Go figure

I bought the Independent on Saturday, last Saturday strangely enough. Its focus was on the environment, as is often the case - the Independent does a lot green and environmental coverage. So I buy it every now and again, but not everyday as quite frankly that would be a waste - I simply don't have enough time to read a daily paper religiously.

The most I do read is the one of the free London papers which get shoved in ones hands at virtually every street corner at work 'hometime'! And they're rather tabloidy and gossipy. Not much serious news. Although one of them does a 'greenlondon' page every day which is good I guess.

Anyway, the Independent had a supplement on 'EcoLife'...and they presented some interesting figures to ponder. Such as:

• 80% of the world's forests have already been destroyed by human actions
• 0.7c is the approximate increase in global temperature since the industrial revolution
• The arctic ice sheet has shrunk 20-30% since 1980
• 3.5 billion people (more than half of the world's population) depend on the ocean for their food. That's a lot! They reckon that in the next 18 years, this number could double to 7 billion. (I assume the world's population will grow relative to this as well!)
• 21 million barrels of oil are released into the oceans each year - from street run-off, industrial effluent, and maritime economy. That's also a lot. :(

So lots of challenges for us, and things to think about.

I have decided just now (me being spontaneous) that I am going to have a go at creating a resource of GreenAbby Tips e.g. a piece of advice, a place (real or virtual) we can visit, a thing we can do - to help the environment, or live a bit more consciously/compassionately towards each other and the environment in some way. Some of these won't be new to you or particularly innovative, and they're not 'mine' as such. But hey this is my blog and I am just spreading the word, reminding myself and any other souls who are inclined to read this! Hence they're 'my' tips - GreenAbby Tips......! :)

GREENABBY TIP #01

If you're doing a clothes wash at 40 degrees. Turn down the temperature of the water/cycle to 30 degrees. Your clothes should still be clean, and smell nice.

GREENABBY TIP #02

(I'm on a roll now)....whilst we're on the subject, use environmentally friendly washing powder, such as Ecover. Contains biodegradable, plant-based materials.