greenliving autumn

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greenliving

Your lifestyle guide to all things eco...

Autumn 2010

magazine

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W E N O THE ST T E H WON T U SO lONd &

Jenny Seagrove Off-screen campaigning from Judge John Deed co-star

Eco Chic

Sustainable style tips for your home

Clone Farm Britain Is the problem with cloning simply one of branding?

WIN!

A mid-week break at Manor House Stables!

The key to creating a greener home

r o f w o h s o c e y l n o The d n a s r o t a v o n e r , s self builder s r e v o r p m i e m o h y a D -a e iv F n e e r Our Big G

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Eco Incentives Event

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Five seminar theatres

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Ask the experts

5 Image courtesy of Matthew Borowiecki, RIBA

For FREE entry register now at www.biggreenhomeshow.co.uk

NEW

A brand new event within the Show, helping you make money from energy! Find out how to make FITs & RHI eco technologies work for you with free expert advice and seminars plus special offers for orders placed on the day.

Packed full of dozens of speakers, covering everything a self builder or renovator could need to know about eco building!

Eco village New to this year’s Show, the Eco Village will bring together some fantastic new exhibitors to showcase their products and answer your questions.

From architects and planners through to sustainable homes specialists and eco consultants, we’re bursting at the seams with experts for you to meet!

Walk the talk Join an eco walking seminar where the experts will talk you through the eco building process.

! e r o m h c u m s lu p …

Swindon (M4 junction 16) Lydiard Fields, Great Western Way, Swindon SN5 8UB Tel: 0845 223 4455

*Entry on the door costs £10 per person & £15 per couple.

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The key to creating a e m o h r e n e e gr

r o f w o h s o c e y l The on d n a s r o t a v o n e self builders, r home improvers y a -D -a e iv F n e e r G Our Big

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Eco Incentives Event

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Five seminar theatres

3 4 5 Image courtesy of Matthew Borowiecki, RIBA

For FREE entry register now at www.biggreenhomeshow.co.uk

NEW

A brand new event within the Show, helping you make money from energy! Find out how to make FITs & RHI eco technologies work for you with free expert advice and seminars plus special offers for orders placed on the day.

Packed full of dozens of speakers, covering everything a self builder or renovator could need to know about eco building!

Eco village New to this year’s Show, the Eco Village will bring together some fantastic new exhibitors to showcase their products and answer your questions.

Ask the experts From architects and planners through to sustainable homes specialists and eco consultants, we’re bursting at the seams with experts for you to meet!

Walk the talk Join an eco walking seminar where the experts will talk you through the eco building process.

! e r o m h c u m s …plu Swindon (M4 junction 16)

Lydiard Fields, Great Western Way, Swindon SN5 8UB Tel: 0845 223 4455

*Entry on the door costs £10 per person & £15 per couple.

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CPD Workshops & Taster Days The Iron Mill Institute is a long established educational and training organisation and a place of high professional standards based in Exeter, Devon. The institute is in partnership with Strode College of Further Education and the University of Worcester who have validated several Masters programmes based at the Institute.

* Extensive range of practitioner trainings and CPD workshops * Established for 30 years * Excellent facilities * Experienced, professional tutors * From Certificate level through to qualified practitioner * Relaxed and comfortable training environment

Now enrolling for courses commencing September through to November 2010.

For further information please visit our website or contact us on (01392) 219200 / info@ironmill.info

The Iron Mill was pioneered by Julie Hewson, the current Director, in the early eighties as a way of combining psychology, art and sociology in the transformatory process of clinical and organisational applications.

The Institute offers a range of professionally accredited training in the fields of counselling, psychotherapy, supervision, coaching, dramatherapy, psychosynthesis and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

All the courses have the necessary national and international accreditations.

WORKSHOPS 6th November 2010 - The Organisation in the Background - Michael Carroll 13th, 14th & 15th November 2010 - The Next Frontier in Coaching (Part 1) - Helen Sieroda 27th November 2010 - Conflict & Resistance to Change - Andrea Perry 28th November 2010 - Using Creative Techniques in Working with Loss, Grief & Transition - Andrea Perry 4th, 5th & 6th December 2010 - The Next Frontier in Coaching (Part 2) - Helen Sieroda 29th January 2011 - From Counsellor to Coach - Michael Carroll INTRODUCTORY ‘101’s 25th & 26th September 2010 - Introduction to Coaching ‘101’ - Julie Hewson and Mary O’Donoghue 12th, 13th & 14th November 2010 - Introduction to Dramatherapy ‘101’ - Mary Booker & John Hazlet Dickinson 27th & 28th November 2010 - Introduction to Transactional Analysis ‘101’ - Julie Hewson TASTER DAYS 2nd October 2010 - Counselling Taster Day - Jan Cavill 3rd October 2010 - Counselling Children & Adolescents Taster Day - Jan Cavill 9th October 2010 - Transactional Analysis Taster Day - Julie Hewson 10th October 2010 - Supervision Taster Day - Julie Hewson

Many more available on our website:

www.ironmill.info

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greenliving Editor: Holly Aurelius-Haddock holly@greenlivingmag.co.uk

Welcome...

Assistant Editor: Faye Allen faye@greenlivingmag.co.uk

“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.”

Art Director: Jim Obey designer@greenlivingmag.co.uk Advertising: Clare Wicks clare@greenlivingmag.co.uk Contributors: Bill Gething, Rebecca Gooch, Rebecca Sullivan, Richard Spalding, Guy Watson, Pamela Bruton.

Cover photograph: Westonbirt Arboretum by Paul Groom greenliving Magazine 151-153 Wick Road, Brislington, Bristol, BS4 4HH Tel: 01179 779188 | Visit: www.greenlivingmagazine.co.uk Please send any comments or suggestions to the publisher at the above address.

For general enquiries: Peter Francomb Email: peter@greenlivingmag.co.uk © Copyright 2010 greenliving.

All rights reserved. Material may not be reproduced without permission of greenliving.

While we take care to ensure that reports, reviews and features are accurate, greenliving accepts no liability for reader dissatisfaction arising from the content of this publication. The opinions expressed or advice given are the views of the individual authors, and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of greenliving.

greenliving provides effective communication through design. We specialise in brochures, corporate identity, advertising, direct mail, marketing and design for print.

We have a reputation for clear, creative solutions to communication problems for a number of corporate, sports, financial, charity and leisure industry clients.

We maintain the highest of standards, throughout each individual project and our client relationship.

We pride ourselves on delivering distinctive designs and ideas that will get you noticed.

Perhaps not the most famous words uttered by author of Middlemarch George Eliot (aka Mary Anne Evans), but in describing this captivating time of year, I couldn’t share her sentiments more. As the seasons become ever more indistinguishable, autumn’s golden blankets of leaves and crisp, sunny mornings remain just as I have always remembered them. To this end, our front cover this issue was taken at Westonbirt Arboretum, a must-visit for those who want to witness the season in all its glory.

This is also a time of year when our thoughts turn to the animal kingdom preparing for the cold winter ahead, so in our Green Goodies section this month on page 12, we've made some suggestions for encouraging wildlife into your garden. A chat with actress Jenny Seagrove on page 20 also revealed her to be an animal rights campaigner, speaking out with the same passion for justice as her Judge John Deed character. And with the potential pitfalls of animal cloning being widely discussed in the news, The Soil Association's regular column on page 28 never fails to ask the questions at the forefront of our minds.

So as the daylight hours begin to shrink, grab yourself a hot drink and catch up on all the latest news, interviews and inspired ideas for planetfriendlier living.

Change starts with us.

Holly Aurelius-Haddock. holly@greenlivingmag.co.uk

Competition Terms & Conditions In addition to any specifically stated terms and conditions, the following applies to all competitions. All information forms part of the rules. All entrants are deemed to have accepted the rules and agree to be bound by them. The winner will be the first entry drawn at random from all the correct entries received by the closing date and will be notified by either post, email or telephone. The prizes are as stated; they are non-transferable and no cash alternative will be offered. All entrants must be at least 18 years old. Competitions are open to UK residents only.

One entry per person. Proof of postage is not proof of entry. greenliving accepts no responsibility for entries lost or damaged in the post. Entrants agree to take part in any publicity material relating to the competition. The name of the winner will be published in the next edition. The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Prizes do not include unspecified extras (such as travel). All prizes are subject to availability. Please state if you do not wish to receive any further correspondence from greenliving or competition organisers. You may be required to collect your prize.

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greenliving

contents

Welcome to greenliving!

you

your home

your planet

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WIN! A mid-week stay at Manor House Stables

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greeN goodIes Planet friendly treats you shouldn’t be without

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CIrCle of MIsse Unleash your muse in France's Loire Valley

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eCo ChIC Sustainable style tips for your home

CloNe farM BrItaIN Is the problem with cloning simply one of branding?

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Natural loCks Discover the real meaning of a good hair day

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WarM WIshes Keep warm without going into the red

JeNNy seagrove Off-screen campaigning from Judge John Deed costar

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PlaNet Worth savINg Inspiring photography from around the globe

We hope you enjoy this issue of greenliving. We would love to know your thoughts so please get in touch. Email holly@greenlivingmag.co.uk or write to us at 151-153 Wick Road, Bristol BS4 4HH

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MarchAutumn / April 2010

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Autumn 2010 A GREENER TOMORROW...

Meet the team...

With every issue we offer the latest eco news and advice from some of the sector’s most prominent figures:

RICHARD SPALDING Richard Spalding teaches Human Geography and Environment Studies at UWE in Bristol. Whilst sitting as the Chair of South Gloucestershire Local Food and Drinks Partnership and Winterbourne Medieval Barn Trust, he also finds time to grow a few vegetables of his own too!

