EJ member, Purely Skincare, has been getting some outstanding PR in titles such as Grazia, Zest, Men’s Fitness, Heat, Reveal and Hair, to name but a few. Its also had a fantastic endorsement from Sadie Frost who described the products as ‘fab’. Not bad for a small start-up company, eh?

And what’s at the source of the success (apart from EJ membership of course!)? Well it’s the quality and value of the Purely Skincare range which is a 100% natural toiletry brand comprising shampoo, conditioner, shower/bath gel, face wash and moisturiser – all selling at just £5.99 each. The products come in Organic Grapefruit & Lemongrass, Organic Lavender & Palmarosa and, for men, Organic Elemi & Clary Sage – something for everyone. The products are all made in the UK (Lancashire) for low air miles and are Vegan Society and Greenpeace approved.

Well done Purely Skincare and long may it continue! 

The London Design Festival 2008 has announced a major sustainability emphasis with the launch of greengaged at the Design Council -  a hub of events, debates, workshops, exhibitions, seminars and masterclasses which will bring together all sectors of the design industry to focus on sustainability issues, exchange ideas and carve out new roles for design.

Hosted by the Design Council in Covent Garden, greengaged is set to be one of the highlights of this year’s festival, examining ecological imperatives, political and social drivers, and sustainable design strategies across disciplines from product design to graphics, service design to fashion. greengaged aims to galvanise designers to take up the sustainable challenge and will feature some of the most forward-thinking designers and innovators in their fields to engage the wider design industry in getting involved, becoming informed and sharing expertise and opinions.
 
Speakers will include:
Nic Marks, New Economic Foundation
Chris Luebkeman, ARUP Foresight and Innovation
Daniel Epstein, Olympic Delivery Authority
Dr Kate Fletcher, author of Sustainable Fashion and Textiles
Rob Holdway, Giraffe Innovation and presenter of Channel 4’s DUMPED
John Wood, Attainable Utopias
John Grant, founder of St Luke’s agency and author of The Green Marketing Manifesto.
Nat Hunter, co-founder of Airside and Three Trees Don’t Make a Forest
 
Running weekdays during the festival at the Design Council in Covent Garden, greengaged highlights will include:

    * hot topic debates –from green marketing to the London Olympics
    * practical workshops and surgeries – greening your studio, sustainable print and paper
    * seminars and masterclasses – with experts from environmental and design fields
    * focus groups with designers about raising professional standards in sustainable design
    * interactive exhibitions and installations
    * the collective creation of a new ‘manifesto for sustainable design’

Sophie Thomas, Director of thomas.matthews and curator of greengaged said: ”greengaged will see creative sparks fly as a rich mix of thinkers and creators take on the common challenge of climate change. It’s a chance for designers to meet chemists, engineers to meet green entrepreneurs and everyone to enjoy a unique cross fertilization of ideas.”
 
Sarah Johnson, Founding Director of [re]design and co-curator of greengaged said: “Designers are uniquely placed to review, re-think and re-make the products, services and systems that will shape a truly sustainable future. As creative thinkers and doers we can and should be at the vanguard for positive change.”

David Kester, Chief Executive of the Design Council commented: “We are thrilled to be hosting and supporting greengaged as part of the London Design Festival. The Design Council is committed to engaging government, business and education to embrace sustainability as part and parcel of what good design can deliver for the UK. greengaged will  help hugely in providing opportunities for designers to pool resources, exchange ideas and raise debate.”  
 
Visitors to the London Design Festival will be able to get the latest details of greengaged events at www.greengaged.com
 

ENDS
 

For more information contact:
 
Sarah Johnson, [re]design  0208 406 4160
Nigel Campbell, Design Council   0207 420 5282 or email pressoffice@designcouncil.org.uk

 
Notes to editors:
 
Events are to be pre-booked, and numbers are limited. Details and reservations at www.greengaged.com

greengaged has been developed and organised by [re]design, thomas.matthews and Kingston University with Arup and Three Trees Don’t Make A Forest in association with the Design Council, Saint Gobain, Audi Design Foundation and Own It.
 
[re]design: a social enterprise that propagates sustainable actions through design.
www.redesigndesign.org
 
thomas.matthews: one of the UK’s leading sustainable communication design agencies www.thomasmatthews.com
 
Kingston University: The Sustainable Design Research Centre (SDRC) is the hub for sustainable design research in the Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture at Kingston University.
www.kingston.ac.uk/design/SDRC
 
ARUP: a global firm of designers, engineers, planners and business consultants.
www.arup.com

Three trees don’t make a forest: a not-for-profit social enterprise providing tools and inspiration for the creation of a zero carbon design industry.
www.threetreesdontmakeaforest.org

Design Council: the national strategic body for design
www.designcouncil.org.uk
 
Saint-Gobain
www.saint-gobain.co.uk
 
Audi Design Foundation
www.audidesignfoundation.org
 
Own It: Intellectual Property Advice for Creative Businesses
www.own-it.org

Help & Advice from Fairgift – the Fair Trade Wedding List Company

The Fair Trade Wedding List company, Fairgift®, is offering help to any Wrapit customers worried about their wedding list. They are also offering advice for couples thinking about setting up an online wedding list for the first time.

