IDFX magazine, a leading trade magazine for all interior designers, applauded the green principles of Gecco Interiors in the Eco News section of their July edition “Gecco Interiors has eco-friendly principles at its heart, with a recenlty launched range of fabrics that more than prove its commitment to the cause”

For more check out P.110 of the magazine here

http://www.idfxmagazine.com/digitaledition/

Gecco Interiors Limited is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

When asked recently to list his favourite ‘Green’ products and entrepreneurs in the world of home design and interiors, Kevin McCloud of TV fame in Grand Designs and lead spokesman of sustainable architecture, listed our Sting Plus fabric as one of the best green upholstery fabrics on the market today!

According to the environmental website Treehugger, Kevin loved the idea of using stinging nettle fibres mixed with wool to create the fabric and feels that this product should be getting more exposure. We certainly agree!

Check out the wonderful story behind Sting upholstery fabric (£34.00/m), available in 8 colourways designed to reflect the colours of the British hedgerows and one of the best-sellers at www.geccointeriors.co.uk

Gecco Interiors Limited is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

There is a great deal of talk about ‘greening’ your home on the outside to reduce energy costs and heat loss (and rightly so) but what about the inside of the property? Can we improve the carbon footprint environmental friendliness of our home interiors?

There are various factors to consider when looking at our home décor: the carbon footprint of each individual item in a room, such as the sofa manufacture, or the chemical content of the paint on the walls; the sustainability of the resources used for each product; and the health issues surrounding the products for your family e.g. off-gassing of paints and varnishes or MDF boards?  Let’s face it, unless we were lucky enough to start from scratch within the last few years, we all have houses that are pretty toxic and not very eco-friendly.

So how do you go about ‘greening’ the interior or your property? First of all, let me say what you shouldn’t do – do not jump in with both feet and scrap everything you possess in order to replace it with a ‘greener’ version. Our resources are scarce and the landfill sites are full. Take it one room at a time and take stock of what you have. Can some of the items be revamped and used in the new room scheme? Can they be passed on to a friend or needy student setting up their first home? Your local freecycle group will be grateful for pretty much any item – there is always somebody who can make use of something you no longer need.

Greening your rooms: Step by Step

Now that we have that straight, here is what to do next. Take it a room at a time and think carefully about the following aspects of the room:

• Lighting - Can the wattage of the lights in use be reduced? Do you need to introduce new light fittings with greater efficiency? How about building in some new technology such as timers, dimmers or sensor switches. LED designs are improving all the time and can look stunning in any room scheme.

• Flooring – Don’t scrap the old carpet if it still works for the room scheme you want. If it doesn’t work or is too worn, then look at the many different options out there such as bare or naturally stained/painted floorboards with rugs made of sustainable materials like wool, felt or sisal. The new style cork flooring or revamped rubber flooring or Marmoleum can look great in the right room and there are several companies out there launching 100% broadloom wool carpets that have been left undyed. Check out your local carpet retailer for more information.

• Wallcoverings - this aspect is becoming much easier with the growth of the natural paint market. Beware of some paint suppliers claiming to be ‘green’ because of low VOC content – they should have ‘0′ VOC content and if they don’t there are many out there who do! Wallpapers are now being produced using paper from managed forests and non toxic dyes and we have even discovered gorgeous ceramic tiles with 30-40% recycled content!

• Window Dressing - A great tip from Oliver Heath in his Urban Eco Chic book, is to try to bring as much light into a room as possible to reduce the amount of time we are reliant on electric lighting. Painting the window frame and sill white can help reflect light into the room as well as designing curtains or blinds that sit back from the windows and do not cover too much of the glass. Gecco Interiors carries a wide range of organic and sustainable fabrics and can make any of them into curtains or blinds with organic bamboo linen lining.

• Furniture - Finally, take a good look at your furniture. Can any of it work in the new scheme? Could a beloved chair of sofa be re-covered in a new organic upholstery fabric? Look at repainting a bookshelf or coffee table to give it a fresh look. Many second hand shops carry sets of stylish dining chairs which can look fabulous with a new seat cushion. Eco Style means that it does not have to match and it is often much more fun to have a collection of stylish yet slightly mismatched pieces in one room rather than everything looking uniform. Have fun creating your own style! If you do decide to buy new, take the time to source furniture made in an environmentally sensitive way using timber from FSC managed forests and as locally made as possible.

• Kitchens & Bathrooms – these are the rooms that can cost the most in any house, but they are often the most wasteful when it comes to energy or water usage. We are lucky these days that companies are innovating all the time and new technology has brought about energy efficient appliances, fixtures and fittings for both of these rooms. Many leading bathroom suppliers now carry low flow taps or showers and eco bathtubs that take much less water than traditional tubs. Rubber flooring, Marmoleum and recycled ceramic tiles come into their own in these room schemes and there are now some truly stunning worktops made from recycled materials such as wine bottles or shells! (check out Glass ECO)

For any other information or tips please do not hesitate to contact me at any time and I will love helping you to solve your eco design dilemma! You can reach me at angie@geccointeriors.co.uk

Gecco Interiors, a new online environmentally friendly interiors company has launched with a full collection of products for the home. In addition to being beautifully designed in mind, each of the products sold by Gecco also helps preserve the planet.

