For twenty years, Schumacher College in Devon has been pioneering approaches to sustainable living. We are now working with like-minded people and organisations to develop a new practically based strand to our curriculum. This will include new short courses, and an undergraduate and postgraduate programme on ecological design, build and refurbishment for the HOME, and human-scale sustainable LAND use. We are currently seeking input from you to help us design this new area of work.

Courses will explore enterprising approaches to supporting ourselves, our community and the living planet. With the focus on practical skills, particular attention will be paid to the importance of craft and quality within truly sustainable practice. We aim to test conventional boundaries, employing cutting edge research alongside evidence based practice, and balancing accredited training with the development of broad critical skills.

We propose that this is an urgent and essential area of work. We are keen to ensure that the courses we develop are highly effective in mobilising people, reskilling them for the future. Therefore we have developed two short questionnaires to find out what particular interests and needs there are for education and training in these two areas.

Go to  http://surveys.verticalresponse.com/a/show/167103/3981f77a6c/0

  if you would like to complete the questionnaire addressing the HOME area (ecological design, build and refurbishment).

Go to  http://surveys.verticalresponse.com/a/show/167103/dee6757385/0

  if you would like to complete the LAND questionnaire (human-scale sustainable LAND use).

Each questionnaire will probably take you around 15 minutes to complete.

Thank you for any help you can give in ensuring we design the right practical courses for you.

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

We have a special Xmas discount of 10% on any of our retail range up to and including the 24 December, 2010, just as a thank you for your support over the past year. This will work on top of any sale or reduced prices already associated with the product.

Just enter the code GBXMAS 10  in checkout.

GIFT IDEAS

BAMBOO TOWELS & SOCKS:

Why not try for something a little unique this year and buy something from our luxurious Bamboo Elegance Towel range. So silky to the touch and soft you will win over anyone with your choice of gift. For a very special treat try our Bamboo Bath Robe for that someone special who I am sure will appreciate the sheer luxury and comfort, with its natural thermal regulated and anti bacterial properties…. a truly unique and popular gift.

With bamboo socks for the ultimate in comfort and much more, you have to go check out the bamboo products and benefit by giving such a unique gift with our Xmas 10% discount.  

GREAT NEW LINES COMING TO GBUK

SOCKS (Medical)

We are so excited about our new lines and have just taken sole distribution rights in the UK and parts of Europe for the Lindner Diabetic, antibacterial and DVT Flight socks all made from natural recyclable materials. These are from world renowned Lindner group who have been established since 1923 and still produce in Germany at a quality not surpassed by any other manufacturer. These “Silversoft” socks are so advanced in textile engineering and designed specifically for purpose with silver and zinc cleverly impregnated into the natural fibre. All having the benefit of reducing the sweat, odour and allowing the feet to breathe in fantastic comfort. Great for people with sensitive skin, and besides the specific designed benefits they have been tested, approved and documented by the medical profession.
 
BLUE RANGE

“BlueWish” Kitchen cloth a true antibacterial cloth for the kitchen with impregnated silver Ions that kill the bacteria you are cleaning, continuing to kill the bacteria on the cloth, so not only safe but no more cloth odours, utilising the now world patent “smartcel”. We speak from experience as we have tested it personally and it works…….
 
“Silver Ion Ball” for the washing machine. This has been tested and designed over the last two years and is unique. Releasing silver Ions during your wash impregnating all your clothes with natures own natural antibacterial compound that has been used for centuries it has been specially designed to release the right amount during each wash…… making all your clothes smell fresh….

“Blue Fresh” – a cloth that when made damp and wiped under your arms, removes all the bacteria that produces body odour, again using the “smartcel” bio-active technology impregnated with silver ions lasting all day, this is a great innovation in a natural hygiene with many uses, from personal use to hospitals, care homes, etc. No need for Deodorants, great for people with sensitive skin, just simply natural….. 

• cell stimulation of skin circulation,
• anti inflammatory and itch-relieving effects,
• assists in the treatment of neurodermatitus, psoriasis and other skin conditions
• keeps the skin fresh and smooth

The clever part is how they have got all this into the fibre in the SeaWash products and the ultimate proof is it has the award of the “EU Eco Label” (the new Euro Green Flower, policing natural genuine products) and for the fibre, “Oeko-Tex standard 100” certification.

