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Shiny Awards 2007 - coming very soon

The Shiny boys’ tuxes are back from the dry cleaners, while the girls are fending off calls from major Italian fashion houses.

Yep the awards season is on its way. And up there with the Globes, the Oscars and the south Suffolk Marrow growers' Vegathon is the annual Shiny awards.
Each year Team Shiny, in conjunction with a crack posse of gadget know-it-alls from The Sun, Guardian, Q etc get together to vote for the best and worst gadgets of the year.

Among the categories are serious stuff like Green Gadget, Best Smartphone and Web 2.0 innovation as well as a few more entertaining contests which we’ll let you know about very soon.

Sorry to say that the Chav Gadget award, won so spectacularly by the Apple iPod shuffle last year, is no more, but we have come up with a suitably cheesy replacement.

We are also teaming up with several European blog networks to launch the first ever Blog readers Euro-Gadget of the year. You’ll get your chance to vote on that very soon too.

Over the next week or so we will also be posting the nominations on Shiny Shiny and Tech Digest.

The awards will be held in a swanky central London venue on February 21st. Now where did I put that satin sash belt… [ashleynorris]

Carnival of the Green #59

Welcome to the first Carnival of the Green for 2007, and being the first one in three weeks, it's triple packed.  Up top we've got word from Carnival founder and Hippyshopper emeritus Al Tepper, who was tapped to write Blogbridge's 'Green Planet' expert topic guide.  His list, in alphabetical order: Eco Worrier from Times Online, ecorazzi, Greenpeace, Gristmill from Grist, Hippyshopper (!), Joel Makower, RealClimate, The Oil Drum, Treehugger and WorldChanging.  Wow.  That's amazing company to be in and thanks are due from me and (again, alphabetically) John, Katie, Ken and Sarah.  Now, on with the carnival!

Companies providing carbon offsets are springing up nearly as fast as the trees they're planting.  To help you decide the right one for you, David of The Good Human has prepared a guide titled Buying Carbon Offsets - Which Company Do You Choose.

Give a man a battery and he has a flashlight until the thing burns out and he stubs his toes.  But, Vihar Sheth of Green Rising points out in  Turn On Your Love Light, give a man a microcredit loan and he'll buy solar panels and energy efficient bulbs, giving himself a permanent light, and he'll pay that loan back, too.  Sheth also writes about the new class of  Responsible MBAs.

Tracy Stokes EcoStreet has a post on Free car recycling in the EU, which is "about the new End of Life Vehicles Directive.  Car manufacturers are being made to pay for the recycling of vehicles of all ages."  Hippyshopper's awesome Sarah Painter also picked this up under Manufacturers to cover cost of car scrapping.

Phil for Humanity asks, "Can You Guess One of Biggest Wastes of Electricity? -From the Other Grinch".  It isn't toasters.  Phil also posits some  Solutions for Saving the Planet and Humanity.

Nina of Queercents addresses the same problem in her post titled LED Holiday Lights: Eco-Friendly & Reduces Your Electric Bill.  "In Deck the Halls," she notes, "Danny DeVito decorates his house with Christmas lights in an excessive attempt to make it become visible from space. It made me think again about the environmental impact lights have on the environment and motivated me to search for and switch to the LED alternative this holiday season."  I stocked up on low-cost strings after Christmas - though I'd already made a point of throwing out any remaining conventional lights during this year's decoration process.  Nina also writes on  The Small House Movement vs. Big, Bad Houses, noting that "the tiny home movement has received lots of attention but unfortunately, big is still perceived as better when it comes to housing."

Jade L. Blackwater - normally of Arboreality - has "a guest-blog at Garden Rant on the subject of Christmas trees.  This post discusses green ways to enjoy Christmas trees from start to finish, including cut and live tree selection, and tree-cycling.  To compliment my guest-blog at Garden Rant, I have also written a post on how to care for and plant a live Christmas tree, which you can find here: Detailed information on how to care for and plant live Christmas trees.

While not normally a green blog, Wisdom From Wenchypoo's Mental Wastebasket brings us Post-Holiday Commentary - cause aren't we all going green?

Hippyshopper's last carnival of the green was the "Save The Ribble" edition, and this time around you can pick up Save The Ribble's New Year Resolutions.  Ribble poster Riversider also raises issues regarding the Riversway Riverworks Consultation - Ignoring the Questions That Most Concern Residents

The Groovy Green staff have posted their own, and would like to hear your, Steps Toward A Solution and New Year's Resolutions.

I can't help liking the nickname for the Generative Transformation blog - and their message on The Economics of Self-Awareness by Brandon Peele is pretty interesting also.  In related news, Stentor Danielson has A Political Ecology Lesson for Ronald Bailey, rebutting the idea that "urbanization and globalization will solve all our problems".

