In central London on the evening of Tuesday 27th October, 8 green leaders will present their view on the future of their industry. To those in the know, it’s quite a star-studded occasion. Green Tomato Cars will give their view on the future of sustainable transport, Ed Gillespie from Futerra will speak about ethical communication and consumer attitudes, and Terra Plana will comment on how its ethical footwear will evolve. Sam Kimmins, Sustainability Adviser at Forum for the Future, will give his take on the future of sustainable construction. Other presentations will be from Germination (a cutting-edge event company furthering social progress), innovative web community Project Dirt, The Hub (a shared workspace concept for social entrepreneurs) and sustainable lifestyle magazine Sublime.

Each of the 8 presentations will last no more than 8 minutes, and to keep things highly visual, no more than 5 words per slide are allowed. It means that 80% of the ideas in a normal presentation can be communicated in 20% of the time. The evening will be held at St Giles Cripplegate Church in Barbican, EC2. Further adding to the creative spirit, guests are invited to help reduce waste and bring their own reusable vessels for wine.

Inspiration and insight won’t just come from the presenting businesses either. Up to 250 keen, green thinkers and doers are expected to attend, so there’ll be food for thought in the conversations and networking, too.

Want to know more and book your ticket? Here are the details you need to know:

When: Tuesday 27th October
Start time: 6.30pm for a 7pm start (drinks will be available – you’re encouraged to bring your own cup for extra green points!)
Where: St Giles Cripplegate Church, Barbican, London, EC2Y 8DA (for map click here)

Tickets are limited, costing £9.50 in advance or £15 on the door.

You can buy your ticket here: http://futureofgreen.eventbrite.com

To find out more, click on http://www.insider-worldwide.com/trend-evening-green-futures/

Are you one of those people who would prefer not to have a car but aren’t quite sure how life would work without one? Or maybe you’re just dreaming of ways to be greener but don’t have a clue how you can change the way you live? I have a couple of copies of “Do Humans Dream of Electric Cars?” to give away to two EcoStreet readers who would like to know more about liberating themselves from our car culture. To stand a chance of winning a copy, please leave a comment about your favourite form of transport. The draw will take place on the 31st of July 2009. Winners will be contacted by email.

Do Humans Dream of Electric Cars? is a fun book using lively illustrations and some pretty cool art to demonstrate the many alternatives to the car as a form of transportation. There are plenty of positive ideas for individuals, organisations and communities at large to lessen their impact on our planet. The book has a UK bias, but some of the statistics aside, it is as relevant to the South Africa driver as it is to the British, even more so now that we’re going to be getting some pretty fantastic new public transport in the form of the BRT.

Do Humans Dream of Electric Cars? is published by award winning green publisher Alistair Sawday in association with Sustrans, the UK’s leading sustainable transport charity.

If you need some help finding out how to get to your destination without flying, check out The Man in Seat 61. And there are plenty of ideas for eco-reponsible travel destinations at EcoTour if you need inspiration on that count.

The ETA are also giving away a free eco-friendly holiday in a yurt in the south of France. To qualify to be in the lucky draw, simply request a travel insurance quote from the ETA.

Photo credit: dichohecho

For more info see:
www.stopmanchesterairport.org.uk
Date: Tuesday 23rd September. Time: 12.45pm (sharp!) Location: Albert
Square, outside Manchester Town Hall. Turn up and reveal your red T-shirt (keep it covered before hand!)

3 ways to get your free ‘Stop Airport Expansion’ T-Shirt:
Email info@stopmanchesterairport.org.uk, meet at Friends Meeting House (Mount St) at 12.15pm and collect one, or make your own!

The festival and camping season is on the horizon and to help you stay green through your outdoorsy adventures in 2008, Ecotopia have launched the Eco Festival Pack. With this pack, you’ll be able to considerably reduce your carbon footprint at events. It contains everything you need to have a happy, healthy and eco friendly festival or camping experience.

This is what the kit contains:

Freeloader Solar Charger
Freeloader is an advanced portable solar powered charger that can power everything from phones to gaming machines to digital cameras anywhere, anytime. Power is taken from Freeloader’s solar panels or via a supplied charge cable that plugs into a computer’s USB port. It comes in a tough but stylish aluminium body that can take the knocks of every day life whether you’re away on business, climbing Ben Nevis or chilling out at the V festival or Glastonbury.

The Freeplay Kito LED Lantern
Combining Freeplay technology with the reliability of LED illumination, with the Freeplay Kito LED Lantern you’ll never worry about replacing batteries or bulbs again, or even charging from a wall. A 60-second wind provides one hour of illumination – the more you wind the longer it shines.

