The last post from Green Girls Global

So this is the last post from Green Girls Global for now. We are taking an indefinite break from our blogging here to work on all the other things that busy green girls do.

Here’s a great big thank you to all of the editors for their brilliant writing over the past few years and to guest contributors who have brought their news, views and ideas into the mix. Of course the biggest thanks is to our lovely readers, whether they are new ones who have just discovered us or those from back in the day. Thank you!

We’ve had lots of fun running Green Girls Global and Green Guys Global and we’re really proud of the things we’ve achieved in such a short time. Some of the highlights include having features in the Times Online and Marie Claire, being involved in the fabulous Eco Chic Weekly and selling our own stylish organic t-shirts, created by the very talented artist and Green Girl, Lee Tracy.

What’s next for the girls and guys of GGG? Well we all have our own businesses, projects and blogs that keep us very busy. Take a look at our editors page to see what we’re all up to. Mine & Jez’s Green Hosting company will continue to host the site as there’s just too much good stuff here to take it down and Green Guy Gareth will be back again soon with an exciting blog of his own – so watch this space!

For now please do keep enjoying the articles here on the blog and thank you again for all your support.

Love from GGG x

April 2010 Update: The brand new global green transition blog TransitionVert.com is now live! This fantastic new site has been launched by one of our former Green Guys, Gareth, and is one of the world’s few multi-lingual blogs on the internet. Find inspirational articles, videos and polls on all things green as the Transition Vert team ‘Write, Share, Change’.

The Beach Shack Project

Although the beach is a great place to source new objects and inspiration, the items gathered whilst beachcombing can also pose a threat to the coastal eco system. For example, huge tumbleweed sized balls of monofilament, discarded by fisherman or thrown over board can be an unfortunate end for any bird or fish unlucky to become entangled. They are also un-biodegradable, so can become a very permanent feature on the beaches. These tangled balls are collected and laboriously unraveled, unknotted, and even reknotted until the nylon is left in workable strands. These balls are then washed thoroughly in antibacterial soap so they are squeaky-clean and then ready to design with.

I can find working with found materials limiting, but this can result in an unusual creative output. It makes you really think about what you are using, because you work with what you find.

Currently, here at the Beach Shack Project we are working with Surfers Against Sewage by donating a percentage of profits from the reclaimed nylon range of jewellery to their campaign.

Surfers Against Sewage is a campaign group set up by surfers who wanted to use clean safe oceans. One of their missions is to reduce “Marine Litter” which is a problem for the wildlife and the many diverse groups of people who use the sea for recreational sport.

15% from the sale price of each piece of reclaimed nylon jewellery goes to the group and most of the pieces available are one offs. To see the range available please visit
www.beachshackproject.bigcartel.com/category/surfers-against-sewage-promo

Currently, there is also 50% off the other lines in the store until the end of January to make way for new stock. Please login to www.beachshackproject.co.uk for more information and to access the discount code. And there is also a fabulous necklace giveaway too, win a handmade organic hemp knitted fisherman’s rope necklace with a chunky bottle green sea glass pendant.

Article by Hannah Marshall
www.beachshackproject.co.uk

The new program focuses on preventing pollution caused by commuter traffic by offering cash incentives to employees who carpool and bicycle to work.  According to the Environmental Defense Fund, U.S. autos emit more than 333 million tons of carbon dioxide each year, which is more than one-fifth of the nation’s total carbon dioxide emissions. Thankfully, programs like the one offered by Mountain Rose Herbs, can make a real difference.

The program is easy to understand, track and offers tangible awards. It pays staff members who carpool to work 12-cents per mile for each passenger, and for those who bicycle to work, 20-cents per mile. In addition to the cash reward for each mile, Mountain Rose Herbs also offers a yearly $500 cash bonus to the staff member who has logged the most miles.

“We pay our employees in cash for carpooling and bicycling to work. To our knowledge, no other company is offering a cash incentive that reaches the same caliber as ours in the United States,” says Shawn Donnille, Mountain Rose Herbs’ Operations Manager & Director of Quality Control.