BILL GETHING Architect Bill Gething was a long-standing partner of Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios before setting up an independent consultancy last year. He has contributed to the practice's international reputation for sustainable design and is currently a member of the Royal Institute of British Architect’s Climate Change Board.

GUY WATSON Having founded Riverford Organic, Guy Watson has always been fired by a passion for good food combined with traditional farming principles. Determined to loosen the supermarket’s stranglehold on quality and supply, Guy Watson deals fairly with everybody, which remains an intrinsic value to the business’ operation.

THE SOIL ASSOCIATION With their fingers firmly on the pulse, the UK’s leading organic organisation keeps us informed on the latest campaigns and community programmes promoting planet friendly food and farming methods.

The past 20 years have seen a growing realisation that the current model of development is unsustainable. In other words, we are living beyond our means. From the loss of biodiversity with the felling of rainforests or over fishing to the negative effect our consumption patterns are having on the environment and the climate.

Our way of life is placing an increasing burden on the planet.

The increasing stress we put on resources and environmental systems such as water, land and air cannot go on forever. Especially as the world's population continues to increase and we already see a world where over a billion people live on less than a dollar a day.

The goal of sustainable development is to enable all people throughout the world to satisfy their basic needs and enjoy a better quality of life, without compromising the quality of life of future generations.

Unless we start to make real progress toward reconciling these contradictions we face a future that is less certain and less secure. We need to make a decisive move toward more sustainable development. Not just because it is the right thing to do, but also because it is in our own long-term best interests. It offers the best hope for the future. Whether at school, in the home or at work, we all have a part to play. Our small everyday actions add up to make a big difference.

Spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)

Autumn 2010

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News If you have any news or events that you would like to share with us here at greenliving then email info@greenlivingmag.co.uk

SCRAPSTORE WANTS YOUR CLOTHES! Scrapstore PlayPods are making children’s lives happier. They’re full of materials and equipment and placed in school playgrounds for children to play with during and after school. One of the most popular playthings are dressing-up clothes, but they are also the hardest to obtain. Why not give your old clothes a new lease of life and let them have fun? Have a peep in your wardrobes and have a de-clutter!

of glad rags for our very large Scrapstore PlayPod dressing-up box. Alternatively, if you have small amounts of dressing-up clothes then just pop into Scrapstore with them. www.childrensscrapstore.co.uk

Organise a collection point in your area and Scrapstore will come and collect large piles

Afrika Eye Film Festival returns to Bristol for its fifth consecutive year from Friday 29th to Sunday 31st October 2010 during Black History Month, taking up residence at Watershed.

The UK’s pioneering African community film festival, Afrika Eye showcases films with stories told by African and Diaspora voices and brings together local African and Afro-Caribbean communities with other communities in Bristol.

The festival opens with the spectacular

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Cannes award-winning Benda Bilili! on Friday 29th October expounding the remarkable rise to fame of a band of disabled Congolese musicians. “The media perspective on Africa tends to be very partial,” says Ingrid Sinclair one of the festival’s directors, “emphasising the differences from western countries and

exoticising or patronising Africa. We hope to replace ignorance with knowledge to generate more harmonious relationships between blacks and whites in multicultural Bristol.”

For more details about Afrika Eye Film Festival visit: afrikaeye2010.blogspot.com

Autumn 2010

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Rocket Science!

A string to your bow As well as offering two quality selfcatering accommodation cottages, eco-restoration project Manor House Stables runs courses and workshops for small groups of people. Their workshops range from barge art to basket making, from corn dollies to candle making and from natural beauty products to natural Christmas tree decorations.

All courses start from 10am unless stated

TURN TO PAGE 35 TO EEK WIN A MID -W O!’ STAY FOR TW

Otarian Otarian is a brand new restaurant concept with sustainability at the core of everything it does. The menu is vegetarian because it has the smallest ecological impact on the environment and everything will have its own carbon footprint listed – making it the first global chain to do so. Even the waste the restaurant produces is put to good use with an amazing 98% being reused, composted or recycled. Otarian has opened two UK restaurants in London, and those travelling across the Atlantic can find a further two in The Big Apple.

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otherwise and continue all day with a special homemade lunch and a glass of our own special apple or quince wine, usually finishing around 5pm. The price ranges from £45 to £65 per person and includes all materials plus lunch, wine, tea, coffee, and cake, scones or biscuits. Come along and learn new skills in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

Please call 01526 378717 or visit www.manorhousestables.co.uk for more information.

This super-efficient Rocket Stove uses thick ceramic insulation to cleanly combust wood or charcoal, producing plenty of controllable heat and very little smoke. Ready to cook on in a couple of minutes, it saves up to 75% of the fuel of an open fire, and the stove’s cast-iron top provides a solid support for your pot. It comes with a wind shield and is the perfect outdoor cooker for your garden, picnic or camping trip. £54.95 plus P&P. T: 0117 230 2346 W: www.wildstoves.co.uk

Reader Offer Receive 10% off when you order a Rocket Stove from Wild Stoves. Just enter ‘greenliving’ into the coupon box at checkout.

Discount applies to all products ordered, but order must include a Wood or Wood & Charcoal StoveTec Rocket Stove. Offer extends to delivery addresses in the UK mainland only, valid until 31 October 2010. While stocks last.

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bright stars

I grew up in Indonesia surrounded by tea plantations. I was always chatting to the workers and their kids and I could see how hard they worked and how little money they made.

I decided to use the profile I’ve built up to help people. Fairtrade is something very close to my heart, so when I was approached for the campaign I put the two together.

Meeting fairtrade cotton farmers and their families in Gujarat in India really touched me.

The farmers themselves decide collectively how they’ll use the money and it brings the community closer together.

Fairtrade also empowers many of the women as they participate equally in the decisionmaking process. They can afford to send their children to the local primary school and they’re paid the same as men.

A few years ago ethical clothes meant Birkenstocks and smocks – but it doesn’t have to be like that. You can make beautiful pieces with fairtrade cotton, especially because only the best cotton is used.

People’s attitudes are slowly changing towards foods like coffee and chocolate, but cotton is another matter. We need to have a change in attitude to show children and young people that these things are really important.

Lisa Butcher The next step for me is to get the fairtrade collection together. I’m planning to go and film more of these communities to try to build awareness.

TV shows like Blood, Sweat and T-Shirts have highlighted what goes on behind the mass production of some clothes. Once people have all the information, they feel really strongly about it.

As the face of Fairtrade Cotton, this issue greenliving talks to supermodel and TV presenter Lisa Butcher about her take on ethical fashion...

Visit www.fairtrade.org.uk for more information

Autumn 2010

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Love your garden.

Love your planet.

Garden Organic is the UK’s leading organic growing charity.

From their gardens, patios and window boxes, through to growing your own food and growing organically, they aim to change the world, one allotment, or pot at a time.

CJ Wildlife

T: 02476 308210 W: www.gardenorganic.org.uk

Creating a wildlife garden can be a great way of attracting beneficial insects, birds and mammals into your garden. Providing nesting boxes, food and water all year-round is essential in caring for local wildlife, but creating a wildlife garden that will sustain your little visitors starts with sensible planting.

CJ Wildlife’s plants can provide suitable nesting sites, areas for shelter and edible berries for birds, not to mention flowers which will attract beneficial insects – never has bringing your garden to life been easier!

For further information on the full range of wildlife-friendly plants available from CJ Wildlife or to request a FREE Handbook of Garden Wildlife call 0800 731 2820 or visit www.birdfood.co.uk quoting CXXXX. T: 0800 731 2820 W: www.birdfood.co.uk

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Wild for Gardens Maintaining your garden or tending your allotment can help encourage wildlife to work with you beneficially, whether it's bees pollinating plants or ladybirds eating aphids.

Wild for Gardens offers a range of the best quality garden products and accessories available. Their environmentally friendly products help you garden organically and in an eco-friendly, sustainable way – great news for both you and your garden visitors!

W: www.wildforgardens.co.uk

Pro-Tidy

Brackenwood Set in beautiful woodland is Brackenwood Garden Centre, a wildlife haven close to Clifton Suspension Bridge. Encourage wildlife back into your garden this autumn with Brackenwood’s large selection of bird feeders and nest boxes, including those suitable for owls and woodpeckers. Everything you could possibly need to create your own outdoor sanctuary can be found under one roof. Reward your good deed by relaxing in the Hazel Tea Rooms, offering great home cooked food from local produce.

Pro-Tidy, a professional garden maintenance company, work closely with clients to secure a balance between allowing gardens to develop naturally and preserving the amenity space for the family.

Hard landscaping has its place in modern gardens, but so too do areas which encourage wildlife and engage with the natural landscape.

T: 0117 9466822 W: www.pro-tidy.co.uk

T: 01275 375292 W: www.brackenwood-plantandgardencentre.com

Autumn 2010

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Eco

Chic

Eco solutions in the home are becoming an increasingly emerging trend for those who share a passion for luxurious living with a conscience.

Here are some ideas from Living in Space on merging beautiful design with ethical production...

ENERGY EFFICIENT LIGHTING Compact Fluorescent light bulbs or LED lighting not only last longer than normal bulbs, but also use much less energy. To work these more efficient bulbs, you could further save on your energy bills by installing occupancy / vacancy sensors that turn lights on when someone enters the room and turn them off again when everyone leaves. Very handy for when your hands are full with grocery shopping too!

