We’re delighted to announce that GreenSteps Natural Eco-Paint is finally on the shelves at 61 Tesco stores nationwide. A genuinely eco-friendly paint from an Ethical Junction member at a high street store. It’s our objective to make eco-friendly products part of the mainstream and by buying the paint, you’ll help us to offer more genuine eco-products in the same way in future. You can see an interactive map to find your nearest stocking store at www.greensteps.co.uk/paint.

GreenSteps paint is:

• VOC free
• Solvent free 
• Non-toxic 
• Easy to use
• Highly durable and 
• Breathable.

Available in a pure White and a warm Magnolia, it offers a genuinely healthy and environmentally friendly choice and it’s great value at only £17 for 2.5L. Go to www.greensteps.co.uk/paint for more details.

GreenSteps Limited 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.

The Eco
Home Centre in Canton, Cardiff is holding a Community Open Day on the
25th of July. The day will consist of a range of activities for
people to come along and enjoy and learn from. There will be an
afternoon Natural Painting workshop where people can learn how to
make their own paint and also a morning workshop about
Eco-refurbishment. Information can be found at
www.ecohomecentre.co.uk.

The
Paint Making workshop is suitable for adults and kids alike as it
will involve getting down and dirty with paint making. Many paints
can be made everyday items like eggs and milk, so if you want to make
your own organic paint, just use organic ingredients bought from the
shops. All this and may more tricks of the trade will be revealed on
the day.

The
Eco-refurbishment workshop will focus on how to improve your home
using local sustainable materials and also retro-fit products to
reduce energy and water consumption. All the inform ation will be
practically based and also focused on affordability and ease of use.

An
everyday visit can be very beneficial since The Eco Home Centre is a
rich source of free information and resources for people to gain the
knowledge and confidence they need to create sustainable homes. As
well as eco-friendly building and DIY products, the centre has a wide
range of literature from the Energy Saving Trust and a library of
books and publications that can be perused over a cup of fairtrade
tea or coffee.

The
focus of the centre is on sustainable refurbishment, since most of
the work that needs to be done in Cardiff is to the existing housing
stock. To RDE this means finding solutions to building problems that
are environmentally friendly, affordable and appropriate for the
building. The Eco Home Centre is therefore designed to be accessible
to all rather than just the well-healed green self-build pioneers.
RDE is keen to show that creating ‘green’ homes is not just for the
affluent in society, it is something that can be accessible to
everyone.

The Eco
Home Centre is in 16 Wyndham Crescent (just off of Cowbridge Road and
opposite the car park) and so is very accessible by public transport
(no. 61 stops outside the door, alternatively any bus going up
Cowbridge Road is just a minute away). Bikes can be brought inside,
but we will be a little short of space.

The date for this year is Sunday 5 October from 10am – 5pm. in the Market Hall, Abergavenny. We have backing from Fairtrade Wales as well as local businesses and Abergavenny Council. There will be plenty of local and regional press coverage as well as BBC Wales.

Last year saw a huge attendance and we will increase this year. Stalls last year included – Love Zimbabwe, Goodies from the Gambia, Bag- Age, Bryn – y – Cwm project, Smouldering Sage,Biltong 2 U,Tropical Forest, Fairtrade Abergavenny & Crickhowell, Tools for self reliance, VSO, etc.

We also had fantastic catering from Scrumptious catering and Taste Zimbabwe. We will be having the Fairtrade fashion show again and the drumming workshop from Dave Roberts. Also, hopefully the amazing Chrys Blanchard and Abercapella. We have a school group performing African Dance and hope to be bringing over from Zimbabwe Sam Mtukudzi son of Oliver (Tuku) the most well known Zimbabwean artiste.

There will be a childrens area this year with face painting and a bouncy castle. Music and entertainment will be going on all day and there will be lots more to announce as we get nearer to the date. I realise that it is still relatively early, but it would help us enourmously if those who are interested in taking a stall this year could let me know as soon as possible. Looking forward to seeing you all in October.

Kind Regards,
David and Martha Holman.

Email: fairsfairfairs@mail2world.com
Telephone: 07879400897 / 07774608215 / 01873854055

The seminars will
address topical ethical investment issues
including:

John Fleetwood, Ethical Funds Development Manager