Stuff for men

Gone are the days when all a man had to do was shave in the morning using a sharp razor and some soap and splash some cold water on his face to finish. Now there are virtually as many men’s grooming products as there are women’s. Do women have grooming products? I’m not sure, but you get the picture. The choice can be baffling, to me at least. So, to make it a little easier, here are some natural products for us men.

Green People have a range for men, funnily enough called Organic Homme, a vegan organic range of stuff. Being Green people you can be sure there are no harmful chemicals and the ingredients are natural and where possible organic. They are not tested on animals and are vegan. They come in nice dark grey colour bottles, so you don’t look like you’ve picked up your girlfriends wash bag by mistake if you use them at the gym. The range has lots of different items, like pre-shave, shave now, shower wash, deodorant, shampoo…etc.

Check them out at Greenpeople.co.uk

Farmaesthetics® beauty products

What is Farmaesthetics®? I hear you ask…Well let me explain…Farmaesthetics® is a natural beauty and wellness approach founded by Brenda Brock. Brenda is the daughter of a seventh generation Texas farming family. Brenda blends the age old tradition of using home grown herbs and flowers to make skin care products with modern cosmetic manufacturing. Brenda’s recipes use a blend of organic herbs and flowers from American farms. Her range is organic and based on sustainable agriculture, so the products are not only good for you, they’re good for the planet too.

Now available through Origins, the range includes a variety of skin softeners and other bits, which I have to admit, as a man, I am not sure what they are. Best if you look at them yourselves!

Travel kit from Juice Beauty

Summer is upon us once again, and with it comes the all-important summer holiday. Whether you’re planning a few days in the country, or perhaps a week or two in the sun, you’re going to need travel size beauty products. As a healthier option, why not try something organic and natural? Juice Beauty are an American company set up in California (where else?) to produce natural and organic beauty products. Their range is made with 95% certified organic ingredients, including an antioxidant rich fruit juice base to nourish your skin.

The Organics To Go kit is the perfect introduction to the Juice Beauty range. The kit costs $29.00 contains everything you need for a healthy, radiant glow on-the-go and includes a creamy milk cleanser, refreshing hydrating mist, exfoliating green apple peel, vitamin rich-antioxidant serum and lightweight oil-free moisturizer. As a bonus gift you also get a soft, organic bamboo face cloth.

You can buy the kit along with other great products from the Juice Beauty website.

Tesco accused of exploiting workers in South Africa

Famous actress Emma Thompson has accused Tesco of subjecting some of their workers in South Africa to appalling pay and conditions. Ms Thompson, who is an ambassador for the charity ActionAid said “I have visited these farms and I was shocked by what I saw” after her tour of farms in the Western Cape area of South Africa. Thompson claimed that 80 women worked from 7am to 6pm for the equivalent of just 38p.

Tesco’s media director, Jonathan Church denied her claims, and said “We have looked at the farm conditions and pay, gone over the allegations made and not found any evidence to suggest there is a problem”. I’m sure the media director sat in his plush offices in the UK really knows more about the situation on South African farms than Emma Thompson who has actually been there and seen the situation for herself.

It is about time corporations took responsibility for their suppliers’ actions and set up a validation process that involves independent assessment of working conditions around the world. Being ethical needs to be more than a marketing strategy, it needs to be a moral code that corporations follow.

[Via The Telegraph]

Co-op is the greenest retailer on the high street

The Co-operative Group has been found by an independent study to be the most climate-friendly chain on the high street. Their banking arm, Smile has been named the ‘best current account provider’ at the Which? Awards, with 82% of Smile customers “very satisfied with their treatment”, in stark contrast to the way most people feel about their bank. The environmental research company, Trucost carried out the study for the BBC’s Money Programme. The study found that for every million £ of turnover, the Co-operative produced £324 worth of carbon and waste, whereas Somerfield came out as the worst performer, producing £1,194 worth of carbon and waste for every million £ of turnover.

Although lesser known than its high street rivals, the Co-op has around 3,000 high street outlets and a workforce of 68,000. The Co-op has its own travel business, and is the UK’s largest independent travel agency. It was the first travel agency chain to offer carbon offsets with its flights. All in all, the Co-op is an innovative market leader in ethical business and retailing.

Score o9ne for the good guys. Being ethical can be made to work in the business world, so maybe there is a working model here for other high street brands to follow.

