It seems that we're becoming far more eco conscious when buying our accessories.
Eco-friendly fashion company Use UK is facing such a demand for its individually designed and ethically produced handmade clutches that it is launching a sister site dedicated solely to these eco 'it' bags.

'I Love Clutch Bags' has a gorgeous range of clutch bags made from sustainably sourced leather and accessorised with vintage buckles and buttons.

The bags are made from leather bought from a UK supplier who follows Carbon Trust guidelines on sustainability. Each bag has a 100% silk lining and the company claims it searches high and low for beautiful clasps and buttons, some of which date back to the 1930s.

Each bag is also claimed to be a genuine one off, perfect for those of us who like to be different and prices are also an eco conscious decision for our pockets with prices starting from £48.

They may not be Louis Vuitton but we're more than happy to buy a bag when they look at good as this.

Via ShinyStyle.tv

Former Secretary-General of the United Nations and Nobel Peace Prize Recipient Kofi Annan has launched a six month Tck Tck Tck awareness campaign to highlight the impact climate change is having on the lives of people around the world.

The soundtrack to this campaign, a cover of Midnight Oil's Beds are Burning (much better than the dirgy original in my opinion) is set to be released tomorrow. And, ahead the launch, free music streaming service we7 is offering an exclusive listen.

Featuring the vocal talents of Duran Duran's Simon LeBon, Mark Ronson, Angelique Kidjo, All American Rejects' Tyson Rittner, Oscar Winner Actress Marion Cotillard, Jaimie Cullum and many more, the track is available for free here: http://www.we7.com/album/Beds-Are-Burning-Tck-Tck-Tck-!albumId=399021&play=true

Diet Coke has teamed up with Patricia Field to launch a new eco-bag made entirely out of recycled plastic bottles. Available in hot pink, the bag features a striking print inspired by words from the fashion world. It will be available in selected Boots stores from 22nd October and will be free when you purchase two 500ml bottles of Diet Coke.

Patricia Field comments: "Together with Diet Coke, I'm showing that an eco-friendly bag doesn't have to be brown, it can be fierce. Enjoy it. After all, the compliments you will receive, I know you'll use it over and over. That's why it's called 'Where did you get that bag?'".

Not really too sure about the look of the bag to be honest, but then I guess it's not really aimed at me, being male and 40 rather than 20/30 something female - the target market for Diet Coke drinkers.

Coke Zone

New eco-friendly home unveiled - One of the most energy efficient houses in the UK has been put on to the market. Barnsley Hill Farm includes features such as a spa, a 25-seat cinema, and indoor swimming pool and steam room, yet remains friendly to the environment with 20 solar panels and a recycling scheme for transferring rainwater to toilets, taps and washing machines. But at £3.5 million it ain't cheap. Stonebee Developments

Electric cars for Brighton - Brighton and Hove City Council is planning to become the first area in the UK outside of London to install electric car charging points. People in Brighton and Hove will soon see four charging points placed across the city, while a further ten are to be introduced before the end of 2009. Brighton and City County Council

Britain's 'Top 100s' called to back global climate campaign - Britain's top 100 business leaders and top 100 media personalities are to put their efforts and influence behind the global 'tck tck tck' campaign, ahead of December's climate change summit in Copenhagen. Department of Energy and Climate Change

via LowCarbonEconomy.com

Perhaps the strangest stunt I've seen to raise green awareness for a while. Apparently last Friday, in case you missed it, was Park(ing) Day UK 2009. An idea imported from Rebar in San Francisco, where else of course, it's an initiative to turn public parking spaces into green spaces. This is the first year it's run in the UK and was held in conjunction with iBuyEco.com. What I really want to know though is how much money did they have to feed the meter or did they get ticketed by the officious parking wardens around London's South Bank. Anyway for all those who missed it here's the video of the, er, urban oasis.

To celebrate the launch of the first Fairtrade beauty products this summer we are pleased to offer 40 goodie bags to give away.

To date, 57 beauty products have been licensed by the Fairtrade Foundation from six companies including Boots, Bubbles & Balm, Essential Care, Visionary Soap, Lush and Neal's Yard.

