Biome charity baskets!

Earlier this year, Biome was contacted by The St Vincent de Paul Society to supply some of our lovely handmade baskets. Every Christmas the students of Dominican College, Belfast organise food baskets which are then distributed to underprivileged families within the Belfast area. The college wanted the hampers to not only be fair trade but to be reused by the families for laundry and storage. The SVP is a voluntary organization dedicated to tackling poverty and disadvantage by providing direct practical assistance to anyone in need. Active in England & Wales since 1844, today it continues to address many people’s needs.

Biome Lifestyle were honoured to be involved with the project and thought we would share some photos of the students with our baskets below. As you can see, the baskets are stuffed full with food and supplies which will hopefully be well received by families. We hope to be involved with the Dominican College project again next year and want to say a big well-done to all the students involved!

Which Christmas Tree?

Every December, people buy a new Christmas tree which is lovingly decorated, then in January unlovingly thrown away!

This tradition has been followed for many years but if you are looking for a more ‘eco option’, what are the alternatives?

- Probably the least eco option is artificial trees. On the one hand, the good thing is they can be reused year after year. However, the material they are made from can be extremely bad for the environment and your health. The majority of artificial trees are made from PVC and even worse, lead is apparently used to stabilize certain PVC products, which is why you'll see a label on faux Christmas trees cautioning you to avoid inhaling or eating any bits of lead dust that may fall from the "branches”! On top of that, when their lifespan is finally over, artificial trees will not biodegrade easily. Plus think about the air-miles associated with most artificial trees as they are often made in South East Asia. All in all, not a great option!

- Cut real trees are at least carbon neutral, absorbing as much carbon dioxide as they grow as they will emit when burnt or left to decompose. Plus they do not emit any toxic nasties like artificial trees do. However, as the roots have been removed, re-planting a cut Christmas Tree is not a possibility…

- Therefore, the best eco-option would be a re-plantable Christmas Tree, i.e. one which is bought in a pot with its roots still in place. Then in January, why not plant the tree in your garden? I can remember my dad replanting our tree years ago! The tree is now thriving in the front garden and is always decorated every Christmas with fairy lights. If you don’t have anywhere to grow your tree after Christmas, maybe a neighbour or friend does? Alternatively, make sure your tree is recycled by your local council.Even better, try buying your potted Christmas Tree from a sustainable grower and/or make sure the tree has Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) accreditation; go to www.soilassociation.org/christmas for a list of suppliers.

Eco wrapping

Given the time and thought that goes into picking a Christmas gift, the standard wrap job -- a rumpled bow slapped on a store box or a bag and tissue paper picked up at the department store - rarely does justice to the contents. But visual appeal isn't the only reason to reconsider your wrapping habits. It is estimated that over Christmas as much as 83 square km of wrapping paper will end up in UK rubbish bins, enough to cover an area larger than Guernsey!

This year make gift wrap that's both gorgeous and green by creatively repurposing stuff others might toss. Here are some ideas…

Natural
Birch bark and fresh leaves are surprisingly pliable; just roll and secure with twine. Find them in Asian markets and outdoors.

Fillers
Biodegradable stuffing cushions small, fragile items just as well as plastic bubble wrap or Styrofoam peanuts, a recycler's worst nightmare.

Cloth
In Japan, the art of wrapping gifts in cloth is called furoshiki, and it's brilliantly ecofriendly. Secure open ends with a button, safety pin, or knot.

Paper
Easy to find and work with, vintage and repurposed papers add pop to presents. Layer several colors and textures, or add vintage beads for a finished look.

Herbal Fire Starters

Pinecones and dried herbs such as rosemary, sage leaves, and cinnamon sticks make fragrant kindling for a winter fire - and, unlike composite firelogs and lighter fluid, don't rely on chemicals to ignite the flame. Here’s how to do it: 1. Bundle dried herbs and small pinecones in a sheet of newspaper and secure the ends with raffia or cotton twine. 2. As you pile up logs for your fire, nestle the herb bundle underneath, with paper ends sticking out. 3. To start the fire, light the newspaper ends. As the paper burns, the herbs inside will ignite and incinerate, giving the logs a chance to catch fire. Sit back and enjoy the fragrance and your fire!

Paper-free Christmas cards!

Seeing yourself as an Elf, although a little disturbing, is also highly amusing!

Elf Yourself is a fantastic free alternative to sending out paper greetings cards. Last year, a number of my friends and family members sent out e-cards, and I couldn't help wondering how many trees must have been saved and pennies saved! Upload a photo of yourself, choose a dance, Take a look at Elf Yourself, or for something a little less ridiculous, you could go for a classical option via the Britsh Library's Selection who have a number of Christmas e-cards or www.hallmark.com

I know that sending e-cards, removes the personal touch from handwritten Christmas cards, but not only does it save time and money but it also saves on a huge amount of paper!

I think I will be sending a traditional card to my Nan and Grandad, after all they don’t use the internet, but for everyone else it will be e-cards all the way!

Supporting Social Enterprises

Biome Lifestyle have recently been working closely with a small social enterprise in Nepal.

FHC in Nepal was established in 2003 by two female entrepreneurs who committed themselves to helping many poor,vulnerable and socially excluded women through building their skills and providing vital opportunities to enhance their economic status.