[Via The Independent]

Natural soap from Andalucia

The Andalucia region of Spain is well known for its Mediterranean climate and unspoilt terrain. The Andalucia Soap Company manufactures natural Castile soap made with locally grown natural olive oil as a base. Why Castile soap? Because it is made with plants rather than animal fats and it has therapeutic and medical qualities. The other plant based ingredients are locally grown too, with the warm Mediterranean climate giving a rich abundance of fruit and vegetables from which to choose. The entire range of Andalucia soaps is free from chemical and synthetic fragrances, preservatives, detergents or chemicals. The colours used are all either plant based or made from natural clays. Apart from the all-natural nature of these wonderful soaps, you also get the benefit of aromatherapy oils blended into the soaps for their aroma and their therapeutic benefits. The soaps are so gentle they can be used as a facial cleanser and as a shampoo, they can even be used as a shaving soap. The other important thing to mention is that they are not tested on animals. The range is available on-line via their website and the prices are around €4.50 for a 100g bar.

Auto switch-off extension lead

Am I the only person that finds turning off appliances actually quite easy? If you do have difficulties turning off your appliances, there is ever increasing number of products on the market to help you. This adapter lead is the latest product on the market that's designed to make switching appliances off less of an effort. You can plug up to seven devices into the adapter and then you simply switch off the device in the master socket and it very cleverly powers down all the other sockets. For example, you can have your computer in the master socket and your peripherals in the other six, and once you power down your computer, the power is switched off from the peripherals for you. I must admit, it is pretty handy if your power sockets are in hard to get to places, and it does make it much easier in the evening when you’re tired and all you want to do is switch off your computer and go to bed.

If you do want to buy one, you can get it from Eco Electricals for £16.99.

Folding Solar Panel

The Sunlinq roll-up solar panel will power energy hungry gadgets like DVD players, hand-held computer games and other such gadgets. There is also an optional battery charger attachment that lets you charge your mobile phone, digital camera…etc. The Sunliinq power panel will run virtually any device that would normally work from or can be charged through your 12v car lighter adapter.

The panel comes with an accessories kit that includes a female CLA, male CLA, SAE barrel connector plug, battery clamps and 8ft. extension cord with SAE connectors and a build in charge regulator.
The whole thing is durable and lightweight, and when folded measures just 13 x 23 x 1.3cm and weighs only 200g, tough enough to stand up to hiking, camping and general backpacking. You can buy all this solare power for £85.00 from the greenshop.

ScootElectric Helio electric moped

The Helio electric moped offers affordable electric transport for the growing number of frustrated people who, despite paying the highest travel costs, suffer queues, delays, gridlock and poor parking facilities.
The Helio is 100% electric and has a range of 20-25 miles on one charge. It has a top speed of 23mph, though this is hardly a racing bike, it is more than fast enough for most of us. There is lots of cargo carrying capacity fro your shopping and other bits and pieces.

The Helio is Vehicle Type Approved in the UK and classed as a sub 50cc electric moped and at the moment you can get a £200 government grant.

The Helio costs £1399.00, but with the grant it costs a mere £1199.00 and is available from eGO Vehicles.

Floating wind farms could solve our electricity problems

The problem with wind farms is they’re massive, they damage the local environment and wildlife and the local populations hate them. Although they are good for reducing CO2 emissions, they blight the rural landscape. Now there is possibly an answer to these problems.

Seimens and Norsk Hydro have teamed up to try to generate electricity in the middle of the North Sea. They are testing a prototype wind turbine in the North Sea. It will be the world’s first floating off-shore wind farm. The prototype project could be finished in 2009 and if it works, a small offshore wind farm of 200 turbines could be built by 2014. This could provide enough electricity for many coastal cities. What is new and unique about this project is that the actual wind turbines are floating and tethered to the seabed, rather than fixed into the seabed. This means they can be much further out to sea where the winds are much stronger and more consistent. The other advantage is environmental. There is a great deal of public hostility to wind farms in the locality of the proposed installations. No one wants a massive wind farm on their doorstep. Quite apart from this, is the impact on the wildlife around the proposed wind farms. You only have to look at the opposition to the wind farms at Whinash near Kendal and on the Greek island of Skyros, to realise how unpopular these installations are.

