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Make sure the only crunch you feel is the bite of your home-grown vegetables next year with our retailer’s large range of grow your own seeds, tools and accompaniments. You could save money, get fit, do your bit for the environment and be super-trendy all at once.

Check out Ecotopia’s Raised Seed Bed at £29.95.This is an easy and adaptable system for growing fresh produce in the smallest of gardens or large vegetable plots. Constructed from FSC certified cedar, the raised bed is naturally durable and resistant to rot and insect damage. The stackable design offers a multitude of layouts and deeper raised bed options to suit any area and desired produce. The varied height options also accommodate those who would prefer higher beds for greater ease. It features the unique “coppastoppa”, real copper strip which deters slugs and snails from damaging valuable growing produce.

Pack includes comprehensive colour HDRA Organic Vegetable growing and plant guide. There’s nothing like growing your own vegetables - as well as the satisfaction it gives, you have the peace of mind that they’re maximum quality, nutrient-packed, and chemical-free, with that “fresh-from-the-garden taste” at a fraction of the cost of the supermarket. Ecotopia’s carefully selected range of vegetable seeds at £1.85 will provide a bounty of tasty fresh produce all the year round. Choose from a whole range of vegetables including peppers, spinach, tomatoes, radish, rocket and carrots.

By composting your organic waste you are returning nutrients back into the soil in order for the cycle of life to continue and you can save money. Visit Ethical Superstore for a good range of composters. Try the Compost Machine at £44.95 which has been designed to optimise the composting process, providing a well-insulated environment with good ventilation. This ensures the rapid composting of domestic kitchen and garden waste.

The potting shed collection [FSC] at £19.95 from Nigel’s Eco Store contains a Paper Potter for making pots, a Dibblet for pricking out seedlings, an Oak Pot Tamper for firming the soil, a Dibber for creating the perfect space for your seedlings and garden lines to get the professional row!

Be well prepared for a gardening session with this useful plastic-backed jute waist-tying pocket at £8.00 from Simplyfair. With one flap compartment containing twine and five others, there’s plenty of room to have all your equipment within easy reach. 
Handmade by Bangladeshi women getting a fair deal.

Finally water the garden with this funky fair trade Recycled Tin Watering Can at £9.99 from Natural Collection. It’s made from misprinted tin cans, which have been ingeniously shaped to produce this collection of quirky homewares. Because each one is handmade, yours will be unique.

Many of us this Christmas will give and receive new gadgets. Some of these with be eco and some not. The question we discussed in the BeMoreEco office was what is the best process of buying gadgets this year. What should our green eco gadget shopping tips be.

Well after some searching we found these Green Gadget tips posted by Plant Green.

It looks like a cross between an orange and a black pudding, but this genetically modified purple ’super tomato’ could be the latest weapon in the fight against cancer.The fruit, which tastes and smells like a normal red tomato, has been given two genes from a snapdragon flower that produce the dark colour. 

The distinctive hue is created by antioxidant pigments that protect against diseases including cancer, heart problems and diabetes. These plum-like tomatoes have been genetically engineered to fight cancer

British scientists behind the crop believe their purple tomato is the respectable face of genetic modification and could help convince the public of the benefits of GM food. But critics say the potential health benefits are a distraction from the harmful environmental side effects of GM farming. 

The tomato  -  developed by the John Innes Centre in Norwich  -  contains high concentrations of anthocyanins, pigments found in blackberries and cranberries. Anthocyanins are chemicals called flavonoids which mop up potentially harmful oxygen molecules in the body. Although they are produced naturally by tomato plants, they are normally found only in the leaves.

The scientists transferred the genes from the snapdragons using specially adapted bacteria.

Food for thought: The tomatoes could be on sale within three years - but not in Britain. Professor Cathie Martin, who led the John Innes research  -  the results of which are published today in the journal Nature Biotechnology  -  said one tomato contained the same anthocyanins as a spoonful of cranberries.

‘Most people do not eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day,’ she said. ’But they can get more benefit from those they do eat if common fruit and vegetables can be developed that are higher in nutrients.’

