National Compost Week: 3rd May - 9th May 09

Yes it’s National Compost Week!

For those of you who don’t know much (or anything) about it, National Compost Week is organised by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme).

WRAP estimate that every year each home throws away 200kg of waste which could have been composted. National Compost Week aims to inform people of the benefits of making their own compost.

This year’s theme is ‘Food for thought’, and focuses on using compost to grow your own food. This theme is perfect because not only is it the right time of year to start planting, but growing your own fruit and veg has been made even easier by ‘Rocket Gardens’.

Now I love Rocket Gardens because they take the hassle out of gardening. You simply find and purchase a voucher for the garden you want, Children’s garden if you have kids, herb garden if you like to cook, patio garden if you don’t have a lot of garden space etc. Once your voucher arrives you return the freepost card telling Rocket Garden where you’d like the garden delivered and then a box of baby plants arrives straight to your door ready for you to plant.

Not only are these gardens easy but the plants are 100% organic, reared in soil approved by the Soil Association and are kept free of chemical pesticides, which will be delivered straight to your door.

They also make wonderful eco gifts because you have a variety of gardens to choose from, and you can give the voucher itself as a gift or arrange for the garden to be delivered straight to the birthday boy or girl.

Some of the benefits of growing your own fruit and veg using your own compost include:

• You help the environment by reducing the amount of waste going into the landfills.
• You can use your home made compost to grow your own fruit and veg; which will save you money on fertiliser.
• Growing your own food will reduce in your shopping bill and ensures your food will be 100% organic and environmentally friendly.

So if you want to make the most of spring, start making your own compost and growing your own food, you now know where to start.

Sprig Discover Rig Video

Thought I'd put on this cool video which shows the Sprig Discover Rig, which I mentioned in my last post, in action.



It really is a great eco toy. Powered only by the child playing with it, it lights up and plays sound, music and a narrative, telling exciting stories to the child. It's also made entirely of innovative new Sprigwood - a recycled and recyclable material - in Canada, doesn't need batteries and can keep kids entertained for hours. I just wish I was 20 years younger so I could get one for Christmas!

Eco Toys for Christmas Lists

Christmas means many things to many people, but for most kids it means loads of chocolate, food and, of course, presents! But what to buy the children at Christmas without ending up with excessive amounts of plastic, batteries and gimmicky, soon-to-be-bored of 'stuff'? Luckily, there are an increasing number of cool, interesting and sustainable eco-toys on the market that will thrill kids and minimise use of resources. Here are a few key features to look out for.



Recycled: The fantastic new range of Sprig toys at EcoCentric are made of an innovative new material called Sprigwood, made of recycled wood and reclaimed plastic. The Discover Rig harnesses the kinetic energy of the child playing with it to play music, sounds and tell a great little tale.




Organic: Using natural processes and organic fertilisers, organically grown cotton avoids the environmental destruction caused by conventional production, resulting in cleaner, kinder and greener products. And when the finished result looks as cute as this soft organic cotton bear, going organic has never been easier!

Fairtrade: Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. The Fairtrade Foundation has licensed over 3,000 Fairtrade certified products for sale through retail and catering outlets in the UK, and a few of those, are toys! I think this Fairtrade wooden train with six animals is a really beautiful toy, and since it is hand made by a fairtrade accredited workshop in India from sustainable sheesham wood using low energy practices, it is also good for the environment.

Have a happy Halloween - eco style

Halloween can be great fun for kids and adults alike, but with all the sweets, costmumes, pumpkins and lights being used the environmental impact can soon add up. Luckily, there are a few things we can all do to make our Halloween celebrations a little better for the planet.

Reusing old costumes (for example by swapping them between friends and families) can be a great way to get something new for nothing. If old costumes aren't your thing, then costumes can easily be created by recycling any old rubbish found lying around the home - I think a newspaper monster could be a pretty scary costume!

Buying fairtrade sweets and chocolate, like the selection of Divine chocolate at Ecocentric, means that the producers are getting a fair deal - always good for your conscience. Organic pumkins are also a great way to cut down on your negative environmental imprint, and instead of throwing away the seeds, why not wash, then gently toast and salt them for a tasty snack?

Eco-friendly decorations for your Halloween party are also easy and fun to make. You can use of a whole range of used packaging, like washed crisp packets and chocolate wrappers, to make shiny bunting, and old tin cans with holes poked in them make nice little lanterns with a candle in them. For a safer version, Ecocentric's Candela lights give out a lovely warm glow, but are cool to the touch and rechargeable.

However you celebrate Halloween, I hope you have a ghoulish - and green - day!

childrens bedrooms

Good news – my wife Katie just had a little baby girl! Added to that over the last month we have moved house – believe me these are two major life changes that shouldn’t happen anywhere near each other!

However it has got me thinking ever more about designing eco children’s bedrooms.

As there wont be too much energy use, your main concerns will be the creation of a happy and healthy space for your precious child to live, sleep (and occasionally scream!) in. Remember that childrens immune systems are in development and so more susceptible to the effect of toxins.

The main things to think about are:
- Reducing toxins found in furniture, paints, and toys
- Reducing dust levels – cutting down on unhealthy dust mite.
- Good natural ventilation- cutting out the build up of damp and potential mould
- Safe Low energy lighting


Floors
Natural wood floors are great for interior design, they will also help to cut down on surfaces that trap dust (such as carpets. But if you do want some soft surfaces, try rugs or whip stitched sections of natural carpets made of wool with natural backings.

Walls
Paint walls in natural paints that don’t contain Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s) which can off gas toxins onto the floor or surfaces below. VOCs are found at their highest levels in conventional eggshell or gloss paints

Furniture such as beds, wardrobes and chairs
Choose solid wood furniture that wont contain formaldehyde resin glues (found in MDF, chipboard and plywood) which can off gas. Vintage furniture can look great when given a lick of paint or even a little wall paper.

Beds
Mattresses can trap high levels of dust which leads to dust mites, these can be vacuumed clear. Alternatively you could use a closed cell structure natural latex mattress or use organic fibre mattresses which wont have been exposed to toxins in the production of the materials.

Toys
Buy solid wooden toys and avoid plastic toys particularly those made of PVC (like rubber bath ducks) which contain phthalates- which have been shown to cause a wide array of health issues affecting the liver, kidney, lung and blood pressure, but most importantly is their reported effect on the reproductive tract of boys.

Lighting
It goes without saying that you should use low energy bulbs but I advise using the bulbs that have the curly filament encased within a conventional bulb shaped cover. Low energy bulbs contain small quantities of mercury which can be released if broken. Alternatively use a tough lamp shade such as polypropylene, which can be recycled at the end of its useful life.

Heating and ventilation– thermostatic valves
Bedrooms need to be both heated and properly ventilated – this will keep the rooms living conditions healthy and comfortable. Children’s bedrooms should be kept at between 64.5 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit, this can be achieved by using a thermostatic radiator valve to regulate room temperature.
Use trickle vents in the windows to maintain regular air changes, this will reduce the build up of damp and mould.

Vintage for kids

We love this ingenious idea for using vintage wallpaper - you know those designs you see in classic 70's films but would never cover a whole wall with...

Dutch design company Inke have a huge range of retro designs cut into shapes of animals or trees - ideal for the kids room. Thay have giraffe, lion, alligator, elephant, birds trees...and the best bit (but possibly the most difficult) is choosing which design of wallpaper you want for each shape... I love this classic combination:

No need to throw out those old rolls, and even a reason to snap them up when you find them in the corner of a vintage store - have a go at cutting your own shapes to create nature montages for a playroom. I know Oliver is already planning a mural for his 2yr old daughters room...