As you are aware, the main purpose of Greenerversion is to provide a database of 'greener' alternatives to everyday products. What you may not be aware of is that you (yes YOU) are able to add your own greener versions to the site. Here are the simple instructions to add your own versions to the site:

2. Log-In once your registration is active.

3. Click on My Products, followed by Add Product.

4. First enter the greener product and details followed by the conventional product (the 'less' green choice). 

5. Upload product pictures and coupon links (if applicable).

6. Hit submit.

7. The new product will be activated and promoted to the site within 4 hours.

Earlier this month, famed Texas billionaire T. Boone Pickens publicly announced his Plan to reduce America's foreign dependancy on Oil. Based on information from his website, the U.S. is currently importing 70% of it's Oil requirements. Another startling statistic mentioned on his site is that the U.S. uses approximately 25% of the World's daily Oil production, even though the U.S. represents only 4% of the World's population. Here are the general goals of Picken's Plan:

- Currently, 22% of the Country's electricity needs are provided by Natural Gas. Pickens is lobbying politicians to focus their energy on promoting Wind Power development from a corridor that stretches from the Texas Panhandle to North Dakota

- The Plan contemplates using Wind Power to satisfy the 22% current requirement for Natural Gas, it will free up Natural Gas to be used for Transportation Requirements

- In The Plan, the use of Natural Gas for Transportation requirements is desireable due to much lower emissions than Gasoline and Diesel. In addition, the price of Natural Gas is currently much lower than Diesel and Gasoline ($1.00 per Gallon) - although this will naturally rise with demand

- The Plan requires a minimum of $1 Trillion Dollar investment on the part of the U.S. Government and Private Firms to build the required Wind Power Generation sites along with a further $200 Billion for the capacity to transmit the power generated from wind.

Pickens himself has committed $700 Million of his own money to The Plan, along with a massive advertising campaign in which he promises to be more visible than both Presidential candidates combined over the next six months. His financial commitment alone is huge, but he also has alot to gain. Pickens already has huge stakes in both Wind Power generation as well as Natural Gas exploration and development.

Some may say why not go beyond the 22% requirement for Electricity, and emphasize the use of electric vehicles. The truth is that The Plan is a great potential compromise between what we (North Americans) have and what we could eventually have. This plan could satisfy the required returns of venture capital, as well as the goals of society. If realized, The Plan could turn our continent into a greenerversion of its former self.

Due to the fact that I am on the road four days per week, I have accumulated my fair share of parking tickets. Based on each municipalities rules I probably deserved each and every one, but I had a problem dealing with each and every one. Other than making sure vehicles are not parked in front of fire hydrants, exits or causing unnecessary traffic delays, parking should be free on almost all streets. Instead of relying on parking meter violations to build their current accounts, municipalities should instead turn the focus of their Parking Meter Soldiers (Commissionaires in London, Ontario) from catching parking violators to catching energy wasters.

I was returing home from out of town late last Wednesday, and was entering our City in a largely industrial area. While driving I noticed a huge demonstration of wasted energy. Most of the plants and facilities I passed on my way home had left the majority of their lights in their offices on, in addition, most of their very empty parking lots were lit so well I could play road hockey. In this day and age, that sort of waste should not be allowed. In addition, as I was driving through the core of the City, I noticed many office buildings lit up like Christmas trees. This sort of behaviour should be penalized, and in my opinion could be a more attractive revenue source for municipalities since it does serve the needs of city, province, state, country. Parking enforcement is a zero sum game, there is one entire winner and one entire loser. On the other hand, energy use enforcement provides revenue for the city, discourages unneeded energy use, reduces the energy expense for businesses and helps to bring energy costs to potentially more reasonable levels.

The difficulty with this type of enforcement is the potential subjectivity involved. Every business will fight fines when they are told "You had too many lights on last night". Separate guidelines would have to be established offices, factories, parking lots etc. and take into account safety and operational concerns. If municipalities were to develop reasonable guidelines, and change the role of their Parking Meter Soldiers to Energy Consumption Soldiers I will never have a parking fine again, and our cities will be a greenerversion of their former selves......

Along with the growing trend of going green, many people are looking past household items and their automobiles and choosing investment products that suit their socially conscious priorities. Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) is a hot trend in North America with total invested assets in socially conscious investments (mainly Mutual Funds) totaling over 2.4 Trillion Dollars (source: Jantzi Research).

