Appearing
this month on the shelves in WH Smith and Borders nationwide, new eco-living
directory BOOK OF GREEN is the most comprehensive guide for everybody to
genuinely and easily green their lifestyles.

With
the general public currently becoming more receptive to living a more
eco-friendly life, this completely free guide points the consumer in the right
direction – it includes hundreds of approved ethical providers in a wide range
of sectors including business services, health and beauty, home and garden,
green energy, travel, parenting and food & drink.  All the companies
in the directory are in some way mostly or completely environmentally friendly,
sustainable, fair trade, organic,  ethical and socially responsible.

Book
of Green is intended to show everybody how to easily reduce their carbon
footprint, live a healthy lifestyle and make  a personal positive 
impact on the environment by integrating truly ethical products and services
into their daily home and family lives.

With
an initial print run of 30,000, the guide comes in a handy A5 format and is
printed in vegetable inks on 100% recycled paper.  An online flip magazine
version is also available at www.bookofgreen.com 
 Book of Green will be available in WH Smiths this July, attached to the
front of Permaculture Magazine as well as distributed across the UK in high
street eco stores, online eco stores, and at events during the summer as well
as at the Eden Project and the Kent Eco Village, the Kent Show by The
Ecologist, July 17-19.

Book
of Green is co-founded by Sue Jueno (founder of Allthingseco) and Katie Keegan
(founder of One Green Earth),
 whose combined experience of 6 years in the eco/ethical business arena
has given them the experience, knowledge and contacts to create a guide for
green living which everybody can trust.

“Being
green is more than reducing the threat of climate change, it’s also about
ethical trading and personal health.  The companies found within Book of
Green provide solutions across all sectors through their products &
services to help build a positive foundation for your family’s future
generations,”  says Katie Keegan.

“With
credit crunch in mind and a passion for promoting green shoot businesses we
have made Book of Green extremely affordable to advertisers and free to the
public to show off exceptional companies that are solving environmental
problems and that will be leading us into the future,” says Sue Jueno.

It’s easy to get hot under the collar
about chemically-riddled sweat-inhibiting anti-perspirants and their
questionable effect on the body, so check out the facts about the alternatives
and enjoy the sweet smell of natural protection this summer.   

Yesterday’s news

• Deodorants and anti-perspirant
  are not the same thing!  Deodorants are responsible for masking
  the smell of sweat while anti-perspirants actually stop sweating from
  taking place, which interferes with the body’s natural way of controlling
  temperature. 
• Conventional deodorants
  and anti-perspirants can contain aluminium which not only clog the pores
  but can also enter the bloodstream increasing the levels of aluminium
  in the body.
• The alcohol contained in
  these conventional products has a drying effect on the skin and can
  also transport other chemicals into the bloodstream.

The
sweat free natural alternatives

Look out for natural products containing minerals such as ammonium alum
or alunite and zinc ricinoleate from the castor oil plant.  This
age old combination of minerals safely prevents the growth of bacteria
responsible for body odour without irritation and without impeding the
body’s natural and vital process of perspiration.

In fact, these days organic deodorants
are so sophisticated that their naturally-scented formulations are truly
effective and leave you smelling as fresh as a daisy (literally!) all
day long.  Even if your job is physically demanding you can be
assured of natural protection throughout the day by reapplying a couple
of times.

Delicately scented deodorants from
pioneering organic beauty companies, Green
People and Lavera, use these tried and trusted minerals to effectively
prevent body odour without inhibiting the essential process of perspiration.

The minerals are combined with aloe
vera, olive leaf extract and gentle essential oils, which care for the
skin rather than irritate it.

Rock
on

Ever wondered how a natural crystal
deodorant stone works?  It is simply made from mineral salts (potassium
alum) and purified water.  Wet the stone and rub it generously
all around the armpit.  It leaves an invisible layer of mineral
salt protection which prevents the odour causing bacteria from forming.

Check out the extensive range of natural
deodorant alternatives at www.lucyrose.biz or email the experts at info@lucyrose.biz
if you have any questions, for your chance to enjoy the heavenly scents
of summer for all the right reasons.

