. Low-VOC adhesive can be used for lightweight and medium weight paper-based wall decorations.

Carpets

Once you are done with the walls it is time to turn your interior design cravings to the floor. The pollution hazard with generally used carpets and flooring is that their installation can fill the indoor air with plenty of VOCs or volatile organic compounds. Included in these VOCs are carcinogens such as formaldehyde and benzene. You certainly would not want yourself or your loved ones to be inhaling these toxic substances. You ca not escape from it as these compounds could take years to dissipate, long after your flooring has been completed. What's more, the treatment employed to keep the carpets free from moths, soil and moisture involves toxic chemicals. The carpets themselves could attract toxic substances and VOCs from outside the house. The good news is that eco-friendly interior designs can be employed here as well. There is wide variety of eco-friendly flooring options that include bamboo, cork, recycled metal and glass tiles, linoleum, stones and sustainable and reclaimed woods.

Carpet Tiles

Check out modular carpet tile squares that can used in place of the traditional carpet, these tiles are held to the ground by adhesive dots. They resemble the conventional carpet when all the tiles fall in place together, but are made from totally recycled materials and can be recycled again and again square-by-square. If you've dirtied one square by mistake it can be given to be recycled while you get a new tile!

Uses for Bamboo

Bamboo is an excellent option for eco-friendly flooring as well. Interior designers could give you innovative ideas to use bamboo for not only flooring but an array of interior furnishings. Recycled metal tiles available in aluminum as well as brass from dealers are great for the bathroom, kitchen floors and walls. They are often thought of as fashionable interior design statements. Available in polished, matte or rough finish, they can satisfy the decorative tastes of many, especially offering a contrast with wood used elsewhere in the room.

Sustainable and Reclaimed Wood

Sustainable and reclaimed wood are great interior design options and they work for floors as well as furniture. Rapidly disappearing forests have spawned the need for sustainable wood products. These wood products are made with wood from managed forests. The difference between a regular and managed forest is that the latter is never destroyed in one clear sweep (clear-cutting) as is the case with other forests. Only selected trees are removed, leaving behind a variety of different tree species. Each area of forest is then managed and replanted giving a 30 years cycle of regeneration of the forest to be complete before the felling starts again. This system does not deplete the land of its tree cover and it also ensures a constant supply of wood.

Here's how interior designers can find out if the furniture or wooden accessories they purchase is made from wood from sustainable and managed forests. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) seal is one of the seals that are reliable, the other being Rainforest Alliance's "SmartWood", and the SCS and "Green Seal" labels from Scientific Certification Systems. FSC works globally to ensure responsible use of the forests of the world. The FSC certification only falls on forest managers and manufacturers who have satisfied the highest environmental and social standards in all stages of the wood production cycle, from the forest to the market through the factory. There's no better way to balance the interests of society, environment and industry.

Beds, bed frames, dressers, nightstands and accessories are all available from sustainable wood certified by the FSC and other organizations, while reclaimed wood products are also around. Reclaimed wood products are made from wood that have previously served in structures and flooring. No fresh tree is cut to create a reclaimed wood product.

And Finally...

If you make the decision to make the environment safer for everyone, there are plenty of options you can try out. Beginning with the floor, you can customize everything from furniture and accessories to flooring and walls. Newer eco-friendly ideas are set to come up in the market as well. Kick-start the eco-friendly revolution!

About the Author:
If you are environmentally conscious, currently live in South Wales in and considering hiring environmentally aware interior designers, many Cardiff Interior Designers and Swansea Interior Designers will be able to provide eco-friendly interior design services to suite your needs.

The first thing I should mention is insulation - it makes sense both environmentally and economically to make sure your house is well insulated before adding heat sources. Look to your cavity walls and roof insulation first as this is where adding insulation can be most effective.

Coal is a fossil fuel, a major source of CO2, and therefore contributes to climate change. Sustainably sourced wood is a renewable resource and in itself is carbon neutral. Once you add in the processing and transport of firewood it is not quite carbon neutral but still pretty close.

There are more commercial boilers available that will burn wood chip or wood pellets – I am not writing about these here but they can be a very good, low maintenance option.

When budgeting for a stove bear in mind that you may end up paying as much or more for your flue/chimney system.

Types of woodburning stove

When choosing your stove try to choose a dedicated woodburner instead of a multi fuel stove. A dedicated woodburner will be unlikely to have a grate in it which means even if you felt the temptation one cold night you would not be able to burn coal in your stove.

A dedicated woodburner is also likely to be the best type of stove to burn just wood in efficiently. This is because wood burns best on a bed of ash with a supply of air from above, whilst coal needs a supply of air from below (hence the need for a grate in multi fuel stoves).

