More Recycling Bins!

I have just found some decent recycling bins on EvenGreener for £24.60 (Was £29, Save 15%). These are perfect for separating your recycling in your kitchen.



There are also some tough recycling bags which are pretty cheap - just £4.50 for 3.

Sun Jars are Eco Tastic

I bought my Mother a Sun Jar as a birthday gift, I think she liked it! It was strange as it worked streaight out of the box, without any charging at all. I took the photo above with some difficulty as it looked like the camera light kept turning it off!

It works well for a nightlight - I think she will be keeping it in the conservatory to ward off evil spirits too.

I got this from the Gadget Shop for about twenty quid. Unusual and eco-friendly gift! Hopefully the glass is recycled but im not sure if it is or not (probably not).

You can also get the Moon Jar from Firebox which gives out a cool blue light.

Recycled Cufflinks - Circuit Boards

Both stylish and eco friendly fine gentlemans circuit board cufflinks. These appeal to me, being both a nerd and an eco warrior. What better way to recycle old circuit boards than to convert them into a fashion accessory - GENIUS!

The cufflinks come in 4 different colours and are priced at a hefty £18.95 from boysstuff.

Blogger Buzz - Green Blogs

Check out bloggers list of superb green blogs: Enviromental Blog Roundup



They did this in aid of blog action day, which took place yesterday. I have been really busy of late but have researched many green products to write about so expect some writings soon!

Eco Friendly Transport

There are some cool gadgets out which make excellent gifts for the active eco warrior!

Check out the latest products below which are eco friendly and help get you fit and active. A lot more fun than walking too!

1. Magic Wheel – a cool way to get to work!


Magic Wheel - £119

2. RipStik – evolution of the skateboard!


Ripstik - £99.95

3. Trikke 8 – eco friendly transport!


Trikke8 - £199.95

Aye Thankyou!

Bye Bye to Standby

Some good stats on digital direct's website about the wastage of standby buttons on electronic equipment.

Estimated annual CO2 emissions from devices left on standby:
Stereos - 1,600,000 tonnes
Videos - 960,000 tonnes
TVs - 480,000 tonnes
Consoles - 390,000 tonnes
DVD players - 100,000 tonnes
Set-top boxes - 60,000 tonnes
(Source: Energy Saving Trust)

Turn it off at the wall!

Globally Aware Mugs

As I sit here writing this I am currently drinking tea from the mug as seen here. "Only boil enough water for the cups you're making!" What a nice idea eh? A mug that actually makes you think during your tea break!

Here's another cool little 'environmentally aware' mug, which shows the effect of polar ice-cap melting when hot liquid is added. Add in the hot water and watch the coast line recede! It may just make you think about how you can lessen your carbon footprint during your working day.

I Want One of Those are selling them for £6.95!

Turn it Off!

If every London household turned their appliances off standby, we could save 465,000 tonnes of CO2 and £115M per year!
-Energy Saving Trust

Sun Jar - Cool Solar Light

The Sun Jar, made by Suck UK can store the Sun's energy during the day and then give it out at night.

Perfect for mood lighting for either your garden or in a room, if placed near the window.

The jar also has an override switch so you can turn off the light, which usually automatically lights up when the jar's sensors detects it is dark out.

I like these Solar Sun Jars, I might dish a few out at Christmas time as they use solar power in an interesting and artistic way.

Each Jar costs £19.95 from the Gadget Shop

You can also get light bricks which have a bulb design, here is a pic of a blue glow brick:



The glow brick is also available from gadget shop, and is priced at £19.95 each.

Green Fact ofThe Day

If Every London Household Washed It's Clothes At 30 Degrees, we could save 98,000 tonnes of CO2 and £23.5m per Year - Energy Saving Trust

Planet Repairs: DIY

Got the Green STUFF from that old geezer Ken Livingstone.

A badge! Stickers!

