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AGRICULTURE:

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA):

http://www.cuco.org.uk/index.php?page=3

http://www.seedinternational.com.au/CG%20article%201.html

book- Farms of Tomorrow: Community Supported Farms, Authors: Trauger Groh and Steven McFadden http://abebooks.com

book- Rebirth of the Small Family Farm, Authors: Bob and Bonnie Gregson http://www.acresusa.com

http://uruguay.indymedia.org/news/2005/06/36067.php

http://www.isec.org.uk ..

AIRCRAFT:

If you have to travel by air, you can offset your carbon dioxide emissions: do an internet search on 'carbon offset' or 'offsetting carbon emissions.' Or you could just discover a strange, exotic place with an incredible variety of people and things to see - called Kent.

REDUCE AIR CONDITIONING COST 20% TO 40%:

Paint your house and roof white, which reflects sunlight  http://www.duro-last.com/buildingowners/coolzone  http://www.silvercote.com/reflective.asp 

AIR QUALITY:

Electrical equipment, TVs, DVDs, Video players, CD players and especially computers are polluting the air with something called Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCS). These are being produced all the time the equipment is turned on, and a concentration of VOCs can cause headaches and other health complaints.

House plants have been proven to absorb VOCs and purify the air. Most houseplants will have some beneficial effect, but the humble spider plant is the absolute top performer on air quality. It absorbs a wider range of VOCs than any other house plant. It is easy to take care of and it is easy to grow more spider plants from the small shoots which form after flowering. Other useful houseplants for air purification are the Peruvian cactus which has been very fashionable for putting next to computers for some time.

Houseplants also regulate humidity pollution and general electrical atmosphere. NASA is backing the following plants for future air purification on space stations ivies, spider plant, spathipylums, philodendrons, dracenae (dragon plants) and weeping figs.

Recycling and Purifying Indoor Air by utilizing plant technology (reducing heating and cooling costs):

book: "How To Grow Fresh Air", Author:  B. C. Wolverton  http://www.wolvertonenvironmental.com  http://www.abebooks.com  ..

http://www.secondnatureplants.com  http://www.fosterplants.com  http://www.greenspotsco.com  http://www.pettigrew.ie http://www.greenworks.com

ALLOTMENTS:

Our Government did not have a national policy on allotments until the Green Party members of the Greater London Assembly shamed them into doing so! For advice on allotments see:

http://www.nsalg.org.uk  http://www.farmgarden.org.uk  http://www.jardins-familiaux.org  http://www.allotment.info  http://www.allotments-uk.com  http://www.allotment.org.uk  http://www.2.eng.cam.ac.uk/~tpl/allotmentkids.html http://neildixon.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk http://www.earthlypursuits.com/AllotGuide/AllotGuide.htm  http://www.btinternet.com/%7Erichard.wiltshire/alldoc13.htm  http://www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm_urbanpolicy/documents/page/odpm_urbpol_608056.hcsp
http://q.webring.com/hub?ring=allotmentring  http://www.keirg.freeserve.co.uk/diary/default.html  http://perrone.blogs.com  http://www.staan.co.uk  http://www.keirg.freeserve.co.uk/diary/default.html 

http://www.farmgarden.org.uk/ari  http://www.foodsecurity.org/UAHealthArticle.pdf

book- The City People's Book of Raising Food, authors: William Olkowski and Helga Olkowski http://abebooks.com  ..

book- Allotment Gardening, author: Susan Berger  http://www.permaculture.co.uk/erc/erc3.html#AGO

book- Successful Allotments  http://www.permaculture.co.uk/erc/erc3b.html#SA2

book- The Allotment Handbook  http://www.permaculture.co.uk/erc/erc3.html#AH1

ANIMALS:

Concerning pets, they will benefit from an organic, good quality diet as humans do. Since pets require a lot of attention, considerable amounts of land area to feed them and can have an impact on wildlife - an estimated 25 million birds are lost to cats each year in the UK - do be careful about taking on pets.

