Many people think Xmas has become too commercialised and has lost some of its meaning – rather like life in the modern world generally. 

This booklet explores some of the things that really add meaning and fun to our experience of Xmas (as well as those that don’t) and gives a range of practical ideas and tips to enable you to have a happy, wise and meaningful festive period!

To download it, visit www.lifesquared.org.uk

Life² is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Who are we?

Alex, Ed, Sam, Tom and Lauren. Hi.

Between us we’ve explored every continent, and done almost every adventure sport on the site. Amongst other things we’ve been conservationists, tour operators, students, football coaches, travel agents, web geeks and waiters.

Now we are better known as the guys at muchbetteradventures.com.

Alex and Ed – Where it all began.

We’ve been climbing, skiing and surfing partners since meeting at university 8 years ago. Regularly we found ourselves in the pub with friends after an epic ride, surf or hike, talking about the next adventure. Where to go? Where should we stay? How can we make it count? Someone always turned out to have great suggestion. What if we collected these ideas in one place? The seed was planted..

It grew during our time on the road, on various stints meandering through China and South-East Asia, North and South America, and much of Europe. We were always on the search for new spots and often volunteering on local conservation and community tourism projects along the way. In between we would be working in various areas of the travel industry, asking awkward questions, piecing it all together and saving up to go away again.

We began to see the huge barriers to market faced by small operators, not for profit community or conservation projects in a travel industry dominated by big marketing budgets, large commissions and green wash.

Finally came the straw that broke the camels back. In late 2008 Alex was volunteering as marketing manager on a community tourism project trying to provide an alternative to deforestation in the little visited or cared for Chocó region of Ecuador. Meanwhile Ed was in the Alps working for a ski operator and becoming increasingly frustrated with the environmental impact of the industry, and the lack of interest in this from everyone involved.

It was time to put together everything we had learnt and let that seed put down some roots.

We have personally funded this website with our own savings, putting in some big hours at the computer and working part-time alongside. If we can get established, cutting costs and generating business for some of the amazing people and places we have unearthed, who are leading the fight for a sustainable future, then it will be well worth it. If we can encourage others to follow suit then that’s muchbetter still.

So far things are looking good for the project. We’ve just been joined by Sam, back from 6 weeks teaching football in Ghana after graduating with a Bsc in Sustainable Development….he’s one from the mould!

It may have slowed us a bit, but all this work hasn’t stopped us getting out there and living it either. Based in the Alps for much of the year, we’re still skiing, climbing, kayaking and cycling. If we are not having muchbetter adventures, how we can expect other people to?

Plans are already afoot for a global, overland, self-propelled research tour. Who’s joining us?

Why is this ‘muchbetter’?

We are collecting the world’s local adventure travel choices in one place.

When we find them, we invite them to be here for free, so you can get in direct contact with them, read latest reviews from travellers like you, and you both save money on commissions.
That’s why you will find adventure choices you won’t find anywhere else and we can claim to building the ultimate free resource for adventure seekers.

We exclusively support small independent businesses, community run projects, not for profits and charities who can’t normally appear on sites like this.

We make the most ethical choice easy thanks to our independent, unbiased sustainability vetting system. That way we reward commitment to sustainable practice, and incentivise others to follow suit. We even provide the advice and tools to help others get started.

Quench your thirst for adventure and help us build a world where your adventure sports directly support conservation and local communities.

Recommend Somewhere 
Check out our blog
Or join us on Facebook and Twitter

Much Better Adventures is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

The eco-friendly Hotel Gavarni is located a short walk from the Eiffel Tower, the Trocadero and the Bois de Boulogne, and ten minutes from the Champs-Elysees. Offering a haven of peace and refinement, it is fully air conditioned with twenty one rooms and four luxurious suites. The hotel is involved in a city ecotourism project of sustainable development and environment protection: 100% carbon balanced, 100% renewable energy, 100% eco-friendly detergents. All the products of our breakfast are organic, most of them are also fair trade. The wine served at the bar and in the minibars is organic too. Our measures and commitment have enabled us to become the first independent hotel in Paris to be awarded the European Ecolabel. http://www.organicholidays.co.uk/at/2790.htm

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

There are now several designs of Ergo Baby carrier available in the UK and some customers are unsure as to whether they need the Ergo Performance or the Ergo Sport baby sling.

Both carriers are suitable to use from new born (with the addition of the infant insert) and will allow you to carry your baby safely and comfortably up to around 4 years.

Looks

The Ergo Performance and the Sport are both more rugged looking that the standard Ergo Baby carrier.

They are both designed to appeal to dads as well as mums and to parents who have an active lifestyle.

The Ergo Sport has a matt black body and straps with feature white stitching and poppers for the sleep hood, giving it an urban styling.

New to the Ergo fold is the blue colourway with darker blue stitching and black poppers.

The Performance comes in grey and green colourways and has a more sporty, active look, with streamlined should straps.

Weight

Both the Performance and the Sport are lighter than the standard Ergo Carrier, with the Ergo Performance Carrier being the lightest of all.  This makes it ideal for hikers and walkers or those wishing to carry their baby in hotter weathers.

Fabrics

The Ergo Sport sling is made from a 35% cotton and 65% polyester blend so it is light weight and easy to wash.
The two Performance Carriers, have slightly different fabrics:
The Grey Ergo Performance has an outer shell made of 98% polyester and 2% Lycra and the Green Performance has a 70% nylon and 30% cotton outer.

Both colours of the Performance have a cooling panel and mesh lining to help keep you and your baby dryer and more comfortable.

Sizing

Both the Performance and the Sport are designed to fit larger parents than the standard Ergo sling and have waist straps that fit between 25” to 48”.

The waist extension can be used with the Ergo Sport, but not with the Performance.

Both will fit heights from 5′ to 6′5″ and can be used with newborns right the way through to pre-schoolers.

Shoulder Straps

The new Ergo Performance has shaped straps, contoured to make then follow the shape of your chest. They are thinner than on other Ergos, and have a non-water-absorbent foam for padding.

Chest Strap

The Performance Ergo Carrier has a sliding chest strap for easy adjusting.

Sleep hood

On the Sport, the sleeping hood can be fully detached (it is fixed on with poppers).

The hood on the Performance is attached and can be fully tucked away in the zippered pocket.

Both the Ergo Performance and the Ergo Sport are available to buy from The Natural Nursery at a price of £89.95.

Ergo Performance Baby Carrier

Ergo Sport Baby Carrier

The Natural Nursery is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Autumn is the Season of the Lungs & Large Intestine, according to Chinese medicine. These organs have a direct impact on the skin which is also known as the ‘3rd Lung’. If you are suffering from spots and outbreaks, consider whether your systems of elimination are overloaded, causing the skin to erupt. Do you feel bunged up, constipated, are your sinuses puffy, do you have excess mucus in your throat or chest? Is your breathing shallow? To combat this, keep hydrated, eat clean, fresh food and lots of liquid vegetable juices and soups. Breathe clean air, deeply. Open the lungs. Cleanse your body. Your skin will show its thanks.

http://www.OVnaturals.co.uk

OV naturals is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Why use Recycled paper?

What is FSC?

OK,

It offers a certification and accreditation to ensure that wood and paper derives from a sustainable source so that consumers can be confident they are not contributing to deforestation. Please see http://www.fsc-uk.org/

The main thing to know about FSC is that in regards to the paper industry they also offer accreditation to recycled papers – you can get FSC 100% recycled paper for example.

I think what you really want to know is why go for recycled when you can go for an FSC certified product that is made from virgin fibre – so the real question is why use recycled stock?

Well…

Most print companies use FSC and claim to be ‘green’ as a result

Using recycled stock

Evidence…

Please find a conclusion from an ethical print information site :

‘WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) has commissioned the most exhaustive life cycle analysis ever undertaken, to inform this debate.

Energy: The report identified an average of 50% less energy consumption when recycling instead of incinerating paper and cardboard over the entire life-cycle. In other words, on average, virgin fibre production followed by incineration with energy recovery, consumed twice as much energy as recycling.

Carbon: As one of the most commonly raised impact categories, and of increasing importance, the report identified a clear carbon saving for recycled paper versus virgin paper.’

So… less carbon is used and less energy meaning that using a recycled paper (FSC or not) is more environmentally friendly than just an FSC virgin paper.

Our Papers

We use the following papers:

100% recycled paper

100% recycled card

80% recycled gloss

75% recycled satin

100% recycled silk

For full colour litho printing we use vegetable based inks which reduces the use of harmful chemicals and does not use a finite resource such as petroleum based oil inks.

