WIN an OWL energy monitor!

Monitor and reduce your home electricity usage by up to 25% with an OWL wireless energy monitor!

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!

The OWL Wireless Energy Monitor is an electricity usage monitor which shows you how much electricity you use at home and how much it costs you.

It also shows the level of CO2 emissions you are contributing to the environment through your electricity usage.

It's a simple but valuable tool providing you and your family with the information you need to reduce electricity consumption saving you up to 25% on your electricity bill while doing your bit for the environment.

Using the monitor and acting accordingly to reduce your energy use could save you as much as £100 a year off your electricity bills!

The competition is open until 11pm on August 4th and is free to enter to anyone who registers with the Big Green Switch website. Other terms & conditions apply.

So click here for your chance to win this fanatastic OWL monitor!

Change Your World - 30th June to 5th July

Imagine a world with cleaner air, quieter streets and more space for kids (and big kids) to play.

It's easier to achieve than you think. Amazingly, if we all drove just one less journey a week we'd reduce car traffic by 10%. Fancy giving it a go?

Change Your World is a campaign from Sustrans which runs from 30th June to 5th July. During the week, everyone is encouraged to swap any car trip and walk, cycle, use public transport or car-share instead. Or even better, don't make the trip at all.

If you pledge to make the swap during the Change your World week, you'll be in with a chance of winning a Center Parcs family break and other great prizes.

Make your pledge to swap now at www.changeyourworld.org.uk.

For more tips and ideas on how you can reduce your transport emissions, visit the Big Green Switch.

WIN! a fabulous case of organic and fairtrade wine!

Don't miss your chance to win a fabulous case of organic and fairtrade wine!

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!

Ethical Superstore's hand-picked range of fairtrade, organic and socially responsible wines are sure to hit the spot on a warm summer's evening.

The range features something for everyone, from occasional drinkers to connoisseurs, and as they put people and the planet first, the wines can be enjoyed with a clear conscience.

The Big Green Switch has teamed up with Ethical Superstore to give you the chance to win a fantastic mixed case of 12 wines. The case provides a great variety of both fairtrade and organic wines and includes white, red and sparkling wines.

The competition is open until 11pm on July 21st and is free to enter to anyone who registers with the Big Green Switch website. Other terms & conditions apply.

So click here for your chance to win this fabulous case of organic and fairtrade wines!

WIN! Eco friendly summer accessories!

Win your choice of his or hers eco friendly summer accessories!

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!

Look good AND feel good this summer by winning a set of eco friendly fashion accessories for either him or her.

By opting for products made from natural materials such as bamboo or 100% organic cotton or recycled materials such as plastic packaging, you can be sure that your accessories have reached you without harm to the planet.

A lucky winner will get to pick there choice of either set below:

Eco accessories for him...

A 100% organic cotton, men's Volta t-shirt

A pair of fairtrade, biodegradable flip flops, ideal for the beach and keeping your feet cool in the summer heat.

Eco accessories for her...

A Monochrome Waves Eco Bag made from durable, waterproof polyester.

A Sunkist Tutti Frutti purse made from recycled juice packs - non-biodegradable foil and plastic packaging that would otherwise go into landfill sites and incinerators.

A divine heart shaped pendant resting at the foot of a solid silver chain.

The competition is open until 11pm on July 14th and is free to enter to anyone who registers with the Big Green Switch website. Other terms & conditions apply.

So click here for your chance to win this set of great eco friendly summer accessories!

Get on your bike for the UK's Bike Week!

It's the UK's national Bike Week from 14th to 22nd June and everyone is urged to get out and about on their bikes.

Bike Week is the UK's biggest annual promotion of cycling and all things bike-related and provides a national umbrella for locally organised events and activities up and down the UK and this year.

Its simple main aim is to get people out and about on bikes and to get ‘more people cycling, more often'. Bike Week provides an opportunity to promote cycling as a great way to ‘have fun, get fit, and feel free'.

Whether you're new to cycling or an old hand, there's something for everyone during Bike Week. The official Bike Week website includes details of special events happening across the country plus hints, tips and links to more great cycling resources onlines.

Why not use the week as inspiration to give cycling to work a try? Sustrans estimate that 20 minutes of gentle cycling burns up to 100 calories and that regular cycling can make you as fit as an average person ten years younger than you!

The Sustrans website also offers lots more information about cycling around the UK including searchable and downloadable cycle network maps to help you plan out routes, either for commutting or for pure pleasure.

So dig out your cycle and give pedal power a go this coming week!

Great cycling prizes up for grabs!
We've teamed up with competition website InstantWin4Now to give you the chance to win a selection of great cycles. Click on the links below to visit the InstantWin4Now website for your chance to win!

