Everyday Eco Tips
At St. Michael’s we want to work together as a community to help our environment! Every season we will update you with a new Eco Tip of The Season for a fun and easy way to help support God’s world.
Spring 2025
The sunshine is beginning to make an appearance, and with the clocks about to change, we are starting to throw open our windows and think about Spring Cleaning!
When we declutter and start to refresh our homes, it can be tempting to head to the supermarket and buy the big brand cleaning products. However, these are often filled with many harsh chemicals, that are bad for the environment, your skin and your airways! So see below some of our top tips for an eco-friendly Spring Clean this year…
Vinegar
Bicarbonate of Soda
Citric Acid
There is honestly not much you can’t clean with vinegar to make your home sparkle! Mix 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water in a spray bottle for a natural kitchen and surface cleaner… This spray also makes your windows, mirrors and reflective taps brand new without smears!
Dull sinks in your bathroom? Sprinkle some bicarbonate of soda and gently sponge around to bring the them back to life and rinse! Carpets smelling less than fresh? Spring bicarbonate of soda over them, leave for 30 minutes and then hover up to remove all odours.
Citric Acid has so many uses for your Spring Clean! Place inside your washing machine drum and put on a hot heat cycle to clean naturally. Worried your dishwasher isn’t leaving dishes clean enough? Put Citric Acid in the table dispenser and put on a hot cycle to refresh!
Winter 2024/5
It has been one of the coldest winters in South East London for a while, with cold snaps reaching well into the minus numbers!
When we all need to get out and about for the school run, work or caring duties it can be tempting to grab the car de-icer to quickly get on the move. However, did you know de-icer is made up of harsh chemicals that can find their way into our waterways that hydrate our land and wildlife? Here are some natural (and speedy!) tips to de-ice your car this winter…
Salt
Lemon
Alcohol
It’s time to simply open those kitchen cupboards to help de-ice the car! Just sprinkle some salt on the car windows to dissolve the ice. Need to get moving quicker? Soak a sponge in salty warm water and just wash the ice away…
Another kitchen staple solution! Simply squeeze a lemon on your frosty car window and then rinse away with warm water. Any shards of ice left? Use the lemon to gently wipe them away. Smells great and safe for the environment
Christmas may have passed, but it is still time to get out the alcohol... Simply mix alcohol in an old spray bottle with some room temperature water and spray the iced area. Alcohol has a lower freezing point than water!
September 2024
Eco Church online Prayer Forum on Thursday 26 September 2024, 12 noon-1pm
Join the Eco Church community online to encourage each other through prayer. We’ll share a reflection together and pray in smaller groups for local, national and global issues, including the Eco Church work we are doing in our churches. All are welcome, whether you are new to Eco Church or have been on the journey for a while! Register to attend their next lunchtime gathering here.
August 2024
We are so excited that after all of fundraising by our Pathfinders young people we now have 3 toilets twinned by St. Michael’s!
Twinning toilets funds projects in communities that help families to build their own basic toilet, access clean water and learn about hygiene – a vital combination that saves lives…
Without proper toilets, people get trapped in a vicious cycle
They’re likely to become sick through sanitation-related diseases. Illness keeps people from working, children miss school, parents have to pay for medicines or food and fall into debt.
Click here to twin your own toilet for your home or workplace >>
July 2024
The weather has been very mixed so far this summer, but this makes it a good time for a Weeding Party whilst it’s not so hot!
Do you have 15th July free? Lots of us at St. Michael’s have been to Ashburnham Place and they are hosting a Weeding Party to test traditional methods to be eco-friendly and avoid chemicals.
You will need to be physically able to work alongside the team and please bring sturdy boots to wear. They’ll provide gloves and tools, food and drinks, we can’t guarantee the sun (although we hope for it!) but can guarantee fun and working as a team to achieve some immediate results!
Can’t make it to Ashburnham? Join together with some of your friends and family with some cordial or Pimms and host your own weeding party!
June 2024
June is the A Rocha month for Churches Count On Nature! #churchescountonnature.
From 8th-16th June use the longer evenings and (hopefully) drier days to explore the greenery around St. Michael’s in the garden, bushes, plants and trees along Blackheath Park.
By exploring our church nature we can better look forward to how to help St. Michael’s be a better Eco Church!
Click the link below to explore a great special series of webinars running throughout the week, where you can find out more about common species, such as swifts and bees; watch some great advice about ancient yew trees; hear from Bishop Graham Usher about the global Communion Forest initiative; and explore the relationship between oceans, science and faith. Explore here >>
May 2024
This month’s eco tips are all about one of our favourite times of the day – lunchtime!
As we start to explore more of our natural world during the Spring and Summer months we often take our lunch outside with al fresco dinner and picnics. So let’s explore how we can make our lunchtimes as eco friendly as possible…
Beeswax Wraps
Liquid Lunch
Bento Boxes
Ditch the clingfilm and embrace beeswax! Beeswax wraps are great for the environment as they keep your food fresh, are reusable & are easy to care for. Etsy have some great designs – click here >>
We all want to protect our natural world, so let’s keep glass and plastic out of our meadows and rivers. With so many different drinks vessels for hot, cold and even alcoholic drinks there’s plenty of choice!
