Greening Scotland… One Home at a Time

Our new Home

You will have noticed that I have been very quiet for some time. This is partly due to health reasons, but also because we packed up our lives and moved into a pretty little cottage, on the North-Eastern coast of Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

It was quite the expedition with 4 dogs and a cat, but we made it in March this year, and have been settling into our new home, and enjoying the local area ever since. We have also had a Zero Waste Llama stall at some of the local producers’ markets in Banff, Fraserburgh & Peterhead!

The electricity bill up here – with no solar panels – was a shock! As a result, I have spent the last few months researching what to do as well as talking to a variety of companies, so that we can put some energy-saving changes into place.

In the rolling landscapes of Scotland, Arctic Improvements has emerged as a forward-thinking home improvements company, merging practical elegance with environmental responsibility. Their product portfolio—ranging from energy-efficient windows and doors to solar panels and garden rooms—demonstrates a commitment to greener, smarter living. They were the only company who I had spoken to who deterred me from Solar Panels!! In fact, the lovely Tina was the only person I spoke to who told me that it was possible to install ONLY the storage batteries (and no solar panels) and thereby benefit from Octopus Energy‘s low rates over night: By storing the electricity until it is needed (which will be even more useful when we have the car-charger installed next year!).

They offer a range of home energy improvement measures, and if you give Tina a call or message, and mention Zero Waste Llama, she will talk you through what they are doing for me in the coming weeks!

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Blog mini-series: Eco pets!

Anyone who knows us, will know that our animals are very much the centre of our lives. And if you don’t know that already, I’m sure you’ll get the message throughout the next few posts. We love to write and share our experiences of the eco products that we use, so we think its only right to share the things that we use to make our pet ownership eco too! From the food that we use, to the places we shop at, we try to be as environmentally conscious as possible. Although our cats and dogs are blissfully unaware of the climate crisis, I’m sure their future ancestors will thank us! Throughout the coming posts, you’ll get to know our animals, and the products that we’ve loved using to help reduce our carbon paw-print! Feel free to follow our dogs on Instagram (or Purl / Bobbin on Facebook) if you want to keep up with their antics! The cats (Albie & Bluebell) sometimes make a guest appearance too!

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Creative Recycling: Art Workshop Day

Drop into the Visual Arts Cheshire Gallery in Barons Quay (opposite WildWood) next Saturday to see the new 20x20 exhibition and try a free 'Creative Recycling' art workshop. Inspired by my own journey to Zero Waste, I will be showing you how to make some art by upcycling scrap materials we all have at home! These can then be entered into the art exhibition or taken home! All ages welcome!  (I will also have some Zero Waste Llama items for sale, for those looking to fill their stockings early!). Perfect for all ages and abilities with all materials provided. Local makers will show you how to get started. More details about the workshop day here, and info about the 20x20 exhibition can be found on the Northwich Guardian website.

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Product Review: The Wonderbag

When Cathrene told me that she had ordered a Wonderbag to try, I was so excited. Not just because it meant that I could try out our new pumpkin dish (Le Creuset - a once-in-a-lifetime investment!), but because it would give me the opportunity to try out a new recipe. I’ve loved to cook ever since I was young, I would help my mum by chopping vegetables and stirring the pot! Despite my love of cooking, I’ve never made a stew! My boyfriends Mums Beef stew and dumplings is by far my favourite meal, but I’ve never tried to make it myself. Cath is on a "energy saving" mission at the moment (mind you, given the energy price increases of late, we are both keen to curb our usage!), so this was something that she was really keen to try, having seen videos on TikToK and friends reviews on Facebook.

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Sustainability Festival, Northwich, 23rd July 2022

West Cheshire Museums are partnering with Eco Communities to host a sustainable Festival and craft fair, on the 23rd July 2023.

The event is part of West Cheshire Museums’ Festival for the Future, a month-long celebration of sustainability and climate action held accross museum sites Chester, Northwich and Malpas.

The Festival of the Future is a free one day event at the Northwich museums – ideal for families who love nature, performance , craft and free workshops!

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Read more about the article Zero Waste Dressmaking
Me modelling the Denim Blue Zero Waste Dress

Zero Waste Dressmaking

I finally have had time to write about the Zero Waste Dress pattern by Offset Warehouse!

Did you know that on average, 15% of fabric is wasted every time a garment is made? By designing clothes that are “zero waste”, this can be eliminated – the sewing pattern uses all the fabric and nothing is thrown away. Offset Warehouse have put together this simple zero waste dress pattern so you can try it for yourself – Which is exactly what I did! (You can find the FREE pattern here).

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Read more about the article #PlantBamboo for Fabrics, Yarn & Fashion
Photo by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash fabric

#PlantBamboo for Fabrics, Yarn & Fashion

“35% of all micro plastics in the world’s oceans are from synthetic textiles”

International Union for Conservation of Nature

There are over 1600 known species of Bamboo across many parts of the tropics and subtropics, with thousands of uses – including for the production of fabrics and yarn for the fashion industry.

Why choose (clothing made) from Bamboo fabric?

Bamboo is environmentally friendly: not only is it a renewable resource, but pesticides and fungicides are not required during farming. In fact, there is no other plant used in clothing that is as well-suited and gentle on our precious planet than Bamboo.

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