Info, news & debate
Recycling, reusing & repairing
How to Convert your Washing Machine to Pedal Power 1 – The Basic Model (Front-loader)
Convert your washing machine to pedal power!
Recycle and reuse vs throwing away electrical waste
Electrial products and e-waste are often dumped in landfill. Find out about different ways we can deal with the rubbish.
Upcycling an old frame into a chalk board
Learn how to upcycle an old and broken mirror or picture frame into an interesting chalk board.
Keeping your tech ticking: how to extend the lifetime of your laptop
Have a feeling your device is on its last legs and dreading the day you might have to consider buying a new one? Sophie Paterson shares top tips to keep your technological devices ticking, starting with how to extend the lifetime of your laptop.
Great ways to reduce plastic use in your home: Part 3 – around the home
Explore how to reduce plastic use in the kitchen, living area, bedroom, bathroom and even the garden, with the help of our friends at Ethical.net.
Great ways to reduce plastic use in your home: Part 1 – what and why
Are you struggling to reduce plastic use in your home? In this first instalment from Ethical.net, we learn why we should be aiming to reduce our plastic use, why recycling isn’t enough and how to get started reducing food-related plastic waste.
Alternatives to single-use plastic in mushroom growing
Benedict Noel of The Mushroom Guide shares his tried and tested alternatives to single use plastic in mushroom growing.
Can you detox your plastic life and smash the MCS Plastic Challenge?
The Marine Conservation Society is challenging people to get through July single-use plastic free. Could you rise to the challenge? Clare Fischer explains how to take part.
Repair & maintain: how to keep your beloved clothes in your life for longer
Keen to repair your clothes? You’re not alone! We hear from Anca at Ethical.net about a growing movement challenging fast fashion.
So long, Doris: how to make a Linux computer from scratch
When his old computer died, Simon Lennane knew exactly what to do to get back up and running, by building a Linux computer from scratch.
Why pyrolysis and ‘plastic to fuels’ is not a solution to the plastics problem
Energy engineer Dr Andrew Rollinson sets out the case as to why pyrolysis and ‘plastic to fuels’ is not a sustainable solution to the plastics problem.
Record numbers clean up in the Marine Conservation Society’s 25th Great British Beach Clean
Results show community clean-ups have made a dent in beach litter figures this year but this masks a growing plastic litter trend, according to organisers of the Great British Beach Clean, the Marine Conservation Society.
How to make your own scallop shell candles
Richard Phillips of The Soap Kitchen shares how you can make your very own scallop shell candles at home with just three simple ingredients and a bit of elbow grease…
How to make a chicken coop from a repurposed plastic barrel
Wooden chicken houses can be a nightmare, especially when they are infested with red mite: hiding in every crack and crevice and tormenting your hens. Those recycled plastic chicken houses can be expensive though and even they have some design flaws!
On a small scale, why is it illegal to give food waste to chickens and other animals?
Imagine you have a factory producing sandwiches for supermarkets and petrol stations etc. Maybe you’re producing 100,000 packs a day or even more. Now imagine the worst thing that could happen. Perhaps someone comes in to work with food poisoning and contaminates the product and 100,000 people come down with food poisoning.
Earth.Food.Love: the story of the UK’s first zero-waste shop
Nicola and Richard Eckersley, founders of Earth.Food.Love, share their journey to pioneering the UK’s first zero-waste shop in Totnes, Devon.
The potential power of sharing: from Share Shops to Streetbank
In this post Sophie Paterson of Lowimpact.org explores the power of sharing in a growing movement including The Library of Things, Streetbank, Share Shops and more.
Reduce, reuse… repair? The repair renaissance building skills and communities
With UK media decrying a recent YouGov survey revealing a whopping 69% of 18-24 year olds in the UK don’t know how to bleed a radiator and 54% would be flummoxed replacing a fuse, what hope is there for a repair renaissance amidst the current tide of throwaway consumerism?
Join our new online community Living Low Impact
We’re excited to introduce our new Facebook group Living Low Impact – and you’re invited!
Taking the pee: is urine a good fertiliser?
Many of us consider it a waste product but, in fact, is urine a good fertiliser? Scarlett Penn of WWOOF UK sets out why we should pause for thought before we flush.