Each beauty product contains one or more Fairtrade certified ingredient such as cocoa butter, shea nut butter, sugar or brazil nut oil, benefitting disadvantaged producers from countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Through Fairtrade labelled beauty products, producers will benefit in three ways.
• Producers will get the Fairtrade minimum price plus a premium, a bit extra to invest in community projects such as schools and healthcare.
• The companies behind the products will have a partnership plan in place showing how they will additionally support producers to develop their businesses and communities.
• The Fairtrade Foundation has worked hard to set minimum thresholds of Fairtrade ingredients at levels which allow best selling volume lines of beauty products containing natural ingredients to be certified.

Introducing Fairtrade labelling to beauty products will increase the overall number of Fairtrade products in UK shops and the volumes of ingredients which producers are able to sell under Fairtrade terms, which in turn increases the benefits back to farmers.

Busy day for green stories in the newspapers and online. Here's our round up of today's top stories:

China sets Carbon Target, sort of - Undoubtedly the biggest environmental story right now, but is China's commitment to cutting carbon emissions by 2020 much more than hot air given that it hasn't actually put a figure to the cut? Many are regarding it as a step in the right direction from the world's biggest polluter which has, up until now, refused to commit to cutting emissions. At the UN General Assembly Meeting China's President Hu Jintao (pictured) also announced his country would plant a forest across an area the size of Norway. Telegraph.co.uk

Director jailed over porky pies - A director of One Food Limited which claimed to sell 'organic, natural and ethical products' was jailed for 27 months when it was found out they contained non-organic ingredients. According to Northampton Chronicle, he routinely asked staff to dispose of wrapping from pork pies and chickens bought in Tesco and Waitrose! He also supplied Fortnum and Mason in London with non-organic pies bought from a butcher. The prosecution estimated that the company could have made up to £500,000 over 6 years from the scam.

Lib Dems back 10:10 - Lib Dems have called on local authorities to join 10:10 campaign to cut carbon emissions by 10 per cent in 2010. In a dig at cost cutting leader Nick Clegg, Simon Hughes, the party's energy and climate change spokesman, said: "We must not axe our social fabric. But I'll own up. I too am in favour of controversial and, yes, savage cuts. Of emissions. By 10 per cent in 2010." Will be interesting to see if Labour and Conservative parties follow suit. Guardian

Officially launched earlier this year the A2B Metro electric bike is now available from several retailers including Harrods (via Cycle UK concession), Selfridges (via Bike Republic Concession) and EV Stores Electric Vehicle retailer on London's Park Lane.

Also new to the A2B range, is the A2B Hybrid. Designed to complement the energy you put into your ride, its torque sensor detects your pedal power directly boosting your effort with Ultra Motor's direct drive electric motor power.

The A2B Metro recommended retail price is £1999.00 and the A2B Hybrid recommended retail price is £1799.00. Dealer details can be found on the Ultra Motor website www.ultramotor.com/uk

The A2B Range from Ultra Motor will also be showing at the London Cycle Show, Earls Court which is open to the public from 9th-11th October. The London Cycle Show's commuter test track will provide visitors the opportunity to trial the A2B Metro.

Click here to see to see the A2B Metro in action on Channel 5's The Gadget Show.

Really interesting story over at the Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/sep/21/green-environment-consumers-ippr , which asks the question, is it cool to be Green. Well the answer isn't what you might think. The feature focuses on new research from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) published in its Consumer Power report, which suggests that the 10:10 campaign may actually have passed a lot of mainstream consumers by.

The reason is that - among society trendsetters at least - it is no longer cool to be green. The report highlights that the young and cool know a lot about green issues but are simply bored with hearing about them. The Guardian reports that a person in one of the research workshops told them, "It's one of those things you think about for a few minutes, get depressed, and move on to the next thing."

The report also picked up on a trend among the young many of whom voiced the feeling 'if no one else is doing anything about climate change then why should I?'

Do your bit for the environment by composting this autumn. Working in partnership with a number of local authorities, the Recycle Now campaign is encouraging keen and novice gardeners alike to take advantage of the final days of a number of bargain compost bin offers being run by local authorities. But you'll need to hurry, as the scheme ends on 30 September.