Styles of stove

Traditional style stoves are box shaped with one or two doors at the front. They are either made of cast iron or steel. Steel used to be shunned as it often used to bend and burn out in when exposed to the high temperatures found inside a stove's firebox. Steel quality has now greatly improved so which stove you want is now more a case of quality and aesthetics. Cast iron stoves are sometimes built better than steel stoves (which is of course reflected in their price), but this is not necessarily to do with the fact that they are made from cast iron.

Common makes of steel stove available in the UK include Aarrow, Clearview, Hunter, Stovax, and Villager.

Cast iron stoves include Dovre, Franco Belge, Jotul, Morso, and Saey.

Prices range from around £300-£2000 depending on the make and model. As with anything else in life you generally get what you pay for although there are obviously some extra good value stoves to be found.

Modern contemporary designer stoves

Contemporary stoves tend to be tall and often with relatively small fireboxes. Contemporary stoves are usually very efficient and are cleanburning. Often the outer skin of the stove will be separate from the firebox making the outside of the stove cooler to the touch. With kW outputs in the range of 4 – 9kW these stoves are most often used as impressive secondary heating, or as heating in very well insulated houses.

Makes of contemporary stove available in the UK include Morso, Saey and Westfire. One of my favourite stoves is the Saey Scope which is kind of half way between a traditional and a contemporary stove. It weighs in at around 200kg of cast iron and is very good quality.

These stoves are often relatively expensive (compared with traditional stoves) with prices in the range of £800-£4000 depending on the make and model.

Second hand stoves

Stoves are of course available second hand on place like Ebay, gumtree, and free papers like Loot or Tradeit. You might also try Freecycle- it's worth a go.

Check the perishable parts like the grate, the firebricks, the baffle plate. These may need replacing and so bear in mind that you might also have to buy replacement parts. If many parts are perished then the stove may have been mistreated and perhaps you should go for another one. Look out for cracks on the body of a cast iron stove and look out for deformation of the body on a steel stove. Make sure that the doors close well and make a good seal to the body of the stove - door rope is easy and cheap to replace but if the door closes at a funny angle then that is not good.

Central heating stoves

Many traditional style stoves can come with a clip in or a wraparound backboiler. The backboiler is a metal envelope of water which replaces one or more firebricks inside the stove. Often backboilers are made of stainless steel or lined with some other material to slow down corrosion. The heat from the fire heats up the water which is then passed on to your hot water or central heating.

A stove usually needs to be connected to a vented system – this means that the heating system is not pressurised and you would also have a small header tank to keep the system topped up with water and to cope with changes in pressure. If you have an existing system with a boiler then if there is a pressure gauge on the boiler then you are likely to have an unvented, pressurised system and it will be hard to incorporate a stove with a backboiler into it.

The water from the stove backboiler can either be pumped around your system or the system may use thermosyphoning (the fact that hot water rises) to circulate the water. If thermosyphoning is to be used then the pipes for the heating loop should be larger than normal, ideally 28mm or larger. Either way you need to make sure that above the stove there is a radiator or water tank into which the hot water from the backboiler can go if your pump or electricity fails. If the pump is not working then you need to get rid of the heat from the backboiler somehow.

Stoves and other heat sources (e.g. Solar and a boiler) can be combined using multiple coil water tanks, accumulator tanks or similar. Always consult a competent heating engineer.

Makes of central heating stove available in the UK include Stratford, Dunsley, Hunter, and Villager.

My house is wood heated by two stoves one of which is made by Hunter – it is a Hunter Herald 14 stove with a wraparound 45,000 BTU boiler, the other is an antique range with custom made backboiler – both are hooked up to the central heating system.

Range cooker stoves

You will no doubt be familiar with the name Aga and Rayburn which are the traditional heavyweight range cookers made in the UK. These provide heating, hot water, a hotplate and ovens for cooking and are good stoves. European style range cookers are more lightweight, can be a bit more more controllable and are definitely cheaper.

Smoke control areas

Before you rush off and buy a stove remember that most towns in the UK are smoke control areas. This means that burning wood in them is illegal unless burnt on an "exempt appliance". There are many makes of stove which are smoke control exempt including stoves from Clearview, Dovre, Dunsley, Morso, Westfire and others too.

To check if you are in a smoke control area, or to see the list of exempt appliances simply visit: www.uksmokecontrolareas.co.uk.