The scientists found that mice bred to be vulnerable to cancer lived longer when fed the GM tomatoes. They now hope to test the effects on men at risk of prostate cancer.Dr Lara Bennett, of Cancer Research UK, said: ‘It’s exciting to see new techniques that could make healthy foods even better for us.’

But critics warn that genetic modification is tied in with factory farming methods that harm communities  -  and that any seeds from a GM tomato could produce unexpected effects on the environment.

Friends of the Earth said: ‘GM crops cannot be deemed a “healthy” option.’

Article source -  Mail Online

1. Recyclezone

The Recyclezone is sponsored by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and is a great source of green information for school children. It’s bright, interactive and easy to use with a wide range of brain teasers, jokes and ideas – don’t miss Recycler the Rapping Robot’s musical debut.

For more information visit: Recycle Zone

2. The Greens

Meet the Greens is a website about an environmentally conscious family who are trying to do their bit for the planet. This US-based site features short animated adventures, which all carry an eco-message. ‘Tons of trash’, ‘birds need trees’ and ‘food rescue’ are just a few of the episodes on the site. 

There’s also an interactive blog where children can discuss how they feel about the programmes they’ve watched. 

For more information visit: Meet The Greens

3. CBeebies Green Balloon Club

The Green Balloon Club stars four eco-warrior children and a dog, who live in a virtual green club house. The site is full of songs, videos, print and colour activities – and there’s a green star club where you can print out a chart and collect reward stickers for good green behaviour. 

For more information visit: Green Balloon Club

4. Environment Agency – Fun and Games

The Environment Agency’s dedicated children’s section is home to a wealth of games, information and animated news bulletins. There are lots of surprising facts and figures to get your little ones thinking, as well as a tool to calculate your family’s eco footprint and tips on how to reduce it.

For more information visit: Environment Agency

5. National Geographic Kids

The National Geographic children’s site is a great resource, which focuses on topics like animal migration, the environment and how it affects the wildlife around us. There are plenty of quizzes, videos, games, stories and tips to bring your children closer to the nature around them. Check out the step-by-step guide to planting your own garden.

For more information visit: National Geographic

6. WaterBusters!

This interactive game has been created by the Saving Water Partnership, Seattle, USA. Your mission is to help Phil Dumpster and his friend Bert the Salmon (who is on hand with green advice) to find the areas around the house where they can save water, money and the environment before they are washed away! 

For more information visit: Waterbusters

7. Nature Challenge for Kids

Meet David Suzuki - he’ll challenge your children to follow a ten-step action plan covering topics such as food, travel, and the home. The idea is for children to gain better eco-awareness and apply it to their everyday lives. You’ll also find fun role play ideas and activities to encourage kids to express their views on nature and the environment. 

For more information visit:Nature Challenge for Kids

8. Scholastic Explorers - Earthwatch Partnership

This educational site is a great tool for inspiring children to expand their learning skills, as well as their knowledge of wildlife and the environment. Find tips on discovering the eco systems in your garden as well as the chance to watch a wildlife video and submit a report on what you see.

For more information visit: Teacher Scholastic

9. Charlie and Lola - Look After Your Planet

This popular game is a fun way of familiarising your children with the process of recycling. The task is to navigate one of the Charlie and Lola characters to collect falling rubbish in the correct recycling bins. The fun graphics and illustrations make this a pleasure to play, and you can progress through the site to bigger challenges depending on your level of skill.

For more information visit: Charlie and Lola

10. Kidsrgreen

This hands-on site offers plenty of advice to children who want to go green - both in and out of school time. You can hop on a spaceship for a round-the-world tour or go on a mission with ‘Trip the Drip’ to discover the importance of water to the planet.

For more information visit: Kidsgreen

Lets face it. We all should be recycling. What used to be simple; “metal goes here, paper goes there, and plastic goes in over there,” is now a bit more complicated. For example did you know not all plastics and metals can be recycled? If you look for the recycling symbol on most packaging, it’s often filled with a number value. They denote what can and can’t be recycled. That’s where the Barcode Trashcan comes in. It makes being “green” a lot easier.

