Ö÷²¥´óÐã

I've read all the warnings about what's going to happen if we don't start being more environmentally responsible, and I've failed to act on any of them. It's not that I don't want to be Green and do my bit. It's just that most ways of being Green aren't particularly accessible to me. Like most disabled people, I will always take the accessible option over all others, including the environmentally desirable ones. Could it be that us cripples are responsible for the impending destruction of the planet?

I set myself the task of seeking out tips on how even we can be more environmentally compatible. It's amazing how many Green organisations will scratch their head, shuffle their feet, and tell you that they have never done any work specifically on disabled people and the environment ... which is a shame because, hell, if you're anything like me, you'll really need the advice.

In an attempt to rectify the balance, we now present for you the Ouch Guide to being an Environmentally-Friendly Crip.

A report by the reckons that Britain needs to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by two thirds before the middle of this millennium. This means that every environmentally-conscious household should be looking at ways of reducing their own individual contributions.

A quick scan of any advice will tell you that cars are a big part of this: every driver in the UK is responsible for an average four tonnes of carbon dioxide each year. We all know the advice: Cars = Bad, Public Transport = Good. Walking and cycling score particular brownie points. "Most car journeys are less than five miles and easily done by cycling or walking," according to one recent correspondent in a . Unfortunately, walking and cycling aren't possible for a large proportion of wobbly or wheelie crips, and the mere mention of public transport is enough to strike fear into the heart of even the most stoic among us. Yeah, some places have accessible buses, and you're s'posed to be able to book assistance on trains, but isn't covered by the Disability Discrimination Act, and very little beats the door to door service that a taxi or car can provide, even for those of us who can manage to navigate some public transport some of the time.

• The EnviroCrip way: If you are thinking of buying a new car, the Vehicle Certification Agency's website will give you information on the environmental friendliness of new cars, and also offers advice on reducing emissions. If you're keen to cut down on car use, many local councils run 'Community Bus' services - accessible minibuses which pick disabled people up from home and take them where they want to go. Admittedly, these aren't as flexible as your average taxi, though they are cheaper and greener. One workable alternative is to share vehicles with people who do the same journey as you. You can do this online by registering your details with the scheme and then searching for likely companions for regular or one-off journeys. You don't have to be able to drive to register, and there's space for you to note any special requirements. We're told the website has been designed according to all the technical specifications which keep crips happy.

Meanwhile, Ouch fancies the idea of a sedan chair, although finding two PAs to hold you airborne may prove costly and impractical.

We've got too much waste. Landfill sites are filling up, and waste disposal is an increasing problem. want us to be recycling half our waste by 2010, while the Government target is a less ambitious 30% by the same year. According to an on the subject, "For householders, recycling is one of the easiest things to do to make a difference to the environment."

Hmm. For disabled people, recycling is one of those things we're all told we should do, but can often seem like more trouble than it's worth when the time comes to actually do it. Personally, I want to recycle, but I live in a block of flats which doesn't have a door to door collection service, and I've got better things to do with my limited stamina than wobble up the road with bags full of empty wine bottles to leave them at the local collection point. That's not me being wilfully selfish; that's me choosing between saving a few bottles from landfill or being able to do my laundry that week. Meanwhile, a blind friend of mine never uses his recycling box, even though his local council would pick it up on a weekly basis. He says that he tried it a few times, but he'd always lose the box after he'd left it out: the recycling men would just dump it back somewhere along his street, and it would take him ages to find where they'd put it. An report found that 90% of people would recycle if services were available to them, which is surely an argument for ensuring that all services are as accessible as possible to crips.

• The EnviroCrip way: We could try talking to people. I'm pretty sure that was my upstairs neighbour with bags full of bottles heading to the recycling the other day. I'm sure she wouldn't mind a couple of mine. I'm not sure why my blindie mate couldn't ask the recycling man to pop his box back on his doorstep so that he could find it easily. Of course, it's no substitute for the services themselves being accessible. So if yours isn't, be stroppy: phone them up and tell them.

Being disabled is a messy business. We fall over, we dribble, we spill dinner down our tops, we don't always have complete control of our bodily functions. Some of us find baths more accessible than showers, which is unfortunate because showers are the way forward for the environmentally conscious crip: they use less water. Let's hope that those of us who find showers the most accessible option out-number those for whom the opposite is true.

Meanwhile, if you're a falling-over-a-lot crip like me, you may find yourself with an above average amount of laundry, which uses both water and energy to get clean. And if you use incontinence pads, all those disposables are adding to landfill, getting into sewage, and ending up on our beaches. Oh dear.

• The EnviroCrip way: To reduce the environmental impact of your laundry, the (WEN) recommends using the lowest recommended washing temperature every time, and air drying. This is fine as long as pegging clothes on a line is accessible to you. Meanwhile, some environmentalists warn against the use of biological washing powders, which contain enzymes (proteins which produce chemical reactions) to help with the removal of dirt and stains. Instead, they recommend non-biological alternatives, which also cause less irrtation to skin. Any crip who has struggled to get macaroni cheese stains out of their favourite top on a regular basis may well be sceptical about how well these products work, but you won't know unless you try. WEN also offer information on for those brave enough to give them a go: "They are easy to care for and can be simply washed with the rest of your laundry", apparently.