Monday 21 September 2009

Ethical, Green and Organic Bargains September 21 2009

I hope you are enjoying the Indian Summer we seem to be having right now. My bees are making the most of it, foraging on Himalayan balsam and ivy and stocking up for winter.

1. One of the best ways to save both energy and money is to ensure that our household appliances are as efficient as they can be. Old refrigerators, cookers and washing machines can be real energy-hogs and end up costing much more to run that the latest models. And now Marks & Spencer Appliances helps out by taking your old machine for recycling when they deliver a new one - a practice we will see much more over the next few years. Their prices are good, too.

2. As the nights get longer and cooler, you are probably thinking of warmer bedding (well, you are now!) and this could be a good time to check out So Organic Ltd where I have just noticed they have 20% off bedding and duvets at the moment.

3. Shoes. Irresistible. Terraplana say: "...we try hard to use a variety of eco-friendly materials and innovative minimal glue constructions. Shoes that are good for you, shoes made from recycled materials, the minimum shoe. The totally sustainable shoe is still a long way off but with each collection we get that little bit closer." Nice shoes, too.

4. Do you like having books read to you? I do. And you might be surprised at how many titles are available as audio books these days - take a look at Listen2Online to find out why books don't always have to be printed.

5. And back to the 'saving money on energy' theme - you might want to take a look at Save On Your Bills for some really good energy-saving tips and the possibility that you could make bigger savings by switching supplier. Their service is service is free, fast, completely impartial and accredited by Consumer Focus.

And finally - as I mentioned bees - there is a new charity to protect the interests of bees and to fund research into bee conservation and more natural beekeeping methods. If you would like to help, either by making a small donation or by spreading the word, take a look at Friends of the Bees for lots of free information about bees and natural beekeeping.