A while ago we reported how Marks and Spence had implemented Plan A- their environmental policy. 12 months on and M&S are doing really well with their plans. If you have been into their stores you will notice that they now have bags for life and are charging 5p for each plastic bag you need. By doing this they have managed to cut down on their plastic bag usage which is great for the environment.

Marks and Spencer’s CO2 emissions have also been reduced by 55 000 tonnes in the last 12 years. They are supporting farmers who are investing in renewable energy and have opened 3 eco-stores! Marks and Spencer’s are setting a great example to other high street stores.

So if you want to support the environment take a look at the M&S Christmas shop. They are currently offering free delivery on orders over £30. Included in the Christmas store are their Christmas hampers which make a great present. As always M&S lingerie makes an excellent present. With Fairtrade cotton now being sold and more support for suppliers M&S clothing make a great green present.

Worried about the credit crunch? At the moment M&S are offering 3 for the price of 2 on Christmas gifts. What are you waiting for?

Firstly congratulations to Lewis Hamilton on his great achievement.  Despite not being a fan of F1 it was a great race.  Seeing how much fuel the cars use and being sponsored by companies such as Shell it made Ethical and Green wonder about how green the sport could ever be and what effect this would have on driving as a whole.

It has been estimated that 20 cars emit around 9,150 kg of carbon emissions per race which is quite staggering!  So that’s the cars.  What about all the lighting, power cables, tourists who travel from all over the world….When you add it up the carbon emissions of an F1 race are HUGE!!

We all know that a huge amount of money is invested into F1 so if they go green the investment into new technologies could benefit us all.  Max Mosley, president of the International Automobile Federation is keen for the sport to cut down on it’s carbon footprint and this season F1 cars had to have some biofuel in their tanks.  Practice laps have also been dropped to stop wasting fuel.  This is great but what next?

Well next season clean technology systems to harvest kinetic energy from deceleration and to capture heat from machines engines will become mandatory. Hotels in cities where the races are held should also stand up and be counted.  For example the Singapore Freeport skylounge at the Fullerton Hotel built a solar canopy to offset half the energy it used to entertain its 250 guests during the Singapore Grand Prix.  Wouldn’t it be great if other hotels took part in this.

It’s great to see that F1 racing is taking onboard it’s responsibilities to the planet.  However, in a sport where efficiency isn’t a priority it will be interesting to see how the proposed changes to the sport will be received by the makers of the cars.

At long last November brings the first ever Ethical Fashion Awards brought to us by Anti-Apathy and Futerra Sustainability Communications.  Here is some more information about the evening:

RE:FASHION AWARDS 2008 CELEBRATING ETHICAL FASHION- ANNOUNCE A HOST OF TOP MODELS AND PERSONALITIES ON BOARD

The RE:Fashion Awards are shaping up to be the fashion event of 2008 with the announcement of a list of high profile celebrities on board for the event taking place at Shoreditch Townhall on the 13^thNovember 2008. Top models and personalities include Daisy Lowe, Portia Freeman, Leah Weller, Leah Wood and Pixie Geldof who will be modelling one-off pieces from high-profile designers including Vivienne Westwood, Todd Lynn, Zandra Rhodes, Preen, Allegra Hicks, Jonathan Saunders and Aimee McWilliams.

The RE:Fashion Awards are the world’s first dedicated ethical fashion awards celebrating people and organizations in the fashion industry taking great strides in tackling poverty, environmental issues and changing consumer attitudes to ethical fashion.

The star-studded Ceremony will see the coming together of major faces from the fashion world including the award-winning Oswald Boateng, Hilary Alexander, Fashion Director of the Daily Telegraph, Jane Shepherdson, CEO of Whistles, Anna Orsini of the British Fashion Council, and leading designers including Vivienne Westwood and Katherine Hamnett to celebrate the developments taking place in the fashion industry.

The Awards will also host an iconic catwalk show with top models and personalities including Daisy Lowe, Portia Freeman, Leah Weller, Leah Wood and Pixie Geldof wearing one-off pieces from designers including Vivienne Westwood, Todd Lynn, Zandra Rhodes, Preen, Allegra HicksBora Aksu, Aimee McWilliams and Jonathan Saunders.

Louise Roe, the presenter of the RE:Fashion Awards says, ”It’s great to be part of such an eco-conscious initiative. Ethical fashion has come a long way - there are very edgy, on-trend labels out there now and if you can do something to save the planet as well as look hot - I’m all for it!”

The founders of the Awards Ethical Fashion Forum, Anti-Apathy and Futerra Sustainability Communications have this to say about the RE:Fashion Awards:

“With more than 200 applicants to the awards, the RE:Fashion team and judges have been working around the clock to arrive at a shortlist. We have been stunned by the quality and breadth of what has been achieved. The RE:Fashion Awards represent not just the most important movement since fashion began - but also the answer to the industry’s future,” says Tamsin Le Jeune, Director at Ethical Fashion Forum.

