Tag Archives: green

The Socrates Project Book Launch

Posted on by

More than 90 influential members of the media, outdoor sports, environmental agencies and the publishing world joined explorers, adventurers, politicians and senior business men and women at the launch of The Socrates Project.

mark beaumont. The Socrates Project

We drank amazing Blue Cocktails (Blue Gold Cocktail Recipe: Equal measures of blue curacao and vodka poured over plenty of ice, top up with lemonade and stir.) mingled and talked with the author, Daron Sheehan and Mark Beaumont amongst others. All in all, it was an amazing night and we are looking forward to reviewing the book.

The Socrates VIP launch.

The event, held between 6pm and 9pm on June 25th 2013 at Artemis, St. James Street, London, was described by guests as a “massive success” and “an important starting point to spread the word about The Socrates Project and its optimistic, thrilling and at times terrifying vision of our future”.

 

The event attracted a wide range of guests from different backgrounds including the leader of the Green Party, Natalie Bennett and journalists from The Guardian, Frost Magazine, Daily Mail, Sunday Mirror and Friends of the Earth. Guests heard from the author, Daron Sheehan, about the inspiration behind the creation of the sicads, “the robotic creatures created by humans to save us who are the main characters in this story” (more info about the sicads – http://the-socrates-project.com/hope-vs-greed/). As Mark Beaumont, ambassador of The Socrates Project, pointed out: “This is a book that doesn’t happily sit in any one genre. In truth, when Daron told me about the idea for The Socrates Project I had concerns; that it would be too sci-fi for me, and that it could come across as Daron preaching. I’m happy to say my concerns were not founded, in fact, this is a fantastic story but it also made me stop to think and reflect on some of the news stories that had recently caught my eye.”

 

Influenced by his vast experiences while travelling the world (during a three-year sabbatical from his successful investment career spanning 16 years), the author, Daron Sheehan, was encouraged to create the story with a view to turning it into a film, something the Nautilus Media team (responsible for publishing the book) is currently working on.

 

Blue Gold cocktails were served and guests were given a goody bag complete with a copy of The Socrates Project, nibbles for the train journey home, a recycled paper notepad and pen set and a TSP-themed Oyster card wallet. Following a Twitter competition, run by Literally PR (@literallypr), David Fuentes (@theperformer) won two free VIP tickets to attend the launch. Fuentes said: “It is great to be able to come along to an event such as this, particularly one that is so busy and full of interesting people”.

 

Music was provided by the incredibly talented Fergal O’Connor and Catriona Lightfoot, who performed the first live version of a song created in honour of The Socrates Project.

 

This book is for anyone who loves outdoor sports, adventure and travel, who wants to preserve our environment, conserve nature, and reduce the threat of pollution on our wildlife, for those of us who are prepared to put our heads above the parapet and discuss what could happen when civil unrest hits our streets even more regularly and more violently than it already is, when water is known as ‘blue gold’ and becomes more valuable to millions of us, including in the West, than ‘yellow gold’. The Socrates Project is fictional, but it presents a shocking account of what could be…
Synopsis

The Socrates Project is a secret attempt by the United Nations to avert the predicted collapse of our civilisations. Simon Oceandis heads up the sicads, who must blend modern science and ancient wisdom to find the solutions before time runs out.

 

Not everybody welcomes the Project. An influential secret society plots to discredit and destroy the sicads. Torn between the love of a beautiful scientist and a fiery tribeswoman, Simon discovers an exotic world of adventure and wonder. To find the answers to save humanity, he must undergo a deep inner journey, yet his life becomes a frantic race for survival…

 

Is it happening? Could it happen? Should it happen? Decide for yourself! Live the story…

 

“Michael Crichton meets George Orwell” – Ross Leckie

“A masterpiece of storytelling…a gripping tale of adventure…” – Mark Beaumont

 

Chasing Ice Review: One of The Most Important Documentary’s of Our Time?

Posted on by

chasingiceClimate Change seems like an endless debate. With evidence coming from both sides of the divide. It is not hard to get confused and just want some straight facts. I have read James Delingpole’s Watermelons book which had some good, hard facts in it, helped massively by the scandal involving scientists and their hacked emails. Climategate certainly did global warming no favours.

