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.
If you're planning to tie the knot soon, and don't want to pollute the planet with your celebrations, you're probably already looking forward to the inaugural Eco Chic Wedding & Home Show in March. And being a hippy at heart, I was delighted to speak Kate Haines, who co-founded the event along with Katie Fewings and Michelle Berhardi-Toner.
I started by asking Kate why she thought a wedding show for environmentally conscious couples would be so popular right now - particularly at a time when keeping costs down is also a priority.
Tracey Smith's Book of Rubbish Ideas is a must-read for anyone trying to get out of the wasteful habits that 21st century life encourages in us all: it gives practical advice on how to clear out the superfluous stuff that's cluttering up your home and your life, how to avoid unnecessary waste and even Help you to see 'rubbish' as a resource.
I spoke to Tracey to find out what changes she's made to de-junk her life.
Follow the jump for the interview and a chance to win a copy of The Book of Rubbish Ideas.
If you follow the adventures of Rachelle aka Mrs Green and her family, you'll already know that this is a big week for the Gloucestershire based Greens who have been aiming to cut down their household waste to nothing since June. This is their long-awaited Zero Waste Week.
Inspired by the family's commitment to doing all they can to reduce their impact in an increasingly disposable world, I decided to put some probing questions to Mrs. Green.
Hippyshopper: Many people are very careful to recycle everything their local council will take. But I can't help worrying that not everything I send ends up being recycled and that some of it may just get dumped in landfill. Does this just require a 'leap of faith' or are there ways to make sure?
Last week, I was lucky enough to get to visit innocent drinks' London HQ, Fruit Towers. Once I'd downed my own bodyweight in smoothies, marvelled at the fleet of 'cows' sitting in the driveway and lusted after various shiny bits of kitchen equipment, I caught up with sustainability manager Jess to talk about what innocent are doing towards helping the planet. Find out what I discovered in the video, below!
Recently our sister site Dollymix had the wonderful opportunity to interview Cindy Livingston, the President and CEO of Sequel AG, a new company that was created to to handle the growing European Union and booming international business of Guess Watches and Gc Watches. As well as being a successful and admirable businesswoman, Cindy Livingston is quite the humanitarian. One of Cindy's first priorities as the President and CEO of Sequeal AG was to to include philanthropy as part of its new Mission Statement, saying, “We have an opportunity and responsibility to expand upon all of the positive elements that have made our company and our brands respected around the world.”
The President of Interasia, Victor Ozeri, introduced Cindy to Safe House Ethiopia, which is a non-profit, walled compound in Addis Ababa that serves as a sanctuary for the poverty stricken children of the area. While there are little boys living at the Safe Horizons house, most of their guests are young girls, as it's not uncommon for a girl to quit school as early as 7 years old and be sent out to beg or engage in child labor for her family. It's incredibly dangerous for this young girls out on the streets, as many of the girls are even forced into child prostitution.
Last year, we reported that broadcaster Sky had gone carbon neutral. Since then, they have sponsored Lights Out London, introduced a 'recycle your set-top box' scheme, brought out a new green-minded cartoon character to appear on our screens shortly, and continue to get involved with loads of green initiatives.
Many companies are making similar claims about carbon neutrality, so we decided to look behind the hype and find out exactly what Sky have done to minimise emissions and encourage greenness in its customers and employees. I put some questions to them to find out...
Hippyshopper: Where does Sky get its green energy from? Do you use an eco-friendly electricity supplier?
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.
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."
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