Green Bear UK Limited is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

This line jumped out the page of Chris Nichols’ (of Ashridge Consulting) article How to Look Deeper from Ashridge Business School. What I could feel from this question was the lovely uncertainty of letting go. How does it feel in business to let something happen naturally? It feels risky but if you trust and there is dialogue you can usually gain a huge amount. In my opinion this is an approach that can make the challenge of sustainable business ever more exciting and translates into a new relationship with the natural world.

Chris’ quote about the raspberries needs to be contextualised at this stage. The participant group on the short course at Schumacher College Purpose and Profit: How holistic thinking can remake business went on a journey. Chris Nichols and Chris Seeley, Ashridge Consultants, worked with Schumacher College and Ashridge faculty as well as other visiting teachers and facilitators to support this quite exceptional journey. Within this they spent time with Martin Crawford at the Agroforestry Research Trust in Dartington.

From How to Look Deeper: ‘Martin spoke about how his raspberries have migrated several metres southwards since planting. Traditional gardening would weed out the new growth, keeping the plants in their set place. But this would stress the plants and they would need feeding and replacing. The freshly migrating plants are vigorous and healthy. How much organisational effort goes into keeping the appearance of order, and what is lost as we do it? How would business be if we let the raspberries head south?’

So there we have it: An earthy challenge to the business world to be taken however it is useful to each of us. I choose to take it that if you let nature and natural process influence what you do in business, everything can work a lot better. And by everything I mean the people working with you are happier, you sell things more effectively, and what you sell is less destructive and more productive.

The challenge is how to do this. Much of the course Purpose and Profit engages people in the process of exploring a different way of doing businesses. Through creative and free-ways we can explore our own ideas and our relationships with what we do and other people. Martin’s describes his garden as “partially managed wildness”. That is the course in a nutshell too. Say it out loud as a potential motto for your work today: ‘Partially managed wildness.’

Partly this is about having brave discussions – ‘Why does a business need to grow?’ ‘What are the real costs of our business?’ And about how to practice better and more enjoyable ways of working. But is also about ‘being’ present and open to the situation you are in. ‘I cannot speak too highly of the importance of slow patient and generous conversation.’ Say Chris. We can’t know the answers to all the questions, and we might not arrive at those we can quickly but we can give the time and space to these essential explorations into what (re)makes sustainable business, for the planet but also for us in the making.

Anna Lodge, Schumacher College

If you are interested in participating in the next great adventure that is Purpose and Profit: How holistic thinking can remake business then click here.

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

The chambre d’hotes Les Cygnes welcomes you in a beautiful park situated in the middle of the Medoc, neighbour of some of the most prestigious wineries – Chateau la Tour, Lafite Rothschild, Margaux, Pauillac, St Estephe. Close to the Atlantic Ocean and the largest lake in France, we offer you wonderful scenery and a guaranteed rest in a natural and organic environment. A ‘table d’hotes’ is at your disposal in the evenings, please book in advance. The meals are prepared mostly with natural and organic products. A wellness space is available for massage, scrubs and balneotherapy, all using organic products. All the products used in the house – food, garden treatments, cleaning products, etc – are certified organic or natural. http://www.organicholidays.co.uk/at/2782.htm

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

What’s the best energy efficiency measure you’ve taken at home. It may be the one that saved you the most off your heating bills, or the easy, quick fix that blocks off the draught that used to howl around your ankles while you watched TV. Or maybe it’s the ingenious bodge job, that didn’t cost you a penny.

Whatever you’ve done we want to hear about it, so that other people can copy it, and stay warm for less this winter too.

To encourage you to share your triumphs with us we’re giving away two fabulous Geo Minim energy monitors. They make it easy to see how much energy you’re using at a glance, by using a visual representation as well as numbers.

Entering the competition is easy, just add a photo or text onto our facebook page YouGenUK. There will be prizes for the best idea and for the best photo.

But you’ll need to do it soon. The competition closes on 30 November.

First published on YouGen blog. For more information on  energy effieciency or renewables visit the YouGen website.

YouGen is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Well look at me, breaking with tradition. It’s a Tuesday and I’m blogging!

It’s all go here at pants HQ today, we’ve a whopping four volunteers in, and things are getting done! We’re really busy – our sales are trickling upwards so there’s all the associated paperwork to deal with there, and we’re rushing like fury to get ready for a big funding bid, and our fab LushPants event this weekend.

So, what’s the news?

