Green Wall In Paris
May 6, 2008
I hadn’t heard of the Quai Branly Museum when I went to Paris (by Eurostar) so I didn’t know much about how controversial building by Jean Nouvel. Therefore it was a strange but nice sight to come across a living wall on the side of the building. Installed by Patrick Blanc it works by growing plants hydroponically in felt pockets attached to a rigid plastic backing.
I particularly like the fact people were gathered around to look at it, take photos next to it and even add a flower or two to it.
Ganesha To Open New Store In Covent Garden
February 29, 2008
Ganesha, the friend of Life Goggles and ethical shop on London’s South Bank since 1995, is opening a new shop just off the iconic Covent Garden piazza.
Ganesha sources its products from talented, marginalised producers in India, Bangladesh and beyond.
Jo Lawbuary, co-founder, says: “We aim to expand on our success on the Southbank and bring a quality selection of home and personal accessories to a wider London audience. In short, we are delighted at the prospect of taking our fair trade thing ‘out there’.”
The shop opens its doors on March 7, just in time to celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight and will launch with a party in shop in the evening. And Life Goggles will be there. To get an idea of what they sell, visit the website or take a look at Life Goggles’ review of their Paisley Jute Shopper.
Comments Problem Fixed
January 28, 2008
Hi all.
Just a quick note to say that the problem with leaving comments has been corrected, we had to introduce some further measures to stop the huge amount of spam we were receiving. All is good now so please take a look and let us know if you have something to say on:
100 Ways To Save The Planet - The Next Generation #3
Swap clothes online with Swango.com
Thanks to everyone who let me know 
Trademark Battle Over Ethical Brand Name
January 15, 2008
The Financial Times reports on our friends at So Organic, and their battle with Sainsbury’s over the So Organic brand name.
“The David versus Goliath battle revolves around the name So Organic, which Samantha Burlton claims she had as the title for her business well before Sainsbury came out with its food range using the same words.
Ms Burlton first registered So Organic as a trademark in early 2005 when she started selling ethically- produced cosmetics, deodorants and soaps online from her home in Greenwich.
Her business has since extended into a range of non-food products, including recycled stationery, CDs and books, which Ms Burlton now sells both online and from a small shop in Greenwich market.
Sainsbury issued its own trademark application for So Organic in January 2006, covering a much wider range of goods than food and drink, including many items that Ms Burlton now stocks.”
Read more at the FT.
Latest Green News
January 1, 2008
Happy New Year everyone! All the best to you all for the coming year
Lots of little pieces of news to pass on to you today.
According to the Red Cross, the number of global disasters has soared by 60% in the past 10 years. Between 1997 and 2006 there were 6,806 disasters, affecting over 1.2m people.
The amount of Arctic sea ice at the end of the summer was half the level of what it was four years ago, raising fears that it could disappear by 2012.
A new process called PDX uses 40% less energy in the manufacture of beer. It uses steam to speed up the brewing process.
Bob Gedolf has strongly supported the use of nuclear power as the only viable alternative to fossil fuels for our energy demands.
New York’s taxis are to to be forced to achieve at least 25mpg if bought after October 2008, and 30mpg if bought in 2009. Whether this will just mean older and older taxis on the streets will remain to be seen.
The UK Government has announced plans to build 7,000 wind turbines along Britain’s coast which would supply one third of the country’s electricity needs by 2020.
Organic turkey sales will top £1m at Marks and Spencer alone in the UK over the Christmas period.
Researchers from the World Land Trust warn that growing biofuel crops could harm the environment as up to nine times the carbon dioxide will be released. This is because biofuel crops are oftne grown on land that is burnt and reclaimed from tropical forests.
Two New Environment Sites
November 23, 2007
Sharing the love is errr always one of my rules to live by so thought I’d mention two new environment sites that might be of interest to you.
First up is Green Guys Global. The brother site of Green Girls Global, it’s a blog made up of a group of editors from around the blogosphere - including myself and Joel. Building on the success of the girls, the guys hope to entertain and inform and build relationships as we go along. It’s probably better to let the site speak for itself, there’s some good stuff on there even though it’s only been going a week.
And the second site is smartplanet.com. Edited by our friend Adam Vaughan who used to be known as The Green Guy and was at New Consumer, the site is full of news and interviews already even though it was only recenty launched as well. Worth a look and a comment or two I reckon.
Latest Green News
November 19, 2007
The head of the World Trade Organisation Pascal Lamy has claimed that the proliferation of agreements on “green” and other product standards between large western retailers and consumer groups is likely to spark a new row with developing countries that fear new barriers to their exports. Lamy also said that new and tougher standards could offset the benefits of removing tariff barriers for developing countries.
Director of the Soil Association Patrick Holden revealed a 22% rise in the UK organic food and drink market over the past year. He notes that sales through organic box schemes, farm shops and at the farm gate have increased by 53% - double the volume sold through supermarkets.
Wal-Mart revealed plans to cut costs by measuring and reducing greenhouse gas emissions throughout its chain supply. The retailer said that it will ask its more than 60,000 suppliers to measure and report their greenhouse gas emissions. The company will then use the data to cut costs, by comparing similar companies to identify which are less efficient. Wal-Mart has formed a partnership with the Carbon Disclosure Project as part of a plan to get its suppliers to manage their greenhouse gas emissions better.
Philips has announced plans to invest €1bn in developing environmental technologies in an attempt to boost its revenues from green products. Chief executive Gerard Kleisterlee has told staff that he wants the company to derive 30% of its revenues from green technologies by 2012.
Sainsbury’s has announced that it will launch a new campaign to boost its environmental and social credentials. The Different Values campaign, which will use press advertising and a new series of television adverts featuring Jamie Oliver, comes in response to rival supermarkets’ recent attempts to promote their ethical awareness.
The Times reported that a series of surveys on consumers’ social and environmental attitudes have revealed that eighty per cent of customers say that they are not given enough environmental information to make informed choices about electrical products. While it is estimated that household appliances become on average 2% more energy efficient every year, the fall has been more than offset by the increasing number of electrical items in homes. The Energy Saving Trust says that the average number of electrical goods in British households has risen from 17 in the 1970s to 42 now.
The once niche market for environmentally-friendly car insurance is on the rise, as rising environmental awareness amongst consumers has led to a surge in demand for ‘green’ products. Insurers offering such products include The Cooperative Group, Norwich Union, Royal & SunAlliance and Ibuyeco, with other eco-friendly products, such as hybrid cars and carbon offset air travel schemes, also rising to prominence. However, carbon offsetting has come under fire from critics, sparking a debate over whether the practice is actually environmentally beneficial.
The Daily Telegraph reported that designer Katharine Hamnett has announced that she will terminate a deal to supply organic and fair trade clothing to Tesco stating that she is “incredibly disappointed” that the retailer had broken promises to roll out her Choose Love range and promote it in store. “I was initially really excited about the tie-up because I thought we could increase demand for ethical products. But I’ve come to the conclusion that [Tesco] simply wants to appear ethical, rather than make a full commitment to the range” she said.
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