Archive for September, 2008

Electronic books- the future of reading?

September 29, 2008 · Filed under carbon footprint · Tagged , , , , , ,

Electronic books are not a new thing. In fact they have been around for years but have never taken off in the US or UK. However, with the launch of the Sony Reader times might be changing.

The Reader from Sony

 

In the past electronic books have not been popular because they were too different from a real book. The Sony Reader looks more like a book. It is the same size and you can ‘turn’ pages. It is slim and very compact- great for travelling. They have also made the backlighting better so you don’t get too much glare. It’s major features are:

 

  • You can transfer ebooks from your PC to the Reader in the same way you would music to your mp3 player.
  • Sony have teamed up with Waterstones to make sure there is a range of thousands of electronic books you can download.
  • The Sony Reader can store up to 160 books.  If this isn’t enough you can buy extra memory cards.
  • The built-in Bookmark remembers where you finished reading which is pretty clever.
  • You can magnify the text if needed.
  • It is reported to have a battery life that allows you to read 7000 pages which is like reading War and Peace 5 times!  That means that you can take it on holiday and not fear about running out of reading material.
So will Sony’s Reader electronic book take off?  If it did it would cut down on the paper currently used by the Publishing Industry.  However with people like Eco Libris offsetting this by planting a tree for every book you read is it the greenest option?
Ethical and Green are big fans of the Sony Reader and recommend checking it out if you love reading.  With Sony having teamed up with Waterstones this is the first time that an electronic book has been launched with a catalogue of books ready for it.  Sony have also invested in a huge marketing campaign.  Only time will tell how popular it will be but in a society that is now used to music on an electronic format maybe this time we are ready.  Not forgetting the environmental benefits!
The Sony Reader is available for £199 including 100 classic ebooks already installed. Ebooks retail at around the same price as a normal book and there are plenty of titles in lots of categories.  Get yours here.

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Method eco-friendly cleaning products

September 23, 2008 · Filed under Carbon Dioxide emissions, CO2 emissions, reduce carbon footprint · Tagged , , , , ,

It has to be said that cleaning is not on my list of favourite things to do.  I also find that standard cleaning products leave me sneezing and not feeling my best.  We have all heard of Ecocover eco-friendly cleaning products but in the past they have been associated with being a hippy.  The bottles aren’t inspiring but the products do the job.

 

However, a revolution is occuring in the world of eco-friendly cleaning products.  With all things ethical and green becoming more mainstream and ‘cool’ it was only a matter of time before the world of cleaning products was addressed.  One day not so long ago a box of Method cleaning products turned up on my doorstep.  Prior to this I had heard that the likes of Madonna and Gwenyth Paltrow were using Method’s products.  Part of me thinks that possibly Madge and Gwennie don’t do their own cleaning but thats by the by!

Method cleaning products are the brainchild of Americans Adam and Eric.  They are now bringing their fabulous range of products to our shores.  A quick read of their website shows that the products are 100% natural.  So natural in fact that you can drink them without burning away your oesophagus and requiring the services of your local A&E Department.  Method are definately ethical and green in their approach to their products.  Their packaging is made from recycled materials and the products aren’t tested on animals (because they think it’s mean!!) 
Method
So I opened the box and was pleased at the minimal amount of packaging.  Good start.  The bottles also looked really good.  Stylish, trendy and excellent colours.  In fact they didn’t look like cleaning product bottles at all.  To be honest you wouldn’t mind leaving one of these out on your unit- much better looking than Domestos and you are showing off your eco-credentials!  They also smell lovely- grapefruit, eucalyptus, mint.  They smelt so fresh I was almost tempted to drink it (which I didn’t, although I could have safely done so.)  Ok so Method products are aesthetically pleasing but do they work?

Despite the fact that I usually don’t excited about cleaning this was an exception.  On went Stevie Wonder’s greatest hits and off to work I went.  All in all I was extremely impressed with all the products I tried.  The house was clean and smelt fresh and not at all chemically.  Will I keep buying Method products?  You bet.  I’ll be checking out the whole range.

If you want to get your hands on Method cleaning products the full range is on sale at BigGreenSmile. Click on the picture to get taken to the site. Alternatively you can check out Method’s own website here.

