Have an Eco-friendly Autumn

Autumn is here and many of us are “nest building” for the cooler season. It’s time to reflect on how we affect the environment with our excessive energy needs and make some changes to lessen the burden we place on the Earth.

Winter days in the Midlands are glorious. How fortunate we are to have blue rather than grey skies. It makes keeping warm so much easier – so make sure to let the sunshine in!

Energy use usually increases in the colder months as people try to stay warm, but with constant price increases as fossil fuels deplete and the importance of cutting our carbon emissions, we need to find some planet-friendly ways to keep snug.

You’ll be spending more time indoors so focus on making your home a more human and earth-friendly environment.

Here are some activity ideas to for the dark evenings ahead:

• Wrap your geyser in a blanket
• Close the curtains before it gets dark
• Make draft excluder sausages for your doors (or roll up blankets)
• Use sunny days to solar cook stews and soups
• Chop alien wood for fires
• Walk outdoors to soak up the rays at lunchtime
• Wear lots of colourful layers of clothes
• Start a flock of socks – match up odd ones rather than buying more
• Sort out some recycling bins if you don’t already recycle
• Make yourself some cool reusable bags so you don’t use plastic bags at the store
• Ban harmful cleaning products so that you don’t absorb toxic fumes while indoors
• Clean windows with vinegar & water, to let in the winter sun
• Scrub your bath with bicarb & lemon juice, for long warming soaks
• Then syphon your bathwater onto your vegetable garden, rather than wasting it
• Drink lots of warm drinks (keep the extra boiled water in a thermos for later)
• Snuggle up with a hot water bottle and a knee rug for a cosy evening read
• Generate some human heat by dancing with your friends
• Vacuum your refrigerator coils so your fridge works more efficiently
• Remove tea and coffee stains from mugs by rubbing with a little salt
• Polish wood with a mixture of 2 parts olive oil to 1 part lemon juice

With these toasty tips, you won’t need to switch on the heater for the rest of the season and in doing so, help the Earth to stay cool. For more ideas, make sure you visit the Sustainable Living & Indigenous Plant Fair from 27 to 29 April in the Cattle Arena at the Royal Show Grounds which will showcase solutions for sustainable living and offer ideas for getting off the grid.

Interesting environmental movies will be screened throughout the weekend, interspersed with speakers focused on low-carbon living. A Green Restaurant will provide delicious food to keep eco-conscious energy levels up and you can stock up on a wide range of indigenous plants, fruit trees, herbs and vegetables while you are there too.