As far as a PR stunts for saving the planet go, it has to be said that building a boat made from plastic bottles is a pretty interesting one. When I say 'boat' I'm not talking about a model boat, a dingy, or a canoe but a fully functioning 60ft catamaran made from 12,500 recycled plastic bottles.

Today The Plastiki completed its expedition after 128 days at sea, arriving in Sydney Harbor having sailed 8,000 nautical miles.

"If there's waste, it's badly designed in the first place, and we need to start taking a serious look at the way we produce and design every product we use in our lives" explains David de Rothschild who, after discovering the damage that plastic waste was causing to the world's oceans, decided to become part of the change he talks about and The Plastiki was born.

As well as the several thousand recycled bottles, the rest of the boat's design lives up to its eco-friendly ethic with materials chosen because they are organic, recycled or recyclable. Even the glue that holds the whole thing together made organically from cashew nut husks and sugarcane.

The boat was designed to be fully sustainable, and includes electricity bikes, wind turbines, and even generates its own drinkable water for the crew.

If you want to find out more there is a lot of fascinating information about the boat, the voyage and the aims of the project on The Plastiki's website. Just click HERE


See the video below for the Plastiki story so far:

Download music legally and do your bit for charidee at the same time. You can't really get more virtuous than that can you? Well that's the proposition of new music download service FairshareMusic.com

Billed as the home of 'feelgood downloads', the new service boasts over 8.5 million tracks with prices starting at 79p per track. It's much like every other popular music site, except that for every track you download, it donates half the profit to your chosen charity. The more you download, the more it donates.

Founding partners include Amnesty International, British Heart Foundation, British Red Cross, Centrepoint, Friends of the Earth, Great Ormond Street Hospital, NSPCC, Oxfam, Sue Ryder Care, Teenage Cancer Trust and WWF.

For more information go to www.fairsharemusic.com.

The ticking time bomb of climate change has induced new technologies to emerge that "green-ify" all aspects of our life. From biofuel, to greener washing machines, to recycled packaging, no stone has been left unturned in the hunt for a more eco-friendly existence. So what happens after our lives come to a close? Do we ignore the impact we make after we're gone? Like anything else, the funeral business must respond to demand of consumers, and this too is pointing to new greener solutions. Since the decline of land available for a traditional burial, 75% of people in the UK are now cremated. It is even on the rise in the US, where land is not so much of a problem. Cremation is no solution when climate change is factored in, however, as it produces huge amounts of carbon dioxide that is then released into the atmosphere. Not only this, it also releases other toxic gases, emerging largely from things like denture fillings. Something you probably never considered whilst in the dentist chair.

So what's the greener future in this debate between field and fire?
Apparently, there's two options; Resomation, a company based in Glasgow has developed a new technology that involves using sodium hydroxide at 180°C, reducing the whole processes carbon footprint by 94 kg of carbon dioxide per body. It is not yet approved in the UK, but is to be installed in a rest home in Florida. Another company cleverly named Cryomation, says carbon dioxide emissions are even lower if you freeze-dry the body with liquid nitrogen at -195 °C which turns the body to powder to be buried much like in cremation. It doesn't seem we have solved the whole land issue here though. Either way, it seems even after we've lived our lives as gently and greenly as possible, we can even leave this Earth with the minimal damage possible. Should this ever be legalised in the UK that is, and even if it is, I should think it will be a while before anyone be ready to commit their own remains to be the guinea pig.

By Alana McVerry

The multitude of slanderous campaigns and squabbling fights are escalating, the leaders ferociously scratching their way to the top post as the election day draws ever near.

If you still remain undecided on which one of those blokes on telly shouting at each other you would like in the top seat, then here's a quick green related guide to help you on your way.

Labour

if the events of the last 10 years haven't been too detrimental to your welfare then maybe good old Gordon is still in the running for your vote. But how green is Gordon?

Economy:
Given the lovely shape our economy has been pummeled in by it's trusted instructor, we would expect some 'lets take action' style policies on this front. However, what we actually have is some vague plans to cut 'low priority' government programs, with decisions to be made post election. Ooh sneaky. What we want is better provision for health care, education and frontline services, but to pay less for it. But given how far removed the top dog is from the day to day running of the NHS and such like, it's kind of like when you were a toddler and you spent three hours trying to fit the square block through the circle hole. It always ends in tears.

Transport:
The only party to be very 'un-greenly' supportive of a third runway at Heathrow. Though they seem to be trying to slip this through with a policy on electric car charging points and improved commuter services. Lesson to be learned, decoys never work when it's in print.

Environment:
80% carbon cut by 2050 sounds quite promising. But given that we are really only electing them for a time period due to be up long before the 2050 deadline, and we won't really be able to hold them to count, why not just say 100%? You never know, I might believe you.

Jobs:
Focusing on youth unemployment with training places and education, and boosting the job market with vaguely termed 'green jobs'. 250,00 of them and all.

Tax:
50p tax rate for the super earners. Seems fair.

Green Score : 6/10 (It all went wrong at Heathrow)

If you didn't know yet, today is the first ever Green Britain Day. Started to try and get Britain greener by the 2012 Olympics, there will be events around our fair country to raise awareness of environmental issues and to convince us to make a change.

It all kicks off with a concert at The Eden Project headlined by Paul Weller, and featuring Brit award winning Florence and the Machine. For more information on tickets visit the Eden Project website.

Visit the Team Britain website for tips and idea for getting greener, from throwing a clothes swapping party, to hosting a neighborhood lunch. For more information on the events happening today go here.

I most know Natalia Imbruglia for being a singer (and sometimes an actress) but it seems she's also a campaigner for environamental issues! She's teamed up with Ecover to make the film below about the importance of water cycles.

Natalie said: "There's often an abundance of water in the UK, so it's easy to forget the very real issues of water shortage and pollution in other parts of the world. The video is a great way to learn more and offers some really simple tips on how we can all make a difference."

Please visit Natalie's guest spot on Water Aid's site, where you can also order a free watercare pack to find out how hard your money can work to solve problems of safe water and sanitation in Ethiopia

Michael Jackson was always a big fan of 'healing the world' so it may not come as a big surprise to hear that that the singer was on the verge of releasing a new song that warned about climate change before his sad death on Friday.

The as yet unnamed song, which the singer was said to have been composing two days before his death, is just part of a library of 'secret tunes', now set to be released posthumously.

Emily Cummins is an inventor with a focus on helping the environment. This wouldn't be so unique if it wasn't for the fact that she is only 21, and has been inventing since the age of four when her grandad gave her a hammer.

Starting by taking things apart and rebuilding them with her grandad - who she describes as an 'inspiration' - in his shed, Emily progressed and won a barrage of awards and competitions at school for inventions such as a toothpaste dispenser that minimises waste, which she came up with at just 15 years old. She went on to become Cosmopolitan's Ultimate Save-The-Planet Pioneer in 2008.

Currently in her 3rd year of university at Leeds, she studies part time so she can work on her inventions, and dedicate time to inspiring young people.

Emily's best known invention is the sustainable fridge, (pictured with her) which she also produced at school, and is set to change lives in the third world, as it is used to hold medicines. Emily is currently working on a second generation version that is intended for commercial use.

Emily believes that all new inventions should be green. She says "This concept - to maintain the quality while neutralising the damage to the environment - must be extended to all the other appliances we can't seem to function without such as TVs, cookers, dishwashers, computers, even cars."

"Just like Trevor Baylis's wind-up radio, the key is to creating quality green alternatives to the items which people have come to rely on."

If you think you have a great idea for a green invention, she suggests you check out N powers 'Bright Ideas competition' on their website, where you can also check out some great tips for getting more energy efficient.

Paul Ridden writes: Following a successful trial at its depot in Northampton, a Sainsbury's store car park in Gloucester is getting ready to start producing enough energy to power the store's tills. The power will be generated by the action of cars rolling over kinetic plates, which have been positioned underneath road surfaces. The impressive 30kW per hour of energy produced by the plates should be more than enough to keep the tills running.

As a car rolls over the road surface, the plates produce a sort of pumping action (similar to that used by Formula 1 racing cars to turn braking energy into speed) which then drives a generator. The store in Gloucester also benefits from rainwater recycling to flush the lavs, solar panels and the cold air from the fridges is used to keep customers cool while they pay for their goods at the checkouts.

With Tesco about to install electric car charging ports at its stores in Kensington and Vauxhall, it looks like being eco-friendly will feature heavily in future trips to the supermarket!

I've seen people use all kinds of tactics to try and lure people into the joys of vegetarianism from shoving pictures of slaughterhouses in their buger-filled faces to just going on and on about how much great veggie food there is and the health benefits of avoiding animal products. But I've got to admire Sir Paul McCartney for trying to establish a weekly day of vegetarianism with his plan for 'meat-free Monday'.

What's his beef?

Overfishing is a subject we're all dimly aware of, but for those who enjoy eating our finned friends, it can be easy to forget about this troubling issue when a tasty meal is on the cards.

A new film called The End of the Line aims to wake us up to the effects of our love affair with fish as food, by revealing the impact of over-fishing on our oceans. In the film we see firsthand the effects of our changing diet on species like blue fin tuna, which are facing extinction due to Westerners' growing appetite for sushi, the impact on marine life resulting in huge overpopulation of jellyfish; and the profound implications of a future world with no fish that would bring certain mass starvation. It's enough to put you off your fish supper...

The film has been put together by a team of experts, and Stephen Fry is a bit of a fan, claiming on Twitter that he was 'staggered by its brilliance'. Read on to find out how to see a special screening of the film this Monday

Music experts will tell you that the finest guitars are made using exotic wood, such as rosewood, ebony and mahogany. But as usual, voracious human appetite is taking its toll on the timber of the world and while guitar makers' part in the devastation of deforestation is relatively small - they are starting to feel the strain.

But one group of Finnish instrument makers claims to have found a harmonious solution in the "flaxwood tree"; a piece of mythical fauna said to grow in the northern woods around Joensuu in Eastern Finland, where vast misty forests abound and the locals' hearts are "full of music". But the tree has one major drawback...

The opportunity to share the many benefits of a great tasting healthy cruelty-free lifestyle with the world is upon us once again - it's National Vegetarian Week!

If you're already vegetarian you could use this week to help spread the word! Let everyone know that it's not just about lentils, tofu and open-toed sandals any more (although there's nothing particularly wrong with any of those). There's a whole world of deliciously sumptuous delights awaiting those who are willing to take a small dietary step. You veggies are the living proof of the benefits of this lifestyle - so get out there and show yourselves off!

What to do if you're not already a veggie...

If you're a veggie who's ever attempted to order a meal in Belgium, this piece of news may just shock you: the entire city of Ghent in Belgium has declared Thursday Vegetarian Day (or Veggiedag), when civil servants and elected councillors will go for meat and fish-free meals. From September this new initiative will be hitting schools too, which will change their default meal to a vegetarian one.

If you've ever shared a space with a student (or been one) it will probably come as little surprise to you to hear that pizza boxes make up a disproportionately large part of the UK's total landfill.

Without getting into the issue of our reliance on cheap fast food for now, the problem is that there's not much you can do with an old pizza container, beyond making a 'theft-proof' laptop bag that will incur some odd looks on your journey to work, or using them for target practice. And this is where a new invention called the Green Box really comes into its own.

Read on over the jump to find out more about greening up your takeaway