Tucked back in the Community Action tent that the Green Festival last month," notes writer, model, actress and environmentalist Victoria E,  "it was easy to miss the collection of over 30 local and national non-profits. It could stand to be argued that this small collection of tables was the most important at the entire event, yet they were relegated to a tent outside."  Her detailed dissection of this problem is located at Local non-profits: the heart of the Green Festival.  She follows this up in Green Buyouts: Corporate Progression or Mainstream Trickery, asking, "Am I the only one who is getting sick of hearing about small, homegrown eco-brands being bought by big corporations and investment groups? By no means am I against the development of a just and planet-friendly company, but this is getting ridiculous. Is it impossible for a company to be profitable without "submitting" to the bigwigs who harvested the problems with our current marketplace?"

Matthew Paulson at Getting Green tells you Why Should You Be "Getting Green"?

As a Canadian during the demise of fishing in Newfoundland's Grand Banks, I'm painfully aware of Veggie Revolution's point about a New book about how overfishing is changing the world.  "Sally Kneidel, biologist and co-author of Veggie Revolution, writes about Charles Clover's new book, The End of the Line: How Overfishing Is Changing the World and What We Eat.  Clover makes a strong case that most fish stocks will collapse within the next 50 years, due to more efficient fishing methods and world population growth. But he proposes solutions that will work, if we demand that they be implemented."  Also at Veggie Revolution, Sally Kneidel, provides the Top 6 Ways to Protect Wildlife from Commercial Trade.  "More than 650 wild animals were imported into the United States in the last three years.  Sally Kneidel, PhD, writes about the illegal trade in wildlife and animal body parts - for traditional medicines, for pets, for research.  She lists 6 ways to avoid contributing to this destructive trafficking."

Won't you Join Us In Creating a Better Tomorrow?  Justin Lowery invites all to blog4brains.com.

Climate change: learning from Norway contains "Some notes on Norwegian climate change policy, and a comparison with New Zealand's," from Idiot/Savant at No Right Turn.

From Don Bosch of Evangelical Ecologist: After 30 years of Saddam’s stalinist rule and nearly four years since he was deposed, a democratic Iraq is making great strides on the environment in its own right, and with the help of the international environmental community. Don Bosch at The Evangelical Ecologist looks at the new Iraqi Environmental Ministry, including their exceptional work to restore the Mesopotamian Marshlands nearly destroyed by the late dictator."  Read on in The Desert Blooms.

Mr Juggles recommends we  Make Emissions Delicious, Stop Global Warming at Long or Short Capital.

When Constance Brown moved from Arizona to Indiana two years ago, she was struck by a major difference: people in Indiana don't think about water every day the way people in Arizona do.  At the Greener News Room, she writes about how Trees manage water, even in arid environments.  "Water scarcity is slowly becoming a fact of life in increasingly large areas."

Nathan of Greenthinkers writes about the Enviro Mighty Mouse: "Apple has been granted a patent for a hybrid low power computer mouse. Basically, this 'green' mouse will use two different mechanisms to track its movement on your desk - an optical tracking sensor and a new feature, an accelerometer."  I also covered this at Apple Patents Hybrid Low Power Computer Mouse.

Judy Kingsbury of Savvy Vegetarian proclaims: Attention Hippy Shoppers! Save Your Health AND The Planet: Find Out Why You Should Avoid GMO Foods Like The Plague That They Are!

Growth is Madness! has a great photo, not to mention its article Did someone say, “steady state economy”? which proposes that not just corporations should be able to trade emissions credits - but that every adult should have their own "Tradable Energy Quotas" that would be "(initially carbon-linked, but eventually, once clean energies are relatively pervasive, just energy-linked ), with the option to buy more or sell their surplus."

And finally, a hat-trick from Matt: two recommendations and one of his own.  He brings us Hunger and food insecurity in the Latino community at U.S. Food Policy, What Ollie Moore Wants from Santy at olliesplace and his own predictions for An Organic 2007? at Organic Researcher.   Thanks thrice, Matt - and thanks to all others who submitted to Carnival of the Green #59.  Let's all have that green year Matt (and all of us) are hoping for.  [GT]

Carnival of the Green #58 was hosted by Cocolico on December 18th, 2006, and Carnival of the Green #60 will be hosted by One/Change on January 15, 2007.  Carnival of the Green is based at Treehugger.    [GT/Gabrielle Taylor, Editor, Hippyshopper]

Convenient Truths: A Green Video Contest

Seventh Generation and TreeHugger have put out a call for entries for Convenient Truths: a green video contest.

Videos should show easy, practical and creative ways of reducing your own carbon emissions in everyday life and be between one and two minutes long.