This is no doubt an engineering challenge, but if successful will pave the way for many more floating wind farms. The prototype turbine is expected to produce 5 megawatts, enough for 1,000 homes. This is an elegant and effective solution that meets all the criteria for renewable electricity without the environmental damage or public opposition.

[Via The Independent]

Beverley Price fairtrade jewellery

One of South Africa's most prominent contemporary jewellers has created a new collection for Adila, a British company. Adila means ‘just and fair’ which really sums up their ethos. They work closely with fairtrade suppliers around the world and are a member of the British Association of Fair Trade Shops (BAFTS) so you can be sure everything you buy is genuinely fairly traded. The modern and stylish jewellery is hand made by underprivileged women in a community-based project in Johannesburg. The Beverley Price collection is made from miniatures taken from a South African magazine, ‘Drum’ which are set in sterling silver. This bracelet is just one of a collection that includes earrings, necklaces and bracelets. Prices start at £11 for the earrings and £26 for the bracelets.

Asda has a stab at going green

Asda, the supermarket that gave us “Asda price” is now climbing onto the green bandwagon with some of the other main supermarkets. Their effort, I was going to say token effort, but I thought better of it, is to launch a range of CDs with compostable covers. Instead of the usual plastic boxes you normally get with CDs you’ll get Ecopac packaging, a 100% recycled paper foam box you can recycle with your newspapers. This is a joint venture with Universal Music, which has put 84,000 of their best selling CDs in these little cases. There is no leaflet with the CD, instead you download one from their webiste. As long as you don’t print it onto paper, you’ll be saving resources. Once again, is this just a marketing gimmick or is it a serious attempt at saving the planet? I don’t really we are going to save the planet one CD at a time.

Sainsbury’s deliveries go green…well 20% at least

Sainsbury’s, like the other main supermarkets, is looking at promoting itself as a green supermarket. There is money to be made by any company selling its green credentials now. How much of this is pure marketing and how much is genuine concern for the environment is open to question. But, does it really matter? As long as steps are taken to reduce CO2 emissions does it really matter about the motives? I for one do not think so, what matters is the reduction in CO2.

With this in mind, Sainsbury’s have announced that by September 2008, 20% of their online deliveries will be made with electric vans. This is expected to save 45 tonnes of CO2 emissions in the first year alone. In addition, Sainsbury’s delivery drivers will take away the plastic carrier bags to be recycled. Hopefully they will expand the service to all their delivery vans eventually. After all, 20% of vans being electric can be perceived as a publicity exercise, because 80% are still powered by diesel and petrol.

To control the rising global temperature we need more than token gestures, we need real change.

Are biofuels the answer to all our fuel problems?

There is government and EU pressure to increase the use of biofuels both in the UK and throughout Europe. In the USA the government is promoting the development of biofuels as the answer to their fuel problems. Over here in the UK, BP and ABF have joined forces with DuPont to build a biofuels plant at BP’s chemicals site at Saltend near Hull. The £200 million biofuels plant will help to meet the demand for greener petrol for the foreseeable future. Due to start production in 2009, the plant will produce around 420 million litres of bioethanol a year. This plant alone is expected to meet around a third of the county’s demand for bioethanol. Under the government’s Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, at 5% of fuel sold at petrol stations by 2010 will be biofuels, so the future in biofuels is pretty much assured. There is money to be made in biofuels, so investment can only increase. Which is a good thing, right?

Well, possibly yes and probably no. The problem with biofuels, is that they are made from staples like corn, wheat, palm oil and soya oil. As demand for these grows in the developed world, prices could go up, and make them less affordable to communities in third world countries that rely on these for food. Will we end up creating more starving people in the third world as we in the West buy up wheat and corn for our biofuels? The environment could suffer too, as vast areas of rainforest are burned or logged to make room for biofuel crops. Will we destroy the rainforests that reduce CO2 in the atmosphere to make ‘greener’ petrol? The biofuels market has to be regulated and monitored effectively if the benefits in CO2 reduction aren’t overshadowed by the damage to the environment and to the poorer communities around the world.

