Green World

Hi everyone,  Welcome back to Green World for our first post of 2024! As explained in our wrap up post, this year the monthly series will switch between challenges and book reviews. We're starting with a challenge and this month we're challenging you to cut down on your waste! 1. No single use plastic bags challenge Plastic bags are a disaster for the environment and they're not always even usable for us. Some of the really thin plastic bags will just rip as soon as you put something in them which is a nightmare if you're out shopping and need to transport your groceries home. When these plastic bags are then thrown away, they cause significant damage to our planet. Plastic bags often clog waterways and sewers which is a massive problem. Waterways, such as streams, and their ecosystems depend on moving water and if they get too blocked, the migration of different species is hindered. If a dam starts to form with all of the sticks, rocks and more plastic that is being tr...

Hi everyone, We always talk about endangered species and how we really need to help them. But we never really say how we can help them. I mean of course, stop climate change , remove the plastic pollution from the ocean, ban hunting, but those are massive tasks and not easy or quick to do. So how do scientists stop species from going extinct? With nearly 40 000 species threatened, there is no one solution for all species. Habitat conservation and official protection One of the most basic and yet often really effective form of conserving and restoring populations is to protect and conserve their habitats. This often includes legal bodies forbidding deforestation or mining. Many habitats have been made into national parks or other protected areas and in some places, visitors are strictly prohibated. In other places, voluteers are working day and night to clear plastic on beachs and in rivers. Bans on hunting and poaching have been effect...

Welcome to December! We thought it would be cool to find 10 ways you can use a plastic bottle even after you have refilled it gazillion times, so you don't waste all the plastic . Because, even if you try to avoid plastic bottles at all costs, you will inevitably end up using hundreds of them throughout your life. The impact on the environment is undisputed, from the land animals to the creatures of our seas, plastic bottles can have a detrimental impact. But we can reuse them in lots of fun ways, here are our ten favourites. Have a good December and a great new year, you'll hear from us! 1. Bird Feeder At one of our blog meet-ups, we actually made a bird feeder out of an old plastic bottle, so this is definitely one we can vouch for. It's super simple, as long as you have some good scissors to cut the bottle and a suitable place to hang it. Below is a photograph of ours for some inspiration, and there are plenty of resources online to ...

Hello and welcome back to another post! The pandemic has affected us all in many ways but what about the environment. How has it been affected? Today we'll be going into that. How did it start? So COVID-19 broke out in late 2019 in China but how it started is still a greatly controversial topic. Prof Stephan Turner told  The Guardian in an online article in April: [...] says what’s most likely is that virus originated in bats. However, how it transferred to humans still isn't 100% certain. Scientists mostly agree that it didn't come directly from a bat, but instead was transferred through another animal. Regardless of how it reached humans, the main idea is that it came from a live animal, either in a food market or in the meat industry . Either way, it was our mistreatment of animals that lead to this disastrous pandemic that has claimed the lives of over 6.5 million people! Emissions When many businesses, industries and...

Hi, So this post was requested on Twitter after our September Top Tips about recycling . Today we will be talking about how to turn complete waste into something reasonably valuable. This is basically a form of upcycling but to a more extreme level. 1. Ecobricks So, almost a year ago we did a post about ecobricks , but they are such a good example of turning waste into valuables that we decided to put it here anyway. Ecobricks are a building material made from plastic. The waste plastic is washed and then compacted into a clean plastic bottle (also waste). The bottle becomes very hard and durable. Multiple bottles can then be used as bricks and cemented together. The 'bricks' are strong and do not decompose. For more info, read our post where we go into more detail. 2. Metals Although this may seem like something not worth the time. When you separate the metals in waste (for example an old car), you can get usable metal out ...

Hi everyone, Today we are going to be talking about recycling. Recycling is quite big thing in the media, with some critics saying that it doesn't help. But I would say that even though it isn't going to save the world, it will make a small difference and probably save you some money! So here are some recycling ideas (although depending on your personal situation it might be up cycling or down cycling): An old t-shirt turned into an apron An old t-shirt turned into a cushion Tin cans turned into plant pots Tin cans turned into pencil holders Plastic bottles or clear plastic tubes turned into bird feeders An old handbag turned into a picnic basket Lotion, shampoo and conditions bottles turned into storage A shoebox turned into a make up organiser Old t-shirts turned into a baby blanket Plastic spoons turned into mirror decorations Bike parts into a lamp shade An old piano turned ...

Welcome to the Top Tips this month! We'll be talking about 10 things you can avoid using in everyday life. We know it's a really simple topic, but it can actually make quite a difference. The avoidable stuff will be things many use because they look nice or taste nice or similar, but aren't actually necessary. We will also write a couple of facts on these things, and give ideas on how you could substitute them if possible. Many might be very obvious, but think about it, do you actually not use them? Have fun! Chewing Gum Most people would not be surprised when told that lots of chewing gum have synthetic colouring and flavouring. However, most people would be surprised when told that chewing gum is largely made of plastic. What the companies call the "gum base" is plastic and partly made of the same stuff plastic bags are made of. The gum contains microplastics that, if you spit your gum on the ground often tend to get into the oce...