Getting the most out of your stove

A woodburning stove is best run with a good supply of air so that there are lots of flames visible in the firebox without smoke. However you should not run the stove at full blast all the time as this can be bad for it and is a sign that you probably need a bigger stove.
Slumber burning is very inefficient as you are not getting full combustion of the wood (because you have limited the air supply), so try to avoid slow overnight burning. Slow burning will also tend to tar up your window (even if your stove does have an airwash system) as well as your chimney (leading to an increased risk of chimney fire).
When burning wood use the top air inlet and burn the wood on a nice bed of ash.

Independent stove reviews

www.whatstove.co.uk is the UK's only stove review website. Manufacturer's blurb and salesman's wording are no match for actually using the stove. On Whatstove you can read a growing number of reviews left by people who actually use and own stoves.
If you own a stove please leave a review to help others make an informed choice.

Buzz words

Cleanburning
A second supply of usually preheated air is introduced into the firebox. Unburnt flue gases are combusted. In efficient stoves (like the Morso badger) you can see flames hanging in the air as the gases burn. This increases the stove's efficiency and heat output.

Airwash
Air is passed over the window of the stove to reduce tar deposits. This works fairly well as long as you do not turn the stove down too much (for slumber/overnight burning).

Grate
A series of metal bars on which coal is burn. The bars allow a flow of air to the bottom of the firebox which is needed for burning coal. Wood does not need to be burnt on a grate.

Baffle plate
A plate of metal or vermiculite placed at an angle at the top of the stove. This increases the distance travelled by the gases in the firebox before they can escape and therefore extracts more heat from the fuel into the room.

Clip-in
A boiler that can be retrofitted - fitted into an existing stove.

Wraparound
A boiler that goes around several sides inside the firebox (typically 3 sides) and is factory fitted.

BTU
British Thermal Units are a measure of heat. 10,000 BTU are roughly equivalent to 3kW (being pedantic it is more like 2.93kW).

As the title states, why should we consider buying our babies clothes and toys made from organic cotton? We look with interest at organic baby foods such as rice and vegetables as we worry about feeding our babies food containing too many chemicals. We do not think as much about the benefits of buying products made from organic rather than conventional cotton.

Did you know that 25% of the world’s pesticides used have been sprayed on cotton? In fact it takes a cup full of chemicals just to make one child’s t-shirt. - Shocking really. The consequence? According to the World Health Organisation 20,000 deaths occur in developing countries each year due to pesticide pollution, many of these deaths as a direct result of producing cotton. In addition, research carried out by PAN UK suggests 3 million people suffer after effects of cotton production. Pesticides also damage the soil fertility, destroy wildlife and cause chronic disease both to the farmer and his family.

The chemical process doesn’t stop there. Non-organic cotton products are then coloured with toxic dyes. For example, Dioxin, a bi-product of bleach is used to whiten clothing and formaldehyde can also be used to make the clothing more presentable. A baby’s skin is five times thinner than an adult’s making it easier for chemicals to be absorbed into the bloodstream.

There are other benefits to choosing organic clothes and toys for our children. With organic material, you are getting a far softer, stronger, better material because the cotton fibres are left intact and not broken down by the chemicals used in the farming and processing of conventional cotton. Organic cotton also smells nicer as formaldehyde is not used to finish the product. It is also less likely to trigger allergies as there is an absence of chemicals and an increased breathability in organic cotton.

Whilst parents have the right to choose the products they purchase for their children, this should be an informed choice, having being presented with the facts of cotton production.

At Baby Treasure Trove we stock a wide selection of organic clothes, toys and accessories. Please visit us at www.babygifts-treasuretrove.co.uk.

What is ethical fashion, why is it important, and why are we just hearing about it now? Well, to answer these questions we start with what is wrong with clothing production today. Most clothing available in stores today is produced in an unethical manner using sweatshop and/or child labour to ensure a larger profit margin. Manufacturers use unsustainable fabrics like non-organic cotton (dubbed as natural, it accounts for almost 25% of all pesticide use) and polyester (which is a petroleum by-product). They use conventional dying practices which release chlorine, chromium, and other pollutants into the environment posing a health risk to the farmers, assemblers and wearers (7 of the top 15 pesticides used on conventional US cotton crops are "possible" to "known" human carcinogens). The shift to ethical production practices in the clothing industry has been undeniably important for a long time making the market ripe for a positive change. Consumers are starting to demand better.

What is Ethical Fashion?

Ethical fashion is that which is produced using: fairly-paid and fairly-treated adult workers; sustainable fabrics and materials like organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, and reclaimed or recycled materials; low-impact fiber-reactive dyes or vegetable dyes; respect for a healthy environment and/or product for the farmer, the assembler, and the wearer of the clothing.

Why Ethical Fashion?