KNX TECHNOLOGY New KNX technology means that one can now sync their heating, lighting, security, audio and every other electrically controlled system within the home under one electronic system. This can save one over 50% on their heating and electricity bills and offers them luxury living throughout the home. Hence, it is no longer a hassle to be green and is in fact it is becoming an increasingly luxurious lifestyle where one’s every need can be catered for.

PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTAT Perhaps one of the most important points when living a life of eco chic is to ensure your home is set up to carry on your sustainable lifestyle.

Upgrading your heating system to one with an efficient boiler and programmable thermostat will save you money in the long run and is a much more sophisticated way of heating your home. It makes no sense heating rooms that are not in use.

www.living-inspace.co.uk

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RECYCLED FURNITURE The salvage and junkyards of our grandparents have become slicker and hipper for the eco conscious and the thrifty alike. There is nothing more satisfying than picking up a piece of old furniture that with a couple of first aid touches, re-invents itself in to a new glory! Furthermore, re-using the old gives one more green ticks than buying new.

PAINTS & VARNISHES Decorative products such as paints and varnishes also have many environmentally sensitive alternatives. Many solvents and acrylics found in most conventional paints, for example, can aggravate allergies so when deciding on a paint for your home, ones with low or even zero VOCs should be sought.

SUSTAINABLE FLOORING Flooring is a good place to start and the clearest sustainable choice would be wooden flooring. There are numerous types of wood one can choose from but the important characteristic that these woods should have, to ensure it is from sustainable sources, is the FSC / PEFC certificate. With this certification, one can be assured that the wood has been sourced from responsibly managed forests from around the world.

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£ £ £ £ £

Read on for more inspirational ideas

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University of Plymouth – sustainability at the heart of design

Designers help shape our world, and are responsible for specifying the right materials for a sustainable future. The University of Plymouth’s design courses produce designers who aim to contribute to solving some of the challenges of the 21st century.

Do not just take our word for it, on discovering that there is a surplus of woollen fleece from farmers,

graduate Sam Murat designed a range of stools that capture the real spirit of sheepskin.

Or there is graduate Becky Barber’s design, a solar powered radio housed entirely from harvested bamboo – sustainability at the heart of design.

For further information on our design courses please call/visit: T: +44 (0) 1752 585100 W: www.plymouth.ac.uk/schools/ade

The University of Plymouth has been named as the UK's top university in environmental performance in the annual People & Planet Green League table.

Eco Paint Store supplies a wide variety of eco-friendly paints, natural oils and sundries for every interior and exterior decorating project. Breathable and easy to apply, any colour required can be supplied. Their products reduce carbon-footprint, and increase wellbeing and health not only for those who apply the paint, but also for those who then occupy the rooms.

Natural pigments are used to create a wide selection of colours to greatly enhance any decorating or design brief and our UK factory can also match any colour reference. With a team of long experienced contract decorators, they can give in-depth advice to clients seeking to improve their decorating and finishing experience. Expect durability, beauty, competitive prices and peace of mind.

T: 01242 696445 W:www.ecopaintstore.co.uk

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Roy Tam Using selected young ash from Dorset woodlands, Roy Tam specialises in steam bending these managed thinnings into elegant shapes. Roy designs a range for domestic furniture as well as for corporate use, with happy customers that include The Natural History Museum and the Ecology Building Society.

Roy is also a lecturer at University of Plymouth whose innovative design graduates continue to rise to recognition.

T: 07808 535863 W: www.eco-furniture.co.uk

Autumn 2010

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From the baby's room to the board room, Paint The Town Green, London's first environmentally friendly decorating company, has the perfect solution to any decorating dilemmas.

The company was founded by Guild of Master Craftsmen member Phil Robinson who has worked for Channel 4 presenter and property developer Sarah Beeny. The paint is solvent free and has no toxic fumes or nasty smell – ideal for the family home or the office.

Offering its own extensive colour chart, Paint The Town Green combines classic heritage colours with modern contemporary hues to produce a paint built to last. As well as manufacturing their paints using hydroelectric and geothermal power, the company policy of recycling materials and using green vans has earned it an award from London's Wandsworth Council.

Paint The Town Green prides itself on its level of care and attention to both its customers and the planet.

T: 0207 228 4776 W: www.paintthetowngreen.biz

Paint The Town Green

GreenSteps GreenSteps Natural Eco-Paint has been awarded natureplus accreditation for its superlative environmental and healthy qualities. It's a solvent free, 100% VOC free paint made from naturally derived and renewable raw materials.

Naturally alkaline, it requires no chemical preservatives. It is non-toxic, highly durable and breathable, emitting no indoor air pollution at all, whilst also being produced in a solar powered factory.

For those seeking to bring light and space to any room and make the most of available views, GreenSteps also custom-make zero threshold sliding doors that allow large areas of glass to be opened up without taking up any space either inside or out. When open, you can step seamlessly from inside to outside – when closed, the large glazed sections make for a picture perfect view. Made with sustainably sourced timber frames and high efficiency triple glazed units, large areas of glazing can be incorporated into designs without compromising on thermal performance.

Available in selected Tesco stores nationwide.

T: 01621 740591 W: www.greensteps.co.uk/paint

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PROFESSIONAL TRAINING in HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICINE BRITISH SCHOOL OF HOMOEOPATHY has moved to Exeter Natural Health Centre e School is now interviewing for new students for the academic year September 2010 / 2011. e School has been established for 25 years and has full accreditation from the Society of Homoeopaths.

• 4 year part time course, 11 weekends per year • Excellent clinical training • Very experienced professional tutors • Well structured syllabus with supported learning

To find out more and to apply for interview please call Mo or Ali Morrish 01392 214074 / 422555 bsh@enhc.org www.homoeopathy.com

greenliving saw Fiona’s pictures at Bath Trade Show and we couldn’t resist their mouthwatering detail.

Perfect for foodies and gardeners.

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Circle of Missé Imagine a place where you can immerse yourself in activities that pleasure the soul. Imagine looking out of the window and seeing a lone pilgrim and his donkey pass by your window and stopping to ask for food, which is always provided. Imagine fields thick with sunflowers and butterflies, engulfing an outdated tractor. Imagine pleasing yourself. Imagine the Circle of Missé.

Located in the southernmost reaches of the Loire Valley, this rambling 19th century house is embraced by the river Thouet's oxbow.

Bought by Aaron Tighe twenty years ago, he used it as a professional musician as a bolt hole to practice before concert performances, often for weeks at a time, totally undisturbed.

Co-founder Wayne Milstead soon came to write amid the stark silence and peaceful environs too.

Friends followed, finding the same succour that the house offered, leaving only when fully restored. Whatever the need, the Circle of Missé always provided. Gradually the community flourished, as did the organic garden that is the constant source of so much food eaten there. Preserves, fruit and vegetables and free-range eggs are combined into home baked cakes, and sustaining meals to chew over the days’ events and the sharing of experiences.

Participants are guided through writing, painting or cooking. At the same time they are enveloped in a sense of a retreat that this alternative ambience offers. Some courses are dedicated to one pursuit, while the creativity weekends offer a choice between all three, with diverse workshops spread over each day. There is no advance selection, you can decide what to do, as your instincts dictate. Rest

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assured that there will be no pressure, no performance, no preoccupation. There is no whiteboard, no PowerPoint, no lectern.

Souls gather in the library or the garden and are gently given a modest sheet of paper with a proposed theme for the session. Events are limited to six people, allowing space to breathe and connect.

Time is dedicated to individual tutorial where developing creativity is encouraged, and inhibitions exempt from the lexicon of conversation. Sharing work and ideas is not mandatory. There is total abstinence from judgement and negativity stays at the front gate.

External influences are drawn in to augment and inspire. A walk to the ancient dolmens at Taizé, a visit to the local farmer's market, eating at a local restaurant, wine tasting along the Loire, and sessions conducted in the historic town of Chinon, home of the great poet Rabelais, all offering unrivalled memory snapshots to treasure.

It is hard to believe that an hour’s plane journey from London could possibly catapult anyone into a different world, unless of course it's true. The Circle of Missé does exactly that – unleashing the muse within and allowing us to simply be.

Reader Offer Book one place on a Weekend Creativity Course and bring a friend for just £99 The offer includes all food, wine, threenights’ hotel, transport between Tours and Missé, any admission fees to attractions and course tuition, except return travel to Tours.

Prices start at £295.

Courses run between October 1-4, 8-12, 22-25, and recommence in Spring 2011.

Please visit www.circleofmisse.com for more information.

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greenliving_jenny seagrove

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he huge green eyes are fixed and unblinking, with a challenging stare. Neat nostrils are quivering with barely restrained emotion. Rosebud lips are pursed with determination. You’ll have seen this face on TV, when actress Jenny Seagrove breathes life into the character of barrister Jo Mills, who unflinchingly battles various contentious issues like MRM vaccinations, mobile phone masts and vivisection, as she gives voice to the victim and speaks up for the defenceless.

And you’ll see just the same face in real life: an expression of firm resolve and fervent commitment to her ethical cause – or to be accurate, her many causes.

Hedgehogs, wallabies, squirrels, donkeys, circus animals, captive primates and big cats, vivisection victims, factory-farming, the EU banning of high dose vitamin supplements, recycling, composting, waste, irradiation, GM crops, landfill, organic food, pesticides, alternative medicine, Photodynamic Therapy for cancer, vegetarianism…

She’s patron of the Bristol-based vegetarian and animal welfare group Viva!, a patron of the British animal abuse organisation Welfare Aid, a trustee of the Born Free Foundation and an avid supporter of the anti-vivisection society PETA, and Recycle Now.

JENNY SEAGROVE

Whether it’s supporting animal welfare or environmental issues – or her footie team Everton FC, of which her theatre impresario partner Bill Kenwright is chairman – this is a woman of substantial passion. So much so that I felt compelled to make a confession….

