Eco Ezee Online Shop Opens!!!

The NEW Eco Ezee Shop has now opened online. You can now buy all your brushes and paint trays online from the comfort of your own home and have them sent directly to your door.

Access to the shop is at www.ecoezeeshop.com or via our website www.ecoezee.com

The shop offers our full range of professional brushes at affordable prices and the fantastic reusable (with no washing out) Paint Tray.

Eco Ezee Limited is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

IT’S NOT EASY BEING GREEN!

It’s a bit of a conundrum this environment malarkey. We know that we are harming the environment as a race but find it so difficult to change our behaviour as individuals.

I think that the majority of us can agree that we humans are contributing to the decline of our natural environment. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is in no doubt that man has been and is a major causal effect of Global Warming. And they ought to know – they consult some of the brainiest boffins from around the globe.

We are consuming finite resources at an ever increasing rate and clearly don’t balance the books in terms of the energy we use now and the energy that is available in the long term to support us. It’s like we are withdrawing money from the bank faster than we are putting it in. Eventually the money runs out and it has to stop. Spot any similarities with another major global crisis of the moment?

As with any emotive and important issue, there are extremes of opinion. In terms of the Environment debate you have got one extreme extolling the virtues of the motor car and poo-pooing the “environmentalists” and their arguments. At the other end of the scale are those who are so concerned that they break onto airfields and chain themselves to aeroplanes. That said, the vast majority of us I believe (and that includes me) take a more rounded view.

Yes we can see we are harming the environment. We burn fuel virtually every time we travel, whether it’s the car, bus, train or plane. We burn fuel to heat our water and homes. We burn fuel every time we turn on a light, watch the TV or use a PC. It is very easy to use up energy  – whether it’s electricity, gas, oil or petrol. And it’s not just us as individuals. Business and industry burn fuel as well; just on a much bigger scale!

The problem is it is so easy to use energy, and in today’s society it’s virtually impossible to avoid using it. I am sitting at a PC now that is using electricity. I have got an electric heater on in the office (although a coat as well to be honest – 1 eco-browny point to me then). You will be reading this on your PC screen, probably in a heated house or office, with a light on, and a brew on the go and maybe with the TV still on even though you’re not really watching it. I know it’s true, because I still do it. It’s just too easy and energy is not so expensive (yet) that we have to save every last drop of it.

At the end of the day I don’t believe that the vast majority of us are going to take major steps to change our behaviour and help the environment unless it there is a real benefit to us. Saving energy either has to have a tangible financial benefit or at the very least make us feel good about ourselves.

Maybe the best we can hope for, until finance or imminent disaster forces us to do otherwise, is that each of us “non-extremists” does what we can to save energy. The simple stuff. The stuff that can make us feel good and lower our bills a bit.

The Hard Sell (not) 

To help you do “the simple stuff”, I just happen to sell a few great energy saving products at http://www.ecofreak.co.uk/ my online shop. If  you want to save energy and money and you buy just one thing from us, buy a wireless energy monitor such as the Efergy Elite. It is this that I believe will help to encourage you to start moving towards a greener way of living by making you think about the energy you use on a daily basis. It’s actually very satisfying finding where energy is being wasted and taking steps to reduce it. If you get the bug and want to do more take a look at our information page on how to reduce your energy bills or just browse our eco products.

Save some energy, have some fun, save some money – it feels good!

Ecofreak is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Below we have listed 10 way to keep yourself Eco-Healthy these holidays.

1. Take Your Vitamins! Keeping healthy on the inside is one of the best ways to feel healthy on the outside. Make sure to get your supplements from eco-friendly stores such as Higher Nature or Holland and Barrett. Keeping your body healthy stops you from craving extra foods and therefore creating surplus waste!

2. Use Natural Skin Products There are plenty of eco-stores selling amazing green skin products that use only natural ingredients and haven’t been tested on animals. These products are kinder on your skin and produced more sustainably than other commercial cosmetic products. Once you’ve finished your current foundation or body lotion replace it with more natural products and reap the benefits.