When out lunching cutlery can be problematic – but don’t reach for the disposable forks! B&M, John Lewis and others have great bento boxes with space for your cutlery on the go >>
April 2024
April is here and that means World Earth Day is coming! On Wednesday 22nd April over 192 countries recognise World Earth Day as a way of bringing our attention to saving our planet.
The theme this year is ‘Planet vs Plastics‘ and as an introduction, here is a short inspirational video…
The World Earth Day aim is a 60% reduction in plastics by 2040. This may seem a big aim goal for one church in Blackheath to contribute, but we have 3 ways you can help this April!
Plastic pollution is a global problem demanding a global solution. Help bring plastic polluting to the UN and Government organisations by signing this online petition:
100 billion garments are made annually with 87% ending in landfills and incinerators.Only 1% of these get recycled. Find places to recycle textiles locally here >>
Join or organise a Clean Up team in Blackheath or Greenwich! Or are you stuck for time? Bring a rubbish bag on your walk to school or the office and collect litter you see.
March 2024
March has finally arrived and we’re sure many of you have started having a peek into your gardens and seeing what has survived the winter….
Before you start planning your gardens for 2024, please remember our favourite buzzing friend, the bee! According to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust it is especially important to plant bee friendly flowers from March to October.
Trees & Flowers
Lawns
Ponds
The National Garden Scheme say the best flowers for bees are English Lavender, Bluebeard, Bergamot, Single Dahlias, Rose Campion, Heleniums, Salvias and Echinaceas.
Don’t forget trees though! Trees and hedging plants in flower can provide a good food source for bees.
Ever looking for an excuse not to mow your lawn? Or find it tricky to schedule in between London’s constantly changing weather?
Well even your lawn can provide food for bees if you avoid mowing! ‘Weeds’ such as dandelions, clover and bird’s food trefoil are loved by bees
You might associate ponds with other insects rather than bees, but they can attract many of our lovely bumbles if you think about your planting.
Plan in some purple loosestrife, water mint, forget-me-nots, iris and meadowsweet to really make your pond (or bog garden!) a hive of activity.
February 2024
As we head into Spring it is always hard to predict how our British weather will take us… So some easy ways to focus on focussing on the environment at this time is by shopping! Don’t believe us? Here’s how…
Shop Local
Shop Smart
Funny Fruit
We are so fortunate to have so many great shops in Blackheath! Supporting neighbourhood businesses keeps people employed and helps prevent trucks from driving far distances
Get organised to help the environment! Meal planning and shopping lists help reduce impulse buys and makes sure you only buy the food you will eat, reducing wastage.
Utilise food that will otherwise go to waste! Who needs their carrots and peppers looking perfect? Buy wonky fruit and veg to stop it going into the bin!
January 2024
New Year New Start! Think that you would like to be more environmentally friendly this year, but not sure where to begin? We have two quick and easy tips for January to help!
1. Switch To Online Statements
2. Change From Paper Marketing
So much paper gets delivered through our doors, so a simple eco New Years resolution is to switch to online statements. This can be through online banking, energy bills, pet/car insurance and more! Have a separate folder in your emails to file away all your important statements for ease. A great way to reduce paper waste (and also reduce identity fraud!) Some companies also offer benefits for paperless statements.
Whilst we enjoy a personal letter being delivered, a lot of paper and catalogue marketing also gets delivered – sometimes unsolicited! Most retail companies offer the same promotions in their email marketing, so be eco friendly and switch to online marketing. Just write on any catalogues you receive “Return To Sender – Paper Marketing Not Wanted” and pop into your postbox for companies to take you off their paper marketing list.
December 2023
December is a month of joy and anticipation of Jesus’ coming. It is also a month of gift exchanging and increased entertaining, which is why we have made Recycling Soft Plastics our eco-focus of the month!
Soft plastics make up 15-25% off all packaging sold at supermarkets and can be recycled in specific places! We want to avoid plastics going to landfill, especially soft plastics as they often are so light they get blown off landfill sites and end up in our oceans.
November 2023
November is World Vegan Month, and a wonderful time of year to cosy down with some vegan delicious stews, curries and casseroles!
According to PETA animal agriculture causes 18% of greenhouse gases and the production of plant-based foods requires less land and fewer resources.
One way to help the planet this November is to embrace some plant based foods and recipes – here are some wonderful autumnal meals below to give a go…
October 2023
This month we are preparing for Autumn by helping some of the smallest of God’s creatures by making Bug Hotels!
Bug boxes or hotels provide snug, safe places for insects to hibernate. They are especially good for lacewings and ladybirds – wood lice and hibernating solitary bees and wasps may like them too!
Insect and pollinator habitats are dwindling due to large-scale commercial farming, hedgerow removal and human population growth. Giving a home to bugs that are losing their natural habitat helps to ensure that they can continue to survive and thrive.
So come and get involved and make your own Bug Hotel with the instructions below!
You Will Need:
- A waterproof container, such as a old plastic bottle or juice carton
- A variety of natural resources such as:
- Twine
- Toilet roll
- Scrap paper
- Shells
- Grass
- Twigs
- Small pieces of wood
- Wool
- Stones
- Leaves
- And an enthusiasm to stuff them all into the container in whatever way you like!