I woke up this morning (well I use the term loosely - let's just say that I was woken up!), to the morning sun streaming through the window and the sounds of birdsong, barely discernable over the piercing scream of no 2 daughter who had managed not only to turn around in her cot, but had also managed to get both feet firmly wedged between the bars. Perhaps the prison service could take note of this new form of incarceration. Ample room for double and triple decker accommodation this way within the cell, but I digress.
My thoughts this morning have turned towards social responsibility and how we can all do our bit to save the environment. I've given you some starters below, but I'm sure there's lots of other ways in which we can save the planet and generally make ourselves feel better.
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Re-use envelopes by purchasing sticky labels (there are many worthwhile causes to support in this : Friends of the Earth 020 7490 1555, or Baby Milk Action 01223 464420 among many others) to put on envelopes that are sent to you. It's cheaper too!
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Use your kerbside recycling scheme if you have one. If you haven't got one, ask why not and lobby for change.
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Send e-cards not paper or card ones. The thought is what's important, not the material. If you add up the cost over a year's celebrations it really does make a difference.
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Use rechargeable batteries instead of disposables.
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Reuse plastic bags. To help you remember to do this, keep some in your pocket or handbag – they don't take up much space and it stops you accumulating bags at home.
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Buy your fruit and vegetables from a local market ot grocers. Support your local Farmer's Market if you have one – you'll be amazed how good the fresh food is! Buy organic produce wherever possible.
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Use cloths rather than disposable kitchen roll. Saves you money!
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Consider using your local milkman. They're an endangered species but can really help minimise waste if they use and re-use glass bottles.
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Home compost as much of your kitchen and garden waste as possible.
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Use the paper-recycling scheme at work. If there isn't one, why not start one?
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Take all your cans to a Save-a-Can bank. There are at least 2000 around the country...there should be one near you. You don't even need to crush them up first.
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Think before you print! How many times have you printed something and not referred to it again?
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If you do print, use both sides of a piece of paper.
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Recycle your inkjet cartridges. Visit www.wasteonline.org.uk for more information.
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Turn off any electrical equipment when it's not in use.....you'd be surprised how many items this applies to!
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Reduce the waste of resource and time presented by junk mail by contacting the Mailing Preference Service – www.mpsonline.org.uk.
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Don't buy sandwiches from shops – save on packaging and expense by making your own. This way you can control exactly what you're eating – good for the waistline as well as the pocket!
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Join a toy library and give old toys to other families.
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Did you think milk and juice cartons were impossible to recycle? The answer is provided by the Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the environment on 020 8977 6116 for Freepost stickers so you can send flattened cartons for processing.
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Hire videos and DVDs rather than buying them.
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Use your local library rather than buying books
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Don't drive to your local library if you can walk. The exercise and fresh air will do you good. Remember to take your plastic bags with you!
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Save about 40 litres of water a time by having showers instead of baths.
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15% of parents now use cloth nappies for their babies and the number is growing. Join them!
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Instead of disposable goods, give cinema or concert tickets as presents.
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Having a clear out? Before dumping your unwanteds, think about how much value they could be to someone else...charities/car boot sales/ebay.co.uk are all excellent options to simply binning it and using up landfill.
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Borrow tools for DIY jobs from family or friends – if they can't help, hire what you need rather than buying things that you don't need more than a couple of times.
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Don't consign your old mobile phone or printer cartridges to landfill. Instead contact Oxfam or Actionaid which can recycle them and re-sell them.
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Stop subscribing to magazines unless you really do have time to read them! You'll save some money as well.
I've stopped now because my halo needs polishing and it's getting rather heavy with all these good, environmentally friendly thoughts. If you already do any of these things, apologies, I'm preaching to the converted! You are doing your bit to preserve the planet for our children, their children and their children's children ( I could go on and on ad nauseum with that one, but you'll be relieved to hear I won't). If you are not already doing any of these things, it might be worth a thought (if only to give you a brief feel good factor!).