Having been tarnished with the title of “London’s unhealthiest borough” Croydon’s
campaigners and health professionals are joining forces to make Croydon an
easier place to live, work and be healthier in.

Leading UK Nutritionist Yvonne Bishop-Weston from Foods for Life Consultancy
has a clinic at Oasis Natural Health Store in Croydon’s High Street. Yvonne 
says “We are hoping to build long lasting partnerships with organisations
such as Croydon Bid and The Croydon Food Group as well as other health
professionals and media organisations such as Passion for the Planet Radio,
Lifescape Magazine and Ethical Junction. The aim is to target the residents and
workers in Croydon and educate them about practical health choices and
providers of food so that there are more healthy choices on the menu for people
to choose.”

Foods for Life are working on a number of projects;

THE CHOP AWARDS – Croydon Healthier
Office Project – Foods for Life will make annual awards for the office team who
make the biggest measurable changes to their facilities and health of their
team. There will also be awards for the healthiest options on restaurant and
cafe menus to make it easier for people in Croydon to make healthier choices.

FOODS FOR LIFE / FAD FOR LIFE -A  five
a day promotion. A series of talks and workshops for parents and their children
to explain the importance of eating more fruit and vegetables and the impact on
their health.

CROYDON FOOD FESTIVAL  -
Foods for Life will be getting involved with The Croydon Food Festival working
with others to increase the emphasis on healthier vegetarian food choices.

CROYDON ECO VEGGIE FAYRE  -
Organised by Yaoh Foods, Veggievision and Off the Hoof magazine an ethical
festival of health and sustainability at Fairfield Halls will feature a
vegetarian cookery demo area presenting easy, practical healthy 5 a day
recipes, a talks area with a 5 a day workshop on healthy eating for kids. There
will be many opportunities to try new foods and products from over 80
exhibitors in Fairfields Arnhiem Hall

World Vegan Day at The Fairfield Cafe The Fairfield Cafe
will celebrate 65 years of Vegan Living on World Vegan Day 1st November with a
Vegan Sunday Lunch Menu and 65th Birthday Party food with a focus on 5 fruit
and vegetables a day.

Environmental Film Festival 
- Organisers of The Croydon Eco Veggie Fayre are looking for a partner
to sponsor
an afternoon of ethical film screenings at The Fairfield Halls such as
the
ground breaking, eye opening  ‘Age of Stupid’ that was premiered
in London’s Leicester
square earlier this year or ‘End of the Line’ the expose of what the
world’s governments have allowed to happen to our oceans. Food Matters
and A Delicate Balance that shine a light on the callous profit
motivated global health and industry and the effects on our planet.

“We can’t just sit back and watch our children follow our footsteps into
early graves or more likely long term debilitating chronic illnesses that lead
to slow and painfull death.We have to act now to create a brighter future for
them, their health and the health of the planet” warns Yvonne
Bishop-Weston

999

The 9th September
2009 (999) seemed the perfect date to 
launch a campaign by a consortium of different groups and companies to
tackle Croydon’s emergency health situation.

Croydon’s  Health Problems

Croydon’s dire
health situation mirrors the plight of the planet. If something isn’t done soon
the future looks bleak. Rising childhood obesity in Croydon is now approaching
the thousands and Croydon topped recent league tables winning the title ‘Unhealthiest
borough in London’

Meat Free Monday Solution

London
Nutritionist Yvonne Bishop-Weston says one solution is to promote having a meat
less day once a week, a Meat Free Monday as Vegetarian Paul McCartney and
celebrity pals urged, or a Flesh Free Friday as the church used to
advocate.  “It’s not more meat that we
need to improve Croydon’s health,  it’s
more fruit and vegetables that we need in our diets.  Very few people in the UK manage to reach the
NHS target of 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day and the actual optimal
target is even higher (5 portions of veg and 3 of fruit)” says the
nutritionist.

Health & Sustainability Campaign Coalition to
Target Croydon

Having won the
title of unhealthiest borough in London Croydon is now a prime target for a
number of different environmental, health and animal welfare organisations. 

• Croydon
  Friends of the Earth plan to launch a Food Chain Campaign
  about animal feed
• Animal Aid have launched www.meat-free-monday.com
• The Vegetarian Society are
  launching a healthy eating project
• The Vegan Society has
  launched two catering guides for World Vegan Day, one for restaurants and one
  for hospitals and care homes. They also have a CD Rom for schools.
• Foods for Life Nutrition and
  Health Consultancy in Croydon is targeting parent groups, offices and restaurants with their
  CHOP Healthy Business Awards
• Passion
  for the Planet Digital Radio Station is
  launching a ‘Munch Less Meat’ campaign

·        
Viva! have launched Fruity Fundays – Choose Your
Veggie Days

·        
Croydon based  Young Indian Vegetarians, SEAR, Yaoh, Croydon
Vegetarians,  Oasis Natural Health, Foods
for Life, Off the Hoof magazine, Veggievision , Plamil, Redwoods, Beanies and
Lush are all working  on a health and
sustainability family fun day at Fairfield Halls on November 1^st  that will encourage people to eat less meat.

