There are often several children going to school who live in the same area who are individually driven to school. Not only would this save you money on petrol but lots of time in the mornings and afternoons too! Consider fitting your car with a fuel saver, which reduces the amount of fuel your car uses to run, so that even the trips you do have to make are cheaper and healthier!

Energy saving light bulbs or rechargeable batteries may seem more expensive initially, but they save you fortunes in the long run. Items that are ‘Fair Trade’ mean that the people who put the work into producing your product, whether it is coffee, bananas or a fruit bowl are getting paid fairly for the work they have done, just as you would expect to be. So your purchase can benefit others. Purchasing organic, sustainable, or recycled materials means that in the long term, you will not only be benefiting your own health but also benefiting bio-diversity, sustainability, and the more of us that purchase these products, the more mainstream they will become.

•           Application:

Apply on hair, face and body. It can be used on adults, babies, small children and pets.

•           Benefits:

100% natural, there are no chemicals, no perfumes, no added colours or other additives. It is good to you and it is good to the environment too.

Gentle on the skin, it is great to use if you have skin problems such as sensitive or allergic skin, dry or psoriatic skin, and eczema. It is gentle on babies’ skin too.

Good value, Aleppo Soap lasts for months due to its density and it is cost-effective as it can replace shampoo, conditioner, face soap, body soap and shaving cream.

•           Testimonials:

Mrs P: “We purchased a bar of the Aleppo soap to try. As we have a dog with very sensitive skin we decided to cut the bar in half, to use half to bath her. We left the half on the side, and our cat was rubbing herself against it. She loved it !!”

Trevor: “Personally, one of my favourite products is the Aleppo soap. Before I looked into the ‘green’ thing, I used every kind of toiletry imaginable. Shower gel, shampoo, shaving foam, etc. – there wasn’t any room in the shower cubicle for me as I had so much stuff in there! Then I found out about Aleppo soap. I tried it, and at first didn’t get on with it. Rubbing a block of soap on what’s left of your hair seems a bit alien, but after a couple of goes, the soap moulded into a better shape. Now I won’t use anything else! I dread to think of all those chemicals that used to go on me and down the plughole……”

• Retail:

WIKANIKO offers you a large 200gm bar for just £4. 99.

Try some today!

If you would like to go one step further, look for recycled paper products. This re-uses discarded paper to make new clean paper once again. More often than not there is no discernible difference between new and recycled, except that you have helped prevent the chopping down of a tree. Any paper that you do use, make sure you use it to its fullest. Don’t discard a piece of paper because you made a small mistake. Use it as scrap paper, perhaps near the telephone to take messages or to leave notes for your loved ones to do the dishes etc!

You can re-use envelopes using the envelope re-use labels available from the stationery section, and some recycled Post it Notes When your paper has been as useful as it can possibly be to you don’t just throw it away but make sure that you get it recycled. This way it can be useful to you or someone else once again. Check out all the products in the Stationary section. You will find a myriad of useful things. Oh – and use the free Wikaniko e-Kards (online greeting card service) to reduce the number of cards you have to send out in the post! It will save you a fortune too….

We are producing more rubbish than ever and with landfill space fast running out, this is a major problem. Once thrown in the bin, what happens next is thrown out of our minds too. However, a few little changes can make a great difference to reduce this pollution.  To create less waste is easier than you may think.  

When shopping, avoid goods with unnecessary packaging. Pick loose items whenever possible, it is cheaper too! You will find that supermarket fruits and vegetables wrappings tend to be the main offenders, so it may be worth checking the local market or greengrocer.

If you must have packaging, ensure that it is recyclable. Before recycling, try to get things that you can re-use, like bottles and various containers for example.

Rather than throwing your food waste away, you can compost it   It will be great for the plants in your garden, you could even use it to start to your own organic food.

Give away unwanted goods to charity shops. You can also check the freecycle website.  

These are a few suggestions, but there are 100’s of ways that we can reduce the amount of rubbish we produce. Just think about it. For more info about recycling, you can also check out the recycling information centre recycle-more website.  

You are welcome to comment share with us any more tips you may have on the subject. Thanks!

Designed in the US in 1957, the plastic bags reached the UK stores in the late 1960s. Over a trillion are manufactured worldwide each year, but growth has stabilised and there is now a downward production trend in some countries like Britain. It is an encouraging fact that our use of plastic bags has reduced by 26 per cent last year, to 9.9 billion. 

