Make next year that year you make being green a habit and countdown to 2010 with the environment in mind. Check out our top ten New Year resolutions to help you conserve the planet and the cash in your wallet this New Year.

1. Cleaning without toxic chemicals is a wonderful way to turn your home into a healthy and healing place to be in the New Year. Unfortunately, over past decades the ever-expanding store of home cleaning products has included a number of dangerous weapons, loaded with strong, artificial colours and fragrances and harsh cleansing agents like bleach, ammonia, alcohol and more.

At MoreEco, they have a great range of eco shops that sell green cleaning products at great prices. There are a great range of green cleaning product ranges such as Ecover, Method and Bio D that are just as effective as the traditional chemical laden products you find on supermarket shelves. And don’t forget multi buy and bulk options to save you even more money.

2. Stop using the refrigerator that is ten years old and get an appliance recommended by the energy saving trust instead. You will drastically cut down your carbon emissions by doing so. Try eco appliances around the home –as well as doing a great clean they will cut your energy bills.

For instance, check out the new Ecolectric PerformAir 1000w Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner for a spotless and healthy carpet. As well as being packaged in recycled and 100% recyclable materials, it has an economical 1000w low energy motor leading to a 50% energy saving, helping to reduce your energy bills but without compromising on performance. It is a great vacuum cleaner! 

3. Every household in Britain produces more than a ton of waste annually, almost 80 per cent of which is buried in landfill sites, polluting ground water and producing gases that contribute to climate change and global warming. You may already recycle the waste you produce, but what about not producing it in the first place? Try and buy in bulk! These retailers sells many products in bulk quantities to save you money and reduce packaging by refilling old containers.

4. Shun at least one non-green product all year. Make it something that you really like, but can live without it but would purchase if it were more eco-friendly. You can always write to the company that manufactures this product and tell them why you now choose not to buy it

5. Not so fantastic plastic! Stop drinking bottled water. Drinking tap water reduces your carbon footprint, landfill rubbish and saves you money. Need water for the gym – buy a reusable bottle!

6. The best resolution to make for the earth is to use the car less or get rid of it altogether. Walk, bike, use public transit or car share. The emissions and money saved will be immense! The World Wildlife Fund advocates going car free one day each week.

Get out of your car and find an alternative way to work one day a week. 1 in every 2 of us drive to work each and every day. Think what would happen if we all left our cars at home just one day a week and walked, rode our bike, or took public transportation instead. We would have cleaner air to breathe, less traffic, and a smaller carbon footprint to boot.

7. Insulate your hot water cylinder. Water heating is the single biggest energy consumer in the average home. Cut your power bill and reduce the energy your household uses by investing in a wrap for your hot water cylinder.

8. Grow your own to beat the credit crunch. Make sure the only crunch you feel is the bite of your home-grown vegetables next year with a great range of grow your own seeds, tools and accompaniments . As well as tasting great, you could save money, get fit, do your bit for the environment and be super-trendy all at once.

9. To make it easy to switch off chargers and electronic equipment when you’re not using them, get a standby buster to switch off all your machines and equipment. It will help you save electricity and money! Check out our range of energy savers here.

10. Don’t make Earth Hour a once a year event – commit to switching off your appliances at the wall and turning out any unnecessary lights. Use energy saving light bulbs in every light 

MoreEco is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

UK tea drinkers consume 165 million cups a day. And 66% of UK tea consumers buy Fairtrade or would be in favour of their preferred tea brand converting to Fairtrade, according to a poll commissioned by international development charity Traidcraft.

The poll is published on International Tea Day, and tea drinkers are already making their views known, having sent over 20,000 postcards to the five brands that dominate the market – PG Tips, Tetleys, Twinings, Typhoo and Yorkshire Tea – calling for them to go Fairtrade.

The call is backed by the Women’s Institute and by Traidcraft, both of whom helped set up the Fairtrade Foundation, which awards the Fairtrade Mark.

An estimated 20 million people in the developing world rely on tea for their livelihoods and UK tea lovers understand the importance of giving tea producers a fair deal with 64% of tea buyers willing to pay more for Fairtrade tea.

The poll also revealed that Welsh tea drinkers top the survey with 25% of Welsh adults drinking five or more cups of tea per day, compared to only 11% of Scots.

The Network of Asian Producers, which includes tea producers in India and Sri Lanka, recently passed a resolution at their General Assembly in Chenai, recognising the unique benefits of Fairtrade: “While there are many labels in the market, Fairtrade is the only scheme which is producer owned, has a good track record on development and is best equipped to provide a better deal for producers via the assurance of a minimum guaranteed price and premium for our development.”

Camilla Porter, Traidcraft head of campaigns, said: “The big tea brands are lagging behind popular consumer brands like Starbucks, Tate & Lyle, Cadbury’s Dairy Milk and Nestlé’s KitKat, which have all made a commitment to Fairtrade.

“Right now there are 80 registered Fairtrade tea producers with spare Fairtrade tea to sell. PG Tips, Tetleys, Twinings, Typhoo and Yorkshire Tea have 72% of the market. Their commitment to Fairtrade would make a lasting difference to the lives of millions of tea workers. 

