Garden Media Group Unveils First in Series of 2012 Garden Trends: Cultivate the New Good Life with the Power of Plants

Trendspotters at the Garden Media Group forecast rise of Urban Knights; Eco-scaping and Occupy Local

Philadelphia, PA, February 2012 : Garden Media Group, the leading public relations agency and green living trend spotters, is unveiling its first in a series of top trends that empowers gardeners to cultivate the new good life, with the power of plants.

Ongoing studies worldwide reveal plants are vital for our health and well being, elicit powerful positive emotions, revive neighborhoods, and influence everything from food to life’s milestones.

“Plants are not a luxury, but a necessity,” says Susan McCoy, trendspotter and outdoor living expert. “Plants can live without us, but we cannot live without plants.”

The power of plants. Dr.Charlie Hall, professor of horticulture at Texas A & M, says, that younger generations are discovering the power of plants. “Gen Y’s are connecting with plants on many levels - economics, environmental impact, health and wellness.”

Why nature? According to Harvard professor Edward O. Wilson, humans can’t help ourselves. They are hardwired and have an innate bond with all living things he calls “biophilia.”

McCoy agrees.”Plants are more than just a pretty face. From the power of healing to restoring neighborhoods, plants are vital for healthy, balanced lives.”

Heath and quality of life are the number one reason people buy certain goods and services, according to Trendwatching, a global trend research firm in Amsterdam. Gardening fits right in.

Here’s what McCoy and her team of Garden Media Group trend spotters see for gardening in 2012:

Urban-Knights. A growing army of ‘urban knights’ are planting shrubs, flowers, edibles and pop-up gardens on balconies, in alley ways, and on street parklets – even in abandoned buildings and walk-in shipping containers.

Gardens with wind turbines and reclaimed materials, water saving plants and vertical walls are springing up in small and large cities.

From yard-sharing and raising chickens to ‘step gardening’ and harvesting rain water, urban knights are discovering a ‘new good life’ by getting grounded with the earth.

Eco-scaping. Nature’s influence can be found both indoors and out.

“Borders are blurring between indoors and out as nature becomes more important in our lives,” says Bobbie Schwartz, FAPLD, past president of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers, “Many people want their gardens and their homes to be sanctuaries of tranquility, reflecting their ideal concept of nature.”

Beauty and sustainability are key. Eric Liskey, deputy garden editor for Better Homes and Gardens magazine, suggests that people want the “beauty and romance” of a garden with less work. “Gardeners want easy, low maintenance plants that give plenty of color.”

The new Bloomtastic! ™ dwarf butterfly bush, Buddleia Lavender Veil from Hines Growers is both easy and low maintenance and attracts butterflies and hummingbirds with abundant, richly-colored, scented blooms.

“It’s easy to pot up herbs indoors and out for fresh ingredients, year round,” says Briscoe White, head herb farmer at The Growers Exchange. He recommends planting containers of herbs de Provence for beauty and cooking or covering a wall with rosemary.

Inner Gardening. Decorating our inner gardens with houseplants for better, healthier lives is now the new norm. These natural oxygen machines clean indoor air while bringing life to any room.

Bring nature in and green up your spaces with ferns, palms and peace lilies for a better, healthier you. To learn more about the benefits of indoor houseplants check out http://www.O2forYou.org.

Watch for additional green living trends from the Garden Media Group in upcoming weeks. For the latest gardening news visit Garden Media Groups blog.

This press release is presented for your information only.

Full Disclosure Statement: The GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW received no compensation for any component of this article.

This article is for your information only and the GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW does not (necessarily) approve, endorse or recommend the product, service or company mentioned.

Green Award for GreenWood Forest Park

GreenWood Forest Park, North Wales leading Adventure Park is delighted to have been recognised by being given the Rural Wales Award by the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales. The award which will be presented to GreenWood in June is for the remarkably positive impact that it has had on the countryside, the community and the local economy, by providing a great family day out.

Since opening in 1993 GreenWood has continued to work towards preserving the biodiversity of the ex-forestry site on which it stands. Over the years 10,000 trees have been planted, and hares, owls and polecats have made it their home. GreenWood remains proud of the fact that the majority of its staff come from the surrounding Welsh speaking communities.

GreenWood’s Managing Director Stephen Bristow had this to say about winning the award:" It is a great honour to receive this award. We have always tried to combine providing an interesting and fun family day out with careful management of the environment. The hard work and enthusiasm of the staff has made this possible".

Attractions of Snowdonia has 29 different attractions, from museums and castles for culture vultures who fancy a day steeped in history, to action-packed adventure days for families, meaning that there is something for everyone, all year round.

This press release is presented for your information only.

Full Disclosure Statement: The GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW received no compensation for any component of this article.

This article is for your information only and the GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW does not (necessarily) approve, endorse or recommend the product, service or company mentioned.

United By Blue Kicks Off 2012 Waterway Cleanup Season

Ocean-friendly apparel brand United By Blue prepares to get its hands dirty in another season of ocean and waterway cleanups beginning March 6.

Philadelphia, PA, February 29, 2012 : United By Blue (UBB), the ocean-friendly brand of apparel that removes one pound of trash for every product sold, will kick off cleanup season on March 6, 2012 at Bartram’s Garden in Philadelphia with a celebratory BBQ following the event.

A Certified B Corporation, UBB’s business model is making waves in both the conservation and business circles. UBB is known for the softest organic cotton t-shirts around, best-selling laptop bags, and artisan jewelry handmade in America. But UBB is also known among sustainability industry groups for pioneering a business model that can scale both environmental good work and a business simultaneously.

“By associating every transaction with a concrete environmental action, we’re proving that business and the environment aren’t always at odds with one another,” says Brian Linton, the company’s Founder and Chief Trash Collector.

“UBB is founded on a mission to affect concrete environmental change,” says Linton. “We accomplish our mission by planning and hosting all of our own cleanups, so the beginning of cleanup season is one of the most exciting and most important times of the year for us.”

Since the company was founded in May 2010, UBB has hosted 60 cleanups and, with the help of over 1,000 volunteers, removed over 80,000 pounds of ocean and waterway trash. The apparel brand hosted cleanups across the country and the world, from Philadelphia to L.A., from South Carolina to Taiwan. United By Blue's 2012 cleanup season will stretch from March until October, with cleanups in new locations, like Salt Lake City, UT and Orlando, FL.

UBB provides all the planning and logistics for the cleanup and post-event waste removal, and their retailer partners leverage their community bases to rally volunteers. “This year, we expect to cover more ground and to increase both the amount of waterway trash we remove and the number of volunteers we reach,” says Mike Cangi, Director of Cleanups.

UBB will also co-host cleanups with several of its environmental partners. Its first cleanup will be with footwear brand Sperry Top-Sider on April 14 in Brooklyn, NY, which will also celebrate Sperry Top-Sider's New York City store opening. UBB will co-host a late spring cleanup with partner and car manufacturer Subaru at its corporate headquarters in Cherry Hill, NJ.

Last year, United By Blue and ECO SWIM BY AQUA GREEN removed 3,178 pounds of trash from the Delaware River. This summer, UBB will host four cleanups with the swimwear brand, kicking off with a cleanup with ECO SWIM BY AQUA GREEN and its retailer, Belk, in Myrtle Beach, SC, on April 21.

United By Blue is an ocean-friendly brand of apparel and accessories that, for every product sold, removes one pound of trash from oceans and waterways around the world through company organized and hosted cleanups. In 2011, United By Blue was a finalist in The Wall Street Journal's “Small Business, Big Innovation” and Bloomberg Businessweek's “America's Best Young Entrepreneurs” competitions.

The brand distributes a line of organic cotton t-shirts, organic canvas bags, and artisan jewelry through retailers nationwide and online at http://www.unitedbyblue.com. Visit them at http://www.facebook.com/unitedbyblue and follow them @unitedbyblue on twitter for product and cleanup updates.

This press release is presented for your information only.

Full Disclosure Statement: The GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW received no compensation for any component of this article.

This article is for your information only and the GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW does not (necessarily) approve, endorse or recommend the product, service or company mentioned.

The GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW Quarterly has arrived

Finally the GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW Quarterly, the virtual print companion the the GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW Blog, has arrived.

I had been toying for a long time with the idea of bringing back a virtual print companion to the GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW, after THE HOMESTEADER magazine was closed some while back and then turned into a Blog which was later merged with the the GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW.

