Green News
Ever wanted to know what really goes on in one of those evil sweatshop places we all do our best to boycott? This Sunday will give you the opportunity to do just that. In 'The Devil Wears Primark' showing on 1st June on Channel 4 at 9:00pm, Alexa Chung will attempt to explose the sweatshop conditions of workers who produce Primark's £2 t-shirts.
I'll be interested to see if Primark can withstand another blow to its already abysmal ethical record; in 2005 it was branded 'Least ethical clothes shop' by Ethical Consumer Magazine, scoring 2.5 out of 20 in an ethics index, and its name is synonymous with cheap, throwaway fashion, produced under all kinds of questionable conditions. But does the public really care?
Continue reading >>
Home & Garden
These pillows remind me oddly of those 'boyfriend replacement' cushions that have been such a hit with Japanese singles. The pillowcases are made from recycled men's shirts (you'd never have guessed, would you) by designer Ximena Orozco.
I have to wonder if there's a niche market for taking bespoke orders for ladies whose partners travel a lot or spend a lot of time away -- I'm sure there are women out there who'd find it comforting to have their boyfriends 'unique scent' captured in a pillow!
[Via Electro Plancton]
Health & beauty
Mineral makeup has long been a well-kept secret among natural beauty afficionados, but now it's hitting the mainstream it's more important than ever to ensure you select a brand that's as natural and ethical as it says it is -- and I can start off by saying you won't have any of these worries where Inika mineral makeup is concerned.
Certified vegan, not tested on animals, GM-free and with reassuringly short ingredient lists, Inika is as pure as it claims to be, but how well does it work? I'm currently testing the Peach Puff Pot available at Edible Beauty for £15. Read on after the jump for my verdict...
Related: Abi's mineral makeup makeover with Bella Pierre | What is mineral makeup and how do I use it?
Continue reading >>
Green gadgets
I'm not convinced I need a solar powered lawnmower. It's not the energy side of mowing that bothers me, unless we're talking about the energy needed to get my arse up off the sofa and out to push the thing around.
However, I do like to give a hearty round of applause to the hackers with enough intelligence and modding cojones to come up with these contraptions.The starting materials aren't that hard to get hold of - a battery operated lawnmower, a 12V charger and a solar cell; ok, so that last one's not so easy - but the real trouble for folk like me is the easy to follow steps, which begin with "Just simply" and end with a pile of useless wires in shed for five years and a broken lawnmower - not worth the trouble.
Now, if I could apply it to a robotic mower then that would be a winner. [Via Tech Digest]
Green News
It started life as a humble power-point presentation, then became an oscar winning film. But is turning An Inconvenient Truth into an opera taking things one step too far?
Al Gore himself would disagree, it seems, as he's given the go-ahead for Milan's famous opera house, La Scala, to produce an opera based on the documentary. So far, all anyone seems to know is that the composer will be Giorgio Battistelli -- currently artistic director of the Arena in Verona -- and the production will be staged in 2011. This information vacuum has led to a lot of speculation about how on earth they're going to do it, but I'm thinking polar bear tenors, and a screeching soprano number from that toxic diva, C02.
Fashion & accessories
Organic Stereo is a Brighton-based label that's getting a lot of buzz from the green fashion community right now.
As the name suggests, the clothes are certified organic wherever possible, printed with eco-friendly dyes and are put together in Portugal. And being from Brighton, the designers certainly know a thing or two about making stuff that's perfect for the beach, with loads of funky printed smocks and cool t-shirts. A limited range from the collection has just landed at Adili, so head over there now if you want to check it out!
Green News
I'm curious to know where the sudden surge in vegan-friendly sex toys has come from. Could it be that a dairy-free diet promotes such health and vitality that our vegan friends are in a perpetual state of arousal? Or is it perhaps that most of these items have always been entirely cow-free but are only now starting to be labelled as such? Either way, it's good to know that you can enjoy a bit of hanky-panky without any livestock involved...
And it's no longer just your 'standard' lubricants and rubber johnnies that are going vegan these days either -- a quick glance through a popular online sex toy emporium brought up a vegan-friendly blindfold vegan-friendly cock rings and even a vegan-friendly ball gag (well, I guess if it's going on your mouth you do want to be sure).
On a more serious note, we are all concerned about chemicals we put into our bodies when they're in the form of food, so why should sex aids be any different? Follow the jump for a video on why the natural and vegan-friendly sex aid industry is growing!
Continue reading >>
Ever wanted to know what really goes on in one of those evil sweatshop places we all do our best to boycott? This Sunday will give you the opportunity to do just that. In 'The Devil Wears Primark' showing on 1st June on Channel 4 at 9:00pm, Alexa Chung will attempt to explose the sweatshop conditions of workers who produce Primark's £2 t-shirts.
digg this | del.icio.us this
| 
Stumble It!
