Climate change is something that we sometimes perceive as abstract and a bit unreal at the moment, in our country at least. We have not really had to experience the devastating effects of global warming on our way of life, yet. For the Inuit people of Canada, Greenland, Alaska and Russia’s far east, climate change is real and it is current. Rising temperatures, melting ice and rising sea levels are affecting entire communities and their traditional way of life. This is not something that they need to worry about in the future, this is their reality now. Sheila Watt-Cloutier, the former president and international chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC) is trying to raise awareness of the effect of global warming to her people. She talks about increasing numbers of hunters falling through the ice. She explains about her neighbour: “He fell through the ice and they found him two or three days later when his legs were frozen…

The Eagle torch and charger is just £30 and will get you out of any low battery tight spot using just the power of the sun. The flashlight boasts high brightness and should last for up to 35 hours when fully charged. There are seven common types of mobile phone adapters to try and ensure that yours will work and Eagle claims that fully charged it will give 70 minutes talk time, on average 96 hours standby time. The fold out wing of the model is designed to maximise charging to 150mA.

And why did I mention the Natural History Museum? Well, it's doing an even bigger bit for the environment by highlighting an eco-friendly product they sell every month, encouraging the visitors who come to learn about the world they live in to do something kind for it and their descendents. This torch / charger is this month's choice.

[Via Shiny Shiny]

Brad Pitt has become the latest Hollywood celeb to be seen sizing up luxury green accommodation. He visited an eco-friendly New Orleans home on Tuesday, surrounded by a large throng of photographers and other hangers-on.

Pitt had showed up to check on the first house in a new green building project he has been funding in the weather-stricken area. Accompanied by neighbourhood residents and representatives of Global Green USA, which is sponsoring the initiative, and the Home Depot Foundation, an underwriter, Pitt strolled through the two-story house, which will have solar panels that should reduce utility bills by 75 percent.

Ever since Anya Hindmarch launched her fabled 'not a plastic bag' bag into the eager hands of a baying mob, there's been a flurry of creative activity involved in copying her much coveted masterpiece, and it's resulted in some really interesting work!

Some are simple knock-offs, looking to cash in on the eagerness of fashionistas to hand over money for one, others are sarcastic piss-takes while others still take the idea into really quite inventive territory. Here's a quick sample...

The weather may have been less than ideal for you and me this summer, but for slugs it’s been perfect – warm and wet! This has caused record numbers of the beasties in gardens and crops throughout the UK, with estimates of numbers up to 15 billion. Research this year suggests this figure is a 50% increase on previous years and could rise even more if the weather continues wet and warm, as long-range forecasts indicate.

The period of hot, dry weather which we usually see at some point during the summer kills off a large number of slugs before the harvest season, but as this hasn’t happened this year, wheat crops could be affected. Conventional farmers are using twice as many slug pesticides as normal. As for the rest of us, join me in my twilight prowl round my garden, picking off the slugs by hand!

See BBC News for further information.

Women's Voices for the Earth, a group created in the U.S in 1995 to campaign for an ecologically sustainable society, have launched a new movement called the Safe Cleaning Products Initiative. It's aim is simple - to reduce women's exposure to toxic chemicals in cleaning products. The WVE are demanding that companies list all of the ingredients on their cleaning products, and to replace the hazardous chemicals with safe and natural alternatives. At the moment there is no legal requirement for these companies to divulge the contents of their products. Some of the chemicals which are present in many common household cleaning products include 2-butoxyethanol, which is believed to cause reproductive problems and Monoethanolamine which is linked to asthma.

Before I became Hippyshopper editor, I could say with some confidence what people meant when they described themselves as 'green'. But now I'm not so sure...if anything I'm more confused than ever!

Tell someone you're green, and it's likely they'll soon harbour some pretty funny ideas about you and your beliefs. They will almost always assume you are vegetarian (which in my case is true) or vegan, but I know plenty of omnivorous people who are doing more than their bit for the environment. They will assume that you have no interest in anything remotely mainstream, be it fashion, popular culture or anything that could be loosely described as 'fun'. And they'll probably take it as read that you're into alternative medicine, are a staunch believer in homeopathy, angels and UFOs and are probably, to put it bluntly, a bit touched.

All this tells me that the meaning of the word 'green' is changing. I know very few people who fit the traditional 'green' stereotype, and wonder how long it will stick around. But if the definitions used by people outside the green community are confusing enough, they're nothing compared with those within it...