Plastic bags do not biodegrade and can pollute the environment for several hundred years, whereas degradable bags will disappear after an average of 18 months.

As well as landfills, plastic is polluting the world’s oceans too. In some part of the Pacific, at a density of 46,000 pieces of plastic per square metre, it kills a million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals per year. Unfortunately nothing can be done to clean-up the existing damage; however we can all stop adding to the problem.

How can we help?

 Stop using plastic bags and switch to the following options:

·     Degradable or Biodegradable bags

·     Turtle string bags

·     Cotton Tote bags

·     Paper bags

Think of the impact over a year if just a small number of people did not use another plastic bag to carry the produce they have purchased during their weekly shopping. For example, if just 20 people from now on used a Tote or Turtle bag over the course of a year, that would be around 1,040 less plastic bags polluting our environment.

Everyone can make a positive difference today!

Resources:

You can find Degradable Carrier bags, Degradable Black Bin Bag, Degradable Pedal Bin Liners, Degradable Swing Bin Liners, Degradable Food Freezer Bags, Degradable Dog Waste/Nappy Sacks, Bag Tubes, Turtle Cotton String Bag, Large Cotton Tote bag and much more eco-friendly items on Wikaniko’s website.

The health benefits are usually the main reason for choosing organic. Early results of a recent European research study suggest that organic food provides higher amounts of vitamins, antioxidants and minerals (iron and Zinc in particular). These findings influence in particular parents’ buying patterns who are going organic in the interest of their children’s health. Indeed, organic represents half of all baby food sold.

Another advantage of tasting organic food is that it has a much better flavour than conventional alternatives. The aroma is stronger due to the natural and slow growing process. The high quality of the food is guaranteed by organic standards, which ensure that there are no additives, no genetically modified ingredients, that the food is not contaminated by heavy use of chemical pesticides or fertilisers and that no drugs are used to rear live stock. A result of following these standards means that organic farming is a lot slower that conventional methods, it is harder and it is also less profitable because of the lower productivity. This is about quality rather than quantity, which is why organic food tends to be offered at a premium.

Finally, going organic also promotes sustainable agriculture and farming, animals’ welfare and it reduces your environmental impact. Due to the lack of chemicals or fertilisers, there is less pollution and dangerous waste residues, which is also better for wildlife too. However, to lower your environmental footprint you need to check food’s origin. If it has been shipped from abroad, the air miles will counteract the environment benefits of being organic. Therefore, it is best to buy from your local suppliers, or at least check the labels and buy British whenever possible.

The Soil Association is the main organic regulator in the UK and their logo is on all certified products which meet their standard. Therefore it is best to look for their symbol  in order to verify organic integrity. You can also check their website www.soilassociation.org for more information about organic regulation.

It is now clear that the major health benefits, the much better taste, the lower environmental impact and supporting of the local community are all reasons to choose organic. It is also true that it is not yet always possible to go completely organic due to product availability or budget. However, we can all take small steps towards an organic lifestyle. Embracing the decisions to buy natural ingredients locally or produce the organic food yourself are positive healthy choices for you and your purse too.

To save money, why not experience the ultimate organic food and have a go at growing your own? Think how satisfying it can be to eat something tasty and fresh that you have planted, cultivated and picked yourself. If you have children, you could try to involve them with the gardening as it is a great way to learn about nature and it can encourage them to eat more fruits and vegetables. In addition, how would you like everyday low cost quality fresh eggs? You could rear your own hens, it is great fun, great value and you get new pets as well. Sounds great!

RESOURCES:

If you are not sure where to start, you can get advice and manuals on organic gardening and chicken breading on the WIKANIKO website. They can also provide you with organic seeds, along with various natural gardening treating products and tools.

FORUM:

For all of you having a go at organic gardening and chicken breading, we would be very interested in hearing from you. Please share your experience and tips with us, plus any questions that you may have on the subject. Thanks!

Wikaniko is becoming one of the most innovative and creative eco friendly business in the UK today.

Wikaniko has built up a fantastic library of resources and articles on green living. All in all, we feel that there is no other resource that gives you access to so much. So please feel free to enjoy the myriad of articles and information at Wikaniko.