So how do you squash yours? Cartons not kids!

It's half-term week here in Suffolk, so what a perfect opportunity to not only indulge in the great outdoors but also to engage the kids in a bit of amateur dramatics for Tetra Pak's How do you squash yours? competition, which is encouraging consumers to flatten cartons before recycling them.

There were a few tantrums and tears, which led to a full-blown rugby tackle after I turned off the camera. My younger boy was calling for a rematch!

Mmmm, perhaps not.

The video is now published but before you check it out below, let me reassure you that no children were harmed during or after the event ... except for my eldest accidentally falling into a blackberry bramble.

Boys will be boys....bless 'em. They were great sports really and told me they actually did have a good time.



More information about Tetra Pak's YouTube competition can be found on the company's website, along with the latest news that the cartons are now also FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified.

Don't forget, if you'd like an opportunity to join in the competition, you have until 1st November to enter.

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The Newsy is: Zero Waste Catches on Worldwide

I'd like to thank Daniel over at online news site Newsy.com for making a surprise appearance in my inbox yesterday, pointing me in the direction of the website's encouraging report on the adoption of Zero Waste projects worldwide.

This is the first time I've come across Newsy and I know I am biased in relation to the content matter, but I happen to like the nature of its reporting and how it gives an international perspective on this subject.

Hot on the heels of recent news about local Zero Waste projects in the UK, such as our Seven Streets project in Suffolk, it is really inspirational to see how other communities and overseas organisations are also tackling their own waste mountains.

Against the backdrop of environmental issues and sustainable responsibility, one of my favourite quotes in the report has to be the key observation from a Wal-Mart executive who says

"When you reduce waste, you're taking inefficiencies out of the system, which ultimately means you can lower prices."

This is the language of commerce, using incentives that developers, manufacturers and retailers hold dear. And interestingly, bringing it back to a local perspective it was this strong argument that was also used in a presentation that I attended this week about Resource Efficiency, which was aimed at small and medium sized businesses.

So it looks like the old adage "Necessity is the mother of invention" is actually coming true, just as the report illustrates with its news of waste management developments and commitments from retailers.

The path to Zero Waste really does feel like a new and exciting industrial revolution and the great thing is it looks like it is truly international. I now can't wait to see what happens next.

So see what you think of the Newsy report below. And if you're reading this in an RSS feed here's the link to connect directly to the video on the Newsy website.




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Amanda Holden and Oliver Heath are at it too!

Slimming people's bins of course...what else could I possibly mean!

Looks like zero waste could hit the nation's streets, with the help of Kenco's latest marketing strategy for their eco-refills waste-less campaign.

So check out the video below to see what TV presenter Amanda Holden and eco-designer Oliver Heath are getting up to in Waste Lane, "Up North" in Yorkshire. If it's really successful, perhaps it should be renamed Zero Waste Lane. Fingers crossed eh!

Oh, I almost forgot in my excitement, if you click through to www.kenco.co.uk, there is even a chance to win an eco-break. You'll also see that if you send your empty packs back to Kenco, they will be upcycled by the wonderful Terracycle AND Kenco will give money to your favourite charity too. Now that can't be bad.



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21 October is Apple Day

This Wednesday is Apple Day, an annual event that has been organised by the charity Common Ground to celebrate apples, orchards and local distinctiveness.

There are many ways to celebrate the big day, with events taking place all over the country, including invitations to participate in the Longest Peel competition. Would you believe the record for the longest unbroken piece of apple peel is 52.51m long.

I won't be challenging the record, but I have to admit that apples are one of my favourite fruit, not least because they are inexpensive but also because they are so versatile. Not only are they delicious eaten fresh from the tree but are also flavoursome when added to desserts or even soups.

For me, they really do represent the taste of autumn and I've already found a lovely list of Suffolk varieties which I hope to start researching soon. The Suffolk Pink comes highly recommended, thanks to my recent taste tests.

My personal plans for celebrating this year's Apple Day is to bake an "Apple cut-and-come-again Cake" which can be found in the fabulous Grown in Britain Cookbook. It really is delicious on its own as a snack or served up with custard. It also kills two birds with one stone, as this week is National Baking Week too.

However, if you're not up for a bit of baking, you can still get involved in celebrating Apple Day.

• You could follow the advice of Monty Don and the Gardeners World team and plant an apple tree in your garden or school.
• Or you might like to show your support for Community Orchards by saving old ones or planting new.
• If you're keen to help reduce waste, why not follow the example of Suffolk's "Share-an-apple" volunteers and ask local apple growers\gardeners if you can scrump their spare produce to share with good causes.
  

And if you've got some apples spare yourself, you could try creating your own unpackaged dried fruit. Mrs Green over at MyZeroWaste has got some great advice on a whole variety of methods you could use.

There's lots you can do to celebrate the great British apple, so if you get a chance, please pop over to the Apple Day website for more info.
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Don't look now if it's too early for you

Once upon a time, talking about Christmas in October used to be far too unseasonal for me, especially thanks to weeks of pent-up frustration of seeing festive cards and giftsets appearing in shops months before the celebration itself.

But this year, I'm of the opinion that if I can't beat 'em, I'm most definitely going to join 'em and start getting ready for Christmas too. I know we haven't even enjoyed Halloween yet, but I've got certain plans that need a little more time than traipsing around the high street can offer, which is why I'm getting prepared now.

Yes, this year I've set myself a challenge of organising christmas gifts which come with that extra personal touch and apart from a couple of things the children would like, most of the presents will be made by me or by local artisans and producers.

