The Energy Saving Trust is asking us all to keep an eye on our carbon footprint later this month, as Energy Saving Fortnight gets underway from 22nd October.
Now in its 11th year, the overall campaign theme is "Commit to save your 20%"; a realistic goal for even those of us who love our toys and gadgets. To help you do this, the Trust has a fun and easy online guide that will help you devise the best way to save your 20% according to your lifestyle.
If you'd also like to invest in appliances that help you cut down your energy consumption, you could start with getting a standby-stopping device; we've reviewed the most popular here. Next, ensure that any new household appliances you buy have a good energy rating, and keep an eye on how much you're using them. There are now various products on the market that will help you monitor exactly how much electricity you're using, including the Owl Monitor (£49.84 at B&Q), which makes it easy to check the cost of operating your electrical appliances, and so helps you make intelligent decisions about how and when you use your electrical appliances in order to save energy and money.
Related: Hippyshopper guide to saying goodbye to standby | Online standby cost calculator
Apples are currently in season, and to remind us of the sheer variety and versatility of this homegrown fruit, Sunday 21st October has been deemed national Apple Day.
Why do we need a day to think about apples, you might well ask? The cause, in my opinion, is a good one. Many see apples as being as quintessentially English as a fruit can get, but according to DEFRA, we in the UK imported 71 per cent of our apples in 2005, despite the abundance of varieties that can be home-grown.
Feeling creative? Check out this top 10 of apple recipes
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A lot of things seem to be "big and green" at the moment, but here's one that seems to have a genuine claim to this buzz-phrase. It's certainly big (it takes place in eight different locations nationwide, on several dates), it's a market, and the green bit looks pretty solid too.
Scheduled for the run-up to Christmas, the next Big Green Market is happening this weekend in Croydon, but there are events taking place soon in Taunton, Wimbledon, Reading and York. You'll find all sorts of exciting products on offer, from fairtrade and ethical, to UK made to organic foods and green goods.
This week, 30th September to 8th October, is Red Squirrels Week run by the Wildlife Trust. Once our only native squirrel, red squirrels are easily and quickly displaced by the arrival of the grey squirrel, originally imported from America to this country in the 1800s. It is now estimated that there are only 160,000 red squirrels left in the UK.
The majority of the remaining red squirrels are thought to be in the North of England including Lancashire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Northumberland, the south of Scotland and border areas, some parts of Wales especially around Anglesey, and the Isle of Wight. In these areas, the Wildlife Trust are asking members of the public to keep a special eye out this week and report sightings in order to get a better idea of their numbers and spread.
There are also events to attend in red squirrel areas such as talks, squirrel safaris and family days. For more information about how you can help conserve this adorable native mammal, including adoption, campaigning and practical help, see the Save our Squirrels campaign.
If you're planning on being anywhere near Glasgow at the weekend ‐ or if you just need an excuse for a weekend away ‐ then you must make sure you drop in on the Incredible Veggie Roadshow. Saturday the 29th of September will see the Glasgow Concert Hall playing host to a good range of veggie/vegan food stalls, literature and gift stalls, cookery demos and talks. It's only £1 to get in (with children under the age of 10 allowed in for free), and there should be something here for everyone, from the newly vegetarian to the lifelong vegan. Exhibitors include Beanie's Health Foods, Plamil Foods Ltd, Advocates for Animals and Alternative Soles.
For more information - including a nifty facility allowing you to quickly issue online invites to friends and family, and a list of exhibitors - visit the Viva! website.
There seem to be lots of events and celebrations on this weekend, the Autumn Equinox, but one which will be pleasure to observe is British Food Fortnight, 22nd September – 7th October. It started in 2002 as a response to the Foot and Mouth crisis but has gone from strength to strength since then as people realised the benefits of seasonal and regional produce – and just how much variety Britain has to offer, without using up those food miles.
British Food Fortnight encourages us all to seek out our local specialities, to get to know local butchers, greengrocers and farmer's markets, to eat seasonally and to learn what is in season at any particular time, to grow your own fruit and vegetables, to go to local pick-your-own farms, and to sample local beers.
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Fans of The Gruffalo will immediately recognise the penmanship of the talented Axel Scheffler who has designed the poster for this year's National Bookstart Day on October 5th. Bookstart is a scheme funded by the Government which aims to provide free books to all babies and toddlers in the UK, from the ages of zero to four. It's hoped that introducing the books at a very young age will ensure they develop a love of reading, while being stimulated and inspired. The packs are handed out at health clinics and local libraries in your child's first year, between 18 and 30 months and again at 3-4 years. In addition to free books the Bookstart bag contains useful information about childcare, book labels, and vouchers for money off buying books.
National Bookstart Day celebrates this, by promoting the scheme and holding events around the country. For more information you should contact your local library.
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