The Green Familia » Brenda

Guest Post: Keeping Your Pet Fit and Healthy

Brenda — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:00:51 +0000

Pet owners generally regard their dog, cat or other companions as members of the family. Just as parents strive to make sure that their children stay in excellent physical shape, those who own pets are concerned about keeping their beloved animal as fit and healthy as possible. Like human health, pet health is a complex interrelationship of several factors that pet owners need to keep in mind.

The Importance of Observation

Pay close attention to your pet’s behaviour and habits, so that you can detect any problems as early as possible. Obvious warning signs to watch for are trembling limbs, vomiting and choking, but even minor changes, such as an increase in lethargy, can be an indication that something is wrong. Also be vigilant and notice if your pet appears to be limping or is injured in some other way, since pets, of course, must communicate through actions rather than words if something is seriously wrong. A lack of appetite or a sudden loss of weight should also raise concerns. Remember that treatment with pet meds is often more successful if a condition is corrected before it has had a chance to worsen.

Diet Considerations

Obesity is a leading cause of many degenerative diseases in pets. Although these diseases will often not arise until the pet is older, it is essential to prevent excessive weight gain from the very beginning so that debilitating conditions have less opportunity to develop. Regular veterinary visits will help you to know if your pet is at an appropriate weight; you can also perform periodic checks yourself. For dogs, bodyweight checks include such items as feeling the animal’s rib cage. If it is not easy to locate the ribs themselves, this may be an indication that the pet is overweight.

Follow your veterinarian’s recommendations about the type and amount of food your pet should consume. This obviously varies by type of animal. Less well known is the fact that even for the same animal, calorific requirements can change over time. It is especially important to control your pet’s weight as old age approaches. If your pet is gaining weight, reduce the amount of pet food offered by a small percentage and closely monitor the results.

The Importance of Exercise

Exercise is a vital consideration for overweight pets, but in fact all pets need daily exercise in order to stay healthy. Cats may become more active if you lure them into chasing a ball of wool, while dogs will benefit from a daily walk or jog. Even playing with your pet in the park or a backyard can be highly beneficial.

How Pet Medicines Can Help

Recent years have seen huge advances in the area of pet meds. Aging dogs, for example, can now be treated with canine arthritis medicines that allow them to enjoy their daily activities far more. Diabetes in dogs and cats can also be treated very successfully with medicines. Pet owners should not assume, however, that the only use for such medications is to remedy existing disease. For example, preventative pet medicines are essential in order to keep your pet from suffering from a variety of parasitic infections.

Guest Post: Ways the Whole Family Can Save Money

Brenda — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 21:14:58 +0000

Living within a budget can be tough, especially if you’ve got kids in the house. There may be times when you can’t stretch your budget far enough, at which point you may need to look into ways to save money or generate more income. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to make your money go farther.

One of the first things you should do is look at your spending and find ways to cut. This may be as easy as eating out less or spending less on movies and other entertainment. If these cuts aren’t enough, you may have to dig deeper and try to find ways to cut spending on necessities.

One way to do this is to use price comparison websites. Such websites can help you find cheap property insurance or a better deal on car insurance. You can also use price comparison websites to find cheaper deals on Internet, phone and television service.You can also use these sites to get better interest rates on your savings account or to find the best rates if you are considering refinancing your mortgage.

You don’t necessarily have to make any cuts in these areas to save money. Perhaps you already have cheap property insurance. You still may be able to save money but raising your deductible or by bundling you automobile and property insurance together. You also may be able to save money, even hundreds of dollars a year, by bundling TV, phone and Internet services with the same company.

Another way to save money is to do as much as you can in terms of maintenance and repair around the house. Learning to clean your own gutters, make minor plumbing and car repairs and to do your own painting can save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year.

For a family that’s got two jobs and a couple of kids in school, gas for the car may be a major expense. One way you can cut down on this expense is to do car pooling or car sharing. If you’ve got more than one car, park it and try to work out a system where everyone can get to work and school in one car in the same trip. You can also try to set up carpools with coworkers and parents of your kids’ schoolmates to cut down on trips.