                Freecycle and Swop with Points not £’s
Swop2Shop is an innovative, new, clothes swopping website, allowing its members to Replenish and Re-vamp their wardrobes, WITHOUT THE NEED FOR CASH.
Membership entitles the user to NO LISTING FEES and FREE POINTS to kick start the Swopping Process.
Buy Gift Vouchers for friends and family as the ultimate Eco- Friendly present.
As Swishing events take hold, the beauty of Swop2Shop is that the whole clothes swopping process can be enjoyed from the comfort of one’s own home.
Swop2Shop has been designed to nurture all those who not only care about their bank balances but feel passionately about the environment too.
The site provides a platform for members to swop their clothes and accessories, between each other, in a safe and trustworthy environment.  Selected brands from High Street to Designer are listed on our CLASSIC , TRENDS or KIDS sites and are ready to swop.
A constant RE-CYCLING of clothes diminishes those guilty consumer feelings especially during these Credit Crunch Times.
LISTING IT….SWOPPING IT …..WEARING IT …..has never been easier.
Guilt Free,  Green Shopping, All the Way.
10% of Swop2Shop Gift Vouchers sold will be donated to Charity.  Swop2Shop is supporting Maggie’s Cancer. Be Eco-Friendly
Get Listing….Get Swopping….Get Re-Cycling
To be part of Swop2Shop or for further information please go to www.swop2shop.co.uk
Swop2Shop has issued this release.
For further information please contact: admin@swop2shop.co.uk Kathryn Jenkins on 07545493841, e-mail kathryn@swop2shop.co.uk

By Elaine Dutton, Director Pure Design

2009 New Designers in Islington opened its doors to the public this Thursday, and for the fourth year running I was there to see what promising new graduate talents are in store for the UK design industry, and of course my radar was set to sustainable!

What is special about this trade show?
With over 3,500 of the best new design graduates represented for the two weeks the show runs, New Designers is definitely one of the highlights of my design calendar. Not only is the quality of the work on show fantastic, the buzz about the place is great, and the designers are overwhelmingly positive and all eager to talk about their work.  Week one exhibitors include contemporary applied arts, ceramics and glass, jewellery and precious metalwork graduates, and the ‘One Year On’ exhibit tracks award winners from the year before. Week two includes product & furniture design, visual communications and spatial design, and as above ‘One Year On’ of award winners from 2008 in these disciplines.

How to spot the green goods?
The irony when searching for new eco design products and talents for Pure Design online boutique, gallery and gift shop,
is that Pure Design is a design-led sustainable company – so we don’t
go looking for accessories that look green we go looking for design
pieces that have the ‘ah’ factor and then we ask the designer the deal
breaker “are your products eco or ethical?” So it is actually quite
hard to ‘spot’ eco products in a way.  In my view the best eco design
does not scream out “I’m green and good, pick me, pick me” – it is
quietly and confidently stylish and doesn’t need to flaunt its virtues
to be noticed.

Over the past few years of visiting design
fairs and exhibitions and interviewing designers, I have learnt which
disciplines of craft and design tend to score high and low on the eco
scale. There is often little eco joy to be found in acrylic – although
I have met several designers trying to reduce, reuse or replace the use
of plastic, for example opting to use plant based bio-resin
alternatives. Ceramics and glass are usually not particularly eco, and
sadly many of the textile designers I speak to do not use natural or
non-toxic dyes. However, I have been pleasantly surprised when I have
been proven wrong and a designer has pointed out that they have found a
way to turn a material on its head. 

This year, with limited
time and a few hundred stalls to get round I decided to try the top to
bottom approach, so duly started on the top floor and set off into the
world of ceramics….

Now I have to admit I do usually move quite swiftly through this section as to date, with the exception of Sarah Jerath of Sustain Ceramics who
incorporates recycled car window glass and reclaimed china in her work,
I haven’t encountered much in the way of eco ceramics. However, I am
ever hopeful and would be delighted to be proven wrong, so answers on a
postcard please if you have any tips on eco ceramics! 

Tomorrow’s ‘Newspaper’ Jewellery
Having
exhausted the ceramics section quite quickly I moved into the
contemporary applied arts section and immediately spotted some
jewellery that intrigued me. Sidling up to the cabinet for a closer
look and to read the designers statement, I saw the magic words ‘eco
range’ – bingo! I am pleased to say Julie Linn the designer was also
nearby and having spotted my obvious interest she very kindly chatted
through her range, ideas and ambition of creating a fully recyclable
range of recycled paper jewellery. Julie’s range recognises the
transient nature of fashion and offers an affordable and sustainable
product that can reinvent and recycle itself with every new season. In
my opinion a great alternative to the endless new ranges of bright
plastic or cheap metal jewellery the high street retailers seem to be
awash with at the moment. 

Intrigue & Attics
I
had also received an inside tip from an ex-colleague that there were
some intriguing flying light bulbs at the Falmouth college stall which
I couldn’t resist seeking out and am very glad I did. Curious,
intriguing, humorous and a little Tim Burtonesque are just some of the
adjectives I would pick. Luckily before I had a chance to meddle and
break the delicate workings of these automata pieces, Richard Hackney
the designer came over and explained that all of the parts were
salvaged treasures from his grandfather’s loft. As a self-confessed
attic/second hand /antique shop addict, I found these little reclaimed
sculptures instantly likeable and how great that they were the result
of a dusty rummage through family treasures.