We are all responsible for how our own lifestyles affect the environment. Simple measures can be taken to achieve big changes by simply switching our buying patterns to include products made of low impact materials. Positive pressure on businesses who have yet to volutarily clean up their acts is very easily applied by simply choosing not to spend money on their products, and helping – little by little – to grow the businesses who have made an explicit commitment to responsible business practice.

Why Now?

The wonderful thing about the booming ethical fashion industry is the huge variety of designs, colours, cuts, fabrics and sizes now available. Long stigmatized as cousin to the burlap sack, the ethical offerings today are design-oriented. Designers with heart are creating beautiful, sexy, edgy, classic, current, imaginative, and, yes, flattering pieces – ethics will simply not be compromised and thankfully neither will the look and feel of their work. Reducing our footprint can be done without making any sacrifices.

One of the main driving forces of the ethical fashion boom is public awareness. Thanks to expos�s on large manufacturers, the fact that sweatshop labour is used for the overwhelming majority of production can no longer be ignored. The power of boycotting has been demonstrated, as has the power of voting with our dollars to support good practice. Thanks to accessible work like "An Inconvenient Truth", the lay person is no longer free to assuage their environmental guilt with the denial of the existence of climate change. Thanks to alternative medical practitioners, who deal with cause instead of just symptom, we're learning that we can build health by surrounding ourselves with and consuming healthy things.

Consumers are growing weary of the quantity without quality mentality. Most designers with an ethical bent to their art, work in small batches, producing high quality goods with exceptional fabrics. Consumers are, in growing numbers, appreciating the right to vote with their dollars; and are exercising it to support expansion of the sustainable textile industry, small farmers and farm co-operatives. We're all looking for ways to reduce our environmental impact, increase our social contribution, ease our consciences, hold on to some creature comforts, and continue celebrating art in all its forms.

About the Author:
Written by Kerry MacMullin, director of an eco friendly green clothing site. They can be found at www.greenisblack.ca.

Wood fuel comes in many guises most commonly logs, pellets and wood chips. This article discusses logs. Heating your home with a wood burning stove is becoming increasingly popular. According to the forestry commission around 7% of UK homes currently use wood fuel in their homes to provide some or all of the heating. Not only is a stove cosy to sit around, wood is also a very low carbon fuel so you can do something to shift away from fossil fuel reliance.

In many cases trees are not felled primarily for firewood and it is the leftovers that are used for burning, for example the bark and sapwood that does not make for good building timber.

Wood fuel as it relates to C02 and global warming

Trees use the power of the sun to trap C02 from the air and convert it into more complex carbohydrates, combining the carbon from C02 with hydrogen from water (H20) and releasing the leftover oxygen in a process called photosynthesis. Trees use these carbohydrates to grow. Most of a tree is in fact trapped C02. When the tree is then burnt the C02 is released once again. In a sustainably managed forest each tree that is cut down is replaced so this results in no overall change in atmospheric C02 levels (not counting the C02 produced as a result of processing and transport).

Heating with wood is not carbon neutral (as many people do try to claim) because there is the processing and transport of the wood to consider, but compared to the C02/kWh of many other fuels wood does very very well indeed.

Global warming caused by human C02 emissions is already happening - if you doubt this then read through the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report available from www.ipcc.ch. Switching your heating away from fossil fuels is one way in which you can help reduce C02 emissions and thereby slow global warming. You might be interested in our list of 20 tips on being environmentally friendly.

Insulate your house

In conjunction with changing your heating fuel you should also take steps to better insulate your home and thereby reduce your fuel needs. This includes improving your roof insulation, wall insulation, floor insulation as well as installing double glazed windows and draft proofing windows and doors. Not only will this reduce your C02 emissions but your fuel bills will also drop. Read this article about insulation.

Firewood

There is still a lot of sustainable firewood available in the UK with further unexploited capacity remaining. When sourcing your wood try to source from local suppliers as opposed to national suppliers that delivery by pallet. It is all very well burning wood to reduce C02 emissions but if the wood is being driven 500 miles to your door then it kind of defeats the point.

Seasoned firewood

It is very important that your firewood is well seasoned. Seasoned firewood is dry and ready for burning: it has been split to size and stored to dry for at least the summer season. This reduces the wood's moisture content down to reasonable levels for burning – typically 20% or lower. Very dry wood (such as wooden furniture in your house will have a moisture content of 10% or lower).

A sign that wood is seasoned is that the end grain of the logs may have small cracks in it (these cracks form as the wood shrinks due to water loss).

Another way to check is to split open a log and then use a moisture meter to measure the wood's moisture content. 20% or below is OK, above 20% not great, above 30% do not buy it (or be aware that it is unseasoned and will need storing before it can be burnt. You should not pay as much for it as for seasoned firewood).