If cuts aren’t enough and you need to make more money, you can try selling your household goods through a garage sale or at a flea market, similar to a British car boot sale. Clothes, working electronics, sporting goods and furniture are all good possibilities for such a sale. If you don’t like the idea of interacting with people, you can always sell online through an online classifieds service.

Guest Post: Living Room Design Ideas – How to Make Small Spaces Work

Brenda — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 21:04:20 +0000

Many homes can offer you limited space for the living room. This is an important area in the home and provides a place where the family can come together to relax and socialise. It is important to design small spaces effectively so that you feel comfortable and can enjoy your surroundings.

Fortunately there are many ways in which you can maximise the space in your living rooms. This can help you to create dynamic rooms that look great and work well as sociable living areas.

1. Open up Spaces with Mirrors

Mirrors are a wonderful way to brighten up rooms and create an illusion of space. By positioning mirrors opposite windows you can make the most of the natural light in your living rooms. This is ideal if your room tends to be a bit dark and gloomy during the day.

The great thing about mirrors is that they really do work to open up rooms and make them feel more spacious. They don’t cost very much money either and you can buy a great range of mirrors in home stores. This can includes large mirrors to go over the fireplace or smaller mirrors to hang in alcove spaces.

2. Limited Colour Palettes

Too many strong colours in a small room can be overwhelming. This can make rooms feel more cramped than they really are. When you are decorating small living spaces it can be a good idea to choose a limited neutral colour palette. By using a light, plain colour for the large areas (carpets, walls and seating) you can create a feeling of more space.

You can always then brighten up the room a bit by choosing colourful drapes, paintings and cushions. A colourful rug can also be a great way of creating an accent in your rooms and this can be placed under your coffee table in the centre of the room.

3. Scale Down Furnishings

Try not to cram too much furniture into small living rooms. This can make the room look smaller and feel very cramped. You do need to measure the space you have available before you go out shopping for any furniture. Avoid wide sofas that have oversized arms and padding. Opting for something more streamlined can help to conserve space.

Choose narrow cabinets that can be pushed back against the wall for some additional storage and display space. Magazine racks can be tucked out of the way to keep papers organised. Nesting table sets are also very useful space savers.

4. Open Shelving

Open shelving creates a modern feel to rooms and also provides a way to display your books and ornaments. This can help you to create an organised, uncluttered feel to small spaces. If you have alcoves this open shelving can be a great way to make the most of these recessed spaces.

There are many different styles of shelving available. Wooden shelving is very traditional and can complement traditional homes. Glass shelves are also a good choice to help maximise on the feeling of space and suit contemporary homes.

This guest post was written by Hannah Ward who writes for the TH Services Blog on all aspects relating to home improvements and DIY.

Guest Post: Slashing Your Family´s Largest Carbon Footprint Contributors

Brenda — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:39:37 +0000

When we try to become more environmentally-friendly, many of us take such steps as buying organic foods, recycling waste materials, and encourage responsible consumption among our family members. All of these steps are certainly worthwhile and beneficial ones. But, for many of us, they do little to address the main sources that contribute to our overall carbon footprint.

As most carbon footprint calculators will readily demonstrate, there are certain lifestyle elements that disproportionately inflate the average person’s emissions. Among these are three areas where everyone can make a concerted effort to improve: airline flights, meat consumption, and energy use. A person who flies regularly, eats meat often, and is liberal with their energy consumption is likely to fall among the largest carbon footprint producers – even if they are green in everything else that they do. On the other end of the spectrum, a person who rarely flies, observes a vegetarian diet, and is conservative with the energy bill will likely find themselves among the most sustainable of Americans.

So your family can go a long way towards reducing its carbon footprint by eliminating (or at least by reducing) the contributions it makes in these three categories. Here are a few tips for accomplishing that:

Don’t Eat Meat At Family Meals

Asking the average person to completely give up their meat diet may be too much to ask. But it’s not unreasonable to eliminate meat products from family meals. After all, most of a family’s meat is generally consumed at a meal where the household members sit around the table and eat chicken, turkey, or beef. Even if you continue eating deli meat for lunch, becoming a vegetarian at such meals can vastly reduce your family’s total meat intake.