Burt’s Bees introduce their new Green Tea and Lemongrass hand soap, their first step into the hand soap arena. It’s SLS (sodium laurel/laureth sulphate) and paranen free with a low foam formulation. Instead it uses Coconut and Sunflower Oils as gentle cleansers to remove germs and even the most stubborn dirt. The lemongrass acts as a natural antiseptic, whilst Green Tea and Sugar Esters lightly moisturise and antioxidise. Burt’s Bees have introduced some impressive natural products in the past, and this is a must for all of us who like nice smelling soaps in the bathroom but don’t want all the normal chemicals that go into them. It’s £8 and is stocked at John Lewis.

Related stories: Burt’s Bees head to toe kit | Pick of the natural lip balms

If you’re buying a new car, find the most environmentally friendly one on the Government’s Act on CO2 website. It has the top 10 'Best on CO2' car rankings for each class, a system compiled in association with What Car? Magazine. Just type in the car you’re after, transmission and fuel type and you’ll be given a list of the lowest CO2 emitting models.

Steve Fowler, Editor of What Car? said:
“These car rankings are exactly what consumers need to make an informed choice about the type of car to buy in order to minimise their fuel consumption, save money and help tackle climate change. Car buyers are making increasingly difficult choices about the cars they buy and these rankings will help them to include environmental factors when making that vital decision.”

Related stories: Act on CO2 carbon calculator | Electric mini

There are now only 144 Condors flying free in the wild, after one was killed from ingesting high levels of lead. The bird was trapped at the Bitter Creek Nature Reserve and taken to Los Angeles Zoo where they discovered 546 ug/L levels of lead in the bird's blood (this is 10 times the levels that would normally ring alarm bells if found in a Condor). Conservationists believe that the bird, known as condor #245, must have swallowed big-game lead ammunition as the levels are too high to be the result of it being exposed to fragments of lead paint or lead contaminated soil. Over 45 wildlife biologists recently signed an agreement stating that the Californian Condor is facing extinction as a result of this type of lead poisoning, which is most frustrating as many non-lead alternatives are available. The California Fish and Game Commission are considering imposing a ban on lead based ammunition for big-game hunting in Condor habitats.

[via Treehugger]

Related: Rare eagle found poisoned in Scottish Borders on the 'glorious twelfth'

A report revealed today by the independent think tank energy analysts, Cambridge Econometrics predicts that the government will not meet its 2010 policy goal for a 20% reduction in carbon emissions, but it will almost achieve its target for 2020. It doesn’t seem likely that the UK will meet the longer-term targets set out in the Climate Change Bill. Their forecast suggests that renewables will account for 5% of total electricity generation by 2010, falling short of the 10% target anticipated by the government.

The philosophy at AliveShirts is simple; buy great looking t-shirts and help endangered animals, including red pandas, Javan rhinos and orang-utangs.

You really need to check out the site to appreciate how cool the shirts are, each incorporating threatened members of the animal kingdom into the designs. And what's more, you get a limited edition, funky badge free with every order.

The range includes men's, women's and kids' t-shirts, as well as hoodies and button badges. A part of each sale (between 1,– and 2,– Euros) will be given to the WWF.

I have recently come across the Eden Project range of children’s books which my children love. George Saves the World by Lunchtime by Jo Readman and Ley Honor Roberts is a really lovely story about George, his sister, dog and Grandpa. George learns that there’s more to being a superhero than just wearing your pants on the outside, with his Grandpa teaching him how you can save the world with everyday actions such as repairing and recycling.

You'll be sorted if you get caught out in a rainstorm with the Eton Radio; not only is it a windup radio with great reception - it will also charge your mobile, work as a torch and make an almighty racket with its siren feature. Alex Roumbas of Shiny Shiny and I had a play with it in the office.

When you're pregnant you start to think more about what you put on and in your body, and comfort is a must. This top by Zoe B covers all bases. It's made using 100% organic pima cotton which is grown without pesticides, herbicides, artificial fertilisers or defoliants. Coloured with metal-free dyes, the process produces less than 5% run-off into the environment (most ordinary dying methods create around 60% run-off). Zoe B's manufacturing partners in Peru operate under the fair trade umbrella and provide much needed jobs to artisans and farmers from disadvantaged areas. The top has a long body to ensure your precious cargo remains well covered, and it has the words '100% organic' strategically placed. It costs US$55.