It has taken a while, I know, but now the the GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW Quarterly is here, which incorporates THE HOMESTEADER.

The idea is for the the GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW Quarterly to be free to subscribers as a PDF and presently there is no print option though I hope that some time in the future this may become feasible. But, the greener option is and remains the PDF and maybe, just maybe, we may just stay with that.

The Spring 2012 issue of the GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW Quarterly is an anthology of articles that have, over time, been on the Blog but I hope that readers will love to have it in this (new) form.

I have aimed it also to be coinciding with the fact that the new gardening season is starting again about now and also the season for doing laundry outside, at least the drying of it. Plus also some poignant articles as to what is happening on a political level.

In order to subscribe please send an email, headed GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW Quarterly subscription request, to the email in the “Contact” section on the Blog.

The subscription is free, as said, and I look forward to welcoming you as reader to the GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW Quarterly.

Take care,

Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Editor – GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW

9/11 and its consequences worldwide

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

The fear of the people has been and is still being exploited since the “attacks” on the Twin Towers in order to enforce a specific political agenda. Its main aim seems to be to install and expand more and more elements and aspects of a total surveillance state.

The war on terror has been lost because those that have been attacked – supposedly – have beaten themselves because they did exactly that what the terrorists wanted them to do. 1. To expose the supposed freedoms and liberties of our society as an illusion and a farce 2. To create a climate of fear and 3. To lash about with such an effect and in such a way that in the choice of methods the do-called democratic countries went a path worse than that of some of the worst dictatorships.

Wearing my conspiracy theorists hat I wonder as to whether what we are being led to believe as regards to the “attack” on 9/11 in New York City and the 7/7 one in London some years later is really the truth. It was all much too convenient for the authorities to launch their “war on terror” which, by now, has led to the worst infringements of our personal freedoms and liberties in the so-called free countries, such as the USA, the UK and others.

We are also being told that the war in Afghanistan and the attack and subsequent occupation of Iraq was all in order to keep our streets safe. Yes, and pigs apparently do fly.

Iraq was all about oil and, theoretically, so is Afghanistan, but in a different way, and the rest... well, it is all about people control.

It has been the aim of the powers that be for a rather considerable time to put everyone and everything under a total surveillance umbrella and proof of the pudding is now the fact that in Britain all emails, phone records, websites visited, etc., are going to be stored by the authorities for at least a full year. Just in case, they say, that the information might be needed to solve crimes.

In the same way as during the riots – yes, they were bad but – it was suggested that the Blackberry Messenger Service should be turned off as, so it was claimed, the rioters used that, and Twitter, to coordinate actions.

In light of the Occupy Movement the authorities in the UK and the USA have been and are considering the shutting down, as and when, social networks, while they had a go during the Arab Spring, at Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, et al, for shutting down such services being against freedoms of the protesters. The two-faced attitude of our supposedly free democratic governments would be a joke and laughable if it would not be that serious an issue.

The “war on terrorism”, in fact, never was about terrorists and terrorism but was all about people control; about controlling the citizenry at home. They just needed to instil fear into the people so that they handed the few freedoms that they still had over to the powers that be entirely.

Nice one...

Time to wake up everyone and smell the flowers... Our governments are no benign and are more and more turning into the worst kind of dictatorships. The Stasi, KGB, and the Gestapo had nothing on the CIA, the FBI, MI5 and the rest.

We are like sheep led to slaughter while all the way bleating: “Thank you dear government for protecting us”.

© 2012

FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT: One year on, leading jeweller reports positive response to Fairtrade gold

Harriet Kelsall Bespoke Jewellery reports a positive response from customers to Fairtrade gold as Fairtrade Fortnight 2012 kicks off.

Lisa Snowdon wears Fairtrade gold

Fairtrade gold launched officially on 14 February 2011 and the UK's leading bespoke jeweller was one of only 20 worldwide to be licensed to use it.
Since then, the jeweller has completed over 35 commissions in Fairtrade gold – including one for TV presenter, radio DJ and model Lisa Snowdon - for customers keen to ensure their jewellery is crafted from ethical materials.

Having worked closely with the Fairtrade Foundation on the certification process, Harriet Kelsall and her team were delighted when it became official just one year ago.

Alice Rochester is a senior designer, she said: “Of course the point of Fairtrade is working with small-scale artisanal workers and their communities. As a result there was a lull between the actual launch of Fairtrade gold and its arrival in the UK as the miners had to physically mine enough gold in order to export it once the paperwork had all cleared.

“This meant that even at launch we still couldn’t get started on making rings for our customers who had been waiting since November 2010. Luckily they appreciated the pioneering nature of the Fairtrade process so although they wanted their beautiful rings, they were also prepared to wait for everything to be in place for this to happen.”

Carole and Bernard Siddle were Harriet Kelsall’s first customers to commission a ring in Fairtrade gold who had decided to buy a new wedding ring for Carole to mark their 25th wedding anniversary.

Talking about their experience with Fairtrade gold, Carole and Bernard said: “We immediately felt that this was right for us and we became part of the story of the first piece of 18 carat Fairtrade gold jewellery in the UK.

“The idea that our special ring could be made of raw material mined by people who were being paid fairly for their work and that our pleasure was not at the expense of those in another part of the world was very important to us.

“During the long wait for the first bar of gold to arrive from South America we learned more about gold mining and how it is often children who risk their lives squeezing into narrow shafts and being subjected to dangerous chemicals down the mine and during the processing.

“This is the reason that Fairtrade and Fairmined gold is so important.”

Robert and Anne Westwood chose Fairtrade gold for Anne’s engagement ring.

“We are Christians and the principles of Fairtrade are closely allied with our faith and attitude to other people and the environment,” said Robert.

“I’d deliberately chosen a jeweller from the Fairtrade Foundation website as it was important to me that the ring was made with Fairtrade gold; this is where we discovered Harriet Kelsall Bespoke Jewellery."

After the initial delays in supply, Fairtrade gold is now readily available and Harriet Kelsall, founder and managing director, is encouraged by her customers’ positive response to it.

Harriet said: “As consumer awareness of Fairtrade grows people are more likely to search online for an ethical option for their jewellery.

However, we do actually offer it to most customers even if they haven’t asked for it - generally the difference in cost between making, for example, a wedding ring in Fairtrade gold and ‘standard’ gold isn’t as much as customers expect and l am working with the Fairtrade Foundation to reduce this further.

“We’re finding that people are more and more likely to go ahead with using the Fairtrade option because of this and they are really pleased to know that their jewellery is as ethical as it’s possible to be.

"The great thing is that, unlike the first incarnations of Fairtrade coffee (which sounded good but tasted horrible!) Fairtrade gold is physically identical to ‘standard’ gold but you’ve got the reassurance that the people and communities who have mined it have been well treated and well paid for their work.

"There are no reasons for not using it!”

About Harriet Bespoke Jewellery
Harriet Kelsall Bespoke Jewellery is the UK’s leading bespoke jewellery design company specialising in engagement rings, wedding rings, commitment rings and eternity rings as well as jewellery for other memorable occasions.
Based in Hertfordshire and Cambridge, Harriet Kelsall’s team of designers and goldsmiths work closely with clients to create unique and stunning pieces of jewellery to an exceptionally high standard.

Harriet Kelsall Bespoke Jewellery is at the forefront of ethics within the jewellery industry and at the end of last year became the first independent UK company to be certified by the Responsible Jewellery Council.

Harriet Kelsall Bespoke Jewellery is an award-winning bespoke jewellery design company. In 2011, the company was awarded Business Initiative of the Year in the UK Jewellery Awards for the re-design of its Cambridge studio, an initiative that brings proper bespoke jewellery design to the High Street for the first time.

The company was also listed in Professional Jeweller’s prestigious Hot 100 list – the who’s who of the jewellery industry - and was included in Retail Jeweller’s list of the Top 50 Inspiring Independents coming in at number 25 making it the top independent in Cambridge.

And topping off a glittering year of success, Harriet Kelsall was named Woman of the Year at the Specsavers Everywoman in Retail Awards. This coveted award recognises the company’s enormous achievements as well as Harriet’s vision and passion for innovation and inspiring the younger generation of jewellery designers and goldsmiths.

www.hkjewellery.co.uk

This press release is presented for your information only.

Full Disclosure Statement: The GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW received no compensation for any component of this article.

This article is for your information only and the GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW does not (necessarily) approve, endorse or recommend the product, service or company mentioned.

