We've had loads of interest in the 3-second fast-boil kettle from Tefal since we first wrote about it last month, so I decided to put one through its paces, comparing it with some of the other innovative energy-saving kettles you can buy.

Here I am with Susi Weaser of Shiny Shiny, testing out the Tefal Quick-Cup and the Eco-Kettle from Powergen.

Oxygenating (or 'aerating') shower heads are said to reduce the amount of water your shower uses, without hindering its performance. In our video review, Katie Lee puts an Oxygenics aerating shower to the test, direct from her bathroom: this one is available at £59 from Natural Collection.

Ever wondered what deforestation in Brazil looks like from space? Or how lit-up the earth is at night? Now you can find out with ‘Earth from space’ by Andrew K. Johnston. The Guardian has taken a small selection of photographs from this beautiful book that highlight the damage mankind has done to the earth. The book itself contains over 300 beautiful photographs taken from satellite computer-massaged imagery. This inspiring and at the same time depressing book shows in graphic detail how the earth has changed in just the last few years because of us. There are amazing photographs of natural and manmade landmarks, weather systems and before and after photographs of urban developments, de-forestation, irrigation systems and a great deal more. This really brings to life the damage we continue to do to our planet. It makes distressing reading because much of what we have done is irreversible, and yet we continue to do more and more harm.

The book costs £12.99 in paperback from guardianbooks. Well worth buying, there is so much to see. You'll keep picking it up as will your friends whenever they are round.

[Via The Guardian]

The people at Innocent couldn't have timed it better. Their inaugural village fete took place during the hottest weekend we've had all summer, bringing thousands of people of all ages out to play in the sunshine.

The fete provided Londoners with the chance to take full advantage of one of the capital's largest green spaces, as a huge chunk of Regent's Park was transformed into a traditional-style fair, complete with ducks, geese, buntings in the trees and an epic farmers market. The event was a true foodie paradise, with many stalls selling scrummy organic produce and, of course, free smoothies. And when you'd finished stuffing your face, there was no shortage of recycle bins for rubbish of all types.

Jeremy Clarkson hated it, the Green Car Guide loved it - Toyota's hybrid electric car is top of the list when it comes to finding a green car. With only £15 road tax a year and no congestion charge Toyota claim it will save you fortunes on fuel and save the world with its low CO2 emissions. Watch our 'Hippy Gear' video review to find out if the Toyota Prius is the answer to our green motoring dreams.

The sun made a very welcome appearance across the UK this weekend, which was especially good news for Ben & Jerry's. The environmentally-concerned ice-cream experts staged their climate neutral Sundae on the Common festival on Saturday and Sunday, and boy was it a great day out. Like many, I vowed afterwards to never touch another scoop of ice-cream again, but I suspect this will soon pass.

So what did this little jolly on the common do for the environment you might well ask? Well, in keeping with Ben & Jerry's green agenda, the event was made carbon neutral, with ticket sales supporting a solar panel project in India. On the day, the Climate Ambassadors were out in force, teaching the hungry revelers important nuggets of information as they earned their free ice cream.

A new 'literary' genre has emerged: eco-friendly Chick Lit is the latest fad in fiction-lite to hit our shelves, it seems, and one of the first titles we've seen is Sleeping with the Fishes by MaryJanice Davidson (Piatkus Books).

Fred the mermaid is a marine biologist investigating pollution in Boston Bay, aided and abetted by a sexy merman (or as he prefers to be called a "Prince of the Undersea Folk") and an equally attractive fellow marine biologist.

If you're someone who can handle chick-lit, and want to see your heroines go green, sleeping with the Fishes is a witty, gentle humorous romance perfect for enjoying with a cool organic ice-cream on a hot summer afternoon (or if necessary while huddled under the covers as the thunder rolls in).

Our latest green addition to the office has been a huge hit with caffeine addicts...the Tefal Quick Cup is one of a new generation of 'kettle replacers'; smart gadgets that not only produce near-boiling water in three seconds flat, but require very little energy to do so. In fact, it uses up to 65% less electricity than a standard kettle, which will save on your energy bill, too.

For coffee, tea or herbal infusion of your choice you simply place a mug underneath the spout, press a button and as if by magic, instant hot, filtered water (yes, it can do this too) fills your cup. No more waiting around for the kettle to boil, which is particularly good news in a busy office!

Being an ethical consumer is a minefield that many of us are trying to navigate every day, so it's always a relief when something comes along to cut through the 'green tape' and give clear instructions on what to avoid and what to go for while living a greener life.

The new book by Melissa Corkhill, editor of the Green Parent magazine is out now, and answers all kinds of questions that might pop into your head in the supermarket aisles. How to be an Ethical Shopper covers buying life essentials including food, toys, holidays, household items and much more. This is the follow-up guide to the useful Green Parenting which, like the magazine concentrated more narrowly on life with children. Both books are vital and up-to-date guides to living more ethically, yet still immensely practical and user-friendly.

If you're looking for an effective cleaning product that won't add to your chemical splash, I can recommend Doktor Power (£4.99 from JML Direct) as a great alternative to chemical-laden concoctions like Cillit Bang. This rather radioactive-looking neon pot actually contains all-natural ingredients, and is one of the best cleaners I've found for removing stubborn grease. I know this, because I had a new flatmate move in this week, and after one application of this stuff, I wasn't embarrassed to show her the kitchen...

Related: Which? reveals that green is definitely clean | Hippyshopper green cleaning guide

Now it's almost the weekend, have you got the spending itch but want to make responsible choices? Calico Moon is a small business set up by a family who were becoming increasingly concerned at the impact their choices had on the world. Having four children of their own, they wished to do their bit in preventing the exploitation of other peoples’. There is a personal touch about Calico Moon which is charmingly old-fashioned, and their website gives extensive information about their supply chain and workers as well as the products and prices.

The products themselves are both practical and beautiful with gorgeous floaty clothes for women, bamboo towels and even school uniform clothes, amongst others.

Dawn Mellowship heads out to Manna Restaurant in Primrose Hill, London to review the critically acclaimed vegetarian food and celebrate her 27th birthday (30 is looming). Manna Restaurant was set up in the swinging sixties by Kate Alexander and Don Wreford and has continued to serve superb veggie food ever since. Grubs up!

There are plenty of reasons to re-think the way you wash, from turning down the temparature to using more natural products to clean your clothes. And having already gone down the Ecover liquid route (the bio stuff is wonderful - did you know you could still use biological detergent using green products?) I decided to go a step further and try using soap nuts - an entirely renewable, natural and chemical-free way to wash, made by Soapods.com and available for £4.95 for a pack capable of doing 25 washes. In honesty, I wasn't convinced by the idea - the odourless little brown pods in their canvas pouch just didn't look like they'd get rid of any stains, but I gave them a try, and was pleasantly surprised by the results...

Last time in Can You Guess Organic, Dawn tried on three items of clothing, two from high street retailers and one by People Tree. This time Dawn adorns two rather fetching jackets. One is made by the ethical label, Anatomy, exclusively for Adili, the other is, again from a high street retailer. Can you guess which one is produced by the ethical label?

Dawn Mellowship reviews the Domia Lite Wireless Remote Control Starter Kit and Lamp Dimmer. At the touch of a button (or few) you can control a range of electrical devices and appliances in your home and dim lamps with the dimmer (if the need takes you). The cost for this wizardry is £29.99