There’s one bin for each type of recyclable material. Just swipe the item in question over the top and the bin that opens is your winner. Easy breezy covergirl for real!

This Halloween think of the planet and have a green halloween. Putting together an eco celebration of all things spooky is as easy as having a traditional orange and black one – especially for children. Here are our top 10 tips to get you started:

1. E-mail party invites rather than using the royal mail. There are loads of free Halloween themed party invite e-cards around or alternatively make your own out of scrap and recycled products. Try www.halloween.co.uk for a great selection

2. Serve local, healthy and seasonal October foods at your events. The options are endless. Remember pumpkins are not just decorative items. Make use of all pumpkin parts. After carving a pumpkin, make sure to save the seeds. Bake them and serve them to party guests or feed them to the birds. Pumpkin flesh is great or making pies, soups and even lasagna! Check out www. freerangereview .com to find local food to you! Apples also are at their best this time of year. So make use of the nation’s favourite crunchy fruit. Fill party bowls with several varieties of fresh apples, from granny smiths to pink lady’s. Bake a few apples for healthy, tasty dessert.

3. Use re-usable plates, cups, utensils, napkins and tablecloths. Paper party goods can be expensive and just add more clutter to our nation’s landfills. Check out www.ecotopia.co.uk’s extensive range of eco tableware !

4. Make your own costume or buy one at a second-hand shop. An old favourite a charity shop cotton sheet still makes a great ghost. Can’t find anything suitable in the house? Try www.freecycle.org for a great selection of second hand clothes, costumes and materials.

5. Autumn is great so experience nature. Visit a local farm. Pick fresh apples. Talk a long walk outside. Look up at the sky. Notice the moon. Remember, it’s Halloween and take this great Bat Torch with you.

6. Give kids a reusable bag instead of a plastic or paper one to collect their goodies. Plastic and paper ones are bad for the environment and can tear easily.

7. Give away eco friendly treats such as organic sweets or fairtrade chocolate.

8. Instead of buying materials for decorations, gather supplies, arts and crafts throughout the year. Reuse and Recycle! For instance:
- Turn old tights into spider-webbing
- Paint foam peanuts (packing materials) and turn them into worms
- Turn old cardboard boxes into tombstones
- Reuse your decorations from the previous year

9. Facepainting? Use organic and eco friendly facepaints!

10. Recycle and reuse as much as possible after your party or celebration. Put all costumes, decorations and anything save-able away for next year.

Be safe and have great green halloween. 

Trying to be good at home with eco tips is hard, but with 3 active kids at school I feel it is important that this if followed through at school. Then I found that Beth Lewis at About.com has the same environmental concerns when choosing to run a visibly Green Classroom. These are her tips;

1. Make sure that paper and aluminum can recycling boxes are always available in your classroom. Actively promote their use. If you see someone throwing something away, remind him or her about recycling.
2. Use a reusable water bottle, rather than throw-away plastic bottles. Encourage your students to do the same. Perhaps you could even organize a bulk purchase of reusable bottles, gathering $10 from parents and procuring the bottles for your classroom.
3. Place the recycling symbol on the walls of your classroom.
4. When a students ask you if it’s OK for them to throw away specific papers (like an old math test, for example), consistently respond, “Sure. You can recycle them.”
5. If you have student jobs, perhaps one of the jobs could be “recycling monitor.” This person would be in charge of making sure that people are recycling instead of throwing items into the regular trash. Also, this person might be in charge of taking the recycling boxes to the school’s recycling center, if applicable.
6. Encourage children to pick up trash around the school grounds. Perhaps if your students are acting antsy one afternoon, take a ten minute clean-up stroll around the campus before you get back to the learning at hand.
7. Decorate your classroom with plants and flowers. Also, students can plant their own seeds in the beginning of the year and watch their plants thrive as the year progresses.
8. Creatively minimize the amount of paper used in your classroom, without compromising educational objectives, of course. When you save a little paper, make a comment like, “We can save paper by doing it this way.”

