I’m loving these organic duvet covers and associated bedding from Marks and Sparks for the summer.  Clean, cool, crisp and in gorgeous calming colours.  Perfect for the hot nights, and the cooler ones too.  Organic cotton is the healthy choice for you, cotton farmer and the environment.

For the kids, these organic single duvet sets are so cute with applique elephant detail.

The smell of a freshly painted room may give the impression of it being “clean”, or give you the satisfaction of a job well done, but with the paint smell you’re breathing in a blend of carcinogens and toxins.  For some of us who are particularly sensitive to these chemicals, a freshly painted room can result in a headache that lasts for as long as the smell does, and a strange metallic taste in our mouths.

Fortunately that doesn’t mean that we can’t repaint and brighten things up a bit, it just means we need to be more careful about the products that we use.  For the sake of your health, and those around you, seek out low-VOC or even better, no-VOC paint options for your decorating.

I mentioned reusing spray-bottles in my previous post, so thought that it would be appropriate to follow up with some home-made cleaning recipes of the sort that your grandmother probably used.  Either save spray bottles that you bought with cleaning products in them, or you could buy some from your nearest garden centre, or online, like these ones.

Window cleaner - Dilute white distilled vinegar with water (50/50) for a quick, easy and cheap window cleaning solution.  Put it in a spray bottle to apply, and wipe windows off with newspaper that can be composted afterwards.

All purpose cleaner - Mix 1/4 cup distilled (white) vinegar and 4 Tbsp bicarb. with 1 litre of water.  Keep in a spray bottle and use for general cleaning.

Air freshener - Put a few drops of lavender essential oil into a spray bottle of water and use as an air freshener spray.

For the greener gadget lovers amongst us, here are some excellent green gadgets that will lighten the load on the planet and on your pocket.

USBcell rechargeable batteries

These revolutionary NiMH AA rechargeable batteries are only £5 from Robert Dyas and can be recharged from your computer’s USB port. You can recharge them up to 500 times and each battery saves 7kg CO2 and 3kg of toxic waste. Cool.

Water Powered Digital Clock

This little digital clock doesn’t need any batteries.  No electricity either.  Just add water.   It incorporates dependable water powered technology with conventional digital technology to allow you the freedom of not having to buy batteries again! £8.99 from allthingsgreen.

Water Powered Calculator

A basic calculator that runs on the same technology as the Water Powered Clock.  £9.99 from allthingsgreen.

Eco-Button

Eco-Button is a computer power saving device that can save you £££’s off your electricity bills and shave tonnes off your carbon footprint every year.  The Eco-Button acts as a strong visual reminder for you to save electricity each time your computer is left idle. £13.90 from GadgetPages.

Dryer Balls

Not exactly the most glamorous eco-gadget, but an important one if you’re a tumble-dryer user.   This will reduce the time that your clothes spend in the dryer by 25%, and cut out the need for a fabric softener. £8.99 from Amazon.

I’ve just finished reading an interesting blog post over on Crafting a Green World about whether or not bamboo products are actually green.  To cut a long story short, here’s a summary of the pros and cons offered in the article:

Pros

• Like hemp, bamboo doesn’t require chemical fertilizers and pesticides to grow
• It actively improves the soil that it’s grown in
• It grows fast, because it’s a grass, not a tree
• It requires little water
• It absorbs more CO2 and releases more O2 than many trees

Cons

• Some (but not all) bamboo processors use harsh chemicals to turn the stalks into fibres
• The current demand for bamboo as a “greener” material is cause overharvesting of some species

The fact remains though that if bamboo is not overharvested and is processed in a less chemical manner (which is possible and done by some manufacturers), that it is a greener resource than for example cotton or hardwoods.  And it is a very versatile material, that can be fashioned into nappies, kitchen stuff, furniture, clothes and even coffee filters.

Next month will see the opening of Havering’s new Elm Park Library, near Hornchurch.  It is one of Greater London’s greenest buildings.  The library scooped a Sustainable Design and Construction award in the Havering Business Awards and is the first low-Carbon Library in Greater London.  It is also Havering’s greenest building.

In these economic times, it makes sense to build green (or renovate green) to save money in the long run as fuel prices sky-rocket.  You could install low energy lighting, a wind turbine or solar lighting to make your house greener, and save you money.  Or make your own natural paint for decorating.  Esprit Cabane, one of my favourite blogs, has recipes for all sorts of paints and finishes.