See
www.croydon.ecoveggiefayre.co.uk and  www.meatfreecroydon.blogspot.com for more information.

This
year sees the first ever Business
Mum Week,
a week of activities and meet ups across the UK. This week is
dedicated to women who balance business with family life on a daily
basis to ensure a better future for their families. Mum
of two Tabitha Potts, 39, from Stepney, is ensuring the mums of East
London are
included.

Tabitha
herself
will be hosting a Mumpreneurs Networking Lunch
on
Wednesday 7^th
October from 12 noon till 2pm in the Private Dining Room at
Ping Pong Dim Sum, 3 Appold Street London EC2A 2AF tel: 020 7422
0780. The event is free although lunch is not complimentary. Free
copies of the latest Business
Mum’s Journal and
the Book
of Green
eco-directory will
be available and any mum who has ever wanted to run her own business
from home will have the opportunity to meet (and question!) other
‘mumpreneurs’ like Tabitha, in a friendly and relaxed
environment. Antonia Chitty, author of The
Mumpreneur’s Guide,
is attending the event and will give a short talk with her top tips
for mumpreneurs.

In
the lead-up to Business
Mum Week,

Tabitha,
as East London
co-ordinator,
is also looking for mums across the county to hold their own events.
Full support is available and it promises to be a great week for
uniting local women in business.

Tabitha
Potts, of Mimimyne
(www.mimimyne.com)
and
organiser of East London
Business
Mum Week says: “Business
Mum Week
is a great initiative and I’m happy to do everything I can to unite
the business mums of East London and ensure more local women with
children are aware of the family friendly working options out there.
This is a great way to both highlight the work of our mum owned
businesses in and around East London
and
support the growth of more.”

MumsClub
founder, Jane Hopkins, says: “This
is the perfect time for Business
Mum Week.
With so many redundancies and the future potential for job losses, it
is an important time for families to have options. Being self
employed is the perfect way to combine family life with generating a
second income. Women now have the freedom to get paid to do something
they love. Great for household finances, great for self esteem, great
for work-life balance.  Starting up from home is low cost, low
risk and incredibly rewarding. The dedication of our local mums has
been astounding. Credit crunch? What credit crunch?”

Find
out more:

Contact
Local organiser Tabitha Potts on 07984 291 409 email
tabitha@mimimyne.com
Updates
of activities taking place throughout the week will appear at
www.businessmumweek.com
and www.mumsclub.co.uk
##ENDS##

Media
notes:

For
media enquiries about business mum week, please contact:

Jane
Hopkins, Founder, MumsClub 01675 465863

Antonia
Chitty, 01424 810 272

About
Business Mum Week
Business
Mum Week will take place from Saturday
the 3^rd
– 10^th
October.
It is run by Jane Hopkins of MumsClub,
the online business club for mums, and supported by PR expert and
author Antonia Chitty of Family Friendly Working.

The
aims of the week are to:

inspire
more entrepreneurial mums to start a business from home,

encourage
business growth by providing business mums access to information and
ideas,

develop
online and offline support through a national network of home-working
Mumpreneurs.

Business
Mum Week recognises
the challenges such women face and the achievements they have already
made by dedicating a corner of their busy family home to turn their
business ideas into reality. Other confirmed activities include,
regional Mumpreneur meet-up’s, a personal branding evening at
Harvey Nicholls in Birmingham, a networking workshop day in Dorset,
and the inaugural Mumpreneur
Annual Conference and Awards
in the Midlands. 

A
few facts & figures on home business

• Over
  two million businesses
  already operate mainly from home. *1

• 61%
  of new businesses were
  launched from home in 2008 *2

• Home based
  business is intrinsically low
  carbon.
  Operating from one property instead of a separate home and workspace
  cuts commuting. It also reduces the carbon emissions generated by
  constructing and fuelling separate premises. *3

• Home based
  businesses face lower
  costs,
  spending significantly less on their workspace and travel than those
  using separate premises. Not commuting also saves time, increasing
  potential productivity. *4

Sources:

*1
ONS Labour Force Survey

*2
UK Global Entrepreneurship Monitor

*3
& 4 ‘Can Homeworking Save the Planet’, The Smith Institute

Will Aid is delighted to announce that its 2008 campaign was the most successful ever. Over £950,000 was raised from donations. The NSPCC has also received £54,000 from a legacy left by a Will Aid Will-maker, bringing the total to a fantastic £1 million. In addition, over £5.4 million has been pledged to the Will Aid charities and many Will-makers will have left legacies to their other favourite charities and causes.