Stop Using Airline Rewards Cards

Some people have no choice but to fly regularly for business or personal reasons. But considering the tremendous contribution just one flight makes to your overall carbon footprint, it is essential that families work to eliminate those trips that aren’t rare or necessary. A great way to do this is by eschewing mile rewards programs that can provide your family with a free flight even when you don’t need one. Instead, you can figure out what is the best cash back credit card and then find more green-friendly no fee credit cards that better fit the bill.

Get A Smart Thermostat

Being frugal with the heat and the air conditioning is definitely a good way to start reducing your home energy consumption. But if you truly want to minimize your energy use you need to strive for the utmost in energy efficiency. You can do this by purchasing a smart thermostat that has the ability to automatically raise and lower the home temperature depending on the outside weather, the movement of people within the household, and even the daily comings and goings of you and your family. This can help you save a considerable amount of energy (not to mention money) in the long run.

These are just three of the many ways to reduce some of the major household contributors to carbon emissions. Whatever approach you choose, don’t forget the importance of meat, energy, and airlines flights when it comes to determining a person’s carbon emissions. By eliminating just these three sources, you can go a long way towards making your household a far more green-friendly place.

Image Credit: flickr.com/photos/ob8/4642303096/

Guest Post: Being a responsible small business owner

Brenda — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:57:29 +0000

With consumers and businesses all over the world steadily making the switch to environmentally friendly or “green” practices, it is in every small-business owner’s best interests to move with the times and make the necessary changes.

But how do busy business owners who are already knee-deep in work find the time to make this seemingly daunting task a reality? According to recent surveys, one in three small-business owners say that the economy has impacted their plans to become more “green.”

Luckily, going green doesn’t have to cost you or your business much in the way of time or resources, and it can be as simple as making as few basic changes in the way you operate from day-to-day.

Properly dispose of all waste materials

When it comes to waste, how you dispose of it can make a big difference to the environment. As of 2007, the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive) has been in place, and as a business owner, you need to be aware of these laws and regulations regarding the disposal of electronics.

The WEEE Directive’s goal is to reduce the amount of electrical and electronic equipment that is produced, by encouraging businesses and consumers to recycle and recover their equipment. If you run a business that imports, rebrands or manufactures electronic or electrical equipment then you will need to register on a producer compliance scheme.

Other waste such as ink cartridges should be recycled rather than thrown out with the regular waste. Empty ink cartridges can often be refilled or traded in when you purchase new ones, which will even save you money.

Cut down on paper usage

In this day and age, there is no reason why businesses should still rely solely on paper to distribute announcements and share information with employees and customers. With e-mail, company websites and social media, you can get the word out much more efficiently, and it will even save you money on ink and paper.

Switching your business over to cloud computing will enable you to safely store documents, without taking up extra space in filing cabinets and cupboards.

Naturally, you will never be able to stop using printers altogether, but following these tips will cut down dramatically on the amount of waste that your company produces.

Make your employees aware

Have a meeting with your whole staff and discuss how you can all work together to make your company more environmentally friendly. Simple things like turning off equipment when it is not in use, ensuring taps are not left dripping and lights are switched off, will make a big difference in the long-term.

If your office is in need of an updated look, you could consider refurbishing the furniture to keep it looking great without spending a lot on a brand new set. If you do need to replace certain items, make sure you recycle your old furniture in some way. Get your employees involved and listen to their suggestions and thoughts on the matter.

Following these simple tips can help the environment, save your company money, and your customers will love you for it.

A guest post by Claire Hodge on behalf of General Waste Collection – the commercial waste management specialists.

Guest Post: 5 ways to keep green this winter

Brenda — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:43:03 +0000

With the dawning of the new year, winter really seems to have kicked in. Frosts settle thick and unforgiving over most nights, temperatures drop well below zero and a sea of resulting colds are spreading like wildfire. This cold patch will have many people abandoning their cautious ways, cranking up the heating and sinking into many a comforting hot bath – and who can blame them?

