the really big apple...

I found this little story via Treehugger and I just had to share it with you all.

Can you imagine the amount of food thrown away every day by New york residents? Can you imagine 270,000 lbs of grub?

Many of us can't, and so to illustrate the point City Harvest of New York filled an empty subway train with the equivalent amount of green apples and flooded the otherwise empty platform.

The images are quite amazing - click here for the video.

It would have been magic with stacks of people on the platform though. I suppose that was a little too far to stretch the Health and Safety regulations, and if London's Victoria Line is anything to go by, people would have just climbed in on top of the apples anyway and waited for the train to move on.

Visually amazing and shows exactly what could be utilised for many in need. City Harvest aim to rescue and redistribute 25 million pounds of usable grub in 2009. Amazing.

(and as Treehugger pointed out, no apples were harmed in the making of the event - here is how it was done)

Up the Freegan generation!

the return of the lesser spotted paper lover...

My love / guilt relationship with paper has been covered previously here, but I have realised that it literally does come to a head at the Yuletide season.

If I am being a hard core greenie, I should shun all crimbo cards and send out email versions instead. But I can't. There is something truly lovely about returning home to a little pile of greetings sitting on the door mat. People we haven't seen in ages, spoken to in a while - they are all there waiting with happy tidings for us on a dark afternoon. And if I love returning home to a little stack of cards, how can I deny the joy to someone else?

So, if the electronic version is out, how do I justify the black mark of sending a card - both in manufacture, transportation and deconstruction?

Firstly, I try and get cards which are made from a significant amount of recycled content. This is harder than you may think, but there are some available, including some beauts from Oxfam. This makes me feel a little better. FSC accredited cards are also a possibility and easier to find.

Secondly, I try to get cards which can benefit another person with my purchase - this is the charity card once more, but do not forget that your precious squids can go to both the large international charities or the hospice down the road - most have a card range at this time of year. Whose pockets would you like to line, however small? (it is worth looking at the amount that goes to each charity, which is usually stated on the back of the card)

Thirdly, I think about how the card will be disposed of. If it has any bright spangles, glitter, foil or fancy bits it can be impossible to recycle. These sort of cards can contaminate whole bundles of card, so I avoid them like the plague. AND if you receive any from distant well wishers or Mavis down the road make sure you only place the 100% card bit in the recycling bin after crimbo.

Fourthly, can I incorporate a gift with the card, thus doing two jobs in one (surely this will act as a plus against my guilt???). Some you buy ready done, but how about fashioning your own - a gift card slotted in (do you really need another card and envelope for this?), a pair of earrings, a book token, a charm - nothing too delicate or expensive, but there are a myriad of possibilities.

And lastly, does it say something about me? Now this is not as self centered as you may think. Cast your mind back to the last time you bought a card - I can bet you chose one that was most appropriate for the person you were buying for but also one which you liked or said something about your own likes and character... And so it is with my cards - they never say 'merry christmas' (I am not christian) but usually 'seasons greetings', they never have spangles (see note three above), are mostly nature based or fifties in appearance and are quite graphic. This is me.

So - send your cards and spread a little love, as green as you can manage.

the full monty...

Chocolate.

Seasonal activities - (presents and general consumption of)

Sort of go hand in hand don't they? I am sure that not many people get through the Yuletide season without some degree of consumption.

But if you are to consume, chocolate is one area I think you should afford to be very particular about. Bad chocolate is, well, bad - not to say a huge waste of your daily kcal intake. But good chocolate can make your eyes sink into your skull with ecstasy and the calories seem insignificant.

Maybe it is because we are a city of gluttons, or maybe because we are so particular, we are blessed in Brighton to have quite a few little chocolate shops of varying specialities, sizes and prices.

Plus, a few seem to have sprung up in the same area of the city in a place I now like to call 'the calorific quarter'.

choccywoccydoodah sits here, with the most magnificent confections in cacao you will ever see. Opposite, you can enter the clinical perfection of Hotel Chocolat.

But my favourite, and the destination my taste buds waft towards is always the fantastic Montezuma's chocolate.

A Sussex enterprise, the story began in good old Brighton in 2000 (and I remember going to the opening and tasting my first chunk of chilli chocolate. I was converted and it is now one of my favourites). Since then they have gone from strength to strength and have won a smattering of awards all over the place for their delicious, innovative and responsible chocolate.

Organic chocolate is a huge hitter here, with many of the offerings being certificated, but the combination of flavours is incredible.

As well as the chilli choc, you can choose from butterscotch, geranium, nutmeg and sweet paprika and strawberry. Amongst others. And that is just the bars....

So if you find yourself in Duke Street, nip into Montezuma's, grab a treat and wander off to get lost in the Lanes...

holidays are coming, holidays are coming...

Someone told me the other day that they do not consider it to be Christmas until they have seen a particular television ad from a particular red and white branded soft drink company.

I do not agree, but I did hear myself chanting the 'holidays are coming, holidays are coming' mantras from the very same ad today. hmmm.

