Do The Green Thing: The Green Thing blog

Be a dear and put on a sweater

2012-02-09T09:06:06Z

When you are feeling cold and are reaching to turn on the heating take a minute and call WWF's Granny Call Centre. This adorable service provides you with with a personal call from the granny of your choice who will urge you to "Turn down the heat and put on that sweater" in order to crank up the Human Heat.

Granny's the world over provide their families with warm woollies for the winter and today, on National Sweater Day, they are telling you all to don these snug jumpers and turn down the heating. You'll be so cosy and will look so well put together too!

Book a call for yourself or even for your friend who insists on turning up the heating while wearing nothing but vest in the middle of winter. We all know one of those!

Write your way to romance

2012-02-09T09:00:44Z

(Image: Katee)

Fancy a little Plugged Out gift for Valentine's Day? Then head along to ANDOR Bureau this Sunday 12th between 5-7pm. The romantic guys at the cafe have decided to host a love letter writing evening. With tea, sandwiches and cakes for sale and a BYOB policy to help loosen your tongue (£3 corkage charge), they'll help you get in the mood to tell that special someone exactly how you feel. So forget flown-in flowers and banish impersonal balloons. Buy Nothing for your loved one this year, just grab a pen and be the most romantic person in town.

(Spotted on Letterlounge)

Get tweets from your birdhouse

2012-02-08T09:06:58Z

Birdwatching can be a fairly time consuming activity that we don't all have the time for. This DIY birdhouse that tweets you when you have a winged visitor is perfect for those of us who cant spend hours staring out the window.

(Image: Screengrab from B-Squares)

Using the very clever B-Squares, modular components that let you build and power almost any small gadget you can think of, you can hack your birdhouse to send you a tweet when a bird enters. As the bird peeks his head into the box, it breaks the sensor and wirelessly transmits this information to your computer. Plus it's all powered by solar panels that sit on the birdhouse roof. This video makes it all look very simple (she says, having not tried it) but you may want to consider some sort of underfloor system to stop the birds accidentally electrocuting themselves.

Fancy a less technical birdhouse? Try these cute upcycled ones from old teapots.

(Spotted on Treehugger)

Bikes from broken trees

2012-02-08T09:02:14Z

(Image: woodbicycle.com)

Masterworks Woodworking are the creative behind this awesome bicycle. Not only do they have rad designs but they handcraft each piece from condemned city trees that would otherwise just be chipped, making them one of our favourite and All Consuming ways to Pedal-the-pedals.

For another wooden wonder check out the walnut bike.

(Spotted on Treehugger)

A dozen upcycled roses

2012-02-07T08:30:00Z

Julliet told us that 'a rose by any other name would smell as sweet'. And we feel that a rose made from any upcycled materials would be just as awesome and lovely and even better than a real one! So as it is Rose Day, and not long until Valentine's Day, we shall woo with with a dozen upcycled roses.

(Image: Instructables)

First, may we present some duct tape roses.

(Image: cosaverde)

Then from some scrap paper we give you a beautiful paper rose.

(Image: Whathappensnext)

Third, we hope to make you smile with this awfully pretty spare fabric rose.

(Image: Christine Eige)

And when we have drank our full, we present you a thorny but stunning aluminum can rose.

(Image: PaperAffection)

Fifth, money is no object in our bid to woo you with this money rose.

(Image: Veritas Crafts)

With some wire we will craft you some study metal roses.

(Image: Jewswar)

Before you sit down for dinner, let us present you with this lovely napkin rose.

(Image: Ms.Sparrow)

Lets get rustic with a bunch of leafy roses.

(Image: papas-spices)

We're sure to whet your appetite with this juicy tomato rose.

(Image: Hubpages)

For those out of you out there with a tough exterior we give you a leather rose.

(Image: Snips and Spice)

Our zippers may be broken but not our hearts with these fantastic zipper roses.

(Image: Craftyadhd)

Finally, from an old tie we give you a wonderful necktie rose.

If you are planning on buying someone special some roses, why not try make a few from our bunch instead?