Going Green Podcast, Video blog and Daily News

  Sustainable Travel: Do Carbon Offsets Really Work? Or are they just the environmental equivalent of a get-out-of-guilt card? First, What Are Carbon Offsets? Imagine you’re taking a long-haul flight. You know it’s not great for the planet. But the airline says, “Want to pay £5 to plant some trees and make it all okay?” That’s a carbon offset : you pay someone else to reduce or remove emissions so you don’t have to . The logic? Burn now, clean later. The Problem: It’s Not That Simple Most carbon offset schemes do one of three things: Plant trees 🌳 (which take years to absorb the CO₂ you're burning today) Fund renewable energy ☀️ (good… but wouldn’t it be built anyway?) Protect existing forests 🌲 (which may have been protected already) While the idea is sound , the execution is... mixed . ⚠️ Where Offsets Go Wrong Double-counting : The same offset gets sold twice. No real change : The project was going to happen anyway. Lack of permanence : ...

  Zero-Waste Bathroom: From Toothpaste Tabs to Bamboo Loo Roll Because sustainability doesn’t stop at the bathroom door. Why the Bathroom? Your bathroom might be small, but it’s bursting with plastic , chemicals , and wasteful habits . From shampoo bottles to cotton buds, razors to toothpaste tubes — it’s a minefield of single-use everything. But don’t worry. You don’t need to go full eco-warrior and start brushing your teeth with seaweed. Just a few smart swaps can seriously reduce your bathroom’s footprint. 🚽 Small Room, Big Changes Here’s how you can green your bathroom one swap at a time: 🧼 Toothpaste Tabs Plastic-free and travel-friendly Pop one in your mouth, chew, brush — job done Brands to try: PÄRLA , Truthpaste , Ben & Anna 🪥 Bamboo Toothbrushes Replace plastic with compostable handles Just snap off the bristles before composting 🧻 Bamboo Toilet Roll Grows fast, uses less water Comes in paper packaging — no plastic wrap! Try: Who Gives...

  The Power of a Window Box Garden Because saving the planet starts right outside your window. Why Bother with a Window Box? You might think you need a sprawling garden, raised beds, or a greenhouse to grow something green and meaningful. But truthfully? All you need is a window, a box, and a bit of dirt. Window box gardens aren’t just cute or decorative — they’re tiny ecological powerhouses. And whether you’re in a flat, a townhouse, or even a student room, they offer a surprisingly big impact for such a small space. 🌿 What Can You Grow? Herbs : Basil, parsley, thyme, mint, chives Salad greens : Lettuce, rocket, spinach Edibles : Strawberries, chillies, dwarf tomatoes Pollinator plants : Lavender, nasturtiums, marigolds Scent and colour : Geraniums, petunias, violets Even if your thumbs are more "olive" than green, these are beginner-friendly. 🌎 Why It’s Eco-Friendly ✔️ Reduces food miles – your basil no longer flies in from Kenya ✔️ Cuts ...

  Solar Panels in the UK: Are They Worth It? Yes — but only if you do the homework. Why I Wrote This From our own home in the UK (solar array + batteries + heat‑pump) I’ve become obsessed with one question: Is investing in rooftop solar genuinely worth it here, now, today? The short answer: Yes — but there are important caveats. The Case for Solar A typical UK household with a 4 kW system can save £1,000 + per year under good conditions. GreenMatch.co.uk +2 EcoFlow +2 With rising energy prices and VAT relief on solar until 2027, the economics are improving. EcoFlow +1 In many cases, pay‑back periods are now around 8‑12 years in Britain. Sheffield Renewable Services +1 Benefits go beyond money: lower carbon footprint, more self‑sufficiency, better for your home’s future value. MoneySavingExpert.com +1 Why They Might Not Be Worth It If your roof is north‑facing, heavily shaded or in poor condition. MoneySavingExpert.com +1 If you expect to move hou...

  Can You Recycle That? The Confusing World of Plastics Because not all plastics are created equal – and your yoghurt pot might be lying to you. 🧴 Plastics: The Everyday Minefield From shampoo bottles to sandwich trays, plastic is everywhere. And most of it comes with that friendly little recycling triangle — the one that quietly whispers: “Pop me in the bin and feel good about yourself.” But here’s the truth: Just because it has a triangle doesn’t mean it’s recyclable. And just because it’s recyclable doesn’t mean your local council actually does. Welcome to the confusing, often misleading world of plastics. ♻️ What Those Numbers Inside the Triangle Actually Mean That triangle isn’t a recycling symbol — it’s a resin identification code (1–7). Here’s the cheat sheet: Code Plastic Type Common Uses Easily Recycled? 1 PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) Water bottles, food trays ✅ Yes 2 HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) Milk bottles, cleaning products ✅ Yes 3 PVC (P...