She made her name playing A Woman of Substance in the Barbara Taylor-Bradford mini-series which 25 years on still boasts Channel 4’s highest-ever viewing figures – and she wasn’t scared of standing up for her beliefs in Judge John Deed. Rebecca Gooch discovered that in real life Jenny Seagrove is an equally feisty woman of substantial principles…

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I deplore laboratory experimentation on animals, it makes me feel sad and helpless, I tell her. But every time one of those anti-vivisection leaflets plops through my letterbox, I know the pictures will be so heartbreaking that if I see them I’ll end up in tears. So I don’t look.

“I’m with you!” she almost gasps.

“Sometimes you just think ‘I can’t! I don’t want that in my head.’ It’s very difficult. I know what’s going on, an animal dies in an EU lab every three seconds, and sometimes I think I just can’t know more, it hurts too much. I’ll just send my money or do

what I can in terms of raising awareness.

“So do you give up hope?” she continues.

“No, you can’t. Last night I had dinner with a friend who runs a charity called Wildlife Aid, and we were going through the despair of the world, and he said ‘No. You’ve got to keep positive. You’ve got to know that we can do something, otherwise you’ll just walk into your grave tomorrow’. I know when times are hard people think why should we worry about the animals, when people haven’t got jobs and homes. But if we can’t look after the other sentient beings which share this planet with us, how will we ever have the humanity to look after each other?”

And so Jenny Seagrove continues to do whatever she can to make a difference, even if the injustice sometimes rips her apart. “I see people who are doing amazing things for animals and the environment and think – what am I doing?

So I sometimes think of giving up this silly job of acting. Yes, I’m entertaining people and that’s important because people need entertaining – and they also need their thoughts provoking, which some of the work we do does – particularly in John Deed. I’m incredibly proud of some of the issues we tackled; it was a remarkable series and really did stimulate people’s thoughts – particularly with the MMR storyline.”

She’s an inspirational idealist, but she’s also an emotional softie. She got the science A Levels to become a vet, but realised she couldn’t cope with the harsh realities of the job. Instead she notched up a further three arty A-levels and enrolled at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

It was a particularly good crop during her three-year stay: her contemporaries included Miranda Richardson, Greta Scacchi, Daniel Day-Lewis and Amanda Redman.

Her Judge John Deed co-star, fellow vegetarian, environmentalist and animal rights campaigner Martin Shaw, is not just a dear friend, but also shares her passionate views.

To her delight the chemistry they created on the small screen is now refuelled in a new stage partnership, in The Country Girl, about a washed-up actor and his long-suffering wife whose marriage is put to the test when he gets a second chance at stardom, which comes to Bath Theatre Royal in September as part of a national

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tour, before moving to the Apollo Theatre in London until February.

“Because of our shared attitude, there’s a trust and a shorthand between us, and when you work with someone who is a friend and who you really admire, it’s just a joy. But you won’t really have seen Martin like this – he plays my drunken, flamboyant actor husband, and it’s an astounding performance. My character is the country girl, the wife who at the start of the play you see on the point of leaving him.”

And is Jenny, with all her green credentials and eco-campaigning, a country girl? “I’m a townie by necessity who is a country girl at heart – but real country people are much less sentimental than I am about the environment and animals,” she admits.

Nevertheless she’s happy to put her head above the parapet for her beliefs, even if speaking out might cost her work – which it almost certainly has, she says. And she’s as green as she can be in her daily life. “I’m an avid environmentalist, and every household can make a difference. It really hits home when you imagine that in less than two hours the UK produces enough waste to fill the Albert Hall!”

“I try and cycle when I can, and drive a Toyota Prius – I have to have a car because I’ve got dogs. I’ve been a vegetarian since forever; I go round switching everything off stand-by, turning things off, emptying the kettle – I’m a nightmare, a terrible nag! We’ve got a wormery, a water filter system, a compost heap and a Bokashi bin…

“Her Judge John Deed co-star, fellow vegetarian, environmentalist and animal rights campaigner Martin Shaw, is not just a dear friend, but also shares her passionate views.”

The list goes on and I start to get breathless. So what’s her favourite green tip? “Bokashi juice!” she cries. “You put all your compost stuff into the little Bokashi bin, add some bran, and after a few weeks you get this weird juice out of it which is packed with microorganisms. It makes the most incredible drain-cleaner.

“No need for any of those heavy duty chemicals, just tip the juice down. It’s great fun, and just goes to show that what comes from nature really can be the greatest power of all…”

Jenny Seagrove appears in The Country Girl at Bath Theatre Royal 20-25 September and the Apollo Theatre, London, 11 October- 26 February.

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During a family holiday in North Cornwall, Bill Gething turns the scourge of the ocean into a poignant work of art...

Rubbish Holiday One of the essential components of our holidays in Cornwall is to meander along the seashore poking around in bays and rock pools that you can only get to when the tide is out. Sometimes our inner Andy Goldsworthy comes out and we find ourselves rearranging nature: sorting pebbles or shells by size or colour and organising them into geometric shapes; partly for fun and partly on the off chance that other people might be a bit intrigued if they happen to come along before the next tide.

This year we came across a beach where all the limpet shells on the south coast seemed to have collected along the tide line and spent a happy, if a trifle obsessive, hour or two balancing them upside down on a rock. Having got the creative bit between our teeth, we were considering whether to collect up all the brown and white seaweed on the next beach to make a giant pedestrian crossing when we got sidetracked onto the man-made detritus embedded in the weed.

We started by collecting up a few plastic drinking water bottles and arranging them tastefully in amongst the pebbles. I then noticed some brilliant orange pieces of plastic which complemented the blue bottle tops rather well and added them to our collection. At first sight the beach had

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seemed relatively clean but, as we looked harder, we realised what a range of colours was available and started our first Rubbish Rainbow.

We had no difficulty in repeating the process on a bigger scale on two more beaches later in the holiday, this time in North Cornwall. There was a plentiful supply in all the colours of the rainbowapart from a slight shortage of indigo in one case perhaps. Arranging each piece came with a story – a tomato sauce bottle from France, a milk carton from Italy, solitary shoes, endless lighters, cans and cotton buds, bundles of fishing net...

Of course when we got home we found that this was not a new idea. For example, the artist Fran Crowe was so shocked by a 2006

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initiatives such as Beachwatch, Rebels Against Rubbish and environmental campaign groups active in the area such as Greenpeace.

Plastics now account for about 60% of all beach litter. The very qualities that make it such a useful, durable material also make it an almost permanent menace when it finds its way into the marine environment (plastics now rank fifth in terms of global production by weight behind concrete, wood, steel and asphalt; ahead of all other metals, glass and brick).

It can take hundreds, if not thousands, of years to break down and may never fully degrade, breaking up finally into microscopic particles which continue to contaminate the seas and embed themselves into the food chain.

The ability of the ocean to clean itself effectively has pleasantly surprised commentators in the aftermath of the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster. Certainly this is not the case with plastic marine pollutants. They appear to become concentrated by the movement of ocean currents into two areas: the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (or Pacific Trash Vortex) first brought to public attention in 1997, and the North Atlantic Garbage Patch discovered just this year.

Typically the rubbish is not visible on the surface or by satellite, consisting of concentrations of small particles, less than 1 cm across, suspended principally in the upper water column. Its extent is therefore difficult to quantify, however, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is estimated to be somewhere between the size of Texas and the entire continental United States (3.79 million square miles). This is getting bigger all the time.

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Plastics now account for about 60% of all beach litter.

The very qualities that make it such a useful, durable material also make it an almost permanent menace

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United Nations report on the state of the oceans that she resolved to "save" a square mile of ocean by personally picking up 46,000 pieces of rubbish from the seashore; the number in every square mile of the planet's seas. Remarkably, she achieved this within a year; walking 202 km and collecting nearly 300 kg of litter. She documented the process, creating some beautiful work along the way as well as promoting marine conservation organisations, community clean up

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There are initiatives to research the phenomenon and to explore methods of safely removing the material; the most recent being the Plastiki expedition which set sail in March this year. The voyage was

inspired by Thor Heyerdahl's epic trans Pacific Kon-Tiki expedition in 1947 and includes his grandson amongst the crew.

Rather than a balsa wood log raft, Plastiki is a high tech, 60 foot catamaran constructed from 12,500 recycled drinking water bottles filled with carbon dioxide and trialling a number of cutting edge recycling technologies to showcase how waste can be used as a valuable resource. The marine ecology has changed too since 1947. In contrast to Kon-Tiki, where the crew were able to live off tuna caught fresh every day, Plastiki had only caught three fish in the first 40 days out of port.

Like many aspects of our current lifestyle, we cannot go on like this, carelessly wasting precious resources and polluting our environment into the bargain.

Foolishly, perhaps, we left our Rainbows on the beaches that provided their contents, thinking that they might in some small way draw other people's attention to the problem.

Next time we had better take a sack.

LINKS: * Fran Crowe’s website: www.flyintheface.com * Beachwatch: www.mcsuk.org/what_we_do/Clean+seas +and+beaches/Beachwatch/Beachwatch * Rebels Against Rubbish: www.snh.org.uk/teachingspace/whattodo/ seashoresand/rebels_against_rubbish.asp * The Plastiki Expedition: www.theplastiki.com

BILL GETHING Architect Bill Gething was a long-standing partner of Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios before setting up an independent consultancy last year. He has contributed to the practice's international reputation for sustainable design and is currently a member of the Royal Institute of British Architect’s Climate Change Board.