I then descended
onto the main floor of the centre – awash with textile swatches,
banners of printed paper draped floor to ceiling, upholstered gilded
armchairs in bespoke textiles and eye-catching screen printed dresses
and fashion designs.

Amongst the sea of textiles, the next
promising designer I met was Jenny Clarke a graduate from Nottingham
Trent University. Jenny carries out intricate hand embroidery on
reclaimed textiles and second hand clothes and unlike one of her chosen
subject matters ‘Marmite’ I didn’t think it was a love or hate affair.
I really liked Jenny’s work – the concept was simple but the
application of her craftsmanship and creativity inspiring, and I am
sure her work would appeal to a wide range of audiences. And amongst
all the super modern technologies, trends and textiles, Jenny’s work
showed that even the very traditional applied crafts such as embroidery
have a place and a market in our style obsessed but eco 21st century
world.

Elaine Dutton is the founder and Director of Pure
Design, contemporary ethical design online, and an award-winning social
entrepreneur.

Pure Design sell beautifully designed and made
environmentally friendly gifts, eco fashion and contemporary jewellery,
and decorative arts and accessories for you and your home. And because
Pure Design only sell products that are ethically and ecologically sourced you can feel good about shopping with them too.

See What’s New at Pure Design
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Latest News on our blog.
Follow Pure Design Eco Tweets.

The Eco
Home Centre in Canton, Cardiff is holding a Community Open Day on the
25th of July. The day will consist of a range of activities for
people to come along and enjoy and learn from. There will be an
afternoon Natural Painting workshop where people can learn how to
make their own paint and also a morning workshop about
Eco-refurbishment. Information can be found at
www.ecohomecentre.co.uk.

The
Paint Making workshop is suitable for adults and kids alike as it
will involve getting down and dirty with paint making. Many paints
can be made everyday items like eggs and milk, so if you want to make
your own organic paint, just use organic ingredients bought from the
shops. All this and may more tricks of the trade will be revealed on
the day.

The
Eco-refurbishment workshop will focus on how to improve your home
using local sustainable materials and also retro-fit products to
reduce energy and water consumption. All the inform ation will be
practically based and also focused on affordability and ease of use.

An
everyday visit can be very beneficial since The Eco Home Centre is a
rich source of free information and resources for people to gain the
knowledge and confidence they need to create sustainable homes. As
well as eco-friendly building and DIY products, the centre has a wide
range of literature from the Energy Saving Trust and a library of
books and publications that can be perused over a cup of fairtrade
tea or coffee.

The
focus of the centre is on sustainable refurbishment, since most of
the work that needs to be done in Cardiff is to the existing housing
stock. To RDE this means finding solutions to building problems that
are environmentally friendly, affordable and appropriate for the
building. The Eco Home Centre is therefore designed to be accessible
to all rather than just the well-healed green self-build pioneers.
RDE is keen to show that creating ‘green’ homes is not just for the
affluent in society, it is something that can be accessible to
everyone.

The Eco
Home Centre is in 16 Wyndham Crescent (just off of Cowbridge Road and
opposite the car park) and so is very accessible by public transport
(no. 61 stops outside the door, alternatively any bus going up
Cowbridge Road is just a minute away). Bikes can be brought inside,
but we will be a little short of space.

10% OFF EVERYTHING in our Travel & Leisure Department and our Little Ones/Baby Department for the rest of July

We wanted to wish you, your family and friends a Great Summer Holiday. And we thought it a perfect time – now that the holiday season has begun and the schools are breaking up – to offer a 10% discount until the end of July, to help you purchase any special items you need to take on holiday with you, or to ensure you enjoy your summer holidays to the full.

You might need some natural sun tan lotion, a floppy sun hat for
the beach, the all important insect repellant, a bamboo sun shirt to
protect your little ones, or even a roll-up bed for camping under the
stars.

To claim your 10% off all products under the Travel
& Leisure Department and the Baby/Little Ones Department, at the
checkout page please enter the word SUMMERHOLIDAY in the box titled
‘Please Write a Discount Code here’, click Go, and your 10% discount
will be taken off your order total.

Please feel welcome to send this Discount Code to family and friends, so that they can also enjoy the best of Summer Holidays.

A new organisation is helping people tolive happier and more fulfilling lives, despite the challenges of the creditcrunch.

Life^² (www.lifesquared.org.uk) is offeringcourses, guides, public talks and advice aimed at helping people to ‘live well’ – to live happy, wise lives inthe modern world.  It is currentlyrecruiting for new participants to join its ‘just think… ‘ scheme – an innovative8-week group course that people run themselves without a tutor in their ownhomes.  It aims to help people to standback from their lives and find ways of making them better – including living inline with their values and living the lives they want.

