Will Aid solicitors all over the UK are ready to use their professional expertise to write basic Wills in November to raise vital funds for charity. To locate a participating solicitor go to: http://www.willaid.org.uk/find

The campaign provides the perfect opportunity for people to put their affairs in order by writing a basic Will with a qualified solicitor and, instead of paying the solicitor’s usual fee, making a donation to Will Aid. The donation income is shared by the nine participating charities, including ActionAid, Age UK, British Red Cross, Christian Aid, NSPCC, Save the Children, SCIAF (Scotland) Sightsavers and Trocaire (Northern Ireland).

Last November, seventeen thousand clients wrote their Will with a Will Aid solicitor and each Will raised nearly £100. As a result, the nine partner charities shared over £1.3 million in donations and in future are likely to receive millions more in legacy income. The campaign hopes to raise even more this November.

As an additional benefit to Will-makers, Will Aid is offering free Will registration with Certainty National Will Register. This service usually costs £28.75 and is an important step to take for those who want to ensure that their Last Will and Testament can be located by legitimate beneficiaries when the time comes.

Find a convenient Will Aid solicitor and make an appointment for November and then donate generously to help Will Aid beat last year’s total. Participating solicitors can be found at http://www.willaid.org.uk/find or by calling the hotline 0300 0300 013.

Will Aid is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

TOP CHEFS SUPPORT

ESSENTIAL HEALTHY EATING FORTNIGHT 

Eight top chefs have given one of their favourite recipes to encourage people to cook healthy food at home during Healthy Eating Fortnight (October 18-31, 2010).

Rose Elliot, Rachel Green, Annabel Karmel, Nick Nairn, Jo Pratt, Simon Rimmer, Antony Worrall Thompson and Aldo Zilli have each given a healthy eating vegetarian recipe to appear in the Essential Healthy Eating Booklet, published by Essential, the leading independent organic, whole food, vegetarian producer.

Tempting Recipe Ideas

The Essential Healthy Eating Booklet includes a range of tempting dishes.  Aldo Zilli and Nick Nairn have lighter meals with their Lentil, Feta & Roast Pepper Salad and Asparagus with Boiled Eggs & Parmesan.  Rose Elliot’s Lentil Croquettes with Tomato Sauce and Annabel Karmel’s Vegetarian Lasagne are traditional family favourites while Jo Pratt’s Tenderstem Broccoli Biryani and Rachel Green’s Pea Hummus Wraps make for colourful dishes.  To finish off, Antony Worrall Thompson’s Herby Fruit Salad and Simon Rimmer’s Almond Granola Bars will satisfy your sweet tooth while still keeping things pretty healthy at home.

“If you want to eat healthily, home cooking is a good place to start because you know exactly what ingredients are being used and there are no hidden ‘food demons’ such as extra salt, sugar, preservatives, fillers or over-processed, nutritionally poor ingredients,” says leading nutritionist Fiona Hunter.  “It’s terrific that these renowned chefs have given up some of their favourite healthy recipes so people can try some new dishes at home,” says Fiona. 

Making a few simple food swaps in everyday cooking can also help produce a healthy meal: here are Fiona Hunter’s Top Ten Swaps

*           Swap butter for olive or rapeseed oil when cooking

*           Swap salt for fresh herbs, garlic or lemon zest for seasoning

*           Swap canned fruit in syrup for fruit in water or fruit juice

*           Swap canned beans and lentils in salted water for pulses in water

*           Swap mince beef for turkey or Quorn mince

*           Swap white bread, pasta and rice for whole grain varieties

*           Swap fizzy drinks for fresh fruit juice topped up with fizzy water

*           Swap cream for Greek yogurt

*           Swap sweet biscuits for oatcakes topped with mashed banana

*           Swap sugar for light agave syrup or honey in recipes

The Essential Healthy Eating Recipe Booklet can be downloaded at

(http://www.ethicallyessential.coop/view_page.php?pid=34&ptitle=Healthy+Eating+Fortnight&osCsid=sv0argbhl0rm5tc63nis37k9j4)

Essential Trading Co-operative Ltd is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Keen2learn, the well known on-line shop for educational games and teaching resources has expanded its popular range of educational toys. “Education has to be fun to compete for a child’s time” said Alistair Owens managing director at www.keen2learn.co.uk.