Badger Tangerine Breeze Lip & Body Balm
Sooth and moisturise your skin and lips with this fruity scented Badger balm’s blend of essential oils. making it the perfect all purpose product to keep with you at all times. Handily packaged in a cute tin to carry with you wherever you go

Kingfisher Toothpaste
A natural toothpaste that’s suitable for children, vegetarians, homeopathic users (shame some of you can’t touch the mint), vegans, Halal, and some kosher diets and people who want good healthy teeth. Kingfisher is approved by the British Dental Health Foundation.

Preserve 100% Recycled Toothbrush
Recycled Plastic Adult Medium Toothbrush.

Tushies Baby Wipes
These wipes are perfect when you can’t face the festival showers? Keep clean and fresh, even in the sweatiest of conditions. Tushies natural formula wipes contain Aloe Vera, Vitamin E, and are hypoallergenic and alcohol-free. Each wipe is thick and comfortably soft. The natural cleansing lotion will moisturise and soften your skin and are biodegradable. Contains 80 wipes.

Condomi Condoms
Totally biodegradable, all condomi condoms are free of animal derivatives and meet or surpass all global and domestic quality accreditations. A new take on the concept of safe sex.

Natracare Organic Feminine Wipes
For everyday freshness, during your period, or when travelling, Natracare certified Organic Cotton natural wipes, enriched with Calendula and Chamomile are gentle for cleansing delicate skin because they only use ingredients derived from plants and never use the harsh chemicals and damaging preservatives used in everyday wipes. Essential if your weekend away coincides with that time of the month.

Toms of Maine Deodorant
Banish smelly pits with Toms of Maine Wood spice Gentle Deodorant, created specifically for people with sensitive skin. A combination of sage extract and lemongrass oil is used as odour-fighting botanicals and only mild fragrances are chosen. This deodorant smells great.

Degradable Refuse Sacks
At the end of your festival experience, clean up your living area with 100% degradable refuse sacks that will degrade to just CO2 and water after its useful life.

To buy this kit will cost you £59.99 (a saving of £10 compared to buying each product separately), or you can win a kit by entering our giveaway offer. To stand a chance of winning, simply click here to enter the competition. Good luck!

The National Caravan Council have launched a green caravanning website to encourange caravanners to go green, and to encourage non-caravanners to look at caravanning as a relatively low-emissions way of enjoying a UK or European holiday. The site compares the CO2 emissions of different combinations of car type and caravan size on four different popular routes and also has some handy tips for caravanners who want to lessen fuel consumption and CO2 output.

1. A perfect match – chose a towcar that is the right match for your caravan so you are not constantly changing gear. There are outfit matching programs used by caravan dealers to help you with this.

2. Watch your speed – towing at 40mph, where appropriate, will use much less fuel than when towing at 50mph (or more).

3. Lighten up – the more weight that you carry the more you have to accelerate and brake in speed changes.

4. Be cycle savvy – cycling when on holiday is a virtually zero emission way of getting around. But irregular-shaped items, such as bicycles, on a roof rack increases wind drag. Rear-mounted carriers are more energy efficient. (Don’t be tempted to carry them on a rack on the front of the caravan as this might adversely affect noseweight and the balance of your caravan.)

5. Box clever – the use of a profiled roofbox may enhance the aerodynamic properties of the towcar/caravan combination and reduce fuel consumption. Remove roof bars when not in use, otherwise solo consumption will be worsened.

6. Be a considerate caravanner – try to travel at less busy times. If caught in a traffic jam or causing a tailback, try to leave the road and allow the flow to stabilise. The ability to pull up and take time out is one of the major advantages for a caravanner and a goodwill gesture to other road users!

7. Turn off – switch off your engine if there is clearly no movement ahead – not just when towing.

8. Stop starting – in a long tailback, try driving slowly forwards in a low gear, thus reducing the need to brake and avoiding stop/start motoring. It’ll reduce brake and clutch wear, too.

9. Service station – ensure that your car and caravan are serviced regularly, so that both are in optimum condition.

10. No pressure? Check tyre pressures regularly – correct tyre pressures on your car and caravan reduce fuel consumption and prevent adverse tyre wear and handling problems.

This blog post was written by Stephen Knight, webmaster for Volunteer Latin America, an independent and ethical organisation committed to helping protect Latin America’s flora and fauna, its biodiversity, and to offering the most cost effective way to become an environmental or humanitarian volunteer in Central and South America.

Whether you are planning the trip of a lifetime, a gap year abroad or just a holiday break, you can make a difference when you travel, not only for yourself but for the people and places you visit.

Being a responsible traveller means more than just offsetting your carbon emissions, it requires thought and preparation. Responsible travel is based on the principles of sustainability and it requires you to examine the environmental, social and economic dimensions of your trip. Thus, responsible travel is all about minimizing the impact of your travel and maximizing the benefits for local economies, environments and host communities.