  How to Decode Eco Labels Without a PhD Because buying greener shouldn’t feel like taking an exam. 🛍️ The Eco-Labelling Maze You’re in the shop. You pick up a product. It has a leaf on it. Maybe a dolphin. A green tick. Possibly a frog. And suddenly you’re staring at 7 different eco-labels with no clue what any of them mean. “Is this actually sustainable or just another case of greenwashing in fancy packaging?” Eco labels are supposed to help us make informed choices. But too often, they’re confusing, inconsistent, or just plain marketing fluff. Let’s decode the common ones — and learn which ones actually mean something. ✅ The Labels You Can (Mostly) Trust ♻️ Mobius Loop Means the product is recyclable Doesn’t guarantee your local authority will recycle it If there’s a number inside, it refers to the plastic type (1–7) 🌱 Soil Association / Organic Certified Indicates high environmental and animal welfare standards Used in the UK for food, cos...

  The Dirty Truth About Car Washes Your car might look clean, but the environment pays the price. 🚗 A Clean Car with a Dirty Secret There’s something satisfying about a freshly washed car. Shiny paint. Gleaming windows. Smug neighbours. But here’s what many people don’t realise: How  you wash your car matters just as much as  how often. That sparkling finish might be hiding a messy environmental footprint — one made of  chemicals, microplastics, and polluted runoff. Let’s get sudsy with the facts. 🧼 Two Main Types of Car Washes DIY Driveway Washes Commercial Car Washes (Automatic or Hand Wash) Both get your car clean — but only one usually  protects the environment . 🏡 The Problem with Driveway Washing When you wash your car on a drive, you’re usually: Using  excess water  (often 100–150 litres per wash) Rinsing  detergents, oils, brake dust, and microplastics  straight into  storm drains Letting it flow  untreated into rivers an...

  One Year On With a Heat Pump: Warm, Efficient, and Gas-Free We kept the heating on all day — and our bills still went down. 🏠 A Year Ago, We Made the Leap We ditched gas. We installed a heat pump . We braced ourselves for frostbite, financial regret… and, maybe, the smug warmth of good intentions. A year later? We’re warm. We’re efficient. We’ve learned a lot. And we haven’t looked back (except to check the gas meter... which now does nothing at all). 🌡️ Heating On. All Day. Every Day. One of the biggest surprises? We don’t turn the heating off. Our air-source heat pump runs constantly , gently maintaining a steady temperature throughout the day and night. And the house? Cosy. Even when the rain’s horizontal and the dog refuses to leave the porch. Because we work from home , this has been a game-changer. No more freezing until 4 pm trying to “save heating” — just steady, smart warmth. 💡 Why Constant Heat Works Heat pumps work best with low, steady temp...

  The Zero-Waste Lunchbox Challenge Because your sandwich doesn’t need its own landfill. 🥪 What’s in Your Lunchbox? Be honest — does your lunch involve: A cling-film-wrapped sandwich? A crisp packet or two? A single-use plastic fork from the takeaway salad? A yoghurt pot, an energy bar wrapper, and a bottle of water? We’ve all been there. But now it’s time to step up. Can you pack an entire lunch that creates zero waste ? Welcome to the Zero-Waste Lunchbox Challenge : No single-use plastics. No throwaway packaging. No guilt. 🗑️ The Problem with Convenience Food Most pre-packaged lunch items come wrapped in: Thermoformed plastics Foil-plastic laminates (hello crisp packets) Non-recyclable film Microplastics in tea bags and yoghurt lids These materials are difficult or impossible to recycle — and they add up. Fast. Multiply that by 5 days a week, 48 weeks a year… and you’ve got a lunch-based climate crime scene. 🧡 The Zero-Waste Lunch...

Train, Bus, or Bike? Greener Commuting Without Tears Your journey to work shouldn’t cost the Earth — or your sanity. 🚗 The Problem with Cars (Yes, Even the Small Ones) We love our cars. They’re convenient, private, and stocked with questionable playlists and half-melted mints. But here’s the reality: Transport accounts for ~25% of UK carbon emissions Commuting by car is often the single biggest part of our personal footprint Electric cars help, but they still require vast resources to produce The greenest journey? Often the one you share , or don’t drive at all . 🚆 Train: The Underrated Green Hero Trains are 3 to 6 times more efficient than cars per passenger Ideal for medium/long commutes You can work, nap, read or eat a guilt-free second breakfast Some routes now run on electricity from renewables 🔧 Downsides: Reliability can be patchy Ticket prices in the UK… let’s not talk about it But season passes or planning ahead can make it work 🚌 Bus: No...