But now climate change has a new big hitter on its side: National Geographic photographer James Balog. After all, seeing is believing and James Balog’s photography of melting icebergs cannot be dismissed. In fact, after telling a friend about the documentary he told me of a friend who had trained for two years to go to the North Pole and then could not because the ice had all melted and it was not possible to get there on foot. Worrying stuff.

Now to the documentary. First thing is first: wow. The documentary is beautiful. Balog’s photography is just striking and perfect. His photography ends up on the front cover of the National Geographic. It is fair to say that he might be the best nature photographer working today. However, this is not the only point of Chasing Ice. The point of Chasing Ice is the melting icebergs. Despite knee operations and health problems Balog kept returning to the Arctic and launched the EIS: Extreme Ice Survey. In the eight years since he started the project- in 2005- the icebergs had severely melted, if not disappeared altogether.

Chasing Ice was shortlisted for an Oscar and grossed over $75,000 at the box office in the UK alone. This is all with good reason, Chasing Ice is a brilliant documentary. A must see for everyone and possibly the most important documentary of out time.

Chasing Ice is out now . Join the EIS: Extreme Ice Survey if you would like to help.

 

 

Green is the New Tax Break

Posted on by

Being green isn’t just a good idea because it’s good for the environment. While protecting ecosystems is lovely, a more immediate concern is your pocket-book. The following are a few reasons why being green is money-friendly now.

Valuable Tax Deductions

Tax Deductions For Going Green

Avail Valuable Tax Deductions For Going Green

 

Image via Flickr by KOMUnews

There are several tax deductions that still apply in the realms of electric cars and using more energy-efficient household items. While the deductions aren’t quite as generous today as they were in 2007, there is still a lot of money to be saved if you go aggressively into making your home work better and use less energy. In some cases, you can save up to 30 percent of the cost of installing items like solar panels and wind turbines. While these deductions may not last, they can help to take the sting out of the initial installation costs of some green items.

Lower Energy Bills

It goes without saying that if you make your home work more efficiently, you won’t use as much electricity. It also makes sense that you won’t use as much natural gas if that gets involved in your heating process. As you may have already guessed, this can mean saving a lot of money in heating and cooling your home. In cases where you use well insulated windows to add light, it can even lower your light bill. Alternative power production such as the installation of solar panels also works well to cut down your bills. There are all kinds of ways you can save money every month just by going greener.

More Value if You Sell Later

You may love your home so much that you stay in it for the rest of your natural life. But if you ever decide to move and sell your home, a lot of potential buyers will be impressed by a more efficient place. This works on a couple of levels, and they aren’t just about the immediate cash savings the buyer will get from having lower utility bills.

Naturally, a more efficient home is going to have the lower energy bills you heard about earlier. But what isn’t always so obvious is that a more efficient home usually comes from an owner who cares more about it. This care tends to result in less deferred maintenance and a better home, which will be less likely to need major maintenance early on.

More Comfort During Outages

Sometimes a utility is going to fail. As annoying as this will inevitably be, if you have alternative power generation going on you won’t be totally powerless. If you use a geothermal heating and cooling system powered with wind or solar panels, you may also be able to keep your home comfortable during an outage. If your insulation and blinds are good and you aren’t letting out too much of the air temperature you want, this also speaks of more comfort when the situation isn’t ideal.

There are so many ways you save money when you make your home more efficient. Going green may be the best thing you have ever done for your finances.

Oliver Heath Eco Product Round Up

Posted on by

Oliver Heath ***Pic by David McHugh 07768 721637***When we hear the word ‘eco friendly’ we don’t often picture design or beauty, however as demand grows for energy efficient products the design world has responded by not only bringing some attractive but also clever products to the market.

Sustainable architectural and interior designer Oliver Heath has created a list of his favourite eco products. He is supporting The Green Deal, an energy saving initiative from the Government that lets you pay for some of the cost of making energy-saving property improvements, over time, through savings on your energy bills. Improvements available include insulation, heating, draught-proofing and double-glazing.

