Dig for Victory

Planting a tree in National Tree Week will boost your health and the health of the planet. We are continually hearing about the benefits of surrounding ourselves with greenery as they release oxygen and absorb the emissions from computers, Mobile phones and other gadgets...

I have a cactus on my desk, does that help?

From today until 7th December the UK will be celebrating National Tree Week, the UK's largest tree celebration annually launching the start of the winter tree planting season.

There are a great number of events going on around the country hosted by the tree council. They also have a wealth of information about how to buy, prepare and plant trees.

How about giving a plant as a gift this Christmas, something that gives back... Here are a few ideas:

Ready to plant: Tree to my door
This company is amazing, and has, it seems, any type of tree you want... and they deliver! Perfect...

For the cook: Chilli pocket garden
Grow this on the mantlepiece, and it produces a multitude of chillis for use in cooking - My brother-in-law had just one of these and now has 5 pots of chilli plants growing around the house! (If you want to re-plant the chilli seeds I have it on good authority that you leave them on the plant until they are dried out)


For the garden: Grow your own wine rack
when grafted to itself, willow will bind together... so graft it in this formation and after 2 years it is a strong wine rack, all in one piece! Whilst it is in the graden it is providing habitat for birds and butterflies and generally cotributing to biodiversity. Definately the most unusual and greenest gift under the tree...

Stocking filler: Grow your own mushrooms
This kit + second hand paperback = a very unique gift.
The recipient can grow a batch of yummy mushrooms (ON A BOOK!) in just a few weeks without even having to go outside. My Dad got 3 batches of his kit last year...loved it!


For the full experience: Plant a silver birch tree
Start this off py planting the seed provided into the soil in the pocket. When it has got to a certain height on your windowsill, then simply plant the compostable bag in to the garden and the tree will continue to grow. A great gift for kids to watch the progress from seed to tree.

People Tree Sample Sale

One of my favourite eco-fashion retailers, People Tree, are having a sample sale this weekend! Along with a host of other cool ethical clothing brands the sale will be held from this Thursday to Sunday just off Brick Lane in East London. Grab yourself a stylish, ethical bargin or get stuck into your Christmas shopping...better be quick though, with up to 80% off I'm guessing it'll be pretty popular!

The sale is at Dray Walk Gallery, Dray Walk, The Old Truman Brewery (Off 91 Brick Lane), London E1 6QL.

Thursday 27th November 6 pm - 9 pm
Friday 28th 10 am - 8 pm
Saturday 29th 11 am - 7 pm
Sunday 30th 11 am - 5 pm

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.

Win £100 voucher for ecocentric

EcoCentric are offering an early Christmas gift - a £100 voucher to spend at www.ecocentric.co.uk

All you need to do is click here and fill in the form to be in with a chance to win.

There are loads of great eco Christmas gifts to choose from, or you could treat yourself to some interiors accessories to give your home a pre-Christmas lift...

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

The ultimate green Christmas 'how-to'

I'm one of those people who (usually) refuses to think about Christmas until the first door of the (divine chocolate) advent calendar has been well and truly opened.

But I also know there are members of my family (Kate) who finished their Christmas shopping in September.

If you are somewhere in between you may be interested in the ultimate guide to having a green Chritsmas put together by the folks down at the Guardian.

Not just their top 10, but a whole alphabet full of ideas. Here are a few of the best:

A is for artificial trees - There is a whole debate about real or plastic trees...maybe even worth it's own blog post/debate...

C is for Candles - Paraffin candles are made from petroleum residue and are no good for your health or for the environment. Candles made from soy, beeswax or natural vegetable-based wax are more eco-friendly because they biodegrade and are smoke-free.

F is for food shopping - Buy local or buy less. Produce bought locally means you will be supporting small suppliers and the local community, while minimising your carbon footprint. Shop at a local farmers' market, or try growing some of your own vegetables where possible (a little bit late this year - though I attempting to grow lettuce on my window sill).

Remeber to take your own reusable bags and buy fruit & veg loose if possible to avoid excessive plastic usage.

L is for lights - Christmas tree lights left on for 10 hours a day over the 12 days of Christmas produce enough CO2 to inflate 12 balloons, so turn them off when they are not needed, and use low-energy LED fairy lights - you can get great half-price colour-changing ones here

Need more ideas? Read the rest of the article here
The guardian gift guide for 2008 will be out soon, so we'll post a link when it's up. In the mean time, check out these eco gift ideas