Why I've Turned 'Green'
I am passionate about the environment. You read every day how carbon emissions are affecting our planet, it is a serious issue and action needs to be taken.
As Amazon I'm pleased to be able to use my role as a Gladiator to show people how easy it is to make green choices in their lives. I'm pleased to be Sky's green ambassador!
I've been trying to live much greener and can offer tips for you to do the same. I've found that being green is much easier than I originally thought.
The best way to successfully be green is to do things which already fit your lifestyle. Some people need the car for the school run, however, these same people may be able to grow their own veg, while others who walk to school don't have access to gardens.
Living greener doesn't just benefit the environment, it can save you money and increase your fitness - it can also be fun!
I think kids have a really important role to play in helping to protect the environment which is why I'm encouraging Primary Schools around the country to sign up to Appetite for Action, an initiative launched by Sky and its environmental charity partner Global Action Plan to help primary schools make the link between the environment, the food they eat and the food they throw away.
Schools can sign up at: www.appetiteforaction.org.uk
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It's easy being green: My Top Tips
I've got some great tips to help you live greener every day.
I'm trying to do all these things but if you can't manage everything on this list, don't worry - the key is tailoring your activity to suit your lifestyle and making changes which you know you can keep up.
1. Turn the lights off when not in use and use energy saving light bulbs. If your household turns off unneeded lights, it can save you money as well as energy. So be smart and switch the lights off when you leave a room.
2. Use energy saving light bulbs. I'm changing all my light bulbs to energy saving ones which will help save me energy and money.
3. Turn appliances off at the plug NOT standby. I turn everything off in my house when not in use, apart from my Sky+ Box which very cleverly goes on to auto standby to save energy on its own. Standby continues to use power but turning the appliance off at the plug saves energy. I also make sure I turn off my phone charger at the plug when not in use as this saves a lot of energy too.
4. Stop using the tumble dryer. I don't tumble dry my bath towels any more - admittedly if you air dry them they come out a bit crispy but they double as a great natural exfoliator!
5. Recycle waste. I buy recycled things whenever I can. Recycling reduces the amount of waste that goes to landfill and using recycled materials prevents new raw materials being used to create a product.
6. Drive less, walk more. I only drive very rarely. Not driving reduces the amount of fuel burnt, thereby reducing emissions.
7. Plan meals in advance and buy food accordingly. I plan my meals in advance meaning that I don't overbuy food, which results in waste. Planning also means I'm not tempted to buy over packaged convenience food. Emphasis on waste reduction.
8. Buy British (drinks/food/products). I really try to buy British food where possible. Buying British food means that you will be buying in season foods more frequently. In season food requires less intensive farming methods. British food will have less food miles, thereby reducing the carbon footprint of the food you choose to eat.
9. Change your supermarket habits. I've been taking my own plastic bags to the supermarket instead of getting new ones all the time. Instead of buying fruit and vegetables in bags, I've been weighing them myself and really reducing the number of plastic bags I throw away every week. By minimising the packaging you buy you reduce the amount of energy and raw materials used to create packaging. Unprocessed food has required less energy and water to get the end product on the supermarket shelf.
10. Take shorter showers. I've calculated how much water I use for each shower and worked out that I can save a lot of water by taking shorter showers. Taking shorter showers reduces the amount of water used, the amount of energy taken to heat it and the amount of energy used to pump and treat the water.
11. Switch to a Green Electricity supplier. I'm researching green energy suppliers at the moment and will hopefully persuade my housemates that we should change suppliers. Green Energy suppliers drive demand for renewable energy which reduces our dependence on fossil fuels and therefore our CO2 emissions.
12. Have a vegetarian day at least once a week. I have a totally vegetarian meal at least once a week. This reduces the demand for meat production, which is an industry with high methane emissions - a more potent greenhouse gas than Carbon Dioxide.