If these products have got you thinking more about energy efficiency then free and impartial advice about the Green Deal is available by calling the Energy Saving Advice Service on 0300 123 1234 or visit www.gov.uk/greendeal

Waterpebble £9.99 from waterpebble_Nigelsecostore.com

www.nigelsecostore.com

 

‘People don’t often realise you pay for water three times: to run it, heat it and get rid of it. By using the water pebble you can reduce the amount of water you use. Place the pebble near the plughole and it will monitor how much you use during your shower, flashing red to indicate when you should finish showering.’

 

Bosch Styline Sensor Kettle www.bhs.co.uk £70.00‘

This stylish Bosch kettle not only looks good but features a stainless steel filter which means lime scale doesn’t collect so you won’t find yourself wasting water by emptying the kettle to get rid of it. The kettle also features different temperature gauges so you don’t need to take your water to boiling point if it isn’t needed.’

Siemens IQ-700 SN26T595GB Dishwasher  www.appliancesonline.co.uk £810

‘Dishwashers are often seen as one of the homes biggest energy wasters, as older models don’t hold an A+++ energy rating. This dishwasher is the perfect solution for those people looking to be more energy efficient but don’t want to lose the convenience of a dishwasher as you can save 230kWh and 2,800 litres of water per year when you use its eco setting.’

Insulating door draught excluder

John Lewis linen and suede draught excluder £29

‘It doesn’t matter what kind of house you live in, there will always be a draught coming from somewhere. People often forget that draft excluders can make a huge difference to the warmth of a house, whilst also adding character to a room. Draught excluders offer a huge range of designs and keep the cold air out and warm air in so you stay warm and cosy and don’t have to turn up the thermostat. If you’re feeling creative then you could even make your own.’

Melin Tregwnt2- www.thewoolcompany.co.uk

Melin Tregwnt Shetland wool throw  www.melintregwynt.co.uk £115

‘When you sit still in the house you feel colder. Rather than turning up the thermostat why not wrap up in a throw that keeps you warm and also looks great during the day draped across the sofa. Melin Tregwynt are made from soft 100% Shetland wool and hand stitched in a variation of colours to suit any home.’

Blok Radiator- bisque.co.uk

Bisque blok radiator

www.bisque.co.uk

Prices start at £534 (model: BL 60-70)

 

‘Radiators are a staple in most homes but they’re not often known for looking stylish. Bisque’s sleek aluminium radiators use less energy to heat, come in a range of colours, and are clever enough to respond to changes in room temperature.’

AGA-Stretton-Stove- agaliving.com

The Stretton wood burning stove from Aga www.agaliving.com £967 or £1,147 for the smoke-exempt model

‘Wood burning stoves are one of the most cost-effective forms of renewable power you can incorporate into your home. They have a zero carbon footprint as any carbon dioxide produced by burning woodfuel is the same carbon dioxide absorbed by the tree when it was growing. AGA’s range of wood burning stoves would fit into any home modern or old, making your home feel warm and cosy.’

LED Desk Lamp situ-lit

LED desk lamp  www.clifford-james.co.uk £29.99

‘Containing a row of 42 tiny LED lights, this energy efficient desk lamp operates on just 3 watts of electricity. LEDs produce a much clearer, brighter light than traditional lamps and each LED will last 100,000 hours. Its slim design will fit perfectly onto an office desk or bedside table.’

Watson Solar plus

Wattson Solar Plus energy monitor  www.nigelsecostore.com £139.99

‘Place the Wattson Solar Plus in your kitchen or living room and it will measure how much energy your home consumes and produces. The statistics are displayed by colour coded numbers showing your homes energy usage in cost, watts and carbon. Having your energy use on display means that you can review how much energy your home produces and will make you aware of the devices using the most so you can think about what you can change to reduce it.’

Ecobutton -ecobutton.com

The EcoButton www.ecobutton.com £12.99

‘We’ve all said we’re popping out for ten minutes and then returned two hours later, your computer still running. The EcoButton is a great solution to this. Plug into your computer or laptop using the USB connector then press the button before you leave and it will put your computer into sleep mode reducing its usage from 80 watts to 1.8 watts.’