Un-seasoned wood with a moisture content above 20% is not really suitable for burning and can be dangerous. A lot of the heat of the fire will be used to evaporate the water in the wood which means that your stove will run colder and you will not get as much heat for your money. The flue gases will also be colder as a result and you will get a LOT more tar condensation in your chimney which you want to avoid as this tar is the cause of chimney fires.

I will expand on chimneys and flues in another article.

Storing your firewood

I have a log shed where I keep my firewood. Ideally your shed should be fairly big – enough for a couple of tonnes of wood (don't worry that isn't as big as it sounds) so about 2 to 4 cubic meters.If you do not have the space then make it as big as possible – this will reduce the amount of firewood deliveries that you need every year. Your log shed should be sheltered from the rain but have sides that allow the wind to blow through as you want the wood to keep drying while you store it: the lower the moisture content the better it will burn. Recyclers amongst you might consider making the walls of your wood shed out of old pallets as these work very well and let air through at the same time. At the front of my shed I have some removable boards. I add these when the shed is very full to stop the firewood falling out of the front of the shed and then take them off as it empties as this makes it easier to reach in and get at the wood.

If space is limited the perhaps consider storing your wood against a wall with a small, simple roof above.

If you fell your own wood then the best thing to do is to split it immediately and then store it. If this is not possible then store it under cover and make sure you split it as soon as you can, storing it split for as long as possible. Some people store larger timbers in situ, putting down a couple of timbers on the ground to raise the pile off the earth and then covering the top with corrugated sheeting or similar to form a waterproof roof.

Splitting and chopping your wood

I use two types of axe to split my firewood. Outside I use a heavy maul which is a wide headed large axe to split oversize logs. A raised flat platform like a very large log is an ideal surface to chop wood on. The surface should be hard so that the energy from the axe transfers into the wood you are chopping and not into your chopping block. Inside I use a hatchet to make kindling to start the fire with. You might do this outside as it can cause mess and damage your floor.

Types of wood

Softwoods like pine burn fast and fairly hot and make good kindling to start your fire with. But pine will not last that long so once your fire is going you are better off switching to a hardwood. Hardwoods (like beech, ash, oak, chestnut) burn for longer and are ideal once the fire is going. Ash is great for burning and when freshly cut has a moisture content that can be as low as 30% which means that it takes less time to season than other, wetter woods. I personally like oak as it lasts for a long time because it is a very dense wood.Treated woods should not be burnt as noxious chemicals are released into the atmosphere. This is the problem with wood from building sites, skips and so on as you cannot be sure that it is untreated.

Finding a UK firewood supplier

There are a couple of searchable firewood supplier listings available online. The most up to date one, which is also free for firewood suppliers to join, can be found by following this link: UK Firewood supplier search.

You enter the first part of your postcode and then click 'search'. Firewood suppliers that deliver in your area are listed with the ones with fewest delivery areas displayed first (so the most local suppliers are listed first).This is a free service so if you are a firewood supplier and would like to be listed simply visit the page and fill in the simple application form.

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Although it would be wonderful to be able to recycle the entire contents of our bin, not everything we throw away is able to be recycled at the present time. Below is a reasonably comprehensive list of what can and cannot be recycled (please be aware that this list has a UK bias):

A

AEROSOLS
Not recyclable - try to avoid buying these. Where possible, buy pump-driven atomisers.

ALUMINIUM
Pie trays, milk bottle tops, yoghurt pot lids, and chocolate wrappers can be recycled. Clean the foil before recycling.

APPLIANCES
Kettles, toasters, TV's etc. Re-use by giving away to friends, donating to charity shops, or selling in local papers or second hand shops. Many contain steel and aluminium which can be recycled - take them to your recycling centre.

B

BATTERIES
Household Batteries: Are toxic and difficult to dispose of. Try to use rechargeable batteries or solar powered equipment, rather than single-use batteries. You can also buy solar-powered battery chargers. Ni-Cd (Nickel-Cadmium – a type of rechargeable battery) batteries should NOT be disposed of with normal household waste – hand them it at your recycling centre.

Lead Acid (car) Batteries: Can be recycled at recycling centres.

Silver Oxide Cells: Used in watches, calculators, and hearing aids. Jewellers may accept them because they have a recyclable silver content.

Mercuric Oxide Cells: Another type of small battery used in watches and calculators. They should NOT be disposed of with normal household waste. Hand them in at your recycling centre if a jeweller will not take them.

BEDDING/BLANKETS
Use as dust sheets, or cut them up as rags. Animal charities and vets can make use of them. Clean items can be put in a textile bank. Items in good condition can be given to charity shops.