“Sales of ethical fashion jumped from £29 million in 2005 to £52 million in 2006, according to The Co-Operative Bank’s Ethical Consumerism Report 2007. And the shortlisted entries show how ethical fashion remains the perfect antidote to the credit crunch. This is true ‘feel-good’ fashion: you look fabulous, feel good and ethical… and often it’s easy on the wallet,” Lucy Shea, Strategy Director at Futerra Sustainability Communications.

“If RE:Fashion can reward designers and brands for changing their practices, then we’re well on our way to propelling ethical fashion from a niche to the norm,” says Cyndi Rhoades, Creative Director at Anti-Apathy.

Tickets for the glittering event are selling out fast. Options range from VIP tables next to the catwalk with delicious food and champagne, to a public balcony for as little as £37.50. 100% of the profits made through RE:Fashion will be donated to the Ethical Fashion Forum, an organisation focused on transforming the lives of people behind fashion, and reducing the environmental impacts of the industry. If you would like to come and be part of this eco-fabulous evening, please visit www.refashionawards.org/tickets.

For more information please visit www.refashionawards.org.

The team here at Ethical and Green think this is going to be a great evening so why not get yourselves down to Shoreditch on 13th November and get involved in supporting ethical fashion.

Here at Ethical and Green we aim to keep you up to date with news about all things to do with the environment.  This week we have learnt about a scheme that will recycle your mobile phone with you AND pay you for it!  What a great scheme!!

  So if you need some extra cash for the festive season why not check out Envirofone!  Your old phone could be worth over £100.  Great to see a scheme that is both good for the environment and your pocket.  Click on the picture below to be taken to the site.

At long last Ethical and Green have found some eco-friendly beauty products that are not only organic in nature but they work and look great.  Thank you Liz Earle!  If you have not heard about Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare Products then here is some background to the UK based company.  We’ll be reviewing some of her products as they make great presents, so pop back soon.

For now take a look at Liz Earle’s eco-credentials:

Today, much focus is placed on creating and sustaining a “green lifestyle.” For many people, this goes well beyond a simple trend. Liz Earle, co-founder and creator of the award-winning Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare collection, lives and breathes this lifestyle from the office, to her home and beyond.  Liz resides close to the Isle of Wight on an organic and all-natural farm where she grows much of her own food. 

Beginning her career as a health and beauty editor at Woman’s Journal, a top women’s magazine in the UK, Liz Earle developed a special knowledge of botanicals and natural remedies, the foundation of her skincare range, while focusing on the impact sourcing these ingredients will have on the environment.  

Being a botanically based skincare company, Liz Earle Beauty Co. has always been aware of the benefits of working with the environment rather than against it, not least as they rely so much on nature’s ingredients to ensure their formulations really work. 

Over the years they’ve been working hard to improve their environmental impact in many small ways, all of which are starting to add up to make a big difference.  They’re not perfect but they do try and find the balance between creating great skincare and the inevitable consequences of consumption, for Liz Earle Beauty Co. it is about progress not perfection: 

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  • Their new headquarters on the Isle of Wight which houses their staff is called ‘The Green House’ as it was built to incorporate more environmentally friendly ways of doing simple everyday things and wherever possible harness the power of Mother Nature.  Geo-thermal heating has been installed, which involves drilling into the ground and using natural heat to keep them warm.  This heat is also used in the water supply to provide hot water.  They also harvest the rain water which falls onto the Green House; this is then filtered into the bathrooms to flush toilets.  These are just 2 of the initiatives Liz Earle Beauty Co. are adopting to make this new home a greener place to be.

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  • Liz Earle Beauty Co. also has its very own Liz Earle ‘Green Team’ whose role is to be their conscience and to always be there to remind them how to be better and who are committed to improving their environmental impact. For example, the offices have become a greener place to work by following the principles of ‘reduce, recycle and re-use.’ They recycle everything from cardboard to computers and only use plant-based cleaning products.  Their ‘Turn It Off Campaign’ has also been a great success.

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  • The products do not contain mineral oil and are never tested on animals. The range uses plant oils and botanicals as the active ingredients which are a much more eco-friendly alternative to petro-chemical synthetic ingredients. A full time ethno-botanist is employed whose job is to not only source the newest, and safest ingredients, but to ensure that their impact on the environment is as minimal as possible.

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  • In line with their commitment to improve their environmental impact, Liz Earle Beauty Co. has recently undertaken an environmental review of all the literature which accompanies customer orders.  The ingredients leaflet is now printed on 100% recycled paper and over the last 3 months they have been able to reduce the amount of literature sent out to customers by 42%. 

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  • Liz Earle Beauty Co. has been working hard to reduce the number of plastic bags they have to use as a business and the in-house Green Team has been able to cut these by 95% - laid end-to-end this makes a massive saving of over 13 miles!