You've got until the end of February to get yours in and there is nearly $30,000 worth of prizes up for grabs. So beg, borrow or steal* a camcorder and have at it.

*Not really. That would be bad.

Related: A Year of Living Generously

Hippyshopper is looking for new writers!

We're looking for more writers for Hippyshopper, so if you're interested get in touch! We need someone who can post a couple of times a day (5 days a week) about green issues, products, reviews and news. We're after someone who is based in the UK, ideally near London, so that you can attend product launches and press annoucements. There's potential for this job to grow as Shiny Media is currently expanding at a rapid rate, and if you'd also like to write for any of our other sites, make sure you let us know.

If you're interested in writing for us, please send over an email telling us about yourself along with a few sample posts for Hippyshopper. Emails should be sent to me (Katie) at editor[at]shinyshiny.tv

I look forward to hearing from you!

Brandish, the decent blog for decent blokes

BRANDISH, Shiny Media's new site for men dedicated to The Coolest Stuff in the World is now live and kicking, so check it out and spread the word. It'll feature must-have gadgets, fashion that won't make you look like a metrosexual arse, illegally fast cars, fine Cuban cigars, Japanese robots, that sort of thing.
Shiny People

Have you taken the Shiny survey yet?

if you live in the United Kingdom and you haven't yet filled out the Shiny Media survey, please take five minutes to give us your views. We'll make it worth your while - there are MP3 players, a limited edition Star Wars phone and a portable DVD player up for grabs just for ticking a few boxes and leaving your email address.

For the full list of prizes up for grabs click here.

To take the survey click here.

Do the Shiny Media Survey - you might win a Portable DVD Player/Star Wars Nokia/Creative MuVo music player

Our Shiny Media survey may not constitute the most fun you've ever had online, but if you spend five minutes of your life answering our questions you might just win yourself a:

Toshiba 9-inch Portable DVD player
Nokia 3220 - Orange - Star Wars Special Edition Mobile Phone
Creative MuVo TX 256MB Music Player (eight of these to give away)
Sony 1GB Bean music player (we've got four of these to give away)

Go on! - it won't take you a sec and we'll love you forever.

Click here to take survey

[Non-UK readers: Sorry - it's not open to you. It's nothing personal, we promise!]

WikiGreen

Now here's something for everybody!  WikiGreen is a community for "Sustainable living, Intentional communities and life Off the grid. You will find here the personal experience of Alternative energy, Back to the land and Do-It-Yourself people, as well as regular folks wanting to live more Green."  I'm a little surprised to not have run into any green wikis before because the whole philosophy is about community - if you've got one, please do share.  The great thing about wikis is, they can be whatever you make them - and since WikiGreen already has nearly a thousand articles posted, it looks like its making itself into something very useful indeed.

The main subjects on the front page are Agriculture, Community, Construction, DIY, Food and Drink, Technology and Health.  There's also an Ideas page where you can post things you'd like to see happen, such as recycling tetra paks into roofing.

The organization structure could use a little improvement, but like I said, the great thing about a wiki is, you don't have to just sit around complaining about how things should be, you can get right in there and tidy them up.  The exempla of the hippy spirit!

[GT]

Carnival of Green #26: Save the Ribble edition

Aloha, fellow ecologists.  This week's Carnival is coming to you from Hippy Shopper, where I'm the brand-new editor - and instead of a baptism by fire, we have a baptism by green!  But let me pause for a minute to thank Ella Rabaiotti, who suffered through training me with grace and charm, but alas, has now gone over to the now doubly enviable CityHippy.  Good luck, Ella!  Now, on with the show! People have sent in a lovely batch of posts and the lovely and talented Al from CityHippy - cofounder of the traveling eco-blog along with TriplePundit - has provided some spiffy handholding as necessary.  Thanks Al - and thanks to Gerry Pugliese, GrrlScientist, Nick Aster, Riversider, Aaron Newton, Camden Lady, Jemilah Magnusson, Enrique, Scott Smith, Melissa Mansfield, Laura Klein, Harlan Weikle, Liz Hincks and Jeff McIntire-Strasburg for providing such great material, and Greg from Save the Ribble for the lovely photo of a wetland that needs not to become a riverworks.  Read on for more on the Ribble and a fat, luscious heap of carnival goodness!

Gerry Pugliese, who notes disclaimerwise that he works for Dr Fuhrman, relays a post about Dr Fuhrman's props for pomegranate juice.  "A rich source of phytochemical compounds shown to benefit the heart and blood vessels. It not only lowers cholesterol, but lowers blood pressure and increases the speed at which heart blockages (atherosclerosis) melt away."