3. Organic, Unbleached Clothing and Bedding Products Kinder on your skin and good for the environment try to buy un-dyed and un-bleached clothing and bedding wherever possible.

4. Exercise Outside Avoid the gym and exercise outside instead! Running, yoga, power-walking, swimming… a lot of these activities can be done outdoors saving you money and lowering your carbon footprint!

5. Eat ‘Green’ Foods Try to eat organic, fairtrade, natural, un-processed and local foods. Not only are these better for the environment but cutting out processed foods has been proven to be better for your health and your body! Drink plenty of water instead of carbonated drinks and try to snack on natural plants, seeds and products.

6. Turn It Off Turn off your electronic products. Try to avoid charging your phone or laptop unnecessarily and avoid some of the health risks that can come with using a computer or phone too much. Cut out those headaches, save on your energy bill and reduce your carbon footprint all in one!

7. Spend Time Outside Get some fresh air! Spending more time outdoors is better for your body and helps avoid spending hours in front of the Tv.

8. Go Vintage! Shopping at thrift stores saves you money and can revamp your wardrobe to bring you into the fashion-forward lane! Look amazing whilst recycling old clothes, what a great excuse to go shopping.

9. Plan Ahead! Sticking to your goals and plans without being distracted by the commercialisation of the world can help keep you focused and happy. You can save money simply by sticking to your shopping list and not being taken in by the fancy displays! Never get the post-shopping blues again!

10. Walk the Dog Walking the dog combines exercise, fresh air and bonding with your special pet! Getting outside of the house for a set amount of time each day can reduce stress and help keep you (and your pooch) trim… what an eco treat!

MoreEco is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

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.

                Freecycle and Swop with Points not £’s
Swop2Shop is an innovative, new, clothes swopping website, allowing its members to Replenish and Re-vamp their wardrobes, WITHOUT THE NEED FOR CASH.
Membership entitles the user to NO LISTING FEES and FREE POINTS to kick start the Swopping Process.
Buy Gift Vouchers for friends and family as the ultimate Eco- Friendly present.
As Swishing events take hold, the beauty of Swop2Shop is that the whole clothes swopping process can be enjoyed from the comfort of one’s own home.
Swop2Shop has been designed to nurture all those who not only care about their bank balances but feel passionately about the environment too.
The site provides a platform for members to swop their clothes and accessories, between each other, in a safe and trustworthy environment.  Selected brands from High Street to Designer are listed on our CLASSIC , TRENDS or KIDS sites and are ready to swop.
A constant RE-CYCLING of clothes diminishes those guilty consumer feelings especially during these Credit Crunch Times.
LISTING IT….SWOPPING IT …..WEARING IT …..has never been easier.
Guilt Free,  Green Shopping, All the Way.
10% of Swop2Shop Gift Vouchers sold will be donated to Charity.  Swop2Shop is supporting Maggie’s Cancer. Be Eco-Friendly
Get Listing….Get Swopping….Get Re-Cycling
To be part of Swop2Shop or for further information please go to www.swop2shop.co.uk
Swop2Shop has issued this release.
For further information please contact: admin@swop2shop.co.uk Kathryn Jenkins on 07545493841, e-mail kathryn@swop2shop.co.uk

A new organisation is helping people tolive happier and more fulfilling lives, despite the challenges of the creditcrunch.

Life^² (www.lifesquared.org.uk) is offeringcourses, guides, public talks and advice aimed at helping people to ‘live well’ – to live happy, wise lives inthe modern world.  It is currentlyrecruiting for new participants to join its ‘just think… ‘ scheme – an innovative8-week group course that people run themselves without a tutor in their ownhomes.  It aims to help people to standback from their lives and find ways of making them better – including living inline with their values and living the lives they want.

One participant on a recent ‘just think…’
course commented ‘the course has been really useful in reflecting and focussing
on my life and making practical plans to work towards a future I hope to
realise.  It has been great to meet and
discuss these with the group who have been very supportive and encouraging’.