What exactly is Socially Responsible Investing?

The main focus of SRI is to seek out suitable investments that are able to deliver the desired financial returns while affecting positive social change. The problem with such a general definition is that it can lead to liberal interpretation and possible missuse. However, there are some commonalities among most SRI Mutual Funds, such as the exclusion of any security in a portfolio from the following industries:

• alcohol
• gaming
• genetic engineering
• coal power
• nuclear power
• pornography
• tobacco
• weapons
• Companies with poor environmental records or large environmental footprint (oil, lumber and chemical companies etc.)

In addition some funds seek to further their 'exclusion list' by not including any securities which have historically used inhumane labour practices or supported war in any way.

Again, the problem with these types of investments is the criteria which the individual fund companies use in their selection process. That is why it is important that the companies you invest with should prescribe to an industry standard or belong to an accepted SRI association. In Canada, one of the popular associations in the SRI arena is the Social Investment Organization , which is the preeminent non-profit national association in Canada for the SRI Industry. Many of Canada's top Mutual Fund companies belong to this organization and prescribe to a minimum accepted standard investment criteria.

In the U.S., a good place to start would be Social Investment Forum , which is the only National membership-based association devoted to advancing the goals of Socially Responsible Investing in the U.S. This association boasts over 500 members.

As I am just starting to research SRI, please stay tuned for new posts with respect to particular funds and companies.......

The focus of Greenerversion is to slowly but surely influence our collective purchasing habits to help create a more sustainable economy and planet. Within the last eighteen months, a book was published which sought to educate the public on the real impact of our choices on the environment, and the dangerous side effects of the Global economy. This book, The 100 Mile Diet, is a first hand account of two people's (Alisa Smith & J.B. Mackinnon) journey to only consume foods produced within a 100 miles radius of their home for one full year. The book follows the trials and tribulations of this experiment in local consumption, but it also serves as a sobering account of the real impact our convenience lifestyle has had on our environment. The most startling fact presented in this book is that the average food product travels a distance of 1500 miles from farm to plate in it's lifecycle. Facts like these serve not only as a wake up call, but also as a selling point on the whole premise of the 100 Mile Diet. This 'great read', forced me to take a inventory of all the great products that are produced at our doorstep. Here is my partial list:

• Beer - Yes, the original Labatt's Brewery is located within ten blocks of our home. Unfortunately, the focus of this brewery seems to be on the production of lower-priced/ lower-quality beers, nevertheless it is beer and it is local. Where is your nearest brewery? You should know this quicker than you know where the nearest fire exit is.
• Ketchup - Just down the road from London, is Leamington, Ontario. Leamington is home to one of the largest Heinz factories in the world. One of the biggest roles this plant serves is the production of Ketchup (the second most consumed product in our household behind milk). Leamington (and the surrounding area) is home to some of the most fertile agricultural land in Canada, which serves the main source in production of the main ingredient in Heinz Ketchup - Tomatoes. Did you know that a Tomato is a fruit? I think this is bulls&%t, but I'm no scientist
• Bacon - Just north of London, is home to some of the largest pork producers in Canada. Although many of these farms are considered 'Factory Farms' and not particularily helpful for the environment, many local farmers are beginning to adopt more sustainable and humane farming practices. This bodes well for the future of bacon - my favourite food.
• Maple Syrup - The London region is home to four large maple syrup producers. This expensive but great tasting Canadian tradition is available within 20 kilometres of almost any town/city in the Province. After we stop fighting for oil, I predict countries will begin to fight for Maple Syrup - thank God Bush has run out of Presidential terms.

Based on this small list alone, I think I may be able to complete my own 100 Kilometre Diet. Can you complete a similar list for your area? ..........

The headline itself causes a reaction, and based on experience it is usually a negative one. The library represents all that is right in the world; Order, Freedom, Ambition, Solitude etc. As our world becomes more digital, I have to pose the question - will libraries ever become obsolete?

