What do Jude Law, Colin Firth, Jo Wood & Emma Thompson have in common?

...They are all supporting World Fair Trade Day which is tomorrow - 9th May. Not only that but they have signed a limited edition butterfly top for People Tree in support of Fairtrade, as modelled by Jo Wood (left) - how many people can say they have Jude Law's signature across their chest?!

World Fair Trade Day is an international event when the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO, formerly IFAT) and its members promote global awareness of fair trade. It is a great opportunity to celebrate the 100% fair trade organisations and companies, and the gorgeous fashions and delicious and great quality foods that are available.

There are 100% Fairtrade breakfasts being held all over the UK aswell as in France, Norway, Poland and the United States.

Why not hold your own Fairtrade breakfast tomorrow - invite some friends round for fresh Fairtrade fruit shakes & hot-cross buns with dried fruit, and a cafetiere of delicious fairtrade coffee. Or if it is too late to organise, then just add a handful of Fairtrade dried fruit to your porridge or muesli.
Click here for some amazing recipe ideas from Tropical Wholefoods.

You could also use this as an opportunity to encourage your local European Parliamentary candidates to sign the Faritrade Foundation's pledge for fair trade, in advance of the European Elections on 4 June.

There is a great range of fair trade products at EcoCentric, from photo frames & albums to bedlinen - currently with 20% off.

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.

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.

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.

One-stop shop for eco Christmas shopping

I do a lot of my shopping on the web, mostly because there isnt a lot of eco choice out there on the high street and I try to be as ethical as I can with my gift giving and fashion sense.

For those of you who are london based and love the browsing in stores and boutiques - listen up...

From now until Christmas there is a one-stop shop for all your eco gift buying on Westbourne Grove in Notting Hill. Amongst all the trendy boutiques and vintage stores you'll find number 303 - Our Eco Shop, a collaboration of eco designers, stores and lables to provide the perfect eco shopping experience.

With UK designers-makers and small green companies represented, the pop-up shop has a great selection of fair trade, ethical, organic, and eco-friendly products.

Get yourself over there tonight for the launch party, and check out the goodies before anyone else!

Enjoy!

Our Eco Shop Opening details:
18th November until 24th December
Mon - Sat 10am - 5.30pm, Sun 12pm - 5pm

A divine experience

This year Divine will be 10 years old and they are celebrating with a free exhibition telling their unique story, at the OXO tower gallery, starting tomorrow and running until Sunday.

In 1998 a new chocolate company was launched to try and prove the chocolate industry doesn’t have to be this way. A cooperative of cocoa farmers in Ghana decided to take matters into their own hands and set up their own chocolate business in the UK…….

The exhibition is an opportunity to see a collection of striking images by leading photojournalists giving an insight into the lives of Kuapa Kokoo farmers, and follow the enterprising journey that took Divine from being “a great idea – that could never happen” to an award-winning example of a more equitable trading relationship with smallholder farmers in Africa.

Divine has since partnered with Comic relief, launching the dubble bar, raising the issue of Fairtrade with young people.

If you haven't tried Divine chocolate then I thoroughly recommend it - the most delicious chocolate! My favourites are the dark chocolate, and the new champagne truffles...mmm!

Details:
The 'Decade of Divine' exhibition is at the.gallery@oxo, Oxo Tower Wharf, Bargehouse Street, South Bank, London, SE1 9PH. Gallery open to public 6th-9th November 2008. Opening times 11.00am-6.00pm. Admission Free
Immerse yourself in a delicious world of chocolate and find out how Divine is building a brand for the 21st century.

Energy Saving Week

As if the incentive of saving money wasnt enough to have made us take notice before, the Energy Saving Trust have designated this week Energy Saving Week to encourage us to save energy for the health of the planet, and our wallets.

The aim of Energy Saving Week is simple: to help consumers learn how they can reduce their carbon footprint and show how significant savings can be made in money, energy and time by making a difference. The Energy Saving Trust understand that time and money is something most of us do not have an abundance of.

From 20th - 26th October there will be loads of events and information out there to remind us how easy it is to take small steps to massive effect - just think, if we all took just one of these small step, this would be multiplied thousands of times over to create a massive impact.

Energy Saving Week is the perfect opportunity to discover your Green/Life Balance. We're urging people to take time to make time to change their households' habits to help fight climate change. It doesn't take long to get things started...

Here are lots of things you can do in just ten minutes:

• Start eco-driving sometimes known as smarter driving: check your tyre pressure - under-inflated tyres are dangerous and can increase fuel consumption by up to 3%.


• Call to your local water company to request a cistern displacement device, such as a 'hippo' water saver. Alternatively, fill a plastic bottle with water.


• Contact your bank to tell them you'd like to receive your statements online. Other service providers, such as BT, also offer paper-less billing schemes.


• Mend that dripping tap washer, it could stop up to 5,500 litres of water wastage and, if you're on a water meter, it could save you over £18 a year.


• If you're looking to replace a household gadget or appliance, compare thousands of products and find the best Energy Saving Recommended option.


• Do a free home energy check to see how much money you can save on your annual fuel bill it could be up to £270 a year.

Enough to be getting on with?
We'll pop back with some more ideas later on in the week incase you are sat twiddling your thumbs...