Going Green Podcast, Video blog and Daily News

  Rainwater Fences – The Garden Trend You Didn’t Know You Needed You’ve heard of solar panels. You’ve probably heard of rainwater harvesting. But rainwater fences? Yes… they’re a thing. And like many good ideas, they sit somewhere between ingenious eco-solution and “why didn’t I think of that?” What is a Rainwater Fence? In simple terms, a rainwater fence is: A fence designed to capture, channel, and reuse rainwater. Instead of rainwater just soaking into the ground (or worse, disappearing into drains), the fence: Collects water (from rain or nearby surfaces) Channels it using gutters, chains, or containers Delivers it slowly to plants, soil, or storage Think of it as a fence that’s quietly watering your garden while you put the kettle on.  Why It Matters (Especially Now) With the UK seeing: More intense rainfall Longer dry spells Increasing pressure on water supplies Rainwater fences help: Reduce water waste Lower your reliance on mains water Improve soil moisture natural...

 Summer Feeding: Are We Helping or Harming Our Garden Birds? Just when you thought you were doing your bit for nature—out comes the bird feeder, topped up with seeds and peanuts—along comes the RSPB with a surprising twist: Ease off the feeders during summer. Yes, really. What’s the Issue? During spring and summer, garden birds aren’t struggling for food in the same way they do in winter. In fact, nature provides a rich buffet: Insects (essential for chicks) Caterpillars and larvae Natural seeds and berries But when we provide seed and nut feeders , birds tend to gather in large numbers in one place —a bit like a crowded pub on a Friday night. And that’s where the problem begins. The Hidden Danger: Disease Spread When birds cluster together at feeders: Droppings contaminate feeding areas Bacteria and parasites spread easily Diseases such as trichomonosis can take hold Species like greenfinches have already seen serious population declines linked to fee...

Paris ditched cars… and something remarkable happened From traffic jams to café culture A few years ago, parts of Paris looked much like any busy European capital: clogged roads, honking horns, and air you could almost chew. Today? Cyclists glide past, children walk to school safely, and cafés spill out onto streets that were once dominated by traffic. This transformation didn’t happen by accident. Under Mayor Anne Hidalgo , Paris has: Removed tens of thousands of car parking spaces Built hundreds of kilometres of protected cycle lanes Pedestrianised large areas of the city centre Restricted older, more polluting vehicles And perhaps most importantly… they stuck with it. What actually changed? 1. Cycling exploded Cycling in Paris didn’t just increase — it surged. Some routes now carry more bikes than cars at peak times. 2. Cleaner air Air pollution levels have dropped significantly. Fewer diesel cars = fewer particulates = healthier lungs. 3. Streets became plac...

  Sewage Discharge Data Looks Horrifying — And Sadly, It Is There are some sets of figures you wish you had never opened. This is one of them. When you hear politicians or water companies talking about “progress”, you might imagine a few unfortunate leaks, a couple of rogue pipes and the occasional apologetic press release. What the actual sewage discharge data shows is rather different. It shows a system that, in England alone, managed 450,398 monitored spill events in 2024  from  14,254 active storm overflows , totalling   3,614,428 hours . That is not a typo. That is not a misplaced decimal point. That is a national disgrace with a spreadsheet. To put that in plain English, 3.6 million hours is about 412 years . So if anyone tells you this is all a bit overblown, they are essentially asking you to believe that 412 years of sewage discharge somehow counts as “manageable”. It does not. It counts as horrifying. Now, defenders of the system will point out that th...

  Electric Cars in an Oil Crisis – Suddenly the Smart Choice? Picture the scene. Oil prices spike. Petrol stations start rationing. News headlines shout about shortages. Sound familiar? It should… because it keeps happening. And each time it does, one group of drivers quietly carries on as normal: electric car owners. 1. Energy Independence (Goodbye Petrol Panic) Electric cars don’t rely on petrol or diesel. Instead, they run on electricity—which can come from a variety of sources: Renewable energy (solar, wind) Nuclear Even your own home system In your case (with those 26 solar panels and battery storage), you’re practically running a personal fuel station on your roof . Oil crisis? What oil crisis? 2. Charge at Home (or Even Off Your Roof!) Instead of queuing at petrol stations: Plug in overnight Charge during the day from solar Store energy in batteries for later You wake up every morning with a “full tank”. No queues. No stress. No panic buying. 3. ...

  Is 2026 the Earliest Spring on Record? Short answer: It certainly feels like it… but it’s probably not the earliest spring ever recorded . However, it is among the earliest in recent decades , and part of a very clear long-term trend. What’s happening this year? Across the UK in early 2026: Daffodils and blossom appeared weeks ahead of schedule Garden insects (bees, hoverflies) are already active Grass growth and weeds (sorry… “native plants in the wrong place!”) are accelerating Many gardeners are saying: “This feels like late April… and it’s only early April!” Is it actually a record? The UK has good long-term nature records, especially through the Woodland Trust and the Nature’s Calendar project. What they show: Spring is now arriving about 8–15 days earlier than it did 30–40 years ago Some individual years (like 2017, 2020, 2024) were exceptionally early 2026 is likely to rank among early years , but: Not definitively the earliest ever Records vary depending on what you m...