1. Bush administration accused of censoring scientists' reports on global warming. Is it me, or is this utterly unsurprising? [Guardian]

2. How reintroducing wolves to Scotland could be good for local economy. You could say it would keep the wolf from the door. Sorry. [Times]

3. Parliamentary report says curbs on solar panels and wind turbines should be scrapped. [PlanetArk]

4. Statistics published today show that UK government is failing in the fight against climate change. [Friends of the Earth]

More Green News.

Valentine's Day is fast approaching. Rather than splashing out on some cut (ie. dead) flowers, how about the Valentine Green Box from Carbon Neutral?

It contains one month of guilt-free carbon-offset driving (325 kg of carbon, based on a 1.6 car travelling 1000 miles), some mini Green and Blacks choccie and a recycled leather heart-shaped keyring.

£12.50 from The Carbon Neutral Company.

Related stories:  Do Carbon-Offset schemes work? | Aviva Insurance goes carbon-neutral | Offset your house

Moppels, while competely adorable, should not be mistaken for pets. They are, in fact, lovely LED lamps which give low-energy light either from 3 AAA batteries or a USB port.

Bendable, you can position them any way you want and shed light in a variety of settings - in the car or in bed, perhaps.

They come with either suckers or magnets, and I want one to sit on my iron bedstead and illuminate my bedtime book. Just $25 from here.

[Via UberGizmo]

Related stories: Recycled lamp | Flower lamp | Sven Table Lamp

Attention knitters! If you fancy getting your needles round an unusual and worthwhile project, Carla Wentink, a guide at the Eden Project in Cornwall is raising awareness of World Water Day by knitting a giant woollen river. The Project already has a proven track record in quirky knitted items, having made the 'world's largest knitted Christmas tree' last year, which also helped a lot of good causes.

If you thought London fashion week was more fur-trade than fair trade, the shows merely an orgy of waste and excess, be prepared this February to think again.

The Dana Centre (part of the Science Museum but with booze and a late license) is playing host to Refashioned: From waste to wear on Thursday 15th February, an evening of events showcasing some of the wonderful things that designers can do with old clothes. No less than 700,000 tonnes of textiles are jettisoned each year, and the rise of fast fashion and seasonal fads has made us fickler than ever when it comes to style. It sounds a lot, doesn't it, but we're all as guilty as each other...military jackets anyone? Book early to avoid disappointment, and bring along last season's rejects for a green makeover.

The Independent has launched a campaign against 'excessive packaging' of consumer products, inviting readers to send in examples of 'absurd packaging'.

Backed by a number of politicians of all allegiances, the waste-war aims to put pressure on supermarkets and other organisations guilty of over-using cardboard, cling film, plastic and other materials, many of which are difficult or impossible to recycle.

The Heal's Recycle Bins Set Of Three not only make sorting easy (and modestly stylish) but the flaps also have a nice magnetic seal so that you don't have to look at the trash once you're done with it, and carrying straps so you can easily transport them to the central bin. The earth tones are reminiscent of the planet you're trying to improve, and should fit in nicely with any decor. Plastic, 48.5cm D 29.5cm W, £35 per set. [GT]

Heal's Recycle Bins Set Of Three

More Recycling

A tonne of Cool from Global Cool is £20. Of that, £10 goes to high quality alternative energy and energy reduction projects which result in eliminating at least one tonne of emissions. £4 gets invested in development of solar, wave, wind and biomass-generated power. £3 goes to Global Cool Productions Ltd. £2 actually gets donated to other climate change groups, and £1 is for administrative overhead. So £16 is going straight to work everywhere and the remaining £4 is for Global Cool's work. Also, if you sign a Gift Aid declaration, your donation is increased by 28%. Cool! [GT]

Global Cool

More Planet saving

As we've illustrated with a roundup of winter sales, fair trade doesn't have to be unfair to your wallet. The Two Hands Worldshop has a section of products in the sub £10 range including fabulous beaded cuff bracelets from India for $11 USD, a tea-light holder carved of onyx for £2.50, or a Snuggle Bunny from Guatemala for £6.50. [GT]

Two Hands Worldshop

More Ethical & green gifts

A shopping cart can make the difference between needing to have a car for a shopping trip, and the Compact Sit-Down Shopping Cart could make that difference with a difference. Your food goes in the base, and your dainty behind can have a rest on the seat, guaranteeing you some measure of comfort even on the tube home. It can take 20 kilos in the basket, and 100 kilos in the seat, so it's rugged enough for you and your baby too - and since it's aluminum, it only weighs 4kg. Personal shopping carts usually offer some modesty covering, and probably future versions of this will too, but as is, it makes the Saturday farmer's market trek sound a lot nicer. $99. [GT]

Compact Sit-Down Shopping Cart [via Chip Chick]

More Transport & travel

26 March, instant snack food changes forever. Nissin Food Products is launching reusable Cup Noodle cups. The kit involves two meal packets, seafood and regular flavour packets, and a single plastic cup with a lid. To make the second packet, wash out the cup and have at. The cup-less meals will also be available individually. The kit costs about £2.50 and the refills are about 50p each. [GT]

Nissin Food Products launches reusable Cup Noodle [via Plastic Bamboo]

More Food & drink

The Fair Indigo Winter Sale has some stuff that is so sexy, so drop-dead gorgeous, and at such good prices, that even a notorious tightfist like me is tempted. The sale prices are so dramatic - their Silk Peasant Tunic at only $19 USD, Sleeveless silk chiffon top at $14, and Cashmere Piped V Neck Sweater at a super-styling $49, because the clothing pieces aren't sizing too reliably (generally a tad on the overlarge end) and they're passing the savings on to you while they revamp. The savings for men aren't quite so dramatic, though they do have a cashmere turtleneck for $99, about which one can't complain. [GT]

Fair Indigo Winter Sale

More Fashion & accessories

The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science & Technology has developed glass that can be easily switched between mirrored and transparent, using a thin film of magnesium-titanium. Combined with temperature sensors, judicious flipping on and off could allow significant savings in warming and cooling the interior. On a smaller scale, it could also allow easy privacy screens in tight areas without having to cut down on outdoor light. [GT]

Successful Development of a Thin Film for a Switchable Mirror That Can be Switched Between Reflective and Transparent States [via Plastic Bamboo]

More Green gadgets

1. US Wolves no longer endangered - so soon it'll be okay to hunt them again. [BBC]

2. EC wants to clean up the air with a total smoking ban across 27 countries. [MSN]

3. Government plans compulsory water-metering to combat water shortages. Seems sensible. [Guardian]

4. Mexico City's infamous smog lifts - well, a little bit, anyway. [PlanetArk]

More Green News.

News of a fun and inventive way to raise awareness of global warming has just landed in our inbox, and we'd like to ask readers to join us as we take part in what could turn out to be a very interesting experiment this Thursday...

French environmental group L'Alliance pour la Planète is urging people all over the world to turn out their lights and other electrical gadgets for five minutes at 19:55 (GMT+1hr) on the night of the 1st Feb. The group wants not only to 'give the planet a rest', but to draw attention to the seriousness of energy wastage and climate change. The 'blackout' has been timed to fall on the eve of the release in Paris of the fourth IPCC report on climate change; the most thorough such overview to date.