thegreenguy

Today's ethical picks: a recycled Xmas wreath, Funny Weather & the kids who worry more about climate change than homework

Recycled Christmas Wreath -  

for ultimate green festive points, a trad holly wreath is where it's at. This handsome alternative, though, is made from recycled materials by an African co-op and is shipped by sea. It's £25 from Biome Lifestyle. 

Funny Weather - a fab, fun-looking comic book ('graphic novel') about climate change, endorsed by George Monbiot and Guardian genius Steve Bell. There's a generous free taster online, and the book's £7 at Amazon.

Kids are more worried about climate change than homework - 74 per cent of 11-14 year olds are more 'concerend' about global warming than homework (64 per cent) or having a boy/girlfriend (41 per cent), according to a survey by YouGov and RM. RM makes this ecoquiet PC. 

Hydrogen car arrives in Britain...and it's only 5cm tall

Holy eco miracle! The first hydrogen car's gone on sale in the UK! Unless you're an animatronic mouse, however, you might struggle to commute to work in it: the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car is a 5cm-tall toy.

Today's ethical web picks

Natural Nursery sale is go - complete with this half-price pirate t-shirt that I wish they sold in adult sizes. There are a load of other organic cotton baby odds and ends discounted, too

Sony pledges to axe emissions - I'm a week late on this but it's still good news that the world's trendiest gadget maker is improving energy efficiency at its factories worldwide and switching to gas and renewable power

Solar-powered web designers - I've been meaning to link to this gang for ages. Its green credentials are awesome but - judging from its own pseudo Geocities-circa-1996 site - I'm not so sure about the design creds

Green baby snuffles

Well this is my last post (can you hear the music?) covering for Adam and I have really enjoyed myself. Much of my life is taken up with my 6 month old son at the mo obviously. He is starting to get the odd splutter or blocked nose and the available options are not very good.  Short of pumping him full of useless sugary placebos there seems to be very little on the market to help relieve congestion.

Happy bum, happy planet

I have a six month old son and trust me wipes are the key to happiness. You want effective wipes that, ahem, do the job literally at hand but they also need to be good for your baby and for the planet. Bad wipes leads to unhappy babies and unhappy babies, you guessed it, lead to unhappy parents. Wipes are everything!

Tyre yourself out

Grab one of these recycled tyre swings and do your best Tarzan impression for the sum of £59.99 at Urchin.  I have previously reviewed Urchin's horsey version at Hippyshopper; this new swing is not only cheaper but can be used by adults up to 14 stone. It has a slip resistant stainless steel middle and can be attached to a frame or a big tree. A great alternative to plastic swings which helps to reduce the mountains of used tyres.

Ella

Ecocentric opens doors with green goodies

Prepare yourself for a feast of fresh eco-chic products over at Oliver Heath's brilliant new  Ecocentric online shop. Highlights include (from left to right), this easily recycled Low Cut side table (£56), the Juicy Cosmetic Bag made from old fruit juice cartons (£9), the DIY Book Light formed of recycled paper (£29), a rather spiffing recycled glass Astay dinner plate (£9) and a modern twist on the doll houses of old: a recycled card pod (£39). Ecocentric's also bravely pledging to source as many products as possible from the UK, which could make this a top outlet for green-minded design graduates across the nation.

Yushi: easy washing for real nappies

I've been sitting here for thirty minutes trying to think of a way to make nappies funny and entertaining. I give up. This is the Yushi, a bin-cum-soaker to take some of the hassle out of real nappies. Why the need? Well, real nappies - such as Bambino's highly recommended bamboo ones - are far more eco-friendly than disposable ones, which make up 4 per cent of the UK's entire household waste (source: WEN). Real nappies, however, are often (ahem) poo-pooed by those who say they're far too time-consuming for real parents...