Although the market is awash with so called ‘educational toys’ Owens claims many have dubious educational value. “The term has been misapplied by marketing operations wanting to make their products sound more appealing to  parents” he added.

The keen2learn team spent some time scouring the market to find a product range that provides practical interest, fun and learning. They found the ideal in the Kiditec construction range. “These toys have real educational merit and meet the keen2learn mission of ‘learning in disguise’ said Owens. Designed and manufactured in Switzerland, quality is a key feature and the range is set to sell well to discerning parents in the UK.  The constructor kits are extremely sturdy and the large components make it easy for small children to assembly.  The parts interconnect to form a variety of different animals, cars, aeroplanes and cranes depending on which kit is used. The robust design allows children to play safely and even ride on certain finished toys. Although full assembly instructions are provided and Mum and Dad can help, most children quickly learn how the models are assembled and make  them into another animal, their imagination is all that is required. The parts are all interchangeable between  the other kits, making the range a huge source of practical enjoyment.

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

Bason Farm has been owned for over a hundred years by five generations of our family. Our pretty stone built Victorian farmhouse is surrounded by idyllic informal country gardens with a large pond full of friendly ducks. A traditional Devon cream tea will welcome you on your arrival, with great pride taken in the preparation and variety of delicious home cooked fayre prepared using fresh local produce. Daily baked bread and homemade preserves are included in the full four course English breakfast. The farm trail provides an opportunity to explore previously undiscovered areas of Devon. Maps are available to guide you to beautiful woodland and riverside meadows on our 230 acre working organic farm, which is a valuable refuge for wildlife. http://www.organicholidays.co.uk/at/2823.htm

Organic Holidays is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

If you are participating in 10:10 – the global project to cut carbon emissions by 10% in a year – you’ll know that 10/10/10 is the global day of doing.

So, to celebrate the day and help others lower their carbon emissions we have a special Green Web Hosting offer!

Businesses, organisations or individuals registered to take part in the 10:10 project get 10% off their Green Hosting subscription!

About Green Hosting

Green Hosting powers your website by the wind, not fossil fuels. The hosting servers, routers and air conditioners all run on renewable energy.

We host websites of various sizes from personal blogs to online shops and large CMSs. You can find out more about how our hosting is green and the hosting packages available at our website.

How to Claim the Green Hosting offer

1. Your business, organisation or personal project must be registered with 10:10 and displaying the 10:10 logo on the website you’ll be hosting with us.
2. Sign up before the end of 2010 and we’ll get things set up for you. Simple as that!

Questions? If you have any questions then just shout up!

Please note: This 10:10 Green Hosting offer applies to annual hosting subscriptions only and must be taken up before midnight on 31/12/10. Our usual hosting terms apply too.

Find out More

To find out more about Green Hosting visit www.green-hosting.co.uk

For more on the 10:10 Project www.1010global.org

Make Hay Ethical E-Media is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Big news today as we launch our major new FREE booklet – The Modern Life Survival Guide.  Just click this link to visit our website to download it.www.lifesquared.org.uk check out our other free guides, courses and resources!www.lifesquared.org.uk
info@lifesquared.org.uk
Visit my new blog – http://changestar.blogspot.com
Become a fan on Facebook
Follow Life_squared on Twitter
 

The guide is a beautiful 48 page booklet that examines some of the problems and pressures of modern life – including consumerism, stress and our fast pace of life – and sets out some of the practical steps we can take to flourish within these conditions, including how to be more resilient, how to simplify the world, how to live in line with your values and how to live at your own pace.

We need your help to spread the word about this guide, so please forward this email to anyone who you think might be interested in it.  Many thanks!

