Summer has arrived and everything’s in bloom. Not a nice time for hay fever sufferers and dreaded by many Barbeque enthusiasts. Not only is it the hot season but also the insect season.

Whilst most people try not to let the little bugs spoil the summer fun, many hit the shops for insect repellents.

What I hate about these products is the amount of chemicals that goes into them.

Wouldn’t it be much nice to repel annoying insects with the help of natural oils?

If you’re planning a big Barbeque feast, here’s a natural essential oil outdoor fly repellent:

1. Clean out a small tin with a lid.
2. Take a clean piece of cloth or a small piece of dish sponge able to fit into the container. Saturate it with one of the following oils (after it has been diluted appropriately, see Tips):
   • Lavender oil - lavender is considered to be particularly effective against flies
   • Citronella oil (dilute with water first)
   • Eucalyptus oil (dilute with water first)
   • Pennyroyal oil (dilute with water first)
   • Peppermint oil (dilute with water first; likely more effective against mosquitoes but also considered to work against horse-flies)
   • Lemongrass oil (dilute with water first)
3. Place the cloth in the tin and shut the lid. Allow to sit for 24 hours.
4. Use. Whenever you need to use the tin, remove the lid and place on the entertaining table. Make as many as you wish to put around the entertaining area to deter flies.
5. Replenish the oil after each use; once open to the air, the strength weakens and needs to be topped up.

and here is how to build a cheap and quick mosquito trap:

You will need:

2000ml (2 liter) bottle
50 gram (brown?) sugar
1 gram yeast
Thermometer
Measure cup
Knife
Black paper

1. Cut the top of the bottle as shown

2. Put 200ml hot water in the bottle, stir with 50gram brown sugar. Put the sugar water in cold water to cool it down til 40C (temperature).

They use a bigger container with cold water - put the small cup that they use to make sugar water in that container and that stick is a thermometer because they want the sugar water to cool down to 40C (temperature).

3. After cooling down, put the sugar water in the bottle then add the yeast.

4. When you cut the bottle, dont throw the top part away because that’d be needed for step 4 - you see they put the top upside down to fit into the bottle.

5. Put black paper around the bottle since mosquitos like dark places and carbon dioxide. This mosquito trap will then start working.
Mosquitos fly around the corner, so the best place to place the trap is at some dark corner.

TIPS: Put the trap in some dark and humid place for 2 weeks, you’ll see the effect. You’ll have to replace the sugar water + yeast solution every 2 weeks.

(source: diyhappy.com/quick-and-dirty-mosquito-trap/, wikihow.com/Make-Natural-Outdoor-Fly-Repellent-with-Essential-Oils)

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

In the constant search of more eco-friendly products we find something that stand out of the crowd: like this £3000 bamboocycle.

The hefty price is rater off-putting but apparently it is the ultimate green statement for commuters worried that even their cycling is damaging the planet.

The Calfee retails for around £3000, is made of bamboo stems that are handpicked in the remote mountains of Taiwan’s Yushan National Park.

However, the bamboo has a large carbon footprint as it clocks up a fair amount of mileage from source to shop.

It is shipped to California, where the stems are smoked and heat-treated to prevent splitting and then assembled into a frame.

Then the pieces are connected with lugs made of hemp fibre, before being coated in a satin polyurethane sealant.

The bikes are then transported back to Chiswick, West London, where they are being sold in the Eco Age shop owned by actor Colin Firth, his wife Livia Giuggioli, and her brother Nicola.

So much for eco-friendly.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Greenhouse gas emissions have become a big threat to modern society. The environment has slowly slipped into turmoil and climate change has become a very apparent and very real problem.

We are according to experts expected to see more of climate change induced catastrophes.

People everywhere are being increasingly encouraged to choose a greener, more environmentally friendly lifestyle.

A large part of greenhouse gas is produced by cars. Limited your driving is a good way to cut down your carbon footprint. Unfortunately we are living in a society where we very often have to rely on a car to get us about.

Therefore, you could opt for Green car insurance. Ibuyeco is a UK provider for Eco friendly car insurance and could help you offset your carbon footprint. Ibuyeco actually offsets 100% of your car’s annual emissions and your money is used to support things like renewable energy sources.

Check out their website for more detailed information and an insurance quote. Not only could you save yourself some money but also do your bit for the environment.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Good news: Giant energy consuming flatscreens are facing a ban by the EU this spring.

Nicknamed ‘4×4’s of the living room’, plasma screens use up to four times as much electricity and are responsible for up to four times as much carbon dioxide as traditional cathode ray tube sets.

The most energy intensive will be phased out under the new EU standards for minimum energy performance, which will follow the voluntary withdrawal of the traditional 100watt light bulb.

The remaining TVs of all types will have to carry energy rating labels designed to make it easy to distinguish between the best and worst performers.

LCD flat screen TVs are much more energy efficient than their plasma cousins so are unlikely to be banned.

A 42in LCD TV uses similar amounts of energy to a much smaller traditional set.

As with all new regulations come contradictions. Consuming less energy seems sheer impossible to some people and in times like these, we are probably in need of laws that regulate our energy use. What effects this may have on the economy remains to be seen but in my opinion, cleaning up the earth should be a top priority!

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

There’s many good reasons for buying water filters. Acidic water, Chlorine, which really isn’t pleasant to drink.

Generally Chlorine is added to water to ensure it’s drinking safety. Along with Chlorine, your tap water can contain all kinds of impurities and high counts of potentially poisonous metals.

A lot of health experts therefore recommend purchasing a water filter. But not only the water we consume might need some filtering.

An iron filter from the ExpertWaterSolutions.com is an efficient and eco friendly method of iron filtration with no harsh chemicals involved. They offer lots of different water filters and filtration solution for almost every purpose.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites