If you're well into the hippy lifestyle and don't mind who knows it, Summerware's garden goods will be right up your street.
The 'poppy' vintage watering can pictured here is just one of many unique, recycled and pre-used items that this quirky little shop has to offer. You'll also find milk buckets, mop planters and other household and garden goods, all beautifully hand-painted. £75 at Summerware
There's a long weekend coming up, so you'll have no more excuses not to do those chores: It's time to dust away the cobwebs and get to work on your house, flat, yurt or caravan for your big 2008 spring clean! To help you make this your greenest spring clean yet, we've rounded up some of the best eco-friendly cleaning products and asked consumers what they thought of them.
Follow the jump for our roundup of green cleaning products...
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The Victorians used these glass cloche bell jars to grow their veg, and now you can rediscover this lost art for yourself with these beautiful new jars from Hen & Hammock made out of 100% recycled sand.
The jars work like mini greenhouses, which is ideal for anyone with limited space who fancies the idea of having their own organic vegetable patch in the garden. It's also a great (and totally humane!) way to ward off squirrels, whose constant rummaging can be a menace to young plants and flowers. £50 at Hen & Hammock
It can be a real pain getting lighting to work well in the garden, particularly when there are no mains points to choose from. And this is where these cordless, solar lights really come into their own: they can be picked up and placed wherever you like.
Handy and eco-friendly, the new 'Solar Mate point 5' lights from Solar Technology can be set up in minutes, making them perfect for camping and festival trips as well as al fresco dining. They're also designed with drizzly British weather in mind, as the solar panels are designed to store sunlight even on dull, cloudy days. The lights work via thin film solar cell technology which powers three internal, rechargeable AA batteries during the day to provide power for 10 super bright LEDs, powerful enough to illuminate up to 9 Sq Metres for 3 hours. £9.99 at Solar Technology
Want to look like a domestic goddess? Even if you can't whip up a soufflé in five minute flat or sew for England you can at least look the part in these adorable aprons from eco-friendly and socially responsible collective Callie Micks.
The aprons themselves are hand-sewn using recycled fabric that is bought locally by the makers; there's no doubt that they're the genuine article in greenness. But what I most approve of about the pair behind these items is their attitude: anyone who believes it's ok to go directly from yoga class to the pizza place and that we should find any excuse to celebrate with those we love is worthy of support in my book!
$48 at Mildred and Betty's
Plastic that lasts for years in your bathroom but biodegrade completely on your compost heap may sound like something out of Star Trek, but it's actually available right now, here in the UK.
The magic material, which has never been used comercially before, is called Ecogen and it can be bought in the form of anything from toothbrush holders to bathroom sinks. The plastic, which is non petroleum-based will compost in a matter of months, rather than the centuries it takes normal plastics to return to the earth. And it looks pretty smart too: the range above is just part of a collection coming to John Lewis and HomeArama.
Your saucepans are going to have an intimate relationship with the food you eat for years or even decades to come, so it's reassuring to know you can now buy pans made from non-toxic, earth friendly materials.
The 5-piece Marco Pierre White range, from Russell Hobbs and Green Pan uses Thermolon non-stick technology, a ceramic coating that never releases CO2 into the atmosphere when the pans are in use. For keen cooks, these pans make excellent tools to work with, as their pot-belly design ensures heat is distributed evenly.
£179 at House to Home