Choose greener detergent

When it comes to washing clothes and dishes most of us buy washing and laundry detergents that are made for the purpose.

If you're in this boat, why not consider products that are "greener"? Not only are they usually less likely to irritate allergies, these products are biodegradable and phosphate-free (which reduces phosphate pollution in water and soil), and many of them can be safely used in greywater systems.

If you've never tried a more environmentally friendly detergent, grab one next time you're stocking up and see what you think. If you have, you might like to go one step further and try washing dishes with pure soap and rinsing in hot water to which you've added a little vinegar. Pure soap laundry products are also available.

Check out the latest new-found species

That's right: a recent expedition to Ecuador has turned up a raft of previously unknown species.

As New Scientist reports, the scientists, who hail from Reptile and Amphibian Ecology International, have found 30 new species of frog, including one that's transparent, four species of stick insect, and three species of lungless salamander. Among others!

Check out the picture gallery, and find out more about the organisation behind these discoveries.

Make your web site greener

If you're one of the millions of people the world over who has a web site, you can make it greener very easily.

These handy tips, provided by Cyrus Patten at Mashable, show web site owners how simple it is to make a site greener. And all of them -- from choosing greener hosting, to simplifying your site design, to making print-friendly pages that use less ink -- can be applied to your site independently of the others. Although, of course, they all make sense!

Do you have a web site? Have you taken any steps to make it "greener"?

Go camping

If you're an old hand at camping, you'll already know the awe, relaxation, and joy that come from a camping holiday. If you've never camped before, why not give it a go?

Camping gives you a new appreciation of nature and the great outdoors, lets you meet other people who also like to enjoy their environment, and can see you trip to some stunning locations. It also gives you the opportunity to see wild animals in their native habitat, stargaze, watch the sun rise and set, and generally get back in touch with your wilder side!

Camping doesn't have to be expensive: borrow gear from someone you know; campers are renowned for their willingness to share, and once you discover how much you like camping, you'll undoubtedly go out and get your own gear.

Camping doesn't have to be "rough": from luxury camp matresses to fully kitted-out campgrounds with kitchens, bathrooms, pools, saunas and more, the modern camper doesn't have to rough it if they don't want to.

Camping doesn't have to be remote or isolated: you can camp in towns and on city fringes as well as some state and national parks, nature reserves, and so on. If you're just starting out, and you're not sure you'll enjoy the experience, you might want to choose a camping spot that's close to civilisation -- shops, pubs, and so on -- so you still feel connected.

I love camping and I'm currently planning some camping trips. Are you a fan of camping?

Congratulate yourself, Australia

Given Australia's lacklustre performance at and during the Copenhagen summit, many environmentally concerned Aussies are feeling less than inspired about the future.

Well, kick up your heels, Australia: according to a recent study, the nation's eastern states have reduced greenhouse emissions by 1.8%.

Explains ABC News, the Climate Group report "shows overall emissions were 5.3 million tonnes lower in 2009 than in the previous year."

South Australia and New South Wales have done the most to reduce emissions -- by 4.2% and 3.1% respectively. If Australians keep up their efforts, the report says it could mean "big cuts" to emissions by 2020.

Yes, people power works! How will you celebrate?

Understand why new Rainbow Warrior will be extra-green

Reports that Greenpeace is expanding its fleet by building a new, ultra-green Rainbow Warrior may make us wonder exactly what's so green about this new ship?

The answers include that the Rainbow Warrior III will be a vessel under sail. As well as dual electric and diesel engines, the ship will use sail, making the engines necessary only around 10% of the time.

This is definitely a case of Greenpeace putting principles into practice: spokespeople said that the decision to have the new vessel built was made because a conversion would not be as effective. Analysis also showed that by far, the greatest environmental impact of the vessel would occur during its use, rather than through its development or disassembly at the end of its life.

As well as using its fleet to take action against whaling, Greenpeace ships are, or have been, used to:

• prevent dumping oil installations
• chasing private vessels fishing for rare patagonian toothfish
• attempting to prevent missile tests
• bringing public attention to nuclear missile, toxic chemical production and dumping, climate change, and other marine issues

Have you ever used the Greenpeace onboard webcams to see what their ships are up to?

Plant a herb

I know what you're thinking: "Plant a herb? How will that help the environment?"

If you're the kind of person who considers themselves too busy to grow food plants, who thinks they have no space to grow food plants, or who believes they signal death to any plant that comes under their ownership, then planting a herb is a great thing to do.

Firstly, if you can grow a herb, you might just get the idea that you're not a "black thumb", which may encourage you to try to grow other plants you can eat.

If you can grow a fresh herb and add it to the food you cook, you'll quickly realise the difference that fresh-picked foods can make to your meals, diet, and sense of well being. This may encourage you to look for more ways to grow food plants, whatever your situation, and/or encourage others to do the same.

Finally, if you can grow a herb, you may be inspired to expand your range of herbs to include others -- even if all you have is a sunny windowsill. Herbs are among the more intensively-reared commercial crops. Grown in hot houses, under lights, and in hydroponic setups, herbs require a lot of inputs and energy to be grown in commercial quantities, on demand. But, choose the right herbs for your season and location, and they take comparatively little effort, energy or time to grow at home. And they add so much to your meals.

Yeah, your homegrown basil rocks that basil-and-tomato salad! Wouldn't it be cool if you grew the tomatoes yourself too?