Introducing our new supplier...

Biome Lifestyle are delighted to introduce our new supplier from South Africa.

Nestled in a tiny town just outside the Eastern Cape is a community of women who produce the most amazing pieces of handiwork. Every product has been handmade from start to finish. The business was set up to help the community become self sufficient, and the women have been working together for 10 years. The women produce memory boxes, kids cushions and kids bedding all exclusively for Biome Lifestyle.

We look forward to a long and prosperous partnership!

Biome and Honda unite!

Biome Lifestyle are delighted to be chosen to be involved with the ‘Eco Test Drive’ of Hondas Insight car. Every Honda dealership in the UK is issuing a challenge to its local motorists – achieve the highest fuel economy over a set route and win £100 vouchers to spend at Biome Lifestyle!

The nationwide challenge is being used to launch the Insight, one of the UK’s greenest new cars. Using hybrid technology, its official combined fuel economy figure is 64.2mpg – an impressive figure for a petrol-powered compact family hatchback that can seat five adults and take their luggage.

At each participating dealership, the customer who gets the highest mpg – as displayed on the Insight’s trip meter after completing a set local test route – will win Biome Lifestyle vouchers worth £100.

Bernard Bradley, General Manager – Cars, at Honda (UK), said: “We know that the way in which different people drive has a big impact on fuel economy. So, to help our customers maximise the impressive efficiency of the Insight, it comes with technology that helps them adopt greener driving techniques.”
Biome Lifestyle are proud to be involved with the new Honda Insight car! Go take a test drive today!

Biome Lifestyle's student design competition!

Biome Lifestyle is delighted (and very excited!) to announce the launch of the Biome Lifestyle Product Design Competition 2009. Biome Lifestyle is keen to recognise and support young creative talent that is focused on sustainable design. This is the first year of the competition, which aims to unite the three foundations of Biome Lifestyle: good design, great style and strong ethics.

This competition aims to find a winning product design for Christmas 2009. The product
design needs to retain a Christmas theme or a Christmas use, with the winning design being
produced and sold on the Biome Lifestyle website from October 2009. The competition winner will receive a commission based on the sales of their product, calculated on a monthly basis. Biome will organise and pay for the manufacture of the winning entry, which will be assessed on its eco-credentials and made either in the UK or by co-operatives in Nepal, Vietnam or India. Products made outside the UK will be manufactured using sustainable materials including felt, bamboo and organic cotton.

The competition is open to students over the age of 16, and the closing date for entries is 1 May.

A winner will be chosen on 11 May, and the product will go sale in the run-up to Christmas.
Contact alexandra@biomelifestyle.com for more information or to enter.

Best of luck!

Wonderful women making wonderful products!

Biome Lifestyle is delighted to be working with a new fair trade producer in Malawi.

The women all hand stitch the beautiful linen cushions with raw and natural beads made from wood, coconut, shell, ostrich egg & bonehand stitched onto heavy weight linen.

The quality is fantastic and the attention to detail on the beadwork is truly wonderful.

Aside from being a great new addition to the Biome range, we are also delighted to be supporting the talented makers. The cushions are hand crafted in Malawi by single mothers, selected, from the local orphan program –

creating employment, empowerment and independency in an area where jobs are scarce. Each cushion is considered with care and the end product acknowledged with great pride. Welcome to Biome Lifestyle ladies!

Fairtrade still fares well!

New research in the UK has shown that a quarter of shoppers said they had purchased at least one Fairtrade item in the past month, compared with 9% in 2006.

This is great increase for fairtrade produce and also great to see that consumers are becoming increasingly aware of where and how products are made. Biome Lifestyle is constantly increasing our range of Fairly traded products, working with a growing number of suppliers abroad who adhere to the fair trade principles of fair wages and a good working environment.

During the current economic downturn there also appears to be a definite trend towards consumers looking for less ‘mass produced’ and disposable products and turning to more unique and good quality items, which will last years to come instead.

I am a firm believer that quality should override quantity; that classic LBD or handmade piece of furniture is sure to last longer in terms of style, quality and durability.

Disposable fashion can be fun and we can all be tempted at times! However, it’s always important to consider where the item was made, who by and how… So next time you are about to buy this weeks ‘must have’ fad, think about how long you really intend to use it or keep it for, then perhaps save your pennies for something you know will be an investment piece and not next weeks rubbish!

Green & Gorgeous wallpaper

Biome Lifestyle launched six beautiful eco-friendly wallpaper designs this week.
The wallpaper is printed on paper made from 100% FSC timber sources using purely water based inks for printing, with no harmful VOC's or solvents. Each design is available in various colours so you are sure to find one you adore.

Green and gorgeous, what could be better!

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!

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!

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.

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!

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!

Welcome!

Welcome to the official blog of BiomeLifestyle.com, the UK's favourite place for stylish, contemporary, eco-friendly products for your home.

Here you will find lots of interesting articles about Greener Living, Recycled Art, Sustainable Design, Interior Design and other interesting green stories!

We feel we have succeeded to bring stylish, eco-friendly homewares through our online store; we now aim to unite 'green' and 'style' on the blog.

We understand it is hard to live a 100% sustainable lifestyle, but everyone can make small changes that when incorporated by a large group of people make a big difference.

We believe that modern life should offer a balance - a harmony between style and modern comforts and being good to the planet. This blog will highlight products, stories, homes, designers, artists which all aim to resolve this modern day balance.