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Collateral Damage Despite years of campaigning, environmental catastrophes are still happening. Our Future Planet’s Giles Crosse wonders why, and looks for homegrown solutions.

There can scarcely be anyone left who hasn’t heard about recent events in the Gulf of Mexico. And given BP’s UK base, questions over just why such nightmare spills still happen seem particularly relevant right now.

Perhaps if we really want to sort these issues out, we need to ask what’s driving both UK and international need for oil. Is it for energy or transport? And how, mere months after the disaster, is BP so easily able to restart new explorations off Libya?

“Our economies are hugely dependent on oil. The most obvious example of this is that we use vast quantities of oil to power our lorries, cars and buses,” explains Vicky Wyatt, Climate Campaigner at Greenpeace UK. “On the Libya question, Newsnight has reported extensively on allegations that BP lobbied for the release of the Lockerbie bomber in order to promote their own commercial interests. We need to see

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national governments take a strong line on deepwater drilling by imposing a moratorium until a full review of the spill in the Gulf of Mexico is undertaken, and lessons learned and applied.”

EU Ministers are getting behind the concept of a moratorium, but this is also about how ordinary people can take steps to minimise environmental harm, by taking direct action or lobbying.

Greenpeace recently brought BP stations across London to a halt in an illustration of what you and I can do.

“Many people would probably choose to drive electric cars if they were cheaper and there was the infrastructure to charge the vehicles,” continues Wyatt. “Similarly, people use public transport if it is cheap and convenient to use. We want people to have a real choice to opt for cleaner and more efficient transport. But our addiction to oil is one of the main reasons why solutions like this are being held back.”

Wyatt reckons at the moment it’s impossible to avoid using fossil fuels in our daily lives. “What we’re saying is that we can move away from them much more quickly than we can right now. It’s big companies like BP that are actually holding back this switch, and if these massive organisations start actually helping with this we can both cut the amount we use and start to come up with the new technology that will allow us to leave fossil fuels behind.”

For these changes to happen though, we all need to take a hand in the debate, and pressurise governments and companies.

The internet has revolutionised how this can happen, and most people’s understanding of how social networks can inspire environmental activism is growing too.

UK based Our Future Planet is one such networking organisation. It helps people ‘share ideas and create global change in the real world. The charity’s knowledge

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based website informs, inspires, connects and empowers people to create positive change.’

“No other web based community focuses on integrated systemic change at the grass roots level,” explained Nicola Gunstone, CEO. “There is no platform on which to build innovative visions of a better future or to harness creative ideas that can bring about positive behavioural change. There is no one facility that allows the people, and not just the leaders, to rethink the way we live, and to implement change.”

This kind of unified thinking could also help alter our cultural and social perspectives, and deeper reasons why we’re so reliant on fossil fuels. If economies and societies valued the amount of consumer goods in our homes a bit less, and we lived in a less consumer fixated world, we could cut the need for resource depletion quickly.

“This is a valid point,” agrees Wyatt.

“There is a wider problem around oil linked to consumption and demand for goods.

out. Oil companies have a choice to make.

Either to accept that the days of easy to get oil are over, and as a sign that oil is a sunset industry move their investments into clean energy technology, or try and force out the last dregs of oil from under places like Canada.

“We need all energy companies to lead the world in transferring our energy supply to clean, renewable sources, which would create jobs, secure our energy supply and help reduce our carbon emissions in line with climate sciences.”

Wyatt thinks that here in the UK, we appear to be continuing with a business as usual approach despite events in the Gulf.

It’s another illustration of why social networking, communication and new campaigning hubs for sustainability are needed.

“Despite some other governments pausing for thought around whether to allow deepwater drilling in their territories, the UK government appears to ploughing ahead,” she says.

“We need to radically change our way of sourcing energy, ending the addiction to fossil fuels and developing clean renewable energy sources. But whatever changes are made, no one is suggesting we can quit our addiction to fossil fuels overnight,” she argues.

“The 26th seaward licensing round closed to bids earlier this year, with oil companies being offered licences to drill in marine special areas of conservation.

The impacts could be profound if there was a spill in these waters. An announcement on the successful bidders is due at the end of the summer.”

“The reality is conventional oil is running

Karl Jaeger, Chairman of Trustees and

Co-Founder for www.ourfutureplanet.org, says: “We have drawn a line in time. Our present planet is on one side, and our future planet is on the other. People everywhere have the choice to work together and redesign the direction the world is heading in, without following on blindly from the ways of the past.”

It’s an interesting vision, and perhaps the ease BP is having powering up new drilling sites indicates why it’s worth getting involved with. Decades after the Exxon disaster, it seems all the campaigning in the world still hasn’t prevented us ruining our environment, as volumes of oil from another leak in the Yellow Sea at the end of July are being described as similarly damaging.

Actually developing some kind of meaningful global consensus may be the only way to really do anything about all of this. Perhaps the Internet, rather than all the environmental science in the world, is potentially the best way to get there.

Our Future Planet

Our Future Planet is an online community that allows you to share ideas, design your future and create global change through a network of petitions, discussions and forums.

The charity aims to inspire people to rethink the direction we are heading in and to create a better world in which to live.

For more information, visit www.ourfutureplanet.org

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REBECCA SULLIVAN Rebecca Sullivan has completed Environmental Leadership Studies at UC Berkeley California and a Masters in Rural Development, Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change. Her most recent project has seen her establish a women’s farming co-operative near Stroud.

Pulling a180

When it comes to the environment, ex-F1 driver Jody Scheckter has had something of a chequered past. With his driving days firmly behind him however, he now leads the way in organic food production down on his farm in Lymington...

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ost of you have probably heard the Jody Scheckter story? Once an infamous Formula One world champion driver, now a biodynamic and organic agri-businessman extraordinaire! Quite the carbon offset indeed, from (some would say) polluter to diluter. Beyond that still, Jody is actually leading the industry in healthy soil practices from his laboratory on Laverstoke Farm, which has been dubbed the University of Organics, for very good reason.

Laverstoke Park Farm was founded in 1996 from a determination to create the best tasting, healthiest food for founder Jody Scheckter’s family and friends. Jody leads the way in biodynamic and organic farming methods in the UK and today the farm covers some 2,500 acres certified as

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biodynamic by Demeter and the parkland is certified organic by the Soil Association.

The Laverstoke Park livestock enjoy year round fresh air and nourishment from the farms richest resource; pastures planted with a nutrient rich combination of 31 different herbs, clovers and grasses, supporting Laverstoke’s founding principle that all good food as well as our health depends on the food our animals eat.

The food is the obvious selling point, but unless you were in the know, you would not know (funnily enough) that nestled in the Hampshire Estate, Laverstoke Park has a fully equipped comprehensive analytical chemistry laboratory. The laboratory has been primarily designed for soil and food analysis with the agricultural community in mind. The services of the laboratory are aimed to provide

consultants, farmers, horticulturists, amenity managers and the food industry with reliable, analytical data to make sound decisions on management practices. Laboratory facilities include several high tech mass spectrometers including ICP-MS, LC-MS and GC-MS in addition to traditional analytical instrumentation.

“Soil biology is often neglected but is critical to a healthy farming environment and quality food production. We have established the only licensed Soil Foodweb Laboratory in all of Europe and our lab studies the activity of different groups of beneficial micro-organisms in the soil,” Jody explains.

“Healthy soil is critical to a successful transition toward boosting crop production and reducing dependency on fertiliser and

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chemical inputs involves understanding the life in your soil. Biological farming relies on an understanding that the soil is a living organism and as a result, this living system cannot be managed in a conventional way. Conventional practices must be adjusted step by step in order to make way for a flourishing and ever-increasing soil biological population,� he continues.

T: 0800 334 5505 W: www.laverstokepark.co.uk

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Put in its simplest terms, they basically have a pretty impressive lab that tests soils from their farm as well as farms from all over the country, in order to achieve healthy soil practice. Healthy soil means yummy, sustainable food for us all, and when you try any of the products, from their buffalo steak to the buffalo milk ice cream, it is a winning formula that any one of us can understand through a simple tasting of their produce.

Healthy soil is critical to a successful transition toward boosting crop production and reducing dependency on fertiliser and chemical inputs involves understanding the life in your soil.

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Clone Farm Britain Cloned meat has been sold on the UK high street, without a label of any kind to indicate its novel origin. Soil Association’s Pamela Brunton asks whether the problem with cloning is simply one of branding?

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I Pamela Brunton

n the supermarket meat and dairy aisles, the packaging shows Fresians and flowers in setting sunlight; ‘Old McDonald’ with his toy-box farm is the busy shopper’s proxy for quality. But with cloned meat now sold on the UK high street, the gap between branding and reality is widening. So far, however, noone has chosen to brand their steak with vials of frozen bull semen or their milk with a soft focus Petri dish.

In August this year a farmer from Nairn, Scotland, claimed that milk from his herd of 96 Holstein Fresian cows, all offspring from cloned bulls bought in England, had entered the food supply. On investigation the UK government’s Food Standards Agency, who were assembled as a consumer food safety watchdog after the BSE crisis ten years ago, found that one bull and one calf had already been sold in UK butchers’ shops, and another bull exported to Belgium, but stopped a fourth carcass at the abbatoir.

The farmer had done nothing illegal in buying and breeding from the bulls, but to sell them as food he should have applied to the FSA for a ‘novel foods’ license. He didn’t, allegedly admitting that he thought if consumers knew the origins of the meat they just wouldn’t buy it.