[Via The Independent]

POSCH shopping bags for all

We are all being told to use reusable shopping bags as oppose to plastic carrier bags. The many millions of plastic carrier bags used and thrown away every day around the world do incredible damage to wildlife and the environment. There are many reusable shopping bags available, but if you’re looking for style to go with your green outlook try the POSCH bag. Luce Beaulieu is the Canadian creator of POSCH. Luce is an eco-designer and entrepreneur who is concerned about the effects of discarded plastic carrier bags on the local wildlife, especially on the endangered bird species native to Quebec. Luce uses recycled vintage bed sheets to make rather attractive shopping bags. The bags are handmade in Canada using an environmentally friendly process to minimise the ecological impact of the production process. The used sheets and pillow cases are sourced from local not-for-profit outlets like The Salvation Army and other similar charity shops. They are then sanitized, washed and printed using water based inks. The bags come in loads of different and unique designs and are available on-line from The Natural Store.

Is there such a thing as a green mobile phone?

I know using mobile phones is pretty unethical and not very planet friendly, but hey in today’s society I couldn’t manage without one. Anyway, the solution is to get an ethical planet friendly mobile phone and contract. There is a company called Green Mobile that gives you a mobile tariff that helps the environment and soothes your conscience. Intrigued by the claim I read further. Basically what they do is give you a tariff on an existing network and ask you to keep your existing handset, or you can have a new or refurbished handset instead. By not getting a new handset for at least a year, you are reducing your environmental impact. The other thing they do is give £25 and 6% of your monthly bills to one of their partner charities, Friends of the Earth, WWF and the Woodland Trust. They will plant 5 trees on your behalf as well. It sounds pretty good, but I’ m not sure what kind of uptake they will get because most people want the newest and fanciest mobile phone they can get. For most people a mobile phone is as much a fashion or status symbol as it is a communications device.

Next Reiki Course in London

We are running our next Reiki level 1 and level 2 course in central London on Saturday 7th July for the level 1 and Sunday 8th July for the level 2. You can take both levels together if you wish. Our website http://www.thehealingco.com/ gives more detailed information about this amazing and life changing natural therapy.

Reiki is a form of energy healing that was discovered and developed by Mikao Usui in Japan in the early part of the 20th century. Reiki is a form of healing, yet it is so much more. Reiki is the start of a beautiful spiritual journey that will help you to find your purpose on earth and follow your path with. Reiki was called by Mikao Usui "the art of inviting happiness...the miraculous medicine of all diseases" and once you learn Reiki you will really understand what Mikao Usui meant.

Is the Darfur conflict due to climate change?

Is the Darfur conflict caused by climate change? Is this a sign of things to come as global temperatures rise and liveable land, water and food become scarcer? A report published by the UN Environment Programme following an 18 month study of Sudan concludes “Darfur…holds grim lessons for other countries at risk”. The report basically says that the conflict in Darfur has been driven by climate change. The region has suffered a 30% drop in rainfall over the last 40 years and the Sahara desert is advancing by over a mile each year. This is causing tensions in the area between farmers and herders as they fight over disappearing pastures and drying water holes. When one group happens to be of a different ethnic group to the other, you have the seeds of a local war. The UN warns that this type of conflict will spread throughout Africa as climate change creates droughts, increases desert areas and forces population movement into neighbouring areas. The potential for war is growing as fast as the temperatures are rising. Global warming is already affecting many parts of the world, and as the temperature rises, the consequences will be more widespread and far-reaching. Do we really want to live in a world where wars are fought over liveable land and resources like food and water? Do we really want mass migration and the havoc that will cause? Action is needed now.

[Via The Guardian]

Al Gore talks tough on global warming

Al Gore, ex-vice president and once almost president of the USA has now turned eco-activist. Is this just another politician looking for public approval as a prelude to a presidential run? Or is Al Gore a committed environmentalist with a genuine concern for our planet? In a new forward for his revised book ‘Earth in the Balance’ he makes some valid points about the scientific community and raises some quite disturbing issues with the Bush administration. Mr Gore says with amazing hindsight “I wish that we could have had in the 1990’s the deafening scientific consensus that has emerged in more recent years”. I do believe there were some scientists and many environmentalists talking about rising global temperatures in the 1990’s, but they were either ignored or ridiculed. The US government, like all governments, chooses carefully which scientific advice to follow at any given moment, usually the advice that matches its own aims. In the case of the Bush administration, this was taken to new levels as Mr Gore states that under Bush the US pulled out of the Kyoto treaty, reversed their pledge to regulate CO2 as a pollutant and replaced key scientific advisors with ones suggested by ExxonMobil.