After 5 years, the enterprise has provided space to enhance economic opportunity to 78 women working on a daily basis and has 8 permanent staff paid on a monthly basis.

The enterprise specialises in making products from felt. Such as Biome's fantastic Christmas Advent Calendars:

They hand produce their own chemical free felt from just hand soap and hot water. And then hand sew each decoration together and place it on a string ready for you to discover in December.

Their principles are as follows:

* Provide fare wages

* Provide employment to poor, vulnerable and socially excluded women

* Provide a friendly working environment

* Promote transparency and good governance

* Promote social inclusion

Biome are thrilled to be working with the enterprise - not only do they produce a high standard of work but it's great to know that every order we make is helping to benefit the lives of others. That's the way it should be!

Biome recommends...

I have found an easy and absolutely free way of supporting your favourite charity!

aGoodCause.com collaborates with more than 30 charities and relief organisations and more than 900 e-shops. When I shop with one of these shops via AidMaker, a small piece of software, I automatically donate money to my chosen organisation. Donating money in this way is completely free! The shops then send a fixed amount of the price paid for the goods to the charities or relief organisations. We can all make donations in this way by downloading AidMaker at www.agoodcause.com

Biome Lifestyle plan to join agoodcause.com’s e-shop members so we say download it today and help make a difference!

Eco Clubbing!

A new eco-friendly opened in London this summer called Surya, Islington. The club is so environmentally sustainable that it will even donate electricity to its neighbours!
That, at least, is what Surya's owners are claiming:

"Each week millions upon millions of exuberant human beings head out of their houses and into nightclubs to expend large amounts of energy on the dancefloor," Dr Earth said in a statement. "[But] clubbing remains one of the few areas of society untouched by the green message."
According to its statement, Surya is powered by sustainable energy - in particular, wind and sun power - and, in fact, generates enough electricity to pass on to its immediate neighbours.

Besides solar-energy panels, a wind turbine, waterless urinals, low-flush toilets and eco-friendly air-conditioning units, Surya also boasts a high-tech alternative energy dancefloor. It will, the club says, use "materials such as quartz crystals, ceramics, cutting-edge technology and the dancing motion of clubbers to generate part of the club's energy requirements". Fascinating!

Biome Lifestyle would be thrilled if the answer to the world's environmental crisis just meant putting your dancing shoes on and grooving the night away!!

Don't stop dancing - you'll make the lights go out!

Action Aids Child Poverty Day

On October 17th, ActionAid is holding Child Poverty Day. They are encouraging everyone to bring in their own packed lunch that day or hold a school dinner event at home or at work. Simply get together with colleagues or friends and tuck into a classic school dinner or make your own lunch and give the money you would have spent to ActionAid.

If joined with enough friends or colleagues, the event could be really good fun and I am sure will bring back lots of ‘school dinner memories’!

The Child Poverty Day site even has recipe ideas from celebrity chef Antony Worral Thompson for some great lunchtime ideas.

Biome Lifestyle will certainly be joining in on the day – although we’re only a small team, we know every little helps!

Untouched World

I feel ethical fashion still has a slight ‘hippy’ stigma attached. However, the range of ethical clothing brands are growing rapidly and some of my favourites include Ciel, Howies, Eco-boudoir and Noir (the latter though is a little out of my price range!).

However, whilst reading one of my favourite magazines Healthy and Organic, I was pleased to come across a fashion website I previously hadn’t seen Untouched World. Apparently it was the world’s first fashion company to be recognised by the United Nations.Looking round the site, they have some lovely items ranging from everyday wear, yoga wear and evening wear.
They say “Untouched World™ is an ethical lifestyle fashion brand based on the New Zealand lifestyle. It grew out of a desire to create a positive, sustainable future. Social, cultural and environmental sustainability is built deep within the DNA of Untouched World™. We believe you don’t have to give up quality, luxury and great design to be good to the planet and look after its people. We design ethical luxury fashion without compromising performance and style”

Great philosophy!

I think I know what I’ll be asking for Christmas now…!

Save the orang utans!

I have just returned from a wonderful trip to Vietnam and Borneo. I visited some suppliers in Vietnam to check up on the factory status and conditions (thankfully all still tip top!) and then headed to Borneo for some jungle trekking, wildlife spotting and scuba diving.
Our first stop in the Borneo was at the Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre, for orang utans.
It was an amazing experience, one I will never forget. Seeing the Orangutans being nurtured back into the wild was truly special and is all thanks to the hard work and dedication by the staff at the centre.

Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre in the Malaysian Sabah District of North Borneo was founded in 1964, to rehabilitate orphan orang utans. The site is 43 sq km of protected land at the edge of Kabili Sepilok Forest Reserve. Today around 60 to 80 orang utans are living free in the reserve.
It really is a wonderful experience so I thought I would share some photos with you below… enjoy!

Biome Lifestyle are considering adopting a Sepilok orang utan - so watch this space!

The war against plastic bags

I was glad to hear recently that more and more supermarkets are planning to cut down on the number of plastic bags available at the checkouts. Currently:

· British shops give 17 billion plastic bags away every year

· 1.4 million tonnes of plastic packaging is dumped each year

· Between 500 and 1,000 million plastic bags are used worldwide

· The average plastic bag is used for five minutes but takes between 400 and 1,000 years to decompose

If we get into the habit of re-using our carrier bags or, even better, choosing bags for life, we can make a huge difference to the weight of plastic dumped each year. There is now a huge range of re-usable bags available so you can take your pick, and they look much better than carrying your shopping in plastic bags. Happy shopping!