He had a point: research by the consumer group Which? and the FSA itself shows that four in every five of us are opposed to cloning animals for food and would rather not eat meat and milk from clones or their offspring. In terms of promoting what the public want, then, this incident shows there’s more than just an image problem with cloning; neither the law (it’s perfectly legal to import cloned embryos, semen, the animals themselves or the meat and milk from clones without having declared their methods of production) nor existing traceability systems are adequate to stop cloned food reaching the unwitting family dinner plate.

The FSA have been vocal about the safety of meat and milk from clones. Chief scientist Andrew Wadge says; "there is no evidence of food safety risk from meat and milk from healthy clones or their

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offspring." The problem is that there is no evidence of safety, either; we lack research into the long-term implications of cloning for human and animal health.

Available evidence is inadequate to say for sure that meat and milk from clones is safe for human consumption, and at this early stage it’s also impossible to say that we are not breeding genetic weaknesses into our food supply.

What we do know for certain, however, is that cloning is an animal welfare atrocity.

It is still a highly inefficient process, with nine out of every ten cloned embryos failing to reach healthy adulthood. The process causes pain and suffering for the cloned animals; frequently born with organ, heart or breathing problems, or malformed muscles and skeletons and (most significantly for the health of the people eating their meat or milk) deficient immune systems. The surrogate mother endures an uncomfortable pregnancy, often with an oversized or malformed foetus and usually a Caesarean section.

We don’t need cloning to produce plentiful, high quality, safe meat and dairy; we have been doing so for centuries. The benefits of cloning accrue mostly to the biotechnology companies who can produce these expensive animals and the technology opens the door to other developments in food science labs, like genetic modification. Meanwhile, consumers and farmers lose out on choice and profit. The European parliament recently voted in favour of a complete ban on products from cloned animals, and legislation is to be debated later this year.

For now, consumers who want to avoid eating products from clones or their offspring can choose organic; all EU organic standards prohibit the use of cloning or embryo transfer.

The FSA admits that there has never been an application for a ‘novel foods’ license for cloned food, and if it happens they are not yet clear what would appear on the label. David Cameron is an advocate of ‘honest’ labelling, so consumers can make their own mind. The trouble is, without strong rules and dedicated traceability systems put in place by the government, the pretty pictures on the label remain an empty promise.

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As the temperature drops and our utility bills threaten to soar, greenliving offers a a few ideas to keep the home fires burning without taking you into the red!Â

Warm Wishes

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The Solar Installer is an independant owner managed business who design and install solar powered renewable energy systems, specialising in both solar PV photovoltaic and solar thermal heating technologies. With over 6 years’ experience in the market we are among the leading provider of solar energy solutions. Because they are not tied to any company they are able to offer a range of services to both private and corporate bodies, ranging from advising on which type of solar panel to choose, the system specification, the installation, to the upgrading of your existing system to obtain the greatest benefit.

So why has PV become so interesting?

The introduction of a higher than predicted ‘feed in’ tariff for solar PV installations has led to the largest ever expansion of this market. Solar PV now represents a truly cost effective way of turning green, reducing carbon, and obtaining a 10% return on investment! Prices for a typical 2kw system start at just £7995.00.

What is the feed in tariff?

Since last April home owners are paid to generate electricity. Through a government approved scheme you are paid 41.3p for each Kilowatt you produce. On top of this you can keep the electricity produced, and earn an extra 3p for any excess energy supplied to the grid. A typical 2KW installation costing £7995.00 plus 5% vat will generate 1700kwh per annum and provide a total benefit in the region of £850.00

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* thE Solar InStallEr

Solar PV now represents a truly cost effective way of turning green ~

If you want to harness the sun’s energy to improve both the value and efficiency of your home, get in touch today!

The Solar installer are MCS accredited and a member of the REAL assurance scheme.

T: 0845 555 5480 W: www.thesolarinstaller.co.uk

* EcocEtEra Ecocetera is a Bristol based renewable energy company who are passionate about helping homeowners reduce their dependence on fossil fuels and nuclear power. They specialise in solar photovoltaic systems that convert the sun’s energy directly into electricity. The electricity supply feeds the house first of all and any surplus energy is exported to the

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National Grid, not wasted.

Because solar systems don’t need direct sunlight to produce electricity but actually operate more efficiently at lower temperatures, they‘re perfect for our British climate –have a look at their website for local success stories!

T: 01179 590580 W: www.ecocetera.com

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* DulaS Dulas, a world renowned renewable energy company will soon be celebrating 30 years of installing solar photovoltaic (PV) systems worldwide. Now is the time for homeowners to install PV in the UK following the launch of the government’s tax free, RPI linked Clean Energy Cash Back scheme or Feed in Tariff (FiT). Get in touch now for a high quality service from the UK’s PV pioneers.

T: 01654 705060 W: www.dulas.org.uk

* SolarcEntury What’s the most valuable part of your house aside from the land it stands on?

The extension? The brand new kitchen?

Or that thing that keeps the rain out?

When you think about the value of your home, the last place you think of is your roof, but that thing that keeps the rain out can also let the sun in.

Solarcentury is the UK’s most experienced solar electricity company and have helped thousands of homeowners go solar. By installing their solar systems you can harness the energy that is around you and generate power for your home, even when it’s cloudy. Now, with the introduction of the Feed-in Tariff, you can get paid for every unit of electricity that you make, even if you don’t use it all.

Before you know it your roof can not only save you money, but make it.

W: www.solarcentury.co.uk

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* EcovISIon

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the government will pay you for the electricity that you make, even if you don’t use it all. ~

Day after day we read in the newspapers that energy bills are set to rise. Not good news for homeowners as we head in to the winter months. But there is an alternative and the government has launched an incentive scheme to make renewable energy technologies viable. With the new ‘feed in tariff’ you can actually make money.

Renewable energy experts, Ecovision can help homeowners identify the most suitable alternative for their property.

They will show the advantages and disadvantages of the different technologies and explain how the government funding works and most importantly of all, forecast potential savings and reduction of carbon emissions and how you can make money.

IMPortant nEWS In the Autumn of 2010 a FREE PV panel scheme will be announced by Ecovision. If you have a south facing roof be sure to register your interest at pv@ecovision.co.uk

Based on the Highgrove Estate in Gloucestershire, Ecovision is independent, accredited, impartial and empassioned about renewable energy. With an expert design and technical team Ecovision constantly research, test and evaluate new products. So if it is a heat pump or solar panels you are considering it is worth phoning the experts and start saving money and the planet right now. www.ecovision.co.uk

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Probably the best pellet boiler in the world

Call Fair Energy CIC to see how easy it is to make the transition to renewable energy with wood fuel and solar heating and PV solar electricity

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Award-winning design from ETA Heiztechnik makes this efficient and stylish pellet boiler perfect for your home heating.

• Fully automated and controllable from smart phone • Self cleaning and no user maintenance necessary • Self lighting so no mess or hassle • Efficiency up to 97.5% and an ash can that needs emptying only twice a year.

0845 12 66 555 www.fairenergy.org.uk

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WIN! A mid-week stay at Manor House Stables

Restorative holidays in the heart of rural Lincolnshire As its name suggests, Manor House Stables is a lovely 18th Century historic Stable Block that was carefully restored in 2008 using natural eco-friendly materials and traditional methods. The walls are insulated with cotton, hemp and wood fibre and below the ground floor lies layers of insulating limecrete and recycled glass. Natural environmentally-friendly paints and wood finishes have been used throughout the building and the hot water, underfloor heating and cast iron radiators are fuelled by a wood pellet boiler and solar panels. All of these elements make up the two selfcatering holiday cottages complete with exposed beams, lime washed walls and wood-burning stoves. Wooden floors or natural brick tiles are covered in braided

Win…

The Edwardian town of Woodhall Spa with its famous golf course and cinema and the historic city of Lincoln with its cathedral and castle are both only short drives away.

wool rugs and recycled cotton mats. Fabrics are soft and natural and colours are warm and earthy.

Situated close to the Wolds, Coast and Fens in an area renowned for good walks, cycling, bird watching, golf, angling and the big outdoors.

Your special welcome includes a trug full of specialities such as locally-made jam, cheeses and chutneys, plum loaf, organic chocolate, a bottle of wine made from apples from our orchard plus fresh garden vegetables. New for 2010 is the option of a pre-ordered first night meal of home-made roast vegetables, Lincolnshire sausages and freshly-baked bread.

And from September we are also offering facial massage treatments using our own range of natural skin care products. www.manorhousestables.co.uk

Manor House Stables is offering one lucky greenliving reader the chance to win a mid-week stay for two. To enter, simply email info@greenlivingmag.co.uk stating your name, address phone number and where you got your copy of the magazine - good luck!

Prize subject to availability, to be used by the 31st March 2011.

Autumn 2010

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Down on

Riverford Farm...

This issue: sweetcorn

ow is the time to enjoy sweetcorn at its ripe, sweet best. Corn bears its cobs at the perfect picking height, so its arrival is a welcome relief after a summer bent double harvesting lettuces and courgettes. Our field workers judge when a cob is ready by feel alone; if you peel back the leaves it will quickly deteriorate. The most damaging (and unlikely-sounding) pest to the crop is our local badger population.

Badgers have a sweet tooth and adore wreaking havoc through a field, grabbing mouthfuls of sweetcorn and generally delighting in destruction. An electric fence can keep them at bay, but even then they have been known to outsmart us.

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Keep sweetcorn in the fridge encased in its outer leaves (the best sort of packaging) and use within a day or two for the best flavour. It

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tastes great on the BBQ, if you haven’t yet packed it away for winter; soak the unpeeled cobs in water for an hour, then cook very gently for 25-45 minutes until the leaves turn brown. If you are boiling the cobs, pull off the outer leaves and silky threads, before cooking for 5-10 minutes in unsalted water until tender.

