by Kerry Law, May 2009
Welcome to the Green House
Welcome to this new blog. ‘Green house’ is a bit of a misnomer really, but 'green flat' didn't offer the same satisfying pun. Here's what it's about.....
I recently bought my first flat. Nothing special in that - it's your regular two-bedroom, Victorian conversion, in an area that makes estate agents creative (or even give-up in the current climate!). However, my Big Idea is that whilst the flat needs a little updating, I want to try and make it as 'green' as possible - sustainable, carbon neutral, environmentally-responsible, ethical - and that includes everything from the furniture and the paint on the walls to the energy used inside it.
I'm not jumping on the sustainability bandwagon, I'm doing this because I believe that it's getting easier and easier (and more and more important) to make changes to our homes and the way that we live in them. Even though I would say I've been environmentally aware for much of my life, I'm not whiter than white (or greener than green?) and know that trying to lead a sustainable lifestyle is full of pitfalls.
That's why I hope that this diary of my flat 'greening' will be a little more realistic to the average homeowner than the stories on programmes such as Grand Designs (however good it is), and shows what anyone can achieve with a bit of know-how. I don't have much of a budget to speak of (how long until the price of solar panels drops below £100?). With a full-time job I don't have plenty of free time. And I'm no renovation expert. I'm just an enthusiastic (at the moment) flat-owner with a stack of print-outs from the Energy Trust website.
Throughout my blog I'll be flagging up interesting websites, news and other sustainable tit-bits that I'll be consuming regularly whilst I navigate my way through my project that I hope will inspire anyone who reads this – whether a new homeowner (a rare beast) or more likely someone who wants to improve their current living space. So, I've got some hideous wallpaper to strip and I need to check out the price of eco-paints for the hallway - in pale green, naturally.
No ifs, no butts
A new bathroom suite has been fitted! Got a very cheap set from MFI (the regular sales are one of the benefits of renovating during a recession) for just over £300 - which includes a dual-flush loo to save water (and I could save an additional three litres with every flush by spending less than £2 on fitting a Hippo Toilet Water Saver from the Ethics Girls shop). Obviously, if I was doing this green renovation properly I'd have a bath that drained into a water butt and a composting loo, but in a first-floor city flat this isn't particularly practical...
However, to go some way to off-setting the installation of my bog-standard bathroom (sorry for the pun), all the tea-bags and ground coffee used over the working weekend by three people is going onto my mum's compost heap. And the old bath is soon to be re-installed as a sunken water feature for wildlife in their garden!
The House of Bamboo?
I am enlightened - bamboo is the way forward for my green flat! The Chinese believe its rigid structure represents the path to enlightenment, and I've discovered that it's one of the most sustainable materials available for the home making it perfect for flooring, furniture, blinds; you can even get bamboo towels (see www.nigelsecostore.co.uk)!
I've sourced some bamboo flooring tiles for the bathroom (a good alternative to the popular but very non-eco friendly limestone) in the sales with 50% off! I can cover my bathroom floor for £70 (it's a small bathroom, but still a good saving). Apparently bamboo has a higher fibre rating than any other hardwood which makes it particularly hard-wearing and very suitable for floors with lots of traffic. This rapidly growing grass can be harvested every 3-5 years, unlike 15-25 years for most woods, making it a great eco-material.
See www.bambooflooringcompany.com for a multitude of flooring products, and www.zenflooring.co.uk who supply 'panda-friendly' bamboo, a variety which the bears don't eat.
written by Kerry Law
Kerry is a freelancer - previously worked for RHS & is a keen organic gardener - using the window box technique :)