Organic Fortnight

6–21 September sees the celebration of Organic Fortnight, which raises awareness of the environmental, health and social benefits of organic production. The Soil Association is behind the fortnight that celebrates all things organic, bringing together individuals, communities, retailers, restaurants, schools and organic farms. In addition the Organic Fortnight gives everyone the chance to enjoy organic products from food and drink to beauty and homeware.
The fortnight kicks off with the Soil Association Organic Food Festival, Europe's largest organic celebration, which takes place in Bristol on 6-7 September. The campaign closes with the Soil Association Scotland’s Organic Food Festival on 20-21 September.
The message this year is ‘Love Your Planet, Choose Organic’. Amidst growing concerns about climate change and food security, Soil Association Organic Fortnight provides a chance to look at why organic production - fashion, beauty, food and farming - is better for the planet.
I’m fully behind choosing organic products where possible and certainly notice the benefits of doing so. If you don’t often buy organic products, visit www.soilassociation.org for information on the events taking place near you during Soil Association Organic Fortnight so you experience the benefits first hand.

Truly Unique Bags

Wandering around the Internet recently I came across a fantastic bag shop, www.eco-handbags.ca. Their philosophy is “offering the conscientious consumer, chic, unique and fashionable handbags created from recycled and eco-friendly materials.” And the designers, from all over the world, really do make bags from anything and everything recycled – from 35mm slides to truck tyre inners to skateboards – you wouldn’t believe it was possible! Prices range from $12 (approximately £6) to $250 (approximately £125). Having spent literally hours on this site (I do love handbags!) I thought I would share some of my favourites:

Carpet Bags
These bags are handmade in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire from "Silkie" carpet that is apparently made from cotton and viscose (fibre from plant cellulose and therefore biodegradable in time). The bag pictured is $230 (£115) but they also do handbags for as little as £25! And the bonus of these bags is that because they are made from hardwearing carpet they will last for years and still look as good as new.

35mm Slides
The company that makes these bags, RedCamper describes itself as ‘a celebration of family, travel, summer vacations, road trips, tourist traps and countless games of I Spy.’ Maura Gramzinski founded the company after she inherited thousands of travel slides from her Grampa. To celebrate her grandparents’ sense of adventure she wired together some of the slides to make a unique bag, and as they say – the rest is history.

The bag in the image, 7 Wonders, has slides from tourist traps worldwide throughout the years. Also there is apparently only one slide that is duplicated to place in every bag – the naked lady slide, according to the designer her Grampa used to slip this into every slide show just to check everyone was paying attention!
Skateboards
I think these are amazing and still can’t quite work out how they do it! Although according the designer they involve a ‘very time-consuming, labor-intensive process’. I can’t say I’m surprised I mean really how do you make a skateboard into a bag!? Although I have only picked a few examples this site is truly amazing to look around and I could have gone on and on picking out bags to share with you. And not only does eco-handbags.ca have stunning one off bags but it also has interesting information on the designers and some of the good causes they are working for. I would definitely recommend whiling away a rainy afternoon browsing.

Friendly Festivals!

The festival season is now officially upon us, with Glastonbury taking place the other weekend, and this year they, and other festivals, have become more environmentally friendly than ever before.

Agreenerfestival.com, an advice website to help both festival organisers and revellers be as eco-friendly as possible, have this year awarded more of their Greener Festival Awards than ever. Here is a list of the most planet friendly festivals and what they are doing to help:

Latitude Festival, 17th-20th July – Latitude is held on the Suffolk coast and describes itself as ‘more than a music festival’, with music, comedy, theatre, cabaret, literature, art, film, poetry, dance and even a children’s area. Latitude boasts the world’s first fuel cell powered festival stage. They are also handing out camper’s kits as people arrive, containing recycling bags, using only biodegradable food packaging, plates, cups and cutlery, and supplying re-usable beer cups.

The Glade, 17th-21st July – The Glade is the UK’s largest festival with no sponsors, claiming to give you a break from the ‘real world’. Although it doesn’t give you details of its eco efforts all festivals awarded the Greener Festival Award have to meet certain criterions.

Summer Sundae Weekender, 8th-10th July – sister event to The Big Session Festival, Summer Sundae Weekender is now in its 7th year. This year they will be making every effort to be as eco-friendly as possible; recycling plastic bottles, cardboard, paper and glass with a company called the Complete Wasters. They will also be serving all pints in compostable glasses and camera film canisters will be given out for fag butts. Summer Sundae Weekender is also doing their bit to help after the festival by giving away 1000 energy saving light bulbs to festival goers. According to their website if only 50 of these bulbs are used for their full lifetime it will offset the festival’s 25 tons of carbon emissions.

Big Chill, 1st-3rd August – The Big Chill have teamed up with Sunrise Celebration (after Sunrise was washed out by flash floods in Somerset) and is doing its bit using 100% renewable energy, compost toilets and solar showers.

Croissant Neuf Summer Party, 15th-17th August – This festival bills itself as ‘Britain’s premier solar-powered music event’, using a 10KW PA system that runs on the sun’s energy.