With the recent announcement that the wedding list company Wrapit is experiencing financial difficulties, most of their customers will be extremely worried and other engaged couples would be forgiven for rejecting online wedding services altogether.

"It would be terrible if Wrapit’s announcement damaged the whole industry" says Brian Walmsley, founder of the fair trade wedding list service, Fairgift.

"The internet is the perfect place for couples to set up a wedding list" adds Brian, "They can ensure they get the gifts they really want and it is extremely convenient, especially for guests coming from a long distance away. Moreover, so long as people use a credit card and some common sense, it is perfectly safe & secure to shop online."

Wrapit customers should remember that so long as items between £100 and £30,000 were purchased with a credit card, they are entitled to a full refund if the goods are not received within the time promised. Many credit & debit card companies also offer protection beyond this, so customers should call their card company to enquire & arrange the refund. For the couples with the wedding list, this means that the money will be refunded to their guests – so they will need to find an alternative wedding list service and ask their guests to shop again.

Fairgift will help any couple move their wedding list at the last minute, plus will send a free handmade rose petal wedding journal to any existing Wrapit customer who makes the switch. Simply email info@fairgift.co.uk and set up a new list at http://www.fairtradegiftlsit.co.uk/

Fairgift offers a wedding list service with a difference:

• Fairgift is a social enterprise that partners with artists & craftspeople across the world to create a wide range of beautiful, original & ethically sourced homeware.
• Everything is fair trade so each item enables the producers in Africa, Asia & Latin America to build a future for their families and their communities. Like the Cotton Co-operativesof Mali& Burkina Faso who, thanks to the Fairtrade premium they have received, have been able tobuild a health centre and who’s cotton has created stylish bedding, towels & bathrobes.
• "As well as being fair trade, the products are also outstanding quality", says Brian "The Fairgift range is made by skilled artisans who have a real stake in what they are doing, which is a great way to work together to ensure superior quality."
• Moreover, the products are predominantly handmade in small quantities, so your gift or wedding list is highly original. No normal high street brands here!
• All Fairgift profits are reinvested back into growing sales of fair trade products and the remainder donated to the development charity, Traidcraft Exchange.

Unlike Wrapit, Fairgift partners with just 45 fair trade producer groups and does this without the heavy overheads of a retail network: just one showroom near Henley-on-Thames and a warehouse in Cornwall.

Five tips to ensure online security:

• Use a credit card for purchasing any item between £100 and £30,000
• Make sure that the web address of the page starts https:// before you enter any personal information or payment details. The ’s’ stands for ’secure’. There should also be a small padlock that appears in the bottom of your screen.
• Always print out a copy of your order and a copy of the acknowledgement that you should receive.
• Always check your bank statements carefully if you purchase something on the Internet.
• You should never be asked to tell anyone your card’s PIN number – even if they claim to be from your bank or the police. Never send your PIN number to anyone over the Internet.

Logon today at http://www.fairtradegiftlist.co.uk/ to see the full range of gifts and set up the perfect wedding list. Or to arrange an appointment to see their products in person at their showroom near Henley-on-Thames simply email info@fairgift.co.uk

For further information about Fairgift, go to http://www.fairgift.co.uk/ or telephone 0870 803 3226

To see products in person visit the Fairgift showroom near Henley on Thames – about 45 minutes west of London off the M4 or M40.  To make an appointment, simply email Fairgift at info@fairgift.co.uk with contact details, your event date and preferred dates/times to visit.

What could be more rock‘n’roll than strumming away on an electric guitar pretending you’re a famous band member?  Well budding musicians everywhere can now save the planet whilst showing off their skills by investing in a made-to-order electric guitar crafted from recycled plastics.  Guitarist Tom Jarvis from indie rock band Reverend and The Makers was thrilled to be playing one at all the festivals this summer.

Conventional guitars are often made from endangered hardwoods but Simon Lee has produced the ones made from recycled materials, using environmentally sound processes wherever possible.  The Cyclotron guitars are available to buy on http://www.ethicalsuperstore.com/.

If you have your reservations about their quality, fear not.  The maple neck, heavy recycled plastic body and top quality hand-wound Bare Knuckle pickups (as used by Matt Bellamy and Lenny Kravitz) combine to give it amazing sound.  Five way switching allows for a variety of sound combinations suitable for different musical styles.

