The winners will be announced at the Awards ceremony at the Lancaster Hotel, London, on 17th May 2012.

Teresa Owen, owner of Fairwind says “This is wonderful news for Fairwind, Fair Trees and the cone pickers of Georgia. We hope that the publicity surrounding this award nomination will help make more people aware of the serious ethical issues that the European Christmas tree industry needs to address.”

Fairwind has been campaigning to make Nordmann Fir Christmas trees in the UK fair trade. Working with the only grower of fair trade Christmas trees (Fair Trees) in the world, Bols Forstplanteskole in Denmark, Fairwind is trying to educate consumers and retailers about the ethical issues surrounding real Christmas trees. Fairwind is also hoping to sign up the first UK grower of Fair Trees this year. And every Christmas Fairwind sells Fair Trees through its website; at the moment Fairwind is the only source of fair trade Christmas trees in the UK.

Teresa Owen also managed to persuade Katie Melua to become a supporter and patron of the Fair Trees initiative and a film of her meeting the owners of Fair Trees can be seen here

Fairwind is also working in partnership with Fair Trees and an insurance repairs business, MA Assist, to raise £10,000 to renovate a local school in the cone picking region of Georgia. The project should be completed summer 2012.

Related Links

Fair Trade

Colney Woodland Burial Park, Watton Road, Norwich NR4 7TY

Come along and be inspired to put pen to paper in our month long poetry competition.

In support of The Tree Council’s Walk in the Woods month, Colney Woodland Burial Park is keen to capture local talent to put into words the beauty of the traditional English woodland, as well as what the burial park means to the hundreds of families who have trusted us to take care of their families at a difficult time.

The winners will be published in a beautiful book of poems given to families who visit the park, whether they have lost someone recently, or have come to the park for a time of reflection. Entry is free.

One winning entry, as well has featuring in the published book of poems, will receive a £20 book voucher.

A Walk in Colney Woods ENTRY FORM

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Green Burials

Green Events

Growing your own has never been so popular – all allotments in the borough now have waiting lists, whereas just a few years ago there were large unused allotment areas. So if you want to follow the trend, then you really need to plant your own edible garden this year!

“If you have a few pots on your balcony or windowsills, an allotment, a garden or anything in between –  we can now help you become an edible gardener.” says Poppy Berelowitz, EcoLocal’s community food gardener.

EcoLocal, are now offering six-week food growing courses which teach you everything from preparing your growing area and planning what to grow to ongoing plant care, soil fertility and how and when to harvest and store produce.  EcoLocal also offer one day workshops on keeping chickens, bees, herb gardening and more.

Poppy explains the benefits of growing your own; “It’s a fantastic way to save money on your food bills, and the food you grow yourself is the freshest you can eat!  I love gardening – it get’s me outdoors in the fresh air, I’d rather be gardening than in the gym.”

Ecolocal’s six-week course is subsidised by the Lottery and is only £60. You can choose from evening courses starting Wed 25th April and Saturday mornings starting 28th April.  One day workshops are only £20.

To find out more visit www.localfoodnetwork.org.uk or call 020 8770 6611

Related Links

Composting and Gardening

Environmental Education, Training and Jobs

1. If you have some dinner left in the pan, bag it and pop it in the freezer as a ready meal for one. Even small amounts can be pureed up for the baby or a kid’s portion!
2. Crusts and stale bread can be blitzed in the food processor to make breadcrumbs, then frozen. The same can be done with biscuits and cake (to use as topping for crumbles and puddings)
3. Dregs of wine or beer can be frozen in ice cube trays and popped out into stews and casseroles
4. Cut the bruises off old apples and toss into the pan with your sausages
5. Black bananas can be made into a super-quick pudding by mashing them up and adding some cream!

For more great ideas on saving food and leftovers – visit the website

I’ve always been an eco-conscious person. I tried to walk small distances instead of taking the car, recycled a little, tried to eat up leftovers and learned a little about chemicals one should avoid. I would say, I was looking after my health and the environment but didn’t know a much about harmful materials.

Then I had children and I am now a mum of three young kids and everything changed when I had my first one. I was reading a lot of articles during my first pregnancy. I wanted a good start for my baby and tried to figure out every detail starting from the healthiest mattress for my baby to sleep on to the most natural sleeping bag. I had it all covered – from the best shampoo to baby oil, from lotions to wipes and toothpaste. I had everything researched before giving birth and only used safe products – or so I thought. Little did I know!

I’d been fully breastfeeding for the first six months with my youngest. We then started with formula milk until he reached the age of a year when we substituted this with cow’s milk instead. He drank from his bottle until a health visitor told me that he needed to stop drinking from a bottle as it could harm his teeth.

Years after, I realised that his teeth would be only one part of the problem. I’d been feeding my babies with a bottle that was not BPA free. What is BPA? I only heard about BPA after I had my third child and someone asked me where I had sourced my kids’ reusable drink bottle. I did a lot of research and suddenly realised that heating up milk in the microwave in a non BPA free bottle was a big mistake and could be harmful for all of my children. BPA is the abbreviation for Bisphenol A, and is used along with other materials to make plastics. It may lead to negative health effects as it can get into drinks when heated.