We strongly recommend that everyone writes to MPs to oppose live exports of animals, badger culls and to phase out medical experiments on animals which are known to be of doubtful reliability. Each year, 18,000 people die from the side effects of drugs that were tested on animals. Each year, 4 out 10 new drugs are withdrawn - after testing on animals - when the first trials of them in humans fail. The Government defends the pharmaceutical industry and refuses to consider either the suffering of animals in experiments or the evidence that animal testing does not provide an automatically reliable system of drug testing. See website of groups such as the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection, for further information.

ANIMAL TESTING:

It seems particularly cruel to test cosmetic products on animals. Do avoid any cosmetic or 'beauty' product which is without a statement on its packaging that it has not been tested on animals. Generally, companies like Body Shop and Superdrug provide easy access to cruelty-free cosmetics. Boots is very much to be avoided as one of the companies responsible for the largest amount of animal testing of cosmetics in the UK.

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BABIES:

Some people spend phenomenal sums on new babies. Do make full use of your local charity shops to help your budget rather than making the typical spend of about £2000 on baby goods during your pregnancy and the first year of your child's life. Do condition your youngster to a greener lifestyle by walking as much as possible with them, taking them on buses, using the local swimming pool, encouraging cycling etc.

BANKS:

Most high street banks attract criticism, particularly with regard to their willingness to invest in areas such as the arms trade, inappropriate overseas investments and industries which harm the environment. We suggest changing to a more ethical bank or building society. These are some options to choose from: the Co-operative Bank; the Ecology Building Society; the Nationwide Building Society; Triodos Bank.

BATHROOMS:

Cutting water use in your bathroom can go a long way beyond putting a brick in the cistern. See www.greenbuildingstore.co.uk for advice. See also: www.aecb.net

BATTERIES:

Only use rechargeable, solar or non-toxic batteries. Check with KCC about where to recycle batteries nearest to you - see their website.

BATS:

Do help your local wildlife by installing a bat box. See www.bats.org.uk

BEDDING:

Untreated organic cotton bedding is better for children and adults. Normal cotton has been subjected to formaldehyde, solvents and other chemicals. It will have been grown using pesticides and fertilisers which do leave residues in the cotton. See: www.gossypium.co.uk or www.first-born.co.uk

BIRDS AND BEES:

It is easy to attract birds and bees to your garden by planting the plants they rely on for food. Some green seed catalogues will give you notice of plants which are typical 'bee' plants. Most of these plants are natives but some are imports which birds and bees have adapted to. Bird boxes of various kinds are available to help increase the variety of birds in your garden: see www.wildlifetrusts.org.uk for more details.

The best way to attract birds is to plant a hedge full of bushes which bear berries they will eat. The classic native hedgerow to attract birds should contain mainly hawthorn and blackthorn. These can be augmented with dogwood, field maple, hazel, spindle wych elm and buckthorn. Other bushes bearing attractive berries for birds are contoneaster and yew (beware poisonous: children should be warned not to eat the bright red berries).

Bees are attracted to many nectar plants, too numerous to mention. Some classics are yellow stonecrop, honeysuckle, evening primrose, borage, lavender, pennyroyal and rosemary.

Also useful are plants which will attract hoverflies which are natural predators for aphids (greenfly, whitefly etc.) such as poached egg plant and pot marigold.

BOOKS WORTH READING:

Noam Chomsky - The Fateful Triangle [probably the best book about the conflict in the Middle East and how it is sustained by US foreign policy]

Edward Goldsmith - The Way: an ecological world view - revised edition [an ecological approach to life on earth, from one of the authors of Blueprint for Survival - a special edition of the Ecologist magazine in the early 1970s which led to the foundation of what was to become the Green Party in Britain]

Colin Hines - Localization [a major work of Green Economics, challenging the value and sustainability of globalizing processes]

Green Party - Manifesto for a Sustainable Society [the Green Party's standing long-term manifesto - under 'policies' at www.greenparty.org.uk ; see also reports/publications/press releases on the same site. For Kent policies, see under Resources and under About Us, on this website]

Allyson Pollock - NHS PLC [a history of the steady privatization of the NHS since 1991 - the three major parties all support forms of privatization of the NHS, which means that universal provision of good services and ease of access to services are in decline everywhere in the UK. This is a horror story!]

