Sustainability fayre
Cardiff University in the Great Hall
12 March 11.00 – 15.00 

Open to all sectors of society

The aim of the event is to show visitors how they can make small changes in their business or home life to achieve a more sustainable future. Visitors to the event will be have the opportunity to interact with local suppliers, councils, businesses and research organisations in order to change the way they approach issues of sustainability in their everyday lives.

The organisers hope that the public will be inspired to apply some of the knowledge they gain at this event and realise how even the smallest changes can make a big difference to our environment. 

For more information please see www.brass.cf.ac.uk or email thomasc5@cf.ac.uk

Put Spring back into your skin the natural way with buyOrganics’ expert advice

Despite months of slathering on creams, protective serums, blocks and foundations to shield our skin from the harsh winter elements, all of us are no doubt desperate to get back to the fresh, sun-kissed glow that is now just a memory from last year’s summer holiday….

It’s not always about what you put onto your skin however – as we are
all aware, most skincare products contain mind-bogglingly long lists of
ingredients, many of which are synthetic and quite possibly harmful
when absorbed into the skin and bloodstream, building up to cause
allergies, irritancy and even disease.

Organic skincare is the perfect solution – and buyOrganics’
range of carefully selected products will set you
up for the spring – sloughing off the winter and protecting new skin so
you’re ready to face the world again!  Two of buyOrganics’ ranges are
perfect to ease this transformation – and expert advisors from both
Essential Care and Organic Apoteke have some great tips and advice as
well.

Margaret Weeds of quality, affordable organic range Essential Care
says, “The skin is the largest elimination organ of the body, so using
chemical-free skincare products all year round will reduce toxic load,
but in order to slough off the winter from our skins, improving
sluggish circulations, focusing on exfoliation and extra moisturisation
with vitamin-rich plant oil products will pay dividends.”   

Margaret suggests using the Essential Care Tea Tree &Green Clay
soap or their Honey & Oatmeal facial bar to gentle exfoliate the
face, and to use a fine scrub mitt, brush or loofah with any of their
soaps, for the rest of the body.  Splash on cold water to boost
circulation and close pores the natural way.  

Cleanse with an Essential Care cleanser, followed by Rose Petal or
Citrus Tonic to gently tone the skin without stripping or irritation. 
Says Margaret, “For a fantastic glow and vitamin boost I strongly
recommend finishing with a couple of drops of Organic Superfruit
Concentrate.”

Left with dry, flaky or chapped skin from the cold, wind and central
heating?  Essential Care’s Ultra Rich Balm is economical and
multitasking, suitable for use anywhere on the body.  For particularly
badly cracked hands or heels, and even according to customer feedback,
psoriasis, use their Calendula Balm.

If you aren’t fussed about the pennies, then luxury skincare range
Organic Apoteke offers several products which are pure pampering heaven
– indulge in one or two special skincare treats from the range in
addition to your everyday cheaper products for perfect skin which won’t
cost the earth.

Dr Nitasha Buldeo, creator of the Organic Apoteke range, also offers a
simple and fun weekend detox plan to get the whole body, inside and
out, ready to face the world again.   As well as drinking plenty of
water, avoiding dairy, fried foods, preservatives and carbonated
drinks, she particularly recommends the following Organic Apoteke
products for glowing, toxin-free skin:  for the face, Active Face
Cleanse Gel and Active Herbal Toner, moisturise with their Active Face
Hydrating Gel and even have a go with the super cleansing Detox Face
Mask.  Use the Organic Apoteke Body Cleanse Gel and Body Hydrate Oil
both in Sicilian Orange & Mandarin to cleanse and moisturise the
body.

All products are available at top organic lifestyle online store buyOrganics: www.buyorganics.co.uk

Show you love your Valentine – and the planet – with ethical gifts from Boutiko!

Though Christmas is barely over, the tree packed away and the cards (hopefully!) recycled, buying gifts and presents is back on the agenda!! With Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and even Easter fast approaching, not to mention birthdays and weddings galore – it’s now time to look for special gifts which are not only beautiful and express your emotions, but also come lovingly hand-made, ethically and environmentally produced and packaged, and even gift-wrapped for free!

Specialist on-line ethical gift store Boutiko – www.boutiko.co.uk – has a range of stunning gifts perfect for up-coming special days for Valentine’s and Mother’s Day – all made to the highest possible environmental standards. Boutiko offers free giftwrapping and next day delivery.