The carpool and bicycling to work incentive is just one program in a long line of forward-thinking sustainability programs from Mountain Rose Herbs. As a “Zero Waste” company, Mountain Rose Herbs goes to great lengths to ensure that materials which might be regarded as waste are recycled, re-used, composted, reclaimed, or brought back into the production cycle. Everything is collected and sorted for proper reclamation including the backs of labels, plastic bags, scrap metal from barrels, poly-woven bags, herbal refuse material, buckets, oil and much more!  When Mountain Rose Herbs adopted a “Zero Waste” policy, they went from producing about 3,300 gallons of waste per month (a normal amount for a processor) to producing between 80 to 100 gallons per month–the same as a typical four-person household.

To learn more about Mountain Rose Herbs, please visit www.mountainroseherbs.com.

Use Paint that does not contain VOC – Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) are toxic chemicals found in furniture, tables, wallpaper, paint, and basically anything that is manmade or is sprayed with manmade chemicals.   One easy way is to avoid paints and wallpaper that contain VOC.  If you are not sure about the ingredients then definitely buy well known low toxic paints (like Ieko or Earthborn).

Buy Already Used – Craigslist is gold for great products.  Why spend $2000 on a sofa when you can buy it on craigslist for $300 AND avoid the fate of the landfill.  People are always moving in a rush, take advantage of that by buying great furniture products that don’t end up in the garbage and pollute the environment.

Buy Bamboo – Bamboo is a grass not a tree and so it grows quickly and is versatile. Bamboo can be used in flooring, window blinds, or just about any living room furniture.  The only downside to bamboo is that it uses a lot of water during reforestation, but takes little time to reforest compared to trees.

Stop with the Polystyrene Cups – You know it as Styrofoam from the Dow Chemicals Company but actually Styrofoam as a cup does not exist, it’s actually polystyrene .  You go to parties and they have Styrofoam cups and plates and it is terrible.

Take cloth bags to the grocery store – Those little plastic bags used by grocery stores are flimsy and not recycled by people.  Considering that large cities like San Francisco are charging consumers for plastic bags, start now and use nice cloth bags.  Even a backpack is great for filling up heavier items in it.

Stop with the bottle water -  Really? You NEED bottle water?  You’re incapable of putting a filter on your tab for 40 bucks and rather spend $1.20 per bottle every day?  More than 1.6 Billion bottles are not recycled in the UK each year.  Bottled water takes up space.  Bottled water is a waste.  Bottled water use plastics; which in turn use petroleum.   Instead use a hard plastic bottle, fill it with water, and take it to the gym, work, car.  If you are concerned about tap water not being clean, put a filter on.  Remember, just because it’s from a bottle doesn’t make it clean water either; the Perrier scandal taught a lesson there.

Article by Preeti Pradhan

Simple was established in 1991. They wanted to be the antithesis of the over hyped, over produced and wasteful shoe manufacturers out there. Recognising that the shoe industry was, on the whole, damaging to the planet they rejected the status quo and began with the ‘Green Toe’ shoe collection made from natural fibres. Later they added recycled car and bike tyres and plastic bottles to their shoe-making materials as well as certified organic cotton, hemp, bamboo and eco-certified leathers and suede. The packaging is stripped right back to just shoe forms and boxes made from recycled post consumer card and biodegradable bags too.

Simple’s manifesto is:

“How we make our shoe is just as important as why we make them. we’re committed to making our products 100% sustainable”

The thing I like about Simple is their recognition that creating an innovative and sustainable product doesn’t happen overnight and there is always something new to learn on the journey. They know that they still have lots to do in achieving their 100% sustainable product and have been insightful enough to experiment, assess and change where necessary. To me that looks like a company who is committed to what they do and have the creativity to achieve it. Their plans for the future includes their latest campaign ‘less > more’ which you can find out about on their website as well as details of their ethical supply chain and restricted substances policies.