Clive Ponting - A Green History of the World

Charles Reich - The Greening of America [a brilliant analysis of American society and politics written before the first Oil Crisis of 1973 but still very relevant to understanding why the US lags behind Europe on the environment, in most states, on social policies everywhere in the US, and in its aggressive foreign policies]

James Robertson - Future Wealth [a first book in Green economics, introductory and accessible]

Richard Rogers - Cities for a Small Planet

Richard Rogers and Anne Power - Cities for a Small Country

[Two brilliant readable books about urban regeneration, design and sustainability]

Christian Wolmar - Broken Rails: how privatization wrecked Britain's railways

BOYCOTT:

A greener lifestyle means a more discerning approach to things we buy or use. According to your preference, there are limitless products, services or countries you may wish to boycott. We suggest, however, a more positive approach: discriminate in favour of the things you wish to support or encourage: local businesses over chainstores; businesses in our region of the UK; farmers' markets; local markets; charity shops selling useful secondhand goods; in favour of walking, cycling and the use of public transport with less emphasis on the car.

BUILDINGS:

Build into the future: robust and energy efficient buildings and homes: http://www.monolithicdome.com  http://www.kalwall.com  http://www.solatube.com  http://www.solarwall.com  http://www.demarcoenergy.com  http://www.advgeothermal.co.ukhttp://www.sloanled.com  http://www.cansolair.com  http://www.myecospace.com  http://www.thermotechs.com  http://www.waterless.co.nz  http://www.wintersundesign.com  cnalbant@skydome.com.au  

BUSES:

Some children, even some adults, have never been on a bus! Do consider using buses for some journeys. For example, when visiting somewhere else in Kent, look into your bus options for the journey. You will see a lot more of Kent from a bus than you ever will from your car. Let someone else do the driving!

BUTTERFLIES:

More butterflies can be encouraged into your garden, your local park, your school grounds, even your business if it has landscaped and natural areas on its plot. For details see: www.butterfly-conservation.org.uk

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CARS:

Kent Green Party accepts that using a car is a necessity in the many parts of Kent where public transport is inadequate, as a result of almost continuous Conservative rule and neglect of public transport in Kent since 1889. We can all walk more, cycle more and use public transport for more of our journeys. Cutting your car use ideas can be found at: www.cuttingyourcaruse.co.uk Also consider switching away from a conventional, highly polluting car to an electric vehicle or one using hydrogen fuel cells. Electric vehicles are already available and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are just starting to come on the market: the first commercially-available hydrogen fuel cell car was unveiled in Japan in 2003. Do recycle your car oil, to help reduce the 13,000 tonnes of car oil which are not collected for re-use each year in the UK. Contact the Oil Bank for advice: 0800 663 366.

Please consider using the Environmental Transport Association rather than the AA or RAC. See details at: www.eta.org

CARDS:

About 1 billion Xmas cards are delivered each year. Do send Christmas and Birthday greetings by email if you can: this can be personalised by adding photos/your own graphics.

CHICKENS:

Keeping chickens: Why keep chickens?

Chicken make excellent pets! They are generally tame and friendly, if always hungry. And they are low maintenance compared with many other pets. How many other pets like eating slugs and produce excellent manure and fresh eggs? Eggs are fantastic and many breeds will lay an egg most days in the summer and one every other day in the winter. Money saved not having to buy eggs will far exceed the cost of feeding your chickens.

How do I keep them?

There are a number of trendy chicken houses available on the internet and from specialist shops, but they can be self built. Chickens need a dry coup with a perch to sleep on and roosting area to lay in, which can be lined with newspaper and straw to make cleaning easier. They need a run over some bare earth which should be enclosed with chicken wire so they can scratch safely without supervision. They can be let out into the rest of the garden to forage for slugs but they will eat plants as well. They eat about 120g of feed each day, I just fill up a hopper and they help themselves.