Great for new mothers on Mother’s Day – as well as loved ones for Valentine’ Day:
Chiming Heart Earrings (£20 – £18 till end January) – ideal for a First Mother’s Day – as these enchanting balls create a particularly soothing sound for babies. These handmade silver-plated earrings on sterling silver hooks resemble Mayan music balls following a tradition of several centuries. They are used for relaxation and in meditation or simply carried for their enchanting sounds! Each music ball is made by hand and no two will sound the same.

Perfect for lover, mother – or even a wedding gift!
Handmade Wooden Signs (£25) – four designs, saying Dream, Home, Love or Mr & Mrs
New to Boutiko – these gorgeous, unique signs are handmade using reclaimed wood and water-based paints, and distressed for an age-old vintage look.

Women of any age will love these:
Daisy / Dragonfly Jewellery Roll (£11.99)
Gorgeous hand-embroidered silk and satin jewellery rolls made in Vietnam under fair trade conditions, small enough to squeeze into a corner of a suitcase or overnight bag, they contain three internal zipped compartments and a ring holder. Boutiko also stocks matching Coin Purses (£6.99) and Bags (£29.99).

The perfect gift for weddings or Valentines:
“Love” Porcelain Tealight Holders (£25)
Handmade by a British artist using offcuts of porcelain from other projects, these exquisite tealight holders spelling out the word L O V E in tiny holes to give a magical flickering glow, are a beautiful present for the one you love.

A practical, ethical gift for EVERYONE….
You’ll never want to use hemp or jute bags again – Boutiko’s ingenious One Less Plastic Bags are handmade from Indian saris with every single bag unique in its design! These bags fold away to a tiny pocket size but can carry up to 2kg – plus are machine washable, £10 – £8.99 until end January.

For these, and other unusual ethical gifts, please look at www.boutiko.co.uk

James Purnell, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, to Launch a New Coffee Social Enterprise on 16th January 2009

The Lorna Young Foundation is hosting an event to launch a new social enterprise – a new brand of directly traded coffee by resident Oromo Ethiopians in Greater Manchester with smallholder coffee growers in Ethiopia.

With the support of the Lorna Young Foundation, Tameside Council and Bolling Coffee, this exciting social enterprise will assist the Oromo community into meaningful employment with all profits going to the community in Greater Manchester and ensuring an excellent price for the coffee growers in Ethiopia

On Friday 16th January in Stalybridge, James Purnell, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions will launch this exciting new business venture. The Bishop of Manchester and Afzal Khan, former Lord Mayor of the City of Manchester will also be attending and backing the initiative.

The Lorna Young Foundation has initiated this new ‘Beyond Fairtrade – community to community’ social enterprise, named ‘The Oromo Coffee Company’ which will cut out the middlemen in purchasing, importing, branding and selling a new Ethiopian coffee within the UK. The new company is owned by the Oromo community who are now in the process of creating and selling their own brand of roast and ground coffee, sourced directly from smallholders in Ethiopia. By shortening the supply chain involved in the sales and marketing of coffee, a greater level of profit – even than achieved by Fair Trade – will be generated for both the social enterprise in Greater Manchester and the coffee growers in Ethiopia.

The venture is being backed by Tameside Council, with commercial support coming from Bolling Coffee, West Yorkshire based coffee company who are experts in importing and roasting coffee from around the world; Bolling will assist the enterprise in importing and processing the new product.

Ian Agnew, Director of the Lorna Young Foundation said “This is a totally unique project. Fair Trade is a brilliant development and is now quite rightly, entering the mainstream. But Fair Trade prices are still limited for most growers. The Lorna Young Foundation wants to go beyond this and It’s excellent to see that the Government here recognise that this kind of initiative needs to be supported. We are so pleased that Bolling Coffee are lending us their assistance and we would like to invite other businesses to come forward to offer support, sponsorship or mentoring to help the enterprise to become a big success when we come to marketing the new coffee”.

The Rev Ian Stubbs, vicar of St George’s church, Stalybridge which has been instrumental in supporting the project idea said “Its been a real privilege to meet members of the Oromo community who came to Tameside as refugees and to see how they are willing to work together on this venture. By supporting this exciting initiative churches and faith groups will build even further on their excellent record in promoting Fairtrade. We hope that by producing a smashing cup of ‘Beyond Fairtrade’ coffee we can also educate people about the exploitation that all too often occurs in the supply chain of commodities that we buy from abroad”

Garedew Yadessa, one of the Oromo community members involved in setting up the enterprise said “It is very encouraging that local people are supporting us to set up this business. It’s important to us to be independent and it’s even better if we can help the coffee growers in Ethiopia to get a better deal because sadly, the coffee market has been famous for its exploitation of smallholder farmers in the past”.