The mug is the best though, as I can use it at work. Handy as in the office there is sometimes a mug shortage. A strange thing is the Shower timer to help you save water. Not to be confused with a 3-minute egg timer, with this gadget you should be able to have 4 minute showers! I should try this out, might make me less late for work each day :)

A 5 minute shower uses 35 litres of water. A 4 minute shower uses less water than a bath. Showering also saves money as it uses less hot water.

Dumped: Landfill Residents

An interesting bus-stop poster I spotted on the way to the gym at lunchtime.

Check out the forthcoming C4 show 'Dumped'. Some volunteers try and live off a landfill waste for 3 weeks.

GreenParty Bulletin

I just got a link packed email fromt he green party: Check out some of these links!

GREEN BULLETIN AUGUST 2007

1 HELP THE CENSUS CAMPAIGN
2 SIĀN BERRY ON RADIO 4's BROADCASTING HOUSE SUNDAY MORNING
2 GREEN LEADERSHIP DEBATE ON RADIO 4 ON SUNDAY
3 NEW ONLINE VIDEO
4 NEW FACEBOOK PAGES
5 MORE NEWS


1 HELP THE CAMPAIGN TO KEEP AN AMERICAN ARMS COMPANY FROM RUNNING THE CENSUS
Join the campaign to keep Lockheed Martin from running the 2011 Census. View Siān Berry's video here:
http://censusalert.org.uk/video.html

Sign the petition here:
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/census-alert/


2 SIĀN BERRY ON RADIO 4's BROADCASTING HOUSE SUNDAY MORNING
Green Mayoral candidate Siān Berry will be appearing on Radio 4's Broadcasting House on Sunday 19 August at 9am. You can also listen again for a week at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/news/bh/


3 GREEN LEADER / CO LEADER POSTS TO BE DEBATED ON RADIO 4 THIS SUNDAY
Caroline Lucas MEP for the Yes to Leadership campaign, and Green Party Principal Speaker Derek Wall, for the No Campaign, Green Empowerment, will be debating the question of whether to have an elected leader and deputy / co-leaders in the Green Party.

They will appear on Radio 4's Westminster Hour this Sunday 19 August
at 10pm.

You can listen again for a week at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/westminsterhour/

The campaigns have websites at
http://www.greenyes.org/
http://www.greenempowerment.org.uk/


4 NEW ONLINE VIDEO CHANNELS
The Green Party has launched a Youtube video channel. Videos by Principal Speakers Derek Wall and Siān Berry, Caroline Lucas MEP and our councillors. Find it at:
http://www.youtube.com/greenpartyew

We are also partnering a channel with public.tv here:
http://www.public.tv/owners_list.php?OID=147


5 NEW GREEN PARTY FACEBOOK PAGES
You can meet Green Party members and supporters on Facebook, at
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2538880044

and join Siān Berry campaign to be London Mayor here:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4305641550

6 MORE GREEN PARTY NEWS
Tory tax plans 'an eco disaster'
http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/3119

Green Principal Speaker joins the Heathrow Camp for Climate Action
http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/3119

Failure to meet EU renewables target is no suprise
http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/3113

Get Green Energy!

Are you thinking about changing your energy supplier for a greener alternative but don't know where to look? Well you could do worse than check out Powergen which has a Go Green Option.


100% renewable electricity and carbon dioxide offsetting! There are other incentives such as extra Tesco Clubpoints as well. I'm not sure if these guys are the best for green energy, but it's nice to see the bigger companies stepping up to the plate and offering these new alternatives!

- Jimmy

London Aquarium

Last week I popped into the London Aquarium on a sweltering day in London. I really enjoyed it!

It had some great stories about pollution in London's river Thames, and about ocean over-fishing, waste management and also the unusual items fished out of the capital's river!

I was also pleased to find out that 42.5p of every ticket will go directly to conservation & research initiatives.

Make Paper Work for Longer

I hate paperwork. Forms, Red Tape & the like. One of the reasons I am selling my car. Which will also be good for the environment!