So, what about the shoes? Well I went for the ‘Pinwheel’ shoe because its vegan and made from hemp. Hemp is a fantastic plant, with its own built-in pesticides and needing much, much less water than cotton to grow. It’s really tough but soft and comfortable at the same time. Hemp production used to leave us with a nasty, scratchy fabric but those days are long gone and its just lovely now.

The Simple shoe designs are cool and could rival the other well known brands any day of the week. They come in lots of different styles (sneakers, boots, sandals, slippers) for guys, girls and kids and the prices are pretty good too.

www.simpleshoes.com

All of the wines from the Eighty Acres range have been declared 100% carbon neutral (based on a life cycle assessment model compliant to ISO14044) – a world first for a wine brand!

Production of the wine range, which comprises a Chardonnay Viognier 2007, Cabernet Shiraz Merlot 2006, and Shiraz Viognier 2006 is entirely carbon neutral from the moment the vines are planted, right through to harvest, production of the wine, shipping, consumption, and disposal of the bottle.

The wines are available with an RRP of around £9.99 at the following wine merchants: Stratford’s Wine Agencies, Cheers Wine Merchants, Smart Liquor, Fareham Wine Cellar, Cooden Cellars, and Alexander Hadleigh – a perfect choice if your new year’s resolution is to cut your carbon footprint.

Article by Lottie West
www.wakefieldwines.com

Leblas exclusively uses 100% recycled gold and silver metals from a carefully selected refinery, which are segregated from all other metals and then transferred directly to our workshops in Spain. By using recycled materials, we know that we are helping to reduce the carbon footprint caused by excessive mining. Leblas does not compromise quality for ethics, which is why we only use 18k gold and high-quality conflict–free Canadian diamonds and other traceable gems.

Each Leblas piece is designed to reflect the traditions of jewellery artistry. Handmade jewellery-making is fast becoming a lost craft, disappearing from generation to generation, whilst today more and more jewellery is being mass produced in the East. It is crucial for us to sustain this valuable talent by working only with specialised filigree artisans, and we aspire to start an artistry apprenticeship program to encourage young jewellers to take up this valuable skill.

Leblas carries diverse collections ranging from a “Heritage” line, which includes our signature 100% handmade Filigree collections, as well as the top selling “Diamond Square”, “Alhambra”, and “Sequin” lines.  In addition, we are dedicated in designing beautiful one-of-a-kind wedding and engagement collections, where our precious diamonds and metals are fused together to create inspirational and unique pieces.

In addition to being ethical in the materials and techniques used to make its jewellery, we use recycled paper and biodegradable inks and paper, all certified by the FSC.  We also support young talent by acting as a stockist to upcoming jewellery designers, such as Missoma, Francesca Sibylla Augusta, and SHO, and Lily Cole’s ethical knitwear line “The North Circular”.

Finally, Leblas provides a range of customer services, which are critical in creating and maintaining close relationships with each of our clients.  Our bespoke service allows customers to create their dream jewellery pieces, and our jewellery care and re-design services ensure that jewellery is not wasted and is longer-lasting.

We have our own boutique situated on Sloane Street in London and an online store (www.leblas.com), which is easy to navigate and provides valuable information regarding jewellery care and buying guidance. Most importantly, we offer worldwide free shipping and returns, thus customers interested in ethical jewellery are not restricted to the UK.

Leblas makes a difference, from using recycled gold and silver to supporting local talent and doing our part to save the environment.

Article by Nina Tukaj
www.leblas.com

I work for the John Muir Trust within the Climate Change and Sustainable Communities project. The Trust protects some of the most beautiful, remote and wild land in Scotland, both directly and in partnership with local communities.

Many of the rural communities we have a relationship with have already started investing in a more sustainable future. You can see what these communities are doing by checking out my blog.

One example we are keen to see replicated comes from the Isle of Eigg – with whom we have been sharing experiences. This remote island community leads the way in Scotland as a model of what is possible. Two women, Lucy Conway and Maggie Fyffe, along with Project Officer Tasha Lancaster have spearheaded the exciting work here. They have developed a two pronged approach which aims to make the community self-sufficient in energy terms within three years.

