Barratt, the UK’s largest house building company, will be building England’s first eco-village according to Yvette Cooper, the UK’s housing and planning minister.

Barratt has won the contract to built the eco-friendly community at Hanham Hall near Bristol. It is expected that the work will take three years to complete ensuring it is finished well ahead of the UK Government’s 2016 target of having all new homes being carbon neutral.

To achieve it’s environmentally friendly status, a biomass combined heat and power plant will operate onsite and will provide energy to the entire 200-home complex. There will also be a rainwater capture system, along with farmers’ shops, a car club and plenty of bicycle storage areas.

Cleaning products often contain a myriad of chemicals which some believe can be detrimental to both the environment and our own health. So, here at GreenUpAndGo.com, we have put together 6 natural recipes for cleaners which you can use around the home.

1. All Purpose Cleaner
60ml vinegar
1 litre warm water
Mix in a spray bottle, then add
1 tablespoon vegetable based liquid soap
25 drops of your favourite essential oil (this eliminates the strong vinegar scent that can linger after use)
Shake gently before each use

2. Disinfectant
Add 30 drops of tea tree oil to the All Purpose cleaner above.

Sustainable forests are one of the key buzz words currently floating around in the business industry, particularly when it comes to furniture. However, not all products marketed as using ‘sustainable’ wood are particularly eco-friendly and some sustainable woods are more sustainable than others.

Here at GreenUpAndGo.com we have put together a list of points you should consider when buying a sustainable wood product.

What does Sustainable Wood actually mean?
Usually, sustainable wood comes from forests that are carefully managed so that they don’t become clear cut. Sustainable wood can also mean wood that has been recycled from unwanted buildings or furniture. There are a number of different programs which state how sustainable forests should have the trees cut down and their timber used.

The UK have unveiled their first zero-emission house which they hope will become the new environmental standard for all future new homes.

The first house to be unveiled is a two-bed house, insulated so that it loses two thirds less heat than an equivalent standard two-bedroomed house. The house features solar panels and a biomass boiler so that it can produce it’s own electricity as well as water efficient devices and rainwater harvesting.

Five new villages of environmetally friendly homes are planned for construction in the UK and construction firms are being invited to bid for the tenders. The developments are planned as a test bed for five “eco-towns” planned by Gordon Brown. In the UK, 40 million tonnes of CO2 are emitted each year, 27% of which comes from housing and there are hopes that the new eco-friendly houses will help reduce this figure and make all new homes in England carbon neutral by 2016. Already, the British government have announced that the new-zero carbon homes under £500,000 will be exempt from stamp duty from October 2007.

Green - it’s the issue everyone is talking about. Whether you believe in global warming or not, being green can help your bottom line. By making small changes, not only can you work your way towards a greener house, you can also save money. So what changes can you make?

Heating
Staying warm is important, however you are unlikely to notice if the temperature fluctuates by a degree or two. With this in mind, turn your thermostat down by 1 or 2 degrees. If you want to go one step further, invest in some jumpers and wear them around the house - and only turn the heating on when a jumper just isn’t enough.