What better way to buy ethically sourced gifts than in a relaxed, festive environment, sipping organic mulled wine and eating handmade mince pies? That's what all these events are about, and it certainly beats battling your way through hordes of stressed-out shoppers on the high street! Here's a quite roundup of some forthcoming green Christmas fairs up and down the country.
Oxford
Gloucester Green Big Green Market:
A street market with a conscience – expect an exciting range of green, eco -friendly, ethically traded and organic products offering some highly original and alternative gift ideas for all. Friday 21 Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 December.
London
A Green Christmas:
Funky, fashion-conscious event with over 30 stalls selling eco-gadgets, food and wine, ethical fashion and furnishings, organic baby wear and skin care, and more. £2 entrance fee goes to The Cambodia Trust - a charity dedicated to aiding mobility and equal rights of landmine and polio victims. 18th November, at the 20th Century Theatre on Westbourne Grove, London.
Glasgow
Glasgow Craft Mafia Market:
Not strictly speaking a Christmas market, but a great place to pick up unique, hand-made gifts. Next taking place on Thurs 29th December with two more chances to visit before Christmas, you'll find handcrafted jewellery, textiles, soaps, stationary, stocking-fillers, homewares and all sorts of other things you won't see on the high-street.
The winners of the British Environment and Media Awards were announced last night. The Newspaper of the Year award went to the Guardian (and well deservedly too, in my opinion). The paper was praised for "pointing to solutions and profiling people all over the world who are making a difference" rather than engaging in the defeatist "scaremongering" favoured by most other papers. Sadly I didn't win the Journalist of the Year category (well, maybe next year...) - that award went to to Financial Times writer Fiona Harvey. Harvey was lauded for her part in exposing the big carbon offset provider smokescreen (groan).
BBC1 won the Best Television News and Current Affairs Coverage award for the Ten O'Clock News' coverage of the climate change issue. The Best Television Documentary award went to Granada and KQED public television for the documentary China: Shifting Nature. Radio 4's Costing the Earth won the Best Radio News or Current Affairs award for its disturbing and informative programme about marine plastic pollution.
Whether you want to build your own eco-palace from scratch or just make a few minor changes to cut your home's carbon footprint, the Big Green Home show at the National Self Build & Renovation Centre will show you how to do it.
Taking place from 15th - 18th November, the four-day show will examine the reality of living ‘green’, looking at all aspects of green homebuilding and eco-friendly lifestyles, with a crop of 'big green heroes' standing by to give advice. They include It's Not Easy Being Green's Dick Strawbridge; a man who certainly knows a thing or two about insulating a loft.
To register for tickets, which cost £8, or £12 per couple, with under 16s free, visit the site.
It's World Vegan Day today, and in honour of our soya-loving friends, I thought I'd share this great list of common misconceptions about vegans.
I'd love to go vegan myself, but being overly fond of cheese, I can't quite kick the dairy habit (the vegan stuff just still isn't cutting it, I'm afraid, and oh how I've tried to like it). But for today only, I'm avoiding all cow-related products, option for soya, veggies, tofu and nuts. Perhaps you're doing the same? Do send in any tips and tricks about making the vegan experience a bit more enjoyable. Meanwhile, here's that list...
1. “Vegans are an anaemic bunch”
No way Jose! Get yourself a bucket of cold water before you click into Vegan bodybuilders website. Olympic champion Carl Lewis, gorgeous Alicia Silverstone and hot Joaquin Phoenix (need I say more??) are amongst famous vegan hotties. You can see a longer list of vegan celebs here if you need further convincing.
If you're a big fan of the Camden Green Fair (it would be hard not to be, really - I know I've always had a great time there!), and you wouldn't mind being a bit more involved next time round, then it's time to visit the website and get registered as a volunteer. The organising committee are on the lookout for people to get involved in the weekly Steering Group meetings in the run up to the fair, as well as approximately 60 volunteers to help on the day - including models of all shapes and sizes to model in the fashion show! Volunteer places are limited, and running out fast - hence I am posting this quite a way in advance of the actual fair, which doesn't take place until the 3rd of June - so it's a good idea to get in touch with them as soon as you can.
Looking for something earth-friendly to do this weekend? There's plenty to choose from, with the main event being the first Sustainability Show at the 02 centre in London. The show promises to cover all areas of sustainable living, from ethical fashion, cosmetics, holidays and investments to cars, travel and much more. There'll be new products to try out, screenings of Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth (if you haven't yet discovered what the fuss is about), an electric vehicle rally and a programme of forums, lectures and presentations to discuss many of the issues highlighted will be run during the show.
Also taking place this weekend is Reading's Big Green Market, one of many eco-friendly fairs that will be taking place all over the UK in the run up to Christmas. An ideal place to find unusual and sustainable gifts, it's a street market with a conscience -- expect an exciting range of green, eco-friendly, ethically traded and organic products offering some highly original and alternative gift ideas for all.
Ever got into the office on a dull day in need of a kick up the backside? A far more pleasant solution is using dynamic lighting, which can be adjusted to mimic daylight, create a more intimate, relaxed ambiance or promote concentration. The new system I tested at the Philips Simplicity event does all these things and more, and amazingly, uses eco-friendly technology, as it relies on a modernised version of the humble fluorescent strip-light to do its thing. See how it works in the video below.
What better way to buy ethically sourced gifts than in a relaxed, festive environment, sipping organic mulled wine and eating handmade mince pies? That's what all these events are about, and it certainly beats battling your way through hordes of stressed-out shoppers on the high street! Here's a quite roundup of some forthcoming green Christmas fairs up and down the country. 
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The winners of the British Environment and Media Awards were announced last night. The Newspaper of the Year award went to the Guardian (and well deservedly too, in my opinion). The paper was praised for "pointing to solutions and profiling people all over the world who are making a difference" rather than engaging in the defeatist "scaremongering" favoured by most other papers. Sadly I didn't win the Journalist of the Year category (well, maybe next year...) - that award went to to Financial Times writer Fiona Harvey. Harvey was lauded for her part in exposing the big carbon offset provider smokescreen (groan). 
Whether you want to build your own eco-palace from scratch or just make a few minor changes to cut your home's carbon footprint, the 
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Looking for something earth-friendly to do this weekend? There's plenty to choose from, with the main event being the first 