“The UK is truly a nation of tea lovers and the massive response by consumers calling for Fairtrade shows that they care about the people in the developing world who grow and pick the tea leaves to make our daily cuppas.” 

NFWI Chair Ruth Bond said “As founder members of the Fairtrade Foundation, the WI has long campaigned for many of our household goods to be produced to the Fairtrade standard, which ensures that producers in the developing world get a fair deal.

“This campaign gives tea companies a great opportunity to build on any ethical commitments they already have and show consumers that they are truly committed to giving their tea producers a fair deal.

Ordinary shoppers will really benefit from having a clearly recognisable standard on their favourite tea brand, which can help inform their choices when they do their weekly shopping.”

Eileen Oraputi is a tea picker at an estate in Kenya that is not currently benefitting from Fairtrade. She is 50 years old, and has seven children. She relies on loans to pay for school fees, and feels sick with worry about money. Photo: Traidcraft/David Ngetich 

Adriano benefits from Fairtrade and is a tea plucker at Kibena in Tanzania. Kibena have used the Fairtrade premium to invest in improvements at the primary school, cycle tracks to benefit the tea workers and wider community and a maternity ward. Photo: Traidcraft/Richard Else

Traidcraft is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Over the last few weeks the MoreEco team have been gathering information on Winter eco-getaways … we’ve scoured the web so you don’t have to!

Whether you’re trying to find a romantic holiday, a family trip, or just some eco bits and pieces for your suitcase, the MoreEco team have everything to make your winter holiday eco-perfect!

• Eco Winter Holidays: For Couples
• Eco Winter Holidays: For Families
• Eco Winter Products: For Your WashBag
• Eco Winter Products: To Keep You Warm
• Eco Winter Products: Holiday Gadgets

MoreEco is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Below we have listed 10 way to keep yourself Eco-Healthy these holidays.

1. Take Your Vitamins! Keeping healthy on the inside is one of the best ways to feel healthy on the outside. Make sure to get your supplements from eco-friendly stores such as Higher Nature or Holland and Barrett. Keeping your body healthy stops you from craving extra foods and therefore creating surplus waste!

2. Use Natural Skin Products There are plenty of eco-stores selling amazing green skin products that use only natural ingredients and haven’t been tested on animals. These products are kinder on your skin and produced more sustainably than other commercial cosmetic products. Once you’ve finished your current foundation or body lotion replace it with more natural products and reap the benefits.

3. Organic, Unbleached Clothing and Bedding Products Kinder on your skin and good for the environment try to buy un-dyed and un-bleached clothing and bedding wherever possible.

4. Exercise Outside Avoid the gym and exercise outside instead! Running, yoga, power-walking, swimming… a lot of these activities can be done outdoors saving you money and lowering your carbon footprint!

5. Eat ‘Green’ Foods Try to eat organic, fairtrade, natural, un-processed and local foods. Not only are these better for the environment but cutting out processed foods has been proven to be better for your health and your body! Drink plenty of water instead of carbonated drinks and try to snack on natural plants, seeds and products.

6. Turn It Off Turn off your electronic products. Try to avoid charging your phone or laptop unnecessarily and avoid some of the health risks that can come with using a computer or phone too much. Cut out those headaches, save on your energy bill and reduce your carbon footprint all in one!

7. Spend Time Outside Get some fresh air! Spending more time outdoors is better for your body and helps avoid spending hours in front of the Tv.

8. Go Vintage! Shopping at thrift stores saves you money and can revamp your wardrobe to bring you into the fashion-forward lane! Look amazing whilst recycling old clothes, what a great excuse to go shopping.

9. Plan Ahead! Sticking to your goals and plans without being distracted by the commercialisation of the world can help keep you focused and happy. You can save money simply by sticking to your shopping list and not being taken in by the fancy displays! Never get the post-shopping blues again!

10. Walk the Dog Walking the dog combines exercise, fresh air and bonding with your special pet! Getting outside of the house for a set amount of time each day can reduce stress and help keep you (and your pooch) trim… what an eco treat!

MoreEco is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Leeds University is launching a year-long study into how it might reduce its £11m-a-year energy bill.

From October two student accommodation blocks will be pitted against each other to test the effect of monitoring electricity consumption. One block will be used as a control sample while each flat in the other block will be fitted with an OWL wireless electricity monitor.

For the first time, Leeds students – who currently pay their bills as part of a flat rental rate – will be able to see how habits like leaving electrical devices on standby rather than turning them off at the plug use unnecessary power, hit their pockets and impact on their carbon footprint.

OWL provides up to the second information on the exact amount of electricity you are using in pounds and pence and in kilo watts. The immediate impact on the carbon footprint by turning off a light or turning down the thermostat can be seen on the OWL monitor and the information can then be recorded instantly and cumulatively, helping to manage your energy saving strategy.

In domestic households, the OWLS have already proven a great success, reducing annual bills by just over a quarter and saving customers hundreds of pounds a year.