	Instantly WIN an Apollo Men's Town & Trail Bike Available in 21" or 18" frames, this Men's Town and Trail Bike has an Aluminium frame, 21 speed gears, powerful aluminium V-brakes and Gel saddle for added comfort.
	Instantly WIN a Raleigh Pioneer Ladies Bicycle Perfect for city riding and leisurely cruises along country lanes, this ladies Raleigh cycle is designed to be functional, solid and reliable.
	Instantly WIN an Apollo folding bicycle With a lightweight aluminium frame, this Folding Bicycle has an easy folding mechanism allowing you to go from cyclist to pedestrian in seconds - perfect for green commuting!
	Instantly WIN a super cool Trikke bike! The Trikke is an excellent eco friendly alternative for nipping around town and it even folds up so you can easily carry it through shops, university or on the tube!

WIN! A ByeBye Standby Energy Saving Kit

Win a ByeBye Standby Energy Saving Kit and say bye bye to standby for good!

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!

This is an amazing energy saving kit for home and office use, designed to reduce the daily energy consumption of electrical devices left on standby. Use it to stop devices being left on standby and reduce your carbon footprint. Now that's eco friendly!

The kit contains three Appliance Switches and one Remote Control, and is an ideal way to get yourself started - you can use it to control up to 12 devices, using 4 way extension leads.

By using the kit and not leaving your appliances on standby, you could save £38 a year!

The competition is open until 11pm on July 7th and is free to enter to anyone who registers with the Big Green Switch website. Other terms & conditions apply.

So click here for your chance to win a Bye Bye Standby Energy Saving Kit!

National Liftshare Day - June 9th 2008

Today is National Liftshare Day.
National liftshare Day aims to raise the profile of carsharing and enable more people give it a try.

The National event encourages schools, workplaces and individuals to start up their own carsharing scheme. Even if it is just once a week, carsharing can cut down on pollution and help the environment.

Take part by sharing your journey to work with a colleague or carsharing a weekly shopping trip.

Get involved:
Visit www.liftshare.com

For more information about carsharing click here.

World Environment Day - June 5th

Today is World Environment Day.
The annual event, promoted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), has been running since 1972 and aims to raise worldwide awareness of the environment and enhance political attention and action.

This year's motto for the day is "Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy", encouraging governments, businesses and individuals alike to think again about how they can have a more positive impact on the environment.

Get involved:
In the UK, there are World Environment Day events taking place across the country. Click here for a full list of offical UK events.

Why not get involved by organising your own local event, either in your community, at work or at school. Failing that, why not just take time on the day to think about what more you could be doing in your everyday life to cut your carbon footprint and help the environment. Click here for UNEP's full A-Z of ideas for things you might like to do to mark the day.

Recycle Week June 2nd - June 8th

This week (June 2nd – June 8th) is Recycle Week.
The aim of Recycle Week is to show people how they can cut down on the amount of rubbish they send to landfill and improve the amount they recycle.

The event highlights the many ways in which waste can now be recycled.

The Recycle Week survey shows that nearly two thirds (62%) of consumers said that they always remembered to recycle items from their kitchen, yet only a third of waste found in other areas of the home, such as the bathroom (36%) and bedroom (34%).

The research also showed that 59% of people focused on recycling cans, plastic drinks bottles, glass bottles, paper and card. Over a quarter (26%) were unaware that items such as aerosols, plastic detergent bottles, magazines and biscuit and sweet tins could often be recycled*

If every household in England recycled 'one more thing', the total amount collected for recycling could increase by more than three quarters of a million tonnes and could potentially raise the national recycling rate by up to 3%.

*(Statistics taken from WRAP as part of Recycle week 2008 campaign June 2008)

More details at www.wrap.org.uk

WIN! An Eton FR200 wind-up radio!

Win an Eton wind-up radio and take your music everywhere!

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!

With its durable design and wind-up crank handle, the Eton FR200 radio is the perfect thing for taking your music on the move this summer without having to worry about running low on battery power!

The wind-up radio has many versatile features, functioning as an AM/FM/Shortwave radio as well as having a built-in flashlight.

Power comes from the wind-up handle, providing you with around 60 minutes of listening time from just one minute of winding. You also have the options of batteries or an AC adaptor too.

The heavy-duty, splash-proof casing makes the radio perfect for outdoor use so whether you're simply lounging in the garden or at the beach, taking a camping or hiking trip or chilling out on a picnic or at a festival, you can take your music everywhere with you - without having to find a plug socket!

The competition is open until 30th June and is free to enter to anyone who registers with the Big Green Switch website. Other terms & conditions apply.

So click here for your chance to win an Eton wind-up radio!