For a new slant on the traditional, serve sweetcorn with red pepper and chive butter.

Put skinned roasted red peppers, butter, garlic and chilli sauce in a food processor and whizz until combined, then stir in chopped chives, season well and smear on the cobs.

Guy Watson Founder of Riverford Organic

Autumn 2010

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By Jane Baxter, Riverford Field Kitchen Taken from the Riverford Farm Cook Book

Recipe Easy

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M o w. r ore son riv ecip eas lin er es a ona e fo t l

Serves 6

Sweetcorn Fritters

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Ingredients: 3 corn cobs 125g plain flour

Peel the husks off the corn cobs, then cook them in boiling water for about 10 minutes, until just tender. Drain well and cut off the kernels.

1 tsp baking powder 2 tbsp polenta 1 tsp sugar

Put the flour, baking powder, polenta and sugar in a bowl. Add the eggs and yolk and beat together. Gradually beat in the crème fraîche and milk until you get a thick, smooth batter. Heat half the butter in a pan until brown and add it to the batter. Add the chilli, onion, corn and herbs and season well.

2 eggs 1 egg yolk 2 tbsp crème fraîche 125ml milk 2 tbsp butter 1 red chilli, finely chopped ½ red onion, finely chopped 1 tbsp chopped coriander and/or chives 2 tsp olive oil Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil and the remaining butter in a frying pan until quite hot. Drop tablespoonfuls of the mixture into the pan and fry over a medium heat for about 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown.

Serve immediately. They are good topped with crispy bacon or pancetta.

Special

FREE

Offer!

vegbox* offer for greenliving readers! *Place a regular order and the thid box we deliver is free. Applies to new customers placing a regular order. The free box will be the same value as the cheapest previous box.

Quote GLM10.

Autumn 2010

Riverford Organic Vegetables Limited Wash Barn Buckfastleigh Devon TQ11 0JU Local Call: 0845 600 2311

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greenliving_natural locks

Good for: frizzy triloGy Smooth Shine Shampoo, £11 Rejuvenating rosehip oil is the hero ingredient in everything made by Trilogy, which was founded on a weeny scale in 2003 by two sisters passionate about all things pure and natural, with the ethos ‘maximum effect on your skin, minimum effect on our environment’. This shineboosting shampoo combines botanical extracts with wheat proteins to smooth frizz and replenish parched locks. www.trilogyproducts.com

Good for: SmoothinG knotS nuStyle orGaniC detanGler & Shine BooSter, £9.49 No silicone here, but instead aloe leaf juice and extract of quinoa seed, a powerful plant-based protein that helps smooth brittle and damaged hair. This 100% natural spray can be used after or between shampoos to detangle, lightly condition and give a citrusy sweet kiss of life to dull hair. www.aubreyorganicsuk.co.uk

Good for: SoftneSS and Shine dr. Bronner’S ConditioninG hair rinSe, £6.06 Famous fans like Drew Barrymore and Sandra Bullock regularly lather up with Dr Bronner’s unique, 18-uses-in-one liquid soap, which with its certified organic, Fairtrade and ethical credentials leaves consciences as clean as hair, teeth, clothes, veggies… The Doctor’s equally unusual ‘magic’ conditioner uses shikaki powder, popular in India for making hair soft and shiny. www.kinetic4health.co.uk

Natural Locks…

It’s easy to let your crowning glory become a chemical-laden head of horrors. rebecca Gooch reveals why choosing eco-friendly products is better for your hair – and your health It’s enough to make your follicles stand on end. The list of dubious, if not downright health-threatening, ingredients in mainstream products that tend to your tresses is positively hair-raising.

Shampoos, conditioners, serums, gels and sprays are packed with nasty substances like sulphates, parabens and phthalates.

They’re nasty and unnatural – and not always totally effective.

Take silicone, or dimethicone. It crops up in lots of hair products, because silicone molecules are too large to be absorbed into the hair shaft, so they act as a protective coating, and appear to do a good job creating a nice smooth look. But that’s because they flatten the hair cuticle, and suffocate it – locking out moisture if

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used in excess. In a few months it builds up to create a dulling film which attracts dirt and pollution, and what at first felt nice starts to feel nasty. And because silicone can be an expensive ingredient, most silicone hair products contain undesirable, cheap ‘fillers’ like alcohol or mineral oil. Instead, look for Ximenia Oil (seaside plum), which acts like a natural silicone, without the progressive build-up.

Then there’s Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, a cheap, harsh detergent often derived from petroleum, and used as an engine degreaser and garage floor cleaner. But it creates good suds, so you’ll often find it in shampoos. Not so good is the fact that research shows it has a degenerative effect on cell membranes, can corrode hair follicles and has the potential to cause

cataracts, through skin absorption. It can also build up in organs like the heart, liver or brain. Since it’s a mutagen, capable of changing genetic information in cells, this is clearly something to be very wary of.

Animal-lovers might be surprised to learn that there are also a lot of animal byproducts lurking in common hair products. Like stearic acid – a fatty substance often taken from the stomach of pigs, used for making candles, plastics, softening rubber. And keratin – extracted from animal horns, hooves and feathers.

Lovely, eh?

Happily, there are some eco-friendly, green alternatives for glossy locks and non-toxic topknots – and here’s our top of the crops…

Autumn 2010

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Good for: hair loSS herB uk hair Supplement CapSuleS, £12.99 Made by a Hampshire-based company which has won awards for its eco-friendly ethics and huge range of natural-aspossible hair products – including the first ammonia, parabens and resorcinol-free permanent hair colour – these once-daily capsules are packed with B vitamins. A low intake of Vitamin B has been linked to the shedding and greying of hair. www.tintsofnature.com

Good for: heat damaGe a’kin lavender & anthylliS leave-in Conditioner, £7.49 Used on either wet or dry hair, this chemical-free, fortifying conditioner made from botanical actives, jojoba and avocado oil can be used as a daily moisture boost and styling aid for all hair types. The anthyllis flower extract helps protect hair from heat and environmental damage. www.purist.com

Good for: volume and vitality fuente intenSive protein treatment, £22 Natural goodies like wheat protein, field horsetail and mistletoe combine with ion-enriched spring water from a legendary Andalucian lake and nature reserve (where in Roman times flamingos were hunted for their tongues) to bring volume and body to lifeless, limp or lank hair, reinforcing the structure from the inside out. www.richardwardshop.com

Autumn 2010

Good for: thinninG alva Caffeine Shampoo, £12 Caffeine doesn’t just perk us up, it stimulates hair growth. Research suggests it boosts scalp circulation and blocks the effects of DHT – the ‘male baldness hormone’. In one study treated follicles saw an average growth increase of 46%. This super natural shampoo (99.72% of the ingredients are natural) is made from organic coffee – but smells pleasingly orangey. www.alva.co.uk

Good for: Sun-StreSSed aromatherapy aSSoCiateS enriCh hair oil, £22.50 Mmmm, this smells and feels so yummy you’d think it was a massage oil. Made only with natural plant extracts and essential oils (rosemary, geranium, ylang ylang, patchouli, murumuru butter), it is applied to dry hair and left for 20 minutes, or overnight, before washing off to reveal hair that looks and feels revitalised. www.aromatherapyassociates.com

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WWhipsiderry Hotel

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Porth Newquay Cornwall 01637 874777 www.whipsiderry.co.uk

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Renowned for its Cuisine Unrivalled for its Views Praised for its Hospitality A warm welcome and personal attention awaits you at the Whipsiderry Hotel. Set within its own grounds of over two acres, the Whipsiderry is a peaceful family run hotel, an ideal location for exploring all Cornwall has to offer.

Surrounded by rolling cliffs, beautiful blue seas, golden sands and an abundance of wildlife, Whipsiderry Hotel has a panoramic view of Newquay, Porth Beach and Bay with breathtaking sea and countryside views.

Porth Newquay Cornwall 01637 874777 www.whipsiderry.co.uk

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Bamboo W

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Whipsiderry Hotel has a panoramic view of W N b 100% bamboo is 3 x more absorbent b

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A warm welcome and personal attention awaits R you at the Whipsiderry Hotel. Set within its own grounds of over two acres, the Whipsiderry is a Make the ethical choice - organic 100% peaceful family run hotel, an ideal location for exploring all Cornwall has to offer. bamboo bedding for a safe and

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To get this of this great offer enter the code: gl/nov in the comments box on line.

than cotton – and is softer andG stronger.

Bamboo Bed Linen is antibacterial and hypoallergenic, dust mites cannot live on bamboo fabric. Skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis and breathing difficulties like asthma are improved by sleeping in bamboo bedding.

Fantastic bedding for adults and children Tel: 01380 739234 G contact@betweenthesheets

www.bamboobedsheets.co.uk

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RICHARD SPALDING Richard Spalding teaches Human Geography and Environment Studies at UWE in Bristol. Whilst sitting as the Chair of South Gloucestershire Local Food and Drinks Partnership and Winterbourne Medieval Barn Trust, he also finds time to grow a few vegetables of his own too!

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he first stop was the 14th century Winterbourne barn which sits on a finger of rich agricultural land running into the city, but currently being ignored for its food growing potential.

I cruised past land for sale, vernacular farmhouses from the 17th century, derelict market gardens, across modern motorway and down to the entrance of the historic parkland that forms the northern gateway into Bristol.

A steepish final climb on a lovely Sunday afternoon saw me reach my goal – the rather sad looking plinth which clearly held a historic story of its own. It turns out that two stories about the plinth and its former obelisk emerge from my amateur searching. One is that the obelisk was erected between 1750 and 1780 and was later dedicated and inscribed to the memory of Lady Henry Somerset, niece of the 4th Duke of Beaufort, who was thrown and killed whilst riding to hounds in 1760.

