“Authenticity, innovation and a strong commitment to sustainability are nourishing the growth of what’s been called ‘the perfect brand’.

“What’s in a name? Well, ‘Finisterre’ means literally the ends of the earth, and it’s a word that brilliantly sums up the way that this technical clothing brand is pushing at new frontiers – not just in terms of the performance of its products under the most extreme conditions, but also when it comes to setting new standards of ethical business practice.

“It’s also a name that’s been making impressive waves in the last couple of years, way beyond the serious surfing circles in which it first became known. GQ, for instance, listed Finisterre’s Anabatic shell jacket in their ‘100 Best Things in the World 2007′, while the global trend-spotters at über-cool Monocle magazine recently devoted a double-page spread to what it dubbed ‘the perfect brand’. Not bad for an operation started up in 2003 with a £4,000 loan from [UK charity] The Prince’s Trust and still run by a five-strong team of dedicated surfers from a converted mine-building at St Agnes on the North Cornwall coast.

“Finisterre is tapping into a hunger to connect with something more authentic than the shallow, clichéd values associated with so many of the big, global brands. The guys behind the company are not just talking the talk. For one thing, they’re personally testing their own products on a pretty much daily basis in the most challenging of labs – the Atlantic surf whose thunder is audible from their office. The results are posted on the Finisterre blog, along with vivid reports from other product-testers around the world, including international big-wave surfers, adventure racers and BBC film-crews working in the Antarctic.

“For another, they’ve translated the idea of ethical business into much more than a vague aspiration, finding imaginative ways of reducing the company’s environmental impact in every area, from raw materials supply to product life and recycling. The success of these initiatives helped win Finisterre the Observer Ethical Business Award (2008), The Surfer’s Path Green Wave Award (2008), a Cornwall Sustainability Award (2008) and an ISPO New Brand Award (2008), as well as invitations to address international conferences alongside speakers such as Al Gore.

“In 2007, Finisterre decided to pull production out of China in view of concerns over working conditions and employee rights. Manufacturing now takes place in Devon and Portugal, and at a facility in Colombia run by nuns as part of a rehabilitation project for at risk women, and more recently the company have been spearheading an initiative with a small sheep farmer to bring back a rare breed with the intention of sourcing high quality wool right on their doorstep.”

We hope to have more about Finisterre and its wool breeding programme soon.

All information is © Life Goggles 2009

Clothing Brand Finisterre Making Ethical Waves

Made by Surya Brasil, this Moisturising Hand Sanitizer kills 99.9% of germs and says on the packet it comes with Jua and Acai. I don’t know what either they are but it says Acaiis rich in proteins and Vitamin E and Jua is a cleansing and refreshing fruit.

It’s also hypoallergenic and is certified organic by Eco Cert, but how well does it work? The first time I tried it I found the smell quite strong and similar to those cleansing pads they use to clean skin when you’re giving blood. But after a few goes I realised the smell was only so strong as I used too much. You don’t really need a lot as the clear gel spreads easily over your hands and quickly, but not too quickly, absorbs into the hands.

Once absorbed there’s not much of a smell at all, it leaves your hands feeling quite soft and presumably very clean. There’s now sticky residue and my hands did feel moisturised too. I don’t usually use a moisturiser on my hands so am not sure how it compares to a straight moisturiser.

Available for a very reasonable £3.50 for a 60ml bottle from Liberty or elsewhere online, it’s also available in a 200ml bottle for £10.

