Going Green Podcast, Video blog and Daily News

  Eco Confession: I Want an Electric Car, but My Wallet Just Laughed ( Or: How to Be Greener Even If You’re Still Driving Petrol ) Every time I see a sleek electric car glide silently past me at the traffic lights, I feel a pang of longing. No revving. No fumes. Just clean, quiet smugness on wheels. But then I look at my bank account… and it sighs gently, turns away, and mutters something about “priorities.” Yes, the electric car makes total sense — environmentally, mechanically, even financially in the long term. But in the short term, for many of us, it’s simply not in the budget . So what now? Are we doomed to gas-guzzling guilt until we win the lottery? Not quite. Let’s talk about what you can do right now , with your current car, to go a little greener on the road. 🚗 First: Why an Electric Car Would Be Great Lower running costs – Electricity is cheaper than petrol per mile. No tailpipe emissions – Great for air quality and the climate. Less maintenance ...

  The Grass Isn’t Always Greener – Especially If You’ve Paved It ( Or: Why That Perfect Lawn Might Be Lying to You ) There’s something about a lush green lawn that makes you feel like you've “made it”. It’s the domestic version of a golf course: smooth, uniform, oddly satisfying… and quite possibly, completely fake. But before you swap your garden for Astroturf and ceramic gravel, let me make the case — gently, with muddy boots and wildflowers in my hair — for keeping things a bit more alive . 🟢 The Case For Artificial Grass (Yes, We'll Be Fair) Let’s give the faux lawn lovers their moment: Low maintenance – No mowing, no mud, no worries. Always looks perfect – Rain or shine, drought or downpour. No fertiliser or pesticides – Chemicals begone. So yes, it can be convenient. But like most things that sound too good to be true… 🔥 The Downsides: Where It Starts to Smell a Bit Melty 1. It gets HOT. On a sunny day, fake grass turns into a frying pan. You ...

  Battery Bling: Our 50kW Beast and Why It’s Not Just for Show ( Or: How We Power Our Lives, Our Work, and Our Tea Kettle Without Fossil Fuels ) Most people look at our battery bank and think we’ve gone full Bond villain. Rows of silent, blinking units. Three powerful inverters. Enough capacity to power a small festival. And they’re not wrong — except we’re using it for teaching, editing, music, and toast . Welcome to our all-electric, solar-powered, home-working, content-creating, music-making household . Where everything runs on electrons — and every watt counts. 💻 Why We Need Serious Battery Power We all work from home , which sounds quaint until you do the maths: One computer per person ? ✅ A server for video storage and backup? ✅ Video editing suite ? ✅ Multi-camera film studio with lights, mics, and a switcher? ✅ Synthesisers, Wersi organ, speakers and music production hardware? ✅ Electric cooker, oven, kettle, toaster ? Naturally. Charging the ...

  The Great British Recycle-Off: Are You Doing It Right or Just Guessing? ( Because wishful recycling isn’t helping anyone… ) Let’s face it: recycling in Britain is like navigating the rules of cricket — everyone claims to understand it, but no two councils play quite the same game. You might think you're doing your eco-duty . You’ve got the bins, you’ve got the conscience, and you’ve rinsed your yogurt pot like it's going on display. But — and here's the kicker — you might still be doing it wrong . 🗑️ A Tale of Three Bins (and One Confused Homeowner) In our area, we have a three-bin system , and let me tell you, it’s like a reality show for waste: Food Waste Bin – All the peelings, leftovers, and things the fridge evolved into a new life form. Collected weekly. Loved by composting worms everywhere. Garden Waste Bin – Reserved for clippings, weeds, hedge trimmings, and lawn confetti. Not for chicken carcasses, despite the chicken’s former fondness for gra...

  Going Green: How My Heat Pump Became the Warm-Hearted Hero of Our Home ( Spoiler: It’s not just warm — it’s clever too. ) We used to rely on fire, gas, and the occasional desperate kettle-on-the-feet moment to warm the house. But now? Our warmth comes from thin air. Literally. Let me introduce the unsung champion of our eco-home : the air source heat pump . It hums quietly in the background, extracting heat from the outside air like some sort of eco-magician. And when paired with a chunky battery and a roof full of solar panels , it becomes a full-blown renewable romance. ☀️ The Sun’s Out, the Battery’s In We’ve installed 26 solar panels across three roof arrays , soaking up sunlight like a lizard on holiday. But sunshine is only half the story — the real magic is what we do with it. Enter our 50kWh battery system — a beast of a power pack that stores all that solar goodness and dishes it out as needed. It powers everything: the lights, the oven, the computers, and yes —...

  Insulation – Because Heating the Garden Is Not a Sport There’s a noble British tradition of standing in your lounge wrapped in a woolly jumper, next to a blazing radiator , while muttering, “Still a bit nippy, isn’t it?” That’s not because we love hypothermia —it’s because many of us are accidentally heating the garden. And as delightful as our roses are, they don’t need central heating. So, what’s the deal with insulation? Let me be blunt: insulation is like that friend who always remembers to bring a coat and snacks. It keeps the warmth where it belongs— inside the house —and makes your heating system feel like it’s finally being listened to. At our house, we’ve gone full eco-fortress. Cavity wall insulation? Check. Loft insulation deep enough to lose a cat in? Check. Triple glazing? Oh yes. We’ve even insulated under the floorboards (though retrieving the screwdriver from between the joists took longer than expected. RIP, screwdriver.) Where does your heat go? Let’s pl...