The other story claimed that it was erected in 1788 to commemorate the restoration of George III's (or Farmer George’s) reason.

Whichever holds more truth, both

Forgotten Foodscapes I recently set out with a camera, some water, a small bunch of onions and a copy of Carolyn Steel’s recent book ‘Hungry City: How Food Shapes Our Lives’. My mission was to explore and record some of the forgotten foodscapes that used to help feed Bristol. The final destination would be the obelisk in Stoke Park in the north fringe, or more precisely, the plinth on which the obelisk used to stand. from foreign hectares. Carolyn Steel’s book talks of food-place (or sitopia from the Greek – sitos – food and topos – place).

My own work endeavours to revisit the wisdoms and skills involved in creating locally sustainable foodscapes in order that our cities and market towns can once again feed their people.

associations were clearly rooted in the land and its assets.

Sitting at the base of the plinth and gazing down to the motorway, I thought about the potential for our cities to feed themselves once again. Farmer George was a great innovator and supporter of new agricultural techniques; not least the use of legumes as part of carefully developed crop rotations way before oil began to fuel (and arguably undermine) sustainable farming.

The high quality land at my feet currently lies devalued as the global food model dominates. The market gardens are gone and the hungry city currently feeds itself

Autumn 2010

DEFRA have just commissioned a piece of research which seeks to examine a strategy for safeguarding our best agricultural land into the future. Some of this land has been at the very heart of the growth and development of our urban spaces over the centuries and might just hold the key to future well-fed city regions where links between town and country are re-made and strengthened. The coalition can help here if it is truly committed to feeding us into the future; I am holding my breath expectantly!

Time to put the onions and the book back in the pannier and cycle home.

Carolyn Steel’s ‘Hungry City: How Food Shapes Our Lives’ is published by The Random House Group and is available at www.hungrycitybook.co.uk

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Directory TRAVEL

Welcome to the greenliving directory. Updated bi-monthly, this directory is your essential guide to featured businesses, organisations and producers in Bristol, Bath and the surrounding areas.

Asheston Eco Barns

Boscrowan Farm

Camper Daze

The Linen Shed

T: 01348 831781 E: ashestonecobarns @googlemail.com

T: 01736 332396 E: elizabeth@boscrowan.co.uk

T: 07540 474987 E: info@camperdaze.co.uk

T: 01227 752271 E: bookings@thelinenshed.com

The Linen Shed

Camilla House

O’Connors Campers

Rezare Farmhouse

Rosehill Lodges

T: 01736 363771

T: 01837 659599 E: pete@oconnorscampers.co.uk

T: 01579 371241 E: info@rezarefarmhouse.co.uk

T: 01209 891920 E: reception@rosehilllodges.com

Abaca Ltd

Bamboo Textiles

ECOS Organic Paints

Edward Bulmer Limited

T: 01269 598491 E: enquiry@abacaorganic.co.uk

T: 08448 26 25 25 E: info@bamboo-textiles.co.uk

T: 01524 852371 E: mail@ecospaints.com

T: 01544 388 535 E: info@edwardbulmer.co.uk

Fou Furnishings

Gecco Interiors Limited

The Greenshop

T: 0141 644 5211 E: info@foufurnishings.com

T: 01494 565459 E: help@geccointeriors.co.uk

T: 01452 770629 E: enquiries@greenshop.co.uk

Moon Times W: www.moontimes.co.uk E: hello@moontimes.co.uk

HOME

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Autumn 2010

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greenliving_directory

ADVERTIS E HERE!

CALL GRE ENLIVING NOW TE L: 01179 7 79188

ENERGY Eco-Exmoor

Apollo Renewables Ltd

Capture Energy Ltd

Chris Rudge Renewable Energy

T: 01672 511211 E: info@apollorenewables.co.uk

T: 01209 716 861 E: mail@capture-energy.co.uk

T: 01297 306114 E: enquiries@chrisrudge.co.uk

Ecocetera Ltd

Fair Energy

Solarsense UK Ltd

Southern Solar

T: 01179 590580 E: enquiries@ecocetera.com

T: 0845 12 66 555 E: info@fairenergy.org.uk

T: 01275 394139 E: info@solarsense-uk.com

T: 0117 953 9090 E: bristol@southernsolar.co.uk

Ascension

Beyond Skin

Eco Concierge

T: 0845 3881 381 E: help@ascensiononline.com

T:0845 373 3648 E: info@beyondskin.co.uk.

T: 07505 480903 E: kirsten@ecoconcierge.org

Great Elm Physick Garden T:(0)1373 814607 E:info@greatelmphysickgarden.com

Izzy Lane T: 07912062141 E: lorraine@izzylane.co.uk

Liv-UK

Monkton Wyld Court

Worn again

T: 01386 791055 E: enquiries@liv-uk.com

T: 01297 560342 E: info@monktonwyldcourt.org

T: 0207 739 0189 E: info@wornagain.co.uk

T: 8442 412992 E: andyb@eco-exmoor.co.uk

LIFESTYLE

Autumn 2010

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A planet worth saving...

greenliving_a planet worth saving

“This is part of a collection of photographs I took for a book called 'Ice'. The icebergs inspired me because of their unique and beautiful shapes which eventually will become part of the sea, never to be seen again.�

See more prints at: www.ejmbook.com/ICE/2.html

Jokularslon Iceberg Lagoon, Southern Iceland Picture taken by Eamonn J McCabe, London

Have you taken a breathtaking picture you'd like to share with our readers? If so, please email holly@greenlivingmag.co.uk or write to us at 151-153 Wick Road, Bristol, BS4 4HH

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Solarsense ad:Layout 1 13/10/2010 14:24 Page 28

With a portfolio of over 3000 domestic and commercial systems that includes the Clifton Lido, Redland Park United Reformed Church, UWE, Riverford Farm and the Duchy of Cornwall, Solarsense are the foremost solar installers in the South West.

New to this year’s Glastonbury Festival…

Michael Eavis, founder of Glastonbury Festival, the largest contemporary music and performing arts festival in the world, has set a new record. A 200kW solar PV system, designed and installed

by Solarsense UK Ltd, now adorns one of the barn roofs at Worthy Farm, the festival site. The system is so large that if each of the 1116 British-made solar panels were put end to end, they would stretch for 1.5km!

Solarsense have been working with Mr Eavis on this project since early 2007, and are delighted that the new Clean Energy Cashback Scheme has enabled the project to be not only green, but also a sound financial investment for the Glastonbury founder.

With the Clean Energy Cashback Scheme, Mr. Eavis can expect a return on his investment (ROI) of up to 12%, which translates into an annual income of over £60,000. The system will also boost the green credentials of Glastonbury Festival, saving

approximately 88 tonnes of CO2 every year, enough to fill 88 hot air balloons 10m in diameter.

Homeowners too can expect similar returns on their ‘investment’ of installing a solar Photovoltaic system. A large standard system or around 4kW, expected to give a return on investment of over 10%, will earn more than £1000 a year in tax free supplementary income for the householder. These attractive figures have given rise to a notable boom in domestic and commercial PV installation nationwide.

Solarsense are moving!

The company comments, “As much as we have enjoyed our location in the listed-buildings of the Long Ashton Business Park, it has been a limiting factor in our growth for some months, and we look forward to expanding into our new premises.” Helios House, Solarsense’s 10,000ft² new home near Backwell, will feature working displays of PV and solar thermals systems once it is up and running. Solarsense will be holding an open day at Helios House in October.

For more information, please visit www.solarsense-uk.com or call 01275 394 139

Solarsense ad:Layout 1 13/10/2010 13:02 Page 29

Free Solar – what’s the catch?

If something looks a little too good to be true, it so very often is. If a solar company offer to install a free solar system on your house with the promise that you get to keep all of the electricity, be careful as there will inevitably be a few hidden clauses...

The FacTS: Indeed, you will receive a free solar system and benefit from free electricity, causing an annual saving of around £200 from a 4kW system. however, you cannot store the electricity, so you must be in the house during peak daylight hours to make the most of it.

You will lose out on around £1450 per year tax-free income from the Feed In Tariff, this will go to the free solar company. You could be keeping this if you installed the system yourself gaining a return on investment of around 10%.

You will have a 25-year contract and may find it difficult to sell your house during this period. Most people are aware of the Feed In Tariff, and while a house generating around £1650 per annum for its owner is an attractive prospect, one making £1450 for someone else tied in to a contract could put people off.

Solarsense UK ltd can offer you a free no-obligation survey of your property which will include an on-the-spot quote, allowing you to make an informed decision about the affordability and profitability of installing solar yourself.

For more information, please visit www.solarsense-uk.com or call 01275 394 139

CaSA Architects Ltd Bath Brewery Toll Bridge Road Bath BA1 7DE t 01225 851871 f 01225 851884 e studio@casa-architects.com w www.casa-architects.com

Architects

Contemporary and i npaobrlaer y CS ouns tt ea m A r c h i t ecture and Sustainable Architecture

CaSA are award winning Architects who have a reputation for combining environmental principles with contemporary casacard1.indd 4 6/2/07 12:59: design; from extensions and eco improvements to individual houses. casacard1.indd 1

For a solution carefully tailored to you, your site and your 6/2/07 12:59:57 budget, CaSA Architects can bring a whole new dimension to your project.

Please contact Ian or Adam to discuss your plans.

CaSA Architects

w w w. c a s a - a r c h i t e c t s . c o m

01225 851871