Many of us are trying to do our bit to help save the planet, but one Croydon woman has made being green a way of life.

Elaine Insua-Cao's house in Brighton Road, South Croydon, contains a plethora of eco-friendly items and activities.

A £500 grant from the Government helped Elaine and her family install solar panels for heating and hot water and although she realises it will take a few years to get the money back, she has no regrets.

"They're excellent," Elaine said, "I feel I am doing something for the environment."

Elaine and her husband only use their car if they absolutely have to.

The family never uses supermarket bags, filters water rather than buying wasteful bottled water and puts eco balls in the washing machine instead of washing powder.

Everything possible is reused, from Christmas wrapping paper to newspaper which is used to clean the windows.

And while most people would not look twice at junk mail, Elaine cuts up the envelopes to make new ones for herself.

"For years and years I have saved and recycled paper and because we don't have a kerbside collection for our plastic and cardboard, I get on the bus using my freedom pass and go to the recycling centre with it," she said.

When the retired couple were bringing up their seven children they were given so many bags of clothes that they were able to use the money they saved to help them through university.

Elaine has even written her own booklet Waste Not, Want Not' giving more than 50 ideas on how to minimise waste.

"It's extremely important to raise awareness about green issues and climate change because people are so wasteful and the landfills are getting bigger. We've got to ask what are we leaving for our children and grand-children? I'm a war baby and we had to save all the scraps we had so I wouldn't dream of wasting anything," she said.

Part of Elaine's inspiration came from her son who is an environmentalist. He went to work in Vietnam and one day phoned home and asked what was being done for people to be greener in Croydon.

She subsequently visited Vietnam and helped organise green awareness events there.

Victoria Adade who nominated her said: "she inspires us all in her own little ways ... teaching us all we must participate, even in tiny ways in order to make a difference to our environment. Being a role model at the age of 60 is a remarkable achievement."

Elaine said: "I do it to help the environment and I've been brought up not to waste things. It's really from the heart what I do, I don't have to force myself because it's very much part of my character.

"My parents were the same and it has been passed on through the generations. I just can't bear to see waste or see things going to landfill and damaging our planet.

"When I'm clearing the house out, some people tell me to get a skip but that would break my heart."