Our digital printer uses inks derived from organic based as opposed to chemical based polymers

At Eco Print we are proud to be offering a truly ‘green’ alternative for all your printing needs.

For more information contact 01722 340350

printing@ecoprintuk.com

http://www.ecoprintuk.com

Eco Print is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Experience organic farming at Feather Down Farm Days. Mount Pleasant Farm is situated in the heart of the famous Blackmore Vale in beautiful rural Dorset. Our farm is situated just outside the village of Woolland, which is located under Bulbarrow Hill, seven miles west of Blandford Forum. The tents enjoy unspoilt views across the rolling Dorset countryside, stretching all the way to Shaftesbury and beyond. You can pre-order food and have a delicious hot meal waiting for you on your arrival night, or you can arrange with the farmer for a meal during your stay. Gather your friends and family together for an evening beside the camp fire telling stories and toasting marshmallows. A short walk away is the foot of Bulbarrow Hill – the views from the top are quite breathtaking. http://www.organicholidays.co.uk/at/2802.htm

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

Fairwind is now taking orders for the only fairly traded Christmas trees (“Fair Trees®”) in the UK this year. They are available nationwide from www.fairwindonline.com and will be delivered in the week beginning 6th December.

The BBC, with help from Fairwind, has filmed a documentary on the serious ethical issues around Christmas trees. This will be aired in early December on TV and radio, so Fair Trees® will be a hot topic this Christmas.

Fair Trees® has celebrity support from Katie Melua:
“I am absolutely thrilled that fair trade has reached the poor cone pickers of Georgia. Fair Trees® is a wonderful project that helps improve the lives of many people in remote areas of Georgia, the country where I was born.”

Nordmann Fir trees

The trees are genuine Nordmann Fir trees of exceptional quality, grown using the best and ethically sourced seeds. They retain their needles exceptionally well and are no more expensive than other Nordmann Fir trees.

Retail prices this year will be £25 for a tree up to 4ft (100-125cm), £29 for a tree up to 5ft (130-150cm) and £37 for a tree up to 6ft (150-175cm).

And this year Fairwind is also selling Baby Fair Trees – potted Nordmann Fir trees that are only 80 -90cm high (including the pot). These eco-friendly trees are perfect for the porch or a child’s bedroom and after Christmas they can be planted out in the garden and reused year after year. Not only are these trees fair trade, but they help reduce CO2 emissions and the waste that is created at Christmas time. Retailing at £29 each, these cute trees are perfect for homes and rooms with little space.

Ethical issue

About 5 million Nordmann Fir Christmas trees are sold in the UK each year. But until now very few people in the UK have been aware of the serious ethical issues behind buying these trees at Christmas.

The seeds for Nordmann Firs are sourced from natural forests, mainly in Georgia (the seeds can’t be farmed satisfactorily). Harvesting of the seeds in Georgia is carried out by hand under remarkably primitive conditions. The Georgian cone pickers climb up 30 metre high fir trees in order to reach the seeds. They work entirely without safety equipment and in 2004 two workers fell to their death during the harvest. Several accidents happen each year, but despite working in such dangerous conditions the cone pickers are usually paid such low wages that it is difficult for them to support their families. They also have no insurance so any injuries seriously affect their already limited ability to support their families.

Fair Trees® campaign in the UK

Fairwind is campaigning to persuade UK growers to tackle the ethical issues that arise throughout the supply chain (from the Georgian cone pickers, to the migrant labour on UK farms and the environmental impact of farming trees) by converting their trees to Fair Trees®. Any publication wishing to support this campaign should get in touch with Teresa Owen at Fairwind.

Fair Trees® aims to bring together all of the members of the Christmas tree industry to promote socially responsible trade and production. Fair Trees®, through the Bols Xmas Tree Fund (see below):

•invests in providing safety equipment for the cone gatherers in Georgia;
•provides health care for the workers’ children;
•supports decent schools in which to educate the children;
•looks towards a future when cloning makes seed harvesting unnecessary;
•helps finding alternative work.

If any grower can commit to the following 3 initiatives they can use the Fair Trees® branding, and sell their trees as fair trade trees, in return for donations to the Bols Xmas Tree Fund.