Plus, it does seem to be a bit of an urban myth that they invented Santa himself (well, the red and white version anyway).

So the coincidence was quite uncanny, when I stumbled across a couple of very interesting little pieces about Coca Cola recently - and a couple of positive eco ones. For a change.

Firstly, the announcement that they are introducing recycled material bottles based on plants into the US very soon. The 'plantbottle' is based on the by-product of the sugarcane industry in Brazil and each piece will be 30% sugar founded. The bottle that is. Not the content. I am sure that is more.

Secondly, and much more impressive in the short term, both aesthetically and eco wise, is the lush and beautiful concept can by Harc Lee.

The naked can is stunning, and loses the probably trademarked red and white branding whilst keeping the swoosh and font. I (personally) think this is nothing to worry about, as the iconic design is still there and massive amounts of toxic inducing ink would be saved.

But would this mean that Santa would become a silver only wonder? hmmm.

well, if your going to buy something...

My last posting was about buying nothing on the UK's 'Buy Nothing' Day. Did you manage it? Did you do something creative? I hope so.

But, on this, the first day of Christmas, I have succumed to the perils of gift buying and planning.

I am planning to make a lot of presents this year (including the once yearly gift to my sister of a strangely constructed scarf - this Yule based on a pattern of chains), but there are always people you end up buying stuff for.

And with this in mind, I thought I would make a little list of nice places to visit on the internet to do your shopping - some creative, some ethical, some interesting and some beautiful, but all green in some way or another.

I hope you find some inspiration for your own loved ones (and even not so loved ones) here. Have fun kiddlywinks.

Inhabitat - green gift guide - US based, but fantastic for inspiration

Nigel's Eco Store - really local for me as he lives down the road. but on the web too. great.

Ethical Superstore - massive amount of stuff, so loads of shopping possibilities

The Green Store - nice variety of nicely priced things

Oxfam - get a goat or coat or a goat and a coat here. you know what I mean. really. you do.

Soil Association - what about a gift membership?

EcoCentric - part founded by the lovely fellow Brightonian and eco designer Oliver Heath.

My Eco Store - says it all really?

Love Eco - again - says it all!

ECOutlet - lovely things, from face cream and man candles(?) to vintage bits and bobs. lush.

Ecotopia - again, a great variety of bits, including a voltaic laptop bag. which I HUGELY covet.

buy nothing...

It may go against the grain given that we have very little shopping days until the seasonal festivities (or so the goggle box continually tells us) but tomorrow, Saturday the 28th November is National Buy Nothing Day.

I have written before about the perils of being a consumer, ethical or otherwise, and exactly how difficult it is to not consume anything.

Or is it?

With the fantastic slogan of 'shop less, live more' the wonderful website of BND encourages you to spend a day without spending and find other life enriching things to do instead. It even has an events section where you can go and spend a day with other people who are also not spending but doing something creative and nice.

Or stay inside and clear out the wardrobe to give to charity, go for a walk in the woods (or anywhere for that matter), bake a cake, visit a relative or neighbour (with the afore mentioned cake if you are really organised) or make something for someone for Christmas.

Once you put your mind to it, there are loads of things to do for free.

Enrich both your pocket and mind...and have fun in the process.

green apples, fondant fancies and earl grey tea...

Have you ever done something and immediately forgotten about it as you never thought anything would arise from the seed?

I have.

But every now and again, something does spring up and makes you so happy your head goes light and excitement and pride fills your every thread of being.

And so it was with a section of our week - Tuesday was the day we were heading to London to pick up an award I never even thought we would be shortlisted for.

We were going to London to pick up our Green Apple 2009 for Environmental Best Practice.

This award was based on our efforts at the Royal Horticultural Society London Plant and Design Show in February 2009 - our little eco front garden - 'the electric urban orchard'.

So in true eco fashion and dressed in some of our finest, we boarded a Southern train and rolled up to London Victoria to attend the awards ceremony which was held at the awe inspiring House of Commons.

Once through the very intimidating security system, we wandered through sections of the House (occasionally interrupted by security personnel who asked if we knew where we were going - we didn't a lot of the time). At one point we ended up by the Parliamentary florist, who is housed in a bottom section of one of the gate arches, and I could not resist the urge to pop my head around the heavy oak door and ask further directions.

'If you get to the river, you have gone too far' was the reply, 'so turn left before you get there!'.

We did, and found where we were all congregating - a lovely little section next to the House alongside the River Thames.

Greeted with tea, sandwiches and cakes, we instantly regretted the horrible plastic offering we had bolted before we entered. But, so as not to be rude of course, we had a lovely cup of Earl Grey tea (with milk) and a couple of perfectly cut finger sandwiches and one of the tiny, Alice-in-wonderland style cakes. The looked beautiful and tasted even better.

Once we had all congregated, the awards began, and it was truly humbling hearing the size, scale and commitment of many of the projects who had also gained an award. We felt very proud yet as if we didn't deserve to be there.