All information is © Life Goggles 2009

Surya Moisturising Hand Sanitizer Eco Product Review

I (Adam) have joined in with this and I am 16 days in – you have a clean shave on the 1st. The latest picture of me is below but you can check out how it’s going at http://uk.movember.com/mospace/291540/ and also sponsor me too. Smiling makes me look even weirder…

All information is © Life Goggles 2009

Grow a Mo for Movember

Made by SRS Energy in Philadelphia, who say “the Solé tiles are made from a high-performance polymer often used in car bumpers, are lightweight, unbreakable and recyclable. Flexible solar technology by United Solar Ovonic is embedded inside each tile, allowing them to function independently of each other. Meanwhile, the performance of the system as a whole is monitored remotely by SRS Energy and US Tile. The director of engineering at SRS Energy is J.D. Albert, who also developed the electronic ink technology used in Amazon Kindle and the Sony Reader.”

Coming in 2010, it’ll be interesting to see if they catch on. Bright blue roofs that is.

[Via: Springwise]

All information is © Life Goggles 2009

Solar Panel Roof Tiles

Oak Hall has introduced a line of eco-friendly caps and gowns made from 100%, post-consumer recycled plastic bottles. Named “GreenWeaver” is made of fabric spun from molten plastic pellets. The result is a fabric so comfortably soft you have to feel it to believe it! It takes an average of 23 bottles to make each gown.

After first experimenting with a mix of bamboo and polyester, Oak Hall eventually turned to recycled plastic bottles – already used to make sweatshirts and other clothing – to change the way academic regalia are made and worn.

You can find out more here.

[Via: Springwise]

All information is © Life Goggles 2009

Recycled New Graduation Gowns

It may only be ten ways, but at over 300 pages there is certainly a lot of detail. The ways are general, but with specific examples and suggestions, I found it packed full of “ways”. The 20s thing is part gimmick and part practical, there are many ways that are easier when you’re younger, but it certainly applies to people of any age who are willing for inspiration on how to make a difference.

I also liked that is wasn’t preachy, and you can open the book almost anywhere and find something useful you can do almost immediately. There’s a icon ratings guide (lie several other green books) to rate each activity in terms of time, cost and lifestyle impact, and there is even an index to summarize them if you want to looks for some easy ones quickly.

I enjoyed reading about the ideas, and particulary the easy ways to travel lightly and cheaply. If you don’t already have a green book full of ideas, or you’re looking for something with fresh ideas and practical steps to achieving them, then this book is a great resource.

You can find out more about the book on Ten Ways and buy from Amazon.

All information is © Life Goggles 2009

10 Ways To Change The World In Your 20s Book Review

The HIB System is an eco-friendly home design that’s soundproof, insulated and energy-efficient without the use of any chemicals or toxins. The modular blocks are made from naturally cut local Black Forest pine and there’s a wide range of natural insulation materials including wood chips, clay, mussel shells and pea shingle gravel.

The idea is that buyers put the HIB-System homes together themselves. Each block weighs no more than 25kg each and once put together the house is allegedly earthquake and stormproof. All sounds pretty good, I’ve no idea how things like the plumbing or electrics work so you may need to get some professional help.

Spotted via: Springwise

All information is © Life Goggles 2009

Eco Lego Houses

Communities battling to stop the ecological damage of climate change could receive a share of a £10 million government fund.

Twenty successful communities will receive funding from the Low Carbon Communities Challenge, which will be used to pay for energy saving measures chosen by the residents themselves, such as electric car charge points.

If measures put in place by the project are successful at cutting emissions on a local scale then they could be rolled out nationally.

Currently around one-quarter of the UK’s carbon emissions come from powering heating, lighting and electrical appliances around the home, and this number needs to fall to almost zero by 2050 if the country is to meet government energy saving targets.

The Government also wants to see around 40 per cent of energy produced by low carbon sources by 2020.

Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Ed Miliband, explained that the project is a chance for communities across the county to play their part in tackling climate change.

He said: “The UK has the most ambitious emissions reduction commitments in the world and projects like this will develop the policies we need to be successful.”

All information is © Life Goggles 2009

Communities Fight Ecological Effects Of Climate Change

Well, they’re planning on “groundbreaking and incredible social media coverage”. Besides live blogging, tweeting and slide shows that will be available on a central splash page, a dedicated channel will be established on Qik. This channel will allow individuals in attendance to stream live coverage on their cell phones. Furthermore, USTREAM will also have a dedicated channel that will feature all of the keynote addresses.

