According to DEFRA, the UK generates approximately 1.5 to 2 million tonnes of clothing waste every year, with 63 per cent of this entering the household waste stream and ending up in landfill.

This makes me sad. Not just because of the obvious environmental effects of dumping man-made textiles, but because clothes are nice and deserve to be given a second lease of life.

Photo by flickr.com/gottsher

“She even managed to persuade her fiancé that having a load of women in his flat, high on the love of clothes, wasn’t such a bad thing”

After hearing about the success and excitement created by a local clothes swapping event, based on the American concept Swap-O-Rama-Rama, I suggested to a friend that we hold our own. When I said ‘we’, I meant her. My contribution was to invite one person and turn up at her flat with wine, a bin bag full of clothes and an appetite for free, pretty things.

As a host she did a good job, providing crisps, chips and wine – she even managed to persuade her fiancé that having a load of women in his flat, high on the love of clothes, wasn’t such a bad thing – he soon perked up after popping his head round the door to find his front room transformed into a ladies’ changing area.

Indeed, I think the title ‘clothes swapping’ suggests something a little more saucy than the reality turned out to be, but still, what’s wrong with making your evening’s entertainment sound a lot more exciting than the usual “just gonna get a film or something”?

Now, it seemed those attending and contributing to the party had read ‘clothes’ as ‘any old stuff you want out of your house ASAP’. Among the more exceptional items to pepper the swap pile were books of erotic fiction, confusing, unworn bedroom attire and some things that just shouldn’t have been there, unused or not.

There was also the usual charity shop fayre: candle holders, Body Shop kits that always do the rounds at Christmas and had gathered dust since the last festivities. And many pretty dangley things that caught the eye like a magpie’s loot until – when no one could work out what they were – the conclusion was reached that there’d be no justification for cluttering up shared houses with such shiny nonsense.

But to be fair, many unlikely rejects found new homes. And as well as a dress, three jumpers, a summer top, a pair of shoes, a cuddly toy – okay, not really – and a skirt, I picked up a complete bed set including sheet, duvet cover and pillow cases. They’re brown and orange, they’re nice, really, very Seventies.

Obviously there were a few bits of clothing people were desperate to get rid of for good reason – usually because they couldn’t remember why on earth they’d bought such a hideous item. One or two choice pieces had shrunk to a size zero in the wash, and some were definitely pregnancywear. But one woman’s trash is another’s treasure, so all leftovers were bagged up to be taken to a charity shop.

Also, a number of my questionably patterned tops – I like the Sixties and Seventies, alright? – were snapped up by one of the more creative guests, who had plans to turn them into pants and sell them on.

In an apparently burgeoning new scene, the community-based swapshops popping up around Brighton often seem a little more adventurous and glam than our throw-a-pile-of-clothes-in-themiddle-of-the-sitting-room shindig. The bigger events have on offer newly designed, recycled goods and sewing machines are on-site and at the ready, so adopted clothes can be taken in and adjusted there and then. Clothes swapping between friends and acquaintances also holds the added bonus of weirding out the men in your life. “Isn’t that… No… Your top, that’s… Hmm”. Then again, I guess it’s probably not the best idea to swap clothes with your ex’s new girlfriend.

World Animal Day began in 1931 when ecologists at a conference in Florence nominated 4 October (the Feast Day of St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals) as an ideal way of highlighting the plight of endangered species. Since then World Animal Day has evolved to encompass all animals and is celebrated in many countries.

Please get involved and visit www.worldanimalday.org.uk where you will find plenty of ideas to inspire you, as well as everything you need to help you organise a successful World Animal Day event – it’s all there waiting for you!

Hadow’s Arctic Survey will make the first definitive measurements of the depth of the North Pole ice cap, helping scientists around the world to determine the declining state of the Arctic sea ice cover.

The consequences of its melt will effect millions globally. “The Prince of Wales is one of the world’s great environmental leaders who has been warning of the threat from climate change for decades.