Life² Director, Richard Docwra, noted that ‘in
modern society, we’ve become obsessed with the idea that the only way to be
happy is to earn more money, get more status or acquire new things.  Our courses and guides show that this is not
only untrue, but also that constantly striving for this material success can
actually cause us problems in health, stress and happiness.  Our courses and guides help people to help
people to stand back from their lives, understand the world better and work out
how they really want to live.  On
reflection, many people find that the most important things in life often don’t
involve money – such as good relationships, having more time and having a sense
of purpose.  This is a particularly
important message during the credit crunch, when people have less money and
career stability and are looking for ways of making life better’.

The Life² website and shop can be found at www.lifesquared.org.uk.  

WhizzGo, the pay-by-the-hour car club, is offering members of Ethical Junction a great offer this summer. With WhizzGo, you can hire a car when you need one for as little as an hour or as long as you need and with a fleet of low emission Citroens, you can be sure that by using WhizzGo you are reducing the number of cars on the road and cutting emissions and pollution in your area, as well as saving money.

Ethical Junction members and readers can now get £20 FREE drive time when they join WhizzGo. Just enter the promo code ETHICALJUNCTION09 when signing up at www.whizzgo.co.uk or give the WhizzGo team a call on 08444 77 99 66. Valid until September 2009.

And for any businesses who want to replace their current business transport with a greener option, they can take advantage of a three-month no obligation trial with WhizzGo. For more information, contact Peter Pratt on 08444 77 99 66 or email peter.pratt@whizzgo.co.uk 

The more I read the news the more apoplectic I become. Basically it comes down to two core truths: Big Business Sucks; Big Politics sucks. The former has sucked everything and everybody dry, robbed us of all life. The latter has sucked up to the former and greased the wheels of legislation for a greased palm or two. The only realsitic way to stop this is to stop playing their game their way like a bunch of wet sheep on morphine.

OK, we’re all in this together – I’m guessing we have certain wish-list items in common. For example: we all want a world in which it’s safe for us to breathe, eat and drink; we’d like our children and grandchildren to have the same gorgeous natural surroundings we have been privileged to enjoy. We’d like to see less warfare and fear, more peace and laughter. We sometimes feel there’s little we can do to help. WRONG. Research shows there are 250 million of us – people who want a just and sustainable future (I’ll come back to this in future postings). Do the sums, we can make a HUGE difference, starting with where we shop and what we choose to buy. And better still, where and what we DON’T choose to buy.

FatWest, General Bloaters and Gainsburys don’t give a toss about us or our wellbeing. Why would we give them all the cash earned with our blood, sweat and tears? It’s like cooking lunch for someone who’s just mugged you.

Time to rebel. Be revolting – you have nothing to lose except your shackles…

Rob Weston, Schmeditor

Picks from the Market

EcoOutlet have a great range of ethical goodies. This fruit, vegetable and wheatgrass juicer not only requires no electricity, it actually produces higher-nutrient juices than the carbon-villain variety…

Well Cultivated – these guys are the real thing. They check everything, they really care about making a difference and they have seriously cool stuff. 

Natural Home Products are very rare – they have 20 years of specialist experience in seriously high-integrity bedding products, yet they make no self-important claims. They just take good care of their customers and provide superb products, again and again and again. Here, to prove the point, are two organic summer duvets to keep you cool at night:

Teramo Summer Organic Merino LambsWool Duvet
Firenze Summer Organic Cotton Duvet

Cool Green Attitude is a company founded by mums for kids and their families who want great clothes that look and feel wonderful and do no harm to others. If you are going to have attitude, this is the kind we want… have a look at their cool green t-shirts!

Picks from the Pulse

New Social enterprise round up from the Social Enterprise Coalition

Antartic Ice Shelf Destabilised

Ethical Junction gets on Twitter!  @ethicaljunction

The Environmental Transport Association slate the “car scrappage scheme”!