Carl Nichols, Head of Home Composting at Recycle Now, says:
"Autumn is a great time to get composting as we all tend to have a clear-up in the garden before winter sets in. Leaves, grass and clippings put in with general waste end up in landfill where they release harmful greenhouse gases as they break down - composting at home helps reduce this problem."

I love the idea of electric cars. While Tomorrow's World predictions of all us driving around in one by the beginning of the 21st century have obviously come to naught, it does seem there is real momentum in this market right now. And not before time especially with oil reserves drying up....

Which is why I was excited to hear that that the makers of the wonderfully quirky G-Whizz, Indian firm Reva, unveiled two new electric car models at the Frankfurt Car Show earlier this week. Thankfully both the 4-seat NXR and sporty 2-door NXG look much more substantial than the G-Whizz (that's not saying much - it really is the modern day equivalent of the Citroen 2CV).

Offering a top speed of around 60 miles per hour and 125 miles of driving on a single charge, the NXR and NXG sound great. They look OK too. The only fly in the ointment is that they are likely to cost around 10,000 Euros when they go into production next year.

According to new analysis from Juniper Research, consumer demand for environmentally sustainable mobile phone handsets could see shipments reach 485 million units by 2014.

According to their report, Green Mobile Handsets & Applications: Strategies, Scenarios & Forecasts 2009-2014, even with an incremental attitude shift by consumers, numbers will still grow from a quarter of million shipments in 2009 to over 105 million by 2014.

Forget heat, its precipitation playing havoc with the weather this autumn. With humidity levels above average, those unable to jump on a yacht in search of an Indian summer face a constant battle to maintain a tranquil mind. However, that proves quite difficult as every decision taken can have potentially catastrophic effects on our state of Zen.

The first challenge takes place every morning when women face a daily battle with their wardrobe. The current climate, both physical and economic, leaves even the most fashion-conscious woman wondering what to wear. Too many clothes may leave you feeling hot and bothered while too few, might leave you chilly by the evening, or worse still, resembling a drowned rat if caught in a dramatic downpour.

The answer? Wearing layers will enable you to shed them when you face the heat but wrap up warm when it inevitably cools down in the evening, not to mention providing a useful shelter from the showers. Ditch the jackets this autumn and invest in one or two handy pashminas which can be worn in all manner of fashions, not to mention folded away when not required. Feeling and looking effortlessly chic, yet also safe in the knowledge you are prepared for any weather eventuality will help keep you chilled during this humid spell.

During these unpleasant weeks when you yearn to be back on your two-week holiday may make getting out of bed difficult, not to mention, the motivation of getting an early night hard to locate. Yet, two simple purchases can be made to help you get through these troublesome months. Invest in a separate morning and evening shower gel. For the morning, overload your senses in energising jojoba and citrus scents which will wake you up and leave you feeling refreshed for the long day ahead. For the evening, invest in a relaxing, lavender-scented shower gel which will leave you looking forward to getting home from work (as if you were not already!), getting in the shower and ready for an early night.

There is one final step which can be taken to ensure you avoid the daily battle against the humidity and that is investing in a deodorant you can be certain will keep you dry all day. Sure Maximum Protection provides twice the protection of the best-selling anti-perspirant. The secret formula comes in a light, creamy stick which is perfect for popping in your handbag - and lasts 48 hours. Unlike other deodorants, Sure Maximum Protection does not dry your underarms and instead moisturises the skin leaving you with confidence no matter what you choose to wear.

Finally ready to take on the world, leaving the house you face the biggest challenge of all: how to get to work. While jumping in a car is a luxury many crave, it is not always the most viable option. Hopping onto the tube or metro may prove more unpleasant than even on the hottest summer's day. The bus may prove to be crowded, hot and ultimately, slow, adding to your daily stress level. While cycling may seem the quickest and easiest choice, on some roads you may find yourself dicing with death. It may well be down to your two little feet to transport you to work as walking may turn out to be the most agreeable option, just ensure you invest in an umbrella to protect you from the inevitable showers!

Sure Maximum Protection is available from leading chemists and supermarkets. For a list of stockists please call the Sure Customer Careline 0800 085 2639. RRP £4.99.

www.suredeodorant.co.uk/maximum

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