Tag Archives: green

Six sets of Eco green pillows to be won!

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With one in five Brits making their New Year’s resolution to go green in 2008*, an amazing new eco sleep range manufactured purely from environmentally friendly materials is about to make their pledge that little bit easier.

The ECO pillow (RRP £22.00), ECO quilt (RRP 30.80) and ECO mattress cover (RRP – £25.40), are fantastic new green products from Comfy Quilts.

Incorporating natural and recycled materials, ECO creates bedding that is as gentle to the body as it is to the environment. Ideal for those wanting to reduce their impact on the environment, ECO is essential to green living and will ensure sweet ethical dreams.

With a third of people concerned that ethical living will leave them out of pocket and a further 24% worried that going green would be too time consuming to commit to*, the ECO range combines an essential product with value for money to create easy green living.

The bedding provides maximum comfort and performance, with minimal environmental impact. The outer covers are ultra soft pure cotton fabric. The hollowfibre filling is made with 100% recycled polyester fibrefill made largely from recycled drinks bottles. Not only are ECO’s products fashioned out of eco-friendly materials but they are also soft, hypo-allergenic and washable at a convenient 30 degrees C. Even the packaging is ethical, made again from pure cotton fabric and designed to be reusable as a means of storage or transportation.

Jamie Moryoussef, Director of Comfy Quilts, comments: “Green living is becoming an essential part of our modern lifestyle and is something we will see increase more and more over time. It’s a misconception that going green is difficult or even costly, millions of small changes can make a big difference in the larger picture”

“The ECO range can help people obtain their goal of green living through the simplicity of sleep and encourage the UK to review their lifestyles, making adjustments along the way to combat environmental dangers.”

Comfy Quilts are offering six sets of pillows to Elixir readers. If you would like to win a set of pillows please email us with your name and address at readeroffer@elixirnews.com by October 30. Please put Pillow in the email header. Please note that no cash equivalent is being offered and the Editor’s decision is final.

For more information about the product or stockists visit www.ecobedding.co.uk or call 08708 031325.

Pure Cotton

The covers are 100% pure cotton, grown naturally and then manufactured without the use of harmful dyes, chemicals and bleaches. All fabric is washed before manufacture.

Regenerated Fibres

100% recycled polyester fiberfill is made largely from recycled drinks bottles made from poly ethylene terephthalate, or simply PET. This is done by remelting the bottles after use and extruding it as a fiber. This not only saves valuable petroleum raw materials but also reduces energy consumption, and eliminates solid waste sent to landfills. The resulting fibre is soft, clean and springy, providing excellent levels of comfort, support and insulation.

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Dog lovers greener than non-pet owners

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London: Dog-owning families have a lower carbon footprint than equivalent families without a dog. That’s the conclusion of a new nationwide survey and in-depth study commissioned by Butcher’s Pet Care.

It found that dog-owning families on average, use 5.4% (760kg per year) less carbon per person than the equivalent non-dog owning families – the yearly equivalent of a round trip to Cairo or Marrakesh. They are also happier in their local community and twice as likely to socialise with neighbours (16% as opposed to 8%).

The study polled over 1500 dog and non-dog owning families and questioned them about lifestyle choices, energy consumption, travel and transport habits. The respondents’ primary and secondary carbon footprints were then calculated. Results revealed that dog owning families fly, consume and waste less and are also more likely to buy local and recycle.

In fact owning a dog is six times greener than fitting a family home entirely with energy saving light bulbs which reduces a household’s carbon footprint by only 115kg/year compared to 760kg/year when owning a dog.

As two in ten homes own a dog[1] the entire population of man’s best friend reduces the nation’s carbon footprint by 3.4 million tonnes of CO2 every year, which is one and a half times the entire yearly output of Iceland!

Alison Cockcroft, from family owned Butcher’s Pet Care “As a nation we are always looking at ways to reduce our carbon footprint and it is great to see that dog ownership can really make a difference and help boost green credentials. Not only do our four legged friends keep us as ‘Fit as a Butcher’s Dog’ but they also give us a great excuse to explore our neighbourhood and get to know and support our local community. At Butcher’s Pet Care we believe in natural nutrition so not only can your dog lead a healthy life but he’ll ensure the planet stays healthy too!”

An overview of findings from the survey:

Air flights

Dog owning families are 20% less likely to fly than non-dog owning families. Preferring to holiday in the UK or drive to Europe instead.

Consumption and recycling

The consumption and recycling habits of dog owners is 7.5% more carbon friendly than the equivalent non-dog owning family. This equates to a reduction of 150kg a year, the same as driving 568 miles in a 1.6L Ford Focus.

