The aim of the of this website is to encourage everyone to adopt a greener lifestyle.
A Greener Lifestyle, what exactly does that mean and why should we bother at all? Well by now everyone will have heard about Global Warming and the effects of various gases on the atmosphere and whether you believe in these theories or not there is not doubt the worlds climate is changing. You may argue that this is part of the Earths natural cycle and that it has been warming up and cooling down for millions of years and this may be the case. Maybe mankind has not caused Global Warming but all the evidence points to the fact if we have not caused Global Warming we have most certainly contributed to its speeding up. Another argument is how much will my insignificant contribution make to the overall effect. Well probably not very much by itself, but if everyone contributes a little bit we will end up with a great big bit. Without even taking Global Warming into account we throw away far too much waste and we are rapidly running out of places to dispose of this waste. Landfill sites are becoming full and to create enough landfill sites to bury all the waste we produce is just not practical and is an ever increasing burden on our taxes. We cannot go on producing electricity from fossil fuels because they are fast running out and most of the fossil fuels that are left (especially oil) are in some of the most unstable areas of the world making fuel security an increasing concern. So which ever way you look at it, (whether or not you agree with the global warming issue), we cannot go on living the way we are, wasting power and throwing away vast amounts of waste.
So back to the original question. What do we mean by a greener lifestyle? Well very simply it means not creating so much waste and using up less of our natural resources by cutting out wasteful practices. So ultimatley it means saving your money.
When you think about it using less electricity, gas, petrol and throwing less away must lead to a reduction in your costs. For a long time now saving money is one of the incentives used to get people to stop smoking and the same thing applies here. Stop using resourses wastefully and you will save money. So there is no reason why you should not at least give it a try. The worst thing that can happen is that you will save money.
Through this website we aim to encourage everyone to be less wasteful and show how through small changes you can reduce your costs by quite a considerable sum. Just doing one thing will not reduce your costs by very much but when everything is added together it will be a considerable saving.
We are not going to advocate that you should stop using your car and only walk or cycle everywhere and we are not suggesting for one minute that you use candles instead of electricity or cook over open fires, but rather we will show you how small changes in the way you do things can lead to substantial savings not only in your costs but in the natural resources you use.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle towards Zero Waste
What does Zero Waste mean? Well according to the Scottish Government 'Zero Waste' means reducing the unnecessary use of raw materials: reusing products where possible and recovering value from products when they reach the end of their lives either through recycling, composting or energy recovery.
How can we have Zero Waste? I hear you say and you are probably right we will always generate some rubbish that will Have to be thrown away. So working towards Zero Waste (or adopting a Zero Waste philosophy) will no generate no waste at all but what it will do is make you think "can this item be reused or recycled" before you throw it away. So adopting a Zero Waste philosophy is more about thinking twice before you throw something away and send it to landfill.
The Waste Hierarchy
The 'waste hirearchy' ranks the different ways in which we can dispose of our waste in order of sustainablity or relative environmental benefits.
Although it is the least sustainable option with the worst effect on the envrionment disposal to landfill is still the main method of waste disposal in Scotland. The most sustainable and environmentally-friendly option is to reduce the amount of waste we produce in the first place. However, we also need to start reusing items and increasing the amount of things we recycle as this will also conserve our natural resources.
The current targets set down by the Scottish Governement as part of it's commitment to Zero Waste are:
To reduce the amount of household waste sent to landfill by 5% by 2025 To recycle or compost 70% of household waste by 2025. To limit the amount of household waste that is used to generate energy by 25% by 2025
Why is waste an issue?
Sending waste to landfill leads to a loss of valuable resources. Landfill sites also release methane, a gas that contributes to climate change. Badly managed landfill sites can also polute surface and ground water and cause problems with odour, vermin and flies. The environment is also affected when we replace the things that we throw awaywith new products. This is because energy and natural resources are needed to make new items. If we were to continue to send all waste to landfill and replace things with products made from natural resources then future generations could be faced with poor environmental quality and a limited availability or natural resources.
Toolkits to help you reduce you waste
Reduce Toolkit - use the Reduce Toolkit to save up to £2,000 per year
By using this toolkit you will be able to save money as well as reducing your carbon footprint.
Save around £150 per year on home energy bills Making six simple changes to the way you use the energy in your home you could save around £150 per year.
Reduce your fuel costs by around 15% You could also save around 15% on your fuel bills by changing the way you drive, and if you spend around £30 per week on fuel that equates to a saving of around £234 per year.
Save £430 per year on your food bill Did you also know that the average household in Scotland throws away £430 of food waste every year, most of which could have been used.
This toolkit will help you make these savings and much more. The savings could add up to as much as £2,000 per year. It could also help you to start generating your own electricity through a governement backed scheme so you may be able to save even more money as well as helping reduce your carbon footprint and helping the evironment.
Recycle Toolkit - get paid for recycling or recycle for charity
Not only can recycling help the environment, but we can all benefit from recycling things from around the house, at work at home and during our leisure time. Recycling services are available throughout Scotland. Recycling waste reduces the need for landfill, saves the earths resources as well as reducing the energy we use. Almost everything can be recycled these days. From plastic drinks bottles clothes and books. Below are some facts about recycled materials You and even recycle and raise money for charity now. The main things to recycle for charity are mobile phones and ink cartridges but you can also recycle stamps & books. Use this toolkit to find out where and what to recycle and also to find out how you can raise money for lots of different charities through recycling.
Reuse Toolkit - everything from old paid to used furniture can be reused
Reuse is the second stage of the waste hierarchy. Product reuse involves the multiple use of an item in its original form, for its original purpose or for an alternative, with or without reconditioning. In many cases waste that cannot be prevented can be reused instead of buying new products.
Many items can be reused, including mobile phones, computers, printer cartridges, leftover paint and clothes. Even if you have finished with something, someone else will often be able to use it. National charity organisations, local charity shops, internet auction sites and free exchange schemes may be able to reuse your unwanted items.
Use this toolkit to find out how you can reuse everyday items.
The Puddock Ezine
Subscribe to The Puddock Ezine
The Puddock Ezine is a FREE Quarterly online publication that will help you reduce, reuse and recycle everything. It will help to reduce your food and energy bills as well bringing you all the latest developments in green products to help you reduce your carbon footprint. We will give you lots of ideas on how you can reduce the amount of rubbish you send to landfill. For example approximately one third of the contents of you bin can be composted so by composting at home you could reduce the amount you send to landfill by one third and get loads of free plant food.
Contact The Puddock about all things "Green"
CONTACT THE PUDDOCK
Click on the icon on the left to contact The Puddock about anything to do with "Green Issues". Whether you are looking for advice about running a campaign or have ideas about links etc that can be included in the website we would love to hear from you. If you are a Green Rep and would like to use The Puddock branding and logos just let us know and we will send you the logos to use. All we ask is that you send us any material you create using The Puddock branding so that it can be shared with other users. Thank you