Pomegranate Power:
http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/healthy-food-189-pomegranate-power.html

from Disease Proof:
http://www.diseaseproof.com/

GrrlScientist offers up "a review of Timothy Egan's book about the Dust Bowl days. This book serves as a powerful warning about environmental damages resulting from human greed and ignorance."

The Worst Hard Time:
http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2006/05/the_worst_hard_time.php

from Living the Scientific Life:
http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/

Nick Aster wonders, "Why not make a little collapsible container that's small enough to take with you when you go out to eat? Despite the potential for tackiness, it struck me as a good business idea." I commented on previous HippyShopper posts on Orikaso origami dishware and the workplace dish set from vessel.

Would Durable Containers for Takeaway Food Work? http://www.triplepundit.com/pages/would-durable-containers-for-t-002129.php

from triplepundit:
http://www.triplepundit.com

Reigh Belisama has some heartbreaking pictures of the River Ribble, an area described as "horrid," "bleak", "severely underutilised" and "barren" by city councillors eager to establish a new Riverworks.  The Redshanks living in the tidal flats seem to like it just the way it is.

Photographs of The River Ribble - Greenbelt Under Threat.
http://save-the-ribble.blogspot.com/2006/04/photographs-of-river-ribble-greenbelt.html

from Save the Ribble:
http://save-the-ribble.blogspot.com

Regarding fish smiling as oil passes peak, Aaron Newton of Groovy Green says, "In the future as we pass the peak in global oil production some people may complain about the reduced availability of fish for human consumption. Other will lament the rise in cost. Many in the industry might not be able to continue this way of making a living as fuel prices push ever higher. For our finned friends however peak oil might have arrived just in time."

fish smiling as oil passes peak
http://groovy.movingtonz.com/type/?p=844

from Groovy Green:
http://groovy.movingtonz.com/

"I have a small portfolio of shares in green companies," says Camden Lady, "and updated progress on that this week at http://camdenlady.wordpress.com/2006/05/01/little-green-shares/, as well as commenting further on one which is doing rather well in the current drought by selling water butts at http://camdenlady.wordpress.com/2006/05/03/straight-plcs-rise-and-rise/.  We're having local council elections, and I voted for one green candidate, and two labour ones, blogged at http://camdenlady.wordpress.com/2006/05/02/council-elections-red-with-a-little-green/.

Little Green Shares
http://camdenlady.wordpress.com/2006/05/01/little-green-shares/

Straight PLC’s rise and rise
http://camdenlady.wordpress.com/2006/05/03/straight-plcs-rise-and-rise/

Council Elections - Red, with a little Green
http://camdenlady.wordpress.com/2006/05/02/council-elections-red-with-a-little-green/

from Camden Lady:
http://camdenlady.wordpress.com

Jemilah Magnusson of The Green Life blogged from a forest leadership forum in Portland, Oregon.  He describes how he "attends a presentation by Wal-Mart, and is underwhelmed. Wal-Mart shows, yet again, that they are not serious about change, and that they just don't get it."

Forest Leadership Forum Day 1: And now onto the Forum
http://www.thegreenlife.org/blog/archives/000137.html

Forest Leadership Forum Day Two: Leave it to Wal-Mart to Ruin My Day
http://www.thegreenlife.org/blog/archives/000138.html

from The Green Life:
http://www.thegreenlife.org

Enrique provided the carnival with a joyful heap of green design posts from Common Ground: "Zero emissions, village-style car-free neighborhoods - and no landfill. A new settlement on the Yangtze will show the world that China wants to help save the planet after all."

Common Ground: Design
http://commonground.typepad.com/commonground/design/index.html

from Common Ground:
http://commonground.typepad.com/

Scott Smith doubles up with posts from Greenthinkers and Envirolet Buzz.  At Greenthinkers, Nathan has a week on Green Beauty Secrets, with the word here on green shampoo. 

Green Beauty Secrets: Shampoos
http://www.greenthinkers.org/blog/2006/05/green_beauty_secrets_shampoos.html

from Greenthinkers:
http://www.greenthinkers.org/

Scott also raises the idea of "a Yard Sale for a Cure," where "you have a yard sale on May 27th and donate all or some of the proceeds to the Yard Sale for the Cure for breast cancer research.  So you help find a cure for breast cancer and recycle/reuse some old stuff you don't want anymore!"

Yard Sale for a Cure
http://enviroletbuzz.com/archives/2006/04/000424.html

from Envirolet Buzz:
http://enviroletbuzz.com/

Melissa Mansfield at LA Green Living posts "Global Warming Issue Heating Up: a look at the recent attention that the global warming/climate change issue has attracted. The post includes information and resources that educate and hopefully inspire, such as Renew US' 'retrospective' film from 2055 that shows how humankind reversed the destructive path we 'were' on, Laurie David's online petition drive, and Al Gore's documentary An Inconvenient Truth."

