The Government is talking to big national retailers about delivering the Green Deal, yet our poll on YouGen found that 84% of people would trust locally-based, specialist suppliers more than national retailers such as M&S, Tesco (15%).

The idea for the poll came from Greg Barker saying that “the other exciting thing about the green deal is that it is not just reliant on the big six energy companies, which have mixed reputations, but brings in some of our most trusted high street retailers and brands, such as Marks and Spencer and Tesco, which have strong degrees of consumer trust,”  during the energy efficiency debate at the end of June.

I was really concerned when I heard that. Retrofitting existing housing to make it more energy efficient isn’t a pile it high, sell it cheap business. Every house is different, as is the way people live in them. These things have to be taken into consideration and consumers need expert advice on the best solution for their circumstances.

Past grant schemes for insulation have tended to be one dimensional, with little regard for choice. It’s mineral wool or nothing under most of them. I hope that the Green Deal, which has a much more ambitious reach in terms of numbers covered, will also offer householders choice as to products and measures – as long as they meet the goals of reducing carbon emissions and reducing the total energy bill. This will need the involvement of local and specialist companies, as well as the big national ones.

Not only will this offer choice, but it also will help boost local businesses to provide the green jobs that Nick Clegg was talking about last week, and give consumers some peace of mind. The reputation of smaller, local companies depends on word of them delivering good service, and word soon gets out if they don’t. The nationals are much more likely to sub-contract the work losing the level of accountability for customers.

First published on YouGen. For independent advice on renewable energy visit the YouGen site.

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Have you ever wondered what to do with all those unwanted cotton bags – well Burra Bears in Shetland, have the answer!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4503379&id=75155439505

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Launched in January 2010 NEW FRONTIERS is a national to global initiative created to stimulate truly sustainable design solutions fit for the social and environmental challenges of the 21st Century. Designed to capture, catalyse and create ideas and innovation, from architecture to urban design to materials engineering to product design, NEW FRONTIERS is working with leading universities, professional institutions, NGOs, government agencies and pioneering global brands to embed a strong understanding of sustainability; form new collaborations; and promote the best innovation for this new and fast moving sector.

Focused on interdisciplinary collaboration, knowledge sharing, capacity building and public discourse,  NEW FRONTIERS programme comprises seminars, scholarships, mentoring, a participative digital platform, a living lab and other planned elements, culminating in a prestigious biennial national prize.

The initiative begins with a series of seminars created in collaboration with NEW FRONTIERS’ partner organisations and panel members, many of which are playing an integral role in the development of the series. Featuring a world-class speaker line-up and rolling out across venues in Greater Manchester including the Centre for the Urban Built Environment, the seminars will explore the very latest developments in sustainable innovation in design, engineering, science and technology.

Themes the seminar series will explore include Biomimicry, Living Architecture, Industrial Symbiosis, Design Ecology, Closed Loop Systems, Chemical Leasing, Sustainable Building Technologies, Smart Cities, Urban Farms, Air Pollution, Resource Harvesting, Urban Acoustics, Open Source Design, Fab Labs, Upcycling and Micro-production. Confirmed speakers who will be giving presentations and keynotes during the seminar series include amongst others NEW FRONTIERS panel members Senior TED Fellow Dr. Rachel Armstrong, Professor Neil Spiller of the Bartlett School of Architecture and the UK’s foremost biomimicry expert Professor Julian Vincent.

On 23rd September 2010 NEW FRONTIERS is hosting the second seminar in its series. Titled ‘Building Blocks of the Future’ the event will bring together diverse elements of the built environment supply chain, from material chemists to architects and designers to explore new and evolving chemistry solutions and materials for the future of sustainable buildings. The speakers are Dr. Richard Miller (Technology Strategy Board), Dr. Troy Manning (NSG Group, Pilkingstons) and Gill Kelleher (BASF). The free seminar will be followed by a drinks reception and buffet sponsored by industry-led chemical cluster support organisation for the £10.2 billion NW chemical sector, Chemicals Northwest.

Individuals that wish to participate with NEW FRONTIERS seminars, but cannot make the events in person can send questions and comments remotely via the NEW FRONTIERS groups on Linked and via the Twitter using the hashtag #NEW_FRONTIERS

Further information on this event can be found at NEWFRONTIERS.uk.com

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As part of our supporter day on Wednesday 20 October we will be handing in a letter to David Cameron reminding him of his pledge that this government will be the greenest ever; both in terms of action at home and internationally. We are calling for the Prime Minister to get the UN climate change talks back on track and deliver a deal that works for the world’s poor. Add your voice to our campaign:

Sign our letter to David Cameron 

Plans for our supporter day are really gathering momentum. As you’ve already heard, the Reverend Jesse Jackson will be addressing the crowd along with Christian Aid’s director, Loretta Minghella, and the head of Christian Aid Scotland, Kathy Galloway. But we’ll also be hearing directly about the day-to-day reality of the fight against poverty and injustice from campaigners from India and Zambia.