Banish plane & train boredom with fast & furious word play: ZIP-IT®, the perfect travel game for ages 7-107

Compact, portable and ridiculously competitive, ZIP-IT® is a two-player crossword race that can be played anytime, anywhere in as little as 20 seconds. Launched by the creators of global word-game phenomenon, Bananagrams®, ZIP-IT is the must-have travel accessory this summer, whether you’re travelling by road, rail or air.

ZIP-IT (RRP £14.99) features 24 high-quality letter cubes packaged in a unique retro-style cloth pouch with scoring zippers. One round can take as little as twenty seconds, meaning it’s perfect for journeys of any length. Plus the ability to play compactly on an airplane or train tray-table makes ZIP-IT the ultimate travel game – everything you need is in the bag!

“We knew people were taking Bananagrams out and about with them to play in restaurants and pubs,” comments Bananagrams’ co-inventor and CEO, Rena Nathanson, “but we needed something more compact for taking on holidays or long journeys. After extensive playing, tweaking and testing, ZIP-IT was born, and we’re delighted with the results. Like all our games, ZIP-IT represents the very best in fast, furious and fun word play and is incredibly simple... yet addictive!”

To play, each person takes 12 cubes and races to form his/her own crossword grid using any side of the cubes. The first player to use all his/her own cubes calls "ZIP!" and scores a point by moving his/her own zipper up the pouch. The first person to score 10 points shouts "ZIP-IT!" and wins the game.

ZIP-IT comes packaged with Weords, Bananagrams’ all-new mini-dictionary featuring “weird words that win word games” (i.e., “Q” words that do not have a “U”).

STOP PRESS! Bananagrams has just debuted “Jumbo Bananagrams” and “Jumbo ZIP-IT” at the London and New York Toy Fairs. Jumbo Zip-It has even already scooped a Best In Play Award. Jumbo versions of the original games, perfect for playing in the garden with all the family, will be available to buy in the UK later in 2012. Bring on barbecue season!

ZIP-IT costs £14.99 and is available to buy from all good book and toy stores on the High Street or online from www.bananagrams.com. Learn how to play ZIP-IT here: http://youtu.be/ke6CJwqF6Yo.

About Bananagrams
Bananagrams®, Inc., is the family-owned Rhode Island company behind a range of innovative word games, including the international phenomenon BANANAGRAMS - the fast, fun anagram game that will “drive you bananas!” Currently available in 31 countries and multiple languages, original Bananagrams has spawned digital versions on Facebook, the iPad™, iPhone™ and iTouch™ and a series of books. Bananagrams, Inc. also offers the award-winning Appletters®, Pairs in Pears® and brand-new ZIP-IT® and Fruitominoes®. All the games feature attractive cloth pouches and need no board, pencil or paper - ideal for children and adults aged seven to 107 who enjoy witty word play, at home or on the go.

This press release is presented for your information only.

Full Disclosure Statement: The GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW received no compensation for any component of this article.

The GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW is happy to endorse these products.

Eco-Friendly Cartridges Motivate Corporations to Go Green and Cuts Cost

Get Smart Cartridges Provide Alternative Ink Solutions for Popular Printer Brands

Portland, OR, February 2012 : On February 16th, 2012 Get Smart Cartridges launched an environmentally friendly ink and toner alternative for small businesses and large corporations seeking to “Go Green.” A national distributor of Environmentally Responsible Ink and Toner Cartridges, http://GetSmartCartridges.com offers products compatible to over 400 cartridges from major brands.

Helping organizations “Go Green” is a primary mission of Get Smart Cartridge. The Smart Reward Program helps alleviate the high cost of printing inkjets, toners and ribbons by providing consumer’s cash back rewards for mailing in used, recycled cartridges. Consumers are automatically inducted into the Get Smart Cartridges – Smart Reward Program.

Consumers are able to apply the credit to their next purchase, add to Paypal accounts or donate it to over 165 charities throughout the United States. Free USPS/FedEx return labels are sent with each purchase, and each returned cartridge provides a $0.10 credit.

Get Smart Cartridges helps companies cut expenses by providing a less costly alternative. The eco-friendly ink cartridges are made of 100% post recycled content. For each laser toner or inkjet printer purchased Get Smart Cartridges donates $0.25 to: http://AmericanForests.org - American Forests plants a tree for each dollar donated.

Get Smart Cartridges is one of the nation’s leading resources of eco-friendly printer inkjets, toners, lasers and printer cartridges. Since 2007 Get Smart Cartridges has recycled over 783,000 cartridges and planted over 2,400 trees through consumer donation. Get Smart Cartridges unprecedented 1 million trees planted goal, continues to motivate consumers and corporations to “Go Green.”

29113 SW Kinsman Rd.
Wilsonville, OR 97070
(949) 283-2249 Telephone

This press release is presented for your information only.

Full Disclosure Statement: The GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW received no compensation for any component of this article.

This article is for your information only and the GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW does not (necessarily) approve, endorse or recommend the product, service or company mentioned.

Urban Green Energy Announces Fusion, the Cleantech Solution for Telecom Applications

New renewable wind and solar solution reduces operating costs for off-grid telecom towers and minimizes environmental footprint

New York, NY, February 2012 : Urban Green Energy (UGE), continues to expand and specialize its versatile product offering by announcing the launch of Fusion, a hybrid renewable energy solution designed specifically for telecom stations. The new Fusion system significantly lowers the operating costs at off-grid telecom sites and benefits the environment at the same time by reducing telecom tower dependency on diesel generators.

Launched through UGE's specialized division, UGE Telecoms, Fusion is designed to integrate seamlessly into existing off-grid telecom stations, which currently run primarily on diesel generators. The complete Fusion system combines UGE's advanced wind turbines, an array of solar panels, and an advanced control system, into a dependable, low-maintenance system which supplies free energy twenty-four hours a day.

Understanding the need for a dependable and cost-effective solution in the telecoms market, UGE's Fusion is specifically designed to incorporate the same reliability of diesel generators at a fraction of the cost. As David Droz, Solution Manager for Fusion, stated, "By offsetting up to 90% of diesel usage per site, Fusion will allow our customers to significantly lower their operating costs and recoup their investment in as little as two years, while using a more robust and dependable system."

Fusion also incorporates elements from UGE's smart grid applications. This allows simultaneous control of various sources of energy and the ability to monitor and diagnose the system from a central location. Customers will be able to remotely monitor all aspects of their system, including battery charge, diesel consumption, load indicators, and, of course, energy production, through ViewUGE, UGE's proprietary remote monitoring energy system.

The electronic systems supplied with Fusion are designed to allow for longer battery life and reduced use of back-up energy sources. Fusion is also modular, making it easily adaptable to the vast majority of telecoms stations.

UGE's Fusion solution is currently being implemented at three of the world's largest telecoms companies across three continents: Europe, the Americas, and Asia. It is also now powering remote communication towers for a national defense agency. The solution will be on exhibit at Urban Green Energy's booth in The Green Technology Pavilion at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona later this month.

About Urban Green Energy
With installations in approximately 60 countries, including with several government agencies and Fortune 100 companies, UGE is changing the face of distributed generation. UGE's goal is to put users in control of their energy source, and achieves this by designing and manufacturing more versatile wind turbines and hybrid wind/solar systems for use in applications ranging from residential to commercial, from suburban US homeowners to off-grid telecoms towers in rural Africa. Visit http://www.urbangreenenergy.com today to learn how together we can create a greener tomorrow.

This press release is presented for your information only.

Full Disclosure Statement: The GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW received no compensation for any component of this article.

This article is for your information only and the GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW does not (necessarily) approve, endorse or recommend the product, service or company mentioned.

How Will Businesses Be Structured in the Future?

2012 is the UN International Year for Cooperatives. To celebrate this, the Spanish Node of The Millennium Project has initiated a global study on the future of business organization models and factors that may change them.

A panel of international experts are being selected around the world to assess how factors such as globalization, rich-poor gap, CSR, worker participation models, and new forms of finance may change the face of business in general and cooperatives in particular.

This study is open to both international experts in the subject, through The Millennium Project’s 41 Nodes around the world and international cooperative networks (AIC, etc.), as well as major stakeholders at an international level who have connections with the cooperative world or are linked to AIC and government entities. An online questionnaire (called a Real-Time Delphi) will collect judgments and share them anonymously for feedback among all the participants. If you are interested in participating, send an email to the study director Ibon Zugasti i.zugasti(at)prospektiker(dot)es briefly stating your background.

