Here are a selection of questions that we have been asked, and our answers to them:

Q: I think it's time to invest in rechargeable batteries, so can anyone recommend good makes or things to look for? I seem to remember seeing a solar powered battery charger somewhere, but I think I may have dreamt it!

There are two types of rechargeable batteries, nickel cadmium (NiCAD or NiCd) and nickel metal hydride (NiMH) - cadmium is rather toxic, so you should definitely go for NiMH on environmental grounds.

As for solar chargers, you didn't dream it - there are a couple of options available at the Green Shop (www.greenshop.co.uk) and CAT (www.cat.org.uk/shopping), and according to the FOE online forum (www.foe.co.uk/forum), one of them is sold at Maplins too...

Q: Once we were told it was green to use gas. But now I've switched to a green electricity supplier so which is most environmentally friendly? Should I boil water in the kettle or on the gas stove? Should I swap my gas cooker for an electric one (and beat the rush for when gas runs out)?

A: Let's reduce this question to its simplest. If you need to boil the kettle, and if you have the choice, should you use the gas cooker or use the electric kettle?

Assuming you aren't generating all your own renewable electricity or have a wood burning stove, if you already buy your electricity from a renewable electricity supplier - use electricity.

By a renewable supplier we mean an electricity supplier that uses only renewable energy sources such as wind, water and solar to generate the energy it sells. Using renewable electricity means you are not responsible for the use of any fossil fuels and not contributing to climate change. (There are a wide range of renewable electricity tariffs and suppliers to choose from, but our current tip would be Ecotricity (http://www.ecotricity.com, tel: 0800 0326 100).

But if you are only sourcing your electricity from a “conventional” supplier – use gas.

Conventional energy companies generate the electricity they sell mainly through burning fossil fuels such as coal (dirty in terms of greenhouse gas emission) or gas (cleaner but not great), with a small amount coming from nuclear (radioactive waste and CO2 emissions from processing and transport) although they are obliged to provide a very small amount (this year 5%) from renewable sources. Even disregarding the moral issues of leaving radioactive waste for future generations to deal with, burning fossil fuels at the power station and then transmitting it down power lines to your home results in energy losses. It is therefore greener to burn the cleanest fossil fuel (gas) in your home than at a power station: so go for the gas!

For more information on which electricity and gas suppliers to choose, check out our climate campaign links page.

Q: I'm interested in installing solar panels on my roof. Are there any grants available, and where can I get more information?

A: The first thing you will have to decide is if you want to go for solar PV (electricity generation) or solar water heating (or both!):

* Solar water heating is cheaper (about £2,000 to £3,000), but is only really useful if you have a hot water tank. It should generate all the hot water you need during the summer, and warm the water in your tank a little in winter.

* Solar PV costs between £5,000 and £8,000 (depending on the number of panels) including a 50% grant from the Low Carbon Building Programme (www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk). A typical 7 or 8 panel installation (rated at 1.5 kWp) can generate around 1200 kWh (units) a year.

And another source of renewable energy is wind - Renewable Devices (www.renewabledevices.com) and Windsave (www.windsave.com) produce roof-mounted wind turbines that cost around £1,500 to £2,000.

However, in terms of getting the biggest reduction in carbon dioxide emissions for your money, it's best to start with energy efficiency - visit www.est.org.uk/myhome and fill in their home energy check for personalised advice on what can be done.

For more links related to renewable energy, check out our climate campaign links page.

Q: The company I work for produces a fair amount of office waste paper and are currently paying another company to dispose of this recyclable waste. Are there any companies in the area that provide a waste paper collection free of charge or preferably pay for waste paper? This would be seen as a cost saving exercise and would be driven throughout the company.

A: I'm not aware of any companies that provide free recycling services in the Manchester area. Probably the closest you'll get is Emerge (www.emergemanchester.co.uk), a not-for-profit community recycler which I understand offers business collections of paper, cardboard and cans for as little as £100 a year.

I've been in the same position with the company I work for - because there is a cost associated with recycling (even such a small one), there is no direct financial incentive for the business to encourage recycling. However, apart from the environmental benefits of recycling, there are some indirect longer-term cost savings - for example, disposing of waste will become more expensive as landfill taxes increase, so if your company encourages a recycling culture now it will save money when waste disposal costs increase in the future; and recycling helps to combat climate change, which will result in higher insurance premiums and fuel costs in the future.

There are also some ways that your company can save money now to offset the costs of recycling collections though. Using less paper is one of the simplest, for example:

. Set your printers/photocopiers to print double-sided where possible.

. Use e-mail rather than memos, letters and faxes.

. Collect paper that has only been used on one side and use it for printing internal memos and minutes, in your fax machine, and for hand-written notes.

Using less energy is another, for example by ensuring that lights and computers/monitors are switched off at night - in fact, a PC monitor left on overnight wastes enough energy to laser print 800 A4 pages!