Adessi 10:10 - The green way to wash your smalls

I have to admit that I am probably not the most perfect domestic goddess at Adessi but we all have to do the every day chores.

Doing the laundry is one of my least favourite but at least there are ways to be green while doing it!

By changing the little things we can make a big difference, for example did you know that by using full loads in washing machines can save up to 8.3 litres of water per household per day?

Other ways to be green when doing your washing are:

- Wash clothes at the lowest recommended temperature. By setting the temperature at 30°C instead of 60°C, you can save more than 60% of energy

- Using a concentrated fabric conditioner helps cut packaging by 60%

- Wash on a short cycle using less water and energy

- Use the correct doses for your washing load this will save unnecessary chemicals going into the environment

There are some great hints and tips on Cleaner Planet Plan

Sally

Adessi 10:10 - Food Labels, What do they Mean?

A little while ago I posted my thoughts on 'Radical Tranpsarency' when it comes to the ecological impact of how a product is made. The article quoted a survey that indicated that only 10% of people would go out of their way to find out the eco-impact of a product, while two thirds of shoppers feel that they would take the eco-impact into account when making a decision if the information was readily available.

You can read that blog post (if you missed it the first time round) here.

Today, I've read this article on the guardian website, which further supports that there should be clearer labelling on products indicating eco-impact, as well as it's sustainability and ethical credentials. A survey by Which? found that seven out of 10 consumers would pay more attention to the environmental impact of the food they buy if labels were clearer.

The awareness of the nine main schemes used was shown to be low, even though the internationally recognised Fairtrade label was recognised, but many didn't understand what it meant. Only 3% of those asked were aware of LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming), which supports sustainable farming, and only 6% recognised the Marine Stewardship Council label, which supports sustainably sourced fish and seafood.

I think it's great that Which? want to work with the government to provide honesty in food labelling. It has already been shown that two thirds of people would be affected by labels indicating the eco-impact of food, therefore, I think food needs to be labelled with all the environmental information available.

I'm in the same boat as most of the people surveyed, but if I knew more about these labels and understood what they meant I think they would affect my shopping habits.

What do you think? Do you wish food labels were clearer so you could buy more environmentally friendly products? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Laura

Adessi 10:10 - Bubbles From the Tap

At Adessi, I don't think I'm the only one to consider how much bottled water I drink since we joined the 10:10 initiative. In 2009  the sales of bottled water in the UK grew by 1.4% despite the recession and people being more environmentally aware.

This week, Paris has unveiled a brand new water fountain, which serves both still and sparkling water! With even sparkling water being available from a tap, does this signal the end of bottled water? The fountain provides still water, chilled tap water and sparkling tap water, which is made by injecting carbon dioxide into the tap water before it is chilled.


I've been really good and haven't bought any water bottles in weeks, and have been reusing them every day at work...until today! I've left my water bottle at home, and even though I was tempted, I didn't buy another one on my way to work.


Do you think water fountains like these should be rolled out in England? I think they should be in city centres, parks, schools and workplaces - as anything that encourages people to drink tap water instead of bottled should be a priority for our new 'greener' government. In my opinion, if the water fountains did not include sparkling water they would still be beneficial, and would hopefully encourage people to refill and reuse rather than buy new.

You can read about the new water fountains here and here.


What are your thoughts?


Laura

Adessi 10:10 - Watching Our Wasteline

Did anyone see the ‘Great British Waste Menu’ on BBC1 a few weeks ago? It was highlighting the amount of perfectly edible food that’s discarded and wasted because it doesn’t conform to certain preconceived standards we have. 

The average family wastes around £700 worth of food a year, and restaurants, supermarkets and farms are even bigger culprits. It seems that if a tomato isn’t a perfect round snooker ball shape and a courgette isn’t between 17 - 21cm long, it isn’t worth eating! Have the supermarkets even asked us if we mind a not so aesthetically pleasing knobbly carrot or oversized courgette? Instead, they seem to make the decision to bin vast quantities of produce that doesn’t quite make the grade.

The programme followed top chefs sourcing ingredients which were to be thrown away and cooked up a 3 course banquet for 60 VIPs. The least attractive course was pig’s head ravioli, but all courses were well received by guests and critics and demonstrated a very good point that excellent-tasting food can come from less than perfect produce.

Here is the link to the programme page if you want to read more http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00tkr88

 

Jenny Nicholson

Adessi 10:10 - Compost Bugs

Jude sent me a link to a video on the BBC yesterday about a company using genetically modified compost bugs to create ethanol from waste such as municipal waste and corn/maize. The bugs called TM242 have been modified so that they can break down cellulose into simpler sugars, which can then be fermented to produce bioethanol.

Watch that video here.

While doing some research into what they're doing now, I saw that TMO Renewables have signed a contract with a US firm, who say that their efficiency will rise by 35% with the introduction of the bugs.

To me this sounds fantastic, using general household waste to create ethanol, which can then be used to power cars and trucks. However, this guardian article raises a very good point - why are we losing companies like this to the US? I've previously posted about our so called "Green Government" and the green-promises they are making, surely this is the kind of opportunity they should be supporting? It's all well and good to support electric cars, but this is a solution that can work right now, to cut down our fuel use and help us recycle household waste in an efficient and useful way.

What are your thoughts on renewable energy such as biofuels? I'd love to hear your opinions!

Laura

Adessi 10:10 - Be Shower Smart

So, with all this energy saving at the Adessi offices going on, I figured it was time to encourage the Adessi staff to be greener at home too! One of these great gadgets was delivered to my house for my old housemate, I thought it was such a clever idea I signed up too!

Image from the Eaga website

The Eaga Shower Smart is a small gadget that claims to help you to stop wasting unnecessary water, to do this it creates a constant flow of water at 7.7 litres per minute resulting in a full jet of water with less fluctuation.For a two person household, the manufacturers claim that you will save more than 12,000 litres of water per year, which will mean a saving of roughly £30 each year on gas bills and a saving of £30 on your water bill per year (if it is metered.)


To find out more information and apply for a free showersmart go to the Eaga website and to read a review of the showersmart see the ciao website.


Beth

Adessi 10:10 - Green Tea

It can sometimes take a couple of cuppas to get moving in the morning - which means the kettle is working overtime as people make their own brews. 

However, did you know that on average it takes the same amount of energy to boil one litre of water as it does to run a fridge for seven hours? With six caffeine addicts on the first floor of Adessi Newcastle, that's potentially adding up to some serious wattage.
 

So we are taking our green crusade one cuppa at a time, and coordinating our collective caffeine cravings. This reduces the amount of energy used by the kettle by boiling a lot of water once, rather than a little bit six times. And, if you happen to be making a round in the Adessi kitchen, please remember that a blue light is not green light and leave the kettle off the stand when you aren’t using it.

Alex R