One project had saved £750,000 and thousands of tons of CO2 by adapting a few changes, another organisation had planted 50,000 broad leaf trees and another had created a whole toad habitat in wales to prevent them needing to cross a main road.

It was incredible to see and hear about all of the inspiring projects, and it was fantastic when people also wanted to hear more about what we do at the office.

After we had been presented with our award, we did a little more networking and ate another posh sandwich or two, then wound our way back to the south coast with our Green Apple nestled in our bag.

Well done to everyone who was presented with an award and thank you to the Green Organisation for putting it all together. We met some wonderful people and came away inspired and enlivened by all of those we met.

Doug the third...

Meet our new addition to the family - Doug the Third.

He is not residing with us just yet, and is currently sitting in his field nestled in the Sussex High Weald, but come early December, we will trundle over to Hadlow Down to ceremoniously dig him up and bring him inside.

Yes, last weekend we went and picked out our 2009 Christmas tree at the fabulous Wilderness Woods.

A chilly day, and after rain (which always seems to happen, and I spend most of my time trying not to fall on my arse on the wet and compacted chestnut leaves), the sun was trying to shine and life was good. We wandered down the very beaten track to the tree field, joined by other families and dogs and passed through the (chestnut) rabbit gate and into the mass of spruce and fir.

The view is always stunning (I wrote about it last year here) but people really seem to have gone to town with their identification decorations this year. Tinsel, baubles, laminated signs, toy robins (I did worry about these, given that the real thing are so territorial), and other assorted highly visible bits and bobs adorn the trees - both to act as an indentification aid, and a sort of 'ownership personalisation' I suppose. We did not bring anything and just stuck to our tag and zippy tie instead.

There were a few contenders for Doug the Third this year, but ultimately we plumped for a beautiful fellow who stood slightly alone (very important when planning the logistics of digging him up), was the correct height and was well compacted. A real beauty.

It is very stupid, but I always feel a slight panic when in the field until we have got our tag secured around our Chosen One. What if I see a contender, then leave him only to return and find another tag on him? It feels like a race with everyone else in the field - who will get their perfect tree first?

Of course, this is all tosh, as all of the trees are beautiful in their own way, and there will be always a perfect example for every visitor. We even saw a most odd tree - about 12 foot tall, completely denuded from the ground up to about 4 foot high, with a mohican type crest of branches from then on. It was definitely a looker, and low and behold, had been reserved by a happy visitor.

We then had the task of finding and reserving a tree for my Mum and Dad ( a blue spruce this time - we prefer the Douglas Fir as they transplant well after Christmas). This was harder than finding ours, but after a little hunt, Bluey the Third was found.

And as we had spent out so much effort and energy, we had to award ourselves with tea and cake, so we sat in the pale afternoon sun on a bench under the trees eating Coffee and Walnut cake, Elderflower and Gooseberry cake (using locally made cordials and jams) and good old Sussex tea.

Whilst there, we sat and watched a children's party who were trooping off into the woods to build bivvies and cook sausages and marshmallows. I was very jealous and wished I was six once more.

So, with the woods full of whoops and shouts, and our tums full of home made wonders, we wandered home to cook chestnuts and look forward to December, safe in the knowledge that Doug the Third is sitting and waiting patiently for our return .

And yes, we listened to the Rat Pack Christmas album in the car there and back - singing at the tops of our voices out of my open window and into the chilly air.

Want your own locally grown tree? Contact these guys to see where you can find one near you...

component structures...

My last posting talked about 'touching the earth lightly' and some of the different forms this can take.

Components were one of the things that I highlighted - items that can be readily dismantled and remantled are excellent in many ways as they can reduce transportation costs as well as being adaptable. They can be re-used for different projects and therefore have a fantastic 'cradle to cradle' profile.

So it was with great joy that I watched James May's Toy Stories last night, which focused on upscaling and updating the age old toy, Meccano.

With (mostly) regular parts, James, Atkins Bridge Engineers and a handful of students from Liverpool University constructed a full size, single person tilting bridge - all from Meccano.

It was a wonderful watch, and demonstrated fantastically what can be built from little components and how component design has been utilised in the Industrial World.

And (I believe) the Meccano was to be stripped back down after the project.

Just a shame it is now made in France instead of Liverpool... it could have been a really local project.

compostable structures...

Green architecture and design usually entail 'touching the earth lightly' in whichever form is relevant, be it a reduction in materials, using items which are local to the project, the utilisation of traditional techniques or the use of renewable energies and intelligent building / product form.

But life cycle analysis is also a highly important aspect of the design process - not only where does something come from, but how will it perform, last and eventually, end it's life? Can it be re-used? Can it be broken into components for re-use or recycling? Can it be composted?

Composted? I hear you cry. At the end of it's life, can we compost a building?

Well, some architecture students have been very busy trying to find out how.

The result (in my opinion) is absolutely beautiful.