Global Warming Issue Heating Up
http://lagreenliving.com/blog/2006/05/04/global-warming-issue-heating-up/

from LA Green Living:
http://lagreenliving.com/blog/

Laura Klein of Organic Authority has a smart post on how to get "fresh summer salads by growing your own delicious organic salad, even if you lack sufficient yard space."

Organic Gardening: Anyone Can Grow a Salad

http://www.organicauthority.com/blog/?p=140

from Organic Authority:
http://www.organicauthority.com

CityHippy sez: time for Starbucks Challenge 4.0!  "CityHippy & GreenLAGirl launch the latest phase of the Starbucks Challenge to measure just how serious Starbucks are about solving the problems they have accepted exist with regard to delivering on their fairtrade promise. Join the fun, keep Starbucks honest and even win some great green prizes."

Starbucks Challenge 4.0
http://cityhippy.blogspot.com/2006/05/feature-starbucks-challenge-40.html

from CityHippy:
http://cityhippy.blogspot.com/

Harlan Weikle has a great article on the "first commercial application of biomass to electricity" at Greener Magazine (co-founded by ForestImagesProject.org).  Biomass Investment Group is building a 130 megawatt power plant fueled by... grass!  "The fuel used in this process is called Arundo donax or "Giant Reed", which is similar to bamboo and grows rapidly, 5 cm per day, to nearly 3 meters in height."

First commercial application of biomass to electricity
http://greenermagazine.blogspot.com/2006/05/nations-first-commercial-biomass-to.html

from Greener Magazine:
http://greenermagazine.blogspot.com/

GreatGreenGoods "continues to find products that keep waste out of the landfills no matter how big or how small."  Liz Hincks writes that "this week GGG is focusing on record albums and record album covers.  We have found several ingenious ways to reduce reuse and recycle! Have a little fun and get a bit of a groove on as well!"

http://www.greatgreengoods.com/category/recycled-records-recycled-record-albums/

http://greatgreengoods.com

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg of Sustainablog asks, "What About a Tool for Community Garden Organizing?" His reader, Chris Davis notes, "We've seen the power of online community organizing tools, but I'm not aware of anything that would allow people to indicate if they'd like to garden or else offer a small piece of land for others to garden. Do you think there would be sufficient interest in people using an online tool such as this?"  This sounds like a job for Platial.

What About a Tool for Community Garden Organizing?
http://sustainablog.blogspot.com/2006/04/what-about-tool-for-community-garden.html

from Sustainablog:
http://sustainablog.blogspot.com/

And that's a wrap!  Ladies and gentlemen, take a bow to the very hippy accompaniment of Ezra Pound:

O GENERATION of the thoroughly smug

and the thoroughly uncomfortable,

I have seen fishermen picknicking in the sun,

I have seen them with untidy families,

I have seen their smiles full of teeth

and heard ungainly laughter.

And I am happier than you are,

And they were happier than I am;

And the fish swim in the lake

and do not even own clothing.

 

Carnival of Green #25 was hosted by Spiral Visions on May 1, 2006, and Carnival #27 will be hosted by EarthEcho International on May 15, 2006.

[GT]

Third Annual Chevy Chase Earth Day Auction

CharityBuzz is hosting the Third Annual Chevy Chase Earth Day Auction, involving all kinds of celebrity lunches, signed posters, a trip to Miraval Resort, a San Francisco Health Foods trip, a retreat to Mohonk Mountain and a year's supply of Steaz soda. (Or you can just get everything you need from Tony Danza.)

Proceeds go to a coalition of The Center for Environmental Education Online, Earth Day Network, and The New York Coalition for Healthy School Lunches, who "have joined forces to raise awareness about the need for vibrant and effective environmental education."

Our goal is quite simple yet so critical: To ensure that our kids live well and make smart choices that will prepare them to lead long, healthy and productive lives!  Rarely has meeting Martha Stewart been something you could do, for, you know, the children.  Auctions end May 9.

[Gabrielle Taylor]

Sunday, April 30: World Pinhole Photography Day

I love digital photography - the endless reuse of materials, not needing to make prints that may or may not be good, the frolicksome sense of freedom - but I can see the appeal of World Pinhole Photography Day, (as mentioned on flickr blog).  It's a good idea to step back from increasingly sophisticated and controlling technology to hand-made, home-made, a little gadget that expresses natural beauty and basic science, resulting in a creative work that's all your own.

