For further information about the events we are running this year, go to www.theecovillage.co.uk If you would prefer to speak to us, we are more than happy to help, call 01227 271261 and ask for Vicky or email vicky@theecovillage.co.uk

The Kent County Fair 1st – 3rd May 2010
The Kent County Fair is a great family day out, with over 15,000 visitors attracted in 2009.  This year’s fair will feature a Garden Zone, Extreme Zone and tank and quad bike rides, as well as our own EcoVillage area, with space for over 50 exhibitors and demonstrators.  The Kent County Fair will be held at The Hop Farm, Paddock Wood

EcoVillage Guide Prices:
Space starts from £118 for x 2m x 2m space within a marquee

Kent County Fair Information:
See www.thehopfarm.co.uk for more information on the venue.
The Hop Farm Family Park, Paddock wood, Tonbridge, Kent TN12 6PY

The South of England Show 10^th – 12^th June 2010

The EcoVillage will be making its debut at the South of England Show in 2010 with over 100 exhibitors and a picnic area sponsored by Riverford Organic Veg.  The South of England Show attracts over 80,000 visitors over a 3 day period

EcoVillage Guide Prices:
£255 for a 3×2m space within a large marquee
£210 for a 4 x 4m outdoor pitch

South of England Show Information:
For more information on the South of England Show, go to www.seas.org.uk 
The South of England Showground, Selsfield Road, Ardingly, Haywards Heath RH17 6TL

The Kent County Show 16^th -18^th July 2010
The Kent County Show, this year, will feature over 100 exhibitors within almost 7000 sq m of space, making it one of the largest exhibition areas within the Show. We’re pleased to announce sponsorship of our Picnic Area by Riverford Organic who will be carrying out cookery demonstrations aimed at making cooking from scratch easier. Riverford on the Move will be serving freshly cooked organic food all day, all served in biodegradable packaging. We will have larger organic baby feed and change area for visitors following its success last year. The Kent County Show attracted more than 80,000 visitors last year.

EcoVillage Guide Prices:
£190 for a 2 x 2m space inside large marquee
£222 for a 3 x 2m outdoor pitch

Kent County Show Information
See www.kentshowground.co.uk for more information about the Show.
Kent Showground, Detling, nr. Maidstone, Kent. ME14 3JF 

The EcoVillage is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

The Rhino Poo pad has been ethically produced by Eco Print using 100% recycled paper and card made from Real Rhino Poo (sourced from UK Safari Parks). It is safe and odourless…yes most people have a sniff! The plastic spiral binder is recyclable and the ink and paper is 100% biodegradable. They even come in a biodegradable clear display bag; A truly Eco Product.

No Rhinos were harmed in the making of these pads. 

Order your Poo pads now at printing@ecoprintuk.com

The Kent based event organiser, The EcoVillage, now in its third year, has grown from strength to strength. Founded in 2008 with a single annual event, The EcoVillage is now organising 3 events and potentially adding another date for 2010. 

The EcoVillage will exhibit at The South of England Show, The Kent County Show and The Kent County Fair. The idea behind The EcoVillage is for it to sit within large scale mainstream events and helps organisations promote green products, services and initiatives to the widest possible audience.  Each area will feature ‘green’ exhibitors, interactive displays, demonstrations and picnic areas.

 Victoria Whitlock, The EcoVillage Director, said:

“We believed that people wanted to become more environmental friendly but found the information out there overwhelming. Our aim was to make it easy for people to live a greener life. Bringing together a wide range of exhibitors gives the public a chance to speak to companies face to face”

 The EcoVillage has built up a loyal group of exhibitors. A regular is the organic food company, Riverford Organics, who this year will sponsor the food areas both at The Kent County Show and The South of England Show.

 If you would like to become part of The EcoVillage at any of the show mention please call Victoria Whitlock 01227 271261 or visit the website at www.theecovillage.co.uk. 

Further information

The EcoVillage is a brand concept delivered by Sust Ltd. Sust Ltd is a sustainable business consultancy. Its aim is to help organisations grow and develop in a sustainable way whilst minimising their impact on the environment.

Sust developed The EcoVillage to help organisations promote green products, services and initiatives. The EcoVillage is designed to sit within large-scale mainstream events in order to promote greener living to the widest possible audience.

