St Johns WI
Those lush potted growing herbs you can buy at the supermarket are packed with multiple plants in one pot, meaning they struggle to all survive as they are all vying for nutrients and light. Wet the soil of the growing herbs, pull them out of their pot and tease them apart very gently before repotting them across the two or three more pots and top up with some peat-free compost, to give them room to thrive. Pass on one or two pots to friends or family.
Planting Seeds
Avoid using plastic pots when planting seeds, instead use cardboard inners from loo rolls. Stand them on a waterproof tray, fill with compost and when seeds have germinated transfer the whole thing to your growing bed or pot. The tube will protect the seedling and naturally decompose in the soil.
Shredded paper should be placed in an envelope or cardboard box before being placed in the blue recycling bin.
Email Storage
The more emails we send and receive, the more energy is required to store and transmit them. This is why deleting emails can help reduce the energy and resources needed to run the internet and lower carbon footprint.
Cloud storage requires quite a lot of electricity, which in most parts of the world is still generated by fossil fuels. This means that while emails no longer contribute to paper pollution, they still contribute to carbon emissions.
Useful information before travelling
Reuse and Recycle all your garden plant pots, plastic trays and compost bags at Squires Garden Centre.
Think before you buy
It takes 3,781 litres of water to make ONE pair of jeans, taking into account cotton production, manufacture, transport and washing.
You can limit your impact by repairing minor faults rather than replacing, donating rather than throwing away and choosing higher quality items that you think will last longer and washing each item less to prolong life and colour.
Pre-cycle - look at packaging before buying an item and if it is not recyclable find another option, even possibly finding an alternative with no packaging at all.
Lights on in the House
Every light left on is costing an amount which over the weeks, months and year is a substantial amount and a waste. Turn off anything that are not in use. Even more so now, we need to make sure we are not wasting energy.
Leave the tap running whilst cleaning your teeth and you can waste 12 litres of water, not good for the environment or your pocket!
Having just gone around the house and turned off various lights that were put on when it was dull earlier and now because it is brighter you don’t even notice they are on, I realised that the cost of this does add up. Thought it might be a good time to remind everyone to turn the lights off whenever you can.
The chart below is a good reminder of the cost that adds up per year, and the emissions they make.
Bulb Type Power Cost pr day
Standard 40W 3.34p
Energy Saving 8W 0.67p
Standard 60W 5.01p
Energy Saving 11W 0.92p Even this one left on 365 days = £335.80
Do you have any unwanted craft items? Fabric, wool, paper crafts, kits (even those started but not completed), patterns, books, basically anything that is craft related, as it can be sold in aid of the Woking Hospice or it will be found a good home. We have a contact who runs craft sales and they are always looking for more stock for the next sale. So if you have a craft room or just a knitting bag that is overly full please donate it to this very worthwhile cause. You are welcome to bring to Julie who will then arrange for collection by Lorraine and Mel who run the craft sales.
We will be advertising the next craft sale when the new dates are given.
Rather than purchase plastic ballpoint pens that would be thrown away after a while, consider getting a pen with a lovely nib (rollerballs) that would last a lifetime. It is also worth considering purchasing pencils with replacement leads.
Don't keep washing clothes so often.
Do you know that tights and stockings stay in landfill for up to 40 years?
Please put in a carrier bag and leave for the bin men, any week. They take any fabric, including sheets, pillow cases, scraps of left over fabric, torn and worn items. It gets sold by the ton and then sorted into type of fabric and recycled.
Reduce the amount of red meat you eat as cows release a lot of methane gas which is a major contributor to global warming
Following the recent revelation that tea bag fabric contained plastic, we were reminded that loose tea was cheaper and more environmentally friendly. It could also be used with a tea pot and strainer, like we used to do, or a tea ball infuser.
Check whether food packaging can be recycled along with carrier bags at supermarkets.
Use block shampoo and conditioner which doesn't use any packaging.
Turn off lights in rooms that are not being used.
Avoid food waste by planning meals and freezing. Use home compost or green food waste bin to avoid sending food to waste to landfill.
A reminder that clothes, textiles, shoes and small electrical items can be left out for the bin men to collect. These items are then recycled.
Recycling Christmas cards - those with glitter cannot be recycled and the same goes for wrapping paper. Also if old wrapping paper cannot be torn, then it is not suitable for the recycling bin.
Ask hotels if they recycle unused toiletries and only replace bottles once finished.
Many wipes for removing make-up, nail varnish and cleansing are not bio-degradable. One cheaper and environmentally friendlier alternative is to use cotton wool (which is bio-degradable) and liquid cleanser. Another option is to make washable fabric pads.