Join us in London on 20.10.2010: register now

Scientists in Japan have created a portable machine that can convert everyday plastic into oil, which can then be used as gasoline, diesel and kerosene.

This could be a great invention and one that could certainly help Third World Countries become a little cleaner – seems almost too good to be true.

Check this video out to find out more, it’s amazing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGGabrorRS8

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Whether the advert has an educational link seems immaterial. Many advertisers are merely seizing the seasonal opportunity to promote their wares. The positive elements to many that soon kids will off the streets is countered by an opposite force – increased traffic as we choose to use cars to ferry kids to school. Shops heralded the process with essential teaching and schooling resources being paraded alongside uniforms, stationery, and  the of course the ubiquitous Oxford set of maths instruments supplied in the same tin box 40 years after its introduction!

The Back to School slogan hovers over the idyllic existence of a school child on the long summer break.  Returning to school means enforced routines, falling light levels as autumn approaches, odd smells from damp children, the appearance of the magic sawdust bucket for the odd vomiting child and the exchange of a cricket and athletics markings for football and rugby posts.

No I didn’t relish school days. Coupled with attending boarding school for a large chunk of my schooling added a further downer.  But I’m not alone.  Clinical psychologists explain that many children feel apprehensive when returning school – especially if it involves a move up to a new secondary school.  Adverse reaction to the new larger environment, the physical scale of the new school in class size, and numbers of teachers can be frightening. Children  move from the comfort zone of their old school where they were top dog with years of experience. The obvious outward signs are children who become anxious and find it difficult to fall asleep, feel sick, cry easily and have gone off their food.  These are clear signs of anxiety triggered by the unknown.  We also suffer from the syndrome as adults in a new environment so it is not age related. They say the condition is the reason why so many adults remain in jobs they dislike.  The thought of changing job or career is beset with the unknown.  We opt to stay put.  Maybe the emotion stirred by seeing our children in some distress activates latent emotions and concerns in adults.  But there is light at the end of the tunnel.

The clingy child whose life is devastated by attendance at the new school slowly adapts to the new environment.  Day by day the angst dissipates.  By day seven things are inevitably easing.  By day fourteen they start to feel comfortable.  The trick is to reassure the child that their feelings and concerns are very natural and that most children feel concerned at the start of term and especially at a new school.  Giving comparisons to their feelings become positive in their previous class, year and school helps to reassure that the anxiety will ease.  Self awareness of the symptoms and comparison with past experience will help to reassure.

Not every child can be expected to favourably respond, but the majority do.  As parents, seeing the situation and concerns through the eyes of a child can help quell the fears of this unknown territory, especially relevant in the move to secondary school.

And once we have consoled our children, perhaps it’s time to look in the mirror and reconsider that move we need to take to reorientate our job and career. A staggering 80 per cent of adults are in jobs they dislike, But a move and that new challenge is as just as daunting as that experienced by the child and the new school. Time to reflect on applying the guidance given to your child and allay your own fears and make that move to enhance your opportunities. You know the one -  you have always put off because of your concerns over a move to a new company with a new environment, new people and the feeling of being new and isolated. We have a lot to learn from children!

Alistair Owens http://www.keen2learn.co.uk

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A recent survey revealed some interesting facts about the life of a modern student. Around 37 per cent work part time during term time, of which 62 per cent of them have three part time jobs. However this industrious acumen has an adverse factor. To maintain their work commitments a quarter of all working students are guilty of missing an average seven hours per week of lectures and some as high as 10 hours per week are lost. This amounts to a concerning total of 252 course hours lost per year and an untold effect on the final class of degree.

The favourite enterprises are working as mystery shoppers or selling goods on eBay and a courageous 6 per cent of students learn what its like to be a guinea pig in medical tests.

Central funding from parents amounts to £3,617 per annum, totalling around £10,851 over the full degree course. Six per cent of parents provide up to £9,000 per year ( £ 27,000 over the whole degree course) to support their offspring. To pay for all this 20 per cent of parents take out a loan, 10 per cent take a second job and 24 per cent work overtime to raise the funds.