Prospektiker is a business futures consulting company and host of The Millennium Project in Spain. It conducted a trend analysis looking out toe 2020-2030 in preparation for this global study. It describes a future in which significant changes and mutations will continue to take place in the economic world in general; and therefore, in the organization and company environment in particular. Variables relevant to the future of organizations and companies are numerous, but the most important identified in the trend analysis will be shared and rated in the study.

A series of documented hypotheses for the future of each of these variables have been identified. These form the basis of the questions in the Delphi online questionnaire. The results will be available through Prospektiker and The Millennium Project in mid-2012.

The Millennium Project was established in 1996 as the first globalized think tank. It conducts independent futures research via its 40 Nodes around the world that connect global and local perspectives. Nodes are groups of individuals and institutions that pick the brains of their region and feedback the global results. It is supported by UN organizations, multinational corporations, universities, foundations and the governments of Azerbaijan, Kuwait, South Korea, and the United States.

This press release is presented for your information only.

Full Disclosure Statement: The GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW received no compensation for any component of this article.

This article is for your information only and the GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW does not (necessarily) approve, endorse or recommend the product, service or company mentioned.

Sniper in Helmand – Book Review

Review by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Sniper in Helmand
by James Cartwright with a foreword by Andy McNab
Hardback 224 pages
Published by Pen & Sword Military, October 2011
ISBN: 9781848846630

Few soldiers are deemed good enough to be selected and trained as snipers and even fewer qualify. As a result, snipers are regarded as the elite of their units, along with so-called “single fighters”, and their skills command the ungrudging respect of their fellows – and of the enemy. It is therefore that snipers are the targets of counter-snipers in all theaters of war.

The author of this book is one such man who recently served a full tour of duty with 1st Battalion the Royal Anglian Regiment in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
James (not his real name, as snipers like other special operatives in the military are not allowed, for security reasons to divulge their real identities) describes the highs and lows of almost daily front line action experienced by our troops deployed on active service in arguably the most dangerous area of the world.

As part of the Battle Group’s crack Mobile Operations Group, James’s mission was to liquidate as many Taliban as possible and the reader experiences sniper tactics and actions, whether in ambush or quick pre-planned strikes, amid the ever present lethal danger of IEDs.
His book, the first to written by a trained sniper in Afghanistan, reveals the psychological pressures and awesome life-and-death responsibility of his role and, in particular, the deadly cat-and-mouse ‘games’ with the enemy snipers intent on their own kills. These involved the clinical killing of targets at ranges of 1,000 metres or greater.

Sniper in Helmand is a thrilling action-packed, but first of all very human, account of both front line service in the intense Afghanistan war and first-hand sniper action. Andy McNab inspired James to join the army and has written a moving foreword.

“Sniper in Hemland” is a recent book the MoD tried to ban (there were some before this one and there will sure be others after) and once you have read it I am sure you know why.

While this book is, as I have said, a good and interesting read of what it is really like out there for our troops in Afghanistan and especially the Helmand province the enjoyment of the book is being spoiled by a serious lack of proofreading and editing. Very little of that seems to have gone into this book from the side of the publisher.

Also, referring to a camp of Afghan desert nomads as a “Bedouin camp” is rather erroneous, to say the least, as there are no Bedouins in that country. This has, however, more to do with a error on the side of the author than the editor though proper editing should have spotted that also.

The lack of proper editing is obvious in many parts of this book where, as an example, something like “stopping en route to pick up more guys en route during the withdrawal” has been written and which does make the reader rather stumble a bit. The term “en route” should have only been used once in this sentence and something like that is the job of an editor and proofreader to spot and flag up.

Similar syntax errors, missing words, spelling errors, and wrong words in the context, occurred in a number of other places across the book and it is a shame that a lack of editing and proofreading is allowed to spoil an otherwise great book and read.

While the writer may have relied on a spell checker, and I know only too well how mistakes can creep in just relying on the software, a proofreader and editor should not reply on it but properly read and reread the manuscript before allowing it to go to press.

Top marks for the book as to the story and James' writing efforts, but as for the amount of errors and mistakes in the book, which was due to bad editing and proofreading, one can but give minus marks.

© 2012

Urban foraging

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Spring is about around the corner in the northern hemisphere and the time for serious foraging is going to be at hand again soon.

Some plants that can be foraged for food have, this winter of 2011/2012, not even stopped growing really. One of them is, for instance, Dandelion. The only problem is that, even those that I specifically grow in the garden, have been taken as lettuce by the pesky pigeons.

There are many other foods that can be foraged in the urban environment, including and especially in parks and open spaces. However, other places too hold culinary staples and delights.

Many an old Horse Chestnut tree may have Oyster Mushrooms growing on them and Oyster Mushrooms are great eating indeed and also add flavors to stews and such, especially when dried.

Other foods of the urban wildspaces in the same way as of the suburbs and the countryside are nettles – nettle tea and nettle soup, as well as nettle greens – and plantain (no, not the thing that looks like a banana).

Furthermore, also still in spring, and then for most of the year there are the plants in the rumex family which are all but a wild spinach.

Some wild foods are easy to spot others are not.

Who could miss the bright yellow flowers of dandelions for example? Sautee the young, tender leaves in olive oil or use the young flowers as a garnish. Use the leaves in salads as you would rocket for it is, basically, wild rocket.

Dandelion and nettles cooked together like spinach are what in Greece cuisine is called Hortes, meaning greens, and which is a common side dish in that country's cooking.

With spring approaching dandelions and nettles could and actually should be on the menu and here is the beginning of foraging in the urban environment for dandelions can be found almost everywhere. As, for that matter, can nettles.

Nettles, aside from being cooked like spinach, can be turned into a great soup and are known to have medicinal benefits. Nettles are also good when brewed in a tea.

So get out there and forage... but make sure that you know what you are picking. In addition make sure everything is well and thoroughly washed before consumption.

© 2012

You will be astonished

Astonish Pro Cleaning Paste (from Lakeland – Product Review

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Astonish Multi-Use Cleaning Paste

Astonishingly versatile, this gentle yet effective cleaning paste contains essential oils of tea tree and eucalyptus plus powerful antibacterial properties to produce stunning results on glass, enamel, ceramic, granite, stainless steel, UPVC windows and more. Tough on stains and germs, it comes with an applicator and a sponge.

(Not suitable for highly polished stainless steel, silver, copper or brass.)

Lakeland Ref #23456

500g.

Astonish, the natural cleaning paste, is not, per se, a new product; not by a long shot of one's imagination. In fact, it has been around for a fairly long time, decades if not more. This pro version, on the other hand, does appear to be new, though.

Astonish is natural cleaning cream or paste par excellence, and will tackle the toughest of cleaning jobs with the addition of a little elbow grease.

It should be noted though that the product is slightly abrasive, containing silica sand, and thus best not be used on surfaces that are and are to remain mirror polished.

For all other jobs Astonish is safe to use including cups, plates, and other utensils that are used with food as there, so it states, are no harmful ingredients in the product.

I have been using Astonish before, the old version, and a copy of it called “Revive”, for many, many years, and have certainly suffered no ill effects and the product is doing an absolutely astonishing job.

Astonish can even be used on your hands to wash off grease, oil, garden grime, and such like. It works wonders in that department too.

This is a great product that can very much and wholeheartedly recommend. Natural and good for the Planet.

© 2012

People in Denver urged to take to the pavements

Denver pedestrian groups promote walking in the urban environment

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

While the city of Denver, Colorado, USA, may be regarded as one of the fittest cities in the US and one can see a literal army of people run and bike whatever the weather. With their long strides and pounding feet, and their whirring spokes, they underscore why the State of Colorado is the least obese in the Union.

Walking to somewhere? Walking to the stores or to work? That is rather a different story and very few would even think about it let alone do it.

Americans, outside of NYC, which is regarded as the most walked and biked city ion the US, while jogging and cycling for sports, and not only Americans fall into that category for in Britain it is much the same, unfortunately, are car orientated when it comes to getting from A to B and going to the shops or to work. Cycling and walking rarely figures on the horizon in that department.

While in rural America it is understandable with the often rather vast distances between places and especially between farms and towns, cities just ask for an alternative approach.

In Denver now two people are trying to change the public's view on walking in the city. One of them is Gosia Kung and the other Dr. Andrew M. Freeman.