Creamfields, 23rd-24th – In its 10th year, dance festival, Creamfields are working with Liftshare.com to encourage more environmentally friendly travel to and from the festival. They will also have a bar run on wind turbines and have a ‘tent donation station’, which will be put to good use, with any tents left behind from the event sent to parts of the world where they are needed most to provide shelter.

The Waveform Project, 12th-14th September – Waveform claims to be Britain’s first green dance festival. It will have composting toilets, eco talks and workshops and all the energy used will be from a renewable source.

Earthdance, 13th September – Earthdance is the largest synchronised dance event in the world. It is a ‘global dance festival for peace’ taking place in 300 locations in 60 countries, with half of all money raised going to good causes.

Biome Lifestyle fully supports these festivals and their efforts to ensure that they are as eco-friendly as they can be.

Get on your cardboard bike

A student at Sheffield Hallam University has created a unique cardboard bicycle, which aims to reduce thefts and encourage people to get out of their cars and 'on their bikes'.

Phil Bridge, who graduates this year from BA (Hons) Product Design, created the bike to support the principle of cheap and ecological transport. The prototype is made almost entirely from recyclable and recycled materials, using interchangeable mechanical parts.

Research shows that a bicycle is stolen every 71 seconds in England which made cycling enthusiast Phil realise that theft was one of the main barriers to bicycle use. The 21-year-old hopes that his work will be taken on by a company who can see the bike's potential as a green marketing gimmick.

Phil said, 'The lightweight quality of the cardboard, combined with its low cost, means it is possible to create a bargain-bike that is also less susceptible to thieves. At the moment low-cost bikes are usually very heavy, which can also put people off.'

Biome thinks what a great way to get on your bike and pedal!

Greenpeace and Green Futures

My husband and I spent quite a lot of time walking around the Greenpeace and Green Futures fields, which were really interesting. The Greenpeace fields had ‘Hot Eco Showers’ and also information on recycling, composting, making your homes more energy efficient and a fantastic skating ramp made from FSC wood for kids.
These areas also had many amazing organic food stalls, which we were sure to keep sampling!

Another area of interest was between the Greenpeace and Green Futures walkway. They had some very interesting signs regarding waste and recycling – see below

I am sure I will include some of these facts and images on the Biome Lifestyle website as they really did make the people we were with stop and think.

Glastonbury Festival 2008

Well, we’re back and we’re pleased to say we successfully survived our first ever trip to Glastonbury Festival! We had a great time and it was nice to have a weekend off work, for once!

The line-up although definitely not as strong as previous years, was still extremely entertaining.

Most of all, we were very lucky with the weather. However, arriving Friday morning in heavy rain wasn’t the best start! We were thankfully prepared for the elements in waterproofs and wellies. The same can’t be said for everyone though… Take a look at my photo from outside Millets by the Pyramid Stage!

I thought this was pretty iconic of the day – the fields soon became muddy and those who were wearing shoes were really struggling to walk around! It also seemed quite sad to see so many abandoned shoes, just dumped and left in the mud – I really hope they were recycled or given to a charity shop (after they had been cleaned that is!).

It was shocking to see how much waste there was at Glastonbury though. I suppose with 300,000 people (or more?) there will be some litter but the fields were covered. Thankfully, the festival had hundreds of charity volunteers who picked litter everyday.

The sun shone for the rest of the weekend though, hurray, which hopefully meant no more abandoned shoes!

All in all, we had a great time and will be sure to be going back again!

New Designers 2008

I have been so busy with work recently, that I haven’t had a chance to make it to the New Designers Show at the Business Design Centre, Islington.

I am determined to take a couple hours out of my day though to see the show, as it really is one of my favourites.

The event showcases design talent from around the country. Categories range from architecture to furniture to fashion. The event brings together over 4,000 graduates from a vast range of universities and design colleges such as The University of Leeds to Central St Martins College in London. New Designers 2008 will take place in two stages, from 3-6 July and the 10-13 July.
Biome Lifestyle has in fact worked with a few designers, after noticing their talent at the New Designers Show. I wonder who we will find this year…

Fresh eggs on your doorstep!

My parents always used to keep hens when I was young. I used to love collecting the warm eggs after they had just been laid, then watching my mum whip up a lovely fresh omelette!

Although I always buy organic free-range eggs, you just can't beat the taste of fresh eggs that have been laid in your own back garden. So I started to look into keeping hens again. However, living in a flat in London with a small garden means there are a number of challenges...

That is until I came across the fantastic range of Omlet hen hutches. Designed specifically to house from 2-10 hens in an urban garden. The designs are fantastic: bright, modern, easy to clean and safe, the eglu has been designed together with leading animal experts to be an ideal habitat for your hens and an attractive addition to your garden. f
Plus, if you are thinking of keeping chickens for the first time then the Omlet team have all the experience to help you get started! They can deliver the eglu and lovely, organically fed chickens direct to your garden so you'll be collecting extraordinarily tasty eggs in no time. Fantastic!

Available in 5 lovely colours too.

As Omlet states "We designed the eglu for the town garden, the first time chicken owner, the family and the eco-savvy individual. We wanted it to be as easy as looking after a goldfish but more rewarding than owning a dog (you get eggs with chickens!)"