Pinholeday.org has some good instructions on how to build a fairly sturdy pinhole camera, and also how to figure out exposure times, with notes that really, a cardboard box with a hole in it and some film inside works too if that's all you feel like doing.  Or you can expose directly onto photographic paper, to create a one-of-a-kind sun print.

Group events are taking place everywhere from Bristol to Bangladesh.  Participants are encouraged to scan their results and upload them to the permanent Pinhole gallery.  For such an imprecise art form, the results can be quite beautiful, as evinced by Daryl Furr's laundromat photo to the right.

[Gabrielle Taylor]

CoopAmerica launches ResponsibleShopper.org

Responsible Shopper is a brand-new site from Co-op America, the same group that operates the  National Green Pages.  Its purpose? It gives people the information they need to vote with their dollars when they shop – and to email companies to tell them to clean up their acts.  Is DaimlerChrysler ethical?  What is Amazon.com's attitude toward unions?  Is Vivendi Universal really that bad?  Check Responsible Shopper's profiles.

It's a very new site (launched three days ago) but it already has a lot of nicely presented, well-crossreferenced information about corporate ethics. They also have practical recommendations on what to do if you are dealing with, say, a polluting energy company like Peabody. Responsible Shopper is off to an excellent start and I'm quite curious to see what else develops as it grows.

[Gabrielle Taylor]

A new green image for Tesco?

Earlier this year Tesco announced that it was going to support the expanding biofuel sector; the supermarket giant Tesco has now pledged to spend £100 million on its 'environment fund'. Is this the 'green' light for us to feel less guilty about filling our trolley's at Tesco, who has also announced record profits of £2.21 billion? Not really I'm afraid. Friends of the Earth has given a cautious welcome to Tesco's plans to improve its energy efficiency, stating Tesco needs to source more of its food from the UK instead of buying from all over the world. But what about Tesco's plans to build the "world's greenest store" in the Norfolk market town of Aylsham?

FOE explained that local shops tend to be more energy efficient than supermarkets - per square foot supermarkets emit 3 times more carbon dioxide than greengrocers and its would take more than 60 greengrocers to match the carbon dioxide emissions from an average single superstore (according to a study by Sheffield Hallam Uni).

For more information read the FOE press release in full - Tesco - the new green chameleon? Also check out the Tescopoly website - the organisation who campaign against Tesco's dominance in the UK, as well as seeking measures to ensure that suppliers and their workers are treated fairly. What do you think? Is Tesco, as FOE put it, the new green chameleon? [Ella - picture credit FOE via Tescopoly]

Hippy Shopper needs you

Passionate about ethical consumerism? Then Hippy Shopper needs you. We're looking for enthusiastic contributors to Britain's biggest and best green consumer blog. And the good news is we'll even pay you a little bit too. If you're interested just e-mail the publisher Chris Price with details of your background to info@shinymedia.com. We're not necessarily looking for someone with bags of journalistic experience, just a nose for a good story and a good grounding in blogging and the web generally.   

Write for Hippyshopper

It doesn't seem that long since I was answering this plea to write for Hippyshopper. Telling folks all about the latest green and fairtrade products gives me a real buzz (really!) and I'd love to hear from people with a similar passion for ethical consumerism. For now, there's no cash involved - the renumeration is simply the joy of the wordsmith and the prestige of being read on a site that gets more than a thousand hits every day. Plus you're doing your bit for the planet by showing readers the better alternative.

Interested? Email me with a sample Hippyshopper story - in the style of the site - on a subject you're interested in. Please paste it into the body of the mail rather than sending it as an attachment. [Ella]

Get writing! Pictured: Pen made from recycled computer printers. Costs 85p at Ecotopia.

Loreal will takeover The Body Shop

The global cosmetics giant Loreal have today agreed to take over ethical high street retailer, The Body Shop. In a deal worth around £130 million to The Body Shop's founder, Anita Roddick, its hard to get past the fact that money makes the world go round.  Ethical businesses are no stranger to takeovers; UniLever bought Ben & Jerry's,  McDonald's acquired Pret A Manger and Cadburys Schwepps recently tookover Green & Black's.  So what are we to make of this latest takeover?

Loreal might have abandoned animal testing in 1989 but they continue to be part owned by Nestle (and I needn't go down that route).  Anita Roddick, who will continue as consultant for now, says "it's a gift", indicating that Loreal want to learn more about ethics and community trade.  The Body Shop has a wealth of ethical enterprise to teach Loreal.  In the eighties, they campaigned for reusing and recycling their bottles, when most didn't give a minute's thought to our landfill problem.  The Body Shop use natural ingredients, fairly traded where possible and are famously against animal testing.  They (or should we say, Roddick) leads the way supporting campaigns against poverty, human rights and domestic violence.