In very different ways and for very different reasons (she is an architect and he a cardiologist) they are trying to (re)incorporate the physical activity of walking into the sinews of a place that, despite of its fantastic record of low obesity and high fitness, has lost touch, like most American cities (and not just cities in America), with the idea of walking as means of transportation.

In 2011 Mrs. Kung co-founded a non-profit group called “Walk Denver”, which is trying to get the city certified as “walk friendly”. It is also an advocate for a previously voiceless group, the ordinary walker — whispering into the ears of city planners, or nagging if need be, and preaching to the public.

It is the physical space of a city that creates a pedestrian’s view of the world. Ample sidewalks are crucial but they provide only the means of access to an environment that must then reward walkers through attractions like shopping and entertainment that cater specifically to foot traffic.

More walkers, whether strolling or striding, in turn reinforce an old idea that many cities have forgotten: better public health and improved economic life go together.

In Europe, where Mrs. Kung comes from, and in her case Poland, cities are different and people do walk there (or cycle) to get to the shops, to work, to school, to visit a cafe or restaurant or to go to the theatre even.

Many European cities can be used as an example, be it Mrs. Kung's birthplace of Krakow, or Prague, Berlin, Hamburg, Copenhagen or Amsterdam. All of them are walked and cycled in great numbers, with the likes of Copenhagen and Amsterdam in the forefront, probably.

British and American cities are different and in the USA it has to do with the layout often where the city centres may be dense where offices, shops, and such are located, but the zones where the homes are are sprawling suburbs that are miles away from the center and thus, in many cases, walking, and even cycling is not an option.

Many of today's American cities were expanded during the oil boom and were designed not with people but with the car in mind. And, while British cities are a little different, here also the life was removed from the city centers in that houses were moved from there to other areas and everything else became offices, shops, cafes, workplaces. This happened a decade or so after the Second World War during the rebuilding of the cities that had been bombed.

Despite the fact that many great European cities also were in ruins they were rebuilt in such a way that people were part and parcel of the center and of the life of the city and would not just travel into the city from afar to work. Thus towns and cities of all shapes and sizes in Europe remained vibrant living places even in the very center and walkable.

In the US the great main exception is Manhattan, NYC. Manhattan, almost certainly the most pedestrian-dominated urban place in America, never planned for such an outcome; density and the constriction of island life made it just happen as the city grew. Many other cities got so split up or sealed off by the explosion of road building after World War II that pedestrian life all but died, or was never even born. And this is the same what I was saying about the British cities when, after the war, during the rebuilding large road building took place and suburbia, rarely known before, marched further and further into the countryside and away from the city.

Things will have to change and when we finally, all, including the likes of the dipsticks in DC, come to realize that oil is running out, they will.

However, meanwhile the dipsticks are still blinkered as cam be seen by the two transportation bills that went before Congress which will sharply reduce and even eliminate programs to foster more cycling and walking. Those bills, so I understand, have now both been passed, and thus the oil industry is laughing all the way to the bank.

Walking itself, and cycling, can safe money in gasoline or bus or train fares and cost not very much to start with and when it comes to walking all it costs is shoe leather.

It is such a shame that American cities don't seem to get walking and cycling, as a whole. The problem is also greatly confounded by the very fact that the governments in the US, and especially Federal Government, , including the senators and congressmen and-women, are deep in the pockets of the oil industry and walking and cycling is not on their agenda.

© 2012

New Soil Reef Biochar Creates a Lifetime of ‘Black Magic’ for the Soil

New Soil Reef™ biochar is the last soil amendment gardeners will ever need. Whether a gardening enthusiast, landscaper, grower or forester; Soil Reef™ biochar provides massive gains in both agriculture and the environment.

Berwyn, PA, February 2012 : One part rich, black soil plus one part "Legend of El Dorado," makes Soil Reef™ biochar the ancient solution to our modern soil problem.

In 1541, Spanish conquistador Francisco de Orellana, led a famous expedition of the Amazon. He returned boasting tales of a massive golden empire and areas of rich, black earth. Expedition after expedition hunted for evidence of these Mayan civilizations, but each came up empty handed, until recently.

Soil science has proven that de Orellana was not hallucinating. By burning woody biomass, creating a char-like substance, and burying it in the soil, these Indian farmers created extremely fertile soil. Today, this char-like substance is called biochar.

Until now, biochar has not been available commercially in the United States. Last year, The Biochar Company licensed a patented process to produce a biochar called Soil Reef™ on a commercial scale.

Soil Reef creates biochar with an age-old process called pyrolysis that bakes uncontaminated wood by cooking it at high temperatures with no oxygen in a controlled container. This process sequesters about half the carbon in the biomass and reduces it to pure biochar, one of the key ingredients in rich soil.

According to biochar pioneer Lopa Brunjes, Director for The Biochar Company, LLC and TEDx speaker, biochar is a vital for improving marginal or degraded soils.

“The tiny pores in the biochar create a habitat like a coral reef for microorganisms to thrive in the soil. It builds soil structure and thus prevents erosion,” she explains. “Biochar helps soil retain water and nutrients, creating plants with more life.”

She says this ultimately increases crop yields, grows healthier plants that are more resistant to disease, and reduces annual dependency on fertilizers.

“Just one application of Soil Reef benefits the soil for generations to come,” says Brunjes, who sits on the advisory board of the International Biochar Initiative. “Though adding biochar year after year, as the ancient Amazonians did, produces a cumulative benefit.”

Leading the US industry in producing biochar for consumer use, Soil Reef is using proprietary technology to create a superior product for the garden.

“Another payoff is that gardeners who use Soil Reef can actually help combat climate change”, Brunjes explains. “Biochar reduces carbon emissions by sequestering carbon in the soil for on the order of a thousand years. It basically puts the carbon back, where it belongs—in the soil.” It makes viable use of waste and can produce sustainable energy in the production process.

Soil Reef comes mixed and ready to use, with Organic Mechanics® Compost and worm castings, and is now available at fine garden centers. Pure biochar, to mix how you choose, is available at http://www.soilreef.com

Brunjes exclaims, “With concerns about soil erosion mounting, I believe biochar is going to be as important for the 21st century as fertilizers were for last century!”

This press release is presented for your information only.

Full Disclosure Statement: The GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW received no compensation for any component of this article.

This article is for your information only and the GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW does not (necessarily) approve, endorse or recommend the product, service or company mentioned.

White Flies Can Be Removed With New Environmentally Safe Cure From Planet Amazing

The flies are known for their destruction of garden plants and flowering plants.

Austin, TX, February 2012 : White flies are known for attacking tomatoes and other plants in gardens and flower beds. Now Planet Amazing has a non-toxic product that takes care of white flies once and for all, allowing garden plants to be healthy and safe. According to Justin Douglas of Planet Amazing, the new white fly product is completely safe for the environment and also for pets and humans, yet will eliminate white flies.

Mr. Douglas says that the product is called "WhiteFlyGuard" and was originally developed by scientists for professional organic vegetable farms so that the farms could safely kill white flies. Planet Amazing is now making it available to the public as an environmentally safe solution to eliminate white fly infestations. The white fly treatment is a fine white powder that covers the leaves for a few days and takes care of the problem, Mr. Douglas says.

"White fly infestations can ruin a garden," he says. "These relentless flies chew up plants and kill their chances to grow or blossom. But our product WhiteFlyGuard can kill white flies once and for all without poison. WhiteFlyGuard is a mechanical pesticide that kills white flies without harming your plants, in fact it's even safe to use around pets and especially humans because it's non-toxic - it only kills crawling insects like white flies and ants."

For those gardeners wondering how to kill white flies or how to get rid of white flies, Planet Amazing has launched this white fly treatment. The secret is the microcrystals in the dust, which are non-toxic and environmentally safe, Mr. Douglas says. "The rough microcrystal spears in WhiteFlyGuard attach to the legs and bodies of white flies as they crawl across it," Mr. Douglas explains. "When they groom it off, the crystals are like ground glass in the bugs intestines, shredding them from the inside out. Because of the tiny size of these crystals WhiteFlyGuard is harmless to your pets and family. Simply wet your plants and dust them lightly with WhiteFlyGuard. It's fine white powder lightly covers the leaves for just a few days, that's all it takes to be white flies free."

For more information, visit the Amazon.com page for WhiteFlyGuard.

About Planet Amazing

PlanetAmazing.com is the premier manufacturer and distributor of a wide range of organic and inorganic “GRAS” solutions that anyone…no matter their experience…can use to eliminate real everyday problems.

