One of my goals for moving into the new house in Lowton was to be as “green” as possible when kitting the place out with essential goods.
As anyone who knows me will know, I’ve turned into a borderline fanatical eco-thinker. I recycle almost everything, evangelise ethical and green living, and have got an annoying habit of nagging friends and family into doing the same. I guess I’ve turned into one of those annoying religious types who try to force their beliefs on others – except my religion is being “green”. Mental note to self – calm down. 
So the goal was to re-use existing items wherever possible and if I needed to buy new then buy energy-efficient or ethically sound.
It’s definitely harder than it seems. I’ve already become aware that reconciling my green thinking with my career as an IT Consultant is difficult. Computers use electricity, lots of it, and aren’t very recycle-able. I try my best. It’s the same for a new home.
I’ve already taken steps to make the home more energy efficient. Draught-proofing, insulation, low-energy lightbulbs, lined curtains, etc. I’ve moved to a green energy provider – making sure all electricty comes from renewable sources.
The Fridge/Freezer that was already at the house caused me to consider. It was about 8 years old, labelled “Eco Plus” but I’d hazard a guess it wasn’t as energy efficient as modern models. It worked, but the Freezer Unit door was missing – thus when turned on the Freezer worked overtime to keep cold, and lowered the temperature of the Fridge section too much. My initial thought was to replace with a brand new more energy efficient model. But then I recalled a web-site I’d seen that encouraged people to buy spare parts for their “White Goods” instead of replacing them. They didn’t have my specific Fridge/Freezer Part in, but to their credit they tracked it down, it was reasonably priced, arrived quickly and I’ve now a fully working Fridge/Freezer. I’m still not sure whether it’s better to fix a less-energy efficient model than it is to buy a brand new one – answers on a postcard please.
Then there was the rubbish left behind by the previous owner. This included some old double glazing units, some wooden pallets, industrial sized plastic tubing, and more. The easy option would have been to take this to the tip – but instead I turned to Freecycle. I’ve mentioned Freecycle before, but in a nutshell it’s a collection of groups of people in almost every location across the world who give away unwanted items that may be useful to others locally. The higher goal is to stop items ending up in Landfill. I’ve used it quite a bit in Birmingham after de-cluttering sessions, to give away all manner of items. Old Computers, Books, Electrical Equipment – all of which has been easy to give away. There will always be people who are happy to receive a free Television or Computer! But giving away things such as old Double Glazing or Industrial piping would be more difficult… or so I thought! To my surprise and delight, the items were given away with ease. It put a smile on my face to know that somebody else could make good use of items that even I’d consider to be headed to the dump.
But I’ve gone a step further with Freecycle this time, and used it to source some items that I’d otherwise have bought. So far I’ve picked up an Ironing Table, and a Clothes Airer – both in good nick and otherwise heading to the tip. I’m currently trying to get hold of a 3 peice suite for the living room – they are given away all the time as people replace furniture.
If you’ve not checked out Freecycle before – you’re bound to find it useful. It really is a case of “One man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure!”
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