Unfortunately, most of us don't have anything like that amount of finance and have to 'do our bit' bit by bit.

• try and pick up some practical skills
• look to repair items rather than replace them
• if unrepairable, search out reconditioned items as replacements
• try your hand at making household cleaners from easily available ingredients - you'll save money and reduce the amount of chemicals in your house
• compost your kitchen waste and use it for your plants
• don't expect perfection - take small sustainable steps at first

There are many new materials coming onto the market which are highly resource efficient such as:

• Orglastics - moulded consumer items from a resin made from waste plant material and husks which would otherwise be burnt
• Nanosolar - great strides in engineering advances have enabled this company to produce extremely cost-efficient solar panels for solar power plants

We have built quite a list, over the years, of new materials and products and have indeed begun to sell some of these through other outlets.

As with most aspects of life and living these days, the 'green' revolution has spawned a collection of companies offering products and services to help you live a more sustainable lifestyle. Most individuals and families simply cannot afford the higher cost which is often associated with 'green' products, and some producers are not really 'green' at all, just jumping on a bandwagon. That said, there are green products and services available which are both appropriate and affordable, you just need to be able to find them.

There are many websites which keep up-to-date with what's available in the 'sustainability sphere' but please remember that it's more about a mindset change - making a switch - than having enough money to buy it all in a package. You don't have to buy a pedal-powered washing machine to save the planet (but it would keep you fit!). If you then start to slag-off people with electric washing machines, you've got a problem. There's nothing to be gained by preaching from a supposed moral highground. Here are a few sites to get you started:

• We Are What We Do
• Green Guide
• Green Choices
• Sustainable Stuff

Whilst at Ecoworks we do produce energy from a variety of renewable sources - solar, wind, hydro, vegetable oil and biomass - it is important to realise that the biggest resource here is the people who designed and installed the systems, after saving for years or borrowing to finance them, and their many and varied talents in putting this energy to creative use, whether it is designing a web site or designing an irrigation system.

We have top quality people who have a need to innovate and create, and who also have the practical experience to bring those ideas into reality. Ecoworks is actively supporting and developing alternatives for a better future.