Lots of Papery links for you today - Get your office recycling:

www.paper-round.co.uk
This office paper recycling company was formed by friends of the earth in 1989. It now averages 1200 paper collections across London. They reward certificates of recycling excellence to businesses each year.

www.wrap.co.uk
Waste & Resources Action Program (WRAP)

www.thelaundry.biz

A not-for-profit paper recycling company which takes waste paper then sells it back to offices (once recycled of course!).

www.thefirstmile.co.uk
Daily paper collections in central London for offices.

For more info on London recycling visit www.londonremade.com.

Save Energy On Your Google Searches

Apparently Black takes up less energy than white on your monitor. You could just turn down your brightness settings or turn on other energy saving features if you were worried about energy consumption :)

I think its just an adsense money making site myself, but a clever one at that!

My Favourite Eco Warrior

My favorite eco warrior of all time has to be DAVE ANGEL, a character from the fast show.

Go Paperless - Save Paper!

I Got a superb email at work earlier:
"In that we are all “going green” these days, I was thinking of e-payslips – you would get your payslips via email. This could be to any email address so if people wanted them going to a personal email address rather than an office email address that would be possible. The other benefit would be that people would get them earlier."

Gold star to the accounts team!

Other areas I am going 'paperless':
-Credit Card Statements
-Bank Statements

Any other suggestions?

Smart Kitchen Recycling Bin

I just found thiis while surfing through some amazon homeware (im moving next week!)

Expensive but cool all the same:





It seems like more of these recycling bin products are becoming available, lets just hope they are environmentally friendly to produce in the first place!

Camp For Climate Action

The Camp for Climate Action 2007
Tuesday 14th August to Tuesday 21st August - Heathrow Airport

Eight days of low-impact living, debates, learning skills, and high-impact direct action tackling the root causes of climate change. Why?

The science is clear - we have 10 years to save the world from catastrophic climate change. We must act now to take action against the worst polluters and create real sustainable futures. The fate of life itself for generations to come is in our hands. The time to act is now.

Should be good - At an airport of all places!

Environmentally Friendly Footwear

Check out the range of eco-footwear on Vegetarian shoes.

All footwear on the site is 'Animal Friendly'. You will find no leather here, only breathable microfibre materials. So if eating meat bothers you this is the perfect online shoe store!

All the factories are people friendly. Based in Portugal, the factories are NOT sweat shops.

The shoes are also environmentally sound as the soles are made from recycled car tyres.

Personally I think they have some decent designs on the site, like the cool sandals pictured above.

Don't line unethical companies pockets such as the nikes of this world. Wear something 'green' with pride!

Lights Out London in Photos

Check out these amazing images of lights out london on the guardian website.

Green Factoids of the Week

* Appliances in standby mode account for 8% of UK household energy use
* Lighting accounts for 25% of all electricity consumed worldwide
* When doing the dishes, washing them by hand requires on average 37% less water than an energy efficient dishwasher
* In most homes, lighting accounts for 10 - 15% of the electricity bill
* UK households use £1.2 billion worth of electricity every year on lighting
* If every UK household installed three energy efficient light bulbs it would save enough energy in a year to supply all the country's street lighting
* Depending on age, if a TV, photocopier or computer is left on standby it is still using 40 - 70% of the energy it would if being used
* A photocopier left on overnight uses enough energy to produce over 1500 copies
* By switching your washing machine to 40 degrees instead of 60 degrees, you can cut your electricity consumption by a third
* Lighting an average office overnight wastes enough energy to heat water for 1000 cups of tea
* Denmark will use wind for 50% of the country's electricity by 2030
* Remember to switch off your computer monitor when it is not in use. Monitors use over 60% of your computer's electricity output
* In the UK, we buy over 680 million non-rechargeable batteries each year
* Energy efficient light bulbs emit 75 pounds of carbon dioxide less per year
* 95% of the energy used by the phone chargers in this country is wasted. They're only doing their job - i.e. charging phones - for 5% of the time
* The energy saved from recycling one glass bottle is enough to power a light bulb for four hours.
* We use over six billion glass bottles and jars each year. It would take you over three and a half thousand years to sing "Six Billion Green Bottles"!

