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When one of the best known DIY superstores started selling wind turbines I knew there must be people all over Essex in the same quandary as us.Ìý How do you do the right thing, invest in the right technology, change your lifestyle in a positive way and whyÌý we were all attempting to invent the wheel together?Ìý Wouldn't it be great to find out from someone who had already done the leg work and could tell you what worked and what didn't?

This is the inspiration behind my piece for Planet Essex and I hope that sharing some of the things I have found out will be helpful. In fact much of what I have done has been copied from people I work with at the Woodland Trust, but reusing and recycling are very green principles!

Our eco-kettle was one of our first green gadgets and it came from a Powergen promotion.Ìý You fill a central reservoir with as much water as you want and then press another button to transfer just enough water for your immediate needs into the boiling chamber.Ìý For one or two cups it boils in secondsÌý - it’s a bit leaky, but generally brilliant!

We have changed all our light bulbs to low energy.Ìý We started this when they were very big and expensive, and rather dim when first switched on, but of course as they last so long it will be a while yet before we can take full advantage of the much wider range of bulbs available now!Ìý We were really pleased though to get low energy down lighters for our extension and I think you can now get an LED version.

A friend at work recommended eco-balls – strange green things ‘packed with ionic cleansing power’ that you use instead of washing powder.Ìý Pricey at £35 but actually when you add up the cost of washing powder for a grubby family like ours, and they last for 1000 washes, the payback period isn't that long.Ìý I don't think they work with muddy clothes but for most other things they are fine.Ìý I still don't understand how they work...

I also have balls for the tumble drier, which various people claim reduce your drying time by 25%.Ìý I will keep you posted.

Our wood burning stove is our most recent purchase.Ìý We had to make some alterations but we are really pleased with it.Ìý We use waste wood from the farm, and combined with cavity wall insulation (special offer from our gas supplier) and some new windows we have turned the thermostat down and feel warmer.

My father installed solar panels over 30-years-ago (still going strong) and I thought he was mad. Twenty-seven years later we had the new generation of panels installed, two facing east and two facing west.Ìý I reckon we achieve the marketing claim of a 50% reduction in hot water heating bills and there is nothing like a solar heated shower to make you feel good in the morning!

No space now to talk about buses and bikes, local and seasonal food or my pathetic attempts at composting. But let me know what you have tried and good luck with whatever changes you make.