Ecorazzi reported today that they've heard a rumour that Richard Branson is putting together a television show that addresses celebrity mansion excesses — sort of a green version of MTV’s Cribs — but with a lot more scorn and less “Everyone should have a temperature controlled six-car garage” type praise. Who does he want to host? From Holy Moly:

“Branson hopes to get Natalie Imbruglia to host a green version of MTV’s ‘Cribs’ where, instead of going to the houses of the ludicrously rich and finding out what awful nouveau riche tastes they have, she would give them a damn good telling off for wasting quite so much electricity, gas, oil and heat. Calm yourselves. There are people who would pay good money to get ‘a proper telling off’ from Ms Imbruglia.”

The results of tests conducted over a period of almost two years have confirmed that levels of bacteria and viruses in Thames river water after bouts of heavy rain exceed recommended safety levels.

Although in recent years the Thames had gained a reputation for being one of cleanest rivers in Europe, the research found that discharges of untreated sewage into the river after bad weather was putting river users including rowers, canoeists and anglers, at risk of gastro-enteritis and other water-borne infections.

We're coming into October, and now is the time for thinking about next year’s garden. It may seem that this year’s crop is only just ending, but with frosts predicted for this weekend, the Autumn is well and truly here and it’s time to start planning those bulbs for next Spring, the over-wintering onions, peas and garlic, planting those raspberry canes and ordering next year’s seeds.

That’s where the 2008 Organic Gardening Catalogue comes in handy and makes you spend more money than you’d planned.
In case you’ve not come across it before, the Organic Gardening Catalogue has everything you could possibly need – and many things you didn’t know you needed – for organic gardening, at home and in the allotment. This is the place for organic seeds, heritage varieties of plants, green manures, organic fertilisers, biological pest controls, tools, books, and even Christmas gifts for the enthusiastic gardener in your life.

Here's another great idea for keeping warm without resorting to central heating! These stylish and warm-looking blankets are made from recycled cashmere sweaters by artist Moonching Wu, along with his company Sun Moon Lake.

As well as the blankets, Wu also makes rugs, toys and other unusual household items. No two items are the same, and there's a huge range of colours and styles on offer.

So next time you feel like having a 'duvet day', why not curl up with one of these former sweaters instead?

Any breastfeeding mother will know the importance of a breast pad which is soft and comfortable, and if you care about the planet you'll know they should be washable rather than disposable too. The creator of Lanowool pads knew all of this and came up with a pad made from New Zealand merino wool. They are processed with biodegradable detergents and are treated with an emulsifier of purified, pesticide free lanolin. The merino wool makes the pads extremely breathable and moves moisture away from the body, and unlike synthetic pads they won't cause overheating. They are recommended by midwifes in the UK and New Zealand and have won several awards. They cost £10 for one pair and are available from Babykind.

Star-encrusted green movement Global Cool has teamed up with Vodafone to give a push to handset recycling in the UK with a new campaign dubbed 'Superheroes'. The joint aim is to recycle 500,000 old mobile phones by inviting customers to bring old handsets into Vodafone stores, sparing the world an enormous chunk of CO2 and raising funds for Global Cool's projects.

Related: Five ways to recycle your mobile

Love it or hate it - we all have to travel sometime. But now Multimap has joined forces with carbon-reducers Carbon Clear to help us keep our travel carbon footprints to a minimum.

By looking at things like mode of transport and engine size, Multimap will provide information how much CO2 each journey will use up. Travellers will also be able to compare their carbon foot print if they were to take other modes of transport.

Multimap's founder Sean Phelan, said, "We all know that driving has a negative effect on the environment. We've partnered with Carbon Clear to help raise users' awareness of the impact of driving, and also to make it easier to offset the carbon emissions of those journeys."

The Village Bakery - makers of some of the tastiest artisan bread in town - has just introduced a compostable bread bag for its loaves.

The new bags are made from Master-bi film which is completely biodegradable and ideal for the compost. Master-bi film is produced using renewable and sustainable materials and is GM free.