When I have the time, there is nothing I like more than reading a good book or magazine. The reason I enjoy reading is not the physical act of holding a five hundred page novel, it is due to curiousity and pursuit of knowledge. Over the past four years, I have gradually replaced a large amount of daily newspapers, monthly magazines and other reading material with a even larger supply of online information (I have not taken the leap and purchased an E Book Reader, but my intention is to do so by the end of this year). What do I enjoy most about opting for online information instead of paper based media? Here is my list:

• Convenience - If I wanted to find out specific information about almost anything, I can do an online search and find what I am looking for immediately. I do not have write the question out on paper, and remember to take it to the library when I decide to go.
• Cost - Information, for the most part, is free online. Up until a couple of years ago, many online media outlets had subscription based revenue models instead of advertising based revenue models. This changed when they realized that people were continuing to abandon their paper based subscriptions in favour of free news and media outlets. The result is that almost all of the major media outlets now offer all of their content free, and in real time. People can give thanks to sites like Drudgereport for this.
• Variety - Up until a decade ago, everyone was bound by the significant constaints of traditional media. This meant that a handful of popular newspapers and magazines held a virtual monopoly on the 'Opinion Game'. Due to the fact that the internet offers virtually no barriers to entry, there has been an explosion of information (some credible and some not so credible). What this creates is a larger and more diverse selection of information to choose from. Every night I read around two hundred summaries of articles and blog posts via RSS feeds, some of this information is digested, and some of it is forgotten. The truth is that I have learned so much more about the world in the last couple years due to the internet than I had in the previous thirty years.
• Environmental Benefits - people assume that they are just saving trees when they opt for a computer screen instead of paper, but the truth is that it is only a small part of the benefits for the environment. Trees are saved, transportation is not necessary, large printing plants are not necessary. The only 'required' resources are a computer and a creative mind.

Will I see the elimination of the library in my lifetime? Probably not, but you most definitely will see a reduction in the construction of new ones, and potentially a change in purpose for many existing ones. I know this topic is controversial, but give it some thought. Libraries do not have to be a physical location, the future library can be a Greenerversion of it's old self.

My whole weekend was spent landscaping, and it got me thinking about more ways to reduce our environmental impact without having to sacrifice the the look of a well groomed property. I looked around at many houses in our neighbourhood and realized that one of the most important features of almost every property were trees. We are lucky to live in an older area of our city with many mature trees lining our streets (the nickname of our city is the "Forest City). Here is some important inofrmation regarding trees which you may or may not be aware of:

• The average tree can absord 13 pounds of CO₂ per year
• For every ton of new wood that grows, about 1.5 tons of CO₂ are removed from the air, and 1.07 tons of oxygen are produced
• During a 50 year life span, one tree will generate $30,000 worth of oxygen, remove $60,000 of air pollution, and recycle $35,000 of water. This means the average tree during it's lifecycle is worth $125,000!
• If trees are placed properly on a property, heating costs can be reduced by 10 - 15% (acting as a wind-break), and reduce cooling costs by 10 - 20% (due to shade)
• Trees greatly reduce run-off from rainfall (acting as an interceptor), which saves our storm drains and treatmeant facilities
• Trees reduce soil erosion
• Patients in hospitals recover at a slightly higher rate when they are provided with views of trees

These are just a fraction of the many benefits of trees (provided by www.treelink.org). We have decided to buy a mature tree for our backyard, and we are also committed to planting one tree for every 3200 km traveled by automobile. This will yield approximately 23 - 25 trees planted in the coming year. We plan to plant these trees at a relative's property in the country (our property isn't big enough). You don't have to plant dozens of trees on your property, but I would ask you to consider planting at least one tree this year and consider more in subsequent years. Planting trees make a whole lot of sense! Your yard will become a greenerversion of it's former self.

With more and more people trying their hand at personal energy production, it is becoming more likely that we may see De-Centralized Power sometime before I die (sometime in the next 50-60 years- hopefully). What is De-Centralized power you ask? It is simply generating enough energy through renewable sources to fulfill all your personal energy requirements. For residential consumers, due to huge advances in Solar and Battery technology, de-centralized power would mean stopping our reliance on massive power plants that require huge investments and may output more than power (pollution etc.). Another important step in de-centralized power is price. The price of residential solar panels and wind turbines have dropped substantially over the past decade - while improving in efficiency. This is due to higher demand for these products, which has lead to massive investments in these areas. Many of the preminent Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms have placed huge bets on both Solar and Wind power.

One of my mottos is "Always follow the smart money!", and in this industry there is a ton of "Smart Money" chasing potential returns, and as a by-product turning the Energy sector into a Greenerversion of it's former self.