However, there are ways to get around the problems of winter while keeping green. Whether you’re a couple who met on free dating websites or a family of five, why not make your main new year’s resolution to keep green this 2012, even through the most testing months? Here are five ways to get started…

Take early nights

It’s amazing how much energy you can save by going to bed a few hours earlier. Even if you’re not sleeping, bed is a great place to keep warm without using any energy. So, programme your heating to shut down by 9pm and get under the covers with a hot-water bottle, plenty of blankets and your latest book. Not only will this save your energy consumption but it will also save your personal energy levels, and you’ll soon find yourself much more rested and relaxed.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bike/248030268/

Add a layer

It might sound a bit obvious, but a sure way to resist cranking up that dial is just to put on another jumper. Better than this, invest in a snug dressing gown and wear it around the house for head-to-toe warmth. Now they even sell blankets with armholes, allowing you to go about your domestic activities in warmth and comfort. Hold out as long as you possibly can before turning the heat up. Layers are there to help!

Turn it off

This is another simple trick, but an effective one. If you’re not using something, turn it off. This applies to lights, heaters, devices and even plug sockets. Also, you may like browsing dating websites while watching TV, but multi-tasking and energy-saving really aren’t compatible. Think carefully about what you’re doing every time you turn something on.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sevestjude/4382167569/

Keep to one room

Using all your light and heat in one room is another great way to save energy. Turn the heat and all electrical appliances off in the rest of the house and settle down together in one warm room. The kitchen is particularly apt for this, as any heat generated from cooking will also stay with you.

Cycle to the shops

For short journeys it’s so tempting to just jump in the car. But this winter, providing it’s not too icy, why not get into the habit of jumping on your bike and reducing your carbon footprint? You could even get one with a basket so you can carry as much as you want with you.

Winter doesn’t have to mean sacrificing your values. With these tips you can keep green and keep warm for the whole season.

Guest Post: Get Your Dog to Embrace a Green Lifestyle

Brenda — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:16:27 +0000

Most of us who believe in environmentally-friendly living take every step possible to insure that we have a green home. We use efficient light bulbs, smart thermostats, and proper insulation in order to reduce our energy use. We compost our foods and eat organic produce. We teach our kids to recycle, reduce, and reuse. There’s no question about it – for those of us dedicated to the cause, few things happen in our homes that we don’t endeavor to turn green.

But the family dog often gets a pass on this front. Sure, our pets have no conception of landfills or waste. And it’s true that our dogs make a carbon footprint far smaller than the average family member. But Fido still makes a footprint nonetheless. In fact, a recent study argues that a mid-sized dog has a carbon footprint of 2.1 acres – larger than that of a typical SUV. Consequently, turning your dog green is just one more small way to make your home a more globally-conscious place.

Here are a few tips for doing just that:

Change the Diet

Most dogs can attribute their surprisingly large carbon footprint to a diet that is high in meat. The average dog eats almost a pound of meat per day, much of which comes from resource-depleting beef. You can quickly change this by switching dog foods and removing beef from your pet’s diet. You can always switch to a food with beef flavoring if your dog proves resistant to such a change.

Turn Waste into Fertilizer

Most waste produced by a dog is of the natural variety. The most environmentally-friendly way to dispose of this waste is to let in decompose in the grass rather than to throw it into the garbage can. If your dog has an affinity for the neighbor’s front lawn, you can collect the droppings and then use them as fertilizer in your own yard.

Don’t Waste Lighting

Many dog owners – especially the overbearing ones – dislike leaving their beloved pet in the dark when the family leaves home in the evening. In response, they often turn on lights, a move which ultimately constitutes wasted energy. If you are determined to light a room for Fido while you are gone, save electricity by using a timer or an automated control system from a company like a Vivint.

By following these tips you can vastly reduce your dog’s carbon footprint and make your home an even greener place. Dogs may not generate waste in the same quantities that humans do, but there’s no reason why any family member – yes, even Fido – should be exempt from your effort to go green.

