Events and happenings
It's getting to that time of year when every shop and supermarket is bombarding us with random halloween tat, so I thought the ideal antidote would be to find all things green for halloween.
Here's all you need: organic pumpkin puree for your pie, organic apples for bobbing, ethical facepaint for that demon look, and even organic cotton sheets - so we can all dress up as ghosts – the only baddie to be as they have no carbon footprint. Any other ideas?
Green News
From Friday 26th to Sunday 28th October, you can get a hands-on insight into what's new in the world of green living at the Sustainability Show, to be held in London's 02 arena, the venue formerly known as the Dome. The show is free for everyone.
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.
If all that sounds a bit tiring, you'll be able to chill out in the Health and Wellbeing zone, or indulge your dreams of an exciting getaway at the travel and communications zone.
Events and happenings
Going clubbing has more in common with late night excess than saving the planet, so it will be interesting to see if a new environmentally friendly club will prove successful. Called Greenhouse, and based in New York, the flyer on its website stresses ‘natural. lush. exotic. green.’ – words probably better suited to describing the temperate house at Kew Gardens.
It sounds like a nice premise, and if it means the sale of ethically and organically produced drinks, a dress code that only allows entry if you’re wearing clothes from People Tree, and a ban on people using taxis to and from the venue, then it could be good. But we’ll have to just wait and see, as it doesn’t open until Winter.
Energy saving
The Energy Saving Trust is asking us all to keep an eye on our carbon footprint later this month, as Energy Saving Fortnight gets underway from 22nd October.
Now in its 11th year, the overall campaign theme is "Commit to save your 20%"; a realistic goal for even those of us who love our toys and gadgets. To help you do this, the Trust has a fun and easy online guide that will help you devise the best way to save your 20% according to your lifestyle.
If you'd also like to invest in appliances that help you cut down your energy consumption, you could start with getting a standby-stopping device; we've reviewed the most popular here. Next, ensure that any new household appliances you buy have a good energy rating, and keep an eye on how much you're using them. There are now various products on the market that will help you monitor exactly how much electricity you're using, including the Owl Monitor (£49.84 at B&Q), which makes it easy to check the cost of operating your electrical appliances, and so helps you make intelligent decisions about how and when you use your electrical appliances in order to save energy and money.
Related: Hippyshopper guide to saying goodbye to standby | Online standby cost calculator
Events and happenings
Apples are currently in season, and to remind us of the sheer variety and versatility of this homegrown fruit, Sunday 21st October has been deemed national Apple Day.
Why do we need a day to think about apples, you might well ask? The cause, in my opinion, is a good one. Many see apples as being as quintessentially English as a fruit can get, but according to DEFRA, we in the UK imported 71 per cent of our apples in 2005, despite the abundance of varieties that can be home-grown.
Feeling creative? Check out this top 10 of apple recipes
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Events and happenings
A lot of things seem to be "big and green" at the moment, but here's one that seems to have a genuine claim to this buzz-phrase. It's certainly big (it takes place in eight different locations nationwide, on several dates), it's a market, and the green bit looks pretty solid too.
Scheduled for the run-up to Christmas, the next Big Green Market is happening this weekend in Croydon, but there are events taking place soon in Taunton, Wimbledon, Reading and York. You'll find all sorts of exciting products on offer, from fairtrade and ethical, to UK made to organic foods and green goods.
Animal welfare
This week, 30th September to 8th October, is Red Squirrels Week run by the Wildlife Trust. Once our only native squirrel, red squirrels are easily and quickly displaced by the arrival of the grey squirrel, originally imported from America to this country in the 1800s. It is now estimated that there are only 160,000 red squirrels left in the UK.
The majority of the remaining red squirrels are thought to be in the North of England including Lancashire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Northumberland, the south of Scotland and border areas, some parts of Wales especially around Anglesey, and the Isle of Wight. In these areas, the Wildlife Trust are asking members of the public to keep a special eye out this week and report sightings in order to get a better idea of their numbers and spread.
There are also events to attend in red squirrel areas such as talks, squirrel safaris and family days. For more information about how you can help conserve this adorable native mammal, including adoption, campaigning and practical help, see the Save our Squirrels campaign.
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