Chickens are not known for their flying ability so unless there are special concerns, they may not need to have their wings clipped. They must have fresh water each day and their coups must be cleaned regularly to avoid disease.

Eggs...

These will be the best you have ever tasted! Breeds vary as to how many they lay, but your standard brown chicken may well lay 6 each week in the summer with a few less in the winter. Collect them every day and they should store for 2 or 3 weeks in the fridge. If you intend to hard boil them this is best done with eggs that are a few days old.

Try:

www.omlet.co.uk

CLEANING:

Always try to obtain environment-friendly cleaning products. One tip: white vinegar will clean your fridge or toilet very effectively and without an appreciable odour. Greener cleaning products are often made using vinegar - and vinegar can be cheaper, especially if you are able to buy in bulk. More generally, is your cleaning necessary? Why run the vacuum cleaner if you don't really need to?

CLIMATE CHANGE:

This is the number one threat to the continuation of life on Earth. Our climate has been changing as a result of human activity, leading to an increase in the number of extreme weather events like the terrible summer of 2003 that killed over 27,000 people in Europe alone, and the intensifying and increasing frequency of hurricanes in the Caribbean, including the devastating Hurricane Katrina. Large areas of Green Party policy - on climate change, energy, housing, transport, planning - are intended to address and counter-act the problems of climate change which threaten to wreck the environment, destroy species and undermine food crop production in many areas.

Join the Green Party now, and help us to challenge the complacency of the other parties in elections - see membership form on this website.

CLOTHING:

Buy clothing second hand where possible, and do donate serviceable clothing to charity shops for resale. Do not throw away damaged clothes as they can be recycled:

Contact the Textile Recycling Association for advice: 01480 455249.

COMPOSTING TIPS:

What can be added to your compost heap? Anything which has once lived. Obviously this will mainly be garden and kitchen waste but it can also include things like nail clippings, egg shells, hair, coffee grounds or tea leaves. Hair from your hair brush, or your dogs brush, is rich in minerals and supposedly very good for growing runner beans! However, it is not a good idea to add any meat or fish waste. Although it would rot, it smells and attracts flies.

You need a good mix of high nitrate and high carbohydrate waste for good composting. High nitrate waste is things like grass cuttings or garden waste with lots of leaf or the droppings from your pet rabbit or guinea pig. If you can get hold of horse manure is an excellent high nitrate 'activator' which helps speed up the rotting process. This saves you money spent on buying unnecessary chemical activators. All the waste will rot much quicker if it is cut up into small pieces. Grass cuttings are ideal of course, but leafy garden waste should be cut or ripped into smaller pieces. It will make for quicker and better composting.

At the same time carbohydrates are needed to bulk up the compost and give it a good texture. This will prevent it from turning into a sticky smelly mess. Your kitchen waste and any gardening waste with lots of stalks will be high in carbohydrates. It is also a good idea to add old cardboard or egg containers. Again, make sure you rip them or cut them up to speed the rotting process. They not only add bulk but also absorb any excess moisture and help keep the worms happy that, hopefully, your compost heap is attracting in large numbers. If your compost heap is too dry then soak the cardboard first before adding it.

Adding crushed egg shells to the compost helps reduce the acidity. This is a big help to the worms who could otherwise get indigestion and leave. The best way to do this is to keep them in the empty egg carton until they are dry and then put them in a brown paper bag to crush them as small as you possibly can. They do not rot down and will otherwise simply remain intact in the compost and emerge with a brown stain a year or so later.

This method can also be used to crush them to spread around your vegetables to help protect them from slugs. It is important that the egg shells are dry as they crush into smaller pieces and the jagged edges are important to deterring slugs.

Site the compost heap at the end of the garden away from the house. Use a container to improve heat retention and speed up the composting process. Of course, that helps keep the garden tidy as well. Compost bins made of recycled plastic can be bought at a substantially reduced price using a subsidy from Kent County Council.

NB. Tea bags should always be ripped open so that the tea leaves will rot down.

