Autumn Crunch!

A very warm welcome to the second issue of (Lighter) Footprints! - and apologies because this second issue was so slow in coming.

I hope that you will find plenty to give you more food for thought about green living and even the odd entertaining snippet, too.

This issue is devoted to some autumn green living tips - with a few tips and articles to help beat the credit crunch - hence "autumn crunch" - (or "fall crunch" if you are reading this across the pond!)

How is this ezine organised?

Very simply: First there is Site Update News which does just that: all the new pages since the last newsletter.

Then there's Tips Updates. These are new tips that I've found - some will have been added to pages and some will be completely new.

Lastly there's some interesting links and snippets which might interest you from around the web - and around the world.

Site Update News

There are lots of new pages - too many to list completely. Here are some of the main ones.

Evening primrose oil is a valuable dietary supplement which almost anyone can benefit from. It supplies an essential fatty acid which has a role in many different common diseases, from allergies to acne. Get the essential facts here: What Is Evening Primrose Oil?

Growing some of your own fruit is easy even if you only have a small outside space. You can now buy apple trees which are specially grown for life in a pot, so even balcony gardeners can grow fruit trees. There are new pages on growing and choosing apple trees: Growing Apples for a Bountiful Home Harvest and Growing Apples Trees

There's also a page on growing red currants - which are quite easy and versatile if you have space: Growing Red Currants

If you don't want to grow fruit at home - or even if you do - there is a new page on community orchards: Fruit Tree Orchards which gives a brief overview of different styles of successful community orchards here in the UK and in the US.

In the kitchen autumn is the time for bottling, preserving and using all those lovely harvest fruits and vegetables. Here are some new pages with recipes: Roasting Chestnuts and Chestnut Recipe Ideas

There are new pages, too for the do-it-yourself approach to kitchen goodies. Making your own yogurt does not take much time, even if you do not have a yogurt maker: How to Make Yogurt in a Flask

Home made granola and granola bars are easy and popular with most family members A Low Fat Granola Recipe Good autumn crunch!

We are expanding the pages on transport gradually. There is a new page on electric cars. EV Cars

Health is such an important issue for everybody. We are increasingly unable to completely avoid the toxic chemicals in our living environments. Natural cleaning methods are generally quite simple and can save you money over the long term and of course they cut the toxic load on your health.

Walking is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to stay fit. The Benefits of Fitness Walking is a new page which explores this issue.

Tips Update

This is the best time for planting fruit trees and bushes so take advantage of the detailed planting tips in the new Green Orchards section and plant some fruit!

Did you know that if you have your own grapes you can make a simple compote which can be stored and used for a number of culinary purposes? You can use it as a pie filling (with a gelling agent) or add it to sweet and sour dishes for example. Basically, you boil the grapes in a little water until they break down. Sieve them thoroughly and add sugar. Detailed instructions coming soon on Greenfootsteps.com! But it's easy really because it's just like making jam.

If you want to help sparrows, whose numbers are collapsing in Europe and the UK, plant some honeysuckle. Honeysuckle harbours insects and spiders which sparrows can use in the breeding season to extend their diet. Put your bread board crumbs out for them, too. One theory is that sparrows are declining partly because no-one uses table cloths any more!

Keep on taking the medicine oil! Research indicates that "polyphenols" in olive oil may deter the bacterium in the stomach that causes most stomach ulcers. It's a great natural product and is good for your health in lots of other ways, too.

Winter coughs? Honey is a great natural remedy. Take it on a spoon or in drinks. Don't give it to infants under 1 year because there is a very slight risk of botulism. Don't forget natural vitamin C and echinacea too for cold prevention.

What's in the Greenfootsteps Pipeline?

Advertising on Greenfootsteps is now easy as there is a section devoted to it. Ads are very reasonably priced to make them attractive to small green companies.

There are new pages on driving - tips for safety and reducing fuel use. More coming soon.

There will also be some more reviews of some of the products of bigger brands of green skin care and green cleaners. Again anyone who would like to review a product for us is more than welcome. Just use the contact form on the Navigation bar.

New Initiatives and Interesting Websites

In Britain the struggle to junk the plastic bag culture has had some notable successes. The Co-op has made a policy commitment to reduce plastic bag use in its stores. Many supermarkets are now offering and promoting re-usable cloth bags. Many shoppers are taking up the baton and bringing their own bags with them when they shop. Even Tesco's - our largest supermarket chain - has hidden their plastic bags under the counter so that shoppers now have to ask for them. Work in progress, I guess.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has promised an electric car based economy for California Bay area by 2012. They are investing to build a billion dollar infrastructure. Cars will even be able to feed excess electricity back into the grid! Electric cars are set to become "fast fun and affordable".

Things are changing fast in the car and fuel markets. You can now buy a home processor to make your own ethanol for your car - just add sugar and yeast! The "Microfueler" is designed for homes and farms and retails (sharp intake of breath) for 10,000 US dollars. Hmm. Perhaps electric cars look a better bet for now.

Australia is keeping the environment high on the agenda. The Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative (AuSSI) is putting environmental issues at the heart of the school curriculum and seems to be going from strength to strength.

In the US the "Wildlands Project" is promoting natural corridors for wildlife which link habitats and thus help endangered species to survive. Wildlands Project

The Avaaz Million Messages Campaign has had some success with its plan to get President-elect Obama to help in the fight against climate change. They have nearly a quarter of a million signatures already to their wall petition in Washington DC. You can also influence the incoming administration, even if you are not US citizen. The democrats are (apparently) listening to what (we) the people say: Change.gov - Your Vision

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