Planet Savers blog

I’m getting used to SolarTwin hot water now. On sunny days we get up to 60 degrees in the tank without any external asistance. The bottom of the tank might be ten degrees cooler, so there is plenty for showers and washing up.
On cloudy days it will be around 28 to 35 depending on how much the sun got through. I check the temperature when I get home from work and flip the heating on for half and hour of so and heat up the tank. Then off again until next evening’s check.
It’s fab :>)

If you do nothing else today sign this petition! It will be one of the most important things you can do.

It has been suspected for some time that pesticides have been killing off our honeybee. Much research has been carried out and now it looks conclusive.

The Soil Association are collecting signatures for the petition. They are validating the email addresses as well so expect a confirmation request:>)

This morning the clouds looked ominous, they even splashed a little rain on us and I was worried that Bobbie’s new shed doors would warp if they got wet. So, before breakfast I hasten to add, I was in my working clothes, brush and tin of Osmo Coutry Color in hand. By the time the doors were covered, the sun came out and, with the wonderful drying wind, they should be well protected from the next downpour.

Incidentally, Osmo’s main office is in Aylesbury but they don’t have a retail outlet there. You can get it from Town and Country in Chesham on the Amersham Road, just opposite the Red Lion.

Why do I use Osmo? Because it is made from natural oils and waxes and the company have an aim to be environmentally friendly.

I had an update from The Woodland Trust recently telling me about a new Ronseal product thus:

“Following the success of the high performance Eco range in 2008, Ronseal will also launch two new products to the premium woodcare range that boasts low petrochemical content thanks to natural oil and water based formulations; click for information about the full range.”

I’m sad about the “petrochemical content” but at least it is low. Anyone with a bit of an eco-mind knows that all the paints and finishes that we have thrown at us on the TV adverts are not particularly eco-friendly. Just pop into Focus and you will have to ferret around for the eco-products. Homebase now do a range of eco-paints by Farrow and Ball, I used one and found it pretty similar to othe eco-paints I have used, no smell or side effects and it went on a treat.

Osmo are specialists and they are not aiming at the mass market, as such you pay the premium. In my opinion, it’s worth it. But why do we have to ’seek out’ something that is eco-friendly. Judging by the choice these days, it can’t be hard to produce? Why is it not the norm?

Our wildlife is struggling to survive out there. We have disappearing bees, the once ubiquitous sparrow is becoming a rarity, birds and hedgehogs are often poisoned thanks to our insistance on pesticides – such as slug pellets which, in my opinion, should be outlawed – and yet you can still buy cheap eco-unfriendly products to coat all over our fences, our decking, and other garden items.

We need to get the message across that, if we don’t have things in our garden that go buzz and cheap, we won’t have any food either. These critters are amazing at working with us to help us live sustainably – so let’s work with them and use environmentally friendly products.

Here’s a view of our roof at around 21:00 this evening. Solartwin panel at the top with its little PV cell generating all the electrticity it needs. Two solar tubes underneath giving us enough light to work with until around this time of day.

The sun has just about slipped over the horizon and yet the panel is still registering input. We’ve both had our evening shower and look at the temperature of our tank.

Fab, isn’t it – more information gizmos to look at :>)

OK, let’s get the anorak. It’s now 23:15 and we’ve done the washing up. It’s now recording 31.9c. Now, I’d like to know if this is what we should be expecting. Anyone else got some stats?

Over the passed couple (or maybe more) of weeks, Bobbie has been constructing our new shed. When we looked at the price of off-the-shelf offerings, he said: “I can build one of those for less than half of that!”

And so he has:>)

There is still a little bit of trimming to do and we are going to line it with OSB and give it some insulation. Then a good coat of Osmo. So a 7′ by 7′6″ shed with solid frame and lining has cost us around £350. Admitedly, the expertise to design and build it came free!