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  • To help further reduce their environmental impact, all the Liz Earle brochures, leaflets and newsletters are now printed using 100% vegetable inks - and they use one of the UK’s leading carbon-neutral printing companies.

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  • Liz Earle Beauty Co. was recognized for their Green achievements at the Island Business Awards by winning the Green Business Award at the end of 2006.

To learn more about Liz Earle Naturally Active skincare, please visit www.lizearle.com.

Following BBC Style’s competition, Holly Bryant, the 21 year old winner from Bristol Uni has these top tips: 

On hunting for a great ethical outfit:

Never dismiss anything you see, as every item of clothing has potential to become something fabulous. 

On finding inspiration:

Think outside the box.  Nobody wants to see something they’ve seen before.

 On ethical fashion:

Ethical fashion is not to be snubbed, its a growing industry which clearly reflects that there is a strong interest from consumers for ethically produced clothing.

Bryant’s Best of British

Holly Bryant takes you through the hectic scenes behind BBC Thread’s Best of British catwalk at London Fashion Week:www.bbc.co.uk/thread/video

Ethical fashion going up on the Frock Exchange

While you’re there, why not have a go at some ethical fashion yourself?

Check out Twiggy’s Frock Exchange and find out all you need to know about holding your own clothes swapping party:www.bbc.co.uk/thread/twiggysfrockexchange

Here is an update from Big Green Smile about how they are supporting Energy Saving Week.

Make Energy Saving a Way of Life With BigGreenSmile.com 

Making a contribution to Energy Saving Week is as easy as going to BigGreenSmile.com, where there are carbon footprint reduction tips and advice on how significant savings can be made in money, energy and time.   

Ben Wigley of BigGreenSmile said, “This event from the Energy Saving Trust is a fantastic way to get people thinking about what they can do to make a difference. We hope that people will visit BigGreenSmile.com and pick up tips about making small, easy changes they can use in the long term to make a positive difference to them, and the world around them.” 

Simple ways to make a difference include:  

• Wait until you have a full load before switching on dishwashers and washing machines
• Measure the amount of electricity you are using with the Wattson helping you work out how to reduce it, so saving energy and so saving money
• Use a solar-powered charger for your mobile or iPod;
• Use the minimum amount of water required when boiling water in saucepans and kettles use an eco kettle;
• Try Eco-friendly bulbs which use 25watts of energy but put out a daylight equivalent of 100watts.
• Using Magno fuel in your car can increase its efficiency and reduce emissions by 15%

 
For full a complete guide on how to save energy and water, simply visit,

http://www.biggreensmile.com/departments/energy-saving.aspx?deptid=ENERGYSAVING and make the change today.   

Good on Big Green Smile for supporting Energy Saving Week.  Take their advice and make some changes today!

Today marks the start of Energy Saving Week being run by the Energy Saving Trust.  This campaign aims to help the British public save energy, reduce their carbon footprint and save money!

Energy Saving Week is being supported by the model Helena Christiansson and Aliesha Dixon to name but a few.  As Karen Lawrence, head of advice, at the Energy Saving Trust explains:

“Climate change is arguably one of the most important global issues now affecting millions of UK households. It is no longer just a Government problem to be tackled on a policy level, but something everyone is thinking about on a daily basis. We’ve all been asked to change certain daily habits: dustbin-days have gone topsy-turvy as councils re-think their recycling programmes, major supermarkets now charge shoppers for carrier bags forcing us to think twice before using plastic bags.”

We’re constantly being shown targets and timelines - telling us what the nation has to achieve and by when - to help fight climate change. But how on earth are we expected to fit an eco-rich lifestyle into our time-poor lives? Energy Saving Week - 20th to 26th October - is the perfect opportunity to discover your Green/Life Balance. We’re urging people to take time to make time to change their households’ habits to help fight climate change. It doesn’t take long to get things started - there are lots of things you can do in just ten minutes.”  From the Energy Saving Trust website.

There is also a less than thrilling diary by Joan Ruddock MP about how her week is going trying to save energy.  Yawn!!

Click here to get more information and see the Energy Saving Clock.  Alternatively you can call 0800 512 012 for energy saving tips and advice.

This Christmas if you want to enjoy films on TV in High Definition you might want to take a close look at Sky’s latest offer.  SKY is the only multimedia company to be totally carbon neutral so why not invest in their box.

Sky are currently offering their Sky+ HD box for half price.  So you can combine reducing your carbon footprint with saving those all important pennies.  It’s worth a look!

It’s that time of year again.  The weather has changed, leaves are falling off the trees and the nights are drawing in…..The only positive is that’s it’s nearly Christmas.  Not started your Christmas shopping?  Don’t worry help is at hand!  Over the coming weeks we’ll be looking at the best ways to have an ethical and green Christmas. We’ll give you tips on everything from presents to food.

Of course with the credit crunch going on we’ll give you ideas on how to save money as well.  Keep popping back for ideas.