So have The Body Shop sold out? It is proposed that The Body Shop will be maintained as a standalone entity.  Chris Bones, Principal at Henley Management College, states that for a successful takeover Loreal need to stay true to the reasons for the deal and respect the Body Shop customer.  He warns that they may be a culture clash. We can only wait and see how the takeover will affect both sides involved.  I'd be really interested in your views on the subject - please feel free to comment below! [Ella]

Source: BBC News Online / Taking Over An Ethical Business by Chris Bones for BBC Business

Of Related Interest - Interview by City Hippy with Craig Sams of Green and Blacks on why they agreed the Cadbury's takeover. / The Vegetarian Centre - letter to Loreal regarding animal testing

Pictured - The Body Shop's 'Activist' soap

The Big Ask

For all of you who are missing the campaigning from Make Poverty History, check out The Big Ask - Friends of the Earth's new campaign asking the Government to commit to reducing carbon emissions by 3% every year.  The campaign is accompanied by a great downloadable ad that should be coming to a cinema near you soon. [Phil]

Related Post: Radiohead's boy wonder to play green gig

Keep organic food GM free

Whyorganic, a Soil Association website, are requesting urgent action to protect the integrity of organic food.  The European Commission has just come out with a proposal to amend the regulation that governs organic farming and food in the EU.  Whyorganic are opposed to the proposal which is a major threat to organic food.  Their key concern is GM contamination.  For more details and to show your support for their campaign go to Whyorganic. [Ella]

Shiny Media Launches The Googly Cricket Blog

Attention all sports fans. The Googly, Shiny Media's latest sports blog, has just gone public. Being the clever souls that we are, we've launched it just in time for England's first Test against India so you can find out all about just how badly it's going for England already.

Edited by Will Luke, creator of The Corridor of Uncertainty cricket blog, with regular contributions from sports writer extraordinaire, Gideon Haigh, The Googly is just the place for a bit of cricket chat during your break for lunch or tea.

This is Shiny Media's second foray into the world of sports bloggery, the first one being our rugby blog, Scrumbag. So if you're that way inclined, you can now get your daily fix of sporting news, reviews and gossip in handy bitesize chunks.

The Googly
Scrumbag

New editor at Hippyshopper

Just a quick note to let you all know that Shiny Media have asked me to take over as editor for the mo.  Regular reader's at Hippyshopper will hopefully look forward to more post's in a similar style.  I'll do my best to uncover the coolest eco-products and most sound ethical brands around.  Lookout this week for lights and furniture made from recycled materials and how to become involved in a new eco-village project.  I'm also planning on looking behind the high street brands to rate their environmental and ethical policies [see earlier post on Laura Ashley]. Watch this space! [Ella]

Thanks, moving on, future plans

This is just a brief note to say that today I'm passing the (ethical, recycled) reigns of the Hippyshopper editorship over to Katie Lee until Shiny find a permanent replacement. I'm leaving due to work commitments and also to set up my own, personal ethical lifestyle blog, www.thegreenguy.co.uk. If you've worked with me on Hippy, I'll be contacting you shortly. All that remains for me is to thank you all, wish good luck to the site's new editor and ask you to send any ethical products and life tips to adam AT thegreenguy.co.uk. [written by Adam Vaughan]

Fancy a Fair Trade Experience?

If the answer is yes then I recommend that you check out the New Consumer Fair Trade Experience this March. Held over two days (11th & 12th) during Fairtrade Fortnight at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall this event looks set to broaden many a horizon. Experience music, great kids stuff, plenty of stalls with fashion, crafts, foods and the like. Plus you can actually meet some real Fair Trade farmers and producers and find out what it really means to them when you buy their stuff. Entry is £1 and all kids go free! More info available from Tani @ Tania@newconsumer.org [written by Cityhippy]

Vote for your ethical favourites

Vote for your favourite ethical retailer and campaigner of the year in The Observer Ethical Awards 2006 in association with Ecover.  Retail candidates include Natural Collection and Ecotopia or you can nominate you own.  Choose from campaigner's such as Jamie Oliver, the Make Poverty History Campaign and Sian Berry of the UK Alliance Against Urban 4x4's.  Other categories include building of the year, young campaigner of the year and innovation of the year.  Voters can win Ecover goodies or a weekend for two in Brussels.  If you are a regular reader at Hippyshopper then chances are you'll have read reviews on many of the retailers and innovations - so refresh you memory in our archives.  Plus if you've got an ethical DIY home project to boast about then enter the DIY award for a chance to win cash to spend on green/eco materials.  The closing date is the 27th March. [Ella - Source: The Observer 12/02/2006]

Float over, get 15 per cent off

I still can't think of floatation tanks without recalling Jennifer Saunders in Ab Fab. Word has it, however, that they've moved on - especially if a new emporium in Notting Hill called Float is anything to go by. The centre uses non-toxic products wherever possible - from cleaning stuff to printed materials - and is apparently positively zealous about recycling. Plus its beauty treatments employ organic toiletries from Living Nature (more about them soon). The big spot of good news is that, as a Hippyshopper reader, you can get 15 per cent off the cost of a floatation session or a beauty treatment at Float. All you have to do is mention Hippyshopper when you book on 020 7727 7133. You'll get 10 per cent off Living Nature products on the day, too.