BEDS
Social Services or local community groups can sometimes make use of these. Alternatively, take them to the recycling centre.

BICYCLES
Can be repaired, or sold second hand. Some cities have a bicycle loaning scheme. If all else fails, take it to the recycling centre.

BOOKS
Can be sold second hand, or given to charities and schools. Some areas have a book recycling bank.

BOTTLES
See Glass or Plastics

BUILDING RUBBLE
Re-use for another job. Non-commercial rubble can be taken to the recycling centre.

C

CANS
Aluminium and steel cans can be recycled. Wash and crush them down first. (The best way to distinguish between steel and aluminium is to use a magnet - steel is magnetic, aluminium is not.)

CARDBOARD

Cardboard can be recycled. Some paper banks and kerbside schemes DO NOT accept cardboard. It can also be torn into small pieces and composted, or can be used as a mulch for vegetable beds over winter.

CARPETS
Offcuts can be sold or given to schools. Old carpets in good condition may be used by hostels and social services.

CARRIER BAGS
Can be recycled, but please try to re-use them, or get long-lasting cotton bags. Some shops will take plastic bags to reuse or recycle.

CARTONS
Fruit juice or milk cartons are constructed of many layers of different materials, and therefore are hard to recycle. However, some paper recycling banks do accept them.

CHRISTMAS TREES
Can be taken to the recycling centre to be turned into compost. Try to use a living tree in a pot that can be put outside and used year after year, or use an artificial tree.

COAT HANGERS
Charity, second hand shops, and some dry cleaners will have a use for these.

COMPUTERS
If in good working order, these can be donated to schools, community groups or charities. Alternatively, sell through the local papers or second hand shops.

COOKING OIL
Do not pour down the drain, or into the tanks for engine oil at your recycling centre. Hand the container in at your recycling centre.

E

EGG BOXES
Playgroups and schools may find a use for these. Cardboard egg boxes can be used as seed pots, and are biodegradable, so they can be torn into small pieces and composted.

ENGINE OIL
It is ILLEGAL to pour this down the drain. There will be a bank at your recycling centre for this.

ENVELOPES
Re-use these by using 'new address' labels, but they can also be recycled. Try to purchase envelopes made from recycled paper.

F

FIZZY DRINKS BOTTLES
Buy glass bottles where possible. 'PET' and 'PVC' bottles can be recycled in a plastics recycling bank. See Plastics.

FURNITURE
Voluntary groups, social services, and charities can take these, or you can sell them in the local paper or second hand shop.

G

GARDEN WASTE
See Organic Waste.

GLASS
Re-use where possible. Sometimes bottles can be returned. Glass bottles and jars can be recycled, but the colours must be separated. Blue glass can go into the same bank as green glass. Mixed-coloured glass cannot be recycled. Remove the lids and tops (these may be made of a recyclable metal). NON-recyclable glass includes window glass, light bulbs, Pyrex/Visionware cooking dishes, and glass crockery items such as wine glasses and tumblers.

GREETINGS CARDS
Turn them into gift tags or recycle them.

H

HAZARDOUS WASTE
Includes Oil, paints and solvents, old medicines (return these to the pharmacist), pesticides, anti-freeze, brake fluid, oven cleaners, furniture polish, stain removers, fluorescent lights, CFL's (low energy light bulbs), wood preservatives, and asbestos. Anything you think may be hazardous should be taken to the recycling centre and handed to the site agent. Explosives or fireworks should be handed in at a police station.

I

ICE-CREAM CONTAINERS
Re-use for freezing food, lunch boxes, or storage. These CANNOT be recycled in a plastics bank.

J

JARS
Re-use for storage or preserving, or recycle in a glass recycling bank.

JUNK MAIL
Can be recycled, but why receive it in the first place? You can ask not to receive it by contacting the Mail Preference Service (www.mpsonline.org.uk)

K

KITCHEN FOIL
Re-use where possible. Clean foil can be recycled, along with milk bottle tops, foil containers etc. Metallised plastic can sometimes look like foil - scrunch it in your hand - if it springs back, it's plastic.

KITCHEN ROLL
Use rolls made from recycled paper. Can be torn up and composted.

L

LIGHT BULBS
Try to buy energy-efficient bulbs as they last longer and save energy. Light bulbs cannot be recycled.

M

MAGAZINES
Can be given to waiting rooms or recycled in paper banks. Pages of magazines or brochures that DO NOT TEAR ACROSS THE PAGE may be covered in a film of plastic and CANNOT be recycled.

MEDICINES
Should be returned the pharmacist.