Eco-friendly cleaning products have become cool and trendy thanks to Method.  They also work extremely well showing that you don’t need chemicals to keep your house clean.  No wonder Madonna and Gwyneth are fans ( and they don’t have to worry if Lourdes, Moses or Apple go snooping in the kitchen cupboards and help themselves!!)

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X Factor’s Carbon Footprint

September 11, 2008 · Filed under celebrities going green · Tagged , , , , , , , ,

The X Factor - the-x-factor photo

As the evenings draw in not only does it signal the end of the summer but also the beginning of X Factor’s search for the next big talent.  At this point I should confess that I am a fan.  Especially of the early rounds where you are introduced to some truly deluded people!  However, this year as much as I am enjoying the awful singing, Cheryl Cole’s facial expressions and raw talent (of the contestants NOT Cheryl Cole…) the opening titles of the show have riled me.

 

In these times where green is the new black and all sorts of celebrities have jumped on the green bandwagon it would appear that this has bypassed X Factor and ITV.  For those of you familiar with the opening titles you will know that you see Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh, Dannii Minogue and Cheryl Cole in helicopters.  That’s right FOUR helicopters!!  If anyone knows the carbon footprint of four helicopters drop us a line.  If that wasn’t bad enough there are quite a few huge trucks that appear to drive the length of the country.  Surely Manchester, Cardiff and Glasgow are big enough cities and have all the equipment the X Factor needs?

Another environmental gripe I have is that each celebrity arrives in a separate car.  They are big cars so I’m four of them could comfortably fit inside.  Fair enough you couldn’t expect them to arrive on a bus but surely they could use a Prius or something a bit more green…

 

What the X Factor demonstrates is that green issues aren’t mainstream enough yet.  The X Factor is all about the world of the celebrity and having it all which is why they have to have big cars and helicopters.  If any of Louis Walsh, Simon Cowell, Dannii Minogue and Cheryl Cole cared about the environment I think we would see evidence of this in the show.  Instead we get a snap shot of their lives in which they jet set around and are chauffeured in massive cars.  More needs to be done to make green issues ‘sexy.’  We all need to do our bit for the environment and prime time TV programmes and the entertainment industry in general needs to pull it’s socks up.

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Tiny Box Company’s recycled packaging gets Dragons Den backing

September 2, 2008 · Filed under carbon footprint, going green, reduce carbon footprint · Tagged , , , , , ,

Those of you who watch Dragons Den will have seen Rachel Watkyn and Christian Richardson receive backing from Peter Jones and Theo Paphitis. It was an interesting programme in that it brought up the Dragon’s feelings about the environment.

Earlier in the show Deborah Meaden had shown her thoughts on an ice cream box that she described as having unneccessary packaging and she was therefore out. None of the Dragons invested in the product.

Then up popped up the Tiny Box Company who make packaging from recycled materials. They felt they had discovered a niche market as there were no companies around soley dedicated to using 100% recycled materials (except for the glue apparently!) Duncan Banatyne was scathing about the boxes and accused Rachel of being on a ‘crusade.’ I think Duncan may have revealed his thoughts on the environment with that comment. In fact it would be fair to say that none of the Dragons were overly keen on investing into the company until they heard the background of the company directors. The upshot is that both Rachel and Christian had been delt a few blows and were using this business to try and get themselves back on track. Good on them!

So to the boxes! It was interesting to learn that there was not a company dedicated to recycled packaging. Tiny Box revealed that Google had in fact placed an order for boxes for coorporate gifts. Good on Google for doing their bit for the environment! The Tiny Box Company website is worth taking a look at. They have some statistics from www.wasteonline.com that show the following:

  • In 2003/4 a thrid of UK waste was paper
  • Making recycled paper uses up to 70% less energy than making normal paper
  • Every tonne of paper recycled saves 3000 litres of water

Check out the websites for more information.  Another great aspect of the company is that they are totally committed to the environment.  They don’t have any gimmicks and haven’t gone in for overly flash designs or packaging. In fact when you place an order it will be delivered to you in a re-used box.

 

Next time you are giving a gift think about using the Tiny Box Company- it will help cut your carbon footprint.  Alternatively why not save the packaging you get from gifts and re-use it (possibly don’t give it back to the person you got it from!!)

www.tinyboxcompany.com

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