Seven steps to a greener future

We are constantly being told that this is going to be a financially difficult year for us all and I have been looking at ways in which we can make a real environmental difference and save a few pennies in the process. We often think that putting ecological considerations at the top of our agenda, we need to make costly capital investments, but nothing could be further from the truth.

My first tip is to buy a battery charger. Gadgets are now an everyday part of our lives but the side effect is that we throw away over 660 million batteries each year and although new EU regulations means that fewer batteries should end up in landfill, only 3% of batteries are presently recycled in the UK. Few councils have a battery recycling point; therefore they end up in landfill. With a solar charger, you can be soaking up the sun and listening to your ipod. The Freeloader is a portable solar charger that can power everything from phones to gaming machines to digital cameras and much more and costs under £25. A selection of battery chargers, at very reasonable prices, can be found at www.greenthinking.eu

In these days of increasing energy bills, looking at your energy consumption makes good financial sense. Consider getting low energy LED lights for your Christmas tree and then use them as lighting in your bedroom or lounge. Most DIY chain stores sell LED lights at very reasonable prices and you can even get a string of romantic hearts from B&Q for less than £8.

Next, look at your energy supplier and switch to a greener one. Dale Vince, Chief Executive of Ecotricity, promises that for every pound their customers spend on their Ecotricity bills, they will spend a pound building new sources of green electricity and that they will price match the big six for their standard ‘brown' electricity. Find out more at www.ecotricity.co.uk Good Energy is another company based in Wiltshire that supplies 100% renewable energy. Check out www.goodenergy.co.uk Many standard suppliers have a green energy tariff and it is worth talking to your current supplier to find out what proportion of their electricity is generated by renewable resources.

A new development in paint technology claims to reduce your heating bills by 25%. Thermilate is a special environmentally friendly ingredient that reflects heat back into the room and is suitable for walls and ceilings. It is particularly good for period homes and those without cavity walls where other types of insulation are not possible www.insulatingpaint.org/Thermilate Whilst on the subject of insulation, you should check out the grant systems in your area for cavity wall and loft insulation. Creative Environmental Networks work with Local Authorities across the South East to help residents become more energy efficient. Find them at www.cen.org.uk

The most cost-effective energy efficiency saving you can make is to switch to low energy light bulbs. They use less than 20% of the energy of a conventional light bulb, and can last up to 15 times longer. It is a myth that energy-saving light bulbs use more energy when first turned on. Carbon Footprint carried out an in-house investigation and found that if anything, low energy bulbs used slightly less energy when first switched on, gradually building up to a continual wattage. Much has been made in the media of the mercury contained in low energy light bulbs and again Carbon Footprint give this advice. "Low energy bulbs do contain a small amount of mercury which is not at all dangerous when contained within the bulb. The bulbs should be disposed of responsibly and can either be collected in your normal household waste bin or can be recycled at your local council's Household Waste and Recycling Centre."

One of the best ways of beating the credit crunch is to grow your own fruit and vegetables. One of the best websites I have found for simple information on gardening is the BBC. There are easy to follow instructions on growing fruit and vegetables and a good section on organic gardening. Look at the website for more details www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/growfruitandveg The book, Let it Rot, by Stu Campbell is the best composting guide I have ever read. First published in 1975, it is the composting bible, helping countless gardeners recycle waste materials to create useful, soil-nourishing compost. Published by Storey and retailing at £7.99.

When you have grown all your delicious fruit and vegetables, keeping and storing it is a must. A very good book by Piers Warren, How to Store Your Garden Produce, is available from Green Books, price £7.95 www.greenbooks.co.uk

If growing your own is not your thing, visit a local farmers' market for high quality, fresh food. You may be surprised to find that often produce is cheaper than you can find in the local supermarket. Riverside and Roath Farmers' Market did a price comparison with one of the big supermarkets and found that the majority of products on a like for like basis were significantly cheaper at the farmers' market. For example, organic lamb chops were £14.79 a kilo at Tesco's and £12.50 at the Farmers' Market. All the vegetables, without exception, were cheaper and customers could talk to the producers and find out exactly where the produce came from. The following websites will tell you where there is a farmers' market in your area. www.kentfarmersmarkets.org.uk www.thefoody.com/regions/southeastfm

With a little bit of thought, we can all make the Weald a better, more environmentally friendly, ethical place to live and beat the credit crunch at the same time. A challenge for us all.

Penny Kemp is a writer and broadcaster on sustainability issues and runs the Headcorn Sustainability Project.