Earthborn paints2.- ecocentric.co.uk

Earthborn Coloured Clay Paints http://www.ecocentric.co.uk/ £29.40

(2.5 litres)‘These eco friendly paints don’t contain any harmful VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) emitted from other paints meaning you can decorate your home in a healthy and eco friendly environment. This low odour clay paint comes in a range of earthborn colours, from pale pinks to subtle blues and greens.’

Dulux Light and Space Reflective Paint  www.homebase.co.uk£24.99

‘This paint is perfect for when you have a small room you want to make brighter. It claims to reflect twice as much light as conventional paint so you can make the most of the natural light.’

Bloom pendent light shade- Nigelsecostore.com

Bloom pendant light shade http://www.nigelsecostore.com/ £36.95

‘This pendant light shade made of recycled material polypropylene would look great in a hallway or dining room. It’s designed and manufactured in Britain so it has a low carbon footprint and has also created no landfill waste during production.

Howdens Bespoke Energy Efficient Glass Door www.howdens.com Price available upon request

‘I’m a big fan of using glass panel doors in hallways as well as for the front and back door. They let light filter from one space to another brightening dark hallways and reducing the amount of electricity you use. External doors can be double or triple glazed to reduce heat loss whilst all glass doors will need to be toughened for safety. I’d recommend it with a frosted glass panel which creates a glow of light into rooms.’

Trento Night- Ecofreak.co.uk

Trento Spot solar powered garden light  www.ecofreak.co.uk£49.95

‘Energy efficiency isn’t just for inside the home, it’s for the garden too. There are some fantastic solar charged lights available including the Trento Spot. Its brightness is similar to that of any other low voltage garden light and doesn’t require any assembly. Placing a few of them in the garden can add atmosphere to any BBQ.’

 

Neff induction hob www.neff.co.uk Prices available upon request

‘Induction hobs heat only the base of ferrous pans so no heat is wasted, meaning they are extremely energy efficient. It’s something I always suggest to clients when they are making improvements to their kitchen.’

Philips Energy saving Light Bulb- www.philips.co.uk.

Energy saving lightbulbs  http://www.philips.co.uk Prices start at £3.00

‘A simple one but often overlooked, energy saving light bulbs are the first step in becoming more energy efficient. It’s estimated you can save up to £55 a year by swapping all of the bulbs in your house to energy efficient ones.’

Mira eco shower head http://www.mirashowers-store.co.uk/ Prices start at £40.80

‘This shower-head can reduce water flow dramatically with no loss in quality of showering experience due to its water aerating spray technology.’

 

 What is your favourite eco product?

Pukka Herbs Peppermint and LicoriceTea | Drink Review

Posted on by

Peppermint and Licorice is one of those things that you don’t really expect to go together, but in the land of tea, they do. Made with peppermint & FairWild licorice 20p from every pack of this goes towards supporting WWF conservation projects. Tasty and good for the environment: Frost approves.

The blend of the two flavours really works. It tastes fresh and refreshing. The peppermint soothes the digestion and naturally sweet, soothing licorice calms and nourish. I don’t put sugar in herbal teas but this tea is great for people with a sweet tooth. It definitely doesn’t taste bland. If you love licorice you will love it. It is a good, delicious, healthy tea. Get someone to try it if they think herbal tea is boring, it will prove them wrong.

It is caffeine-free and ethically sourced with 100% organically grown ingredients.

A really great tea.


Pukka Herbs celebrates 10 years in business

This year marks the tenth birthday of herbal innovators, Pukka Herbs.

Founded in 2002 by Sebastian Pole and Tim Westwell based on their mutual passion for natural health and wellbeing and the principals of Ayurveda (traditional Indian medicine), Pukka has grown into an international success story, employing 45 people in the UK and is sold in around 40 countries across the globe including the United States and throughout Europe.

Over the last decade, Pukka Herbs has used the finest organic herbs to optimise health and wellbeing. One of only a handful of totally organic businesses (certified by the Soil Association) Pukka inspires and educates people to live healthier, more sustainable lives. Their portfolio includes 23 premium herbal teas, a collection of skincare (11 products) and over 75 food supplements.