· Dog owners are 1.4 times more likely to recycle everything (21% vs 15%) than non dog owners. 23% recycle or compost everything they use as opposed to 19% of families without a dog.

· Dog owners are more likely to buy locally produced food, fair-trade produce and in-season fruit and vegetables.

· 19% of dog owners only buy things with little or no packaging as opposed to 14% of non dog owners.

Not only will dog-owners spend less on their gas bills (£403.71 as opposed to £414.26 for non-dog owners) but they also seem happier in their local community too – 24% of dog owners are very happy compared to 19% of non dog owners. Dog owners are also twice as likely to socialise with their neighbours compared to non dog owners.

For more top tips on leading a green life and responsible dog ownership visit < ahref="http://www.butcherspetcare.com">www.butcherspetcare.com

About Butcher’s Pet Care

Established and family-owned for over 25 years and developed in conjunction with leading nutritionists, Butcher’s recipes are made with Fresh Meat and Nothing Artificial to ensure that your dog receives all the natural nutrition he needs. Butcher’s Pet Care has a strong family heritage and farming roots and believe in simple, honest, good food; that’s why what is left out of food is just as important as what goes in. So it is guaranteed that there are no artificial colourings, flavourings, preservatives, or added cereal or soya in any of Butcher’s delicious recipes!

Dream of changing your life? Learn how to at One Life Live

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London: Do you dream of achieving a more sustainable lifestyle?

One Life Live (29th Feb – 2nd March, Olympia, London), is the event for people who know we only have One Life and want to make it count.

Have you ever longed to achieve a more green and ethical lifestyle? According to the new ‘Life Change Survey’, commissioned by One Life Live, you’re certainly not alone. Over 72% of people in the UK now recognise that achieving a more sustainable lifestyle on personal, as well as a global, level is now essential to the future of the planet.

Findings from the research also show that 47% of people believe it is the responsibility of individuals to make changes to their lifestyles to help stop the effects of climate change, 77% currently buy products on the basis of environmental or ethical concerns and 32% believe sustainable products and services will become the norm for consumers within the next ten years.

Taking place from 29th Feb – 2nd March 2008, One Life Live is the UK’s only event dedicated to helping people achieve their dream of a more meaningful life. Supported by The Independent, the event brings together a host of options to help people achieve life changes – from helping them create a green and ethical lifestyle to ideas for people who want to put something back through volunteering or who want to retrain for a more rewarding career.

One Life Live is divided into a number of different zones, each providing inspiration and advice about a different aspect of our lives. Zones at One Life Live 2008 include:

– Green & Ethical Living: products, services and advice for those looking to achieve a more sustainable lifestyle

– New Careers: a chance to start again and retrain for a more rewarding career

– Volunteering & Fundraising: options for those keen to put something through volunteer work

– Relocate UK: for those who want to escape the rat race, downshift and live their dream of a life in the country or by the coast

– Be Your Own Boss: support to help visitors break free, start a business and become their own boss

– Travel & Career Breaks: for those looking to take a sabbatical and become a volunteer overseas – ideas for some rewarding time out

– Life Balance: from relaxation remedies and life coaches to new hobbies – its all about here and now ways to improve your life

One Life Live 2008 will also play host to over 150 seminars, a range of clinics offering free one-to-one consultations and over 300 inspirational exhibitors. ‘One Lifer’s’ – people who have already made a change to achieve a more rewarding life – will also be on hand to give first hand advice to those looking to follow suit.

One Life Live 2008 takes place in Grand Hall Olympia, London from 29th Feb – 2nd March. Tickets are priced £12 in advance from www.onelifelive.co.ukor £15 on the door.
Alternatively call booking line 0844 8483225.

Eat your way to health with green cuisine

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London In the beautiful, tranquil surroundings of Penrhos Court, a Herefordshire manor farm on the Welsh borders, award-winning author, chef and nutritionist, Daphne Lambert, has run Greencuisine organic food, vitality and health courses for over 15 years.

Greencuisine offers a range of practical nutrition-based cookery courses using locally grown organic foods. Run in small groups and led by qualified practitioners- all who have many years of experience of helping people to achieve optimum health – Greencuisine courses provide hands-on tuition in the kitchen and individual nutritional advice, as well as daily Yoga classes, massage and gentle walks in the local countryside.

Greencuisine cookery courses are designed to revive and rejuvenate while enabling participants to see the joy of food and ways in which our diet directly affects health. Owner and Leading Nutritionist, Daphne Lambert, believes that we are what we eat and that the foods we choose have a significant effect on our health and wellbeing.

