Led from Manchester NEW FRONTIERS has embarked on a journey to stimulate truly sustainable design solutions fit for the social and environmental challenges of the 21st Century. It will capture, catalyse and create ideas and innovation, from architecture to urban design to materials engineering to product design.

The brainchild of futurologist and design scientist Melissa Sterry and developed in partnership with environmental scientist Matt Prescott, NEW FRONTIERS is working with leading universities, professional institutions, NGOs, government agencies and pioneering global brands to embed a strong understanding of sustainability; form new collaborations; and promote the best innovation for this new and fast-moving sector. 

Designed to convert ideas into action, NEW FRONTIERS will focus on interdisciplinary collaboration, knowledge sharing, capacity building and public discourse. Its programme comprises seminars at venues around Manchester, scholarships, a participative digital platform and other planned elements, culminating in a prestigious biennial national prize.

Judged by leading experts including Zac Goldsmith and Michael Pawlyn, the NEW FRONTIERS Prize will help to provide economic stimulus, raise the profile of many crucial disciplines not always directly connected to sustainability and help to progress of ideas and projects of true quality and value.

The NEW FRONTIERS panel

Zac Goldsmith, Professor Lorna Walker, Michael Pawlyn, Dr. Rachel Armstrong, Professor Neil Spiller, Lynda Relph-Knight, Dr. Tim Fox, Professor Rachel Cooper, Professor Erik Bichard, Dr. Beth Perry, Dr. Richard Miller, Leonora Oppenheim, John Thackara, Dr. Tuba Kocaturk, Mike Reardon, Dr. Vicky Lofthouse, Dr. Mike Pitts, Angharad Thomas, Matt Prescott, Dr. Angela Lee, Melissa Sterry, Sophie Thomas.

NEW FRONTIERS partners

University of Salford (primary academic partner), Royal Society of Chemistry, Institution of Mechanical Engineers, University of Manchester, Loughborough University, Chemistry Innovation, Centre for Construction Innovation, Centre for the Built and Urban Environment, Eco Connect, Mickey & Mallory, CURB, 100% natural media, Societás, What Women Make.

Find our more about NEW FRONTIERS at http://www.newfrontiers.uk.com

Societás is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

In these cash-strapped times,
local food producers offer consumers a way to not only save cash but
eat healthier too.  It’s a little known fact that locally produced
food can be cheaper than that available in the supermarket, the problem
is people just don’t know where to look.  Until now.  BigBarn,
the UK’s leading local food website, has just made finding out how everyone
can save by buying local that much easier. 

While
many Farm Shops have signs showing price comparisons with local supermarkets
and others check prices and are confident they are cheaper, consumers
only find out they are saving money when they visit the shop. 
Thanks to BigBarn all this has changed.  BigBarn already puts consumers
in touch with local producers through its popular postcode-generated
map technology and has now introduced a new £ flag to its maps, showing
producers who are cheaper than the local supermarket. 

All people have to do it visit www.bigbarn.co.uk and type in their postcode. 
Over 6,500 producers and retailers have icons on the BigBarn map from
farm shops to Farmers Markets.  Clicking on a producer’s icon
reveals what they offer, ratings and feedback from the public and the
ability to get in touch direct with the producer themselves.  Over
400 of these local producers and retailers have already registered cheaper
products.

How can this be?  The
supermarkets huge buying power does mean they can buy cheap, but the
supply chain costs mean that farmers only get 9p in every £1 spent
on food in a supermarket.  The maths is simple – if the producer
can sell direct for even 50p he will be getting five times as much and
giving the stretched consumer a 50% discount on supermarket prices –
a win-win, for all but the supermarket!  No wonder the new BigBarn
flag is proving so popular!   

Thousands of people have already
recognised the difference and changed to shopping locally every week
for essentials and the supermarket once a month for dry goods. Many
are even making extra savings by avoiding BOGOFs and impulse buys.

“Who’s?
Glass is a fresh, young, environmentally aware glass-making company
that specialises in unique, handcrafted recycled glassware. 
The fundamental ethos
of Who’s? Glass is to make the recycling of a used glass bottle as
environmentally friendly as possible – to transform, what in effect
is discarded domestic
or commercial waste, into contemporary useable glassware products.”
 

Established
in May 2008 and set in the picturesque port town of Bideford North
Devon, Who’s? Glass conveys
the essence and tranquillity of Devon’s rolling windswept moors and
turquoise green seas.  Who’s? Glass is a company committed to
the environment and is proud to offer a
clean alternative to the UK’s polluting glass making industry. 
Since the first bottle was collected, washed and reshaped, Who’s?
Glass has gone from strength to strength as Devon’s first and, at
present, only glass company specialising in recycled bottle
glassware.  And so the journey began….