Without giving too much away, on account that some recipients may be looking in and due to the fact that I haven't yet got a precise plan of action, I am hoping to make Christmas preparations as simple as possible.

As well as getting creative with some tree decorations and bead jewellery, here are just a few of my other ideas:

• I've been harvesting runner bean seeds from the garden which I can give to some of my more green-fingered friends.
• I'm also going to make some festive pot-pourri, made from dried citrus peel, fir cones and rose petals. I'll be on the look out for some cinammon sticks to add to the blend too. I've never done this before so watch this space to see what happens.
• My children absolutely love money, so I have been busy gathering all our loose change and filling up jam-jars. I'm planning to add chocolate coins to the collection to create mini treasure troves as stocking fillers.
• And talking of stocking fillers, would you believe that I've had a special request to make more of the little stocking fellas I created last year.
  

This year I will also be ditching traditional gift-wrap and will instead spread the joy of reusable fabric wrapping, so I have treated myself to a few metres of gorgeous fabric decorated with festive prints. Don't fall off your chairs but I'm planning on calling the sewing machine into action to make some present bags.

There are simply billions of ideas out there and I am currently enjoying two particular scrummy books, which I picked up earlier in the year. The first is called Homemade by Ros Badger and Elspeth Thompson, which is stacked full of ideas that transcend the seasons. The other delightful read is The Christmas Book by Sheherazade Goldsmith, which focuses entirely on the festive season

So it looks as though this year will most definitely be a year of recycling and reusing, as well as using up stuff that we've got around the house. I'd love to know your ideas too. With little time on my hands as ever, I'm up for all ideas that come my way. If you're a blogger you may even be interested in joining in the Thrifty Christmas carnival which will be hosted by the lovely Liz over at Violet Posy. You can find more info about it here.

Given that the run-up to Christmas time has been very stressful indeed in previous years, this year, I am feeling surprisingly calm. Despite having more to do, I am optimistic that I will really enjoy it for the first time in ages. Well that's the plan.

All I now hope... is that the recipients will enjoy their gifts too.

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Blog Action Day: It's time to meet the Green Thing

There's no getting away from it, Climate Change is such a serious subject.

What with the facts, the figures, the uncertainties as well as the heavy debates and persuasion, not to mention all the things you need to juggle just to do your bit. It can most certainly make your head hurt

So it's refreshing when a wriggly little thing with three eyes pops up to remind us of the small things that count and how these little things make a huge difference.

This positive creature is called the Green Thing.

If you haven't met it yet, perhaps it's time to say hello, especially as it's Blog Action Day and bloggers all over the world are encouraging people to stop and think about how we tackle climate change.

So without further ado,I invite you to click on the video below and shake the Green Thing by one of its many tentacles. Just be careful it doesn't tickle you though especially when you're least expecting. It's reached the final of this year's Green Awards and it could get rather excited.

Meet Green Thing from Green Thing on Vimeo.

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Suffolk to become a Zero Waste Place

On-street recycling bin in Ipswich, Suffolk.

Things are most definitely hotting up in the UK, with Hilary Benn, the Secretary of State for the Environment today announcing plans to turn Britain into a "Zero Waste Nation", expecting all local authorities to offer comprehensive collection services by 2020.

Included in his strategy is a ban on recyclable materials from landfill and schemes to encourage better recycling, including the generation of energy from collected food waste. As well as municipal waste, there are also plans to reduce commercial and industrial waste, working with businesses and the waste management industry to encourage innovative practices.

This is great news in itself, but what excites me more in a "Football's coming home" kind of way, is that my local county of Suffolk, in the East of England, has been chosen as one of six new Zero Waste places to trial what many are calling the government's tough new recycling policy.

Representing the Suffolk Waste Partnership, Councillor Roy Barker, has this evening been quoted in the local press, saying he is delighted that Suffolk is at the forefront of this innovative scheme.

And I can certainly share his enthusiasm, especially as it has been confirmed that Suffolk residents are already among the best recyclers in the country, with half of our waste being diverted from landfill.

So where can Suffolk go next in its Zero Waste plans?

Well, the exciting news is the announcement of the "Suffolk Seven Streets" project, which has been awarded a £10,000 grant from DEFRA, challenging local households to reduce their rubbish even further, indeed by half.

One street in each of the seven Suffolk local authority districts will be selected to test a new recycling regime. And with the support of council recycling teams, businesses and residents will be encouraged to see who can reduce their rubbish the most.

Further news will be available over the next few months as the local scheme takes shape and I can't wait to report on what's happening in and around the county.

But dare I say, as well as encouraging others, the competitive streak is now rising within me and I am already dancing around in glee flying my own virtual flag for St Edmundsbury. I'm now wondering if I can volunteer my own street and survey our local residents to see if they want to fly the flag with me. I think I might just ring the council and see if we're eligible.

But then again, the thought of knocking on strangers' doors makes me feel like the BBC's choirmaster Gareth Malone trying to create a brand-new community choir in South Oxhey.

I suppose I could always don an England football shirt, and merrily sing "Recycling's coming home" when they answer. Or should it be an Ipswich Town shirt I wonder.

One thing's for sure, if the "Suffolk Seven Streets" project gets as competitive as the local football leagues, just imagine the results.

I won't run ahead of myself quite yet. All I can say is well done to Suffolk County Council and the Suffolk Waste Partnership. Congratulations on taking the lead. When it comes to Zero Waste projects, this is going to be very exciting indeed.

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