This press release is presented for your information only.

Full Disclosure Statement: The GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW received no compensation for any component of this article.

This article is for your information only and the GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW does not (necessarily) approve, endorse or recommend the product, service or company mentioned.

Go unplugged for making great coffee

Wacky Practicals' Collapsible Coffee Dripper – Product Review

Review by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Coffee drippers, also known as coffee filters in some places, those manual devices, first made by the famous Melitta company, come in many different materials and from many different makers nowadays.

Basically, however, they are all the same and most use the standard Melitta filter papers, or you could call them filter bags.

Wacky Practicals has got a rather quirky and fun coffee dripper that collapsed down to a disc of less than half inch thickness and about six inches in diameter.. small enough to fit into a jacket pocket but big enough to make one to two cups of great coffee.

Great for camping, fishing, etc., but also useful at home or at the office.

The Wacky Practicals Collapsible Coffee Dripper is made from food-grade silicone and thus collapses with ease and should last for many years even if folded down time and again.

It uses the standard Melitta filter bags of the 1x2 size and is extremely versatile and practical. Greatest advantage, to me, is that being made from silicone it is unbreakable. I am rather clumsy, you see.

The Collapsible Coffee Dripper from Wacky Practicals is, by the way, cheaper that other type and makes of coffee drippers and you might not just want to use it for going camping or such but, in fact, will find that you want to use it at home too. I certainly have found that.

Impressions

Amazingly simple but efficient.

Why run a coffee machine at one to two kilowatts electricity consumption for one mug or two ( I am referring here to coffee mugs and not people)? And while ceramic dripper from Melitta, the original, still exists, they break when dropped and even the hard plastic ones will – I know, I've been there and done it – the Wacky Dripper will not break. It'll just bounce and collapse.

Great product for sure.

© 2012

Egypt to become an Islamic Republic

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

After the success of the two Islamist parties in the elections in Egypt the Muslim Brotherhood has declared, though not directly from the rooftops, that the country is going to become an Islamic Republic with full Sharia Law, and all.

That the Muslim Brotherhood would become the main dominating party and that the country would become an Islamic Republic was the very fear after Husni Mubarak had been deposed and, it would appear, that this fear is about to become reality.

While many of us may think that Egypt is now a better place after the “departure” of Mubarak from the scene, myself included, it could be possible, though, that the Egyptian people, and the world, may have made a jump from the frying pan into the fire.

The West, including and especially the UK and the US, have a tendency and legacy to back the wrong horse and the create problems for itself, and the rest of the world.

It was, after all, Britain (with US help, I believe) which, in fact, created, the Muslim Brotherhood, then abandoned it and now may be about to be reaping the rewards of this act of political stupidity.

The same was done with Iraq and Saddam Hussein and also in Libya when Gaddafi was sent in, basically, to overthrow the then king. More than once have such actions turned round and bitten them and still they have not learned.

As far as Egypt is concerned the freedom the revolutionaries fought for have so far not materialized with the army holding on rather firmly to power and it was rather obvious to all but the most blind when the Army Council took over that this might happen, given the record of the Egyptian Army.

An Islamic Republic is not a greatest of propositions either but if that is the choice of the people of Egypt ina democratic process then, maybe, we better leave them to it, and I do mean “leave them to it”.

© 2012

Thrift Town Celebrates 40 Years of Thrift with Week Long Anniversary Blowout Sale

40-years-ago the Oakland Athletics and Dallas Cowboys were at the top of their games winning national championships respectively, The Godfather earned an Oscar, Billie Jean King won the battle of the sexes beating Bobby Riggs in three straight tennis sets, and Thrift Town opened its first store in the beautiful San Francisco bay area. To celebrate 40 years of thrift with the communities that have helped them earn multiple Best of Thrift awards, raise over $250,000,000 for local charity partners, and for keeping 640-million pounds of product out of area landfills, Thrift Town is hosting a blowout, week-long anniversary sale, full of dizzying low prices, limited edition “happy face” t-shirts and exclusive surprises for their registered online VIPs. Don't miss this event.

Roseville, CA, February 2012 : 40-years-ago the Oakland Athletics and the Dallas Cowboys were at the top of their games winning national championships respectively, The Godfather earned an Oscar, Billie Jean King won the battle of the sexes beating Bobby Riggs in three straight tennis sets, and Thrift Town opened its first store in California's beautiful San Francisco bay area. To celebrate 40 years of thrift with the communities that have helped them earn multiple Best of Thrift awards, raise over $250,000,000 for local charity partners, and for keeping 640-million pounds of product out of area landfills, Thrift Town is hosting a blowout, week-long anniversary sale, full of dizzying low prices, limited edition “happy face” t-shirts and exclusive surprises for their registered online VIPs!

Thrift Town's 40th Anniversary Sale Details:

Monday, February 20th: 50% off Women’s Clothing & 30% off Jewelry and Cosmetics

Tuesday, February 21st: 30% off Bins & Housewares

Wednesday, February 22nd: 50% off Men’s Clothing & 30% off Electrical and Hardware

Thursday, February 23rd: 50% off all Shoes

Friday, February 24th: 50% off Baby’s and Children’s Clothing & 30% off Toys, Books, Music, and Movies

Thrift Town was founded in 1972 by Bud & LaVey Norquist and Steve Moore. Their goal was to make Thrift Town a clean, well-lit, and organized place to shop with well-priced merchandise. The founders were committed to making an honest living, as well as helping to raise funds for charity. This same commitment holds true with the next generation currently running the business. "The concept of our business is extraordinary. Not only is our company good for the community, it is also good for our charity partners, the environment, and our crew members. We have built our business on providing a fun work atmosphere, competitive wages and excellent benefits to our employees." ~Wendy Steinmetz, Co-Owner.

Thrift Town has 15 stores locations in four different states, and recently debuted it’s online logo gear shop featuring Thrift Town branded apparel and accessories. Thrift Town lives its vision statement of being committed to making a difference every day. Their clean, bright, and organized stores put out 4,000 new products daily, setting them apart in the thrift world as the premier thrift destination. Thrift Town is owned and operated by Norquist Salvage Corporation, which has spent four decades dedicated to socially responsible recycling.

This press release is presented for your information only.

Full Disclosure Statement: The GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW received no compensation for any component of this article.

This article is for your information only and the GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW does not (necessarily) approve, endorse or recommend the product, service or company mentioned.

LiveESP.com Gifting Non-Toxic, Food-Safe, and Eco-Friendly Products in “Everybody Wins at the Oscars®” Gift Bags

Essential Safe Products (ESP) has announced that they will be a part of the 10th Annual “Everybody Wins at the Oscars®!” Nominee Gift Baskets, gifting non-toxic, food-safe, and eco-friendly products to non-winning nominees in the major categories at the Academy Awards airing this Sunday, February 26, 2012.

Plantation, FL, February 2012 : By gifting non-toxic, food-safe, and eco-friendly products to nominees, ESP hopes to spread the word about avoiding toxic chemicals in everyday kitchen and on-the-go products; promote a healthier, non-toxic lifestyle; and encourage others to start using more eco-friendly food and drink products.

“Through http://www.LiveESP.com our goal is to have a positive impact on consumers around the world who want to learn about potential hazards of toxic chemicals, get tips on how to avoid toxic chemicals, and shop for trustworthy, non-toxic products for the kitchen and on-the-go. Gifting through the “Everybody Wins at the Oscars®!” Nominee Gift Baskets gives us the opportunity to get the word out about avoiding toxic chemicals to more people than ever before,” says Hannah Masimore, President of ESP. “It’s a lifestyle my family and I have really benefited from and we hope others can benefit as well.”

ESP will be representing non-toxic, food-safe, and eco-friendly products for the kitchen and on-the-go at this year’s “Everybody Wins at the Oscars®!” where gifts will be handed out to non-winning nominees in the major categories at the Academy Awards. The LiveESP.com gift bag is valued at over $250 and includes all non-toxic, food-safe, and eco-friendly products: a reusable produce bag; reusable glass drinking bottle; a reusable stainless steel snack container; a reusable bamboo utensil set; and a gift certificate to http://www.LiveESP.com valued at $200.

About Essential Safe Products (ESP)
Susan Masimore, mother of 6 children, started ESP because she wanted to spread the word about toxins and give families a place where they can confidently purchase non-toxic products for the kitchen and on-the-go. Through ESP’s website http://www.LiveESP.com, families can learn about the toxic chemicals, find tips and tricks on how to avoid exposure to toxins in food and drink, and purchase kitchen and on-the-go products that are non-toxic and food safe. ESP is dedicated to promoting healthy and non-toxic lifestyles for families as well as a healthy environment.