Founders Angie and James Kraft pride themselves on sourcing products that are genuinely stylish but also environmentally friendly. Passionate about green issues and sustainability in design, they have sourced a range of home interiors products that all have green credentials.

Each item sold online has been created by entrepreneurs who have had the courage and vision to look at their industry and to try to do things differently. This may come in the form of taking timbers from derelict factories in India and turning them into beautiful pieces of furniture, a four year long research project into the use of stinging nettles in upholstery fabric, or it may even be the massive financial investment in a purpose built factory in Stoke-on-Trent, where broken ceramic pottery is crushed and turned into new ceramic bathroom tiles.The team at Gecco Interiors sources only the best products designed to appeal to stylish eco-conscious consumers.

The site is easily navigated and broken down into seven sections:

1. Furniture – beautifully handcrafted and made from reclaimed timber

2. Curtains and blinds – made to order and hand finished with exclusive soft organic bamboo lining

3. Floor coverings – made from recycled materials

4. Fabric – using leading edge, organic and sustainable textiles

5. Lighting – elegant collection of the most up-to-date energy efficient lighting

6. Wall coverings – FSC certified wallpapers with natural dyes and non-toxic paints

7. Accessories – perfect for adding the finishing touches to an eco-friendly design scheme

Visit: http://www.geccointeriors.co.uk/ or call: 01494 565459

Appearing
this month on the shelves in WH Smith and Borders nationwide, new eco-living
directory BOOK OF GREEN is the most comprehensive guide for everybody to
genuinely and easily green their lifestyles.

With
the general public currently becoming more receptive to living a more
eco-friendly life, this completely free guide points the consumer in the right
direction – it includes hundreds of approved ethical providers in a wide range
of sectors including business services, health and beauty, home and garden,
green energy, travel, parenting and food & drink.  All the companies
in the directory are in some way mostly or completely environmentally friendly,
sustainable, fair trade, organic,  ethical and socially responsible.

Book
of Green is intended to show everybody how to easily reduce their carbon
footprint, live a healthy lifestyle and make  a personal positive 
impact on the environment by integrating truly ethical products and services
into their daily home and family lives.

With
an initial print run of 30,000, the guide comes in a handy A5 format and is
printed in vegetable inks on 100% recycled paper.  An online flip magazine
version is also available at www.bookofgreen.com 
 Book of Green will be available in WH Smiths this July, attached to the
front of Permaculture Magazine as well as distributed across the UK in high
street eco stores, online eco stores, and at events during the summer as well
as at the Eden Project and the Kent Eco Village, the Kent Show by The
Ecologist, July 17-19.

Book
of Green is co-founded by Sue Jueno (founder of Allthingseco) and Katie Keegan
(founder of One Green Earth),
 whose combined experience of 6 years in the eco/ethical business arena
has given them the experience, knowledge and contacts to create a guide for
green living which everybody can trust.

“Being
green is more than reducing the threat of climate change, it’s also about
ethical trading and personal health.  The companies found within Book of
Green provide solutions across all sectors through their products &
services to help build a positive foundation for your family’s future
generations,”  says Katie Keegan.

“With
credit crunch in mind and a passion for promoting green shoot businesses we
have made Book of Green extremely affordable to advertisers and free to the
public to show off exceptional companies that are solving environmental
problems and that will be leading us into the future,” says Sue Jueno.

“Go
Ape” with
our July Paper of the Month,
“it’s bananas!!!” Our
eco-friendly banana stock is made from banana skins and is available
in paper and card weights. The Banana
Paper is
ideal for fruit sellers, milk shake bars, cake makers, health food
shops and any organic and food related businesses. This paper also
looks great for special occasions,
weddings, birth celebrations,
as well as offering something different for everyday stationary.

Along with our more exotic range we print on ’standard’
white cards and papers that are also 100% recycled too!

Our
Eco Policy is Reduce, Reuse and
Recycle and
this should not mean compromising on quality, or for that matter
costing the earth! Eco Print handles all jobs, digital and litho,
specializing in short and medium size print runs. We even have an
experienced graphic designer on board if extra help is needed.

Like
our printing process, every member of the Eco Print team is free from
artificial colours and preservatives and happy to offer friendly
helpful advice. We are an approachable, locally based company, big
enough to cope but small enough to care.

For
more information on us and our range of papers and cards, check out
our stunning website. http://www.ecoprintUK.com
We have just added an FAQ page on
the website
which will answer all your questions in a nice and concise way! You
are though more than welcome to call us on 01722 340350.

N.B.
No monkeys
were harmed in the gathering of the bananas apart from one…the
cheeky monkey wouldn’t give up his bunch.

Back
to work, Simon de Glanville left the pigeons
in Peckham and headed for sunny Somerset for a seven day photo shoot
of Myakka’s fair trade furniture and home accessories. Myakka’s
annual photo shoot is on Simon’s professional calendar, whereas the
recent national media coverage he received for his photos of London’s
pigeons were taken in his spare time!

