REDUCE - part 1

The message to REDUCE is not only a mantra for those of us who care for the planet, most of us are being forced to reduce our spending by rising prices and insecure incomes. So let's focus our savings in a way that not only helps the planet, but also makes life more enjoyable, not less. We can stop feeling miserable about not being able to afford to buy X, or being able to afford to do Y. Let's be cheerful and buy and do different things.

None of us intend to waste what we buy, but it happens all the time. Let's start by checking the contents of our own bins, and what we have put out for bulk waste collections recently.

We are told that about a third of the food we buy is thrown away - is this true for you? Could the amount that you throw away be reduced?

We are enticed by "BOGOF" offers: Buy One Get One Free. Will we use it all before the "eat by" date? If not, will we use our common sense and check if the food is still edible? The "eat by" date for animal products should be obeyed, but vegetables are a different matter. Whatever the purchase price saving is, we should not weigh down our shopping trolleys with items that will end up in our dustbins or compost heaps. We can lighten the load and choose items that will end up being enjoyed by our tastebuds.

There are good tips on the website "love food hate waste".

I will continue this theme of "REDUCE" next time, but I will end with a news item about reducing energy bills at home.

There is a Government campaign called "People Power" that is appointing ten ambassadors in Birmingham to take part in a big energy saving challenge over the winter. One of my neighbours has been interviewed as part of the selection process, and was given a free "energy audit" yesterday. SusMo (Sustainable Moseley - cutting CO₂) will make sure that the lessons learnt will be well publicised.