I think it is great that everyone and their cousin knew about Earth Day today. I have never seen such activity during a work week devoted to cleaning up our act. On the flip side, I have never heard so many whiners in all my life. It wasn't the hard-nosed climate-hating conservatives who were doing all the whining, it was the hard-nosed tree-hugging environmentalists. Now that 'going green' has become so popular, the once brilliant lustre has dulled somewhat in the eyes of portions of the environmental faithful. It is my belief that many of today's brightest environmental activists were attracted to this movement due to it's lack of acceptance in society in the past . In general terms some of these people simply wanted to be different, and now they aren't that different at all.

All day today I listened to various radio shows who had numerous people as guests or 'call-ins' complain that the green movement has become to commercial, and that many people are using the continued green movement as a clever way to market products. I say good on them!

If XYZ company has reduced the packaging by 25% on it's new line of liquid benzene - that is most definitely Green-Washing. On the flip side, if ABC company has reduced the packaging by 10% on it's new line of electronic widgets, they have made a positive (albeit small) step towards real environmental change. They have every right to market the fact that these products are a greener version of its regular or previous product lines.

For all the detractors out there, think of any other time in your lifetime when you have seen so many people picking up trash in ditches, refusing plastic bags in stores, kids teaching their parents about climate changes issues etc. My point is that our world is changing for the better, even if the process is slow. After all there are only six billion of us out there!

Happy Earth Day To You!  and many more........

According to recent statistics , our collective recycling efforts have increased dramatically (especially in the last 5 years). This is encouraging news since it is diverting millions of pounds of recycleable waste away from our landfills. This definitely points to a brighter future, but what about the past. Think about the decades gone by, and all that Tin, Aluminum, Plastic and Glass thrown in garbage bags, and subsequently buried underground. Think about all that valuable compostable waste that could be providing nutirents for our plants, trees etc. Could it be that our landfills are the Mines of the future? 

This suggestion may seem far-fetched at present time, but this suggestion could become reality in the not to distant future. Think about it, companies spend trillions of dollars to squeeze every last  drop of oil out of the ground, why not spend some dollars to investyigate methods of waste recovery from our landfills. In addition, we would require no exploration dollars - we know exactly where the landfills are and where they used to be. Our collective goal should  be to get to the elusive Zero Waste point, where everything is recycled, composted or reused. The next step will be to get to Zero Waste going backward - which is the excavation of our landfills to recover every last drop of recycleable / compostable material.

Please stay tuned for more posts regarding this matter, I find the topic very intriguing and potentially profitable for people in the future - if efficiency can be achieved in this endeavour. Even if we can just eliminate 10% of the current volume of waste from our existing (and historical) Landfills, think of the potential benefits to society...

Our Lanfills may one day be a Greenerversion of their former selves.......

When the Duke Blue Devils left the floor at this year's NCAA basketball tournament, you probably thought they were simply outplayed - you are so wrong it hurts. The staff at Greenerversion have uncovered the truth to Duke's early exit this year. An unnamed source close to the team has provided detailed information which proves that the team just felt plain guilty about the huge Carbon Footprint caused by all the travelling throughout the year. In other words, they purposely lost their final game versus West Virginia.

Early this year, Duke launched a new campaign to rally students, staff and alumni to reduce their collective impact on the environment, this campaign called "Bleed Blue. Live Green" was a huge success. Ever since that campaign was launched, the team and it's coaching staff have been doing some soul searching. Our unnamed source was in the locker room with the team prior to the start of this year's NCAA Tournament. According to our source, there was a lot of crying and yelling, some of the comments made were:

• "How can I show my face in public when we just caused 30,000 tonnes of GHGs to be released into the environment"

• "Carbon Footprint, Carbon Footprint! Look at at my feet, I'll show you my Carbon Footprint! These sneaks have traveled over 20,000 miles so I can wear them for one game!"

• "Did you know that the court at Cameron Indoor was made from virgin trees from the Brazilian rainforest? Why the f#$% didn't somebody tell me?

Apparently, this guilt finally came to a head at halftime of the game versus West Virginia, Coach Krzyzewski simply said "This game is over, I cannot bare the guilt. Let them win,  we have bigger things to worry about". That's all it took and the team's fate for the year was sealed. After the game, instead of climbing aboard a plane, they all piled into one Toyota Prius and headed back to Raleigh. The actions of the team may have made some bookies mad, but they made the world proud. Rumour has it that they are considering canceling their endorsement contact with Nike, in favour of one with Birkenstock. More to come on that one folks!