Ian Bamforth, Managing Director of Bolling Coffee said; “Bolling Coffee were really impressed by this initiative. We take the issue of ethical trading very seriously and believe that we have a corporate responsibility to assist marginalised groups. This is an excellent way of doing both – helping out the communities here in the UK and also abroad – whilst providing a high quality cup of coffee”

About the Launch
Friday 16th January at 3pm at Stalybridge Civic Hall, Trinity St, Stalybridge, SK15 2BN. Food and drink will be available.

About the Oromo Ethiopians
The Oromo Ethiopians are a group of around 250 households living primarily in Manchester, Ashton under Lyne, Stalybridge, Bury, Bolton, Oldham, Sheffield, Stockport and Salford as legal refugees with full residential status. They were resettled in the UK during 2006/07 following persecution in Ethiopia.

How Can YOU Help?
The Lorna Young Foundation are looking for corporate sponsorship for the project, both prior to the coffee product being launched later on in 2009 and during its first year of operation. In particular we are seeking to work with businesses or community groups/ faith groups who can:
• Provide monetary donations to support the project
• Produce a design label in order to market the coffee
• Provide a premises or equipment to assist the initiative
• Consider placing an order with The Oromo Coffee Company
• Act as a sales point/ retail outlet for the coffee
• Provide business ‘mentoring’ for the company (i.e. marketing, sales, business planning, publicity etc)

If you feel that you can contribute in any way, please contact the Lorna Young Foundation (below)

—————————————————————————————————————————————-
About the Lorna Young Foundation (LYF)
The Lorna Young Foundation was set up in 2003 in memory of the late Lorna Young, a social entrepreneur and a pioneer of fair trade in the UK. As one of the founders of Cafédirect, Lorna was the first person to secure supermarket listing for their products thereby launching the brand from its niche market to the mainstream.

LYF is a UK registered education charity and NGO. Its aims are:
• To reduce poverty and assist sustainable livelihoods by providing business and marketing education for communities in the developing world
• To reduce supply chains and add value to products, enabling fairer competition for farmers in national and international markets places
• To work with communities in the UK and in developing countries in order to promote greater awareness of ethical trading and to empower groups to be able to carry out direct trading and ethical purchases

LYF currently carries out projects with smallholder farmers in Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Ethiopia and Palestine and with the Greater Manchester Ethiopian community. LYF’s ‘Entrepreneur’ programme matches successful businessmen and women with smallholder farming communities in order to share skills and to provide ongoing mentoring within developing countries. LYF is based in West Yorkshire.

—————————————————————————————————————–

The Lorna Young Foundation
47 Lea Lane, Netherton, Holmfirth, Hudds, HD4 7DP 

Christina Longden: 07951 362068 Ian Agnew: 07944 979721 Email – projectmanager@lyf.org.uk

Registered Charity No. 1112895 Registered Company No. 4788426 www.lyf.org.uk AND www.lyfe.ac

Image courtesy of nkzs 

Beautiful skincare from Latvia

The whole So Organic team absolutely love this new brand from Latvia. The aromas and textures of the Madara products make them a joy to use.

The whole range is fresh, yet luxurious and comes in simple but elegant packaging with the ECOCERT stamp of approval. More about Madara

Why Madara Organic Skin Care Products?
• Highly effective formulations for no compromise organic beauty
• Certified by ECOCERT, the international organic standard
• Based on pure, natural, flower and herb extracts from the Baltic region
• Free from Synthetic fragrance, SLS, parabens and others and irritants
• No animal testing
• Many of the products are Vegan

Buy the complete range of Madara Eco Cosmetics at So Organic, the original organic lifestyle store.

A brand new range of organic skin and body care by Raw Organic is launching this month at So Organic, and you can save 20% off the entire range until the end of the month. Every product in the range is certified by the Soil Association and the performance is quite wonderful.

Click here to see the Raw Organic range.

We test all of the products thoroughly before we put them on sale at SoOrganic.com and the whole team completely fell in love with Raw Organic’s new range. Everything is under £10, everything is Soil Association Certified and it all works beautifully.

The packs are very generous 250ml tubes which are great value, perfect for those looking to switch to organic toiletries but who are cost conscious too, given the current economic conditions.

