This year Fairwind are expanding their incredibly popular ranges of
children’s woollen winter clothes. The hand-knitted ranges will now
include ponchos, cardigans, jumpers, hats, scarves and mittens. All
will be available from the end of September online at wwww.fairwindonline.com and in their shop in Crouch End, North London.

There are two main ranges, both fairly traded:

1.Hand-knitted jumpers, cardigans, ponchos, hats, scarves and mittens
from Peru. These clothes are hand-knitted by women in the shanty towns
of Lima and in remote areas of Peru; in both cases traditional skills
combined with contemporary, western styling are used to generate much
needed income for some of the poorest people in South America. The
clothes are beautifully made and, being hand-knitted (no knitting
machines!), each piece is unique with its own character. These Peruvian
clothes are made from cotton or 50% alpaca/50% acrylic.

Other Peruvian items include Andes poncho, Andes jumper (2-3 years and
3-4 years), Pompom poncho (3-5 years) and Razas beanie, scarf and
mittens (2-5 years) – all suitable for boys or girls.

2.Hand-knitted woollen jumpers, hats, scarves and mittens from Nepal.
Production is mainly village based, with knitters supplementing their
incomes from farming and fitting in production around their own family
and work commitments. A percentage of the proceeds go to net4kids, an
international children’s charity, and to support 40 children at the
Nepal Matri Griha School in Kathmandu. This clothing is chunky, warm
and well designed as well as being incredibly well made.

Andes Chullo, Scarf and Mittens from £9.50
Hand-made from 50% alpaca/50% acrylic these accessories are ideal for
boys or girls. They are made in Peru and there are matching ponchos and
jumpers too (see images on Press Loft or request from Fairwind). There
are 2 sizes available: 2-3 years and 3-4 years.

Cotton Kitty Cardigan £22
Suitable for children aged around 12 months, this gorgeous, slate blue
and cream cotton cardigan is perfect for layering all year round. It
has been hand-embroidered with a cat and a moon on the front, and a
star on each sleeve, and features 3 hand-crocheted buttons. There is a
matching hat available too. Also available are pink and red cotton
flower cardigans with matching hats – please contact Fairwind for
images.

Scafell Hoody £35
This is a warm, practical children’s jumper made in Nepal. This woollen
hoody has been hand-knitted with a special stitch to make it extra
chunky. It has a full length zip and is lined with lovely warm fleece.
It is available in four sizes (3-4 years up to 8-9 years) and in three
colours; red, grey and navy. The hoody has a star logo on the back and
the front. Also available is a matching trapper hat and scarf – please
contact Fairwind for images.

Other Nepalese items include Daisy hoody, scarf and chullo for girls,
Boardrider bodywarmers and chullos for boys and girls (please see Press
Loft or contact a Fairwind for images, including cut outs).

COMPANY/STOCKIST INFORMATION

Fairwind

W: www.fairwindonline.com

T: 020 8374 6254

Eurostar, electric cars and Fairtrade are today identified as
among the best ethical products of the past 20 years according to a
survey of leading politicians and environmental campaigners by Ethical
Consumer Magazine.

In the survey, 20 leading politicians and environmental campaigners
were asked what was the best ethical product of the past 20 years.

In response Ben Stewart, Head of Communications at Greenpeace chose
Eurostar, Boris Johnson, Mayor of London chose electric cars whilst
Hilary Benn MP, secretary of state for the environment, chose Fairtrade.

In response Jenny Jones, Green Party member of the London Assembly
chose short-haul flights, Hilary Benn MP, secretary of state for the
environment chose Bluefin tuna, Climate Camp activists chose carbon
offset companies and Caroline Higginson from the fashion industry
campaign group Labour Behind the Label chose throwaway fashion.

responsibletravel.com,
the world’s leading travel agent for responsible holidays has seen an
8% increase in enquiries during the last three months (May – August
2009) compared to the same period last year from travellers looking for
gap year breaks.