In the West, we are obsessed with cleanliness.  We wash and we scrub (or get someone else to do it for us), we disinfect and do our very best to get rid of all forms of bacteria in our homes.  In doing so, we inadvertently breed superbugs and damage our children’s natural immunities that would normally develop as a result of exposure to small amounts of bacteria and good old fashioned dirt.

Not only is our extreme cleanliness unnecessary and in some cases actually harmful, but the products that we use to achieve such perfection are damaging our health and that of our families, as well as aquatic and animal life in the environment that supports us when our cleaning chemicals go down the drain or leach into the soil from the packaging that we discard in landfill.

To reduce your exposure to chemicals and to move away from the “anti-bacterial”trend in cleaning products, try using more eco-friendly products like Ecover or Bio-D.  Or save money and reduce waste by employing the cleaning practices of our grandmothers.   Salt, borax, bicarb, lemon, distilled vinegar and soda crystals (all much cheaper to buy than shop-bought cleaners) can tackle any household cleaning job.

When you buy cleaners, buy the biggest sized container that you can store.  Larger sized containers mean less waste in the long run.  It usually works out more economical to buy in bulk too.

Natural cleaning tips:

Use salt and lemon to clean kitchen surfaces, bar counters and wooden chopping boards.

Bicarbonate of soda and a damp cloth with shine sinks and other stainless steel kitchen appliances.

An equal mix of distilled vinegar and water leaves windows and mirrors streak-free.

De-scale your kettle with vinegar.  Leave kettle for a few hours with vinegar in it.  Then empty and rinse.  Boil with water a couple of times before making your tea.

Remove nasty smells in the fridge by putting a little bicarb in a cup in the fridge.  Odours will be absorbed by the bicarb.

It’s the time of year that most people are trying to reduce their waistlines after all the Christmas eating and drinking.  As a change from the traditional, I propose a waste reduction challenge for 2009.  How about it?

To get us started, here are some simple ideas that will immediately reduce waste in our lives.

1. Get your milk from the milkman.  The glass bottles that you return are reused time and time again, saving lots of waste.

2. Put up a sign in your window or by your front saying something along the lines of: “No junk mail, leaflets or take-away menus please”.

3.  Sign up to the Mail Preference Service to stop getting unsolicited junk mail (it’s completely free).  Also remember to tick (or not tick if they’ve sneakily done it the other way around) the option on forms to not receive marketing mail.

4.  Get your bank statements and utility bills online.

5.  Stop buying bottled water.  Instead, get yourself a reusable water bottle and keep it filled with tap or filtered water.

Here’s a hint to keep you from turning up the thermostat on those really cold winter nights.  Keep a blanket or two over the arm of your sofa for wrapping yourself in at night when you’re sitting around and likely to feel cold.   Blankets are also perfect for snuggling up with in front of a roaring fire.

Look in charity shops for good second hand blankets, much more environmentally friendly than buying new.

Or if you’re the creative type, knit yourself a blanket or throw, using organic yarn to make it a green project.

Photo: Dover Road by Elizabeth Mattfield [www.freepatterns.com]

As we feel the pinch of the global recession, we don’t always remember our good intentions towards the environment.  We’re looking at ways to save money, and that can sometimes be at the expense of the environment.  But it doesn’t have to be that way.  There are numerous ways to go green that will also save you money.  Here are some ideas for saving money and achieving a greener lifestyle.

Stop using paper towel in the kitchen, opting instead for reusable cloths.  Even better if the cloths are cut or torn from old towels or clothing that have seen better days.

Stop buying expensive and potentially toxic household cleaners and switch to eco-friendly and very effective bicarbonate of soda for cleaning baths, sinks and surfaces in the kitchen and bathroom.

Be more conscious of how much toilet paper you are using.

Get the very last bit out of bottles of shampoo and shower gel by swirling a little water around in the bottle.

Walk more, leave the car at home.

Dry your washing on the line, or on a clothes horse or travel clothes line indoors in bad weather.

Use junk mail envelopes and paper that’s only been printed on one side as note paper.  Clip it all together with a bulldog clip and keep it at the phone.

Grab a jumper or shawl before thinking about turning up your thermostat.

Little changes will make all the difference to your pocket, and to the planet.  Don’t stop making the little changes.