The Raw Organic range consists of the following:

Juniper & Bitter Orange Moisturising Bar Soap (125g) – £3.50 (now £2.80)
Apple and Elderflower Refreshing Body Wash (250ml) – £8 (now £6.40)
Bilberry and Juniper Conditioning Shampoo (250ml) – £8 (now £6.40)
Apricot and Rosehip Warm-up Massage Oil (100ml) – £8 (now £6.40)
Frankincense and Sandalwood Massage Oil for Delicate Skins – £8 (now £6.40)
Honey & Barley Moisturising Liquid Soap (250ml) – RRP £6 (now £4.80)
Organic Baby Oil (100ml) – £8 (now £6.40)
Spearmint and Eucalyptus Cool-down Massage Oil (100ml) – £8 (now £6.40)
Wild Chamomile and Olive Organic Hand and Body Lotion (250ml) – £8 (now £6.40)
Ylang-Ylang and Neroli Relaxing Massage Oil (100ml) – £8 (now £6.40)

Environment Secretary says ‘Grow Your Own to Save Money & the Planet’and now Penney Poyzer shows you how on ooffoo.com

During the week where Environment Secretary Hilary Benn publicly encouraged people to grow their own fruit and vegetables in order to cut waste and save money, multiple award-winning eco retailer Natural Collection’s new online eco community site ooffoo.com published a live call-in (including a PDF summary sheet) with Penney Poyzer, celebrated green queen looking at how to kick-start growing your own vegetables in the New Year to save money and reduce waste.

Growing your own is fun!
Penney Poyzer’s live webcast of practical tips and encouragement for making 2009 the year you save money and eat more healthily by growing your own fruit and veg reflects on Mr Benn’s comment that “there is a tremendous satisfaction in growing your own food and it is cheaper and better for your health”.

With over 5 million spuds being thrown away every day in the UK (source: WRAP) that’s a lot of money and a lot of waste…planting seed potatoes this winter will provide pesticide-free delicious spuds in your own back garden or window box, as and when you need them, saving money and landfill!

Other food related articles on ooffoo.com at the moment include:

Brussels Sprouts rule!
The challenge to find the best Brussels sprouts recipe! Yes, Britain’s most hated vegetable comes into its own thanks to ooffoo’s wild “mystery sprouts” competition. Try stir frying them, sautéing in garlic or even trying them raw in a salad (don’t be put off – take it from us, the less you cook them, the fewer the post-prandial windypops!)

Fantastic compassionate recipes
There’s really no need to get up at 3am to squeeze the turkey into the oven – our brilliant recipes section is bursting with flavourful top class veg-friendly inspiration from canapés to desserts – including pink mash, coconut canapés and pumpkin pie. Feast without cruelty and dine like a king!

How to save money and help the planet with Love Food Hate Waste
Mrs Green points to a better way: “According to WRAP (a Government funded organisation that encourages recycling and home composting), we throw away up a third of the food we buy each week, which amounts to a staggering 6.7 million tonnes of food each year.

While millions of people starve worldwide, our wasteful western lifestyle is contributing to obesity and climate change. A more holistic approach is to buy and use only what we need.”

13 tips to avoid wasting food Penney Poyzer offers up 13 fantastic tips on avoiding food waste including: Don’t prepare more than one meal, plan a menu for the week and stick to it, make a shopping list and loads more smart ways to save money, cut waste and eat better. 

And, in case you were wondering – 00ff00 is the html code for the colour green and signifies that ooffoo is THE place on the web where people can come together to tint anything and everything green!

Halo Skincare wins the Award for the ‘Best Vegetarian Beauty Product 2008′ from the Vegetarian Society, UK

Halo founder, Soni Shah, said, “As newcomers to the highly competitive Beauty and Skincare industry, we are absolutely delighted that our Halo Light Moisturising Cream has been chosen as the winner of the Best Vegetarian Beauty Product 2008. As a start-up business that launched just a year ago, we have built a loyal customer following, with many of the sales being based on personal recommendations by satisfied customers, through natural and ethical networks.”

Halo Light Moisturising Cream is the essential beauty product that you can’t be without – anatural, daily facial moisturiser enriched with Vitamin E, sweet almond oil and Aloe vera. Unfragranced and parabens free, it is the ideal facial moisturiser for the whole family, leaving skin feeling beautifully soft and moisturised.

Soni Shah of Halo Skincare “Our customers tell us they love our face cream because it is a fabulous natural moisturiser which is sensibly priced. At Halo we don’t think that you should have to pay the earth for wholesome, ethical and cruelty free skincare. Priced at £6.99 for 100ml, Halo is within everyone’s reach, because we feel that everyone deserves good healthy skin!”