We could not find a better patron of our expedition and he has asked us to keep him informed on a regular basis as our journey progresses,” says Pen Hadow.

www.penhadow.com

My cats have wrecked my sofa. No amount of hissing, clapping, or throwing of rubber objects will stop them in their relentless mission to scratch the arms bare of their perfect cream textile.

Now friends have started commenting on said sofa I think it’s time I did something about it, the ‘shabby chic’ look having gone way too far this side of shabby. Obviously for one as eco-aware as I, a new sofa simply isn’t an option. One must fix, repair, renew. So, what are my eco-options when it comes to sourcing the fabric?

“If you think of all the people in the world, and all of the furnishings in all of their homes, then it’s no surprise that the demand for fabrics and furnishings is huge”

Consider these key principles and you can lounge ethically and toxin free; fabric should be organic. This means the materials are organically produced, usually hemp, cotton and wool and harvested from sustainable crops. The fabrics and dyes should be non-toxic, which is certainly what I want to have in my home, and if you opt for natural materials then they will also be biodegradable. Flax and linen are very ‘in’ this season, and therefore a natural and fashionable choice.

Companies should employ strictly ethical manufacturing policies. If you’re looking at sourcing leather or animal derivative products, high standards of animal welfare should be employed. For those luscious few that can only sleep, lie or lounge in silk, try and find peace silk, where the moth is able to leave its cocoon and complete its life cycle. Aw.

If you think about all the people in the world, and all of the furnishings in their homes, then it’s no surprise that the demand for fabrics and furnishings is huge. The production of textiles is one of the most polluting industries on earth, responsible for around 25 per cent of the pesticides used around the world. Try and choose companies that have a clear statement about their environmental policy.

The consumer demand for cheap textiles and furnishings materials means much of its global production is concentrated in developing countries where costs are a fraction of those in the west, just like in the clothing business. Look for companies that have a sound fair trade policy or alternatively, opt for fabrics produced in the UK.

Make sure any woods used in furniture production are sustainable and have the FSC stamp.

For something a bit different try ‘Revampit’ (revampit.co.uk) where artist and designer Sarah Baulch recycles textile waste into products for the home. Try mixing a few of her vintage pieces with natural fabrics for a funky modern look.

Sarah Whittaker is available for interiors projects.
Contact Sarah at sarah@bluelamb.co.uk

As the halcyon days of summer stretch towards September, I have a confession to make. I don’t want my boys to go back to school. I know that I should pull myself together, put on a brave face and battle it out on the high street with all the other mums vying for pencil cases and Teflon trousers, but I am gripped by terror. As a child I dreaded school, suffering daily term-time headaches and stomach cramps until I was 15, when I discovered hair dye and punk music and was promptly expelled.

Quite a lot has changed since then. Schools have embraced the creative curriculum and pupil-led learning, playgrounds are studded with pirate ships and organic vegetable gardens, children make documentaries and design new school buildings. I’m even married to a headmaster! So why am I so worried?

“As a child I dreaded school, suffering daily term-time headaches and stomach cramps until I was 15, when I discovered hair dye and punk music and was promptly expelled”

Both my younger boys start new schools this September. They are keen and excited, the schools carefully selected for their imaginative approaches to learning and their excellent pastoral care. We have practised the walk to the bus stop with Tali and made a collage of all the exciting new experiences Iggy will discover (learning to read, making new friends, having a big-boy playtime etc). I have tried my very best not to project my fears on to their experience, it’s just that for me school seems so final. It makes me feel that their growing up is escalating inevitably and that my role as a mother is changing.

For some families, home education is a viable alternative to school and many excellent home-schooling groups exist in our area. (Check out www.educationotherwise.com for more information) The boys rejected this option, preferring the adventure of being out in the world with a wide range of other children. Iggy and Tali are highly sociable with very clear ideas about what a school should be. If they don’t like something they will have the courage to try to change it, and this gives me a sense of confidence in them to take responsibility for their own experiences. Whereas the routine of school paralysed me, they find it stimulating and empowering, and I can’t argue with that.

