What you can do to save the environment and hedgehogs

How changing your weekly wash could help save the environment We'll tell you how to build a home to save our humble hedgehog - now under threat of extinction and mango chutneys - and banana ketchup - no not exotic goodies from overseas - but home grown and made on Anglesey

Last updated: 18 October 2009

Country Focus - Sunday 18th October at 07.30am presented by Melanie Doel.

The slow food movement in the UK has undergone a few changes in recent times but now there are plans to create a new profile for it in Wales and across the country to increase awareness, membership and funding. A newly installed Chief Executive - Catherine Gazzoli - is currently touring the country to meet local Slow food members, producers, chefs and other key industry figures.

People living in one of Wales' most famous beauty spots are being told they need to clean up their act when it comes to . . .well, cleaning up. Llyn Padarn, at the foot of Snowdon, has been blighted by the growth of toxic algal blooms this summer. The Environment Agency says a key part of the problem is the amount of phosphate getting into the lake from treated sewage. And putting a stop to the problem could come down to what local people put in their washing machines and dishwashers.

It's one of our favourite garden visitors yet it's under threat. Some experts fear the hedgehog could become extinct within 16 years. And it's all because our gardens are too tidy. Now we're all being encouraged to make a difference by building a home for our hedgehogs.

In Ceredigion they have developed a rather unusual way of pulling in the tourists - "religious" or "faith" tourism. There is no doubt the area boasts a unique history of faith with St David having been raised and educated there and his most well known miracle took place at Llandewibrefi. But we ask what is on offer for the tourists in the 21st century?

Just how wasteful are we when it comes to energy use around the home? Just a few small changes can dramatically reduce what we use. This week the Energy Saving Trust hopes to point us in the right direction with a series of activities and Mel Doel is going to be doing her bit with the use of a smart meter.

And as Autumn approaches and temperatures dive it's difficult to imagine exotic plants such as limes and mangos growing without heat but that's exactly what is happening in the north western tip of Anglesey. Kathryn Selfe of Carreglefn Nurseries is cultivating a wide variety of plants and is using the fruit from unsold stock to create an imaginative range of jams and chutneys