Lights Out London - TOMORROW!

Remember that LIGHTS OUT LONDON is happening tomorrow.

To take part, simply turn off all of your lights tomorrow evening 9pm - 10pm!

This is what organisers Capital FM have to say:

Lights Out London aims to prove that we can all make a difference to the future of our planet. On Thursday 21st June - Midsummer's Night - we are inviting the whole of London to turn off all lights and non-essential appliances between 9 and 10pm.

As well as promoting long-term understanding of green issues among Londoners, this simple display of solidarity will show the world that we care. We can all make a difference - saving the world isn't just for superheroes!

Getting involved couldn't be simpler. Register now to show your support, then all you have to do is remember to turn off all your lights and non-essential appliances on Midsummer's Night. Remember to tell all your friends though - the more people that take part, the bigger difference we can make.

Even Picadilly Circus famous advertisements are shutting down - for the first time in 68 years!

Planet Repairs DIY Toolkit For Londoners

The London Mayor/Government have launched a major Green initiative for residents in the greater London area.

You can order a DIY Planet repair toolkit from the website. This kit contains stickers, a mug, and a 4 minute shower timer. All essential items for a 'greener' London, im sure you'll agree.

You may have seen adverts for this all over the shop if you live in the greater london area...

The Big Green Gathering

My link of the day is The Big Green Gathering or The BGG for short.

The BGG takes place between the 1st-5th August 2007.

Heres what its all about, in their own words:

The Big Green Gathering is a 5 day camping event which is currently located in the Mendip Hills in Somerset. It has grown out of the original Green Gatherings of the 1980's and the Green Fields of Glastonbury Music Festival. It has developed organically in response to a desire from people within the green movement for a festival that was focused on Green issues. Now we have somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 people expected this year. Staying Green is now a bigger challenge than ever.

The Big Green Gathering is for people who care about health, the environment, sustainability, our children's future and life in general. It is a celebration of our natural world and our place within it. As such it is a place for enjoyment, learning and fun. Unhealthy activities are not encouraged. The only things taken in excess should be love, peace, joy, and friendship.

So if you want to visit a true 'alternative' gathering which isnt some commercial venture, this is the place to be to learn about the environment, and what you can do to help.

Plastic Grocery Bag Holder

Plastic bags are kind of a necessary evil still in our society, but here is an item designed to help you re-use these bags!

Simple and stylish, this grocery bag holder should be able to reduce the clutter in your kitchen.

Recycle Your Old Mobile

Earn cash for your old mobiles by trading them into envirophone. You simply sign up and they will send you a freepost pack for your old mobiles. Good for the environment and good for your pocket!

G8 Summit Protest Pictures

Energy Crisis: Laser Fusion

Check out the BBC article about using Lasers for Nuclear Fusion.

"The UK funding bodies, including the Science and Technology Facilities Council that own and operate most of the UK's large science instruments, are making positive noises about stumping up the necessary cash to build and host Hiper in the UK."

Interesting stuff indeed! Lets hope it gets the funding to be researched.

Download Festival Goes Green

The download festival has loads of eco events going on this year. One of the most interesting is the giant Arty sculpture which is going to be made from the festival-goers used cans. What a great idea!

There will also be pedal bike-powered mobile charging stations, recycling stations, green toilets and a liftshare scheme to name but a few.

Check it out

British Gas: Make It Greener Now

British Gas are offering free 'Green Survival' packs from their website makeitgreenernow.co.uk. You can also win VIP tickets to their Fete for the Future event. Well, worth doing to get some free lightbulbs!

London Sustainability Weeks

There are many environmental events happening in London over the next few weeks!

