With temperatures dropping and the first signs of winter arriving, we thought we would share some top tips for taking care of your garden’s wildlife through the colder months. If you have any tips to share, you Tweet us @renewableidea, or post it to our Facebook page.

A Robin in winter

Food

In winter, food is in short supply. Birds lose around 10% of their body weight when the nights are cold and need food to replace this and give them energy to go about their daily business. Having some bird-friendly plants in your garden is a must – holly berries are particularly good for our feathered friends, as are crab apples, hawthorn and honeysuckle.

It’s also a good idea to get a bird feeder as this allows birds to feed without threat of an attack from a predator. High-calorie seed mixes such as black sunflower seeds, sunflower hearts, sunflower-rich mixes or unsalted high-fat peanuts are ideal. For more tips on what to feed birds in winter, check out the RSPB’s website here.

Water

Water is essential for wildlife of all kinds, for bathing, drinking, breeding and spawning. Ponds are ideal, but if you don’t have one, a bird bath or a large bowl of water will be helpful for drinking and bathing.

As temperatures drop further, do watch out for the water freezing over. Although you must not use chemicals to stop it freezing, placing a light ball (like a ping-pong ball) in the water will help keep a small area ice-free as it is blown about by the breeze.

Shelter

Shrubs and other vegetation provide much-needed shelter (as well as being a source of food) for many kinds of animals. You can also stack some logs in a corner of the garden to provide shelter for animals and insects like hedgehogs and toads.

Nesting boxes for birds and bats are also a good idea whilst there are fewer trees around. The RSPB has a guide to making your own here. Keeping old or dead trees can also provide useful cavities for insects and bats to take refuge from the cold.

The Renewable Idea team

Over the weekend, the Renewable Idea team were celebrating FSC Friday! This day recognises the importance of responsible forestry management, and the great work that FSC do.

For those of you who don’t know, FSC is an international, non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting responsible management of the world’s forests. When you see the FSC logo of certification on a wood-based product, it means that the wood used has been sourced from responsibly manage forests and other controlled sources, and you can be confident that you are contributing towards safeguarding the world’s forests.

In the lesson plans that we have created for the Design an Image competition, we introduce children to the concept of responsible forestry management and how, if looked after properly, wood is a great example of a natural, renewable resource.

For more information on FSC and responsible forestry management, visit their website: http://www.fsc-uk.org/?page_id=100

The Renewable Idea team

As it starts to get colder and the nights draw in, most us of will be spending more time indoors where it is warm and cozy. At Your Renewable Idea we decided it was the perfect time to have a big clear out to make our homes as clean and clutter free as possible for the autumn and winter months ahead.

But before we start our big autumn clean it is really important to think about what we can recycle. Although the majority of us think recycling is important, research carried out by Tetra Pak reveals that our cleaning and tidying habits are not always as green as they could be.

The research found that although two thirds of us think we recycle as well as we can, over half of us admit to sometimes binning items we know can easily be recycled. The most common reason given for slipping-up on good habits was being in a rush or running late, but people also admitted that they sometimes bin recyclable rubbish when they are in a bedroom or bathroom and not as close to their recycling bags or boxes in the kitchen.

To help you and your family to recycle as much rubbish and clutter as possible we have put together a list of some of our favorite green cleaning tips. If you have any tips or ideas you would like to share, you can either post them to our Facebook page here, or tell us on Twitter (@renewableidea)

1.    The most important thing is to make some space for a recycle bin. To make it more interesting, why not get creative and decorate yours!

2.    Encourage your family to set up a temporary storage spot – that way if they are in a rush they can sort the recycling later, rather than throwing it all in the bin to save time.

3.    Put up a list with pictures on your fridge door to remind you of what you can recycle, such as juice cartons and newspapers.

4.    Check labels. When you’re out shopping with your parents, encourage them to look out for products, such as Tetra Pak food and juice cartons that have recycling symbols on the packaging, and try and get them to avoid non-recyclable goods where possible.

5.    When you are clearing out clutter think about what you can give to charity. Old toys for example, would be great to donate ahead of Christmas.

For more information on the report on recycling habits in the home, please visit www.tetrapakrecycling.co.uk