This last act has probably done the most damage, as the new scientific advisors allegedly vetted and adjusted scientific evidence to raise doubts about the human impact on global warming, and even tried to cast doubts on global warming actually existing. The question is though, would a president Gore have done any more to reduce CO2 emissions in the USA? While he was vice president to Bill Clinton, carbon emissions rose by 15%, faster than at any time in modern US history. I think it is always easier to be an armchair president or prime minister, all you have to worry about is getting in the papers and on tv, and of course impressing the voters, but once you’re in power you have many more restrictions on what you can do. The reality of running a modern economy is far more complex than Mr Gore makes out. Every decision has consequences to the economy, to the people, to business and to the environment. Nothing is ever simple nor is it ever black and white.

[Via The Independent]

B’Nice Ice cream for vegans

As I look out of the window at a typical English summer day, the rain streaming down the wet glass, I let my mind drift to sunnier memories, of childhood days out and vanilla ice-cream cones by the sea. Since I became vegan many years ago, ice-cream has become nothing more than a long forgotten taste. That is why I want to mention B’Nice Rice Cream, a vegan ice cream made from rice as an alternative to soya based vegan ice creams. While there are plenty of soya based ice-creams available, this is the first rice based one I have found. For me, and perhaps for others, soya can cause an allergic reaction, and the natural oestrogen found in soya can be a bit off putting for us men. At last I can enjoy ice-cream with my meat-eating friends this year, though not too much as the sugar tends to make me hyperactive!

B’Nice is made in Belgium by the Roefs family, not that I expect you to know the Roefs family. They have been making ice cream products for over 50 years now. They have recently started to produce rice based vegan ice-creams to compliment their soya products. The rice used in the manufacture of B’Nice products is herbicide free and the ice-creams themselves do not contain any artificial colours or genetically modified ingredients. With less than 5% fat, you can enjoy these gorgeous treats without the guilt or the extra inches.

Just how bleak is our future?

Well, if you read the report by six leading scientists from the USA you may very well come to the conclusion that our future on earth is incredibly bleak. The scientists behind the 29-page paper (Climate Change and Trace Gases) are among the world’s leading climate change experts. Led by James Hansen, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, the team included three of Hansen’s colleagues, Makiko Sato, Pushker Kharecha and Gary Russell, David Lea of the University of California and Mark Siddall of the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University.

Fundamentally, the message from the paper is that the Earth is approaching a point of no return with climate change. Forget George Bush’s ‘war on terror’ what we need right now is a ‘war on CO2 emissions’.

They argue that unless effective measures are put in place to control CO2 emissions over the next ten years, the rise in the Earth’s temperature could trigger uncontrollable climate change. The mechanism for this they argue is the ‘albedo flip’ as ice melts the sunlight normally reflected by the ice is absorbed by the sea, causing rising temperatures, which causes more ice to melt, which causes rising temperatures. The phrase from the paper that I find most worrying is “If we have not already passed the dangerous level, the energy infrastructure in place ensures that we will pass it within several decades” so we are either already too late or we will be in the near future. Does the political will exist to take the necessary steps to save the planet? From what is being said and done at the moment, I would have to say no. Maybe one day our political leaders will find the strength and integrity to act on our behalf to save our planet, but I really think this will only happen after it is too late.

[Via The Independent]

10 ways to reduce your home’s carbon footprint (part 1)

The first thing you can do is probably the easiest and cheapest, and will save you lots of money over the year. Simply replace your normal incandescent light bulbs with low energy ones. They are available in large or small and caps and in both bayonet and screw type. Their energy use is dramatically less, for example a 60w bulb can be replaced with an 11w low energy one and still give the same light output. Now multiply that by all the bulbs in your house and you can see how much energy you will save, which translates to money saved on electricity bills. Not only are these bulbs more efficient, they last much longer too, around 12 times longer in fact. The cost of low energy bulbs has fallen dramatically recently. I bought some high quality Philips low energy bulbs for my house a couple of years ago and they cost less than a pound each.
Part 2 coming soon…

Carbon calculator for mobile phones

The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) is launching a carbon calculator climate:mobile for mobile phones. The climate calculator is being given away at the moment to festival goers at Glastonbury. The team of staff and volunteers from CAT is giving away free copies of the software using Bluetooth to as many people as possible at Glastonbury. If you’re not at Glastonbury and you want a copy of climate:mobile you can text ‘climate’ to 80010 to download it straight onto your mobile phone. The software was developed for the C-Change Project and is funded by PEET. You can get more info at http://www.switchonswitchoff.org/.