Slowly but surely our lives are becoming more green each day. It is refreshing to see more and more companies launching marketing campaigns centred around efforts to reduce their environmental impact. Whether it is more environmentally friendly product alternatives, or simply energy saving technology used in plants around the world times are a changin'. Some may argue that it is just clever marketing, I would argue that it does not matter – we are all being bombarded everyday with multiple ‘green’ messages. These messages can’t help but sink in. These messages are being sent to exact people that control our economies – the consumer. Slowly but surely, companies which don’t do their part for the environment will be squeezed out, and new and more eco-friendly companies will rise up. What I am suggesting is a symbiotic relationship where capitalism and eco-consciousness can exist together. This perceived utopia will never exist unless you and I start changing our habits. One of the best ways to change our daily habits is to experiment with minor ‘tweaks’ in our lives for short periods of time (my suggestion is 15 days at a time). My hypothesis is that some of these changes will stick in your daily lives, and others will not – the point is that if we do not try, nothing will change. Here are some suggestions that I have either tried or intend to try:

Keep It In The Driveway – This is a difficult one (I am on the road four days per week), many people are not able to even attempt this one due to employment requirement. But for those with short distances to work and modern conveniences, forgoing your car for 15 days will improve the earth and your body. Up until three years ago, my job depended on me being in the office 5 days per week, this allowed me the opportunity to walk to work and back (since I lived only one kilometre from the office). I have never calculated the reduction in emissions that I was able to save until today, but I did see the benefits immediately. It served as a great way to wind down after work and helped to keep weight and cardiovascular health in check. If you are able, try it for 15 days, your wallet, your body and your earth will thank you.

Compost – You will first need a composter to accomplish this challenge. You can either purchase one at a hardware store, locate one via ebay, or build one (here is site which has plans for ones). We started in January composting and since that time we have become religious about it. Since we are a family of five, you can just imagine the amount of suitable food scraps that we generate on a daily basis. I suspect we will have two more composters by the end of the year. In hindsight, it makes us feel quite guilty about all the waste we have sent to landfills which could have been composted. Here is a list of suitable material you can compost…

Don’t Use Plastic Bags – This should be a fairly easy one, many retailers now offer re-useable bags for sale at a nominal cost. This bags can be used almost everywhere you go, and can hold much more due to their strength. I have estimated that we would receive around 15-20 plastic bags per week. This is an absolute waste. In the future I suspect many retailers will not use provide any non-re-useable bags. A great tip for helping you in this challenge is keeping your re-useable bags in your car.

Eat North American – This may be more difficult than you think. A lot of out-of season fruits and vegetables are brought here from Central or South American countries. At first thought you may think – So What? The problem is two fold – the cost of transporting those goods to your home using multiple modes (Ships, Railway, Long Haul Trucking), as well as lax standards with respect to use of herbicides and pesticides. It may cost you a little more but your body and the climate will be better for it. Again, try and achieve this challenge, if it doesn’t suit your lifestyle at the end of 15 days – you are free to revert back to your old ways, but you will become much more conscious of the above facts from this point forward.

Read Online – Reading a physical book or physical newspaper/magazine is nothing more than comfort food for minds. It is a great feeling to curl up with a great book or magazine and relax, but is it the only way to feed our minds? The answer is ‘no’. The newspaper industry is witnessing a the biggest revolution since the first printing machines where created. More and more, newspaper and media companies are focusing their entire growth efforts towards online content and less reliance on printed media. This is not a choice they have made on their own, it has been decided by the consumer and witnessed by dwindling subscriber bases for almost all major newspapers. Two years ago, I elected to stop purchasing a newspaper and instead read the online additions of these papers / magazines. It has become just as comfortable to do so as reading the physical copies. You can reduce the amount of trees being cut for your use and well as the transport and production pollution created in the printing process. I understand this is a very sensitive topic for many people but one which will become less sensitive as more people are re-trained for industries with less of an environmental impact and more students are trained as knowledge based workers. In addition, advances in e-book readers have improved substantially over the last few years.

Use Cold Water for Laundry – Many detergents these days are designed to be used specifically in cold water, and some of these are also designed to be environmentally neutral (I call these products – NO BRAINERS!). By using cold water only, you are greatly reducing unnecessary energy consumption and production.

Use a Clothesline Instead of a Dryer – Many municipalities (especially ones which have new subdivisions) do not allow the installation of clotheslines. Do it anyway. Recent court decisions have reversed these court decisions. Although this task can be difficult with larger families, you have to start somewhere. Try doing just shirts and pants for 15 straight days.