METAL
All metal can be taken to a recycling centre and placed in the scrap metal bank. Alternatively, a local scrap metal merchant may be willing to collect it.

MILK BOTTLES
If possible, buy milk in returnable glass bottles. Plastic milk bottles can be recycled. See Plastics.

MOBILE PHONES
A number of organisations and charities collect these to be sent for use in third world countries, or to be stripped down for spares to repair other phones.

N

NAPPIES
Disposable nappies are a major environmental problem because they take a very long time to break down naturally, and are only used once! They are also made from non-renewable materials. Terry towelling nappies are able to be used again and again, and can be made of natural materials. If you use disposable nappies, choose unbleached and dioxin-free varieties.

NEWSPAPER
Can be recycled, or used to light fires, or to protect surfaces during DIY jobs. Some kennels and animal charities use newspaper for bedding.

O

ODDS AND ENDS
Give to a charity shop or have a car boot sale.

OIL
See Engine Oil or Cooking Oil.

ORGANIC WASTE
Kitchen scraps, tea bags, coffee grains, etc. Can be composted in your own garden (if you have one).

Composting is a biological process. The fertiliser that is the end result of composting can only be as good as the ingredients you added initially. The first list below contains the ideal ingredients to add to your compost bin, the second those you are better off leaving out:

Ideal Ingredients:

· Raw vegetable peelings and fruit
· Egg shells (crushed)
· Tea, tea bags or coffee granules
· Shredded paper or soft card
· Straw or hay (chopped and moist)
· Grass cuttings, plant trimmings and flowers
· Hair and fur
· Small amounts of leaves
· Chicken, pigeon or horse manure
· Animal bedding

Ingredients to avoid:

· Meat or fish (cooked or raw)
· Cooked or baked foods
· Dairy products
· Persistent weeds
· Coal ash
· Dog or cat mess
· Nappies or used tissue
· Coloured or shiny paper

Alternatively place your organic waste in the green waste container at the recycling centre.

P

PACKAGING
Try to buy products packaged in recycled or recyclable materials. Don't buy overpackaged items.

PAINT
Dispose of paints at recycling centres.

PAPER
All types of paper can be recycled.

PLASTICS
Re-use plastic containers where possible. Many plastics can be recycled. Check that the type of plastic can be recycled before you buy, and especially before putting it into the recycling bank. Plastics that can be recycled include:

PETE/PET - Polyethylene Terephthalate - fizzy drinks, mineral water, cooking oil and cordial bottles
HDPE - Polyethylene - Opaque bottles, containers for items such as washing up liquid, detergent, shampoo, milk and fruit juices.
PVC - Polyvinyl Chloride - containers for mineral water, toiletries, cooking oils. They are clear and have an obvious seam running through them.
Polystyrene, including burger and chips trays, margarine and yogurt pots CANNOT be recycled.

Plastics can be identified by looking for the recycle symbol, usually indented into the material. Common symbols are shown below; the abbreviation for each type is shown beneath the symbol.

PLASTIC BAGS
Plastic carrier bags can sometimes be recycled – check at your recycling centre. Alternatively, some shops will take them to reuse or recycle. Try to re-use them as much as possible. Shops tend to put any item you buy in a fresh plastic bag - ask them not to, and use the bags you already have.

PRINTER CARTRIDGES
Many types can be recycled. There are several organisations and charities that will recycle them.

R

REFRIGERATORS AND FREEZERS
If in safe, good working order they may be taken by Social Services, housing associations or charities. If the appliance is no longer safe or doesn't work, it will need to be taken to the recycling centre. Old fridges and freezers contain CFC's which contribute to ozone layer depletion and they must be disposed of carefully.

S

SHOES
Textile recycling banks and charity shops will take these - if in pairs!

SPECTACLES
These can be re-used. Some opticians and charity shops act as collection points.

T

TELEPHONE DIRECTORIES
See Yellow Pages.

TEXTILES
Can be re-used or recycled. Some charity shops will accept them, alternatively place in a textiles recycling bank. Please wash and put in a plastic bag before handing them over.

TOILET ROLLS
The quality of recycled toilet paper today is as good as non-recycled. Always buy recycled toilet paper if available.

TYRES
Old tyres can be used in the garden - they can be used for potato or strawberry growing, or for creating a miniature raised flower bed. Farmers use them to secure plastic coverings over silage pits. They can be recycled into more tyres, adhesives,
wire and pipe insulation and other rubber goods. They are also ground up and added to asphalt paving, which increases the life of the paving by 4 or 5 times.

U

UNDERLAY
Can be used as insulation in the attic or around exposed water pipes.

W

WOOL
Charity shops, voluntary groups etc will take this. It can also be placed in a textile recycling bank.