The
Myakka
annual photo shoot is an intense week providing the imagery required
for their new catalogue which will be released in the autumn. The
images are also used to promote their latest new products through
their ecommerce website.

“We
have worked with Simon for four
years now and the results we achieve are fantastic. The shoot is
intense and exhausting, but we have a lot of fun along the way!”
comments Georgie Hopkins, Director of Myakka.

Four
beautiful old English properties were used as locations including the
impressive Marston House. The manor house on the outskirts of Frome
was restored in 1984 by the Foster Yeoman family and is currently
used as parent company Aggregate Industries head quarters.

As
with every year,
the smooth running of the shoot is all in the planning which takes
many weeks of preparation prior to Simon arriving with his cameras.
Now the shoot has been completed the catalogue designers are busily
compiling the new Myakka catalogue ready for release in September.

“We
jokingly suggested Simon train the pigeons
he photographs in Peckham! Carrier pigeons would be a very
environmentally friendly way of distributing our new catalogues
across the country, although utilising his training methods we would
get through a lot of kebabs!”
said Georgie.

Myakka
tailors the designs of their furniture for the British market. All
the furniture is made in northern India by skilled craftsman using
the latest German computer controlled machinery ensuring the quality
is second to none. Myakka is an ethical business following fair
trade principles and is a recognised importer and retail member of
BAFTS (British Association of Fair Trade Shops). 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 10^th
Birthday Summer Sale.

For
more information about the shoot, Simon de Glanville and Myakka visit
their news blog at www.furniture-home.myakka.co.uk/
or the online shop at www.myakka.co.uk.

Introducing the letterbox Ecoflap, the
Ecoflap is a cleverly designed letterbox draught proofing system that
can be retro fitted to your existing letterbox to totally illuminate
draughts.

With up to 27% heat loss occurring
through the letterbox the Ecoflap will help you to keep your home
warm and save money on energy bills and pay for its self many times
over.

The Ecoflap does not use any springs
brushes or seals to operate, so there are no components to break , it
actually operates using its own weight and the wind to form a draught
proof seal with no rattles

Ecoflap is adaptable to fit various
sizes of delivery items through the letterbox up to A4 size thick
newspapers and magazines.

The Ecoflap is easy to install and
comes in the following colours white, silver or black to suit your
door .

In
follow up to the recent launch of their Shabby Chic range ‘Bamboo
Chic by Bambienti’ bamboo interiors specialists Bambienti this week
announces that London based retail group Chest of Drawers will be
stocking Bamboo Chic by Bambienti at all of their three stores in
Islington, Chiswick and Kingston.

As an
established retailer who specialises in sustainable furniture Chest
of Drawers came to prominence in recent years when they pioneered an
ethical and environmental rating guide which advises their customers
on the ethical credentials of each and every piece they sell. For
more information please visit www.chestofdrawers.co.uk

Founder
and Director Charles Colbourne said “I am delighted to welcome
Chest of Drawers as a retail partner. To be able to work with such an
established and credible company, one who has led the way for such a
considerable time with respect to responsible and sustainable
sourcing of products is such a boost for everyone associated with
Bambienti. We’re looking forward to supporting them’

Bamboo
Chic by Bambienti is a white range of interiors that is hand-made in
small to medium sized workshops out of Bamboo, a material that offers
strength, style and natural sustainability.

The
popularity of Shabby Chic style interiors, particularly furniture and
accessories continues unabated in 2009. However the problem for many
is that the original sources for this overtly neutral look, namely
antique shops and flea markets have become increasingly expensive.
The result is that more and more people have started to buy new
furniture and accessories that replicate the Shabby Chic look at
cheaper prices but in many cases the source of the wood used is
unknown and can often be found to be logged using unsustainable
methods.

With
the launch of ‘Bamboo Chic by Bambienti’ buyers who are going for
the Shabby Chic look have a naturally sustainable alternative.

For
more information about Bambienti, Bamboo Chic by Bambienti or to find
a stockist closer to home please visit www.bambienti.com and we will
be happy to put you in touch with your local store.

To
find out more about Chest Of Drawers please visit
www.chestofdrawers.co.uk

Visit
www.ambanature.co.uk for details.

amba
nature
Fair Trade Compendium WFTD 2009

The
World Fair Trade Organization is staging its first World Fair Trade
Day on 9 May 2009.

Celebrate
World Fair Trade Day with us and enter our Fair Trade Crossword
Competition.

9th
- 17th May 2009

• amba
  nature
  Fair Trade Crossword Competition – 3 prizes.

• Spend
  over £25 with amba
  nature
  and get Free Delivery.

• amba
  nature
  will donate 50p towards the purchase of Jatropha trees to offset the
  carbon emissions on all deliveries.

***************************

Place
an order and enter the Fair Trade Crossword Competition and you could
end up with a nice little double, and be giving something back to the
environment at the same time. Everyone’s A Winner!

1st
Prize – Necklace in New Fire Jade and Salmon Jasper

2nd
Prize – Two-strand Necklace

3rd
Prize – Necklace in Greenshell

Visit
www.ambanature.co.uk for details.