thegreenguy

Green how-to videos on SmartPlanet

It's hard to open a weekend newspaper or Stumble across the web without coming across eco tips. Fit a Hippo! Compost your food! Seal your draughts! goes the advice. Even though they're relatively simple though, just seeing these tips in text can be off-putting, so -- in the spirit of a picture telling a thousand words and a video telling a gazillion words -- I've started a series of 'Smart Tip' videos over on my day-job site, SmartPlanet. They're not strictly how-to vids (you may still need instruction manuals) but they do show you how easy basic green steps are. My favourite is this one on ensuring your compost doesn't get stinky.

First public biodynamic garden opens tomorrow

This weekend is a good one to literally be sent to Coventry. A few miles from the city, Garden Organic Ryton is cutting the ribbon on its brand new biodynamic garden, the first public one in the world. Like me, you're probably wondering what biodynamic actually means. Well, from a trip down to the gardens yesterday, I'm told it's very similar to organic farming - no pesticides, chemical fertilisers - but with the cycles of the moon taken into account for seed-planting and a secret formula added to the compost. Cycles of the moon? Yep, sounds pretty damn crystals and new age to me, but the beautiful garden looked incredibly healthy, so maybe there is something to it. Go take a look for yourself and make your own mind up.

Dear readers, get 10 per cent off your fair flowers

The good people at Arena Flowers, stockists of socially and environmentally-friendly flora, are offering you 10 per cent off as a thegreenguy reader. Just enter the code greenguy at Arena's checkout. It's worth noting the flowers aren't Fairtrade Foundation-certifed - unlike some of the bouquets you may have seen at your local Sainsburys' - but recognised by the Fair Flowers Fair Plants scheme. Its website is a bit hazy about the concrete standards for growers, so I've dropped FFFP an email to find out exactly what badge means in real life. 25th June update: one week on and no reply from FFFP. Doesn't bode too well, does it?

Slugstoppa and hosta la vista gags

 

This is my hosta. Apparently it's top of the Most Wanted List for slugs, so I've been checking out the toxin-free defences. Green Gardener has a load here. A plastic collar is the obvious choice (6 for £10) but frankly they look uglier than munched-up plants. After checking out the options, yesterday I put down a ring of organic pellets - Slugstoppa - around my precious. So far, so good; I'll let you if it's hosta la vista time for my plant in the coming weeks. There's more on slug control over at UKTV.

Why I love my Hairy Pots

I've just received a complimentary box of these biodegradable alternatives to plastic plant pots. Made from coconut husks, they're aptly called Hairy Pots and come in all shapes and sizes over here. While I like the fact they don't require plastic, the best thing about them is the packaging they come in: a recycled cardboard box that's elaborately folded by an origami Jedi and thus free of sticky tape, glue and plastic. Being card, you can chuck the whole thing in your recycling bag and start the process again.

The inevitable first-hand wormery post: Blackwall v Wiggly Wigglers

Having just moved house, I've been enjoying such mundane eco pleasures as switching to a green electricity tariff, swapping out IKEA halogens for LED ones and getting a water meter installed. It's been a riot. Adding to the fun, our new Can-o-Worms womery turned up at the weekend. As well as being very popular with our cat Boo - see pic, top right - and made from 100 per cent recycled plastic, the thing that struck me is how superior it is to Blackwall's one.

Today's ethical picks: green Ready Steady Cook, People Tree's 07 season, Goodsearch and local Fairtrade

Green Ready Steady Cook - set your eco PVR to record on 4th Jan, as the frantic food show features Penney 'No Waste Like Home' Poyzer (in green pinny) and Tracey 'Downshifting Week' Smith.

People Tree 07 -  next year's season from the ethical fashion label is all about 'change today, choose Fairtrade'. Expect a bigger menswear collection (at last!), new undies and a new brand called People Tree for Top Shop - for the first time, it'll be available to buy online at Topshop.com.

Goodsearch - the Yahoo-based, charity-giving search engine is now live. Grab the Firefox plug-in.

Fairtrade and fir-trees - an ultra local event tomorrow, two minutes from my house: St Paul's Church on Herne Hill (London SE24) plays host 1-3pm to Xmas tree sales and a Fairtrade food sale. No word on organic trees, but there's always 07, right?   

Today's ethical picks: no more phone books, 10% off Fairtrade flowers and gift deliveries with carbon offsets

I don't use phonebooks anymore - this campaign's a shameless PR stunt by online directory 192.com, but it has a good point. The last phonebook delivered to my flat went straight in our recycle bin, simply because I use Google searches and Google Maps to look companies up. According to 192, 75 million directories are delivered every year: equivalent to a painful 75,000+ tonnes of paper. As a solution, it proposes sticking these posters up when deliveries are due in your area (expect dates on the campaign site soon).

Get 10% off Fairtrade flowers - remember Imogen Stone, who I wrote about the other day? It's kindly giving thegreenguy readers a 10% discount at the checkout: just use thegreenguy as your discount code (it's case-sensitive).

Ethical Superstore's carbon offset deliveries - I've been checking out this new eco shop for a while now, and it's stocking some decent stuff. However, yesterday was the first time I noticed it gives you the chance to pay a quid on top of your order to 'carbon offset' the delivery with Climate Care. Expect others to emulate 'em.

From Kenya with love - indie Fairtrade flowers

My plants are dying with the arrival of winter, so I've been checking out independent London florist Imogen Stone today. It'll post these twelve Fairtrade roses for £10 + delivery. They're from Kenya, but the Fairtrade stamp means Imogen's suppliers are commited to 'increase... [the] environmental stability of their activities', so there should be none of the nefarious water-hogging that some Kenyan flower growers have been accused of. You are still, of course, creating 'flower miles' to fly them here, so for full greenie points, try Wiggly Wiggler's seasonal bunches (more details here).

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