The new Autumn range is launched at www.organicboutique.co.uk

The range includes gorgeous items made from pure New Zealand organic mountainsilk. Organic mountain silk is made from supersoft and superfine merino fibres which are perfect for transition and winter.

The cost of fuel is causing congestion levels on British motorways to fall at the same time as the overall number of cars on the road increases, according to green breakdown provider, the Environmental Transport Association (ETA).

Recent increases in the cost of petrol and diesel have prompted a 12 per cent reduction in congestion on British motorways, and despite a slowdown in the number of new cars being sold the overall number of cars in Britain is increasing.

Director at the Environmental Transport Association, Andrew Davis said: “Congestion might be down, but it is wrong to assume that it is simply because there is less traffic – when cars on motorways are driven carefully they not only produce less harmful emissions, they cause less congestion.”

“The fact that the most impressive recent drop in congestion has been on a section of the M25 that does not yet have the highly effective variable speed limits that are in place elsewhere on the motorway, illustrates the gains to be made by a self-imposed careful driving style.”

The ETA believes that increased fuel prices, revised rates of emissions-based vehicle excise duty and an increasing awareness of environmental issues is having an effect on our driving habits, but in the longer term, unless drivers ‘pay as they go’ reduced congestion on major roads will attract additional traffic.

What is ‘careful driving’?
Motorists can reduce their car’s emissions, the amount they spend on fuel and levels of congestion by taking the two following steps:

Slow down
Reducing your speed from 70mph to 60mph will not dramatically add to your journey time but it reduces emissions and could save 20 per cent of your fuel bills.

Do not tailgate
Driving too close to the car in front is dangerous and inevitably causes a concertina effect which slows following traffic and can even bring it to a complete standstill.

KittySoaps was launched as an online shop in 2008, providing ethical, organic skin and body care with a holistic twist! Owner, Cat MacGillivray, describes how the company came about.

“From a very young age, you could find me in my Grandmother’s garden harvesting plants and flowers (especially the roses, to her horror!) to make perfumes, and helping to make traditional healing remedies – I think her renowned raspberry vinegar started the idea of KittySoaps all those years ago. As I grew up, I interlaced studying alternative therapies/ traditions (Aromatherapy, Crystal Healing, Herbal Medicine, Reiki & Yoga) with studying for my Biotechnology degree and then, throughout my scientific career.

Over the last five years I have spent time to marry my love of science, herbal medicine and alternative therapies to create a beautiful, therapeutically active skin/ body care range without compromising my eco-friendly ethos. The key to my products lies in the advanced formulations, which combine innovative science with age-old herbal wisdom. The result is organic, chemical-free skin/ body care to pamper and feed your skin while your mind, body and spirit benefits from the plant essences and heavenly aromatherapy blends.

Unlike any organic/ natural skin care company, all my products are enhanced with Reiki energy: an ancient form of healing that uses an energy that is all around us. Reiki is an accepted alternative therapy that is used to balance, heal and harmonise both mind and body. Through my experience as a Reiki Master teacher, I have found that it also has a profound effect on the natural ingredients used to make my products, acting to raise their innate skin-loving and therapeutic properties providing you with revolutionary, holistic care.

As the KittySoaps range is designed for complete wellbeing, the online shop also provides holistic and healing gifts, herbal remedies and treatments to give you back some of that elusive ‘me’ time that we all deserve! All products are kept affordable and only contain 100% active ingredients with no water content to dilute them, compared to the majority of commercial products and sadly, many natural and organic skin care companies. KittySoaps products are highly concentrated so a little goes a long way!”

Cat is currently offering all new customers 10% off their first order and provides competitive trade discounts. See her website at www.kittysoaps.co.uk for more details.

A suggestion by the government that councils should increase the cost of parking in town centres has been welcomed by the Environmental Transport Association (ETA), which points out that most British motorists are currently undercharged for parking their cars.

John Healey, the local government minister, has drawn criticism this week by suggesting that local councils should raise parking rates in their own car parks in order to reduce congestion.

Director at the Environmental Transport Association, Andrew Davis said: "Our own research revealed that in most cases parking is subsidised – the land used for the car parks would be worth more if it was used for something else such as office space. In other words, cars pay less than desks! Local businesses often object to parking charges, but the car park that is constantly full because it is too cheap is not bringing custom to local shops."

The ETA believes that when they are part of a well-thought-through transport policy, parking charges can have a positive environmental benefit by encouraging people to walk and cycle more.

Dear All,

Welcome to our regular newsletter, the
aim of which is to keep you up to date with our work and let you know
about any new output we produce.

As you may know, we are a mixture of
think tank, consultancy and service provider to the not-for-profit
sector that uses practical wisdom to seek a more sustainable, just and
intellectually coherent world. Here is a selection of recent
developments:

Sorry for the gap since the last
newsletter – this has been due to the fact that I’ve been immersed in
book writing and have only just put my head above water again! Still,
the good news is that I’ve completed it and that ‘Modern Life – As Good
As It Gets?’ should be published by Green Books (www.greenbooks.co.uk) in October this year.

The book argues that life in the modern
western world is not as good as it could be and explores how we could
make it better. It examines a number of negative aspects of life in the
modern western world, including the fact that our lives are too rushed,
consumerism dominates everything, we lack connection to our local
communities and we lack perspective on our lives as individuals. The
book then explores some possible causes of these problems (social,
political, economic etc.) and tries to find some overarching links
between them. Two of the major causes identified by the book are the
particular brand of economic thinking that dominates modern society and
our lack of certain ‘mental tools’ as individuals to help us live
happily and get the most out of life. Finally, it considers some of the
ways we could address these factors, both as individuals and as a
society, in order to make things better for ourselves. Recommendations
include a ‘new economics’ that refocuses the aim of society from the
never-ending pursuit of material wealth to maximising the well-being of
people within the limits of the one planet we have available. This is
accompanied by recommendations to help everyone develop a new set of
skills – ranging from skills in the ‘art of living’ to basic
philosophical and thinking skills.

The book represents a new approach to
engaging with people on the need for social and global change. More
details on it will follow nearer the publication date.

Aside from our work with existing
clients such as CND, we have taken on further communications work for
organisations such as Tactical Tech, a Brighton-based NGO that helps
activists throughout the world to harness information and technology
for social and political change, and 121 Fundraising, a consultancy
working with a range of charity clients.

If you feel that our thinking (www.changestar.co.uk/thinking.htm) or services (including design, fundraising,
communication strategies and business plans – see www.changestar.co.uk/services.htm) could benefit your organisation or anyone else you know, do
get in touch! See our website
for an outline of our areas of expertise and interest, or simply call
us on the number below for an initial chat.

That’s it for now – do get in touch if
you’d like to chat through any area of our work.

With warm wishes,

www.changestar.co.uk