Let’s start with this. Our smasher of a volunteer, Debs, has been officially granted a work placement, here with us. This is totally brilliant for us, and we hope for her too. Debs came to us about a year ago, looking to change her career path. She’d done care work but was tired, as she put it, of wiping bums (well, that’s not exactly how she put it!) as she knew she could do so much more. Already on a bookkeeping course, she came in to do our admin and she has absolutely blossomed since she started with us. Like so many of the women we work with Debs had had a few knocks in life, and so her confidence was really not where it should have been. But now she bustles round the place, knows where more things are here than me, and the other volunteers go to her for help – it’s been a real delight to see her grow and start to shine. Just recently Debs won an award at her college course for ‘person who has come the furthest’ – she really has, we are dead proud of her, and really chuffed that for the next 13 weeks she is with us four days a week. Debs manages our internal finance function, and we’ve got this funny feeling that most of the office management is going to fall to her soon. Fingers crossed. ( I just asked her to read this to make sure she was happy with it. She said I’m going to make her head swell. My answer was that after 51 years, it’s time for a catch up.)

My plea to the internet for some new volunteers has been a bit of a brilliant success, and we’ve new people in who have skills to offer us. There will always be a place here for volunteers who need support, but it’s a huge difference to the smooth running of things to have people who can just get on. One volunteer TBC (nope, she’s not awaiting confirmation, that’s her initials) is a real life friend of mine who’s a qualified medical person but can’t find a job, another, O, came in for one morning and whizzed through getting a bunch of forms made up for us (this is the sort of thing that can take hours with unskilled volunteers, and holds up a lot of other stuff) and B is currently organising my upcoming trips to London. I’ve quite a few  at the same time as we expect to be Christmas busy here, so I will be quite tired I think. Our regular volunteers A and S are cracking on – S is supporting the fundraising function, and doing a great job  of keeping up with my chaotic workload. And A is back from holidays to fight with our recalcitrant printer and, we hope, get some compliment slips designed soon. Woo, look at us with our grown up stationery!

I’ll not mention the name of the funder we are applying to but we’re building a bid for a hundred ish thousand over three years. It sounds a lot but when you think about it, that’s, say, £33k a year, to contribute to me, Della, rent, training programmes, rates, not to mention worker salaries – it doesn’t go far. We’re applying in what’s called a ‘front loaded’ way – say £50k in year one, £30k in year 2, £20 in year three, as we anticipate sales going up and we’ll need less as the years pass. It’s a balancing act – we’ve got to tell the story of us, why we’re needed and what we do without sounding desperate for cash.

We’re eagerly awaiting delivery of our first Lush  funded case studies, which you, you you! will be able to get your hands on if you come and see us at the Lush Southampton store this weekend. We’ll be there from 10ish on Saturday til about 4, and then 11 til about 3 on Sunday, with some pants pieces, a sewing machine and advice – so YOU can have a go at making pants. It’ll cost £7.50 for you to have a go and take away the result, and we’ll be selling the ones we made earlier for £10 – or if you want to compare and contrast yours with our, £15 for the two. Bargain! Plus if you’ve ever wanted to get your hands on our snazzy T shirts, or badges, or even our album (which I’d like someone to mastermind a plan for – can we make it, or a song from it, Christmas number one?) we’ll be there, possibly with bells on, celebrating almost one year of trading. How far we’ve come!

In other wee bits of news, I went to a tea party in aid of Médecins Sans Frontières last week, and was invited to take our pants along. There was a nice amount of interest and plenty of cake! I’ve taken to carrying a sample pack with me everywhere I go, lest I otherwise start flashing mine.. not the best look, I’m sure you’ll agree! Also, we’re scooting ahead into next year and our Valentine pants are taking shape nicely. Let’s get Christmas out of the way first though, eh?

We’re very much counting down to the end of the year and the start of a new one. Our to do list for 2011 is now taking up half a flip chart page, and it’s nice to be able to put stuff there and take it out of mine and Della’s minds! We’re starting to feel just a tiny bit more secure every week, and we’re hopeful that this continues. With your help it will – every tiny bit of revenue we get is a step towards us being sustainable on our own work, not through grant funders. YOU can help US make a real difference to REAL WOMEN – and get yourself some fabtastic pants into the bargain. Go ahead – make our day!

xx

whomadeyourpants? is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

The first ever People and Environment Achievement Awards (PEA awards), due to take place in March 2011, announce today new media partner The Evening Standard, along with new sponsors Birds Eye and Gigaset.