Eco Bricks Are they the key to the world's plastic pollution problem? Or at least a helpful factor if they became a permanent solution with no disadvantages? But what are they anyway? How are they useful? And how can individuals help every day? Here are some tips for everyone wanting to save plastic and help the earth. Eco bricks are plastic bottles, filled densely with hard and soft plastic that make a bottle so hard and sturdy that they could be used to build houses. Which in fact, they are. To make an Eco-Brick, you need a clean and dry plastic bottle, a long stick and lots of plastic. All plastic must be clean and dry, so it should be washed and dried or hung up to dry before usage. Now the bottle can be filled with layers of soft and hard plastic alternately that is pushed down with the stick to fill every corner of the bottle. That is done until the Eco-Brick is entirely stuffed with plastic and hard as a brick. The advan...

Hi Everyone! Today I want to tell you about something I think is very exciting. If you want to recycle more plastic then this could be your chance! Co-op and Sainsbury's have both launched a new soft plastics recycling scheme where you bring your 'soft plastics' (things like crisp packets, chocolate wrappers and fruit and veg bags) into a designated area. For 'hard plastics' such as yoghurt pots, juice cartons and fruit and veg punnets, you can use either your local kerbside collection but not every area collects plastics in this way, including mine so we collect ours and bring it to the tip ourselves. To check if it's a soft plastic you can use the scrunch test- scrunch up the object and if it pings back then it is probably plastic. Then you need to clean it and bring it into one of the stores. Co-op even accepts plastics from other retailers! Co-op uses the plastic to make bin bags for use in the store which I think is a g...

Hi Everyone! Today I wanted to share a few apps that have helped me in my mission to be as plastic free as possible and recognising plants and birds. They are all 100% free! The first app we have already mentioned- Refill . It is one of my personal favourites. It was originally made to tell you where you can Refill your water bottle for free when out and about but they have recently expanded to showing shops you can refill your coffee, buy loose products and other functions I haven't got the hang of yet! You can set a reminder to a certain time so you remember to walk out the door with your water bottle. It is all in an effort to reduce the amount of plastic bottles we purchase. At the moment it isn't as useful as usually though as we aren't going anywhere! This is a screenshot of a random place in Taunton. You can see there are three refill stations here! ...

We have told you a bit about the problems that the environment is facing in previous posts but we haven’t told you how to help the environment around the house. You don’t even need a garden to make a difference! Ways to help stop global warming Tip 1: Turn the lights off when you leave a room. Tip 2: Walk or cycle on short journeys. Tip 3:  Don’t have the windows open and the heaters on at the same time. Tip 4: Never leave your engine running Tip 5: If you can, buy an electric car as these produce less Co2.   Ways to help stop plastic pollution  Tip 1: Buy a water bottle. It seems simple but every year the UK uses an estimated 13 billion plastic bottles. Tip 2: Use a bar of soap and a bar of shampoo instead of shower gel and bottled shampoo. Some say soap can dry your skin out but if you do your research you can find plastic-free high-quality soap, perhaps at a price but it depends on where you get it from. Tip 3: Make...

Hello Everyone, Plastic was once a miracle material but now it is the enemy. And we are the last generations who can do anything about it. If we want future generations to experience the world in all its amazing beauty like we have: we have to make a difference. We have the power to change the world for the better or for the worst. There will always be people who don't care about the environment but we do and so we need to do what we think is right. So join the campaign and fight for a better future. For our planet to return to its natural way with incredible biodiversity and amazing ecosystems. We have to make a difference now because all around the world animals are suffocating, drowning, and dying because of humans. You may think it isn't your problem but ultimately you are human and humans make plastic. Honestly, I can't believe that it has gotten to this point. We just have to change something because there is obviously something we ...

Hello, I wanted to clarify exactly how plastic affects the environment. I hope this will explain. When plastic breaks, it releases toxic gasses that poison animals. Also, if plastic is swallowed it could cut or damage the inside of the animal. Many animals such as turtles and dolphins mistake the small plastic fragments for food. Even if the plastic is too small to cut into the insides of the animal or cause choking, too many micro plastics inside an animal will eventually block the digestive tracts and they will starve to death.  Recent research proves that plastic has entered the human body. This is because plankton eats microplastics and small fish eat plankton. Bigger fish eat smaller fish and we eat the bigger fish. So inside us is plastic. Plastic also blocks waterways and sewers. This leads to the perfect breading grounds for disease carrying animals such as mosquitos. When plastic is burned it releases those toxic gas...