The award is set up in collaboration between the Swiss bank, Pictet, and the Financial Times. According to Treehugger the remit was to produce “works that are of outstanding artistic merit that also communicate messages of urgent global significance”. There has been a world-wide nominations panel of over 40 leading experts in the visual arts, from six continents drawing up a shortlist of photographers and their work which has been announced this month.

Have a look at the Prix Pictet 2008 shortlist for yourself and you’ll find topics including water conservation, natural disasters, and refugees being exhibited.

Send in any photos you may have taken or seen that you feel evoke or represent sustainability, and we could get our very own mini gallery going!

 Photo via Prix Pictet

You’d be forgiven for thinking that bamboo bridges were the kind of construction you’d be more likely to come across in deepest Asia, however, in a bid to avoid conventionality, an eighth bridge has been built across the River Tyne in Newcastle over the last fortnight. Measuring 100 meters in length and with two 25 meter towers at either end, it is a formidable structure. Although it’s only a temporary installation, this latest enormous work of public sculpture in the North East has raised almost as many eyebrows as the Angel of the North did.

Find out more about the bridge after the jump…

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It may seem too good to be true, but it is perfectly feasible to give up your gas-guzzling car, and still get around town quickly, easily, and without resorting to stuffing your head into the unwashed armpit of a fellow commuter on the morning train. The number of electric vehicles in on the increase, and this is only set to continue as people realise the benefits that are to be gained by going electric. Until now, however, vehicles such as the Toyota Prius(approx. £13,000 and up) and the Vectrix scooter(around £7,000) could be seen to be a little out of most people’s price range. However, there is now an alternative which may just make going electric a much more appealing option.

The Ego StreetScoota, despite its ridiculous name, is a fully electric moped which rocks in at a frankly amazing £999.95… yes, you read that right - a fully functional scooter which will never need a visit to your local petrol station, all for about the same price as a years worth of travelling on the London Underground. If that’s not reason enough to get one, I don’t know what is.

According to the manufacturers, the Scoota can reach a top speed of 30mph, has a range of around 40miles, and costs a teeny, tiny, frankly measly 8p to charge fully… all with the added benefit of not having to pay road tax, getting cheap insurance (normally around £100-£200), and receiving free parking in most cities. I can’t actually think of a reason not to buy one.

Here’s my recycled lawn mower:

Reclaimed from my Grandad’s garden shed at the start of the summer, my mower is not only carbon neutral (no fossil fuels here!), but it’s also good for working on the guns.

And push mowers are having a bit of a resurgance. Treehugger reports that sales of some push mowers (reel mowers, as they’re called in the United States) are up by 60%.

But it’s definitely a case of buyer beware!

Apparantly the “liability issue” of having “dangerous”, whirring, unprotected blades is putting people off (in Naperville, anyway).

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-hiE_tz37s

Check out the Busycle!

Pretty awesome mode of transport.

Just think how much fun we’d have if we replaced all our public transport with these!

Perhaps Boris should replace his bendy buses with lots of Busycles! Cleaner, greener and the streets of London might be a lot less meaner too if everyone had to work together to get around!

http://www.busycle.com/

I’ve taken the survey myself and it really makes you think of how and where you find out about green issues and the researcher gives you a chance to receive a final copy of the report.

Take it yourself at http://www.questionpro.com/akira/TakeSurvey?id=988583and let us know what you think.

Now then, I’m new to the world of ‘blogging’ but an old hat at armchair activism!

By that I mean doing my bit to help make a difference, create change, influence friends, and ultimately feel better about my life and the way I live it.

I’m not going to start preaching to you because if you needed preaching to you wouldn’t be here, I merely want to pass on any hints, tips, and products I come across to help you in your quest for a more ethically minded, environmentally friendly lifestyle.

So, I’m going to start this series of posts with my Top 5 tips which can help you save money, and help save the planet!

1. Recycle rain water: I live in the north east of England. A pretty wet place. So, I have set up a water butt in my back garden to collect rain water ready to reuse on those odd occasions when the sun decides to shine and my plants need a watering! Still need convincing? Check out this article on the merits of saving water in the UK

2. Compost your food waste: composting is easy, fun, and beneficial to both the environment and your garden! Don’t throw your tea bags, banana skins and potato peelings away, chuck them in a composter and let the worms do the rest!

3. Switch off your appliances: I know this might sound like an obvious one but did you know that about 10% of your annual electricity bill is spent on standby electricity! So either switch off or invest in some standby busting devices now!

4. Keep an eye on your energy use: although this sounds complicated it couldn’t be easier! Ethical Superstore has a range of devices designed to monitor your energy use so you can always be aware of where your money goes. You’ll become obsessed with checking it every five minutes!