I continued my research and decided to source BPA free bottles made out of stainless steel from the US. I would like to tell other people about harmful chemicals and help them to not make the same mistake as I did. I set up my own business at the end of 2010 when I became distributor for Green Bottle.

Daniela Schaffrik (Director of “A fine choice ltd.”)

Related Links

BPA Free Baby Products

Eco Baby Products

Packing has long been flagged as a growing problem within today’s society, with much of it being non-recyclable and sent off to landfill. Leavs Ltd have developed a void fill product that is organic, cost effective and due to its attractive nature impossible not to recycle if not dispose of conscientiously at the very least.

You can recycle any of leaves ltd’s variations by leaving them out for birds to use as nesting, putting onto compost heaps, using as pot pourri, putting in green or brown bins, the list is endless.

Leavs Ltd offer a wonderful alternative to conventional packaging. Using a variety of natural products and dried botanicals Leavs products have a unique look that celebrates our natural resources.

Research has shown that customers who received goods packaged in Leafil have been overwhelmed to see their goods so beautifully protected. They are not only talking about the packaging but Leavs have had a huge response from people excited to share the various ways in which they have reused the products. Leavs products can be naturally dyed and/or scented to incorporate company colours and scents unique to any business.

One of the greatest properties identified about Leavs products during research and trials has been people’s desire to recycle the product. Because the products are so attractive people actively want to recycle it rather than just dispose of it as quickly as possible. With Leavs organic credentials and people actively choosing to recycle it, it’s fast becoming the number one choice in responsible packaging.

Leavs Ltd has massive potential to enhance any product it is associated with. In light of some of the recent government statements about their determination to address the increasing effect packaging is having on landfill it is hoped that more and more companies will turn to companies such as Leavs Ltd for packaging solutions.

For more information please visit the website.

Related Links

Eco Friendly Packaging

Half a million people attended 3,000 events at the first Climate Week last year, in Britain’s biggest ever environmental occasion.  Events were run by schools, businesses, charities, councils and many others.

In a bid to encourage people to become more sustainable, as well as saving money and getting fit, The Borrowers are hosting their own Climate Week event by launching their 2012 Dig ‘n’ Devour Campaign.  They’re offering 100′s of free packets of veg seeds to encourage people to dig, plant and then devour some good home-grown vegetables without the need for pesticides and packaging.   Participants can also enter a competition to win a signed copy of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Cookbook.

South West based Director of The Borrowers, Lynn Bunniss, said “With the cost of vegetables spiralling ever upwards and the likelihood of the UK heading for a double-dip recession, one of the things we can all do is grow a few vegetables – even if it’s just a small pot on the window sill.  We’re offering beetroot, leeks, parsnips, carrots and courgettes to get people started”.

The Borrowers was created as a result of Lynn recently searching for an allotment to grow her own veg and un-earthing (pun intended!) a 100,000-long list of people throughout the UK waiting for a plot to become available.  She set up the website www.theborrowers.co.uk to give people an opportunity to advertise their spare gardens and land but it soon developed into a place to advertise all manner of things to rent out, share with other people or exchange for something else.

“We have all sorts of things on the website from a karaoke machine to a wedding dress, a driveway to a set of golf clubs, unused cooking pots and ponies for sharing.  It saves people a fortune by borrowing instead of buying new and gives others an opportunity to earn a few extra £’s in these difficult times.”

To join The Borrowers’ campaign and take part in Climate Week, claim your two free packets of veg seeds per postal address by registering with www.theborrowers.co.uk.  Once your account is activated, send your contact details to growyourown@theborrowers.co.uk with the subject “Dig and Devour Campaign 2012″ and you’ll receive your seeds within 7-10 days.  (Open to UK residents only)

Along with The Borrowers, other supporters of Climate Week include names such as David Cameron, Sir Paul McCartney, Sienna Miller, Marcus Brigstocke and Paloma Faith.  More details can be found on www.climateweek.com.

To help encourage more women to get on a bike, Breeze rides have started in Leamington, Kenilworth and Warwick!

These rides are led by a qualified ride leader and ideally suited to beginners as cover no more than 5 miles. They are traffic free and a refreshment stop for tea/coffee is included.  The pace will be leisurely and no one will be left behind! Rides will be happening on a regular basis both on weekdays and at the weekends.

If you are interested in taking part in a Breeze ride, please contact Dawn Rahman at dawnrahman@britishcycling.org.uk or tel. 07834 517347 for more information. Also, please get in touch if you are interested in longer rides that aren’t traffic free as these can also be arranged.

Finally, to find out more about the campaign please visit the website.

RELATED LINKS

Sustainable Transport

British Cycling

Choosing Fairtrade offers farmers and workers a better chance to work their way out of poverty, through fairer wages, safer conditions at work and a little extra, called the Fairtrade premium, to invest in projects to improve life for their whole communities.

In support of  Fairtrade fortnight Global kids are helping you to take a step to support Fairtrade by offering everyone 10% off all orders until the 11th March. Just enter FAIRTRADE12 at the checkout.

For a unique range of organic clothing for babies and children and fair trade toys and gifts visit www.globalkids.co.uk

Related Links

Fair Trade Listings

Related Links

The Coconut Bra

Green Gardening