Just as in birth, my perception of time, body, pain, control and release were tested and transformed by the emergence of my children, and they constantly show me deeper levels of letting go and healing. So this September my school phobia has got to go!

Photo by flickr.com/lizhenry

September always seems to round off the halcyon days of summer with a gentle bump back to Earth. The kids have gone back to school, kitted out with fresh pencils and new uniforms in a bigger size.

The suitcases have gone back into storage in the attic, having had the sand shaken out of them. As many settle back into the routine of a nine-to-five, there must be a fair few who spend their daily commute daydreaming about following their heart, taking the leap, and retraining in the holistic arts. If this is you, then read on.

“Making people better is a humbling and gratifying experience”

Keeping it real

It seems like a pretty idyllic life, being free to work the hours that suit you, immersing yourself in a world of health and emotional balance, while helping others to achieve the same.

“Making people better is a humbling and gratifying experience,” says Sally-Ann, of The London College of Traditional Acupuncture.

It’s also important to bear in mind that running your own business will require you to develop some shrewd business sense. Ask yourself, are you organised? Focused? Disciplined? Do you value yourself and your skills? You’ll need to think carefully about how much you would like to earn in a year. How many days a week would you be prepared to work to earn this much?

How much time would you like to have off each year? How about competition in your local area? Would you be prepared to travel to avoid it or do you have some fresh ideas to help you stand out? There are a number of places you can turn to for help to get you started: try www.businesslink.org.uk or if you are under 30, The Princes Trust.

Increasingly – through the internet – networking and support communities for the selfemployed are springing up, with the aim of regularly meeting to brainstorm and swap information. Get creative and scour resources like Facebook for local groups of people like you, or, why not set up a group of your own?

Back to school

If you’ve studied hard to get where you are potential clients are going to perceive you as much more trustworthy and professional. Plus, if you want to work in a clinic, then you’ll need those qualifications before you can get insured.

Courses, and the approach of teachers, can differ vastly, so it’s important to find one that is going to suit you before you get committed. Find out as much as you can about the course that interests you. See if you can go on a taster day, speak to the tutors and other students – what are graduates doing now? If you’re on a budget, local further education colleges can be a good place to check out – many offer vocational holistic courses. “I trained in Swedish Body Massage and Indian head massage at Sussex Downs College,” says Jules Asche, of Lewes. “The cost was a concern, but as the classes ran in the evenings I could work full-time and could cope financially. The only real problem with training in holistic therapies is that it is addictive!”

Jules has found that since graduating and setting up her own practice, she has enjoyed ongoing support through her fellow graduates, as they all keep in touch and meet regularly.

Spreading the word

It’s no good being an amazing practitioner if nobody knows you are there! It’s important to let people know who you are and what it is that you do. Many people shrink away from the term ‘marketing‘, but really it’s just about communication. “Great marketing comes from having a strong brand,” says marketing coach Susi White.

A brand is simply shorthand for what people think and say about your business. You need an identity that differentiates you from your competitors, appeals to your ideal clients, and tells them what you can do for them. What makes you unique? Make sure your contact phone numbers and email addresses work, and utilise the internet. A simple one-page website can be enough, or you could write a blog for free at www.blogger.com. Be professional and make sure your service is excellent – the best marketing of all is word of mouth.

Money, money, money

Managing your own money as freelancer can seem scary if you are used to being an employee, but really it’s more a case of building new habits around money. Invest some quality time in having a good look at the Inland Revenue’s website to see which bits of tax law apply to you, and talk to a couple of accountants and bookkeepers to see what free advice they can provide.

A good accountant will definitely be your new best friend. Be sure to keep all your records as orderly as you can and keep on top of things from the start. “I file my receipts at the end of each day while I’m watching TV,” says Naz, a freelance textile designer. Far better than trying to unscramble a year’s worth of data and paperwork at the last minute just as the Self Assessment deadline is looming!