We hope you enjoy the guide – whilst at

All the best,
 
Richard Docwra
Director
Life²

Life² is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

If you’re a news hound or a regular visitor to Ethical Junction, you’ll no doubt be up to speed  on climate change, green energy, UN summits, energy independence, wind, solar, biomass, and then about how green energy is the hottest investment since, well the other types of energy. Let’s just look at energy, as solving the energy crisis is one of the world’s most pressing concerns. If you take a quick look at the Fortune Global 500 list or lists of the world’s most profitable companies you’ll note that the higher rankings are dominated by traditional energy firms: Shell, Exxon, ConocoPhilipps, Gazprom, China National Petroleum and even BP. Energy is needed by everyone, fact. However it’s also a fact that world governments have strict, and in many cases legally binding targets to increase the use of renewable forms of energy within their territories. So it stands to reason that green energy is the future. And it’s not hard to imagine that in 20 years from now the world’s most profitable companies or world’s greatest investments will not be what they are today. The most profitable companies or investments will be those that provide solutions now to the big challenges.

At Silva Tree we are getting ready for the launch of what has become a highly anticipated fund for biomass energy. Biomass is a biological material derived from living organisms, commonly trees or woody material. Biomass is converted to energy through combustion, however it is carbon neutral since when it releases carbon into the atmosphere that carbon is then absorbed by the growth of new biomass. Biomass is produced in tree different forms; briquettes, pellets and chips and then shipped off to the generators for conversion.

It’s an alternative energy source that is rapidly growing in acceptance. Part of the reason for this is that energy firms that currently burn coal can convert their existing plants to burn biomass, and as biomass is a renewable energy source governments may give subsidies and tax benefits for converting. For example the UK energy firm Drax, also the largest emitter of CO2 in Britain, plans to convert its coal fired stations to biomass within ten years. The CEO stated in the Guardian newspaper “Drax is a viable business today as a coal plant. But the opportunity to turn it into a renewable power company is an exciting one and makes sense for the UK’s carbon targets and for our shareholders.”

Silva Tree will provide its biomass from the fund investment to energy firms, both private and state owned. At our plantations in Panama we cultivate the fast growing and resistant Paulownia Elongata tree. This is a fascinating tree and has adapted well to the Panamanian environment. We are already using it for our Princess Project timber investment. It means that in Panama in just three short years after planting the trees are then ready to be used for biomass energy, the trees then regenerate and are ready again in another three years. Of all the biomass sources out there Paulownia is perhaps the most ideal, but also at this point a best kept secret. That is why our biomass project is attracting so much attention, and we at Silva Tree are extremely excited about the prospect for our biomass and the biomass fund itself.

The biomass fund is due for launch to the investment market shortly and will be available to individual investors and institutions. To register for details contact Silva Tree directly. www.silvatree.com

Schumacher College has joined with RESET and the UK’s foremost experts in the design and construction of living roofs and walls to present a course this November.

Dusty Gedge has been a campaigner and professional designer and consultant of green roofs for over a decade, and has been invited worldwide to speak on green roofs as ecological habitats and landscapes. He was instrumental in developing and writing UK policy on living roofs, to the extent that London now has a distinct green roof policy and other cities and areas in the UK are developing similar approaches to encourage the uptake of green roofs. He is President of the European Federation of Green Roof Associations and lives in south London.

Gary Grant is a chartered environmentalist and ecologist with 30 years’ experience involving several hundred projects of ecological survey and assessment, biodiversity action planning, habitat creation, wetland restoration, regional planning, green infrastructure planning and site design and management. He designed his first green roof in 1992 and is an expert on green roofs and living walls, is a contributor to the London Plan Policy on Living Roofs and Walls and to the Green Roof Guidance for Greater Manchester. Projects have included the Westfield living wall, London 2012 Olympic Park, the Natural History Museum Wildlife Garden, the South East Wales Networked Environmental Region, Bedford River Valley Park Framework, Deep Bay Link in Hong Kong, Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi and Education City in Qatar. Gary lives in Devon with his wife and two daughters.

