It's not Easy Being Green

Just found this cool site about a BBC programme - 'its Not Easy Being Green'



They have some superb video clips with ecellent green tips and examples of how people are reducing their energy bills, with help from Dick of course!

Check out Dick, hes a dude! That moustache is the greenest on the planet!


I found this excellent link while checking out the newspaper Briquette Maker on evengreener. Apparently this product was featured on the show. This device turns waste newspaper into fuel for heat for just £20!

Fairtrade Tea from CafeDirect

Our office has gone a bit greener this week with the addition of Fairtrade Tea from Cafedirect! I have been drinking this fairtrade tea all week and have ditched the PG tips.

Cafedirect work with 270,000 growers, encompassing 39 grower organisations across 13 developing countries, to bring people the best tasting and highest quality coffees, teas and drinking chocolate.

Growers of the tea are paid above market prices, and much of the profits are fed back into the growers businesses and communities. This money funds training and development programmes, empowering them to build a better, sustainable future.

You can order the delicious tea from the Ethical Superstore.

Green People Win Award for Organic Beauty Products

Green People have triumphed in the 'Natural Health Beauty Awards 2008'.

Their major prize was winning the 'BEST ORGANIC RANGE' Award. A huge well done to Green People from the Jolly Green Blogger!

Green People were delighted to receive recognition at this years Natural Health Magazine Beauty Awards taking home the much coveted ‘Best Organic Range’ Award. They have showed that with continued dedication to producing quality organic formulations coupled with strong company ethics and values has finally paid off!

Green People were also Winners in other categories: ‘Best Cellulite Zapper’ for the Organic Body Spa, Triple Action Cellulite Lotion and ‘Best Natural Lipstick’ for the Certified Organic Red Shimmer Lipstick!

With Highly Commended awards received in many other product categories:

Best Miracle Skin Worker - Fruitful Nights
Best Face Oil - Rejuvenating Facial Oil
Best Moisturiser for Dry Skin – Vita Min Fix
Best Facial Toner - Gentle Tone
Best Sun Protection - Sun lotion SPF15 with suntan accelerator
Best Hair Treatment - Intensive Repair conditioner for colour treated hair
Best Natural Deodorants - Green People Organic Formula Deodorants

So if you are after organic beauty products you can do a lot worse than 'Green People' it seems!

Google's Carbon Footprint Project

Use the Carbon Footprint calculator to measure your carbon footprint and find out what practical steps you can take to make it smaller. On a personalised google page, you can track your progress, update your carbon-reducing actions and see a Google Map featuring the footprints and actions of everyone taking part. To share ideas, ask advice or find people in your local area to collaborate with, join the UK Carbon Footprint discussion group.

Add the "Carbon Footprint" tab to your iGoogle homepage!

Google also revealed these tips to make your office greener on their Adwords blog.
1) Turn off the lights in conference rooms after you're finished with a meeting.
2) Turn off computers when you leave for the day.
3) Bring your own reusable water bottles and coffee mugs to work.
4) Carpool with your co-workers.
5) Try duplex printing -- save paper by printing on both sides.

Here are some more ways in that Google is helping people go green!

Nokia 3110 Evolve Ecophone

Technology meets Ecology with the Nokia 3110 Evolve
The Nokia 3110 Evolve is designed to help you cut down on energy wastage without compromising on functionality. The Phone has a 1.3 Mpix camera, web browsing, Mp3 player and FM radio functions.

* Help make a difference with bio-covers created from more than 50% renewable materials. The packaging is smaller too and uses 60% recycled materials.
* Charge your battery with a clear conscience. The AC-8 charger minimizes the no load energy consumption in case you forget to unplug it from the power socket.
* Never miss a shot with the 1.3 megapixel camera with 8x digital zoom
* Connect wirelessly to your PC or accessories via Bluetooth
* Relax and unwind with the stereo MP3 player and FM radio
* Get news and entertainment via video 3GPP streaming
* Stay accessible with up to four hours of talk time and up to 370 hours standby

Sounds good to us! Hopefully other manufacturers will follow suit and make their mobile phones more eco friendly.

You can buy the Nokia 3110 Evolve direct form nokia for £149.99.

Top Ten Greenest Brands

Marketing week carried out a survey recently and here are the results!

A lot of this is obviously to do with image, with M&S recently charging for plastic carrier bags.

10 Greenest Brands

1. Marks & Spencer
2. The Body Shop
3. Innocent
4. Co-Op
5. Ecover
6. Honda
7. Waitrose
8. Tesco
9. BP
10. Greenpeace

10 Worst Brands

McDonalds has starting converting old chip fat into biodiesel to power its lorries, but this failed to improve it's un-green image. Probably all the chavs leaving smelly rubbish on the tube don't help.

