Eco Living
Whether you want to start up your own worm compost or find out how to save energy in your home, eco-houses are a good place to start learning. Reading and research are useful but visiting green buildings and talking to the people who work there are the best ways of answering your questions. If you are keen to make your home more environmentally friendly take a visit to one of these incredible places.
1) England's first earthship has recently been completed. This self-sufficient building in Brighton is built using recycled materials like tyres and aluminium cans. It has a south facing glazed window that is angled in such a way that it receives the maximum winter sun and a catchwater system on the roof to harvest rainwater. Visit: www.lowcarbon.co.uk for more information.
2) At the Earth Centre in Doncaster you can find out about eco-friendly building techniques and organic gardening through a number of stimulating indoor and outdoor exhibits. Tel: 01709 513933.
3) The eco-house in Leicester demonstrates how an environmentally friendly house can work in today's throwaway world. Tel: 0116 254 5489
4) Visit the Centre of Alternative Technology in Wales for a fun-filled day out for the whole family. Here you can learn about all aspects of sustainable living. Tel: 01654 705950 or visit: www.cat.org.uk
5) For information and advice on sustainable living visit the resource centre at Envolve in Bath Tel: 01225 787910 www.envolve.co.uk.
6) On the outskirts of London, Sutton Energy Centre is set in four acres of land and has displays on renewable energy, organic gardening, recycling and permaculture. Tel: 0208 770 5820
7) Natures World is a unique visitor attraction in Middlesborough, extending to over 25 acres. It provides a model for a balanced and sustainable future and demonstrates traditional composting, organic gardens and how nature sustains itself.
tel: 01642 594895 www.naturesworld.org.uk
8) In Manchester, Bridge-5 Mill is the city's first Centre for Sustainable Living. It is a unique example of a community-focused solution for inner cities. www.bridge-5.org tel: 0161 273 1736
9) Low-Impact Living Initiative (LILI) is an environmental organisation based at Redfield Community in North Bucks, which is committed to promoting ways that people can live more harmoniously with their environment. Through a series of courses and events LILI help people to understand how they can change aspects of their lives to lower their impact, and at the same time save money and improve quality of life. www.lowimpact.org 01296 714184
10) Brancaster Activity Centre in Norfolk offers day courses or 5 day residential visits where you can learn more about sustainable living. Visit: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/brancaster Tel: 01485 210719
11) The Centre for Sustainable Energy can offer advice and support to groups, families or individuals in Bristol and can be found at www.cse.org.uk Tel: 0117 929 9950
12) At the Environment Centre in Swansea you can get inspired, research information in the library or the internet, buy green goods or drink & snack ethically in our Fair-trade Coffee Shop. Most importantly you can meet like minded people.
www.environmentcentre.org.uk or tel: 01792 480200
FURTHER INFO: The Environment Trust Tel: 0207 377 0481
Friends of the Earth Tel: 0207 490 1555 www.foe.org.uk Going for Green Tel: 01942 612621
Greenpeace Tel:0207 865 8100 www.greenpeace.org.uk
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