Everything that Pukka produces is inspired by Ayurveda – ‘the art of living wisely’. This ancient Indian wisdom empowers us to look after our health in harmony with nature and, as a result, all products have a functional benefit that is drawn from the high quality herbs used in each blend. Everything Pukka is free from synthetic flavour and colour.

As an ethical business, Pukka strives to be responsible for its actions. Their commitment to the environment ensures that they plant over 20 million plants and trees every year and invest in renewable and sustainable energy projects as well as reforestation programmes with Climate Care. Pukka works with farmers on long term regeneration projects and uses FSC certified and recyclable materials for marketing literature and product packaging.

NEW for 2012 – Revamped Original Ayurvedic blends

Pukka has rebranded their original teas – Relax, Refresh and Revitalise – that were launched when Pukka started in 2002. Retaining the vibrancy and iconic recognition of these incredible teas, we have updated the design and copy to reflect the importance of our heritage in Ayurveda and to educate consumers on the authenticity of the blends.

NEW selection pack

In response to consumer demand, Pukka launches a selection pack of award-winning teas as part of its 10th birthday celebrations.

Containing four sachets of five bestselling blends Three Mint, Three Ginger, Three Tulsi, Three Green and Three Fennel, Pukka’s selection pack offers first-time consumers an exciting introduction to Pukka’s tea portfolio.

This selection pack will be launched at a time in which the herbal and green tea categories have seen a lift in consumer spend (up 2% and 5% respectively in 2011 to £74m*). *Source: Mintel Feb 2012

Pukka Herbs and WWF UK ‘Create a beautiful World’ together in 2012

Throughout 2012, as part of their 10th Birthday celebrations, Pukka Herbs is working with world famous conservation charity WWF UK to help ‘Create a Beautiful World’ – one that is vibrant, integrated and healthy.

Every year Pukka creates hundreds of acres of organic land for growing herbs that creates jobs for farmers and collectors, but also brings beauty into our everyday lives. Every pack of Pukka tea makes the world – whether on the shelf in your kitchen, or farmland in rural India – a more beautiful place.

In supporting the work of WWF UK, Pukka aims to raise in excess of £50,000 for conservation projects across the world – initially through a 20p donation from each sale of their special Peppermint and Licorice tea, and then through a year-long fund raising campaign and viral public film competition to be premiered in November 2012.

Throughout the summer, Pukka will be inviting the public to upload photos and clips to their Facebook page of their own personal ‘beautiful world’ – anything from their children laughing, to a sunset, to a merry-go-round, to their pukka tea shelf – whatever they believe brings beauty into their world. Combined with footage from Pukka and WWF, the clips will be created into 5 minute short films by students and filmmakers. The most popular films as voted for by the public will be screened at an environmentally friendly premier in November.

To support sales of the organic Peppermint and Licorice tea (certified FairWild licorice) in the health food trade and retail industry where the brand has grown, Pukka will be providing support in the form of promotional materials to help create theatre in store and build momentum and awareness of the charitable aims of the partnership.

Pukka will also be bringing out their first range of gorgeous, environmentally sensitive merchandise to showcase the campaign – once again helping people to ‘Create a Beautiful World’ in their every day lives. Profits from the sale of these exclusive items will go to WWF UK.

Sebastian Pole, co-founder and herbal director of Pukka Herbs, says: ‘When we started Pukka in 2002, we wanted to create a totally organic business that inspired people to live healthier, more sustainable lives. It seems only natural that as we celebrate ten years of bringing the power of plants into people’s lives, we also take the time to remember and celebrate the amazing planet that lets us do this.

Each year, we plant over 20 million plants and trees and invest in renewable energy, sustainable projects and reforestation programmes. We work with our growers, customers and consumers on a one to one basis to ensure that everyone profits from being involved with Pukka: sensually, healthily, ecologically and socially. Most importantly, we strive to leave nature in an ever richer, more glorious state than how we found her.

Partnering with WWF to promote our shared conservation values seemed the perfect next step. With a whole host of exciting activities going on over the next 12 months we hope to exceed our target of raising £50,000 to support their important international work.’