Y

YELLOW PAGES
These can be shredded for use as animal bedding, or they can be recycled. Check before putting them in the paper recycling bank or kerbside box, as they contain a large amount of yellow dye.

YEW CLIPPINGS
The leaves contain a cancer-fighting compound called Taxol. Specialist companies will purchase and collect these.

There is a lot of energy that we can harness if we only seek to research and develop the technologies needed to do so. We can get away from the fossil fuels and the old electrical grids by turning to alternatives to these energy sources.

One of these alternative energy resources is wind power. Wind turbines continue to be developed that are progressively more energy effective and less pricey. "Wind farms" have been springing up in many nations, and they have even become more strategically placed over time so that they are not jeopardizing birds as former wind turbines did.

Some other alternative energy resource is the one that is most well known: solar energy. This involves the manufacturing of solar cells which gather and focus the energy given off directly by the sun, and translate it into electricity or, in some cases, hot water. As with wind energy, solar energy creates absolutely zero pollution.

Hydroelectric energy is available as a source of "green" energy, and it can generate a substantial amount of power. Simply put, hydroelectric energy uses the motion of water - its flow in response to gravity, which means downhill - to turn turbines which then generate electrical energy. Needless to say, water is ubiquitous; finding sources for driving hydroelectric turbines is, therefore, not much of a problem. However, hydroelectricity as a source of "green" energy can be complicated and expensive to produce. Dams are often built in order to be able to control the flow of the water sufficiently to generate the needed power. Building a dam to store and control water's potential and kinetic energy takes quite a lot of work, and operating one is complex as well, and conservationists grow concerned about that. Of course, a dam is not always needed if one is not trying to supply the electrical needs of a city or other very densely populated area. There are small run-of-river hydroelectric converters which are good for supplying neighborhoods or an individual office or home.

Probably the most underrated and under-appreciated form of alternative energy is geothermal energy, which is simply the naturally-occurring energy produced by the heating of artesian waters that are just beneath the earth's crust. This heat is transferred into the water from the earth's inner molten core. The water is drawn up by various different methods - there are "dry steam" power plants, "flash" power plants, and "binary" power plants for harnessing geothermal energy. The purpose of drawing up the hot water is for the gathering of the steam. The Geysers, approximately 100 miles north of San Francisco, is probably the best-known of all geothermal power fields; it's an example of a dry stream plant.

Waste gas energies, which are essentially methane, reverse the usual energy-pollution relationship by creating energy from waste that lies in the dumps and from some air pollutants. This gas is used in fuel cells and can be used in standard gasoline generators.

Ethanol is a gasoline substitute and is created from such things as wheat, sugarcane, grapes, strawberries, corn, and even wood chips and wood cellulose. There is controversy over this fuel with regards to its always becoming truly economical or practical except in very localized areas, but technologies for its extraction and admixturing are continuously being refined.

Biodiesel energy is created out of the oils contained in plants. So far, the commercial stores of biodiesel have been created using soybean, rapeseed, and sunflower oils. At the time of this writing, biodiesel is typically produced by entrepreneurial minded individuals or those who want to experiment with "green" energy, but commercial interest from companies is on the rise. It burns much cleaner than oil-based diesel.

Many researchers believe that harnessing the power of the atom in fission reactions is the most significant alternative energy resource that we have, for the fact of the immense power that it can generate.

Nuclear power plants are very "clean-burning" and their efficiency is rather staggering. Nuclear power is generated at 80% efficiency, meaning that the energy produced by the fission reactions is almost equal to the energy put into producing the fission reactions in the first place. There is not a lot of waste material generated by nuclear fission, although, due to the fact that there is no such thing as creating energy without also creating some measure of waste, there is some. The concerns of people such as environmentalists with regards to using nuclear power as an alternative energy source center around this waste, which is radioactive gases which have to be contained.

The radiation from these gases lasts for an extraordinarily long time, so it can never be released once contained and stored. However, the volume of this waste gas produced by the nuclear power plants is small in comparison to how much NOx (nitrous oxide - that is, air pollution) is caused by one day's worth of rush-hour traffic in Los Angeles. While the radiation is certainly the more deadly by far of the two waste materials, the radiation is also by far the easier of the two to contain and store. In spite of the concerns of the environmentalists, nuclear power is really environmentally friendly alternative energy, and the danger of the contained radiation getting out is really rather low. With a relatively low volume of waste material produced, it should not be a difficult thing at all for storage and disposal solutions for the long term to be developed as technology advances.

About the Author

Information supplied and written by Arron Avery, who runs an information site about Alternative Energy for the Home alternative-energy.usinfo.info