John Little John has always loved plants and what they can do for people. In 1995 he built his own green roof home. This was the catalyst for a career change and in 1998 John founded the Grass Roof Company. He has since designed and built over 40 small green roof buildings in Thurrock, South Essex, often combining the living roofs with habitat walls. John also looks after the green space in several local schools and the Clapton Park Estate, Hackney, East London and in 2007 was awarded Silver Gilt at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for the maintenance work they pioneer for the green spaces within social housing, followed by the Sustainable Housing Award in 2008. He now runs workshops on green roof design and construction and with Dusty Gedge is writing a guide to green roofs to be published by Permaculture Publishing. Most recently he launched a range of small green roof shelters based on second hand shipping containers. John lives in Essex with his wife and two children.

This course will look at living roofs and walls, from a macro and a micro perspective, and the role that they can play in the adaptation of our built environment to meet the challenges of climate change mitigation and adaptation, resource depletion and habitat loss. Participants will develop an in-depth understanding of their design, specification and construction, benefits and challenges, and how they relate to planning for the future.

Information will be provided on the history and design of living roofs and walls, and the creation of locally appropriate wildlife habitats including local ecologies. Participants will also learn about the selection and purchase of suitable plants and substrates to be used on a green roof, as well as a discussion on the availability of materials required for their installation. Part of the course will be devoted to gaining practical experience in their construction, with guidance from the tutor.

By the end of the course, participants will have an overview of the benefits and challenges of green roofs and walls, how they are designed and the practical skills necessary to build your own. Information will be provided on the day in the form of a CD-ROM, the DIY Guide to Small Scale Green Roof Construction. The course is led by the UK’s foremost experts in design and construction of living roofs and walls.

RESET will be issuing certication for this course that could be used to count towards CPD.

For more information, or to book a place, please go to http://www.schumachercollege.org.uk/courses/using-living-roofs-and-walls-a-macro-and-a-micro-perspective

Schumacher College, Dartington is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Hi!

I’m Boris, founder and head cream-whipper at MuLondon. I’d like introduce you to my latest creation, Organic Rose, Rosehip & Rosemary Moisturiser.

Already the best-seller in my range, this moisturiser is very special. It contains unique ingredients, all 100% certified organic. As usual, I never use solvent-exctracted products, mineral oils or preservatives in my products. I like to keep things simple, yet effective. Here’s what the moisturiser contains:

Vitellaria Paradoxa (Shea Butter)*,
Cocos Nucifera (Coconut Butter)*,
Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba Oil)*,
Rosa Damascena (Rose Otto Essential Oil)*,
Rosa Canina (Rosehip Extract)* ,
Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary Extract)*

*Denotes Certified Organic Ingredients.

That’s only six ingredients, all organic.

Here’s a bit about my ingredients:

► Shea Butter: Research has shown that Shea is effective in treating and alleviating the symptoms of dry and sensitive skin, eczema and psoriasis. It is naturally moisturising and readily absorbed by the skin.

► Jojoba Oil: Increases the overall health of the skin, particularly its elasticity and strengthens the epidermis.

► Coconut Butter: When absorbed into the skin and connective tissues, it helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by helping to keep connective tissues strong and supple.

► Rose Otto: Recommended for healing severe skin problems. It moisturises, firms and soothes the skin without irritation. Balancing for all skin types – including oily, dry, mature and sensitive skin.

► Rosehip: Proven to reduce scars and wrinkles. It repairs damaged skin cells and rehydrates dry skin.

► Rosemary: An amazing natural anti-oxidant

Here is what my customers are saying about the Rose Moisturiser:

-”Just overnight my skin is cured and this cream has a beautiful rose scent…it’s total Bliss”
-”English garden in a jar”
-”The texture of this beautiful cream glides on the skin softly, leaving it looking radiant and gives amazing elasticity”

Read more customer reviews for my Organic Rose moisturiser here »

Organic Rose, Rosehip & Rosemary Moisturiser is available from my website below, for worldwide shipping.

Ethical Junction members can get 15% off ALL my products – just enter the code:

ethical2010

http://www.MuLondon.com

MuLondon – Natural Organic Skincare is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more