Although we learn of the sizable student loan debt students amass by the end of the degree a surprising 45 per cent do not apply for the loan. Those who do 37 per cent say it is immediately consumed by debt, nine per cent say they have blown it within three days and 49 per cent have exhausted the funds within one month. Honesty does not necessarily score highly with over half of all students claiming to have lied to parents as to what they have used the grants and loans for. Eighteen per cent have used to buy a car, 25 per cent have enjoyed a holiday and 10 per cent have blown some on eating in Michelin starred restaurants.

Inevitably the rites of passage involve alcohol and unfortunately drugs. Fifty three per cent spend the majority of funds on alcohol and regrettably 10 per cent claim to have used it mostly to buy drugs.

Boys can at last outperform girls at university. Thirteen per cent of boys have part time jobs compared to seven per cent of girls. And 32 per cent of boys bought designer clothes compared to a surprising 18 per cent of girls! Yes- you would have bet the other way round!

Life at university does have additional elements to the academic content. It does teach students the reality of financial management and that money, despite years of ardent research, unfortunately does not grow on trees. Irrespective of the degree grade or subject speciality the experience does seem to generate some savvy individuals, and those whose learnt the hard way that if you borrow money it has to be paid back. Perhaps we should offer a new degree option, how to generate income and control expenditure. A reality check to the real world.

Alistair Owens www.keen2learn.co.uk

The survey was commissioned in August 2010 by shopping website Voucher Codes.

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St Ethelwold’s offers a haven of peace and tranquillity in a beautiful 14th century house with lovely gardens leading down to the River Thames. It is situated in the centre of Abingdon in a quiet street described in Pevsner’s Architectural Guide as one of the most interesting streets in England. The ten guest rooms are a combination of single, double and twin rooms, all bursting with character and homely charm and sharing three house bathrooms. Breakfast is made from fresh locally produced food, organic where possible. A cooked breakfast is available, but not a traditional full English, plus fresh fruit salad, fresh pastries and bread. Ready access to riverside walks, restaurants etc, and a frequent bus service to Oxford. http://www.organicholidays.co.uk/at/2893.htm

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Welcome to the Natural Alternative Products Summer Offers.

Keep reading for news, tips and special offers to save you money; and find us on facebook to stay updated with all of our latest products.

Mosquitos and Malaria

Malaria has been in the news recently when celebrity singer Cheryl Cole got infected on a recent trip to Africa. What you might not know is that approximately 3 million people die annually from this disease – including a small number of Britons. Malaria occurs mainly in sub-tropical areas of the world including large parts of Africa, Asia, Australasia and the Americas.

If you’re concerned, prevention is better than cure, and you should consult your doctor before travelling and prepare yourself with mosquito nets and repellents. We sell a large number of all-natural, chemical free prevention methods including Natural Patches, incognito Mosquito Spray and Citronella Essential Oil.

Whether you’re concerned about malaria or just want to stop annoying bites, we have a natural solution for you!

Buy 2 15 day packs of patches and get a free 7 day pack and a free suntan lotion!

As well as stocking a great new range of products, we have also started a brand new website focussed on the Summer, Festival and Travel market. Check us out at www.natural-travel-products.co.uk

Sun burn prevention

Ok, we’ll be the first to admit that we haven’t had the best summer, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed for a hot August! But if you’re jetting off on holiday, you’ll want to keep you, your family and the kids safe.

We all know that your high street brands of sun tan lotion work. However, did you know that most sun tan lotions contain petrochemicals, synthetic preservatives, and a whole host of other nasty ingredients? What if there was a range of sun tan lotions which were just as effective, made using all natural ingredients and processes – luckily for you, there is!

We sell a wide variety of chemical-free sunscreens which have a range of different protections, for kids and adults, from some of the leading manufacturers including JASON,  Green People, Soleo and UVNatural.

Personal Care

Along with the hot weather comes that sticky, uncomfortable feeling, and let’s face it, we’re all going to sweat more. We have a fantastic product from Hawaii: Body Mints. This is a food supplement, as featured on CNN, which really works to combat body odours, halitosis and perspiration. Read more on our website.

We also have a range of all-natural deodorants, a more traditional solution to your summer needs, from award winning manufacturers like Lavera and Urtekram.

Dry Skin and Anti-Ageing Solutions

In the Summer months it is especially important to treat your largest organ right – your skin! The sun can really dry out your skin, as you spend more time outdoors and less time sheltering from the rain. Check our website for a plethora of solutions; a few of our bestsellers include:

Hope’s Relief Cream – a great product from Australia which is ideal for those with dry skin, eczema, psoriasis or just sensitive skin. There are no petrochemicals and is ideal for everyday use for adults and kids alike.