Produced daily by the Social Enterprise Coalition

CICs should get tax
relief

Hundreds of miles
of ice drop from Antarctic shelf

 Blears: ‘Recession
could cause civil unrest and fracture communities’

Continue reading for lots more…

National

CICs should get tax
relief

Gemma Hampson,
Social Enterprise Magazine

Community interest
companies (CICs) should be entitled to an equivalent of Gift Aid,
according to the law firm behind the legal structure. Abbie Rumbold,
a partner with Bates Wells and Braithwaite, which helped set up the
CIC structure four years ago, is working with the Social Enterprise
Coalition to push for tax relief for the 2,600 registered CICs. She
said the success of the CIC structure showed it was seen as a
valuable legal structure and that tax incentives would see it grow
even further.

http://www.socialenterprisemag.co.uk/sem/news/detail/index.asp?id=950

Learning from
others is a key to success

Social Enterprise
Magazine

John Pepin is
consultancy firm JPA’s Europe partner and has over 15 years as a
CEO of a variety of charities and social enterprises. He also has a
wealth of consultancy experience in many areas from strategic and
business planning, to collaboration, sales and mentoring.  Here,
he talks about his latest experience at a master class for social
entrepreneurs in Indonesia.  On 23-24 March in Jakarta, 18
social entrepreneurs gathered for a master class entitled Skills for
Social Entrepreneurs, Achieving Your Dreams: Growing Your Enterprise
Profitability, Enhancing Your Financial and Social Return.

http://www.socialenterprisemag.co.uk/sem/tradingplace/detail/index.asp?id=949

Filling the gap

Joanna Lyall, The
Guardian

As the government
looks for savings from public services, a small building in a
Derbyshire mining village could reshape the way we receive NHS dental
care. Here in South Normanton, Genesis Dental Care opened its first
practice as a social enterprise, welcoming NHS patients just months
after new contractual arrangement in April 2006 led to more than
1,000 dentists fleeing the NHS. “The nation seemed deprived of
dental solutions, and the new contract was going to make the needs
even more acute,” says former banker Steve Holmes, chief
executive of Genesis Social Enterprises.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/apr/29/dentists-shortage-nhs

Reluctant role
model

Mary O’Hara, The
Guardian

As one idea after
another pours from Mark Brown, he comes across like the enthused
young editor of any start-up magazine – and with its playful design
and headlines like “Eat yourself fitter”, the magazine he
edits looks and feels like any lifestyle publication. But it isn’t.

….Brown recalls how,
sitting in a greasy spoon cafe in Camden, north London, a couple of
years ago, he and a few colleagues from the social enterprise Social
Spider, where he is a director, “knocked the idea around”
for a magazine that could plug the “information gap” for
people with mental illness.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/apr/29/one-in-four-mental-health

Blears: ‘Recession
could cause civil unrest and fracture communities’

Jon Land, 24dash

The recession could
tip Britain towards riots and civil disorder unless voluntary
organisations are handed extra resources, Communities Secretary Hazel
Blears will warn today. Promising to come up with sustainable sources
of funds by the summer, Ms Blears will say the economic downturn
could either drive communities apart or bring them closer
together.
….”Not ‘on your bike’ like previous recessions,
but how can we help you open a bike repair workshop, start a social
enterprise to encourage cycling, start a bike-share scheme in your
neighbourhood.

http://www.24dash.com/news/Local_Government/2009-04-29-Blears-Recession-could-cause-civil-unrest-and-fracture-communities

Barnardo’s to
deliver training contract to Doha charity

Charity Finance

Barnardo’s has
secured a six-figure contract to deliver training and professional
development to a children’s disability charity in Qatar.

In the first phase of
the partnership, the Shafallah Center for Children with Special Needs
in Doha will be visited by Barnardo’s staff who will conduct a
needs analysis and decide what kind of training the Qatari employees
could best benefit from.
….The contract will be delivered by
Barnardo’s training social enterprise, tlc, which earns the charity
more than £700,000 a year.

http://www.charityfinance.co.uk/home/content.php?id=2775&pg=15&cat=58

Nunn to leave
Futurebuilders in restructuring

Futurebuilders
England’s director of market development, Gill Nunn, is to leave
the organisation at the end of June as part of a “proposed
restructure” at the government funder. She will have been in the
post for nine months. According to Futurebuilders’ interim head of
press, Jo White, Nunn (pictured) has taken voluntary redundancy as
part of a proposed restructuring of the organisation.  White
said the restructure had been prompted by the winning of the contract
to deliver the Department of Health’s £100m Social Enterprise
Investment Fund. “The organisation needs to change to accommodate
that,” she said.