More information is available in this blog post.

All information is © Life Goggles 2009

Groundbreaking WILD9 Social Media Coverage

A green lifestyle often leads naturally to money-saving but sometimes the green choice can seem to be the more expensive, creating real dilemmas when finances are tight. However, with the help of some useful online resources, clever technology and a little innovation, you should rarely be forced to blow the budget for the sake of the planet.

From fair-trade fashion and organic food to green gadgets, a whole industry has sprung up to cater to ethical consumers. Prices can be higher than at mainstream retailers and while often justified, it can sometimes put such products out of reach.

A smart way to makes this type of purchase more affordable is with online discount codes. Despite the recession, it’s a great time to be a consumer as more and more retailers are turning to discount codes to attract new customers.

Entered at the checkout, these codes offer an instant discount. Popular deals include money off, free delivery and free gifts.

A handy place to look for them is money-saving website VoucherCodes.co.uk. It gathers together all the best discount codes from leading green retailers such as Ascension, Nigel’s Eco Store, So Organic, Abel and Cole, Planet Organic, Ethical Superstore, Green and Blacks, Big Green Smile, Gossypium and Ecotopia.

Grocery shopping presents a tangled knot of green choices that must be unpicked every week, from where the broccoli was grown to how you get it home and everything in between. Most can’t shop at organic farmers’ markets but online shopping offers plenty of environmental benefits. Home delivery keeps cars off the road, cutting carbon emissions and cutting petrol costs.

Food waste is less too. Planning meals and sticking to shopping lists is much easier online than at the supermarket. For the less talented in the kitchen, it opens up the possibility of experimenting with meals based on seasonal produce and discounted products thanks to the array of online recipes just a mouse-click away.

Online grocery shopping also allows you to ensure you get the best deals by using price comparison sites like mysupermarket.com and by searching for discounts, such a Tesco voucher codes, for as much as £15 off or free delivery. Beware of carrier bags however – opt out or you will be swamped in plastic.

A cheap, green alternative to supermarkets are fruit and vegetable boxes. With over 600 schemes in operation in the UK, there are many options. Sites like vegbox-recipes.co.uk can help you find something suitable in your local area. Local councils also run schemes, which are often a bit cheaper.

Another core element of green living involves energy consumption. What many people may not realise is that choosing a green energy tariff can often be slightly cheaper than a mainstream tariff. Green Electricity Marketplace is a dedicated green energy switching site that does the hard work in comparing the options while offering specialist insights into how green each tariff really is.

While buying energy efficient appliances is extremely important, you can go even further with some clever gadgets. The EON Powerdown , for example, eliminates standby on TVs, PCs and peripherals. Free for EON customers and some public housing tenants, it’s £15 new but can be found on eBay for as little as £1 plus postage. It might seem trivial but this can cut 8% from the average family bill.

Transport is another significant green issue. Streetcar is perfect for environmentally-minded city dwellers who want the convenience of a car without the hassle of owning one. Book online and then hop into one of the many cars dotted around British cities. It’s cheaper than hiring car as you pay as you go from less than £4 an hour, which includes London’s congestion charge and petrol, and discourages unnecessary driving.

Alternatively, sites like liftshare are very useful at bringing together people to share journeys.

One of the principles of sustainable living is reuse. Sites like Freecycle along with council-organised Give or Take Days are a fantastic way to keep things out of landfill and save money at the same time. Many local councils also have furniture re-use schemes.

Clothes-swapping is also on the rise thanks to the social networking capability of the internet. Events can be organised online through sites such as Twiggy’s Frock Exchange or Swishing, or swaps done entirely online through sites like whatsmineisyours.com.

All information is © Life Goggles 2009

How to Save Money Being Green