Head in the clouds

The Cloud Appreciation Society has just won the YAHOO 'Find of 2005' in the 'Weird and Wonderful' category and if, like me, you love clouds (clear blue sky always freaks me out), you will love this site. See The Cloud of the Month, The New and Old Cloud Gallery, Cloud Poetry, Art and other fluffy stuff too cumulus to mention. Join up for £2.00 and you get a badge and certificate. www.cloudappreciationsociety.org (Ian Harris)

Go MAD at sustainable living show

The kind lads and lasses over at Make a Difference (MAD) this month described Hippyshopper as 'probably the best blog on the web' in their newsletter. That's not why I'm featuring the MAD Show here though. Honest. The show, held 2-4th June at Earls Court in London, has earned its place on the grounds that it's promising to be the most comprehensive ethical shopping gig to hit town. The four main 'zones' are food and drink, travel and transport, home and garden, fashion and beauty; exhibitors are being confirmed. Tickets go on sale later in the year but you can register for an email alert now. Capital dwellers should also check out the London Sustainability Weeks (4-18th June) which I'll be writing more about soon.[written by Adam]

Festive salutations - see you in 06

I'm downing tools on Hippyshopper until 3rd January 2006, when business will commence as usual. Our guest editor, Elana is going to take care of the site next week, so make sure you keep reading. Thank you, thank you and thank you to all those who've helped support me and Hippyshopper in its first 9 months.

In the interim, cast your eyes over some of this year's highlights:

• Dominic Bates' superb Organic Beers of the Week series
• Hippy Shopper's Green Gadget of the Year: the Voltaic solar backpack
• Dave Reay's rousing climate change book
• Arbor's eco-minded snowboard
• Fairtrade after-dinner mint chocs, organic choc-covered seeds, a new Green & Blacks rival
• Richard Taylor's beautiful recycled hat stands
• Wind-up torches, wind-up radios and wind-up remote controls
• How to: recycle your mobile, get rid of unused paint, drive and save money

Get 20 per cent off at Biome Lifestyle

Remember the fabulous eco-minded alternative to Habitat I wrote about recently? Well, Biome Lifestyle, purveyor of such fine homeware as these cushions - made from recycled vintage scarves - is offering Hippyshopper readers a 20 per cent discount in time for Christmas. All you need to do is head over to Biome Lifestyle's site, spend some cash and enter the discount code of 2H3G58AB to get your money off.

Write for Hippyshopper

Know more than Vogue about ethical fashion? Regularly buy and taste the finest organic food and drink? Love solar gadgets? If you can write and know something about ethical consumer stuff, I'd like to hear from you. For now, there's no cash involved - the renumeration is simply the joy of the wordsmith and the prestige of being read on a site that gets more than a thousand hits every day. Interested? Email me with a sample Hippyshopper story - in the style of the site - on a subject you're interested in. Please paste it into the body of the mail rather than sending it as an attachment.

Brum gets Fairtrade blessing

This isn't something you can buy, unless you're Roman Abromavich and have a few paltry billion burning a hole in your pocket. Instead, it's news to warm your cockles - Birmingham yesterday joined cities such as Brighton & Hove and Aberdeen by earning the sobriquet of Fairtrade City. According to the council's website, that means at least 100 local shops sell Fairtrade stuff, a minimum of 50 Brum cafes flog Fairtrade food and drinks and all tea and coffee at the council is Fairtrade. It's roit bosta news, innit? Check out the full list of Fairtrade towns, cities and boroughs for ethical brews on your 2006 UK summer holidays. [Brum Bullring photo by supermoving]

Telewest Shiny Awards: Green Gadget

You’ve had the Oscars, the Brits and the Baftas. Now meet the Telewest Shiny Awards - the first ever alternative technology awards presented by Shiny Media websites Hippyshopper, Tech Digest, Shiny Shiny and Games Digest. Hippy's category is the best Green Gadget of 2005. You can find out which of the following four shortlisters cut the organic mustard on 2nd December.

Voltaic Systems Solar backpack
Citizen Eco Drive watches
Freeplay Devo DAB windup radio
Solio solar iPod and mobile charger

Buy Nothing Day