Unfortunately our post-stamp garden isn't large enough (a min of 6 metres by 8 metres of grass is needed) but when we next move (to hopefully a place with a larger garden) the Eglu will be top of my list!

Recycled pans now in UK

Biome Lifestyle is the UK's only stockist of the fabulous Recycled Iron Pans. The pans have been designed and made in Japan with the help of some of Japan's top chefs. This range of eco-luxury cookware is made from 75% recycled cast iron. The pans are literally ‘naked’ and free from enamel or tefal coating, which often chips over time reducing the lifetime of the pan. This also means that no chemical substances are released (which often happens with regular coated pans), even when the pan is heated to over 300 degrees Celsius. Instead, the oxide film produced naturally on the surface prevents the pan from rusting and also offers a non-stick surface which is great for cooking. The range includes a wok, frying pan, roasting pan and more. Stylish, safe and made to last a lifetime!

Mr Whippy

Rather than hide energy-saving lightbulbs, the clever designers Nahoko Koyama and Alex Garnett have designed a light which incorporates the bulb within the design. The light fitting mimics an ice-cream and cone; comically called the Whippy light.

Biome Lifestyle always encourages the use of energy-efficient bulbs, although we can't decide in the office if the light fitting is hot or not...

Unpackaged

I have come across and visited this fantastic little store in London, called Unpackaged. Unpackaged sells everything loose; therefore without any packaging at all so it is up to the customer to bring their own containers (such as jars, tins etc) to take the products home. Unpackaged sells a wide range of products from washing-up liquid to red kidney beans. If you do forgot your container, then you can buy a one-off reusablable one.

Here is their policy statement, which is fantastic:

Apart from the teas, all of the products we source are certified organic
We always source fair trade products where possible
We do not sell any products that are air freighted
We give preference to suppliers who are cooperatives or social enterprises
We apply the principles of the waste hierarchy: reduce, reuse and recycle
We plan efficiently to minimise any transportation by ourselves and our suppliers

As stated by Michael Pawlyn, The Guardian, November 21 2005: “ It’s hard to visit a landfill site without being struck by the craziness of taking very valuable minerals and resources out of the ground, using a lot of energy, turning them into short life products and then just dumping them back into the ground. It’s an absolutely monumental waste of energy and resources. As someone from the fashion industry might say, its just so last century”

The Problem with Packaging
Cost: Unnecessary packaging increases the price of the goods you buy. It means you are charged twice; first when you buy over packaged goods and then through your council tax to dispose of your rubbish.

Waste: Unnecessary packaging is a waste of resources at every level: to produce, store and transport, remove and to dispose of.

Pollution: The two main methods of disposing of this packaging – landfill and incineration – are major pollutants for humans and the environment and release greenhouse gases.

What about recycling? While some packaging is recycled, most ends up in landfill sites and some packaging is just difficult and often impossible to recycle. Recycling is certainly part of the solution, but it will only work if we use less packaging in the first place and adopt more reusable ways of doing things- it is this ethos of reuse that Unpackaged is based on.

Biome Lifestyle is looking forward to visiting the Unpackaged shop soon!

Green reward!

I am not sure if this is genius or madness; however Yoon Kuk Hyun has come up with an answer to people throwing away their soap bars before they are completely used by including a small gift inside each soap! The witty and fun design aims to motivate consumers to use their soap to the end, helping prevent waste.

I have to admit the idea is really growing on me. It is a simple and clever way to reduce waste and help the environment and is almost like a Kinder Surprise egg!
I believe this trend of “motivate people to be green by rewarding them” is the way to go. Biome Lifestyle has also come across Soap Bank, a brilliant design that enables you to get the most out of your soap, no matter how small they get.

Handmade with love

I absolutely love http://www.etsy.com/! I could genuinely search all day through the lovely handmade items.

Etsy is an online marketplace for buying & selling all things handmade.Anybody can sell on Etsy, from a top designer to your dear old Granny - making the range diverse, quirky and interesting.
The only issue is it is US based, although quite a few of the makers do ship to the UK.
There are so many adorable items on there - the only problem is deciding what to choose!
Biome Lifestyle rates this lovely site 10/10!

Eco wallpaper

I am loving the new Eco Range Wallpaper by the brilliant Graham and Brown!

The paper is FSC sourced and holds and displays an important (yet subtle) message. For example, the Eco Highway Paper aims to encourage children to think about their carbon footprint; the design features futuristic cars that run on milk instead of petrol.

I love wallpaper anyway, but these new eco-designs have encouraged me to add even more to the walls of my home!

Recycle Week

This week (2nd – 8th June) is Recycle Week, a great awareness week organised by WRAP to encourage us to recycle both on a national and local level and highlight the benefits of doing so.

Whilst recent stats have found that we are increasing the amount we recycle, we need to do more to make a difference.

According to recent figures from the Office for National Statistics (May 2008), recycling has increased by 27% across all regions between 2002 and 2006. Households in the east of England have recored the highest figure of 34%, almost double the rate of four years previously, whilst London and the north-east recycled the lowest proportion.

The government has set a target for 40% of waste to be recycled by 2010. Separate figures for 2007-08, released by the environment department, show that the recycling trend has continued this year, to 33%, with a fall in the amount of waste going to landfill.