Guest Post: Simple steps to making your home more energy efficient

Brenda — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:37:29 +0000

Energy costs keep rising, each bill from your energy provider just seems to be slightly more than the last. It’s a pretty familiar tale across the UK and the unfortunate reality is that prices and costs won’t come down.

Which is why so many of you out there have taken it into your hands to not just keep a little extra change in your account, but to reduce your impact on the environment as well. For those of you mulling the concept of improving your home’s efficiency and subsequently your carbon footprint this article is for you.

So many would-be home improvers are put-off at the first hurdle; it’s a seemingly daunting prospect and one where a fair amount of knowledge is thought to be required. This simply isn’t the case; below we have highlighted a number of DIY ideas which are achievable and will make an instant impact on your energy consumption and environmental impact

Upgrade/install roof insulation

It may seem common sense but you would be amazed by home many homes have inadequate or no roof insulation. If you are going to attempt one improvement on this list; this should be it. Adding roof insulation really isn’t a major procedure. The technique differs depending if your upstairs has flooring or not, but there are enough how-to videos around to guide you through. By adding insulation to your upstairs area you a likely to save 2000lbs of CO2 annually! In monetary terms that equates to a 25% reduction in your heating costs.

Use a smart strip

Most of us know we should turn the power off at the walls for pretty much all our electrical products, but how many of us actually do? Not many I bet. Electronics use up to 70% of their total consumption whilst being in ‘standby mode’; add up all your electronic devices and it starts to add up. A smart strip is a normal looking 4/8/10 plug power strip which automatically cuts the power to inactive electrical devices. Tests resulted in average savings of £30.00 per week and consumption reductions of up to 73%.

Use faucet aerators

Electricity and gas aren’t the only bills on the rise, the cost of water seems to be following suit. Faucet aerators are in most cases gauze devices which when installed are placed within the head of your taps. When the water is turned on it comes out at a much slower rate than before, resulting in less water being used. Some household faucets can run at a rate of 7/8 gallons per minute, with an aerator installed this can be cut to around 1!

Upgrade doors and windows

Roughly 20% of a home’s heat is lost through windows and doors. Which is why ensuring that gaps, cracks and single pain windows are dealt with will make a big difference. All new windows and front doors must comply with strict governmental legislation (U-value) which sets a minimum as to how much heat can be lost through each. This means that whichever brand/supplier you use the products should all provide roughly the same savings. It’s a big job, but consider the updates a long-term goals and work through them one at a time.

Actually use compact fluorescent bulbs

By now none of you can use the ‘unaware’ card when it comes to energy saving light bulbs. They have been around for a long time and big government awareness campaigns have put them under your nose. But how many of you actually use them around your home? Have you switched 100% of your lights? Lighting at home accounts for 15% of your monthly energy bill (not a small amount), which if multiplied by 12 starts to add up. By replacing just 5 bulbs you can save roughly £100 in energy and most of us have a lot more than 5 bulbs!

These ideas on how to reduce home energy consumption were brought to you be Nick Williams. Nick works for Yale Door who manufactures energy efficient, U-value compliant composite front doors.

Guest Post: Trustee investment planning for an ethical pension

Brenda — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 11:00:43 +0000

For many people, pensions are a black box: you put money in and buy an annuity decades later on retirement, without knowing much about what happens in between. For the ethical investor, this is an unacceptable oversight. Trustee investment planning can give you far more control over pension provision.

The majority of people with pensions invest in either a personal pension plan or have a public sector pension. These are organised through your workplace or are arranged by the individual or on their behalf by an IFA. From the ethical perspective the problem with most pensions is that they offer very little flexibility or control. We typically abdicate responsibility over our money to a pension fund manager, who we have never met and who may have very different principles to our own. In fact, the job of such a fund manager is to maximise returns on his or her clients’ investments at the expense of all else. There are some ‘ethical’ funds out there, but these are limited in scope and number and, once again, offer little flexibility. Trustee investment planning can be a way to invest ethically and far more effectively for retirement.