This press release is presented for your information only.

Full Disclosure Statement: The GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW received no compensation for any component of this article.

This article is for your information only and the GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW does not (necessarily) approve, endorse or recommend the product, service or company mentioned.

Marie Colvin R.I.P.

Another honest voice silenced by state terrorism

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

London, UK, February 22, 2012 : Sunday Times war correspondent Marie Colvin was killed today in the Syrian city of Homs during the fighting there. She was a brave woman and journalist of integrity.

As a fellow journalist, as a Blogger, I would like to offer my condolences to her family and friends and also to the family of the photographer, Remi Ochlik, who died with her.

I have never met Marie, that is true, but I have read and heard her words and thus know she was a journalist of the highest integrity. May she rest in peace.

Every time any of us, newspaper journalist or Blogger, in order to report the truth, goes into dangerous places and places him- or herself into harms way, we know we are placing our lives in danger, and Marie knew that only too well, but she believed that she had to keep going, despite having been nearly killed before in Sri Lanka.

Marie’s actions and her death show the bravery that some correspondents and journalists display in order to report the truth and what is really happening around the world. We must thank them for it.

Marie, rest in peace...

© 2012

Technology key to relieving pressure at the pumps as diesel prices reach record high

London, UK, February 22, 2012 : Fleet operators and service managers will be feeling the pinch this week as diesel prices in the UK hit an all time high at a massive 143.05p per litre.

With pressure from director level to reduce costs and increase efficiency, technology may provide a solution, says Trimble, a leading provider of field and fleet technology.

According to RMI Petrol the price of diesel has rocketed by 10 pence over the last 12 months and is now running at twice the rate of inflation. This news adds further pressure to already cash-strapped businesses, especially those in transportation or those with large field forces out on the road, who have considerable monthly fuel bills.

The future for fuel prices also looks bleak as global factors including rising crude oil prices, closing refineries and pressure on supply, means there will be further rises by Easter, according to RMI Petrol. In August fuel duty is set to rise again by 3.02 pence per litre, increasing to 4p per litre once VAT at 20% is added.

Andrew Yeoman, managing director of Trimble Fleet Solutions in the UK, said that despite the critical situation, companies can offset the rises by deploying telematics technology, which can make vehicles more productive and efficient reducing fuel use by up to 30 per cent.

He said: “Businesses running fleets have felt the full force of the price increase over the course of the year. What’s more, many pundits are predicting further misery in the next six months.

“There are though ways to cushion the blow of diesel costs and begin to get to grips with your expenditure. Pinpointing where fuel is being lost or unnecessarily wasted is crucial. The latest telematics software, for example, can help to reduce unnecessary driving and improve fuel efficiency.”

Trimble’s technology enables companies to monitor fuel consumption, mpg and CO2 outputs, helping to reduce fuel use and improve a company’s carbon footprint.

Trimble also suggests that a key factor in controlling fuel costs lies with the employee behind the wheel. As Yeoman continues: “Technology can be beneficial to show how economical a driver or vehicle is, helping companies optimise their fuel usage. Telematics and fleet management technology for instance provides analysis of an employee’s driving style and behaviour behind the wheel which can be monitored and allow the company to take appropriate action.

“The key to achieving these savings is in the supply of real-time data from both the driver and the vehicle.”

Research conducted by Trimble found that 85% of fleet managers believe fuel efficiency is the biggest challenge facing their businesses. The survey showed businesses are keen to respond to the threats posed by fuel price increases by finding ways to make fleets more fuel efficient, especially by reviewing vehicle use and monitoring driver behaviour

About Trimble
Trimble applies technology to make field and mobile workers in businesses and government significantly more productive. Solutions are focused on applications requiring position or location: including surveying, construction, agriculture, fleet and asset management, public safety and mapping. In addition to utilising positioning technologies, such as GPS, lasers and optics, Trimble solutions may include software content specific to the needs of the user. Wireless technologies are utilized to deliver the solution to the user and to ensure a tight coupling of the field and the back office. Founded in 1978, Trimble is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif.

For more information about Trimble and its products visit: www.trimble.com

This press release is presented for your information only.

Full Disclosure Statement: The GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW received no compensation for any component of this article.

This article is for your information only and the GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW does not (necessarily) approve, endorse or recommend the product, service or company mentioned.

Version One and Virgin Trains on Track for Green IT Award

Document management and imaging software author, Version One, is a finalist in two categories of this year’s Green IT Awards - Environmental Project of the Year (private sector under 100 employees) in partnership with Virgin Trains - and Document Management Product of the Year.

Version One won Green IT Awards in both 2010 and 2011 and the company is hoping to achieve a hat trick by winning in this year’s awards.

Now in their third year, the Green IT Awards showcase and reward the technology, as well as the companies and organisations that have made significant contributions to improving the IT industry's environmental performance. The 2012 winners will be announced at a ceremony on 19 April at London Zoo.

Version One, in partnership with Virgin Trains, has been shortlisted in the Environmental Project of the Year category (private sector under 100 employees). This shortlisted project has seen Virgin Trains eliminate 150,000 A4 sheets of paper per annum, saving approximately half a million A4 sheets of paper since the implementation of Version One’s document imaging system in 2008.

Andy Cross, Business Support Director for Virgin Trains says, “Version One’s document imaging solution has revolutionised our back office processes by eliminating the printing, photocopying, posting and filing of 150,000 sheets of paper each year. We are no longer overburdened with paper in the finance function, streamlining our financial processes whilst supporting our environmental agenda.”

Version One is also a finalist in the Document Management Product of the Year category in recognition of its document management and imaging suite, which delivers a range of business and environmental benefits.

Julian Buck, Version One's Managing Director, says, "Making the final of the Green IT Awards for the third year running is testimony to the impressive environmental benefits of Version One’s software. Companies, like Virgin Trains, are using our solutions integrated into their finance systems to cut paper waste, reduce carbon emissions and deliver a range of cost and efficiency benefits."

Version One's portfolio of document management and imaging solutions enable the electronic creation, storage, retrieval, management, delivery and authorisation of business documents. By implementing Version One's systems, businesses significantly reduce their paper consumption, cutting costs and improving process efficiencies whilst supporting their environmental agendas.

About The Green IT Awards 2012 http://www.greenitawards.com/
Now in their third year the Green IT Awards look to showcase and reward the technology, tools and solutions as well as the companies and organisations that have made a significant contribution to improving the IT industry's environmental performance over the past 12 months.

About Version One www.versionone.co.uk
Version One Ltd is the author of electronic document management and imaging solutions. These solutions enable the electronic storage, retrieval, management, enhancement and delivery of business documents such as invoices, purchase orders and statements.

This 'paperless office' technology is seamlessly integrated into all major ERP and accounting systems and with a typical ROI of less than six months, Version One's solutions are enabling thousands of organisations to cut paper consumption whilst saving dramatic amounts of time and money.

Version One is an Advanced Computer Software Group plc company.

This press release is presented for your information only.

Full Disclosure Statement: The GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW received no compensation for any component of this article.

This article is for your information only and the GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW does not (necessarily) approve, endorse or recommend the product, service or company mentioned.

Top of the Bill

Bill Oddie’s YouTube Channel has been attracting a flurry of interest lately. One link generated over 2,100 views in less than 2 days. If you’ve got a question for Bill or would like to see what all the fuss is about, you can visit the links below.

Feeding birds is a great way to do your bit for nature – and to brighten your day too

Bill Oddie, birdwatcher, broadcaster, actor, television presenter, writer, song-writer, musician, conservationist and much more speaks from the heart when he says - “Feeding birds is a great way to do your bit for nature – and to brighten your day too. Nothing beats seeing all those happy birds in your garden. But birds benefit from better food – just like we do.”

If you enjoy watching birds, feeding is one of the most practical and important ways to care for them. 2 out of 3 people in the UK do just that. To help you on your quest Bill has a variety of advice and information on feeding and attracting different birds.

YouTube: www.youtube.com/billoddiesbirdfood
Blog: www.billoddiesbirdfood.wordpress.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/#AskBillOddie
Website: www.billoddiesbirdfood.co.uk

This press release is presented for your information only.

Full Disclosure Statement: The GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW received no compensation for any component of this article.