Biome Lifestyle fully supports Recycle Week and urges everyone to recycle waste where possible, and also buy products that are made from recycled materials. Every little helps.

World Environment Day 2008

World Environment Day 2008 is Thursday, June 5! The theme for this year’s international United Nations celebration is CO2 – Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy. The UN writes: World Environment Day (WED) is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action.

The agenda is to give a human face to environmental issues; empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development; promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues; and advocate partnership which will ensure all nations and peoples enjoy a safer and more prosperous future. Stand up to Climate Change are asking people to select which change to their routine they will be making to help prepare for Climate Change – from saving water to helping prepare against floods. http://www.standuptoclimatechange.org/ask.aspx

Biome Lifestyle fully supports World Environment Day – the greater public awareness about Climate Change the better!

MPs back personal carbon credits

At last! MPs have backed suggestions that the government should go ahead with a system of personal "carbon credits”.

The Environmental Audit Committee said the scheme would be more effective than taxes for cutting carbon emissions. Under the scheme people would be given an annual carbon limit for fuel and energy use - which they could exceed by buying credits from those who use less. Those who do not use all their carbon credits would be able to sell their credits. Ministers said there were practical drawbacks to the proposal but they were looking at other initiatives.

Committee chairman Tim Yeo said it found that personal carbon trading had "real potential to engage the population in the fight against climate change and to achieve significant emissions reductions in a progressive way". He said "green" taxes, such as a petrol tax, cost poor people more because everyone - "billionaires and paupers" - paid the same amount. "Under the personal carbon trading, someone who perhaps doesn't have an enormous house or swimming pool, someone who doesn't take several holidays in the Caribbean every year, will actually get a cash benefit if they keep a low carbon footprint." He also believes it could be administered by the private sector, following the model of supermarket loyalty schemes in which a complex computer system is accessed by a "single plastic card".

But Mr Benn believes there could be many problems with the plan: "It's got potential but, in essence, it's ahead of its time, the cost of implementing it would be quite high, and there are a lot of practical problems to overcome." Mr Benn said that the report found the cost of introducing the scheme would be between £700 million and £2 billion, and would cost £1bn-£2bn a year to run.

Environmentalist George Monbiot applauded the scheme. "It's more progressive than taxation, it tends to redistribute wealth from the rich to the poor; it's transparent; it's easy for everyone to understand, you all get the same carbon ration. t also contains an inbuilt incentive for people to think about their energy use and to think about how they are going to stay within their carbon ration”

Biome Lifestyle is a huge fan of the personal carbon credits scheme. Apart from the implementation costs, the scheme appears to have a good balance between not penalising the poor (which could happen with some of the suggested with the Green Car Tax, whereby tax is higher on second hand, higher emitting cars) and making the wealthier consider their carbon footprint. Biome Lifestyle thinks it will be a long time before such a radical scheme will be in place, but it will be welcomed with open arms on the day that it does! Fingers x…

Ramsay on the rampage

“I don't want to see asparagus on in the middle of December. I don't want to see strawberries from Kenya in the middle of March. I want to see it home grown” Gordon Ramsay

This was a statement made by Gordon Ramsay a couple of weeks ago regarding the food sold in British restaurant. Gordon apparently, has been having a chat with Prime Minister Gordon Brown about fining restaurants who use non-seasonal produce. Not just a slap on the wrist, but an actual fine. Apparently this would kill two birds with one stone; raising “levels of inspiration”, while cutting carbon emissions.

I think this is a good (if not a bit over ambitious) idea, however I very much doubt this will happen. Plus, Gordon has come under criticism as apparently some of his own restaurants serve out-of season produce…! The one good thing that this idea has brought is a big debate regarding seasonal and local food- the thread on the BBC

Have Your Say forum is already up to 1055 comments! Biome Lifestyle would love to see more local and seasonal food in restaurants, although would that mean I would still be able to enjoy some of the more unusual dishes I enjoy at our local Thai restaurant… what a dilemma!

Walking the talk

Whilst browsing the aisles of Topshop the other day, I came across some lovely shoes which will be perfect for the summer (whenever the sun comes out, that is). Then when I researched the company further, I found out my lovely summer shoes are in fact from a fantastic ethical company. Toms Shoes (www.tomsshoes.com) was established by Blake Mycoskie in March 2006, following a trip to Argentina when he decided to do something to help the disadvantaged, barefoot kids he had seen running around. He launched ‘Shoes for Tomorrow’ whereby for every pair of shoes sold, a free pair of shoes will be donated to a disadvantaged child. After just 8 months, Blake was back in Argentina handing out 10,000 free pairs. A year later he was in South Africa handing out 50,000 pairs.


Biome Lifestyle loves the ethos and dedication behind Toms Shoes. I adore buying shoes but now I can buy a pair in the knowledge a child will be given a free pair of shoes courtesy of my purchase! How very kind of me! Ethical shopping, what could be better?!

Could this be the perfect bakery?

Whilt visiting a friend in Hastings the other week, I came across this fabulous organic bakery called Judges, and I really think it’s one of my best finds in a long time! Everything from the Cornish pasties to the pink meringue pigs via the jam doughnuts and chocolate brownies is organically certified (by the Soil Association). The bakery stocks a wide-range of the usual white, wholemeal and malthouse English breads, from cottage loaves to ‘bloomers’ and French sticks. However, there is also a fabulous selection of artisan breads, including Parisienne baguettes (which are rolled overnight in French linen!), seeded loaves and rye bread, all created by an award-winning baker. Delicious!