The range of investments with which a regular private pension plan will deal is generally limited. There may be a large number of funds – perhaps a hundred or more – but that is all. This presents a problem for the ethical investor because, even if you opt for a so-called ethical fund, it is still limited in scope – meaning that your money is not being used to best effect. (Not only that, but because the range of funds is so small you have to settle for someone else’s definition of ‘ethical’.) Trustee investment planning, in conjunction with more flexible pension provision such as SSASs (Small Self-Administered Schemes) or SIPPs (Self-Invested Personal Pensions), offer a much broader and more flexible approach to pension provision, along much the same lines as your regular ethical investing.

Trustee Investment Planning (TIP) is an investment vehicle used by trustees of these pensions. What this means in practice is that you have access to a much greater range of funds, possibilities and expertise. For example, rather than being restricted to a set range of funds, approved by a large pension provider, you have almost complete flexibility. You can therefore treat your pension the same way as you would treat your other ethical investments – with the added bonus of tax relief, as with a normal pension.

So, for example, Trustee Investment Planning could enable you to invest in single companies – perhaps from the AIM index – which have an excellent track-record on sustainability. You are allowed to invest in ETFs, and could therefore reduce your risk and still achieve your aims, for instance by investing in a basket of companies that specialise in developing clean power. Trustee Investment Planning opens the door to some truly sophisticated and flexible options, such as investing in an unlisted company (perhaps a social enterprise or family business whose aims you share and would like to support). You can even invest in commercial property – maybe for a local charity whose work your admire but could not subsidise if you were putting the money into a regular pension instead.

Trustee Investment Planning therefore comes with a range of advantages, particularly if you are keen to invest ethically for your retirement – something that is difficult with a traditional private pension. However, it’s worth remembering that such a bespoke service will come with a price tag attached. Regular stakeholder pensions are put together on the sausage-machine model – cheap and simple with an emphasis on quantity over quality. The additional flexibility and range of options in this case can cost a little extra, something you will need to discuss with your IFA. Nevertheless, for the green and ethical investor these pensions offer a range of opportunities that is second to none.

This article was supplied by FSA regulated Norwich financial advice specialists, SG Wealth Management who serve individuals and organisations throughout Norfolk, East Anglia and the south-east.

Guest Post: Your Garden Birds Need You!

Brenda — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:00:40 +0000

Many gardens across the UK have seen the number of visiting countryside birds declining in recent years; but this isn’t always necessarily something to be worried about. Garden bird populations fluctuate naturally throughout the year and can be affected by many different things from weather and changes in season, through to the availability of nuts and seed within their natural environment.

There is evidence however to suggest the some species, such as house sparrows and swallows, are indeed in decline across some parts of the UK. These declines have been put down to changes in farming methods, such as destruction or development of breeding grounds, but whatever the causes all our avian friends are about to need our help.

This year, with winter seemingly set to make a late appearance, it is time for us all to start thinking about offering a little assistance to our feathery garden visitors. With many parts of the UK set to experience sub-zero temperatures birds are in for a tough couple of months.

Believe it or not many countryside bird species need to eat their own weight in food every day just to survive throughout winter. As you may expect, food can be hard to come by at this time of year and so, now more than ever, gardeners and householders can really make a difference by putting out extra supplies of garden bird food.

If you’d like to do your bit for your local bird population there are several things to consider. Firstly recent studies have suggested that any garden bird food supplied in netting should be decanted into proper bird feeders, placed on bird tables or into ground feeding trays as the plastic nets can present a hazard to birds. As well as how you feed the birds in your garden, thought should also be given to the type of food used by choosing seed mixes have been developed to provide the correct nutrients for a variety of birds.

To attract a wide variety of species to your garden you may also like to consider trying different types of garden bird food such as sunflower hearts, packed with energy and essential oils; Nyger seed, a favourite of the Goldfinch or even Mealworms, a favourite of the robin.

With recent reports from the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) warning that the risk of extreme weather is likely to increase in the future, it’s likely that garden birds will continue to be affected and therefore continue to need our assistance in the years to come.

Bio:

Andrew Jackson tries to encourage wildlife within his garden for his own enjoyment and to help educate his children. In order to attract birds Andrew uses a range of wild bird food that can be chosen to suit the time of year and different groups of birds.