NOMINATIONS are still invited for the inaugural PEA Awards which will identify the country’s green heroes. 

Launched to celebrate practical, engaging initiatives taking place in response to sustainability challenges, the PEA Awards are open to individuals or groups who have made a difference in the community, or shown  inspiration, innovation and perseverance in their various sectors.

“We are delighted to welcome our new partner and sponsors on board, as the nominations process gathers pace,” says Evergreen Events organiser Minaxi Mistry.  The nominations close on 31st December 2010.
The PEA Awards are being launched by the publishers of the quarterly publication National Geographic Green, in conjunction with Evergreen Events and are also sponsored by World Energy Research, Isklar, Kyocera and Aquados Simply.

PEA Award judges include National Geographic Green’s Editor and Chair of the judging panel, Tony Juniper along with Josephine Fairley, co-founder of Green and Blacks; Richard Hammond, founder of greentraveller.co.uk; Rebecca Hill, international marketing director of National Geographic;  Leo Johnson, co-Founder of Sustainable Finance and organic entrepreneur Jo Wood.

The PEA awards will be hosted by television presenter  Liz Bonnin on  2nd  March 2011 at the  stunning National Geographic store in London’s Regent Street.

The PEA Awards recognise excellence in 10 categories :

Arts & Music
Best Energy Saving Idea
Best Earth Saving Idea
Business Person of the Year
Community Award
Campaigner of the Year
Entrepreneur of the Year
Public Sector Award
Sustainability in Sport
Responsible Travel

Nominations close on Friday, December 31.

Enter online or download a form from www.peaawards.com 

Our supporters and partners include: Luscombe, Arjowiggins, Gina Conway, Book of Green, Eco Connect, daisygreenmagazine.co.uk, Ethical Junction and Eurydice PR.

Prize winners will each receive a unique prize at the Awards.  The prizes include a £5,000 Lacroix watch, £5k holiday, Bonterra Ethical wine cases, organic food hampers and a Gina Conway luxury treatment package.

This mini low impact site is located on our 18 acre organic croft with its own wind turbine. Campers travelling on foot or by bike are especially welcome and we offer special rates if you arrive without a car. We sell free range eggs when available and grow our own organic vegetables, also available to buy in season. There is loads of space for kids and a large trampoline. We have Canadian canoes on the loch and bikes which can be borrowed by arrangement. There’s only one shower and loo so the number of visitors on any one night is restricted – for this reason it is best to book in advance. We are primarily a tent site as the site has a steep drive and is not suitable for large camper vans, but the small VW types are fine. http://www.organicholidays.co.uk/at/2787.htm

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

Elements for Life have recently launched their new Raw Organic Chocolate Making Kit

To celebrate they have a little competition going where you stand a chance to win your very own kit.

You’ll even have it in time for Christmas.

All you have to do is answer this simple question.

What country does the Raw Organic Cacao that’s in their chocolate making kits come from?

1. Ecuador
2. Mexico
3. Peru

To enter simply submit your answer at their website.

Lightbeing Creations is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

As we approached Barnes, there were shops and my kids were so bored of sitting in the car, their faces said it all – “oh no not more shopping”, but then we turned left off of the high street. As the sat nav said “you have reached your destination” the kids peered out of the window and all they saw was a gravel car park – “Wow Wee, we are in for a really fun day out, NOT!!”, came from my oldest daughter’s mouth as she rolled her eyes – a look I am getting used to.

As we walked over the bridge to the entrance of the London Wetlands Centre the traffic and hustle and bustle of ordinary life seemed a distance memory. We bought our tickets and went through into the courtyard to begin our adventure. Apart from the odd plane going overhead to and from Heathrow airport, this place is a haven.

We saw all different types of geese, swans, ducks and more exotic birds and we completely forgot that we were so close to London. We hooked up with a group of people who were following a keeper feeding the birds. When the birds saw the keeper they became very vocal and couldn’t wait to be fed. It was funny to see them all quiet and going about their own business and when they realised that lunch was on its way how excited they all became.

We walked around for ages, enjoying the tranquillity and beauty all around us. We hid in the hides and tried to spot unusual wildlife, peered into ponds hoping to see something looking back at us and took funny photographs of ourselves with plants that we had never seen before.

Job Done! Happy Children

Animal Days Out is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more