I just wish Judges was local to Biome Lifestyle, however it is probably a blessing for my waist-line that it’s not!

Bank holiday picnic

The sun is shining (well a bit!) so how about taking a freshly packed organic picnic to the coast or local beauty spot this weekend? You could pack a hamper full of organic goodies – from freshly made sandwiches, cakes, cold meats, locally made cheeses and plenty of fruit. Our local Farmers Market and Whole Foods store in Stoke Newington has a wonderful selection of organic and locally-made produce – why not check out your local Farmers Market or health food/organic store near you this weekend to see what new ideas you can conjure up?

Once the food is prepared, then why not pack it all up in one of our very own Biome Lifestyle Eco Picnic Hampers? The sturdy wicker hamper holds 4 recycled plastic plates, 4 recycled plastic tumblers, 4 sets of recycled plastic cutlery, a fair-trade blanket and a fun recycled plastic Frisbee to enjoy a quick game when the food has run out!

We hope you all enjoy the long weekend! Please keep shining sunshine!

Celebrities doing their bit...

21st Century Leaders is a unique charity artwork project. The charity gather artworks from leaders in all fields; royalty, film, music, Nobel Peace Prize laureates, sports, literature etc. The range of celebrities who have offered artwork range include Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Gwen Stefani, Annie Lennox, David Bowie, The Foo Fighters, Christine Slater, Nicole Kidman, Amy Winehouse, Sir Bob Geldof and many many more…

The celebrity artworks are used to create Whatever It Takes products: 'merchandise with a meaning'. From wristbands to clothing, from tableware to cosmetics and footwear, each product is ethically produced and sold to raise funds for charitable causes chosen by each contributing leader. So far almost £540,000 has been raised, but the aim is to at least triple this figure in the nex couple of years. The money raised will help to fund charitable projects in developing countries, contribute to the protection of the environment and other charitable causes. A few examples of the products available are pictured below




Biome Lifestyle thinks it is a fantastic cause which is cleverly using the ‘power if celebrities’ to raise money and awareness for many fantastic projects. To read more, go to www.whateverittakes.org.

Feel good holidays

Whilst feeling blue about the recent ‘summer rain’, I decided to have a look at my options for a holiday in the sun this summer...I stumbled across this website, www.handsupholidays.com and I must say I am very tempted to book our holiday with them!

It seems like Hands Up Holidays offers the best of both worlds – a relaxing eco holiday with some volunteer work thrown in for good measure. The double feel good factor! As stated on their site Hands Up Holidays is all about giving you amazing holiday experiences that combine eco-sightseeing with a meaningful 'taste' of volunteering. These volunteer adventures are for you if:

- you are interested in having a break, want to explore a destination, and also give something back to the local community.
- you value meaningful interaction with other cultures - achieved through the medium of volunteering.
- you value low-impact, sustainable tourism practices that directly benefit local communities.
- you do not have specific skills, but have a lot of enthusiasm and a positive attitude (and if you do have specific skills, we will match these where possible)

Hands Up Holidays are a founding member of the Ethical Tour Operators Group, part of Tourism Concern that is committed to sustainable tourism that benefits local communities and the environment.

Although the airmiles used to reach some of the far flung destinations are worrying, hopefully the voluntary work will be of great benefit to the local communities and the eco-lodges will be a sustainable part of the environment. Now where is my passport..?!

Innovative tarp bags

At a recent Trade Show, the Biome Lifestyle Team came across this fantastic new company, Trashe Bolsas.

In the Philippines giant billboards promoting all manner of products and services line the highways. In offices, schools, hotels and shops, banners do the same. These billboards and banners are printed onto tarpaulins or ‘tarps’ made from canvas coated with polycarbonate. These tarps, designed to withstand the scorching heat and torrential rain of the tropics, are completely non-biodegradable. When the tarps are finished with, they either end up in landfill or are burned, thus releasing harmful greenhouse gasses – either way, they contribute to an ever increasing threat to the environment.

The community based company are salvaging the tarps from the side of the roads or landfill, which are then made into strong and innovative bags.

On top of that, a community of around 1,000 Filipinos lives in an area full of rubbish which is polluting their water supply. TrasheBolsas and EarthDay Village are providing a clean-up campaign together with solid waste management training. So each bag you buy will contribute to the scheme as well as preventing the tarps being dumped causing damage to wildlife, the landscape and the environment.

Natural beauty to your door

Whilst doing some research for Biome, I came across this website at the weekend www.lovelula.com and I am now an addict! I usual buy most of my body and skincare from either the great range at Whole Foods or Body Shop. However, seeing all these lovely organic cosmetics and skincare products, I am very tempted to spend some pennies on here too… The organic apothecary brings together a collection of some of the world’s finest and purest natural beauty & organic products, including skincare, bath products, makeup, haircare and baby care, made by experts equally passionate about natural and organic ingredients. Beautiful beauty products right to your door – hurrah!

Healthy Sustainable Mexican Food – Aye caramba!