Thrift Town Celebrates 40 Years of Thrift with Week Long Anniversary Blowout Sale

40-years-ago the Oakland Athletics and Dallas Cowboys were at the top of their games winning national championships respectively, The Godfather earned an Oscar, Billie Jean King won the battle of the sexes beating Bobby Riggs in three straight tennis sets, and Thrift Town opened its first store in the beautiful San Francisco bay area. To celebrate 40 years of thrift with the communities that have helped them earn multiple Best of Thrift awards, raise over $250,000,000 for local charity partners, and for keeping 640-million pounds of product out of area landfills, Thrift Town is hosting a blowout, week-long anniversary sale, full of dizzying low prices, limited edition “happy face” t-shirts and exclusive surprises for their registered online VIPs. Don't miss this event.

Roseville, CA, February 20, 2012 : 40-years-ago the Oakland Athletics and the Dallas Cowboys were at the top of their games winning national championships respectively, The Godfather earned an Oscar, Billie Jean King won the battle of the sexes beating Bobby Riggs in three straight tennis sets, and Thrift Town opened its first store in California's beautiful San Francisco bay area. To celebrate 40 years of thrift with the communities that have helped them earn multiple Best of Thrift awards, raise over $250,000,000 for local charity partners, and for keeping 640-million pounds of product out of area landfills, Thrift Town is hosting a blowout, week-long anniversary sale, full of dizzying low prices, limited edition “happy face” t-shirts and exclusive surprises for their registered online VIPs!

Thrift Town's 40th Anniversary Sale Details:

Monday, February 20th: 50% off Women’s Clothing & 30% off Jewelry and Cosmetics

Tuesday, February 21st: 30% off Bins & Housewares

Wednesday, February 22nd: 50% off Men’s Clothing & 30% off Electrical and Hardware

Thursday, February 23rd: 50% off all Shoes

Friday, February 24th: 50% off Baby’s and Children’s Clothing & 30% off Toys, Books, Music, and Movies

Thrift Town was founded in 1972 by Bud & LaVey Norquist and Steve Moore. Their goal was to make Thrift Town a clean, well-lit, and organized place to shop with well-priced merchandise. The founders were committed to making an honest living, as well as helping to raise funds for charity. This same commitment holds true with the next generation currently running the business. "The concept of our business is extraordinary. Not only is our company good for the community, it is also good for our charity partners, the environment, and our crew members. We have built our business on providing a fun work atmosphere, competitive wages and excellent benefits to our employees." ~Wendy Steinmetz, Co-Owner.

Thrift Town has 15 stores locations in four different states, and recently debuted it’s online logo gear shop featuring Thrift Town branded apparel and accessories. Thrift Town lives its vision statement of being committed to making a difference every day. Their clean, bright, and organized stores put out 4,000 new products daily, setting them apart in the thrift world as the premier thrift destination. Thrift Town is owned and operated by Norquist Salvage Corporation, which has spent four decades dedicated to socially responsible recycling.

This press release is presented for your information only.

Full Disclosure Statement: The GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW received no compensation for any component of this article.

This article is for your information only and the GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW does not (necessarily) approve, endorse or recommend the product, service or company mentioned.

Retweet for Towns Day

Newtown Alive and Kicking

In a bid to kick start some of the findings from Mary Portas’ recent report on UK High Streets, Town Centre Manager and High Street loyalty expert, Mark Barnes has come up with an innovative way to get people talking about where they live.  The first ever Retweet For Towns Day will be held on March 8th 2012.  The purpose of the event is to start a live debate about high streets, to share best practice amongst towns and cities and also to encourage residents to become involved in their communities.

The campaign has already gathered support from Association of Town Centre Management and TV weather forecaster Sian Lloyd.  Deeply saddened by the situation facing most of our town centres Sian has already been tweeting for the cause and is urging other to join in too.  Sian offered “Residents can make a real difference by supporting those who are working to preserve our high streets and this campaign offers everyone a simple way to comment and debate about their town centres”

ATCM Chief Executive, Martin Blackwell was very enthusiastic to be involved and said “This is a brilliant idea and allows the ordinary person the opportunity to show their support for their town centre. They are not dead yet!”

The ‘tweeting’ starts right now with the debate culminating with a mass day of tweeting on March 8.  Mark is encouraging those with responsibility for a high street, town or city to share good news stories that other areas can introduce into their towns. Also Mark is looking for debate about the true picture in the high streets and to tell the story around town centre vibrancy that statistics do not display.  But Mark believes that the real power of using social media in this way comes from talking to residents and visitors to not only get their views but also to encourage them to become active in their community and hopefully form Partnerships and Town Teams as Mary Portas and the UK Government recommend.

For more information see www.rt4towns.wordpress.com and to join in follow @loyalhelp.

Information on ATCM can be found here www.atcm.org

This press release is presented for your information only.

Full Disclosure Statement: The GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW received no compensation for any component of this article.

Unplug your coffee machine

Unplug your coffee machine and rediscover the coffee dripper

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

The coffee machine, of whatever kind, is a power hog, let's face the fact, and after more than a cup, or maybe two, the coffee “burns” being kept warn and thus no longer taste nice and fresh, to say the least.

Often, despite of that, the jug keeps sitting there, being kept warm, though no one is drinking any of that stuff, until the next batch is being made and the cycle is being repeated, and the waste goes on and on. Waste in coffee and especially energy.

The humble coffee dripper, in a variety of forms and designs, is certainly not new. In fact all of them are, basically, based on the original design by Metitta in Germany.

Melitta is a company, based in Germany, selling coffee, paper coffee filters, and coffee makers. It is the parent part of the Melitta Group, which also has branches in other countriesof the world. The company is has its headquarter in Minden, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

It is named after Melitta Bentz (1873–1950) who founded the company after she invented the drip brew paper coffee filter (German patent granted July 8, 1908). Bentz later ran the company as a family business.

In 1908, Melitta Bentz, a housewife from Dresden, Germany, invented the first coffee filter. On July 8, 1908, Melitta Bentz received a patent registration for her "Filter Top Device lined with Filter Paper" from the Patent Office in Berlin. The 35-year-old housewife was transformed into a businesswoman and, during the same year of her invention, the company bearing her name was established.

In the 1930s, Melitta revisited the original filter top and tapered the filter into a cone-shape. This new filter top created a larger filtration area, which was lined with ribs to allow for improved extraction of the ground coffee. A few years later, Melitta introduced cone-shaped filter paper to fit inside the new cone-shaped filter top.

Melitta continued to develop new techniques to improve the shape, performance, material and production process of the Melitta filter systems. In 1989, Melitta introduced Natural Brown filter paper, the first coffee filters made from unbleached pulp. These new and improved filters kept unwanted by-products from leaching into the environment. In 1992, due to the popularity of white filter paper, Melitta developed an oxygen-bleaching process to produce white filter paper without chlorine. In 1997, Melitta developed another filter with Flavor Pores, microfine perforations that allow more coffee taste and aroma to come through while filtering out unwanted sediment, particles and oils. Melitta improved the Flavor Pores filter in 2002 by adding a second Safety Crimp for extra strength and durability. Bamboo Filters were introduced in 2007. Later that year, Melitta took Flavor Pores one step further and released new patented Flavor Enhancing Micro Perforations, which enhanced the filter process to allow for a richer cup of coffee.

Melitta Bentz was, as said, the inventor of the coffee dripper and all others but followed and copied, in one way or the other, whether by way of drippers or filter papers.

Aside from the simple dripper Melitta and others also, for some strange reason, decided that they had to make machines. The customer was always more and more in a hurry and could not wait for the kettle to boil and the drip cycle, the pouring water over the coffee, to complete. However, we should, nay must, return to this simpler way of making real coffee.

The dripper is much cheaper to run than any coffee machine, however cheap it may have been to buy, the machine, not the dripper, and you can get good coffee drippers at a range of prices and a variety of makes.

The cutest, for lack of a better word, coffee dripper that I have recently encountered is a collapsible one from Wacky Practicals (review to follow) which is made from food grade silicone and comes in a number of colors. It folds down to a disc of less than 1/2 inch thickness to about 6 inch in diameter. Fits even into a jacket pocket.

The “pour over” method of making coffee is regarded by coffee specialists to be by far the best method and using a dripper like this means you always have the very best coffee with little impact on the environment and your pocket.

© 2012

Full Disclosure Statement: The GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW received no compensation for any component of this article.