Events calendar 2010:

1-3^rd May 2010 – The Kent County Fair, The Hops Farm, Paddock Hill, Kent

10-12^th June 2010 -The South Of England Show, Ardingly, West Sussex

17-19^th July 2010 – The Kent County Show, Nr Maidstone, Kent (3^rd year)

Company Contact Details:

Victoria Whitlock, Sust Ltd/ The EcoVillage, Po Box 293, Whitstable, Kent CT5 9AN. Tel: 01227 271261.

For more information go to www.theecovillage.co.uk

Visit us on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=79436921655

The EcoVillage is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

One of the greatest needs of our educational programme  is the provision of  Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE). But some issues covered in the curriculum need children to open up and talk about the subjects, which can be difficult. Keen2learn joined forces with a new company to launch a new range of PSHE games that  tackle the subject area through a range of educational games.

The issues facing inner London typify the concern. Darren Johnson, the Chair of the London Assembly was highly impressed with the new EGAR’s teaching resources.

‘EGAR interactive educational games for young people are designed to stimulate structured discussion on vital topics for young people, such as knives, climate change and drugs. This excellent project deserves much wider recognition and I would love to see it made available to all London based Youth Services’ said Darren Johnson.

These new ‘talking toolkits’ learning resources are now in the keen2learn range. Developed to tackle Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) education they are ideal to assist teachers, youth workers, mentors, counsellors and parents. The games communicate effectively with children, teenagers and young people to enhance their lives by talking about the issues that matter (Primary SEAL Programmes)

Developed with the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA) and the Every Child Matters (ECM) programmes in mind, the games benefit from EGAR’s Director’s extensive experience of working with Inner City children, teenagers and young people.

Keen 2 Learn is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Making tea is one of the little rituals we go through every day – ask around and you’ll find that almost everyone that drinks tea has their own special way of making it. Whether it be milk in first, shaking the tea bag or boiling the water twice (yes, really) there’s always a tip or trick to making the perfect cup. Tiny Teas, the London based tea retailer, has launched a range of whole-leaf teas designed to take you back in time, surprise your senses and bring something different to tea time. Its range of loose-leaf blends aims to take tea back to its roots – to the teapot and strainer, bringing back the authentic taste of tea (They also offer individual strainer and make-your own t-sacs if you don’t fancy breaking out the fine china). From traditional blends to surprising mixes Tiny Teas offer a tea to suit every palette. The teas, priced from £2.69 for 50g, come in a range of single estate and blended varieties, from traditional English Breakfast through to more daring blends such as Chilli Mango, Apple Crumble, and a delicate Vanilla Rooibos. The company believes in more than simply making teas – it hopes to make an impact on the people that make the teas as well. Packaging, for example, is made by the Kawangware (Kenya) Street & Youth Project. Tiny Teas pay a premium price for handmade packaging, many times over factory made packs, to ensure that homeless children and widows in Kawangware can benefit from the sale of the product. The project, in association with other UK and international companies has already benefited the local area hugely, with a new school building, improved standards of health and medical care, better accommodation and a general better standard of living being provided as a result of the project. The range is sourced from around the world, and a fair pricing policy is in place, ensuring that the worker always receives a fair end price for its product. Tiny Teas’ teas are packed under the Ethical Tea Partnership – ensuring sustainability and better conditions for tea workers. In keeping with Tiny Teas’ eco-credentials, the outer packaging is fully compostable and recyclable. Available nationally from www.TinyTeas.co.uk and in independent workplaces and stores.

Tiny Teas Ltd is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Apart from running The Barn Vegan Guest I am also co-chair of the New Forest Transition group.  Currently I am managing a year long project promoting local food – The New Forest Food Challenge. 

We have a ning social network site for the project and it’s been selected as a Finalist for the Hantsweb Awards locally.  There’s an award for the site best liked by the public and it would be wonderful if we could win – it would help to get both local food and Transition on the agenda.  It only takes a second to vote and if the EJ network could get behind us I am sure we’ll be in with a shot.

You can also join the Food Challenge – you don’t have to live in the New Forest!  Visit the site

To vote just click here or follow the link on the home page of the site.

Many thanks – Richard Barnett

The Barn Vegan Guest House is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

To celebrate 2010 Ethical Party Bags have some great party bag fillers and party bags on sale throughout January.  Why not start the New Year by buying party bags that are Fairly Traded and in many cases made from recycled materials.  Click here to go straight to our Sale page.