Friday night I enjoyed a lovely meal at Wahaca restaurant, Covent Garden. Wahaca opened last summer and recently won The Observer Best Cheap Eats award.

The food was delicious and I especially loved the reclaimed wood bar, and the chunky recycled glasses. We enjoyed a mix selection of tapas, which was suggested by our very friendly and helpful waitress.


Wahaca offers fresh Mexican market food, which is unlike usual tex-mex of sizzling fajitas or cheesy nachos. The restaurant brings you a taste of the real food of Mexico with an evolving, seasonal menu. The fish is sustainable and served with a fresh, fiery green tomatillo sauce. The chicken is free-range chicken and is poached and served with delicious ingredients in a taquito, a quesadilla, an enchilada or in our Sonora salad with a slow-cooked chipotle chilli and garlic sauce. Delicious!


The restauant looks to promote natural produce and protect traditional, sustainable methods of growing food. The founder Thomasina Miers says “My aim was to see if I could work with small producers in Mexico to supply the restaurant in London with indigenous Mexican crops, but also to see how I could use English produce in the restaurant, thereby limiting the amount of imported food.”

We feel that Wahaca will be a huge success and judging by the long queues on Friday night, it seems like it already is. Here’s to more Wahaca restaurants opening soon!

Space saving eco furniture

This elegant wooden piece of furniture, titled Futaba Convertible Furniture is designed by Akemi Tanaka. The elegant multi-purpose furniture doubles both as a chair and a coffee table. Futaba is a Japanese word that means two leaves sprouting from one seed. The furniture is carved in Plyboo eco-friendly wood and is finished with Danish oil. The convertible piece of furniture looks very elegant. The furniture collection by the designer also includes Hollow Chaise lounge that is modern is design and looks great.

Eco chandelier

At last the Eco Chandelier has arrived! Chandeliers, for long have been good looking power guzzlers that are standard fitments in almost all the ballrooms across the globe. Now you can have the chandelier’s traditional good looks minus it’s high power consumption thanks to LED technology. This stunning LED Constellation Chandelier is courtesy Kenzan Tsutakawa-Chinn, a student from Pratt University.

This chandelier breaks away from conventionality to have a Starburst form by bunching together 394 LED’s on the tip of 91 copper tubes. Thus, you have a very good looking LED cluster that does away with complicated chandelier circuitry. You’ll be amazed to hear that the Constellation Chandelier runs on a 12 volt supply and consumes power equivalent to a 20 watt bulb. Phenomenal is an understatement. It definitely looks like LED technology has come of age with this very efficient, beautiful form of lighting.

News from Milan Furniture Show

The Milan Furniture Show is the place to go to catch up on the trends that are about to hit your home; it’s where designers’ names are made and big business is done – and last month’s show was no different.

Key trends emerged including adding quirkiness and individuality through standout pieces, introducing retro elegance (as illustrated by the 1930s Hollywood inspired Armani Casa’s collection) and the increased use of precious metals, with gold and silver extremely popular.

Colour was certainly a stand out this year, with bold and bright colours from tangerine to teal, aubergine to green used across the board - and they looked fantastic. Memorable pieces included Edra’s vibrant storage unit, which displayed the use of the colour spectrum at it’s best; some amazing bold seating presented by Modus; and the Established & Sons Stack drawers, which were the talk of the show.

Whilst we may not all be able to afford the latest designer pieces in our own homes, we can certainly build on their inspiration. Colour is easy to introduce into the home, and if you’re keeping green try bamboo – it’s a great sustainable material and can be lacquered in an array of bold and bright colours.

Straw furniture... is it possible?! Biome says yes!

I was recently contacted by this young, talented designer from Nottingham Trent University studying furniture and product design. The images below are from her final year project where she has designed 100% bio-degradable home furniture. This project was designed to help prevent the waste issues connected to our current ‘throw away society’.

The young designer, Sheryl Stephenson says “I have chosen to use strawboard which is a material currently being used as a formaldehyde free alternative to conventional wood based particle boards. As the name suggests strawboard is made completely of straw making it perfectly sustainable material. Each component would be constructed using simple jointing techniques and finished with an eco-friendly, water based varnish. With this furniture I want to illustrate to consumers how stylish environmentally furniture can look when designed well”

Biome Lifestyle loves her designs – well done Sheryl!

Luxury eco-furniture

I am sure we all say, if we won the lottery I would... Well if I did (although I never buy a ticket!) I would deck my home with this beautiful eco-furniture.

The furniture is by Brazilian designer Hugo França’s who offers beautiful, stylish and earthy furniture designs for the home. The Brazilian designer carves stunningly elemental furnishings from discarded Amazonian Indian canoes and fallen Pequi trees, some dating to 1,000 years old. The wide catalogue features low-slung coffee tables, chaises, and enormous room dividers. And, all this earth-consciousness would set you back for a incredible price tag as well that runs into tens of thousands of pounds. I best get saving...!

Recycled bracelets

Australian designer Craig Arnold has captured the beauty of contemporary design and sustainability with his latest bracelet collection, re:vision. Made from discarded camera parts, these bracelets are a must have accessory for photographers and eco-accessory fans alike. We are of course big proponents of recycling obsolete gadgets into new fashion statements, but Arnold’s fresh take on this eco-fashion principle is a great new idea, one from which we can all draw inspiration.