Daphne Lambert says: “With over 25% of British adults now obese and cases of type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease and cancer on the increase¹, there is an immediate need to re-evaluate our diets and re-educate ourselves about the ways in which the food we eat affects our health.

“In Britain today, one in three adults dies of heart disease² and a quarter of us die from cancer related deaths caused by unhealthy diet³. As a nation we have lost a significant level of understanding and knowledge about how we think about and prepare food. Our courses are designed to provide practical health advice from qualified practitioners as well as hands-on sessions in the kitchen learning to prepare nutritious organic food that can be easily made at home.”

All Greencuisine cookery courses are residential, fully catered and all diets catered for and foods included. Take-home cookery and health food course notes are provided to enable attendees to integrate what they have learnt into their everyday lifestyle.

Greencuisine Cookery Courses:

Food and Health – £605 five day course

An essential course for everybody who wants to understand more about the food they eat and the impact it has on our health and on the body. Learn how to prepare a wide selection of organic, fresh, seasonal food with expert advice from Daphne Lambert on maximising nutritional value. Discover the importance of whole foods, the benefits of juicing, understand the digestive system and take part in daily Yoga classes. This course is booking now for corporate team building days.

Women’s Health – £350 two day course

A long-established, two day course developed exclusively for women and centred on foods that promote vitality and health. Includes daily yoga classes and time spent in the kitchen learning to create a range of delicious and nutritious dishes such as sushi, almond, date and banana torte, cranberry and banana smoothie and hemp cheese.

Women’s Health – £699 five day course

The 5 day version of the WHC offers a more in depth combination of hands on cooking, diet awareness, nutrition, yoga and massage with Daphne Lambert, Sue Pembrey and Belinda Jobst. Plenty of time is spent in the kitchen creating dishes to help give health and vitality.

Living Nutrition – £1,400 four weekends one in each season

Now in its fifth year, Living Nutrition is an annual course run by Daphne Lambert and Dragana Vilinac exploring the relationship between the food we eat and our health and vitality. Learn practical skills for optimising health through cooking, understand how to make informed decisions about the food you buy and the environmental impact food production can have, develop an insight into Traditional Chinese Medicine and gain an understanding of how your body works and your own individual nutritional needs.

A Feast for the Soul – £550 weekend course

A Feast for the Soul is a journey of self discovery through the preparation and sharing of food. This enlightening and popular course is run by Daphne Lambert and Jonathan Snell both whom use their vast experience to demonstrate how food choices in our diet should not be based purely only on the physical but should embrace philosophical, emotional and spiritual perspectives. Jonathan is an expert in the phsychology of belief and behaviour and the physiology of movement and psycho-physical integration. The course involves lots of time spent in the kitchen and is built around discussions about our beliefs and understandings of food including reference to food stories, tales and legends.

Greencuisine also offers gift tokens that can be used to purchase any Greencuisine course. For further information or to book a place on a course visit www.greencuisine.org or call 01544 230720.

Green tea compound help body rid itself of toxins

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An ingredient of green tea called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) helps increase the activity of detoxification enzymes, according to a new study.

In a clinical study, backed by the US body, the National Cancer Insitute, reearch was carried out to determine the effect of repeated green tea polyphenol administration on a major group of detoxification enzymes known as glutathione S-transferases (GST).

A total of 42 healthy volunteers underwent a 4-week “washout” by refraining from tea or tea-related products. At the end of the washout period, the study authors collected a fasting blood sample and measured levels of GST activity. Following this baseline evaluation, the study participants consumed green tea polyphenols on an empty stomach for four weeks. The amount consumed (800 mg EGCG once a day) was equivalent to consuming between eight and 16 cups of green tea. After four weeks of green tea supplementation, researchers again collected blood samples and assessed levels of GST.

After four weeks of consuming EGCG, activity of the detoxification enzyme GST in blood lymphocytes increased. Further analysis revealed that a statistically significant increase in GST activity (80 percent) occurred in individuals who had the lowest activity at the start of the study. On the other hand, a small but statistically significant decrease in GST activity was observed in individuals who had the highest levels of the detoxification enzyme at the study’s start. The scientists attributed this decrease to random variation.

According to the researchers, “This suggests that green tea polyphenol intervention may enhance the detoxification of carcinogens in individuals with low baseline detoxification capacity.”

Reference:

Chow HHS, Hakim IA, DR Vining, Crowe JA, Tome ME, Ranger-Moore J, Cordova CA, Mikhael DM, Briehl MM, Alberts DS. Modulation of Human Glutathione S-Transferases by Polyphenon E Intervention. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2007 August 1;16(8):1662–1666.