The scheme will be running again this November and provides a fantastic opportunity for other charities to overcome one of the main barriers to achieving legacies – motivating supporters to actually make a Will. The Will Aid partnership would urge as many charities as possible to promote the scheme to their supporters as a way of generating legacy income.

Shirley Marsland, Will Aid campaign Manager, says:
“Whilst Will Aid
donations are shared by the Will Aid charities, people are free to make
a legacy to any charity they choose. So any charity can benefit from
the scheme. If you are a legacy manager wondering how to turn your
supporters’ good intentions to leave a legacy into a reality, then Will
Aid is a really effective prompt to encourage people to actually get on
a make that Will or add an all important codicil to an existing one.
The Will Aid partnership charities are pleased to be able to spread the
benefits of the campaign as widely as possible by offering this
opportunity to other charities. Will Aid can provide leaflets free of
charge for inclusion in supporter mailings and press releases for
inclusion in newsletters and magazines.”

Will Aid is run by a partnership of nine leading charities* and
recruits solicitors all over the UK who give their time for free to
draw up basic Wills. In return, the Will-maker is invited to make a
minimum donation to Will Aid (£75 for a single Will, £110 for a pair of
mirror Wills and £40 for a codicil).

Charities wanting
to promote Will Aid to their supporters and members should contact
Shirley@willaid.org.uk or phone 01460 271178 to order leaflets or
request a press release.

responsibletravel.com,
the world’s leading travel agent for responsible holidays is the first
travel agent to team up with newly launched TravelPledge – www.travelpledge.org 
 - the online charity donation scheme for travellers wanting to give
back to people and projects in the destinations they have visited.

This new partnership will offer responsibletravel.com customers the chance to donate money to trusted social and environmental projects in seven popular holiday destinations. responsibletravel.com
will also promote the scheme to its 900+ members (tour operators and
hoteliers around the world) to further encourage the take up of the
give back scheme among travellers.

TravelPledge screens the projects and facilitates online donations from travellers, adding gift aid when applicable.

Justin Francis, managing director, responsibletravel.com:
“This fantastic scheme has my full support. The feedback from
travellers we work with is that they are often left moved and inspired
by a holiday – whether it be due to encounters with local people,
wildlife or social and environmental issues in destinations – they come
back home wanting to help in some way. TravelPledge offers them the
chance to give something back.”

TravelPledge was set up in 2008 to respond to the increasing number
of requests from travellers to be able to contribute financially to
charitable social and environmental projects in the destinations they
visit. The charity ensures donations are processed effectively and that
the greatest amount possible reaches the destination. As a registered
charity, it retains zero percent of the consumer money donated to cover
its overheads.

Nick Chaffe, director, TravelPledge said: “By working hand in hand
with the travel industry and local delivery partners, TravelPledge
helps travellers to connect in more rewarding ways to the places
they’ve visited. We aim to deliver the most effective give back
mechanism for this sector. Our platform enables travellers to choose
projects and to donate quickly and easily online. Importantly we will
feed back to donors on the completion of each and every project they
choose to support.”

See
http://travelpledge.org/support/responsibletravel  for more information.
For interviews contact Krissy Roe, responsibletravel.com – mobile: 07717 348368

In
the run up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in
Copenhagen, latest research from EIRIS focuses on 300 of the world’s
largest companies to examine the progress they have made over the last
12 months in responding to the challenges of climate change.

Climate Change Compass: The road to Copenhagen
analyses the 300 largest companies listed on the FTSE All World Index
and finds that just over a third are failing to address the risks they
face from climate change – although the quality of companies management
response to climate change has improved overall.

Climate change has the potential to seriously impact shareholder value, especially in the medium to long term. As
the significant physical and economic impacts of climate change
increase, investors need to develop a greater understanding of the
extent and impact of corporate response to this issue. Highlights of
EIRIS’ research into how some of the world’s largest companies are
responding to climate change challenges are listed below:

Some improvements, but further momentum needed

§         Over a third (35.6%) of global 300 companies have a high or very high climate change impact¹. Of these, 33% are failing to mitigate their climate change risk (down from 34% in 2008)

§         99%
of companies with a high or very high climate change impact have a
corporate-wide climate change commitment (in comparison with 84% in
2008). This improvement can be explained by a number of drivers coming
into play including the increasing activity of investors

§         Almost
three quarters of companies (73% compared with 61% last year) have
referenced the wider policy context by referring to international
targets, regulations or the scientific imperative

Opportunities at Copenhagen

§         The
UN Climate Change Conference may create significant opportunities for
companies – linked to the development of green stimulus packages or a
clearer regulatory framework.