1. Shell
2. Exxon Esso
3. McDonalds
4. BP
5. BA
6. Ryanair
7. BAA
9. Coca-Cola
9. E.on
10. British Gas

Virgin Money Launch The Virgin Climate Change Fund

Ever want to Invest Your money into the greenest companies? Virgin are now offering a green investment fund which looks to invest into environmental leaders in their industry. Apparently these greener companies are performing better than heavy polluters so hopefully these bad-boys will take note now, and go green themselves :)

The Virgin Climate Change Fund is an environmental fund with a difference, investing in businesses who are driving outstanding profit growth and are environmental leaders in their industry.

Unlike most green funds, the Virgin Climate Change Fund can invest in oil, transport, and every other sector, cherry-picking the environmental leaders in each who can offer the highest returns.

These businesses are starting to outperform the worst polluters. Customers prefer them, and they’re not saddled with green taxes and penalties. The net result for investors? A better return on their money.

Apply to the Virgin Climate Change fund Online

Eurostar - The Environmentally Friendly Option

Eurostar is bigging up its green credentials to attract some of the short haul fliers who are worried about their carbon emissions.

You will already be aware that Eurostar's 186 mph high-speed train service has become the number one choice for travellers between London, Ebbsfleet, Ashford, Paris, Brussels, Lille, Calais, Disneyland Resort Paris, Avignon and the French Alps. But that's not all - don't forget that Eurostar is also a more environmentally friendly option.

Flying between London, Paris and Brussels generates ten times more emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) per traveller than going by Eurostar.
Eurostar is also committed to generating even less carbon dioxide emissions per traveller in future years and has pledged to achieve a reduction of 25% per traveller journey by 2012 (compared to 2006).

Taking the train is now a truly attractive greener alternative to flying.

I have never took eurostar, but I would gladly give it a go. Especially as now I don't drive! Have you used Eurostar before?

Ecoballs - The Eco Wash Balls

Ecoballs are designed as an environmentally friendly alternative to washing powder in washing machines.

The price works out to about 3p a wash and an ecoball will last for around 1000 washes. They are also refillable.

So what do you do with your ecoball for an eco wash?
Simply place 3 ecoballs inside the machine instead of detergent. There are no harsh chemicals to filer through to the environment with ecoballs! You can also reduce the amount of water you use with a reduced rinse cycle, which also saves electricity - YES!



More benefits of ecoballs:
- Eco Balls will not fade bright colours
- Ecoballs willnot damage clothing fibres
- Ecoballs are Hypoallergenic so suitable for sensitive skins/eczema (including babies and children)
- Ecoballs® softens clothes even in hard water. As your clothes will be softer no fabric conditioner is necessary.
- Ecoballs® are also anti-bacterial and kills Escherichia Coli and Staphylococcus Aureus.

Save £10 with Eddiesessentials!
Was £34.99, now £24.99
What you get:
- 3 ecoballs
- ecoball refill
- Stain Remover
- 30 day moneyback guarantee

These seem a great idea to me for busy households, and the ecoballs can also be combined with limescale reducing Magnoballs for an even greener wash!


if you tumble dry clothes then use tumble dryer balls for faster drying and for softening clothes.

Carbon Neutral Car Insurance Quotes

I am trying to sell my car at the moment but if I did buy another one in the future I would try to go green with my car insurance!

There are a few 'Green' car insurance companies out there at the moment. A lot of people with cars probably feel a bit guilty about emissions, and rightly so. Going to a carbon neutral car insurance company makes a lot of sense these days, even for that warm smug feeling. If you can save any money at the same time then thats a bonus!

1. The Green Car Insurance Company

This insurance company offer a 100% offset of your car's emissions! You also get a 5% discount if you drive a low emission vehicle or do a low mileage each year. 5% of claims are also donated to charity which is also rather nice. We at jolly green blogger love incentives to invest in a more eco-friendly vehicle!
Get a Car Insurance Quote from the Green Car Insurance Company

2. iBuyEco

This insurance company provide a similar service to the green car insurance company listed above, where they offset your motor's CO2 emissions each year. At the moment they have a special offer where they pay out the money themselve sto offset your emissions, so its a pretty good deal!
Get a Car Insurance Quote from iBuyEco

Lets just hope these companies do not spoil it all by mailing a tonnage of paper to each customer!

Do you use any of these car insurance companies? I would love to hear from people who do. As for me, I am giving up the car so I no longer have to pay for insurance. Ahh!