Children's toys are rarely environmentally friendly, and some are even human unfriendly, but this new range of cuddly toys are all natural.
Ecochums are stuffed with wool and made from unbleached woollen fabric and natural cotton, meaning that there's a lot less pollution created in their production. Some of the toys even contain cherry stone-filled bags that can be warmed in the microwave, making them even more huggable. For example,Neville, is a 'Stay-warm piglet', that can be heated up to keep you toasty throughout the night.
Who needs a girlfriend when you can have Neville?
Buy here!
Traidcraft has some really exciting fairtrade gifts on offer at the moment, and I was particularly grabbed by this gorgeous grey metallic envelope purse, which costs just £15. I'm sure my friends over at The Bag Lady would agree that the choice of materials and colours is spot-on for this season's super-shiny trends.
Visit the gifts section of Traidcraft's site to find out what else they've got on offer. There's also a very cute beaded silver purse and silver adjustable ring to look out for, but I'll leave the rest to you. Happy browsing!
Please forgive me for getting all festive on a glorious October day, but I couldn't help feeling a tingle of Christmas spirit creeping in when I saw this recycled sweater wreath on the Worsted Witch blog.
It got me thinking about what I might be able to recycle and turn into a decoration or present over the next few months. Time to gather together all those random bits of packaging, pretty paper and fabric that so often clutter up the house. But if that all sounds like too much hard work, you can always keep an eye our for recycled decorations: WWF Earthly Goods has loads to choose from, and don't forget you can buy recycled wrapping paper, like this selection at Natural Collection.
If you're on the lookout for unusual gifts, may I suggest you take a look at Maki Squarepatch, a charming online store that specialises in recycled (or 'pre-loved') goods.
Everything about this site is painfully cute, from the animal-shaped purses and bags it sells to the story of how it got its peculiar name: owners Enqi and Xin rescued an abandoned cat they later named 'Maki', and nursed it back to health. In much the same way, they now like to 'rescue' old bits of fabric and give them new life in the form of accessories, quirky toys and clothes.
Enqi and Xin describe their site as a 'socially and environmentally responsible business', and the items are handmade by women from a social project called the Mother & Child project. This project provides sewing jobs for women from disadvantaged families to help them earn their own living.
If you haven't used the Giving Machine before, here's a quick lowdown on how it works. Once you've registered with the site (takes about two minutes) you can support your favourite charities every time you shop online.
There is a list of shops taking part here, and it's a surprsingly big list. Most of my most-used shopping sites are here, including Amazon, Ebay, Boots and HMV. And the list of charities is even longer: most good causes are represented here, and there are new ones being added all the time. The newest member here is Elephant Family, a young charity which works to conserve the endangered Asian elephant
So why not sign up today? It's a great way to take some of the guilt out of shopping!
Want to wish a chocoholic vegan a happy birthday in style? Or perhaps you've a friend's wedding coming up, and want to give them something to nibble on when the last remains of the eggless wedding cake have all been eaten up?
Well, look no further than the Troody Skrumptious website for the answer to your prayers. Troody Skrumptious will make up a special box with a personalised gift card for any occasion, and send it to the lucky recipient of your choice. You've 17 different flavours of chocolate to choose from - including such divine-sounding treats as Cointreau, Coconut and Cherry, Fudge and Kahlua flavoured chocs - and Troody Skrumptious's chocolates are all freshly made to order. 150gm bags of chocolate start at £4.10 plus postage, and gift boxes start from £11.
The government has pledged to almost completely eradicate the use of conventional light bulbs by 2012, with the phasing out process beginning in earnest next year. The move, which was announced at the end of last month by environment minister Hilary Benn, is said to have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than six million tonnes a year.
The government is also at pains to stress that, despite that fact that energy-saving light bulbs cost more to buy than their non-energy-saving counterparts, their use will ultimately save homeowners money, as they last up to 12 times as long as normal light bulbs and use nearly 80% less electricity. Just replacing one conventional light bulb with an energy-saving equivalent could save a household £7 a year.
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