Old Village Bakery favourites like the Rye, Rye with Coriander and Country bread will all be packaged in the new eco-bags. And this lovely company have also introduced two new breads for the occasion: the hearty Spelt and for lazy Sundays, a Honey and Sunflower bread.

Yet more news from the other side of the pond regarding the detection of potentially harmful chemicals in everyday products. This time it's air fresheners and it seems that people's obsession with a home that smells like a country meadow could cause serious health problems. The National Resources Defence Centre (NRDC) tested 14 commonly used air fresheners and found phthalates - a chemical which disrupts hormones - in 12 of the products, including some which were branded as 'all natural' and 'unscented'. None of them listed the harmful chemical on the ingredients list.

[via The Alternative Consumer]

Lord Brocket, or Charlie Brocket as he prefers to be called has launched Brocket Hall Foods, an ethical range of groceries. The range will initially consist of sausages, bacon and beer, but is expected to expand with a range of flavours for the sausages, sauces, different types of ale and ice-cream. Lord Brocket has been appearing in supermarkets around the country to promote his products. Lord Brocket describes Brocket Hall Foods as going back "to how food used to be and used to taste. Brocket's Bangers are the kind of sausages that my mother used to get from the butcher when I was small… All we want to do with our foods is take all the nasty stuff out and have them like they used to be. It's no surprise that sausages have any old rubbish chucked in. Supermarkets keep pinching at the margins of the suppliers, so it's inevitable that they cheat by injecting their sausages with water and padding them out with rusk and extra pork fat. The same thing happens with chicken – it's stuffed full of water. "

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has claimed that the UK’s biggest power companies are failing to deal with climate change. In its annual survey, the WWF rated the UK’s top six energy companies in order of their attempts to tackle climate change. Top of the league came Centrica (owner of British Gas) for tackling carbon emissions and promoting energy efficiency followed by Scottish Power for having the highest investment in renewable energy resources. They were followed by E.ON UK, Scottish and Southern Energy, EDF Energy and finally RWE Power. EDF Energy and RWE Power had demonstrated the least progress in tackling climate change, but even the companies at the top of the list still lacked the vision necessary to combat climate change.

The fabulously named 'Big Tummy Mummy' range, all of which is 95% bamboo, 5% spandex, is now available at Glow Maternity and Baby.

We're fans of all things bamboo here at Hippyshopper (from towels to bikes!) But bamboo clothing lends itself particularly well to maternity wear, because it's so light and stretchy. The range consists of casualwear basics as well as floaty dresses and eveningwear.

This range is the first bamboo maternity range we've seen, and is therefore one of the most eco friendly. Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants on earth, takes in shedloads of C02 from the atmosphere and can be grown on very hostile ground - so we really can't fault it.

They may not be widely available (just yet), but Goodkaarma's soaps are like washing with the very raw ingredients of the natural world. Each bar is handmade in Estonia using organic cold pressed oils, fats (think extra virgin olive oil) and organic herbs, spices, petals, fruits and sea mud.

Love food, love skin care? If so, give three cheers for The Skin Deli. All products are based on 100% natural, organic foods and plants such as avocado and grape seed oils and shea and carrot butters. With such wholesome ingredients, The Skin Deli’s face oils, body oils and pomades (body and face balms) are wonderfully nutritious for all skin types and conditions. But this is no lentils and brown rice range of skin care - each product is beautifully, subtly scented with essential oils and divided up into three delectable menus. Choose between Banquet (for skin that needs to be nourished), Gourmet (the luxury range for mature skin) and Délice (for problem and sensitive skin).

And with no unnecessary packaging (all products are sold in glass jars), synthetic preservatives, perfumes, stabilisers, colourings, petrochemicals or animal products, The Skin Deli is as kind to the environment as it is to your skin.

Natural and bunny-friendly cosmetics company Lush has re-vamped its web presence, and the new site is well worth a look. There's also a new blog to explore; The Edge of the Forest, which has such a pretty layout I could happily spend hours there!

If you're unconvinced by Lush's green claims or aren't sure what they are, this video should help put you straight; there's info here on the new popcorn packaging, as well as an insight into why Lush are avoiding use of palm oil in its products. [Via Kiss And Makeup]