Commenting on the partnership, Rachel Bloodworth from WWF said: ‘We are delighted to be working with Pukka Herbs in their tenth birthday year – their dedication to supporting the natural environment and creating a beautiful world is perfectly aligned with our goals. Over the past 50 years, WWF has achieved countless successes from preserving existing species such as mountain gorillas, polar bears and giant pandas, to helping the development of international agreements for the protection of the planet – none of which would be possible without the continued support of dedicated individuals and companies like Pukka.’

“This is Pukka’s first ever consumer campaign and so they sought out the skills and expertise of communications agency Neo to help develop the campaign ideas. Neo only work with organisations that are changing the world for better and have worked with WWF UK on previous projects including their 2012 global ‘Earth Hour’ campaign. Account Director Nicole Bradfield comments on working with Pukka, “Creating an engaging platform for Pukka to bring their brand story to life and share their commitment to creating a beautiful world is a fantastic project. Their work to protect and enhance our natural world is a brilliant story and we’re delighted to be helping Pukka communicate it. We’re especially looking forward to seeing the public’s interpretation of their beautiful worlds weave together to become a stunning piece of filmmaking.”

You can find out more about these projects and how you can get involved at www.pukkaherbs.com/beautifulworld

A Raincoat That Let’s You Get On Your Bike.

Posted on by

If you were to treat yourself to the incomparable, stylish, cycling chic apparel
from The Cambridge Raincoat Company, then there would be no excuse not to
jump on your bike for the daily commute. Look stylish from door to door in this
perfectly practical raincoat.

Having experimented with all sorts of wet weather gear over the years including
waterproof cycling trousers and capes and struggling to overcome the negatives each
of them came with, Sally Guyer saw a niche for stylish yet effective cycle wear that is
appropriate for every stage of your journey and every aspect of daily life. This saw a
period of research, development and Savile Row tailoring to create the signature
raincoat of The Cambridge Raincoat Company.

The feeling that it must be possible to produce a coat long enough to keep the knees
dry, be brightly coloured enough to be noticeable yet still chic enough to be a pleasure
to wear was the motivation for Sally.

All raincoats produced by The Cambridge Raincoat Company are made using either
100% taslan, or 100% Cordura, depending on colour choice, both of which offer
considerable qualities in terms of protection from the elements. The fabrics are
highly water resistant and water will simply bead on the surface. With a soft,
polyester lining, the raincoats are very lightweight and incredibly comfortable to
wear, providing a breathable, windproof and stylish alternative to traditional cycle
wear. Best of all, they are washable.

Sally is a firm believer in Mikael Colville Andersen’s (founder of Copenhagen Cycle
Chic) opinion that ‘It’s about dressing for your destination, not the journey’. As much
as this is at the heart of The Cambridge Raincoat Company’s design, the key selling
point of these raincoats has got to be the practical protection and comfort they offer
for the journey itself.

Appealing to a broad age range and tapping into luxury for the astute commuter, The
Cambridge Raincoat Company are in a niche market all of their own. With Sally’s
dedication, there is no end to the potential of this company, Sally herself says, “I live;
sleep; eat; breathe my business all the time. I’m always thinking about what to do
next, and how to drive it forward.”

The new collection will initially feature one style each for both men and women, with
prices starting at £250.00.

Colour options available include red, yellow, mauve, green and navy.

http://www.cambridgeraincoats.co.uk

Watermelons Book Review: Is Climate Change a Conspiracy?

Posted on by

James Delingpole is known for being controversial. He is right wing and speaks his mind. You may know of him not only because of climategate, but also due to the furore he created when he debated in Tatler magazine whether people were sending their daughters or sons to private school.

One sometimes feels he is saying things for effect, but if there is one word I would use for his new book, Watermelons, it’s “interesting”.

It takes courage to be apart from the general conscious, especially on something like climate change. A subject most people in power have stopped debating over. The environment is at the forefront of political agenda, newspapers, televisions and people’s minds. You can’t go to a supermarket without being asked if you really want a plastic bag. I try to never use them (after seeing the effect they have on animals and the ocean thanks to Greener-upon-Thames) but when you have lots of shopping and someone asks if you need a bag you just feel like asking them if you should just juggle it all home.

I don’t judge people on their political beliefs, but I feel that will stop some people reading Delingpole’s book. Some of my liberal friends were not amused I was even reviewing Delingpole’s book, but, really, who cares.