London is a huge and dynamic city. There's plenty in it to love! However London is also a hungry city. Food, fuel, building materials, water and much more pour into London from all over the world. What we do here has an impact on the whole planet and it's time to make some changes.

Check out the love london website for more information on this amazing event.

Fly Carbon Neutral - Go Green!

SilverJet are the World's First Carbon Neutral Airline. They won the Institute of Transport Management's environmentally aware airline of the year, 2007!

They do this with a mandatory carbon offset contribution, which is invested by The CarbonNeutral Company, to ensure that every tonne of CO2 associated with your flight is matched by one tonne saved through climate friendly projects around the world.

Examples of projects supported by Silverjet to neutralise its carbon impact are:

* Jamaican energy efficient project – subsidises the cost of energy efficient lightbulbs to encourage use. Benefits to the island include less dependence on depleted oil reserves and less power cuts, which in turn promotes the prime industry – tourism

* New Zealand wind farm – one of the few gold standard carbon offset projects worldwide, this provides an alternative to non-sustainable power sources

* US methane – methane is 23 times more powerful than CO2 as a greenhouse gas, and it leaks from many disused mines. This project captures methane and ‘flares’ it which converts methane into CO2.

Silverjet specialise in business flights from London Luton airport to New York.

For visit www.carbonneutral.com

The Big Green Issue

If you are interested in climate change and doing your bit for the environment then buy the latest copy of the Big Issue. It is packed with GREEN features. A good read! I feel a bit guilty as I owe the old guy who sells it 50p. I think he has Parkinson's Disease too, poor blighter.

China Climate Change Stance

Challenging times are ahead for climate change policy.

Check out the story on the bbc website about China and developing countries policies regarding climate change.

Looks like the UK must lead by example... LETS DO IT PEOPLE!

Recycled Ipod Case

I was shopping online for a new case for my branded MP3 Player and I came across this.

Ok, Ok, I know its a bit expensive but at least someone out there is thinking along the right lines.

I didn't buy it but it has got to be better than those rubber and neoprene ones.

Kitchen Recycling Bins

Most councils have a recycled materials collection each week in the UK. One of the problems is separating and storing all the bottles, paper, in a neat fashion.

These kitchen recycling bins are a great idea, being both stylish and functional.

Set of 3 Storage Bags. Suitable for Plastic, Paper & Glass. Lid contains magnetic strip which keeps it sealed and rope handle for travel convenience.

Well done Heals!

Grow Your Own Veggies

Although I only have a balcony I just bought this book, to help me see what I could grow.

Grow Your Own Veg by Carol Klein

It has lots of lovely pictures and seems pretty easy to follow. I'll keep you posted on my results!

First Order of Business

So you're interested in Climate Change and changing your lifestyle for the greener eh?

Well the first order of business is to check out an Inconvenient Truth, which is absolutely essential viewing. Al Gore (the former 'next president of the US') takes his global warming slideshow around the world to inform us all of the harm we're causing our planet daily. It sounds like a snooze-fest, but is actually truly fascinating and an eye opening experience. It's also one of the scariest films I've seen in a long time!

HMV have it here - with recycled packaging! Definitely worth checking out one and all, believe me.

Green factoids of the week

For every tonne of paper recycled the savings are:

1. At least 30 000 litres of water.

2. 3 000 – 4 000 KWh of electricity (enough for a 3 bedroom house for one year).

3. 95% of air pollution as compared to “virgin” paper.

I’m sure you’ve all printed off an email or document that you didn’t really need to. The key to saving paper is not to print in the first place! If you do need to print, that’s ok! It is understandable that some things need to be printed out, however when you’re done with the paper there are things you can do to help:

▪ Look on the reverse of your print out. If it’s blank you can use it again as note paper before you recycle it. Saving twice the amount of paper!

▪ Make sure you put it in the PAPER RECYCLING BINS if you have them. And if not, get some! It’s not difficult, if you spot someone throwing paper into their desk bin, STOP THEM!