One participant on a recent ‘just think…’
course commented ‘the course has been really useful in reflecting and focussing
on my life and making practical plans to work towards a future I hope to
realise.  It has been great to meet and
discuss these with the group who have been very supportive and encouraging’.

Life² Director, Richard Docwra, noted that ‘in
modern society, we’ve become obsessed with the idea that the only way to be
happy is to earn more money, get more status or acquire new things.  Our courses and guides show that this is not
only untrue, but also that constantly striving for this material success can
actually cause us problems in health, stress and happiness.  Our courses and guides help people to help
people to stand back from their lives, understand the world better and work out
how they really want to live.  On
reflection, many people find that the most important things in life often don’t
involve money – such as good relationships, having more time and having a sense
of purpose.  This is a particularly
important message during the credit crunch, when people have less money and
career stability and are looking for ways of making life better’.

The Life² website and shop can be found at www.lifesquared.org.uk.  

Supreme Creations were awarded the BITC ‘Responsible Supply Chain’ Award by HRH The Prince of Wales at Clarence House.

Winners of the top Business in The Community Supply Chain award in this year’s Awards for Excellence, Supreme Creations has been showing the big boys how it’s done. The accolade recognises the company’s pioneering product development and commitment to creating secure working conditions and sustainable communities for its 2,000-strong workforce.

Guardian Article yesterday
Supreme Creations, the world leading
ethical manufacturer of reusable bags has been campaigning against
single use plastic bags for years. We have not just campaigned, but
provide a range of alternatives for promotional, retail and packaging.
We now offer the widest range of reusable bag alternatives in the UK.

Long
lasting reusable bags will strengthen your marketing message by making
it a positive one: environmentally friendly and extremely useful; two
excellent things to be associated with your brand.

Quick link to the largest range of bag styles, colours and options.

Call
0845 230 5996 or email kiran@supreme-london.com for the WIDEST CHOICE
OF ECO-BAGS FOR PROMOTIONS, RETAIL & PACKAGING & OUR LOW PRICE
PROMISE.

WhizzGo, the pay-by-the-hour car club, is offering members of Ethical Junction a great offer this summer. With WhizzGo, you can hire a car when you need one for as little as an hour or as long as you need and with a fleet of low emission Citroens, you can be sure that by using WhizzGo you are reducing the number of cars on the road and cutting emissions and pollution in your area, as well as saving money.

Ethical Junction members and readers can now get £20 FREE drive time when they join WhizzGo. Just enter the promo code ETHICALJUNCTION09 when signing up at www.whizzgo.co.uk or give the WhizzGo team a call on 08444 77 99 66. Valid until September 2009.

And for any businesses who want to replace their current business transport with a greener option, they can take advantage of a three-month no obligation trial with WhizzGo. For more information, contact Peter Pratt on 08444 77 99 66 or email peter.pratt@whizzgo.co.uk 

We all
want and need to make changes to help protect our health and environment, but with
an ever increasing minefield of green and ethical claims out there, it can be
hard to know which brands we can really trust and those which will really make
a difference. Independent and respected awards and accreditations give an easy
way to weed out the true green brands.

The
organic and natural feminine hygiene brand, Natracare, has once again been
recognized for its ethical and environmental credentials having been given an
award from the Ethical Company Organisation, a fully independent endorsement
which outlines the ‘premier league’ of genuine corporate social
responsibility and ethical companies. During the analysis Natracare achieved an outstanding Ethical Accreditation
Index score, which places it at the top of the table for the Sanitary
Protection sector.

The
Natracare brand philosophy has always been to provide products that never
compromise health or the environment. Many brands of sanitary protection contain crude oil
plastics, synthetics, harsh chemicals and even dioxin residues, which can cause
intimate irritation for women and thousands of years of pollution for our
global environment. All Natracare tampons, pads, liners and wipes are 100%
chlorine-free, plastic-free and crude oil derivatives-free. In addition to the
new Ethical Award and a Women in Ethical Business award, Natracare is the first
feminine hygiene brand to have obtained an International Environmental Product Declaration (EPD^[1]) a
scientifically validated, independently-assessed life cycle analysis which
determines the carbon footprint of the products as well as a Green
accreditation officiated by the Nordic
Ecolabel organisation. The
entire range has been awarded the LOHAS award
for its environmental and sustainable criteria. The comprehensive
Natracare range is designed so that certified organic 100% cotton is next to
your skin. The range includes Soil Association certified Organic 100% Cotton
tampons with and without applicators, organic and natural Ultra pads and Panty
Liners, Organic Cotton Intimate Wipes, Organic Cotton Baby Wipes, Nursing pads,
Maxi pads and Dry & Light Pads for sensitive bladders.