The outcome of the study will be monitored by undergraduate Emily Bradley, who recently won a Sustainable Development placement supported by OWL. She will work in the University’s Sustainable Development team to monitor electricity usage, assess the benefits of installing the meters and identify plans for future development.

The project will provide information to the NUSSL national programme on reducing carbon emissions from student residences. If successful it will be rolled out across Leeds University as a whole and will provide a blueprint for universities and institutions across the UK and internationally on how to reduce their carbon footprint.

Commenting on the initiative, Leeds University Deputy Vice-Chancellor John Fisher said “The project is an exciting part of our Carbon Management Plan. If successful, we hope to be able to roll out the use of OWL electricity monitors to our entire student population, empowering them with the tools to monitor and ultimately reduce their electricity consumption.”

Belinda Gooding, Chief Executive of OWL said “We are delighted to be able to bring our best in class expertise and hardware to this project and hope that it provides the ultimate case study for how institutions, large and small, can monitor and reduce their electricity consumption helping them save both money and the environment.”

NOT TOO SCAREY! LOVE ECO’s Tooli Lights make the perfect eco-friendly companion for little ones this Halloween 

These cute new Tooli Lights make great bedside lights to ward off the dark and aid those night time trips to the loo, ensuring your little ones don’t go bump in the night this Halloween.  And, with a massive 20% off in the run up to Halloween, the price is less scarey too!

PLUS! FREE NEXT DAY COURIER SERVICE

For your peace of mind, Love Eco is sending all Tooli orders via a next day courier service at no extra cost to you.

http://www.love-eco.co.uk/

Indalo Art, which designs and crafts charmstone pebble jewellery based on the good luck symbol of the Indalo, has launched a new range of pebble jewellery charm stones to commemorate the commissioning of the new Greenpeace vessel, Rainbow Warrior 3. The new range is fashioned after one of the original ‘rainbow warriors’ – the Indalo, and is available as solid silver or silver-plated necklaces or pendants.

The Indalo rainbow warrior symbol is used as a good luck charm or talisman. It originates from paintings that were found on the walls of ancient Neolithic caves in Almeria, southern Spain, in the middle of the last Century and which date back over 4,500 years. It is the figure of a man holding a rainbow in outstretched arms – not dissimilar to other such paintings found around the world, which are also referred to as rainbow warriors – and especially in the prophecies of the native American Indian tribes such as the Sioux, the Hopi and the Cree, who predict that “Warriors of the Rainbow” will save the world from environmental destruction. It was from here that Greenpeace coined the original name.

The new vessel, Rainbow Warrior 3, is being built by the Fassmer shipbuilding company in Bremen, Germany, and will be the first purpose-built ship to enter the Greenpeace fleet. It will replace the aged Rainbow Warrior 2 which has been involved in environmental campaigning around the world for over 20 years.

Indalo Art is located near the Indalo caves in Almeria, Andalucia, which were declared a National Historical Monument in 1924 – and are now a site of UNESCO World Heritage. Natural pebble jewellery appeals especially to people who are interested in holistic and ethical lifestyles, and Indalo Art’s eco-friendly philosophy is of particular interest to environmentally-conscious people. Examples of the new Rainbow Warrior design (as well as other designs) can be found at http://www.indaloart.com/.

The first event last month in ASP’s Leadership in Sustainability series confirmed that this topic is a key focus for organisations looking to adapt and re-organise themselves as we come through the current economic turmoil.

ASP is now collaborating with Professor Steve Onyett to produce the second event:

“Leading from within living systems”

A facilitated and highly experiential event exploration of what our emerging understanding of living systems tells us about leadership.  We are really pleased to have contributions from:

• Tim Macartney, Founder of Embercombe and author of “Finding Earth Finding Soul”, and
• Wendy Stephenson, CEO at The Converging World and The Third Floor

Further details: http://www.asp-online.org/events/leadership/overview.pdf

This event will be of value to anyone involved in working towards a more sustainable future, whether or not you have a formal leadership role and want to develop your own leadership, or working to increase leadership capacity within your organisation.

Working with Steve to develop this event has been very inspiring and a lot of fun – so we are really looking forward to a special event, very different from any event we have produced to date.

To reserve you place register here: http://tinyurl.com/ylyfuum

On the 18th April 2010 12,000 people will be running the first ever Brighton Marathon through the best of the city centre and on to beautiful stretches of coastal road. Find Your Feet has a couple of places left in this brand new race! Visit http://www.fyf.org.uk/getinvolved/brightonmarathon.htm to download an application form.

Brighton based print company Four Corners Print are hoping for a win after being shortlisted alongside organisations such as Sony, the Fairtrade Foundation and Marks and Spencer by the judges of the 2009 Green Awards.

The Green Awards recognise excellence in 16 categories from Best Green International Campaign open to global entrants to Best Green Campaigner for individuals and small groups championing sustainability. Four Corners is competing for the award in the category Best Direct Mail with their Responsible Print mailer which highlights measurable environmental benefits for any print job – giving peace of mind to both brands and consumers.