Engagement is key

§         Many large cap companies face significant climate change
risks and opportunities.  Investors must understand the impact these
issues will have on their portfolios and integrate climate change into
their engagement strategies or when exercising voting rights.

Climate
change affects businesses across every sector of the economy – from
aviation to agriculture. EIRIS’ latest research also outlines the
various risks and opportunities for companies and their investors which
climate change presents, including:

§         Regulatory challenges – Copenhagen
may bring about a number of changes in national and international
legislation for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Potential
environmental taxes and compliance costs must therefore be factored
into company valuation

§         Changing market dynamics
- relating to higher and fluctuating energy costs, especially for
energy intensive sectors. Changing consumer attitudes and demand
patterns also open up opportunities for new technologies, products and
markets

§         Changing weather patterns – security
and cost of water and energy supplies, plus the physical risks of
climate change, including damage to assets as a result of extreme
weather events all have cost implications

§         Reputational - customer, employee, investor and societal perceptions are having an increasing impact on brand value

Given
the importance of climate change and the likely impact of it on future
long-term corporate financial performance, it is increasingly seen as
an investor’s fiduciary responsibility to integrate consideration of
climate change into their investment strategy as outlined in the
UNEP-FI Fiduciary II report². Against a backdrop of the
recent global financial crisis and growing evidence of the significant
physical effects of climate change, the outcome of the Copenhagen
Conference will set the direction for a financial and policy framework
for future climate change investment for governments, corporations and
investors.

Stephanie Maier,
Head of Research at EIRIS said ‘Our research identifies a number of
improvements in the strategies that companies have put in place with
regard to their climate change impact. It is encouraging to see some
evidence that regulation and the increasing engagement activity of
investors on climate change are driving companies to focus more
attention on the climate change risks and opportunities they face.’

However, there are areas where further progress can be achieved. Stephanie Maier
added ‘Board level responsibility and ownership of a company’s response
to climate change is crucial. Linking remuneration to performance in
this area will help ensure companies remain focussed on these issues.
Likewise the increased use of verification for GHG emissions data will
provide investors with further reassurance on the reliability of the
information published. These are key areas where investors should exert
influence so as to help them minimise their risk.’

The full research report is available here (http://www.eiris.org/files/research%20publications/ftse300climatechangepaper09.pdf)

EIRIS
has developed a comprehensive suite of products to help investors
assess their portfolios and design investment strategies in response to
the challenge of a carbon-constrained economy. Click here for further information.
 
Press contact: carlota.garcia-manas@eiris.org, +44 (0)20 7840 5711

Somerset based fair trade furniture and homewares retailer Myakka demonstrates that an ethical approach to business benefits everyone. Despite the recession, the directors have increased the amount of support they are giving, both to Myakka’s suppliers in India and now local communities in Somerset.

“Supporting our suppliers and their local communities is very important to us,” commented Georgie Hopkins, director of Myakka. “When we visited our main furniture suppliers in northern India at the beginning of the year we set a number of community projects in motion.  Providing new desks for the children at SKSN school is the second project to be completed so far and represents a collaboration between Myakka and our main supplier.”

Myakka has donated £2,000 towards the cost of materials with their
supplier covering the cost of production, enabling SKSN school to
receive 70 new desks and benches for students who previously studied
sitting on the floor.

As a member of the BAFTS (British
Association for Fair Trade Shops) the focus is on supporting suppliers
and their local communities. Myakka has chosen to go one step further
and join the Somerset Guardian Scheme operated by The Somerset
Community Foundation. This allows the directors to support their local
communities in Somerset, as well as Myakka’s supplier’s and their
communities in India.

The Somerset Community Foundation
supports local children, youth groups and older people, those with
special needs or disabilities, sports groups, art and drama projects;
aiming to build stronger communities for the benefit of everyone in
Somerset. As a Guardian, all monies pledged are invested as part of the
foundation’s endowment fund. The income from the fund is then used to
provide a long term sustainable source of grants to address local
needs. Currently the Somerset Community Foundation is the only
charitable body in Somerset administering the government ‘Grassroots
Grants Scheme’ whereby the government will top up funds by 100%.
Therefore Myakka’s financial support is worth much more to the
Foundation and those it supports in the locality.