http://www.charityfinance.co.uk/home/content.php?id=2772&pg=15&cat=58

Scottish SMEs
’should capitalise on public contracts’

Small Business

Public bodies in
Scotland are being encouraged to give small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs) access to their contracts. Finance minister John
Swinney outlines a range of measures which can be taken to increase
the number of small firms, charities and social enterprises winning
public sector contracts. He suggests small businesses would benefit
from more promotion of the free Public Contracts Scotland online
portal which highlights opportunities. In addition, outcome-based
tenders which encourage innovation and payment terms that ensure
settlement within 30 days could make public sector contracts more
attractive.

http://www.smallbusiness.co.uk/channels/sales-and-marketing/news/1021111/scottish-smes-should-capitalise-on-public-contracts.thtml

Local

Business Diary

North West Evening
Mail

A CUMBRIAN-based
organisation is behind a major social enterprise summit underlying
the sector’s key role in driving the North West out of
recession.NEW luxury hotel, Eden Lodge, owned by a German
businessman, opens at Bardsea. The event has been launched as new
figures reveal that the Third Sector is generating £2bn for the
region’s economy, employs 50,000 people and utilises the resources
of 30,000 volunteers. Kevin Brennan, Minister for the Third Sector,
will deliver the keynote speech at the event being put together by
Social Enterprise North West and Cumbria’s Social Enterprise
Partnership.

http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/business_2_3069/business_diary_1_547339?referrerPath=raiders

Commissioner visit
to see EU funds helping economic development and regeneration

East Midlands
Development Agency

Danuta Hübner,
European Commissioner for Regional Policy, today visited the East
Midlands to witness first hand how European money is being used to
increase levels of innovation, productivity and enterprise. This
visit comes one year on from emda’s official launch of the region’s
new European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Competitiveness
Programme for the period 2007 – 2013
….ERDF is a valuable
source of funding for Local Authorities, universities, business
support intermediaries, entrepreneurs, social enterprises and
community organisations.

http://www.emda.org.uk/news/newsreturn.asp?fileno=3612

New grant unveiled
for Peak District Businesses

Staffordshire
Moorlands District Council

FARMERS and small
businesses in the Peak District have been urged to apply for a new
grant starting at £3,500. The plea was made this week by
Staffordshire Moorlands District Council after the European Union and
the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs agreed to
plough £1.9m into a Leader programme established for the Peak
District Rural Action Zone.

….The Leader
initiative is intended to improve productivity and quality of life in
the Peak District by funding projects drawn up by micro businesses
and social enterprises that are too small to qualify for the main
RDPE programme.

http://www.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk/site/scripts/news_article.php?newsID=768

Helping disabled in
the workplace

Isle of Man Today

A COMBINATION of
corporate goodwill and one of the world’s largest auction websites is
set to become the launch pad for helping people with disabilities in
the Isle of Man into full time work. Friends Provident International,
one of the Isle of Man’s leading life and pension companies, has
helped fund start-up costs for a new office project in Douglas to be
run by the Crossroads charity.
….Now they have come up with the
novel idea of starting a Social Enterprise initiative, employing
people with disabilities to work in office premises above the main
shop, marketing and selling some of these donated products on eBay.

http://www.iomtoday.co.im/isle-of-man-business/Helping-disabled-in-the-workplace.5202929.jp

Battle to reopen
Albion Leisure Centre

This is Nottingham

PROTESTERS who want to
reopen an Ilkeston leisure centre have been given new hope. They
gathered in Ilkeston ahead of an extraordinary meeting of Erewash
Borough Council yesterday. It was called to discuss the Albion
Leisure Centre which the council closed last year. Members of the
public formed the Friends of Albion Leisure Centre (FALC) and applied
to reopen the building as a social enterprise, but their bid was
rejected. Yesterday evening, around 50 people – many of whom were
children – gathered to protest about the rejection of the bid and
called for the council to reopen negotiations over the centre’s
future.

http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/homenews/Hope-leisure-centre-campaigners/article-945413-detail/article.html

Of general interest

Politics:

Back expenses
changes, urges PM

BBC News Online

Gordon Brown has urged
MPs to back his planned expenses reforms in Thursday’s vote, despite
having dropped the main proposal for a daily allowance. He has faced
calls to delay any changes until after an independent inquiry but
says interim action must be taken now.

