EarthBorn Paints launch new colour range

Breaking news - EarthBorn clay paints today launch their new colour range! This new range of 36 colours (plus white) takes elements from a number of their previous colour ranges to offer a new, more streamlined selection of colours. With guidance from EcoCentric's own Oliver Heath, the new EarthBorn range is a well balanced range of contemporary colours which take the pressure off choosing your paint shades, as are extensively complementary.

Better still, Earthborn clay paints are the only UK paint brand licensed to carry the EU Ecolabel, Europe's definitive environmental standard. This is because they are low odour and VOC free, and help your house and your family breathe clearly, free from harmful chemicals and toxins. Clay paint has a beautiful matt texture which allows walls to absorb variations in humidity, has great coverage and is great for creating special effects. Why not spring clean your home with an eco re-decoration and give you and your family's health a boost at the same time?!

Grab a bargin with EcoExclusives

We all love a good deal, particularly if the shops in question are eco friendly and ethical to the core. Which is why Green My Style, the premier online daily eco-glossy, has

come up with EcoExclusives. Offering a range of discounts or money off vouchers for a range of online retailers, EcoExclusives is your ticket to eco chic on the cheap. Offers are available from shops like Terra Plana, the inovative designers of eco friendly and ethical footwear, Foodari Direct, which delivers delicious, locally sourced food straight to your door, and Fashion Conscience, the gorgeous online boutique full of talented young green designers. There's never been a better reason to get out that plastic and treat yourself to a bit of eco style!

Big Green Festival

If you are around in Manchester this weekend, head down to the Big Green Festival in Chorlton on Saturday (4th April).

The festival is celebrating all that is sustainable and local. Check out everything from the big swap (get some new goodies after a feel-good clear out) to green seminars and information about eco generators...

Let us know how you got on.

Egg a politician (virtually!) for Fairtrade

Fairtrade is great - by requiring companies to pay sustainable prices (which must never fall lower than the market price), it addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their position and have more control over their lives.

At the G20 meeting in London next week fairtrade issues are likely to be sidelined, which is why Divine Chocolate have set up their 'Egg a Politician Game'. You throw a yummy chocolate easter egg at a your choice of world leader - get your aim right and they'll gobble it up. You can then register your support for fairtrade by sending an email to the politician, asking them to raise the issue at the G20. Politics has never been so entertaining!

It's the little things in life...

I have found that trying to put eco thinking into my life isnt about massive changes, but lots of little ones. The great thing being that each little change takes little effort, but added together make a massive difference.

And it is easy for anyone to take these little changes on board.

The ink ran out on our printer this morning so got me thinking about how we can save ink. We already use our mis-printed paper as scrap to print drafts and notes on. But that doesnt save ink.

The guys at SPRANQ in the Netherlands spent many a late night and cup of coffee coming up with ecofont, a font which uses 20% less ink than our standard fonts.

When enlarged you can see the way they have created it, with little holes in the letters. But when reduced to our usual writing size it looks no different from fonts such as Arial.

It is an open source font and you can download it here - make little steps towards your green office.

So I am making the little change of setting up my writer template to use eco font, and hopefully it will give us a couple of extra days before we need to change the cartridge next time... and saving pennies for that extra pack of biccies for our afternoon tea...

On the green carpet for the World premiere of Age of Stupid

Make sure you are hanging out in Leicester Square on Sunday to catch a glimpse of all the celebs making their way down the green carpet at the World Premiere of Age of Stupid.

The Age of Stupid is going to be one of the most talked about films of 2009. It stars Pete Postlethwaite and is from the makers of ‘McLibel’ and the Oscar-winning ‘One Day In September’.In the film, Postlethwaite stars as a man living alone the devastated world of 2055, looking at ‘old’ footage from 2008 and asking: why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance?

The world premiere is set to be as green as its message. A special solar powered cinema will be constructed in Leicester Square, and will be attended by numerous celebrities including Gillian Anderson, Natalie Imbruglia, Supergrass, Jonathan Edwards, Dwain Chambers, Ken Livingston, Damon Albarn, Alastair Campbell, KT Tunstall and Ed Milliband.

View the trailer here

The film goes on general release in the UK on 20th March.