Simon
Whitehead, director of Myakka commented. “We are proving that operating
a business ethically is more profitable for everyone, even in this time
of recession. It’s important to us that we support our local community
as well as those of our suppliers. The Somerset Community Foundation
offers the most accessible method for us to support small-scale, local
projects.”

Myakka specialises in solid wood furniture and
tailors the designs of each piece for the British market.  The
furniture is made in northern India by skilled craftsman using the
latest German computer controlled machinery ensuring the quality is
second to none. With a sophisticated ecommerce website, a Warehouse
Outlet in Wincanton, Somerset and a comprehensive mail order catalogue,
Myakka has a large database of loyal customers across the UK.

This summer Myakka is celebrating a decade of business with a huge 10th Birthday Summer Sale.

For more information about one of Somerset’s leading ethical businesses visit the Myakka news blog at www.furniture-home.myakka.co.uk or the online shop at www.myakka.co.uk. Select this link for further details on The Somerset Community Foundation: www.somersetcf.org.uk.

Application deadline 30 September

From the 9-16 December 2009, a Christian Aid team of 50 cyclists will take to the road and ride 140 miles from London to Copenhagen to highlight the start of the UN climate change summit and raise vital funds for Christian Aid projects in the developing world.

With three days cycling between 25 and 65 miles a day, the bike ride is open to all levels of cycling fitness. The group will leave London on the morning of 9 December, cycling through the English countryside to Harwich and, after the ferry ride, through the Danish islands to Copenhagen. Participants will cycle for no more than six hours a day and there will be two free days in the Danish capital before the group returns to the UK.

In Copenhagen, the cyclists will have the chance to make their ‘green’
presence count by joining thousands of climate change campaigners from
all over the world at a mass rally calling for a fair and effective
deal to combat climate change and to help the millions in the poorest
countries already suffering the effects of climate change.

“Cyclists have always been at the forefront of the green movement.
This an amazing opportunity to make a real difference by making your
voice heard at the crucial climate change talks in Copenhagen and at
the same time raising money to help some the world’s poorest people,”
said Alison Gregory of Christian Aid.

The cost of the trip is
£875 per person which you can either pay yourself or raise in
sponsorship as part of a commitment to raise £1,900 for Christian Aid.
There is also an initial £99 registration fee. The price includes all
accommodation, the ferry, transport back from Copenhagen and most meals.

Participants will get full support from Christian Aid’s
dedicated events team with lots of training, preparation and
fundraising advice and a free Christian Aid T-shirt.

For a
brochure, the full itinerary, route profile, registration form and
fundraising tips log on to www.christianaid.org.uk/events call 020 7523
2248 or email events@christian-aid.org.

Have you ever wondered how much green energy you could generate at your home or business? How much money this could save you? Not to mention whether you could reduce your carbon footprint? Well the team at Better Generation believe they have the device that can answer all these questions! The Power Predictor is a new site assessment tool that measures both wind and solar energy, while being low cost, accurate and easy to use.

Collecting accurate data from your site is essential in
assessing its potential for a turbine or solar panel, to avoid making a
very expensive mistake. Small wind turbines have received a
considerable amount of bad press over recent years due to their
installation in a whole number of unsuitable locations (think David
Cameron’s rooftop turbine).

On the other hand, the UK
has some of the best renewable resources in Europe, and the Power
Predictor can help to find the most appropriate technology – solar or
wind – for your site, maximising the money and CO2 you can save.

The
Power Predictor allows you to collect real life solar and wind data
from your site. Once a month of data has been collected it can be
uploaded onto an online account at www.powerpredictor.com where a power
report is automatically generated.

The power report compares
the main wind turbines and solar panels on the market today, terms of
payback time, annual energy generation, cost savings and effect on your
carbon footprint.

To find out more visit www.bettergeneration.com. The Power
Predictor is available for just £99.95.

There only a few days to go before WRAP’s Recycle Week is under way. It  will be running from June 22nd to 28th and has the theme ‘let’s waste less’.

In support of Recycle Week the teams at BemoreEco and MoreEco will be blogging their recycling exploits each day.  Visit the recycling page to see what is happening.However to give you a little taster of what we are planning to do we have chosen to carry out the following tasks/pledges;

• Look out for Gadgets / products which help with you with your recycling tasks and pledges.
• Raise awareness of public recycling bins and types off
• Recycle my food by using left overs for lunch each day.

You can now go to the Recycle Now website to make your pledge.

Also as bonus if you sign up to MoreEco during Recycling week we will give you an extra 100 joining points. Use offer code ‘recyclenow’.