Ethical Party Bags is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Perhaps the biggest concern for parents and teachers is the continuing trend of the UK to be slipping down the world educational league table. We have a limited number of excellent schools and respected teaching resources in both the state and independent sectors, but these are denuded by the significant failure in the bulk of our primary and secondary schools.

This failure, emphasising the government’s unsuccessful educational performance, has proven over the last 10 years that throwing money at the problem has achieved little.  Billions of pounds have been invested to improve educational standards especially in numeracy and literacy.  But the initiatives have left the teaching profession, parents, children and the educationalists frustrated.  How have we gone backwards in subject areas that have changed little in content and educational structure?  Teachers are still in the classroom teaching, children still attend school and the number of schools has not changed dramatically. So what has changed?  I believe it is the advent of the educational FAD.

I once listened to a fascinating lecture by an eminent management guru who, having been responsible for the conception of numerous management fads, had lost faith and become an arch critic of the process.  He used a clock face to support his argument.  Taking 12 o’clock as the launch point he said the first quarter hour represented the evangelical process to promote the concept where books were published, personal appearances made and editorial comment solicited.  From quarter past to half past saw the onset of the early adopter. From half past to quarter to the hour other management teams driven by a marketing hype from companies who had adopted the scheme feel obliged to accept the concept. Caught in the pizzazz comparable to the “King’s new suit of clothes”* very few criticised the FAD. Before they did our man  had developed its replacement.  And at 12 o’clock he launched the new theme. The actual lifespan of a typical  FAD ranged from 18 months to five years. The trick is to be always one step ahead.

Sound familiar? How may FAD’s have we witnessed in education since the 1992 education bill launched the national curriculum. My concern is if we continuously play games with the educational format by introducing a stream of initiatives that have been dreamt up, instigated, failed and replaced, we will absorb all of our teaching resources in playing non productive educational games.  Schools have spent a vast amount of time, energy and expense adopting the measures – generally against their better judgment.  Speaking to a representative sample of the 32,000 head teachers or the 450,000 teachers in the UK showed  little enthusiasm for many of the government’s schemes exist. In The Times Gillian Low, president of the Girls Schools Association criticised Ed Balls the Schools Secretary for subjecting schools “to an initiative a week.” She went on to say “I think we need time to pause and think, is there a cohesive plan here?”

The UK educational standards are clearly slipping. But how much can we attribute to these FADs that have diluted the teaching thrust.  Consultants and educationalists may have generated a sizable income from a constant flow of new initiatives. Schools in turn have wasted small fortunes. In the meantime the world is catching up.  Educational Policies overseas present success stories in common sense and logic.  Even their starting age for school at six or seven years is at odds with our five-year-old starting age. Perhaps we have a lot to learn and need to adopt more rational and cohesive measures that will put the UK’s schooling system back where it belongs, top of the class.

*In case you have forgotten or never heard this children’s song, The Kings suit of clothes were imaginary, sold to the King by a wizard. No one ever dared tell the King he was in his underwear, until a small child told him. Perhaps we need a small child to tell King Ed all is not what he thinks.

Alistair Owens

Keen 2 Learn is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

…sounds like a glorious overstatement.  But it’s not.  It is a truly glorious soap.

Not my words, the team at Wikaniko HQ wrote the ‘magical’ statement.

I was at first a touch ambivalent about the gushing effervescent descriptions given to many of Wikaniko’s products.  As I work my way through the catalogue, item by item, it seems that these chaps simply speak the truth about their range of very exceptional products.

Now, think of your more conventional job, there’s no one worse than a new recruit who evangelises away to weary longer-serving colleagues about the company mission statement and HR’s customer-centric vision presentation.  Always fun to track them down a year later and see that, even if they love their job, the shoulders and eyebrows have relaxed somewhat.

So I hesitate to wax too lyrically over the Aleppo soap, for fear of sounding like that rather overenthusiastic new recruit (that actually I am), and managing to ruin its appeal in the process.

Aleppo soap is a completely natural product and contains no perfumes, colours or other additives. The principle ingredients are olive oil and bay berry oil.