Happy composting. You are not only doing your bit to help save the planet by reducing the amount of waste going to landfill and not using peat but you are saving yourself money by not buying commercial compost. Do remember you could employ a lot of worms to help you:

Worms? Yes, worms, specifically in a wormery: A wormery can convert your kitchen waste into high quality potting compost. That means you are not contributing to pollution by sending it to landfill and you are saving money on expensive potting compost.

There are now several types of wormery on the market to fit different types of household. They all come with full instructions. Wiggly Wigglers have now developed three different types of wormery to suit different types of household. They have even developed a wormless composting system using microorganisms suitable for indoor use. The worms will cope better if the kitchen scraps and cut up and added in small amounts regularly. A certain amount of fibre needs to be added and that could be discarded egg cartons or toilet roll centres. This keeps the worms happy.

The end product  is a very fine compost - will keep your house plants happy. An added bonus is the liquid feed you can get by running water through the wormery  free plant food. Leave your wormery out in the rain during the summer and draw off the accumulating rainwater regularly - if it rains.

See Wiggly Wigglers www.wigglywigglers.co.uk, also:

Worm Composting:

http://www.vermico.com  http://www.wormwoman.com  http://www.wormdigest.org  http://www.wormbooks.com http://www.eco-ireland.com  http://www.elementgreen.com  http://www.bedrockworms.com 

COMPUTER RECYCLING:

See www.computersforcharity.org.uk or www.community-computers.co.uk or www.computeraid.org

COMPUTING:

Open source software is worth considering, to avoid Microsoft products:

If you have the knowledge, or are prepared to learn, consider using an ethical, open source operating system on your computer - GNU/Linux.

Free Software Foundation - http://www.fsf.org/

Open Source - http://www.opensource.org/

Linux - http://www.linux.org/

Even people who do not have the knowledge to use a GNU/Linux operating system or who are forced to use Windows for running specialist software that has no open source equivalent can use *some* Open Source applications:

OpenOffice.org is a free office suite which is capable of opening Microsoft Office format files, and saving files back into Microsoft format - http://www.openoffice.org/index.html

Thunderbird is a free email client from the makers of the Mozilla suite - it has far more useful features than Outlook Express, including a trainable junk mail filter - http://www.mozilla.com/thunderbird/

Firefox is the web browser companion to the Thunderbird email client - again, far more features than Internet Explorer, including the invaluable "tabbed browsing" - http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/

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DECORATIONS:

Natural decorations made from cuttings taken in your own garden can be very attractive when compared to the garish plastic ones often used. Do recycle paper and cardboard to make other decorations yourself: paint transforms 'rubbish' into Art!

DEBT:

British people owe about £1 trillion - 80% of this sum on mortgages. If interest rates rise, a lot of people get into difficulties with credit card and mortgage payments. How can debt be avoided?

We suggest shopping for second-hand goods whenever possible. This means less emphasis on the production and transport of new goods, meaning a re-use of resources is taking place. Conditioning children to accept at least part of their birthday/Xmas presents in 2^nd hand goods is good parenting and good housekeeping. Another step is extend the property you live in rather than moving to a new one with a bigger mortgage. Who needs all those transaction costs! We strongly recommend purchasing older properties when you do buy a home as the Building Research Establishment says 4 out of 10 new homes do not meet existing building standards. Green Party canvassing in new estates often reveals people who are not satisfied with their new and often rather small home. Buyer beware!

Investment in safe energy - solar water heating, solar panels, a mini wind turbine, a wood burning stove, cavity wall insulation, improved loft insulation - will help to protect your household against higher energy bills for gas, oil and electricity as oil, coal and gas begin to run out and become a lot more expensive.

DEMOCRACY:

It would be nice to live in one. Although proportional representation is used in Northern Ireland, and for the election of assemblies in Wales and London, and for the Scottish and European Parliamentary elections, we are denied a democratic system of election for local government or for Westminster. The Conservatives and Labour are opposed to extending fair voting to all public elections: they do not deserve votes in any election in consequence. Vote Green and consider joining the Green Party, see membership form on this website.

See also, for ideas on electoral reform: the Electoral Reform Society - http://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/