It’s easier than you might think to set up and run a Green Classroom. Please forward this to your school or ask your child to print this off and place in their school bag. For the full article by Beth Lewis <click here>

Since moving its not-for-profit venture online in 1995, New York-based Green Map System has made online maps of sustainable initiatives accessible to keen greens everywhere. Its selection of hand-picked mapmakers in 50 countries are responsible for the site’s 450+ maps, facilitating global sustainability from a grassroots level. Ethical stores, green spaces and recycling sites are just some of the sites the maps help people discover.

The project’s impact will hit a whole new level with the introduction of Open Green Map: a community site that makes the project accessible to all, letting users add new locations as well as exploring the recommendations of others. Participants can bring entries to life with Flickr photos or YouTube videos to support their text descriptions.

The site has also boosted its usefulness with the development of applications for mobile devices. 

Users can now upload content the moment they discover it, and log in to find the nearest fair-trade coffee shop or ethical fashion store whilst out and about. 

The images we have attached have been taken from UK Green Map and shows A green Map of East Bristol.

For information <click here>

Website: www.opengreenmap.org
Contact: www.greenmap.org/greenhouse/en/contact

This is a great article we saw in the Guardian this week about keeping track of your carbon footprint could become as simple as slipping a mobile phone in your pocket: a London-based start-up company has developed software for mobile phones that uses global positioning satellites to work out automatically whether you are walking, driving or flying and then calculate your impact on the environment.

Carbon Diem’s inventors claim that, by using GPS to measure the speed and pattern of movement, their algorithm can identify the mode of transport being used. It can therefore calculate the amount of carbon dioxide that a journey has emitted into the atmosphere – without any need for input from the traveller.

The system’s inventor, Andreas Zachariah, a graduate student of the Royal College of Art in London and chief executive of the Carbon Hero company, said that Carbon Diem is the world’s first automated carbon calculator.

Because it keeps a constantly updated diary of a person’s carbon emissions, Zachariah said that a user can easily track their environmental impact and, if they choose, modify their behaviour to lower-carbon alternatives.

“We’re facilitating people to make little changes and allow those changes to be noted and registered and possibly shared,” he said. “If lots of people realise we’re in this marathon [in tackling climate change] and we’re not running alone, then we actually think people will be motivated to stick to changes.”

He has tested the software in Nokia and Blackberry phones, using computer algorithms to predict the kind of transport a person is taking. He claims that in tests over the past year, the software was almost 100% accurate in working out when people were on airplanes or trains; it was between 65-75% accurate at guessing when people travelled on buses.

To read the full article <click here>

1. Save up to 10% on your water heating!

Chances are you can turn down the thermostat on your home’s water heater a few degrees, and still have plenty of hot water for everyone’s daily shower, not to mention the dishes and laundry. Lowering the temperature from 140 to 120 would reduce your water heating costs by 6 to 10%. Give it a try!

2. Get an Energy Monitor

According to the Energy Saving Trust, 8 out of 10 of us Brits do not understand their energy bills or understand what energy rates they are on. Get a closer handle on your home energy use with an advanced energy monitoring device. 

3. Unplug Unused Chargers

Even when they aren’t charging anything, plugged-in mobile phone, laptop and other chargers continue to draw electricity. Briton’s throw away about 8% of our annual electric bills this way, wasting millions of pounds. The solution is simple: just unplug them, or plug them into a standby buster  and flip that switch when your device has pulled enough juice.

4. Turn fallen leaves into compost

Rake up and shred fallen leaves and add them to the compost bin. Besides autumn leaves, you’ll find other carbon-rich materials in your garden. Look for waste-material that are brown in color such as sawdust, straw and dried grass clippings. Even your teabags, coffee grains and newspapers are great to add.

5. Out with the old and in with the new or freecycled!

Freecycle (hyperlink) any of your old summer clothes that you will not wear anymore and help benefit someone else. If you fancy an item for your winter wardrobe check out moreeco’s list of ethical clothing retailers such as Adili, Seasalt, Gossypium and Green fibres and earn yourself points, as well as free carbon offsets on all purchases.