Who’s?
Glass is made up of three talented
glassmakers, comprising of two generations of experience in this
genuine family
affair.  Lars Anders Persson is a Swedish Master Glassmaker with
over 40 years experience in the glass making industry. Lars has
helped create pieces for companies such as Tiffany & Co., Cartier
and Wedgwood, amongst many others, and has worked for some of the
world’s top glass houses.  Working alongside Lars is his
eldest son Anders, who has over 16 years experience in the glass
industry and is a keen participant in new technical developments in
recycled glass.  The youngest son, Matthew, completes the team. 
Matthew is a multi-award winning glass designer who has
designed ranges for some
of Britain’s top high street stores and last
year won the prestigious ‘Gift Of The Year’ award – made in the
UK category. As a group they are individual,
talented and outstandingly
creative and are committed in their quest to establish Who’s? Glass
as the UK’s leading producer of innovative recycled
glassware products.

Good Energy and Friends of the Earth Team Up
 

Leading green electricity supplier Good Energy has teamed up with influential campaigning organisation and EJ member Friends of the Earth in the fight against climate change.

Good
Energy buys 100 per cent renewable energy and also gives financial
support to households that produce their own renewable energy.
Switching to electricity supplied by Good Energy gives people the
opportunity to combat climate change by lowering their domestic carbon
emissions. Good Energy was last month rated the best company in the
sector in a Concerned Consumer survey funded by the Times.

Friends of the Earth harnesses people power to change politics, most recently demonstrated by its success with The Big Ask – the campaign for a strong climate change Bill, which will become law by the end of 2008. Now the green group is encouraging the public to write to their MP and demand that Gordon Brown delivers on his promise to generate 15 per cent of our energy from UK renewable sources – such as the sun, wind, wave and tides – by 2020.

Good Energy will be advocating the campaigns Friends of the Earth embark on in the coming months and will donate £30 to the charity for every customer who mentions FOE when they sign up.

Nick Rau, Friends of the Earth’s renewable energy campaigner, said: “Friends of the Earth is working in partnership with Good Energy because it raises awareness of climate change and funds renewable energy projects – which supports Friends of the Earth’s goal to wean the Government off its addiction to dirty coal, oil and gas and pave the way for a cleaner and greener future.”

Juliet Davenport, CEO and founder of Good Energy said: “Good Energy and Friends of the Earth are working towards a similar goal – a sustainable world where people are concerned about what is happening around them and to the environment. This powerful new partnership will add weight to the fight for more renewables, and Good Energy is very pleased to be able to work with such an influential organisation during this critical time for the future of energy in the UK.”

ChangeStar is an unusual organisation – a mixture of think tank, consultancy and communications agency that uses ‘practical wisdom’ – a powerful combination of intellectual substance and practical expertise – to seek a more sustainable, just and intellectually coherent world.

They offer a unique range of services, innovative thinking and experience that will give a cutting edge to many areas of your work, from fundraising to campaigning, or strategic planning to ideas generation.

New Book – ‘Modern Life – as good as it gets?’

Our first news is the publication next month of my new book entitled ‘Modern Life – as good as it gets?’. The book considers a number of problems with our modern lives, including consumerism, the threats to our natural spaces, the complexity of the world and our tendency to lead rushed and stressed lives. It then examines some of the roots of these problems and finds some important common causes, including our current form of neoliberal capitalism and our lack of adequate ‘mental tools’ to deal with the challenges of the modern world. Finally, it explores how we can improve things – both in society generally and in our own lives. It presents a clear vision of a better world to strive for, plus some new insights into the skills we each need to live better lives in the modern world.

It will be published by Green Books – to pre-order a copy visit their site – www.greenbooks.co.uk

Next Book – ‘The Amazing’

I am already working on my next book, titled ‘The Amazing’, and I need some help. The book considers how we can each find transcendence in everyday life. It argues that modern society generally holds a rather restricted view of transcendent experience, and that our views of it have largely been shaped by groups such as religions and new ageists. It explores the idea of the transcendent and suggests that our lives are peppered with experiences that could be seen as transcendent – from listening to music to doing the gardening – yet we have learnt not to think of them in this way. It argues that we must regain ownership of the transcendent for everyone, and not just the few. We must make it into a mainstream concept – ‘The Amazing’ – with mainstream language, because once people understand what it really is and how they can get it, it can truly enhance their lives.

To illustrate this within the book, I am looking to provide some case studies from a range of people talking about activities that people that provide them with transcendent or peak, profound experiences. This could be any activity – from reading to jogging through to being in the countryside. I’ve already gained some brilliant stories (including a music fan and a biker!), but would like several more. If you or someone you know has an activity that brings you profound pleasure and a sense of transcendence and you’d like us to consider including you in the book, please email us at info@changestar.co.uk , with a brief outline of your background, the activity that gives you transcendence and how the activity makes you feel. We’ll then be in touch if we’d like to talk to you further. Thanks for your help!