If like me you always check out the extras on the DVD, go to the Guardian website for the 'Making-of' short for the film.

Why not let us know what you think of the film by leaving a comment below.

Spice up your life

Do you long to do something different with your life? Whether you're feeling unfulfilled in your job, are facing redundancy or you're simply stuck in a rut and feel it's time to make a change, head down to One Life Live at London Olympia this weekend and get the inspiration, advice and practical support you need to make it happen.

Whether you long to retrain for a new career, want to take a career break to travel or volunteer overseas, live sustainably, dream about becoming your own boss or simply feel in need of a achieving a better work/life balance - you'll find the answers at One Life Live.

With insiring seminars and speakers, it really is a great show. It opens tomorrow, March 13th, and runs till Sunday. Simply quote FS1 to book two tickets for £22 – normally priced £14 in advance and £16 on the door.

Do you have a Green Office?

This week has been Green Office week, hoping to empower employees to be able to make a positive impact on the environment while in the office, and to unite offices up and down the UK in an effort to change the way we work.

Click here to see Oliver's top tips for an eco and stylish office.

Whilst it is an incentive to know the way we are working is not having a negative impact on the environment, I mostly am affected by the way a greener workplace is a happier one.

I love having plants around the place - makes it look nicer and plants in enclosed spaces can help absorb the nasty emissions from computers, moblie phones etc. The cactus next to my pen pot also is a deterrant to anyone who may be thinking about 'borrowing' a pen from my desk... You can get some great ones that can be grown in pockets - fresh strawberry anyone?

I cycle to work, meaning I arrive in a more positive frame of mind (no pushing and shoving on the tube!), am healthier and have already had some great exercise by 9am. You can get a bike tax free through the government initiative set up to encourage cycling - check it out here. Also, think about all the savings on tube/bus fares...


I once worked somewhere for 2 weeks (a temp thing) and in that short time I had revolutionised their non-existent recycling system... I'd like to do that 'one year on' thing where tv cameras go back to the room that was made-over to see if they kept any of it...

Perhaps the Ovetto recycling bin would have been good for them - a stylish visual reminder to recycle.

If you have any ideas for a green office, or leave us a comment...

Are eco-homes ugly?

No! I hear you cry...

Join the controversial debate at EcoBuild this week at Earls Court...
Germaine Greer, Bill Dunster, TonyJuniper and David Orr will be debating the aesthetics of low carbon design for new homes and communities tomorrow in the main arena at Ecobuild from 17.00 - 18.00.

Ecobuild is always worth a visit and is also free but you should register at http://www.ecobuild.co.uk/

Ecobuild is the world’s biggest event dedicated to sustainable design, construction and the built environment, so if you are renovating, doing an eco self-build or just interested then get yourself along for the best showcase of sustainable construction products anywhere, plus dozens of inspiring attractions and more than 100 free conference and seminar sessions.

But hurry, the show finishes on Thursday!

Win tickets to the Eco Chic Wedding & Home Show plus a pampering session

With just under a week to go until the first ever Eco Chic Wedding & Home Show this Sunday 8 March the organisers have 25 pairs of free tickets to give away plus 3 free pamper treatments to be enjoyed on the day. Even if you don't win you can get 2 for 1 tickets by quoting ECWHS-EW09 when you book online or by phone.

To win the tickets visit the ethical weddings blog

Eco and ethical considerations are growing amongst couples getting married, but finding trusted suppliers of services and products for the big day is relatively difficult. I know when I got married in 2006 I spent a vast amount of time researching on the web and trying to make informed decisions - as if the planning wasn't stressful enough already! But it was important to us that our wedding, and setting up our new home, was as ethical and environmentally sound as possible.

We had our wedding list with EcoCentric, as well as with a few other eco companies. when we have guest round they love our dinner set and cant believe it's recycled glass!

The Eco Chic Wedding & Home Show takes place this Sunday (8 March) from 11am - 4pm at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. This exclusive wedding and home event offers ideas for couples for green & ethical weddings and living. It will be the perfect opportunity to see, touch, taste and try before you buy all the essentials for your Big Day - check out dresses, occasionwear, accessories, photography, flowers, gifts, honeymoon destinations, venues, cakes and much much more.