LCTA – London College of Traditional Acupuncture, have an open day on the Saturday 13 September. For more information call Sally-Ann on 0208 8446 3332.

Susi White’s website is www.thewhitehavens.co.uk
Jules Asche’s website is www.phoenixtherapy.net

Self-help book The Secret has sold 80 million copies since its release in 2006, proving that the power of the imagination is equally matched by the power of our desire to change. The Secret boils down to this: focus on something and you can get it. To reap the benefits of your imagination, you must give a specific message to the universe, such as: “I am going to earn £75,000 between now and the end of 2008”, and you must only focus on what you want (e.g. money) and not on what you don’t want (e.g. debt).

“There’s one essential ingredient that The Secret misses out, turning what could be a tool for world change to one that may have left many inspired, but still wanting”

It’s a wonderful idea and one that certainly isn’t new, and The Secret spends many pages attributing this ‘secret’ way of thinking your way to health, happiness and prosperity to everyone from Henry Ford to Buddha.

But there’s one essential ingredient that The Secret misses out, turning what could be a tool for world change to one that may have left many of those 80 million inspired, but still wanting. Here’s the secret that The Secret doesn’t tell you: in order to truly get what you want, you need to believe that you can consciously, and also unconsciously.

Consciously you may say that you want £75,000, but if you are running a contrary belief (one that you’re probably not aware of) that money is bad, evil or makes people greedy, then no amount of positive thinking can make you rich.

Let’s do a little experiment. Think of what you want and say the following four questions in front of a mirror (or, better still, ask a friend to listen to you):

I can have/do/be…
I allow myself to have/do/be…
I am willing to do what it takes to have/do/be…
I have/am doing/am…

Do you sound and look natural and convincing? If so, great! Use The Secret to get what you want. If 1. was difficult, you need help with believing what you want. If 2. wasn’t convincing, there may be an underlying self-worth issue. Question 3. is about taking responsibility. Difficulty with 4. means you need to spend time imagining what you will be like when you have what you want.

A personal change coach like myself can easily help you clear these unconscious blocks. But you’d better hurry quick, because when that £75,000 comes through, I’m booking a ticket on a round-the-world cruise and I don’t know when I’ll be back… Happy imagining.

Viv Craske is a Meta-Medicine Health Coach, NLP practitioner and hypnotherapist based in Brighton. To change your life, call 01273 208605, email: viv@nlpbrighton.co.uk or visit: www.nlpbrighton.co.uk.

Photo by flickr.com/ninjanoodles

It is a fact that those who live the longest tend to be those who have successfully managed to exist free from artificial substances. I know this is a broad statement, so let me elaborate. Our lives are basically a toxic mess!

“Now I know what you’re thinking… we’re all going to die sometime. Of course we are and that’s exactly why we must cherish the life we have and treat our bodies with more respect”

Every minute of every day, toxins in one form or another are invading our bodies. The air we breathe is full of hydrocarbons, the water we drink has been ‘chlorinated’ and is polluted with sediment, the food we eat is full of pesticides and if that’s not enough, we go out and drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes!

Oh, and did I forget that during every second of our existence, transverse electromagnetic radiation of varying frequency and magnitude passes through our cells causing untold damage and mutation! Depressing huh?

Now I know what you’re thinking… we’re all going to die sometime. Of course we are and that’s exactly why we must cherish the life we have and treat our bodies with more respect. 10,000 years ago, when we were running around in loincloths made of wolf fur and chasing woolly mammoths for food we were all very healthy. Now things have changed.

Obesity is on the rise along with cancer, osteo-arthritis and many other autoimmune diseases. There is a bone of contention regarding the causes, but it is my firm belief that the presence of toxins has a major role to play in this unfortunate crisis we are facing.