New Green Social Information

Within the ‘Initiatives’ section of the ChangeStar site, we’ve added a new guide on how to set up, publicise and run a Green Social event – click on the ‘Green Social’ logo within this section for details.

Dial Green is now well established and looking to help all businesses reduce their environmental impact, save them money on their telephone bills and at the same time green their supply chain by changing to Green Minutes – our carbon neutral telecoms solution.

As an introductory offer to Ethical Junction business members we are offering £100 worth of calls to new customers who join Dial Green for our green telecoms solution*

Put simply, we have found savings for all enquiries to date on business telephone bills, sometimes quite substantial amounts on call charges alone, and we provide a hassle free changeover for you. There are no connection charges, no set up costs and no hidden extras as you would
expect from an ethical business.

An added bonus is that you also speak to humans not robots!

As part of our ongoing commitment to the client, we also provide a regular telecoms health check to highlight any areas where savings and efficiencies can be achieved.

Many people have asked about our Green credentials and how using their telephones, broadband or teleconferencing can have an environmental impact, but the electricity passing through the telephone lines is not accounted for as it doesn’t come from their own supply and we are able to measure it and offset that, reducing the clients Carbon footprint in the process.

So call 0808 1410131 (free-phone) or email enquiries@dial-green.co.uk for more information on our own ‘beyond carbon neutrality’ and the ethical approach behind the company.

Our Website has much more information about Dial Green – www.dial-green.co.uk – including a full run down of the services we offer and our own environmental policies and practices.

We believe we are the most environmentally friendly telecoms business in the country, and with other projects in the pipeline, we intend to stay that way! 

We look forward to talking Dial Green to you soon.

*These minutes will have a use by date of 60 days from taking over
the lines and call provision*

First Recycle Bin Made From Recycled Materials

A new innovation has been launched to help increase recycling of the 30 million tonnes of rubbish generated in UK streets each year1. Of this, it is estimated that at least 50% is recyclable and currently less than 10 % is being recycled.  TV Producer Matthew Bird often reached home with a drink can, plastic bottle or free newspapers before finding somewhere to recycle them, this frustration led him to develop his own solution – The Greenie.

The Greenie is a split rubbish / recycling street bin; one half is for rubbish and the other for recyclable materials – sounds like a good idea but split bins have often lead to confusion and people don’t use them properly. The Greenie however, is clearly labeled bin and hopes to change this. The Greenie is also a European first as it is itself made with recycled materials. The adaptable tops allows local authorities to synchronize their ‘on the streets’ collection with other collections making The Greenie the most multi-functional bin on the market.

The Greenie makes great financial sense with the rapid rise in landfill costs – set to double in the next three years – the bins will not only provide a benefit to our environment but also to Public budgets. A recent consultation paper from Defra found that more than 95% of respondents thought that public recycle bins should be readily available.

Hugh Smith from London Remade said: "We think The Greenie is perfect for recycling on the go. More and more people are recycling at home and they should be given the facilities to recycle when they are out and about. It is fantastic that Matthew has designed the bin using recycled materials – it is the first of its kind in Europe and we look forward to seeing them popping up all over London." Matthew Bird said: "
Much to the delight of all my family and friends I can now talk rubbish for hours! "

The London boroughs of Camden and Lewisham will be piloting The Greenie from August this year.  Anyone who thinks that this simple, clever, innovation should be available on their street can visit www.recycle-rubbish.co.uk and sign the petition. The Greenie even has its own Facebook page for those keen to make friends with this initiative.

About Matthew Bird
Matthew, 49, has produced TV Drama for the last twenty years, working on such diverse programmes as Linda Green, Anna Karenina and The Lakes, and most recently Plus One, a new Channel 4 comedy.  

As a TV producer Matthew has learned a lot of skills that are transferable to the recycling industry.  His interest in alternative systems for public place recycling originally started on filming trips abroad. But it is as a father of three children that his interest in the environment has really grown.

Having won a place on an Enviro-Entrepreneurs Course in 2005 Matthew went on to conceive The Greenie and since then the Bin has been in development, going through several different formats and is now ready for a general release.

About London Remade
London Remade is a not for profit company working to develop and improve waste management, recycling and green procurement in the capital.

London Remade delivers the Mayor of London’s Green Procurement Code, a free support service for London based organisations to reduce their environmental impact through responsible purchasing.

London Remade delivered the Enhance programme for the LDA from October 2004 to March 2008, during this time London Remade supported over 250 businesses to enter the green economy including the administration of the Enhance Capital Grant Scheme under
which Matthew was award £20,000 for the development of The Greenie.