I found this book interesting. Even if you get to the end and don’t agree with Delingpole it is a fascinating read. The name ”watermelons” is Delingpole’s description of people who are red on the inside and green on the outside. In this book he is debunking the myth of anthropogenic global warming (CAGW). Delingpole has a chapter on the evidence behind his theme of the book, which is; politicians and scientists are using the myth of man-made climate change to raise our tax and control us. Delingpole is not just a crack pot conspiracy theorists. Alain De Botton is mentioned in the book, Delingpole asked him what he wanted to read in the book and he said the science, the evidence, of Delingpole’s claim. Delingpole took his friends advice and included this.

The chapter on the climategate emails is hilarious. Really funny. The scientists involved to not come across well. I will still recycle and be environmentally aware but the book has some good points. It expose hypocrisy in droves, and takes people to task.

This book is for anyone interested in the debate on climate change. Whether environmentalist or sceptic. Delingpole is educated and outspoken. Most people follow other people’s opinion rather than make up their own minds . Which is why I do think you should read this book, it is entertaining and political and sparks debate Then make up your own mind.

Watermelons: How the Environmentalists are Killing the Planet, Destroying the Economy and Stealing Your Children’s Future

Environmentally Friendly Cleaning Products.

Posted on by

Cleaning your home can really damage your health, no, it’s not just an excuse. All of the chemicals in the cleaning products aren’t very good for you, and guess what else? It’s not good for the environment either. So Frost tested some environmentally friendly recycled cleaning products.

Easydo are a company who are creating a more sustainable society. Their aim is to produce everyday products using recycled materials under the Ecoforce brand. They manufacture as many products as possible in the EU and all their products are between 50-100% recycled. All of the products are also inexpensive. So there is no excuse not to switch.

They stop things being made from virgin material and, while doing so, save the environment. Here is what they make…

Ecoforce Recycled Clothes Line. 20 meters length and 30kg break strength. 89% recycled. This is a high class, well made clothes line. It is also green, which I like.

Dishmatic Fill & Clean. This is a great invention, I really love this. The handle fills up with liquid then you just clean with the replaceable heavy duty sponge. It saves your hands. You can buy a three different refills and they all fit onto the DishMatic. The refills very easily click into place.

You cannot tell that the Ecoforce recycled clothes pegs are recycled. They are frost proof, have no springs so they won’t break, don’t leave peg stains and have a hurricane force grip. They come in different colours too. My clothes loved them, and the howling wind couldn’t win against them.

In the back of the packet Ecoforce says this; ‘Hanging out the washing is an easy way to reduce energy consumption. Each tumble drier load can release up to 2.6kg in CO2’. A brilliant reason to hang your clothes out. These pegs are also washable, metal free and have more grip than a standard peg. 93% recycled and are almost impossible to break.

Ecoforce also sell a peg basket. It comes with a 24 pack of pegs and is UV stable. 94% recycled. It has a handle, which is placed inside the basket to make it stack-able and save space. I love the design and how space aware it is. You can hang it up or have it on a shelf.

Ecoforce have a range of sponges. They are made from post industrial waste. They make the first scourer that is made from 100% recycled material. They are easy to use and handle. You can buy the heavy duty or the non-scratch one. They can be used anywhere in the house. I like the design of the sponges. They have a curve in them that makes them easy to use. They may be recyclable but they clean just as well as any other sponge.

Their scouring pads are great too. Very easy to clean with them.

They make quilted cloths that are ultra soft and made from a mixture of recycled cotton/viscose and synthetic fibres. They can be used on any surface: floors, glass, cars, wood, etc., They absorb well and do everything you could want in a cloth.

The quilted pockets trap dirt and they are machine washable.

Ecoforce dusters are made also made from a mixture of recycled cotton/viscose and synthetic fibres. They are 100% recycled and pick up dust like a dream.

The Ecoforce motto is: Ecoforce – eco products that work. They are not lying. Well made products, with great design that ease your conscious. Frost Loves.

To Order www.ecoforce.co.uk or call 020 8343 1010

EcoForce and Dishmatic are widely available in most supermarkets as well as Oxfam, Homebase and B & Q.