Thursday 20 November 2008
Our Eco Shop’s pop-up Christmas boutique opened in Westbourne Grove this week. A collaboration of UK designer-makers and small green companies have come together for the second year running to create the shop. From now until Christmas Eve, they will be selling a selection of fair trade, ethical and organic products from the boutique.
BCSF was at the launch party last night to check things out. Alongside old favourites like Little Green Radicals and Izzy Lane, we discovered some exciting new ethical brands such as Harlands, an organic home furnishings company that makes chemical-free upholstered sofas, chairs and headboards.
It was good to see that even in the current financial climate, the shop was packed. And people weren’t just there for the delicious organic wine and nibbles - there were plenty of transactions taking place too! There’s a lot packed into the two-level shop. You can pick up everything from baby clothes, jewellery, stationery, beauty products to an electric cycle. It might be just the thing if you’re out looking for unique presents - many of the items on sale are one-off creations, and nothing in the shop is mass-produced.
Our Eco Shop is located at 303 Westbourne Grove, W11. Nearest tubes are Notting Hill Gate and Ladbroke Grove.
Opening times 10:00-18:00 (Mon-Sat), 12:00-17:00 (Sun), from November 10th until December 24th.
The UN released figures yesterday that showed greenhouse gas emissions of 40 industrialised nations rose by 2.3% between 2000 and 2006. There was a slight dip between 2005 and 2006 (0.1%), but this was too small to suggest a downward trend.
Compared to 1990 levels, emissions actually fell by about 5%. However, this pre-2000 decrease has been attributed to the economic decline of transition countries in Eastern and Central Europe during the 1990s.
The report did not include figures from India and China. Along with the US, these three nations have not yet taken action under the Kyoto Protocol.
Among industrialised nations, 16, including the UK, are on track to meet their Kyoto Protocol obligations.
With the Kyoto Protocol expiring in 2012, the Copenhagen climate change conference in 2009 is shaping up to be key to future emissions targets.
Photo by Flickr user freefotouk. Published under a Creative Commons license.
Yesterday, the Guinness World Record for the Largest Gathering of People Wearing Underpants was broken, and BCSF was there to witness it. Pants to Poverty, the campaigning movement/underwear retailer, used the promise of free pants, bacon butties and shots of whisky to entice 116 brave souls to bare (almost) all at chilly St Pancras International. They claimed the record to the rallying cry of “We love pants, we hate poverty!”
The event attracted a fair amount of media (including an unusually high proportion of Japanese TV stations) and public attention. The message seemed to get round to most morning commuters that these seemingly insane people in their underwear were actually there for a good cause. Read More »
Thursday 13 November 2008
Many people probably feel it isn’t Christmas without some decorations. If you’re thinking about digging your home decorations out of storage, it’s worth taking a moment to tot up the cost of your Christmas cheer.
Without wanting to come across as a scrooge, conventional Christmas lights are just too expensive in terms of running costs and energy consumption.
If you (or your kids) have your hearts set on festive illuminations, consider buying LED lights. According to the Energy Saving Trust, LEDs consume 90% less electricity than conventional bulbs. They last longer and are more durable (no filaments) too. Although the initial outlay might be greater, LEDs make sense as a long-term investment. Read More »
Our Eco Shop’s pop-up Christmas boutique opened in Westbourne Grove this week. A collaboration of UK designer-makers and small green companies have come together for the second year running to create the shop. From now until Christmas Eve, they will be selling a selection of fair trade, ethical and organic products from the boutique.