As more and more people consider taking a gap year, Justin Francis, managing director, responsibletravel.com
(which offers over 200 gap year trips, all screened for their
responsible tourism credentials) warns travellers of the importance of
booking with a company that holds responsible tourism at the core of
its business:

“Gap years are a great opportunity to take some time out and
explore the world, picking up new skills and friends along the way.
However, we strongly encourage travellers to choose companies that run
trips and programmes that maximise the benefits to local communities
and environments. Particularly with volunteer holidays, it’s important
that you choose a project that is based on a real local need – so we
recommend doing plenty of research and asking lots of questions of the
companies you are considering.”

View the whole press release here: http://www.mailshotmagic.com/Mail/Mail.asp?MailID=739

Five million regular cyclists may be putting themselves and others at risk because they do not have basic third party cover, according to research by cycle insurance provider ilovemybike.co.uk

Director at ilovemybike.co.uk, Andrew Davis said: “It’s risky for a cyclist to assume that their household insurance policy will cover road traffic collisions, as many do not.”

“Third party insurance is compulsory for motorists, but we know of only two per cent of regular cyclists who have insurance that would pay out if they caused damage to a person or property.

Whether you are going on an afternoon picnic to the park and want
minimal cleanup, or having a party and simply don’t have enough forks,
knives and spoons stocked in your normal supply, sometimes disposable
is the only way to go.

Because, frankly, it’s just not convenient to always pull out the stainless steel kitchen cutlery.

Huge amounts of single-use cutlery, tableware, and food packaging
are used and disposed of yearly – about 39 billion items in the US
alone.

These alarming numbers encouraged provide eco-friendly
items for the food industry and individuals. Food-related businesses
are the leading contender in using and abusing plastic, Styrofoam, and
paper one-use cutlery and tableware – and a planet-promoting
alternative was much needed.

EnviroCentre has sourced an
environmentally friendly, sustainable, and economic solution with our
natural starch cutlery. Developed from 100% biodegradable non-GMO corn
and potato starch, they are the perfect replacement for their plastic
counterparts.

They are manufactured using Plastarch (PSM),
which is a thermoplastic resin made from natural starches, in this
case, potato and corn. Despite this, it can withstand high heat, which
has been tested to withstand heat up to  105°C/220°F!

Because
biodegradation occurs within 180 days, we don’t really recommend
storing them for a long period of time. Moist environments enhance the
biodegradability, too, so keeping them in a dry, covered storage area
is your best bet.

Although plastic forks and knives are
reusable, most people don’t – they just toss them out. Our cutlery,
despite their natural materials, are reusable, too. Just wash and dry
them, the store in a dry environment. Make sure you do it right away
though: if you leave them to soak in water overnight, or don’t dry them
very well, the outside will become tacky as it starts to disintegrate.

One
of the most frustrating things about plastic cutlery is that they
easily break – try to stab at a cauliflower in your pasta salad, and
see how far you get. And the knives? Ever try to slice a sandwich in
half? It’s a bit of a challenge. Our forks, knives and spoons are
(almost) as durable as your normal eating utensils, with the usability
of the disposable kind.

Many plastic alternatives have rough
edges, that threaten to slit the sides of your mouth as you take a
spoonful of your favourite ice cream. The smooth edges are about twice
the thickness, ensuring comfort in every bite.

In addition to
cutlery, we also offers tableware, cups, containers, take-out
containers, napkins, and more in sizes from packs of 25 to cases of
5000 and even wholesale pallets on request.

To view the range click here

Ebico
Ltd is a not-for-profit gas and electricity supplier
aiming to offer a better, fairer deal for domestic energy to British
households. We’re also an expanding enterprise committed to working
both
for social justice and the wise use of the earth’s resources, in a
variety of ways.

Founded
in 1998, Ebico has been making a real difference for ten
years, especially to low-income households – but also to the planet.
Our
title acronym derives from our original name: the Equitable Billing
Company.
We’re at the forefront of fair energy pricing, and well over 50,000 UK
homes have already switched to Ebico’s fair tariffs.

Why
do people choose Ebico? Many choose us because our prices
are cheaper for them. And many others choose us because they know our
prices
are fairer for everyone. Still others choose us for our innovative
carbon-offsetting service, and because our tariff structure is simple,
transparent and straight-forward.

