Shanti round-up

Shanti has been using his heater less than he would like to. He has gotten a much thicker blanket (and 2nd hand too) so that he doesn't get cold at night anymore!
Ventilation is the key! He airs his room by opening the window to get rid of moisture so that it is easier to heat.
He is a long-term vegan and so doesn't even wear wool or leather.
Laziness means that he consumes less but he has also reduced consumption of things he would really like to buy (such as games).
He is involved in hosting tonnes of social events - Dungeons and Dragons, vegetarian gaming night, potlucks and showing cooking to the neighbours.

Tessa round-up

Tessa is a eco-champion having only used her heater twice this year - a total of 4 hours.
She stays warm through wool layers and working at uni for most of the day. At night she warm her bed with an electric blanket covered with 2 duvets, 2 woolen rugs and a sleeping bag. She wears a hat to bed, polyprops as well as a jersey.
She always bikes to uni.
She is involved in our local community through house sitting for our Afgani neighbours. She also was involved in going through housing NZ negotiations for the neighbours and helped with booking flights for them.

Phoebe round-up

Phoebe has started airing her room more since the neighbour said the condensation on her windows was concerning (he works with heating and ventilation systems).
She has got more blankets from her more as well as more wool layers at the op-shop last week. She mostly uses a hot water bottle rather than her heater.
She drinks fair-trade coffee and puts the grinds on the garden :)
She has stopped buying things that are tested on animals and still doesn't use soap or shampoo.

Gabby round-up

Gabby likes warmth too. She uses an electric blanket so that the bed is cosy to get into and then the 2 blankets and 2 duvets keep the heat in for the rest of the night. She has acquired several more polar fleece jackets of large and small size so that 2 can be worn at once. She would wear wool for warmth, except that wool irritates her eczema.

She is into crafts, including crocheting, jewellery making and sewing. She has just finished her crochet earflap hat using a cotton polyester blend yarn that will not irritate her skin :)

She wipes the condesation off her windows in the mornings so that the room is easier to heat. Here is Ning modelling the method for you:

Cassie round-up

Cassie is big on warmth. She wears lots of layers of clothing for daytime. At night she has a hot water bottle, an electric blanket and sometimes manwarmth from her boyfriend. On cold nights she goes over to his place.

Cassie helped Riaan create his garden. Awesome!

She also does lots of crafty things – see previous blogs.

Gardening round-up

We have established some small raised beds out the front of the house and 3 more raised beds out the back of the house. The ones at the front are doing well because they are the oldest and also get the most sun. The broccoli heads are getting BIG and without the addition of potassium!

Bathrooms and Toilets round-up

We use eco products that are not tested on animals. We keep the doors closed to prevent condensation in the rest of the house. We turn the fan on and open the window after showering also to prevent condensation. For the toilet we have the motto that: We clean using vinegar, essential oils and plant based cleaning products. Almost everyone in the flat has a mooncup now and uses it too.