You can imagine the clean but rich herby/fruity smell of laurel (I’d never make it as a wine buff) as you shower – really relaxing and refreshing – but surprisingly and pleasantly it leaves no lasting aroma on your skin, just beautifully silky skin.

As a shower gel / body wash type-product user for many years, my memories of soap were not good.  Cloying scent, that horrible dry/stripped feeling like all the moisture has been leached from your skin.  This is nothing like that.

The feel of the soap is really light, not greasy, not drying.  The scent is so evocative. The feeling of your skin after use is soft and cleansed but without any lasting trace of soapiness.

So I’ve gushed, haven’t I?  Those who know me know that this is not my normal tone of voice so it must be good stuff.

The particular Aleppo soap stocked by Wikaniko is made by one of the last traditional companies producing for the use of the native population.  We buy direct from the finest Syrian soapmakers.  This traditional recipe has been made in Aleppo in Syria for thousands of years.  There are many inferior quality Aleppo soaps produced ‘for the West’; this is not one of them.

Pure olive oil soap can only be produced in the cold months of December through to March.  It is manufactured using a simple process that has changed little over the centuries.

Olive oil is mixed in large cauldrons with an aqueous solution of an alkali – the soda ash.  The mixture is heated to more than 200 degrees Celsius and stirred until the oil fully decomposes, yielding glycerin and the sodium salt of olive oil. This process is called ‘saponification’.

Towards the end of the initial process, the bay oil is added to the mixture and further saponification takes place.

The caustic soda solution is drained from the cauldron and the soap mixture is washed with fresh water until tested free of any alkalinity. It is drained again and left overnight to slightly cool and to further drain excess water.

It is then dried for 9 months before it is considered ready for sale. This process causes the outside of the soap to turn brown, whilst inside the soap remains an olive green colour.  At Wikaniko, the soap we purchase is allowed to ‘cure’ even longer before it is sold, giving you what we believe is the best in Aleppo soap.

Our soaps are finished in the traditional fashion, cut and stamped by hand and set. They feel especially light to the touch.

You have to experience this soap first-hand to believe it.

It is a great soap for taking on holiday/vacation as you can use it for everything:

• You can use it for babies, small children and pets as well.  There are NO CHEMICALS in this soap. Purity only: olive & bay (laurel) oils, water, salt.  It suits all skin types and is amazing when used instead of shaving cream/foam.
• It is also good as shampoo, adding volume, and will not damage dyed hair, in fact, preserves colour longer.
• …or for hand washing laundry.
• It is an extremely good soap in the case of any skin problems, including overly sensitive or allergic skin, extremely dry or psoriatic skin and eczema as it does not contain any chemical stabilizers or preservatives.
• No artificial fragrance: just the rich, natural scent of laurel while you bathe which fades away once you leave the shower.
• Creamy, luxurious lather for hair, face and body. Mild, natural and moisturizing, it won’t dry your skin out.
• One 200g bar of this soap can last for months because of its density (very few air bubbles, very little water).  It improves with age as the last traces of water leave the bar.
• …and it floats beautifully in the tub!

If the intrinsic benefits of this soap aren’t enough to tempt you then it’s also worth noting that the production of this soap does not contribute to world pollution (like most commercially produced soaps) and buying this soap supports a 500 year old tradition in the UNESCO world heritage city of Aleppo, Syria.

I am sending a link to this blog post to the (numerous, ahem) people who received Aleppo soap from me for Christmas and who have shoved it in a drawer or cupboard thinking either “great, soap, didn’t expect that from her, she’s normally very thoughtful” or worse “I cannot believe she’s given me Wikaniko stuff for Christmas, that’s a bit much…” and hopefully they will realise that I gave it to them because I thought it was a very special product good enough for a very special person.

If you would like to know more, please feel free to get in touch.

To visit my Wikaniko shop: please click here

For more information on becoming a distributor: please click here

EcoLike.Me is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Eco Ezee Online Shop Opens!!!

The NEW Eco Ezee Shop has now opened online. You can now buy all your brushes and paint trays online from the comfort of your own home and have them sent directly to your door.

Access to the shop is at www.ecoezeeshop.com or via our website www.ecoezee.com

The shop offers our full range of professional brushes at affordable prices and the fantastic reusable (with no washing out) Paint Tray.

Eco Ezee Limited is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more