Making informed choices before and during your trip is the single most important thing you can do to become a responsible traveller.

Give some serious thought to your packing list. Your hi-tech synthetic travel jacket might keep you snug, but is it also warming up the planet or exploiting the people you plan to visit? Your soap and shampoo may smell wonderful but are they biodegradable? Try and ensure your backpack contains as many ethical products as possible (i.e. environmentally-friendly, fair-trade, not tested on animals etc).

Travel lightly and leave any excess packaging at home (i.e. plastic wrapping) – your hosts shouldn’t have to deal with your rubbish.


Educate yourself about the destination you are visiting by reading guidebooks and travel articles: culture, religion, geography, politics, ecosystems and local customs.

Consider your carbon footprint when using air travel as your flight will do more damage to the environment than any other aspect of your trip. You can offset your carbon dioxide emissions through any of the following organisations: Carbon Clear; C-Change Trust; Climate Care; Future Forests; Sustainable Travel International; Tree Flights or the World Land Trust.

Use public transport, hire a bike or walk when convenient – it’s a great way to meet local people and reduce pollution.

Try to support the local economy by buying regional products instead of imported goods. Use local services and businesses which employ members of the community, it is far more enriching and is mutually beneficial.

Help preserve local wildlife and habitats by respecting rules and regulations, such as sticking to footpaths or not standing on coral. Take care not to buy trinkets and souvenirs made from local flora or fauna. By buying products made from coral, starfish, shells, fur, ivory, hides, feathers, horns, teeth or eggs, amongst other things, you may be encouraging an elicit trade in endangered wildlife.

Animals are not here to amuse us, so do not support this trend by visiting circuses, festivals and carnivals where performing animals are used.

Respect local customs, traditions and culture – a responsible traveller doesn’t go abroad to force their world-view on developing communities. Always ask before photographing local people.

Think carefully about what’s appropriate in terms of your clothes and the way you behave. You’ll earn respect and be more readily welcomed by local people.

Respect local laws and attitudes towards drugs and alcohol that vary in different countries and communities.

Try to learn some words in the local language such as please and thank you, as this will be greatly appreciated and shows a respect for the culture.

Don’t be obsessed with getting the lowest price when haggling. What does a few pence mean to you compared to the seller?

When eating out, choose small local restaurants so you will benefit individuals instead of foreign companies. Drink local beer, wine and fruit juices rather than imported brands. Take a strong water bottle and boil or purify your drinking water, rather than buying bottled water.

Always try and use local energy and water as efficiently as possible and adopt a zero-litter policy.

When travelling or trekking in sensitive places use a solar powered battery charger for cameras, ipods or global positioning systems to avoid wasting batteries.

When travelling to impoverished countries do not give out medicine to alleviate suffering unless you are medically qualified. It is better to give your unused first-aid kits to local clinics or health charities rather than ‘experiment’ on local people.

If you intend to volunteer overseas try and choose a locally run organisation so all your money goes to the cause rather than paying for the marketing and administration of a volunteer-sending agency. Some foreign run agencies offer little more than glorified holidays and are often more interested in making money than helping the environment or local people. No one benefits form these placements apart from the companies that organise them.

The guidance above is for anyone looking to travel in a way that lessens their impact on the environment and provides genuine benefits for conservation and local people.

Changes in our attitudes to travel and tourism will help build the kind of world that can be enjoyed by our descendants in perpetuity.

The author of this article is the webmaster of Volunteer Latin America.

Advertisement: Reduce your CO2 footprint by as much as 2 tonnes/year & save up to £150 on your energy bills.

The original VW Westfalia was a hippy favourite. This remake by Canadian designer Alexandre Verdier is destined to become a favourite with a new culture who value green energy and the pleasure of being self-sufficient. This new culture embraces technology and its ability to help us to understand nature and its power.

The award winning Verdier Solar Power camper design offers numerous innovations such as intelligent “SUN TRACKER” solar panels, pneumatic suspension, a swivel cooking range for inside or outside cooking and a multi-media computer with a wireless Internet connection.

This gorgeous vehicle is yet to become reality, but once built, these vans are expected to sell for US$69,000.

[via: psfk]

Advertisement: Reduce your CO2 footprint by as much as 2 tonnes/year & save up to £150 on your energy bills.

This Manchester billboard may get a few potential travellers thinking. Perhaps they’ll take the bus.

Advertisement: Reduce your CO2 footprint by as much as 2 tonnes/year & save up to £150 on your energy bills.

The inaugural trip arrived in Sydney on the 9th of December. The next bus departs London on the 10th of February if you want to be on it.

[via: off-grid]

Advertisement: Reduce your CO2 footprint by as much as 2 tonnes/year & save up to £150 on your energy bills.