Towel Usage – In university, I would use the same towel for fifteen straight days before being washed. I have since learned that this practice might be quite unhygienic, but I think using the same bath towel for 3 or 4 days in a row before throwing it in the laundry in acceptable. If you are the only user of the towel, think about the reduction in you r water bill over the course of the year from this simple practice.

It’s A House, Not A Sauna – In winter, turn the heat down one degree. This is simple and can be done comfortably , you will get used to it – we did.

Our Parents Didn’t Have It – When you really think about it, Air Conditioning is a fairly recent technological advance, but almost all homes these days are built with Central Air included. In the summer time, turn it off for at least fifteen days, it may be easier than you think. You may not need to turn it off at all, if you have one of these air conditioners (link to solar powered air conditioners)

Again the above suggestions for 15 Day Challenges are only a handful. If you have any unique suggestions for a 15 Day Challenge – please comment below or email me – I will make sure that every Green Bastard is made aware of it.

We are right smack in the middle of a turning point in the history of the place we like to call home – Earth. We are now beginning to see the effects of the efficient and convenient lifestyles we have all become used to. These habits that have provided so much enjoyment are the same habits that will cause us and the Earth nothing but despair in the future.

The main function of this website is to provide Greener Alternatives (see Greener Versions) to the product choices we all take for granted. This is where we will solve the error of our ways. Many people are simply not aware that there exists a greener version of almost everything we eat, sleep on, drive, clean with etc. Through Greenerversion, we will aim to make your buying choices easy, convenient (‘cause we all like convenience) and rewarding.

By choosing to become a Green Bastard, you are choosing to participate in an environment that will empower yourself and your fellow visitors. Once you become a Green Bastard, you are able to submit your choices for Greener Versions, and at the same time provide insight to your fellow visitor. From us, you can expect a regular blog focused on the environment as well as our picks for articles that will continue to point you to the greener direction.

We are a young family of six ( yes six!), my spouse and I are both 32 and up until one year ago, we were both ignorant to very serious issues facing the environment. What opened our eyes? Our Daughter. One day our six year old Daughter came home from school and declared that our earth is warming and causing problems for the weather and animals and that she was scared. Although this statement seemed fairly benign, it was like a bomb went off our faces – because it was our offspring that was bringing this very important issue to our attention. Two weeks prior I had made a purchase that at the time I thought was amazing – a gas leaf blower (I can actually hear the gasps by some of you). That statement made sure that the leaf blower never saw the light of day – guilt is a powerful motivator. From that point forward, we decided that we would make a conscious effort to change those comfortable habits have caused our environment so much turmoil.

• Switch to Renewable Energy – instead of purchasing our power from our local utility, we decided to purchase energy from a company that provides Renewable Energy. The company, Bullfrog Power is the leading marketer and wholesaler of renewable energy in Canada. Although it costs a little extra per month – we feel much better at the end of the day when our bill arrives every month. Also, knowing that those Kilowatt hours cost a little more – it leads to more of a conscious effort to reduce consumption.
• Composting – We purchased a composter and have reduced the amount of waste we send to the landfill by half!
• Shredding – We have always been conscious recyclers – except for documents with personal information. We underestimated the amount of paper we receive that has some sort of personal info on it – so we purchased a shredder. In the first month we shredded enough ‘personal’ documents to fill a typical garbage bag. This effort not only shocked us, it also strengthened our resolve to try even harder.
• Pesticides and Herbicides – We finally realized that a green and weed-free lawn is not worth sacrificing our children’s health and our water supply.
• Gas Powered Sucks – We have sold our gas powered lawn mower, trimmer and the previously mentioned leaf blower and replaced them with rechargeable electric models.
• Water Usage – We have trained our young children to use showers instead of baths. We have stopped watering the grass. We have used our bath towels more than once. We are also looking for other ideas to reduce our water consumption – please send us your ideas.
• Buy Products that have less of an impact – this can range from products with less packaging to items made from entirely organic items. These habits and purchases are a ever growing list that will continue to grow over time.

These are the start of a trend in our habits which we will continue to improve on. Here are some of the other things we would like to do in the future:

·         Use a clothesline instead of the dryers

·         Buy more used items

·         Purchase hybrid vehicles

·         Build an environmentally friendly dream home which is entirely ‘off-grid’

·         Stay tuned………..