Carbon Footprint Calculator

The government has launched a rather nifty online carbon footprint calculator on its direct.gov.uk website. I have tried it and it is really easy to use and gives you a good idea of the amount of CO2 you are producing from your home. There are tips and advice on the website too, so you can make changes to your lifestyle and your home to reduce the amount of CO2 you generate. The online calculator will even create and action plan for you too. I think it’s a great idea and is something we should all take a look at. Reducing CO2 in the atmosphere is something we all need to be doing, we cannot afford to leave it in the hands of governments or corporations. This is our planet and our future and our responsibility.

Blokes Bar for blokes

I know it sounds like a bar for ‘real’ men to meet up and get drunk, but it is actually a bar of soap for men! It’s about time we men got our own soap. Thank you Simply Soaps, at long last I can shower with my own manly bar of soap. I no longer have to smell of roses or peaches or apricots or lilacs or lavender or anything else flowery scented. Not that there is anything wrong in a man smelling of flowers, it’s just nice to not have to if you don’t want to. This particular soap is made with tea tree oil, comfrey and cedarwood, so you end up smelling like you stepped out of a forest when you get out of the shower. From a florist to a lumberjack in one easy bar of soap. Made by Simply Soaps in their little workshop in East Norfolk with all natural ingredients makes this bar of soap even better. There are no harmful chemicals or animal products so it’s kind to your body and vegan friendly too. You can buy blokes Bar directly from Simply Soaps for £2.50. If you’re out of ideas for Father’s Day, you could always order a couple of bars of Blokes Bar for your dad.

A day on the farm

Have you ever wondered what goes on at an organic farm? Are you curious to know where your fresh food comes from? Want a pleasant and educational day out for the children? With summer here, I’m sure you are looking for fun days out in the country, especially those of you with young children. You could just do the usual picnic in the country or visit a quaint village, or sit in a country pub, but believe me, visiting an organic farm is far more interesting.

There are many organic farms located around the country open to visitors, each with its own character. Some farms offer guided tours, others have farm trails you can walk or you can just browse around a working organic farm. Most of these farms have a farm café and a farm shop where you can buy the produce at its freshest. If you think a day is too short, some farms offer residential stays.

The countryside is our connection to the Earth and we should all spend at least some time in a more natural environment. This sounds like an idyllic way to spend a sunny Sunday enjoying nature and learning more about the food we eat.

Ethical diamonds are a girl’s best friend

Marilyn Monroe once sang ‘Diamonds are a girls best friend’ and I think most women would agree. Nothing says ‘I love you’ more than a glistening diamond, or so I’m told by countless magazine and television adverts. So if you want to impress your loved one, you could always pop into your local high-street jewellers and pick up a little something. Chances are though, the ‘little something’ will have come from a mine that exploits the workforce and damages the environment. Not too impressive is it? To really impress your loved one, buy from Brilliant Earth, the leading supplier of conflict free diamond jewellery, so they say.
Brilliant Earth source all of their diamonds from conflict free mines that work to the highest ethical standards to protect both the workers and the local environment. The ethos of sustainability and ethical practises extends to the gold and platinum used throughout their range too, by only using recycled jewellery and industrial metals.
They even give 5% of their profits to Diamonds For Africa, a charity that helps local communities harmed by the diamond industry. Now bling comes with added eco-credibility, you can splash out on as much jewellery as you want.

The All New Green Consumer Guide

The New Green Consumer Guide by Julia Hailes was published on 21st May 2007. This really is a must have book for anyone wanting to live a greener life. Written by the author of the original andvery successful Green Consumer Guide, which was released way back in 1988, this is much more than an updated version. This new book has sections on home and garden, food and drink, electrical goods and the office, plus travel, transport, fashion and cosmetics. Each section gives advice, and information about which companies and which products are truly ‘green’ and which are not. The book is well written and makes going green possible for anyone.

There is a companion website http://www.newgreenconsumer.com/, which will update the information from the book. As things change and develop, the website will keep you updated. I think this book together with the website will be an invaluable resource for all of us in today’s world. It takes much of the effort out of going green. Hopefully more companies will see the commercial value of producing eco-friendly products and services as more of us buy green alternatives.