So what do we do? Well, let’s all start to be more mindful of the choices we have. Drink pure water as opposed to tap water. If you can find 750 pounds, a great investment would be a ‘reverse osmosis’ purification system, which removes absolutely all foreign elements, leaving only the purest H20 on tap. Filters are a step in the right direction, but they remove less than half the sediment! Eat organic, free-range seasonal food wherever possible.

Stop using beauty products that contain toxic artificial additives. Switch to natural toothpaste. It is especially important to limit orally-absorbed toxins since they enter the body easily. Aloe dent makes great-tasting toothpaste free from toxins. Limit your exposure to radiation from mobile phones, televisions and other electrical devices wherever possible by opting for hands-free kits.

In summary, there is plenty you can do and your choices will ultimately have a direct influence on your own health and that of your offspring.

Adam Kann is a personal trainer at David Lloyd Health Club, Brighton Marina. Email him at: adamkann@hotmail.com.

Photo by flickr.com/jennratonmort

What was the inspiration behind setting up the company?
I had a career in IT for 20 years but I didn’t want to carry on commuting and sitting in front of a screen all day. So I decided to start a bit of part-time cleaning! Eco-friendly cleaning was really the only option for me as I didn’t want to work with harsh chemicals all day. Hence Green Mop was born!

That was just over a year ago now, and it’s all taken off much more than I expected. The good people of Brighton and Hove respond very well to an ethical, eco-friendly business.

What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve faced?
It’s been a very steep learning curve from Green Mop being just me, to it flourishing into a small business. There’s a lot more to running your own business than I had ever imagined at the beginning. Employing people to go into people’s homes and workplaces is obviously a big responsibility. That was a big worry for me at the start, but now I have some wonderful Green Moppers doing a great job!

What’s been your biggest success?
The biggest success for Green Mop has been the great response we get. Repeat business and recommendations from happy customers is very rewarding. And convincing some habitual bleach lovers that the eco- option works just as well, if not better…well that’s very satisfying!

Who are your heroes?
Oh, this is a difficult one. Is it cheating to say my mum is my hero?! I guess for starting an ethical business in Sussex and having global success, the late Anita Roddick is an inspiration. But mainly, my mum is my super hero!

For more information visit www.greenmop.co.uk or call 01273 774951

Are you interested in therapy which takes the shortest possible route to a solution in the least possible time? If you are then Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is something you would be wise to take a look at.

Rather than focusing and dwelling on problems, a SFBT therapist will focus on identifying the client’s goals for each session and working with the client to achieve them. This means that very often, clients see very immediate benefit from their therapy session and this motivates them to continue their cycle of change.

So what would you expect a therapy session to be like? First of all, you will go through your problem and scale it, so you will be able to tell how much better the problem is getting. The therapist will identify specific patterns within the problem and they will also ask about other areas of your life, to identify what skills and resources you have which you can use in this situation.

You will be asked what you would like to achieve and they will work with you to ensure it is achievable. You will focus on what life will be like without the problem and by utilising language techniques and focusing on your desired future, the therapist will gently guide you towards your goal. In addition, they will often give you specific tasks to complete after the session, to enable you to realise that future and see the difference the therapy is making.

So how brief is brief? As SFBT is client driven, therapists don’t give specific timescales for how long therapy will take. A good therapist will focus on helping clients set goals and develop strategies to reach those goals in the shortest possible time frame.

To give you some idea, there are normally between one and six sessions. Solution-focused therapists ascribe to the ethical value of providing clients with the most effective treatment in the most time-efficient manner possible so that clients can get on with living their lives.

Can this therapy be used for anything? Absolutely. No matter what the perceived size of the issue is, this approach will enable clients to see real benefits, fast. For bigger issues, by breaking down the problem into smaller achievable goals, this can often enable people to feel the difference that therapy has made much more quickly than other therapeutic approaches.

For more information on SFBT, for both one-to-one sessions and being trained to use it, contact Subrideo Ltd at: www.subrideo.com or call: 01273 207333