Our
core business aim is to reverse the dominant market trends
within our own commercial ventures. Instead of competing for the
business of
those who can spend most, by offering them the best deals and cheaper
rates, we
use the combined purchasing power of all our customers to achieve
ethical
results that benefit the majority – while putting first those who have
least.

The Mayor of London’s Green Procurement Code unveils a fresh new
look with the launch of its revamped website. Greenprocurementcode.co.uk is an
information hub for businesses looking to reduce their environmental impact
through responsible purchasing.

Visitors to the new site
can access the latest news and events listings, sustainable products and
suppliers, the latest industry publications and best practice case studies. Signatories
to the Green Procurement Code will benefit from a ‘members-only’ toolkit, which
provides comprehensive information and advice on implementing green purchasing.

Mayor of London,
Boris Johnson, said: “We want to make it easier for organisations to make
eco-friendly purchasing decisions. By doing so, businesses can not only be
kinder to the planet, but can also save money in tough economic times.”

Green Procurement Code Programme
Manager, Graham Randles, highlights the benefits of the new site. “In the
current financial climate companies don’t want to waste valuable time and resources
searching for information. The new website is an easy to navigate,
one-stop-shop for organisations looking to make smart green procurement
decisions.”

Visit the new website at www.greenprocurementcode.co.uk

The Green Procurement Code is one of
the measures in place in London designed to help achieve the Mayor of London’s
target of cutting the capital’s carbon emissions by 60% by 2025. 

For more information on the Mayor of
London’s Green Procurement Code please contact Jodi Lloyd on 020 7061 6355.

With the summer wedding season well underway, responsibletravel.com,
the world’s leading travel agent for responsible holidays reports an
impressive 41% year on year increase in the number of customers
enquiring about honeymoons in the UK, and a staggering 448% increase
since 2007.

The responsible holiday company attributes the rise, in what it
refers to as ’staycation-moons’ to couples tightening their belts
during the recession as well as an increased awareness of the
environmental impact of flying and a desire to explore closer to home.
Justin Francis, managing director, responsibletravel.com:

“The average carbon footprint of a wedding these days is thought to
be in the region of 14.5 tonnes, not to mention the average monetary
cost! With all this in mind it’s no wonder that many UK couples-to-be
are considering options closer to home. We’ll certainly be looking to
increase our UK honeymoon holiday range to help keep up with this
demand. ”

For all responsibletravel.com’s honeymoon holidays see
www.responsibletravel.com/honeymoons

For responsibletravel.com’s honeymoon giftlist see
www.responsibletravel.com/HoneymoonGiftList

Hemp Table Napkins (Plain and Embroidered) http://www.organic-ally.co.uk/hempnapkins.html (trade enquiries welcome)
Organic Cotton Lawn Hankies (Handmade, Plain or Embroidered) http://www.organic-ally.co.uk/lawn%20hankies.html
At great introductory prices.

Short-haul-flights, Bluefin tuna, carbon offset companies and
throwaway fashion are today identified as among the least ethical items
of the past 20 years and should be banned according to a survey of
leading politicians and environmental campaigners by Ethical Consumer
Magazine.

In the survey, 20 leading politicians and environmental
campaigners
were asked which items they would ban on ethical grounds.

In response Jenny Jones, Green Party member of the London Assembly
would ban flights to anywhere it’s possible to get to by train, Hilary
Benn MP, secretary of state for the environment would ban the sale of
Bluefin tuna, Climate Camp activists would ban carbon offset companies
and Caroline Higginson from the fashion industry campaign group Labour
Behind the Label would ban throwaway fashion.

Caroline Higginson from Labour Behind the Label said:
“Cheap garments are only made possible by the exploitation of labour
and natural resources, someone somewhere is paying the price for that
product.”

Rob Harrison, editor of Ethical Consumer magazine which this month
celebrates its 20th anniversary said:

In response Ben Stewart from Greenpeace chose Eurostar, Boris Johnson,
Mayor of London chose electric cars, whilst Hilary Benn MP, secretary
of state for the environment, chose Fairtrade.