Whoever said ‘never work with animals or children' hadn't tried it with the cartoon variety. I stumbled across a series of adverts released by the Discovery Channel's ‘Animal Planet' team. Eleven shorts, featuring eleven sassy animal characters covers environmental issues ranging from energy consumption to rubbish dumping and subtly offers tips on what to do (or not do) about it.

Take Norman the hippopotamus aka the clean freak of the Sahara who has two mud baths and consequently two showers a day. Let's just say the dirt free look isn't so popular with his thirsty animal mates.

These brilliant animations illustrate how to address big eco issues with an easy approach and light-hearted attitude.

For the full range of shorts visit Animals Save The Planet.

Hip hip horray to animals saving the planet!
 

If you've been thinking about reenergising your home with a bit of earth friendly power in an attempt to start weaning your household off fossil fuels yet can't get past the vision of a giant wind turbine plonked in your backyard, it's time to do some research.

For a start, individual turbines are expensive (up to £3,000 to install) and won't produce much electricity in built up areas to be worth the effort. Solar electric panels are a more workable option but are also costly to install. Wood burners, glazed windows and good insulation will save a lot of money in the long term and prevent the burning of fossil fuels for conventional electricity but again, the initial outlay costs can be too much for some families.

The alternative and more feasible eco energy option is to switch to a renewable energy provider. In the UK there are a number of companies that use renewable sources to produce their electricity. Good Energy only provide electricity that is generated from wind, water, sun and biomass. Green Energy is another good UK provider and offer customers the option of becoming shareholders, offering a space to voice your eco agenda.

Ecotricity is thought to be the most eco considerate of the bunch as they invest heavily in renewable technology; in fact, more per customer than any other electricity provider in the UK (they've built over 12% of England's wind turbines). Plus up to 25% of their electricity supply comes from renewable sources. Ecotricity also donate £16 to the Soil Association for every new customer, directly supporting organic food and farming.

By supporting green energy technologies we are contributing to reducing the pricing power of oil. The more we invest in renewables, the more we ultimately save - planet and pocket.

If you are considering installing a renewable energy technology in your home visit the Energy Saving Trust as you may be eligible for a grant.

Transition towns are communities responding to the challenges of climate change and peak oil by converting their local economy and way of living to be more sustainable and environmentally friendly. It's about simpler living and local produce. It's about utilising waste and planting more diverse crops. It's about redesigning and re-skilling. It's about being more resourceful and powering down.The Transition Town Network was founded by Rob Hopkins who developed the concept by drawing from his urban planning degree and interest in permaculture (the study of natural ecosystems to find remedies to man-made problems). Rob is rallying communities across the UK by lecturing and writing books to raise awareness on the conundrums the modern world will face when our oil supplies peak. He's also providing an alternative model to living; one that is more sustainable and earth conscious.

‘We are already starting to see an upsurge in the number of people getting back to growing food again and making clothes again. It's not going to be easy, but the thing is the longer you leave it, the harder it is." Rob commented in the Observer recently.

If you'd like to learn more about the impending oil drought and how you can adapt your lifestyle to be less oil dependant, The End of Suburbia (dvd) and The Transition Town Handbook by Rob Hopkins (book) may be of interest.

There's a new washing machine on the European market (but sadly not available in the UK yet) that does not require any detergents to clean your dirty clothes. It's called the WasH2O and is made by Chinese company Haier.How it works is electrical currents are sent through the water turning the water's atoms into acid atoms (H+) and alkaline atoms (OH-). In this form the separated atoms are effective dirt removers. The H+ ions also act like bleach, turning those stained whites into bright whites.

This is great news for our oceans and our pockets, in the long term at least - a WasH2O is available for 700 Euros. Of course once bought you never have to buy detergent again. The chemicals found in many detergents end up in our rivers and oceans via our water systems, so by removing them in our clothes washing routine, we reduce a fair share of water pollution we've created to keep ourselves ‘clean'. Clean clothes do not necessarily translate to clean environment.

Until your machine goes kaput it would be pretty pointless to dump it in washing machine heaven. Using eco friendly detergents until it does die makes a little more sense to our throw away society. Besides, by the time the WasH2O is available to buy in the UK, it may just be time for a new machine.

Eggs are one of the most nutrient rich, super foods we can eat.According to the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) team, eggs that come from grass fed (free range) chickens contain 34% less cholesterol, 10% less fat, 40% more vitamin A, twice as much omega-6 fatty acid and 400% more omega-3 fatty acid than factory-farmed chickens.

Eggs are a good source of minerals including calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc and iodine, all of which are easily absorbed by the body. They are also rich in Vitamins B, B12, D and K as well as Niacin and Folic Acid.

Eggs contain approximately 11% protein, most of which is in the white. It is the egg yolk, which provides most of the nutrients listed above including the essential fatty acids. All these nutrients help built strong bones, vision, muscle strength, immunity and glowing skin.

Take care however, consuming eggs every day can lead to allergies particularly in small children due to a few allergen prompting proteins. My mum grew up on a chicken farm, and ate more than her fair share of eggy delights. Though she still loves eating them, she can't have one without feeling nauseous. Three to five eggs per week are adequate for the average person.

Due to their lack of fibre, cooked eggs can contribute to constipation if your diet does not incorporate enough fibre rich vegetables. Raw eggs easily assimilate into the bloodstream and therefore don't clog the intestines, so will not have the same effect. Some medical professionals recommend pregnant women should avoid eggs however unless there is a family history of food allergies, there is no need to avoid them altogether.

For a yummy raw egg smoothy try mixing two eggs, 1 banana, a handful of berries and a third of a cup of milk (all ingredients organic, free range, Fairtrade and local where possible).