Sheffield based band Reverend and the Makers burst on to the scene last year with their album ‘The State of Things’.  With their debut single ‘Heavyweight Champion of the World’ becoming the anthem of the summer, Tom is well placed to deliver his professional verdict.  So don’t keep us in suspense, what’s it really like to play?…

"Playing a guitar made from recycled materials is definitely a change but I was pleasantly surprised.  It played really nicely with a gutsy bluesy and retro sound.  I’m impressed it’s made with bits of crushed CDs too – genius! "

Each guitar is made to order for each person and rockers can choose between the Cylotron Benton – a more traditional telecaster shape for £815 – and the Cyclotron Webster which is a bold new design using the timeless combination of three single coils for £850.

If you’re looking to be different, look no further.  Available in six unique funky materials which will give you the edge:

Marble: Reclaimed plastics from food production industry. Semi-translucent with black veining. Has the appearance of a very heavy marble.   

 Snow: Factory reject yoghurt pots with foil fragments from lids embedded in a white stone like material. Polishes to a hard shine.

Pirate: Sparkling fragments of crushed CDs suspended in translucent blue from office water cooler bottles. The CDs were seized by Trading Standards during a raid on illegal CD production facilities. 

Superfresh: Domestic bottles and containers of all types. Gives very vivid splashes and streaks of colour moving through the material. It even has a fresh soapy smell when first machined.

Chilli: Off cuts from industrial pipes. The mixture of colours produce a hot volcanic effect.

Espresso: Vending machine coffee cups which show as chips of cream and beige in a grey/ black base. This material polishes well to granite like appearance.

Now all you need is your record deal, happy strumming.  Check out a clip of Tom playing the Simon Lee eco-guitar at http://www.ethicalsuperstore.com/products/simon-lee-guitars/simon-lee-recycled-guitar-(cyclotron-webster-)/ (scroll down).

Akalico fair trade jewellery is a brand new, quality jewellery range which has been aspirationally designed and individually crafted, resulting in timeless pieces which blend superior quality metals and semi precious stones.

Akalico refers to a Buddhist quality which represents the ability to bestow immediate yet timeless results.  This encapsulates the essence of the Akalico Collection – a desirable range which will satisfy both the wearer, and the artisan, in the here and now, and long into the future.

Alluring Fantasy Ring

Taking a leaf from nature, these semi precious stones; Blue Topaz or Amethysts, are set in sterling silver and use a flawless diamond cut to reflect the light.  Price: £32.

Rainbow Moonstone & Blue Topaz Pendant

Crafted from sterling silver the combination of Moonstone and Blue Topaz semi precious gems create a partnership of pure beauty.  Price: £32.

Silver Copper ‘Worry’ Ring

A stunning combination of copper and sterling silver, this ring helps relieve stress!  Simply rotate the middle copper strand for instant calm.  Price:  £29.

Silver Swirl Pendant

A sterling silver pendant with three swirls set on three discs, an excellent representation of the chakras and good karma.  Price: £38.

Hinge Ring

A truly unique design, this circular ring is created with hinges to allow for movement and greater comfort.  Price:  £24.

Turquoise Ear Rings – Handmade Turquoise semi precious stones, set in sterling silver. Turquoise is good for communication and self expression. Price: £59

Further examples of Akalico designs can be found at http://www.akalico.co.uk/.  All items can be purchased on-line.

Akalico is passionate about jewellery and the welfare of those producing its works of art.  All designs produced for Akalico have been created in India under strict fair trade policies.  These ensure that working conditions are good and a fair wage is paid, artisans work in a safe and comfortable environment, training and progression is provided, no child labour is employed and ultimately employee happiness is paramount and jobs are guaranteed.  Akalico jewellery is British Association of Fair Trade Shops (BAFTS) accredited.

EJ Member and keyboard player with the Autons, Tony Rollinson is set to take his eco message to tens of thousands when a video of one of their songs is played at Glastonbury Festival later this month.

The Autons eco-ballad Maybe has attracted attention since it appeared over the credits on a DVD given away with copies of Permaculture, a green-issue magazine published in the Meon Valley by Permanent Publications.

Several film-makers asked if they could create a video for the song – they put the results on video sharing website YouTube, and from there interest has snowballed. Environmental champion Al Gore has also expressed an interest in using the song, and articles have appeared in The Ecologist and The Times about it.

Tony Rollinson said: ‘We had a few people after the DVD came out saying they would like to do something with the song, and to be honest we didn’t expect much.  ‘But then it came back with this amazing, inspiring piece of film. We put it on YouTube so people could pass it around and share it, but we never expected this much of a response.’

Now the film will be shown on the big screens beside the main stage of the Glastonbury Festival, from June 27 to 29. View the You Tube Video.

‘The people at Glastonbury just asked us if they could use it, and you don’t say no to something like that,’ he added. ‘We think they’re going to play it quite a few times, which will be great for us.’

Channel 4 is looking at using the song as the theme music for a documentary series and the band have been invited to play at the Green Show at Olympia in London in October. ‘It’s a beautiful song in its own right, but when you get other artists involved it’s brilliantly exciting to see what they can come up with,’ said Tony.

For the record, The Autons are named after Doctor Who villains – plastic mannequins that came to life.