OG Ireland Natural Peat Face and Body Mask – as featured on This Morning by Dr Chris – this really is the latest solution; we are currently the only UK website supplying the domestic market – we’ve had great feedback from some of our customers already who are singing its praises. Simply apply, leave for 10 minutes and wash off – you’ll be surprised at the results.

Soap is one of the prime causes of dry skin and can be harmful for those with eczema. There are many steroidal products available for your pharmacy, but you may also want to consider our Silvatec Cleansing Bar with antimicrobial protection and vitamin E – many of our customers swear by it. We don’t want to blind you with science, but it contains silver ion technology and comes at a great low price; read more on our website.

For our HUGE range of anti-aging creams and skincare products, have a look at our sister website over at My Ageless Lifestyle.

Superfoods

You may have heard açai berries mentioned in the news recently, but not know what they do or what makes them a superfood. Simply put, a superfood contains high level of nutrients conferring a range of different health benefits. The açai berry is high in antioxidants which studies have shown may protect against cancer and other diseases: a like-for-like serving has much more than apple, orange or cranberry juice.

Our açai is sourced directly from Brazil – unlike other websites, we have a direct line to our Brazilian supplier, which means that our açai is 100% pure – you know what you’re getting. Our Pulpa Store website contains a huge range of superfoods, supplements and nutritional foods. Check our offers!

Don’t forget…

If you’re getting on a plane, you’ll need some transparent bags to put your toiletries and liquids in. These can be bought at the airport – you get two of these little bags for £1… Our tip: plan ahead and get ten bags for the low price of 50p!

For a limited time only: enter the Discount Code ‘Summer’ at our checkout for 5% off your order!

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To mark our Healthy Eating Fortnight (1) from October 18-31, 2010, Essential Trading commissioned further research into healthy home cooking ingredients. 

This revealed some interesting trends in nuts, rice and baked beans…. 

Organic and ethical foods continue to find favour

Food industry specialist Helen Lewis (2) was commissioned by Essential to research further key trends in healthy, home cooking ingredients.  Despite economic difficulties, Helen discovered sales of organic food are still three times higher than in 1999 and over 50% higher than five years ago with 88.3% of households buying some organic food.  Fairtrade sales achieved 12% growth in 2009 compared to 2008 (source: Fairtrade Foundation) showing people are also still keen to make ethical purchases.

We’re Going Nuts!

From her research, Helen forecasts that UK nut sales will rise from £270.5m in 2005 to £473.4m in 2010 – and she predicts they could reach £847.4m in 2015.  “I believe we will see a continued and marked growth in nut sales,” says Helen.  “People clearly have a greater interest in nuts as a healthy snack and they are also using them in more home cooked, authentic Asian recipes,” she explains.

Highly Rated Rice

Rice is a ‘healthy carb’ so it’s no surprise it also enjoys healthy sales.  “But what is interesting is the range of rice being consumed,” says Helen.  “Wild, Arborio and Basmati are all examples of more adventurous varieties being enjoyed.”  Helen believes rice sales overall will increase from £205.2m in 2005 to £368.0m in 2010 – and she predicts they could reach £553.3m in 2015.

Baked Beans a Firm Favourite

Baked beans remain one of the nation’s favourite foods with 81% of Britons buying them (Source: Mintel).  “Finding baked beans in eight out of ten homes is no great surprise,” admits Helen.  “However, what is interesting to see are the lower sugar, lower salt varieties like Essential’s fun, ‘pop art’  baked beans making their mark and enjoying increased sales as people select a healthier version of this firm family favourite,” says Helen.

Viva the Vegetarians!

“Vegetarian and vegan diets continue to prove popular and this trend is further fuelled by the growing number of ‘meat avoiders’ or people who have one or more vegetarian or vegan meals each week,’” explains Helen who predicts that sales are likely to rise from £698.5m in 2005 to £820.9m in 2010 and possibly as high as £1250.5m by 2015. 

1)         During Healthy Eating Fortnight, Essential is inviting people to enjoy a 20% discount across over 100 of its products at its participating high street retailers and www.ethicallyessential.coop.

2)         Helen Lewis is a professionally trained and highly experienced journalist who has written and researched food and drink trends and categories since 2001. Helen’s time as Head of Publishing at leading market research company Reuters Business Insight (owned by Datamonitor) provided the experience and expertise required to write reports for numerous other research agencies during her time as a freelance analyst (2004 to date). As the managing editor and founder of www.foodanddrinktowers.com, Helen has access to numerous secondary resources as well as direct access to food and drink companies. Helen’s experience and contacts have helped her to value and forecast key food categories for Essential Trading.

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