5. Grow your own: whether you only have enough room for one pot on your balcony or your garden in the size of a football pitch, there’s no excuse for doing a bit of organic gardening at home. Not only will this save you a bit of cash, but your produce will taste all the better having been lovingly tended to by you!

There you have it, 5 little things that can make a huge difference, see you don’t have to scheme to take down the major supermarkets . . . just do your bit

Any other suggestions or top tips? Send them in!

Thanks to Ned Trifle for the photo.

via

No matter what kind of music you listen to, it makes your mood better.

That’s a pretty bold claim but it is supported by a study from Penn State University, Altoona.

The researchers -Valerie N. Stratton, PhD (teaches psychology), and Annette H. Zalanowski, (teaches Music) studied their students’ moods in response to music.

The students kept two-week music-listening diaries and reported their moods before and after each musical episode. The results appear in a 2003 issue of Psychology and Education: An Interdisciplinary Journal. 2003; vol 40: pp 1-11.

“Not only did our sample of students report more positive emotions after listening to music, but their already positive emotions were intensified by listening to music,” Stratton .

Genre isn’t a factor, it didn’t matter whether the students listened to rock/pop, soft rock/easy listening, oldies, classical, or new-age music. Context also didn’t seem to matter as whether the music was played during an activity - such as dressing or driving - or whether it was played while socialising.

With such a wide range of aural therapy available to me, why then can’t I find a suitable soundtrack to get me ready for the weekend? 

Is it because, as Morrisey put it ‘the music that they constantly play it says nothing to me about my life.’ (Panic, The Smiths)

Considering that climate change is probably the biggest threat we as the human race face, and it’s hard to escape the logic that it’s our way of conducting our lives that is exacerbating the problem, it’s pretty astounding that there just aren’t more artists out there that are championing issues and provoking us to change our ways. Or are there?

Whilst trying to decide it struck me that the track names which scrolled through my i-tunes library did, in title at least, offer some promise.

So here are my top 5 tunes to inspire us…

1. (the answer my friend is) Blowin’ in the wind – Bob Dylan
2. (I would walk) 500 Miles – The Proclaimers
3. Pure Shores – All Saints
4. Get off My Cloud – The Rolling Stones
5. Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol

I’m sure there are plenty more out there.  I’d love to hear yours!

Perhaps there’s potential to produce a chart of warning tunes too? 

The Smith’s classic ‘There is a Light that Never goes Out’ could serve as a stark reminder…

Alas, National Shed Week has come to a triumphant end! If, like me, you yearn for a simpler time where man and shed were as one and hours could be spent pottering and tinkering in your wooden retreat, then check out the

Of course, it’s not just about a pub-shed, or creating bike storage, a shed can be the hub from which you begin a regime of great British gardening. Plant some bulbs, grow your own veg, live on what you plant yourself! This is not only an extremely satisfying way of living, but can prove cost effective and reduce the impact that your weekly shop or trips to grocers has on the environment!

Ethical Superstore has some great stuff that would make any shed enthusiast, sustainable gardener, or wannabe compost king whoop with delight! There’s the shed light which works via solar power ensuring that you can always see what you’re doing, the brilliant potting shed kit which includes everything you need to get going, and a wide range of composting and water saving solutions!

So, you don’t need to have an award winning shed to do your bit to live sustainably, reduce your environmental impact, and have a great time in your garden! Just check out the links above, get creative, and do your bit!

One man (or woman!) and his/her shed can really make a difference!

If you do have a shed, organic garden, or vegetable patch that you want to share with us, please feel free to do so!

“I’m researching how online forums and blogs can be used by you to raise awareness of the Green & Black’s brand.
“I’d appreciate if you could click on the link below and complete a short questionnaire. It will only take a couple of minutes, but it would really help me in my research.”

Green & Black’s survey

Being the helpful types that that we are we thought we’d lend a hand. To be honest it was the fact that his appeal was addressed to all chocolate lovers which first grabbed us, but Green & Black’s is an interesting brand name to consider. Slightly controversial after its takeover by Cadbury Schweppes, Green & Black’s still holds our attention with its organic credentials, and their Maya Gold does hold the first Fairtrade mark to be awarded in the UK back in 2004. And with all that pure and unadulterated cocoa bean content, it is just so darn tasty…!

As bloggers ourselves the notion of online forums and blogs to raise brand awareness is an interesting one. If you fancy, help Matt out by completing the survey yourselves.

If all this talk of chocolate has whetted your appetite, Green & Black’s is widely available on the high street, or you could buy Green & Black’s online.