In and out

You may think, for a home based store, we are all about staying in - but no!

As active people who love the environment, we encourage as much interaction with mother nature as we can. A great example of this is our time & tide clock.

As well as telling the time, you can see at a glance the tide levels for your local coastline and whether it is coming in or out - so whether you are into sailing, surfing or kayaking on water, or walking or building sandcastles on the beach, this clock can help you get out on a spur of a moment trip.

A home based product that is aimed at getting you out of the house!

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.

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...

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.

Recycling is high design

Want a sneaky peak round Oliver's home?

In this video he made for Recycle Now Oliver shows how the glass and plastic that we faithfully put out for the council to take away each week becomes beautifully designed products that can be incorporated into the design of your home.

Oliver really believes in sustainable design and in this tour round his home he shows you exactly how he has practiced what he preaches - and gives some great advice along the way.

To pick up some great recycled home accessories and other recycled and eco gifts, check out ecocentric

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.

Top spots for eco chic shopping

This week Oliver has been chatting to Kate Watson Smyth from the Independent, tipping her off to the best places to visit for renovating and decorating an eco chic home.

Retrouvius
"Lots of people already know this site, but it really is one of my favourites. You can find unique pieces, and buying old furniture really is green. It's good for a browse and for getting ideas."

Junkystyling
"I buy very little from clothes shops. Instead, I will pick up something from the market and take it to this place in the East End of London for alterations - they adapt it to fit with bits of other material or some tailoring. It combines recycling, vintage and style all in one."

Brighton Sunday Market
"I love going to markets to look for furniture. Get to know the markets where the dealers go, as that is probably where the good stuff is."
Brighton Station Car Park, Trafalgar Street

Earthborn Paints
"I feel very strongly about paints: most are full of toxins, and give off fumes. My range for Earthborn are breathable. They soak up the moisture from the air as well as having no toxins"

Squint
"Save all those little bits of material that aren't good for anything else and use them in patchwork to cover a sofa or chair. It encourages us to become less precious about our belongings."

Brighton and Hove Wood Recycling Project
"I live in Brighton and come here all the time. The great thing about it being local is that the chances are someone will have thrown away something similar to what you are looking for, so there is a good chance you will find a door from the right period, say, or a floorboard the same width as what you need to replace. It's also a bit like a museum – you can see what people think is junk."

Charnwood
"A lot of wood-burning stove designs are rather Victorian in style, but this English company has great contemporary designs. I can pick up wood to burn from the reclaimed yard, and it's much more energy efficient. With a conventional fire, about 80 per cent of the heat goes up the chimney; with the wood-burning stove that 80 per cent is pumped into the room. It also adds character and focus to a room."

Vaillant
"Having a 1960s house is great as there are cavity walls which we can insulate – harder with a Victorian property. We are putting in a new heating system and this company has a really good range of products, such as ground-source heat pumps and solar-heating systems: high quality, efficient and reliable."


You can visit Oliver's own online store offering eco homewares & gifts - http://www.ecocentric.co.uk/

Read the full article here

Design classic up for an award

We are very excited that Ovetto, our recycled recycling bin, is one of this year's contendors in this year's Cooper Hewitt Design Awards.

The competition gives people the chance to vote for their favourite example of good design.

We think Ovetto is not only a good design product. It's green, recycled, educational fun and practical.

At the same height as a 4 year old, it is the ideal little friend for a child with colourful doors and slots that beg to be pushed, pulled and played with.

So if you think the Ovetto is the best thing since Eero Saarinen (think Tulip chair) or Verner Panton, then go ahead and vote

It'll be a tight contest - check out who Ovetto is up against!

We'll let you know what happens when the results come out next Friday...