To become a Fair Trees® producer a grower needs to:
1. Commit to growing fair trade Christmas trees and start sourcing fair trade seeds and/or saplings.
2. Cooperate with local unions for fair working conditions and fair wage agreements for all employees in the Christmas tree industry.
3. Work towards Global GAP (responsible farming) approval.

Why Global GAP and unions? Fair Trees® is more that a marketing ploy, it is a genuine social venture that covers all areas of production, nationally and internationally

Fairwind in partnership with Bols Forstplanteskole

Fairwind is currently the only importer and retailer of Fair Trees® (fair trade Nordmann Fir Christmas trees grown in Denmark) in the UK. The trees are supplied by Bols Forstplanteskole, a successful Danish Christmas tree grower that achieved Danish fair trade accreditation in 2007 and will become a full member of the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO) next year. Bols Forstplanteskole is the brains behind the Fair Trees® scheme.

Any grower can become a Fair Trees® grower by simply complying with the terms of the Fair Trees® scheme (above).

Danish fair trade accreditation – The Bols Xmas Tree Fund

The Bols Xmas Tree Fund was founded in 2007, and shortly afterwards the Fair Trees® brand was certified by Fair Trade Danmark and will have full WFTO certification in 2011.

The Fund aims to create awareness about and improve the terrible conditions under which the Georgian cone pickers live and work. The Fund provides the cone pickers with Danish-made safety equipment and ensures that the workers are instructed on safety. In addition, the Fund works towards creating proper conditions for workers and their families through financial support for schools, books and health care. And of course the workers are paid a fair price for their work and are insured against death or injury.

Fair trade Christmas decorations

And no fair trade Christmas tree would be complete without fairly traded Christmas decorations. Fairwind’s range of stunning silk tree decorations are wonderful and unusual gifts or stocking fillers handmade by polio and landmine survivors in Cambodia. Made by hand with exceptional attention to quality and detail, the range includes stars, hearts, reindeer, rocking horses and even elephants. With prices starting at £2.50, these ethical tree decorations are always popular. Lifestyle AND cutout shots of all of the decorations can be downloaded from Fairwind’s website at http://www.fairwindonline.com/resources.asp No log-in required.

For more information please contact:

Teresa Owen
Fairwind
t.owen@fairwindonline.com
T: 0845 196 0256
M: 07824 319701

Fairwind is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

The Big Swish London for Big Wardrobe.com on the 11th November

The Big Swish and stylist Lupe Castro invites you to the Secrets of the Boudoir Event on the 11th November at Amika, one of London’s hottest venues in Kensington. Bag yourself some new party frocks and accessories at this boudoir themed swish and enjoy complementary demonstrations on Stockings and how to wear them.A guide to wearing Corsetry, Burlesque – a beginners guide, Working the visible lingerie trend, Scent and Sensibility, Silver screen make up and hair, (for the pin up within). Shape wear – what’s best for your particular figure. Bra styling (balconette, push up, full cup for different figures and outfits). Evening then continues with…use the link below to find our more.

The_Big_Swish_and_stylist_Lupe_Castro_invites_you_to_the_Secrets_of_the_Boudoir_event_on_the_11th_Nov_at_Amika

Last winter was one of shivering on the sofa, extra jumpers, and exorbitant heating bills. If you haven’t already done anything to make your house a bit cosier, and warmer for winter, now’s the time to get on and do it.

The great news is that there are lots of small, practical and cheap things that make a big difference. My favourite one at home is stuffing bubble wrap down holes in the floor, left when a radiator was removed, to stop the howling draughts that used to swirl around my ankles whenever I was watching TV. It’s not the most beautiful repair I’ve ever done. But quick, free and very effective!

YouGen will be bringing you a series of practical ideas of things you can do between now and the end of November to help you keep warm and keep your bills down this summer. We’ll be adding a new idea on YouGen’s facebook page every weekday, and we hope you’ll join us there with your ideas and questions, and examples of things you’ve done that have worked in your house.

Also, watch out to for our new poll. We want to know whether you expect to be warm enough at home this winter (at a cost you can afford). Please let us know by voting on the home page. And we’ll be running competitions for the best idea and the best picture submitted, with prizes that you’ll be able to use to improve your home energy efficiency.

It all kicks off on facebook on Monday – we look forward to seeing you there. And if you can’t wait, then there’s lots of things to get started with on our energy efficiency pages, or you could browse our learning from the pioneers section for inspiration on a massive scale.

YouGen is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more