Tory MP Bill Cash
jibed Mr Brown about his “comedy turn on YouTube” – a
reference to the internet broadcast in which he outlined his original
plan. He told MPs he would keep using YouTube as an important
information tool.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8024433.stm

Business:

‘Talks to end
working time opt out fail’
Bob
Sherwood and Stanley Pignal, Financial Times

British employers
breathed a sigh of relief on Tuesday after attempts to abolish the
UK’s right to opt out of European Union rules limiting a working
week to 48 hours finally disintegrated. The failure of marathon
negotiations between the European parliament and EU governments to
break the deadlock on the issue means UK companies will continue to
be able to offer staff the opportunity to work longer hours.  The
CBI employers’ organisation hailed the retention of the opt-out as
a “victory for common sense”. Pat McFadden, employment relations
minister, said the government had “refused to be pushed into a bad
deal for Britain”.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e7bd1924-33c3-11de-83af-00144feabdc0.html

Environment:

Hundreds of miles
of ice drop from Antarctic shelf

David Rising, The
Independent

New satellite images
from the European Space Agency show massive amounts of ice are
breaking away from a shelf on the western side of the Antarctic
Peninsula, researchers said today. The Wilkins Ice Shelf had been
stable for most of the last century, but began retreating in the
1990s. Researchers believe it was held in place by an ice bridge
linking Charcot Island to the Antarctic mainland.

But the
127-square-mile (330-square-kilometer) bridge lost two large chunks
last year and then shattered completely on 5 April.

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/hundreds-of-miles-of-ice-drop-from-antarctic-shelf-1676149.html

Renewable energy enthusiasts invited to share their expertise (and win a wattson)

The experience and enthusiasm of people who have installed renewable
energy (such as solar panels, biomass boilers or wind turbines) in
their home is at the heart of YouGen’s remit of
helping make it easy for people to navigate a complex new market and
choose wisely.

Research* shows that people have difficulty in finding impartial, informed advice about renewable energy; that 91 per cent look at the internet for advice; and that they want an installer who is knowledgeable, trustworthy, reliable and preferably local. YouGen will use social media to provide a one stop shop for renewable energy.

‘We’re calling on people who have installed renewable energy or made their house more energy efficient to register on the site now, ready for the user-generated section which goes live after Easter,’ says founder Cathy Debenham.  ‘To encourage them, we’re entering everyone who registers before Easter into a draw to win a wattson – the stylish energy meter from DIY Kyoto.

‘Renewable energy is a really confusing market, and most of the early adopters have a story to tell. While their original motivation may have been to reduce energy bills, or for energy security or environmental protection, renewable energy often fascinates people in a way they don’t expect. It engages you with the energy you use, bringing you closer to nature and more aware of its power.’

Companies serving the domestic renewable energy, microgeneration and energy efficiency markets are also invited to register, and they too will be able to add profiles once the user-generated section of the site goes live after Easter.

The YouGen site currently consists of independently researched information, which prides itself in giving practical information, cutting through the jargon and making it easy for people to see if a technology is suitable for their home. The blog has regular contributions from YouGen Energy Experts who are professionals in their field, and are happy to answer questions. It covers energy efficiency as well as renewable energy.

Recent blog posts include:

• Will feed-in tariffs deliver for us?

• Calculators shed light on renewable choices

• Fascinating facts about wood

• Insulation is king

For more information contact:

Cathy Debenham, e: cathy@yougen.co.uk, t: 01395 597879
YouGen – renewable energy made easy – www.yougen.co.uk