Most people I speak to are divided one way or the other about buying organic. There're those who think it's a no-brainer: cutting down on chemicals we don't necessarily know enough about can only be a good thing, both for the environment and our bodies. And then there are those who argue that the chemicals have been in the food chain for long enough without doing any serious damage and don't want to pay extra for what they see as needless caution.

Finally, there's the smaller group that takes a slightly more paranoid attitude, fearing scams and highlighting the relative ease of passing off non-organic food as organic and charging the earth for it (ocasionally with reason). But could the trend towards organics actually be harming the planet? That was a new one on me until I read the Times article today that claims locally grown, organic food may not be as environmentally kosher as it claims to be. (read on after the jump for a synopsis)

The claims have provoked an angry reaction from the Soil Association, and will no doubt re-open the debate once again. So how seriously do you take findings of this sort? Whose authority on organics do you feel you can trust?

This is such a cool idea, in every sense of the word! I've so often envied those lucky people with enough time on their hands to grow veggies in the garden or allotment, regularly harvesting bags of delicious, organic produce for little more than the price of a few seeds, and this invention from Electrolux could just be the answer...

This pretty pink crew-neck is tailored at Craft Aid in Mauritius which provides valuable employment opportunities for disadvantaged members of the community. Plus, it's made from organic cotton, so no nasty chemicals.

Priced £22, it is from Traidcraft's new spring collection, which includes charcoal linen trousers, vest tops and flippy skirts.

Related stories: H&M launch organic cotton collection | Fully organic tees

I've always found so-hip-it-hurts denim label Diesel's advertising strategies to be a tad hypocritical. As a humungous global brand its publicity seems to crop up in a lot of surprisingly underground places, always making a show of supporting struggling 'indie' projects, just long enough for the cool kids catch on before it leaves them to...struggle. But that's an old rant for another time. This latest stunt, however, is twisted even by their standards...

Last year, a new concept in energy saving computers was launched by education-focused technology firm RM. The Ecoquiet PC uses around two thirds of the energy of a normal PC, and has the added bonus of being quieter than a normal desktop, since its cooling system doesn't require the same whirring fans.

Schools can enter at RM's site by describing in 300 words or less how they would make use of the prize. Deadline 30th March.

Related posts: Dell goes green | Apple is 'greener than Greenpeace thinks'

1. It may already be too late to save the ice caps. [Guardian]

2. Could artificially-created 'thick' clouds protect us from climate change? [BBC]

3. London's congestion charge zone extended westwards. [MSN]

4. Low levels of air pollution can increase risk of stroke. [Planet Ark]

More Green News.

Whole Foods Market has announced that it is still on schedule to open its flagship UK store - a whopping 80,000 square feet of organic goodness - in London's Kensington High Street this June.

We're used to supermarket chains opening massive outlets, but will this one really be any greener, and how will it benefit the area? 

Fairtrade fortnight is coming up fast, and what better way to welcome it than by cracking open a bottle of fairtrade wine and raising a glass to the growers?

Unlike many of the wines in the still-small fairtrade category, Traidcraft's Torrontes is from a relatively little known and up-and-coming grape, which grows in Argentina. Torrontes gives a subtily fruity flavour, hinting of pears and melons, with a natural crisp acidity that lends itself well to salads, creamy pastas or mildly-spiced dishes - perfect for spring! The grapes are picked by over 500 farmers who make up the La Riojana Co-operative, and are guaranteed a good price for their grapes, as well as benefiting from free advice and technical assistance thanks to fairtrade. Sold by the case for £67.70 (that's £5.65 a bottle), Torrontes is available to order on Traidcraft's site.

Do you have a burning desire to share the virtues of ethical consumerism with the rest of the world? Reackon you could do it in a short film? If so, Treehugger is offering the chance to win $5,000 (or equivalent - we've done our homework here, and this one is open to international readers) a Dutch Citybike, Fluevog Shoes and Tickets to EPIC - the biggest ethical shopping-fest ever held.

Treehugger shares many things with Hippyshopper, but above all, the belief that shopping doesn't have to be 'bad' if you keep an eye on what you're buying. And this is why they're supporting the EPIC, which takes place in Vancouver on March 16th-18th. It's set to be a hippy shopper's paradise - a Sustainable Living Expo, where you can discover hip, ethical products and services that allow you to feel good about your purchases. Sounds like heaven? Details on how to enter follow after the jump.

We've just had a week of fashion mania at Shiny Towers, so the Hippyshopper team have been hard at work looking through the haze of frocks, canapes and champagne, and keeping tabs on designers' ethical credentials.

On Thursday, I decided to see what the current crop of eco fashionistas had been up to, and dropped in on Refashioned: From Waste to Wear; the only event dedicated entirely to ethical fashion to spin off from London Fashion Week. Many of the top names were in attendance, with catwalk shows from: Rebecca Earley, designer, researcher and curator of last year's Well Fashioned: eco style in the UK exhibition; TRAID Remade, the fashion label from the people behind the textile recycling charity; stylish vintage customisers From Somewhere, and aGaiN NYC, the hip US label that specialises in turning 'junk into funk'.

Having covered a fair few catwalk shows for our sister sites, I can honestly say that the 'greener' end of fashion is well and truly holding its own if these collections are anything to go by...

Save the future is the slogan of Katharine Hamnett's new "Cotton Campaign", which not only includes the vest worn by Lily Cole (available online soon) but also a whole line of environmentally conscious jewelry made from ethical metals, and named after Greek gods and goddesses.  Hamnett is working with the Environmental Justice Foundation to establish EU Regulations to stop the import of cotton made from child labour.  [GT]

Katharine Hamnett's Cotton Campaign [via Vogue]

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The very gadget to chi-chi up any dinner party: Seth Kinmonth's Still.  Using the old-schoolest of tech (fire and glass) and 15 custom-blown Pyrex bottles, the still converts a regular bottle of wine into eau de vie over a period of time corresponding to about a dinner.  You can watch it work, and at the end, inhale some truly exceptional tipple.  It also comes with a case of cab sauv that the artist made himself, and candles he designed and cast.  $1750 USD.  [GT]

Seth Kinmonth's Still [via Cool Hunting]

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After parsing a whopping 3,200+ entries, the designboom mediated contest (prizes put up by Bisque Radiators) to find the top radiator design of the future, has a winner!  Leo Salzedo made the Archibald, a radiator shaped like clotheshangers.  This not only saves space in a tiny flat, but lets you put  four collared shirts, five T-shirts, three jackets, five bath towels, four pairs of pants, and two robes somewhere out of your closet.  Not only will your room be warm, your clothes will be toasty when you put them on (and less wrinkled, cutting down on ironing).  The overall contest entries were so stellar the judges expanded the number of prizes to six from three.  [GT]

Radiators of the future [via Popgadget]

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COLD-fX is a ginseng-based remedy which claims "to reduce the frequency, severity and duration of cold and flu symptoms by boosting the immune system."  Health Canada just said, yes, COLD-fX does indeed meet its immune-boosting claims and can continue to advertise them.  COLD-fX is based on ancient Chinese herbal remedies, but has also gone through analysis of its ten years' use plus seven clinical trials.  First popularized by hockey players, it is now expected to come into wider use since it's got some government backing.  [GT]

COLD-fX

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The Ford Interceptor is pretty comfortable, powerful and bulky in a way that you might expect to have a ghastly eco-footprint - but it also can run on pure ethanol, and is designed to be aerodynamic and fuel-efficient.  It also has full high-tech audio (letting you turn it into a giant iPod dock if need be) and climate controls but you can also shove them behind a panel if you want to go retro.  [GT]

Ford Interceptor

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