The first strand of their plan focuses on the ‘software’ through an education and outreach program called Islands Going Green which recognises the permanent changes needed to bring about a more sustainable future will only come about when there is major buy-in from the whole community.

Islands Going Green encourage people to take action in small communities of around 100 people as that is a human scale. This could be a street, a social club, a workplace where you commit to having your own ‘green island’. They have had lots of fun social events on their journey and have gained huge community support.

The second strand is focused on the ‘hardware’ elements – looking to energy efficiency and conservation measures along with a cocktail of micro renewables to decrease their use of fossil fuels. They wisely are not relying on one source alone for renewable energy but have invested in a mix of wind, solar, biomass and hydro schemes. Already they seem further advanced in their thinking than the government.

Article by Fran Loots
Energy without costing the Earth – http://jmtcommunities.blogspot.com

I have worked with plants for over 10 years now, I have observed how individual plants support each other in subtle but effective ways, allowing for complex interdependent communities to develop.  Over the years I have become more and more entranced by plant life as I began to understand our place within the Earth community.  I have studied the healing properties of plants with some very diverse teachers from Amazonian Shamans, Kenyan medicine men to classically trained British medical herbalists.  What amazes me is that so many plants have medicinal properties.  They are all around us, in our back gardens, vegetable plots, meadows, along riverbanks, I believe it is time to rediscover natures sweet and subtle medicines that are being offered for free.

I have just written my first book entitled The Medicine Garden, within which I have provided information on over 130 commonly found garden plants, weeds, fruits, vegetables and trees.  It provides a simple guide to harvesting, storing and using the featured plants, giving easy instructions on how to make your own remedies including salves, tinctures and syrups.  It is time to honour the Earth, not just by consuming less and buying organic, but by accepting her generous healing gifts.  Every time you make your own remedy you are avoiding the problems of packaging disposal as natural remedies come in their own compostable body, and are equally avoiding excreting concentrated amounts of polluting chemicals into the Earth.

It is available from online bookshops, the publisher www.goodlifepress.co.uk or from my site where you can read more about my work www.gatewaystoeden.com

Article by Rachel Corby
Author of The Medicine Garden

Asbestos, however, has a fatal flaw: it’s carcinogenic. When the raw asbestos materials, or products containing it, are damaged or disturbed, it releases into the surrounding air microscopic fibers which are harmful to humans. These fibers can be inhaled, and once inside the body they cause cells to replicate erratically and uncontrollably, leading to a rare form of cancer known as mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma strikes relatively few patients, but it is a terminal cancer with no known cure. One of the most devastating aspects of this disease is that it has a latency period of up to 50 years, meaning that people can have mesothelioma and not know it for decades.

Since asbestos is a mineral, the areas around asbestos and related mineral mines can be contaminated with the airborne fibers, and may lead to mesothelioma diagnoses in residents. There have been a remarkable number of cases diagnosed in the residents of the Libby, Montana area, where chemical giant W.R. Grace ran a large vermiculite mine for many years. Concentrations of asbestos particulate in areas that are not near mines are very low, however.

Anyone who works with asbestos should take safety precautions, such as wearing protective clothes and using respirators. And anyone who has previously been exposed to asbestos, either through their workplace or environmentally, needs to inform their doctor of that fact and schedule regular physical exams. Mesothelioma, like most cancers, can be more successfully treated the earlier it is diagnosed.

Homes and buildings built before the 1980s are at a much greater risk for containing asbestos. If you are worried about your possible risk, consider getting your air quality tested by a professional service, or finding a company who can test for asbestos specifically. If you’re remodeling your home soon, you’ll need to make sure any asbestos-containing materials are removed properly – it can actually be illegal to do it yourself. Invest in eco-friendly building materials and insulation. Not only will you be safe from asbestos, you’ll be helping the environment as well.

Article by Anna Clark
Asbestos.net