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!

Lighten up!

You may have seen in the news over the last few weeks that the standard lightbulb as we knew it is no longer being stocked in stores in the UK. Some people are in uproar that they are having to change to low-energy bulbs - as if they dont want to save money on their energy bills...

Oliver has a good point: "I've just changed all my bulbs to CFLs [compact fluorescent lamps] and saved around four-fifths on my electricity bill. It really is quite staggering that so many people are still using Edison's light bulb which was invented in 1879. It's 130 years later and people are still using the same technology – that just doesn't happen in other areas of our home and lives." Can you imagine still keeping a horse and trap when all your freinds are driving the Prius?

When designers were trying to persuade people to the benifits of the low-energy bulbs they came up with stylish and innovative shades that are specifically designed for use with these bulbs. Here are a few examples:

Felt
Made from 100% wool, felt is naturally fire retardent, so an ideal material for lighting design. It is moulded into shape when wet and bound together. It can be moulded into some interesting shaps, and can be cut into as it doesn't fray. The delight shade is a great example of this. However, intense heat can mean the shade loses its shape and can get scorched, so is designed to be used with the low-energy lightbulbs that give off a minimal amout of heat. Most of the energy of the edison bulb goes into heat it gives off - not hugely efficient...

Recycled plastic
Polyproplene is a great material, can be made from 100% recycled plastic and also be recycled at the end of its life - a closed loop system. It is also bendy so can be shaped into great forms for unusual shades. Again, intense heat can affect the shape and performance of the plastic so needs to be used with low energy bulbs.

Paper

Previously a faux-pas because of the fire risk, you can get gorgeous printed shades in recycled paper and card that work perfectly with the low-energy bulbs.

The bulbs themselves have come on in leaps and bounds since they were first developed and now come in stylish shapes to complement your lighting design as well as being available in warmer shades rather than the previous cool white. Try them and see...

And I haven't even touched on the possibiliies of LED lighting...more on that soon...

Health in a stylish glass

What were your new year resolutions? Do you even make any?

After the Christmas period of eating and drinking rich and delicious food (Thanks, Mother-in-law!) it is a common time to think about getting into shape. And the best way we know to get beautiful skin and feel energised is to drink lots of water.

Boris Johnson is obviously on our side as he is pushing the London on Tap campaign promoting tap water in London by creating a stylish drinking carafe for restaurants and venues throughout the capital to use when we order tap water. Not only does it taste great, but tap water is also cheaper and has a carbon footprint 300 times smaller that bottle water.

Did you know:

- London’s tap water is rated top in the UK, making it one of the best in the world? It consistently rates highly in taste tests, beating more expensive, bottled alternatives.

- London water is 500 times cheaper than bottled water, and is kinder to the environment, emitting 300 times less CO2 to process than bottled alternatives.

- Tap water is not only good for you, it’s good for London and kinder to the planet.

So here are your action points:

1. Be proud of your tap water, Londoners! Order tap water when eating out, instead of bottled. Do the taste test - and save yourself some pennies!

2. Let us know if you would like us to offer the London on Tap carafe on ecocentric.co.uk by leaving a comment below.

RE:fashion award winners announced at glitzy celeb filled occasion

Last night saw the ultimate event in ethical fashion with the RE:fashion awards held at Shoreditch town hall (just round the corner from our HQ, where Elton had his 60th) where all the hot ethical designers mixed with celebs such as Daisy Lowe, Pixie Geldof and Leah Wood.

Established designers Vivienne Westwood, Zandra Rhodes & Katharine Hamnett showed their support for the awards with their outfits, created exclusively for the event, being modelled on the RE:design catwalk.

RE: Fashion Designer of the Year was awarded to From Somewhere, (right) beating off fierce competition from Safia Minney of People Tree, and Oliver's favourites Junky Styling.

Izzy Lane, who rears her own sheep for her very British collections (shown below), walked away with New RE:Designer of the Year Award.

Other awards and winners included:
Fashion retailer Adili - RE: Retailer of the Year
Pioneering jewellery label Made - RE: Africa award
From Somewhere - RE:Use Award

It was the first event of its kind, though trends would suggest there will be more to come, following the Estethica area at London fashion week for the past 5 seasons which has been growing in size and quality every time.

For the full report check out glam Sarah from Greenmystyle who was right in there with the action.

Congratulations to the Peoples Award winners

Congratulations go to the Zon hearing aid who won the Peoples Choice Award from Cooper Hewitt Design Awards

It was a hot contest, in which our Ovetto recycled recycling bin held its own. It was great to see over one fifth of the nominees were green or sustainable designs, showing that this sector can compete against the big boys in the design world - a trend that I'm sure will only increase over the years.