Following the success of the Halo Light Moisturising Cream, the company is planning to bring out more new products in Spring 2009. Halo Light Moisturising Cream is available at selected retail outlets, and online at www.haloskincare.co.uk

Lucy Rose – the new name in organic & natural beauty

Lucy Rose is a sophisticated new on-line natural beauty boutique which offers a desirable selection of the best organic skincare and natural cosmetic products. This Christmas, all Ethical Junction members can treat themselves with an exclusive 10% members’ discount as well as receiving a free hand cream for orders over £20.

Based on over fifteen years experience in the health and beauty industry, the founders of Lucy Rose want to provide a collection of beauty solutions which are completely safe to use, free from harmful chemicals and are simply the finest natural products to grace our precious bodies. 

Lucy Rose offers products which are suitable for the whole family, and are not only effective but are affordable and present good value for money. Postage and packing is free on all UK orders received, regardless of the size, with most deliveries arriving within 1-2 days. Its discrete and personal service also means that friendly, honest and knowledgeable expertise is always available on the other end of the ‘phone for further advice on which products are most suitable for you and your loved ones.

Organic Skin Care

All the organic skin care products are bursting with organic and natural ingredients that feed and nourish the skin, allowing it to function efficiently and naturally. These are all tried and tested for effectiveness and will leave the skin feeling totally pampered.

Product ranges include Lavera – a leading brand in innovative and effective natural and organic skin care, and Natural Elements, which is a professional certified organic skin care range produced in the UK and is Vegan and Vegetarian Society approved.
 

Organic and Natural Make Up

Lucy Rose’s hand-picked organic and natural make up ranges have not been tested on animals and are free from parabens, synthetic fragrances and any other harsh chemicals.

The Lucy Rose collection includes Nvey Eco organic make up (certified by the Organic Food Chain, Australia), Lavera Trend, a natural make up range for everyone including those with sensitive or hyper-allergenic skin, Green People’s range of certified organic lipsticks and Zoya Nail Polish and SpaRitual Nail Care ranges which are both free from formaldehyde, toulene and DBP.

More Organics

Lucy Rose also offers organic and natural sun care, baby and child skin care, shampoo and hair care, shower and bath products, ranges for men, and organic deodorant, tooth paste, perfume and anti-ageing treatments.

Lucy Rose has been developed by Sarah and Matt Heenan following the birth of their first daughter. Sarah, who had worked in the beauty industry as a beauty therapist for over 15 years explains, “The arrival of our first daughter made us seriously consider what was in the skincare products we were using. Sure enough, the ingredient lists of most regular cosmetic products are packed full of chemicals – not something you want to come into direct contact with your newborn baby! This was our inspiration and the beginning of a journey to source products which were natural, pure and kind both to our bodies and to the environment. This has resulted in the birth of Lucy Rose – named after our first two daughters – and a passion for sharing our interest, knowledge and desire to pamper our bodies in the manner they deserve.”

Lucy Rose continues to add new and innovative ranges to its enviable collection of organic and natural beauty products, as well as regularly offering engaging and practical advice, news and special offers. In essence, Lucy Rose provides an inspiring on-line experience for people who genuinely care about good quality natural ingredients and what they put on their skin.

To apply for your 10% discount at Lucy Rose quote code EJ01 at the checkout. Exclusive discount ends 31 December 2008.

Creative Charlie is announced overall winner of Toys and Games category at Practical Pre-School Awards.

The Rainy Day Box by Creative Charlie beat over 100 products to take the overall winner title in the Toys and Games category at the Practical Pre-School Awards 2008.

The Rainy Day Box has been carefully designed to be packed full of fun activities – including make a mobile, make puppets, make butterflies and make a pom-pom pet – to keep pre-school children busy on a rainy day. Along with educational settings, the box is perfect for use at home, and provides an opportunity for adult and child to engage together in creative play.

The Practical Pre-School Awards identify and reward excellence in the field of educational equipment, childcare, books and toys, suitable for children aged from 0-8 years old to use in professional childcare and educational settings.

The Awards testing panel gave The Rainy Day Box a score of 97.8%, and said about the product;

“The children loved following the work sheets and began to implement ideas of their own into their creations. It’s value as a creative resource is immense and it incorporates flexible and enjoyable activities, as well as helping to teach children about the environment. Everything in the box was great. The instructions were easy to understand and follow. The Rainy Day Box had a charming sense of simplicity, and my five-year-old was able to use it independently, as well as being encouraged to play co-operatively and share. It has fantastic educational value and appealed to children throughout the trial. Adaptable, original and a lot of fun!”

“Creative Charlie has only been trading for a year, and this is the first award we have entered, so I’m thrilled to have won.” Kerri Sellens, director and founder of Creative Charlie Ltd.