Add eco-chic to your home with an Enlaira recycled glass vase
This beautiful Enlaira recycled glass vase was featured in the Times magazine style section this week and you can certainly see why. Available in pink and black or white and black, it would make a stylish addition to any room and is currently on sale from Biome Lifestyle. This stunning contemporary vase is made in Spain from 100% post-consumer glass, so helps create demand for recycled glass and reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. The vases are also sea-freighted to the UK to reduce carbon emissions, so you don’t have to worry about it clocking up the air miles. The Spanish producers are dedicated to using recycled glass to make beautiful products – every year the company reclaims 5 million kilos of glass from Spain’s recycling bins to transform into lovely items for the home. The vases uniquely combine computerised manufacturing techniques with artisan glass blowing skills that can be dated back centuries, so in buying an Enlaira recycled glass vase you are not only helping support a green producer but helping to keep these skills alive. The company has been designing and crafting these vases in Valencia since 1975, so have decades of experience in bringing the very best in contemporary eco-design to your home. So with winter fading and spring round the corner, why not treat yourself to a beautiful Enlaira vase to brighten up your living room?
Stylish recycled designer lightshades are perfect for your home
Light up your home with Use UK’s range of beautiful recycled designer lightshades. These eco-friendly lightshades are handmade from 100% recycled cardboard – consisting of 80% post-consumer waste and 20% post-manufacture waste – and are available in a range of styles to complement any decor scheme. These include the beautiful regency black, spiro and art deco style Taj oblong as well as a selection of other styles. These recycled shades are designed to fit both pendant and UK standard lamp bases, with the smaller BC (29mm) lamp holder ring inside (this is unsprayed). The lightshades are available in two sizes (small is 17.5 x 20cm and the medium is 20 x 30cm) but, as each shade is made to order, the wider European lamp holder ring is available on request. Because of the recycled material used in the lightshades, each is slightly different and may have minor imperfections, as is characteristic of recycled products – which just adds to their homemade charm. In buying one of these stylish lightshades, you are not only supporting British trade and design, you are encouraging the use of recycled material and preventing waste going to landfill – so this really is a greener way to light your home. Just make sure you use an energy efficient lightbulb to really maximise your eco design credentials!
Warm up your winter bedroom with this burnt orange fair trade and organic duvet cover
This icy winter just seems to keep getting colder, so why not add a touch of warmth to your home with this beautiful burnt orange organic and fair trade duvet cover? Currently on sale at a reduced price at Biome Lifestyle, this stylish and comfy double duvet cover is 100% hand woven, with each thread hand set on the loom by workers in Bangladesh. Workers are paid a fair wage for their products, with fair and safe working conditions, so by purchasing this you are helping marginalised workers secure fair pay and build their own future and invest in their own communities. Because the cotton is organic, you are also ensuring that the planet’s resources are not damaged by toxic pesticides (as non-organic cotton is a pesticide-heavy crop). The beautiful burnt orange colour is achieved by combining three different colour threads on the loom, giving each of these lovely soft duvet covers a richness of texture that will complement any bedroom – and add a bit of warmth to these cold winter nights. Matching pillowcases are also available (and are also currently on sale!) so why not treat yourself? And best of all, you can sleep easy under your organic and fair trade duvet cover knowing that your purchases are helping others and the planet at the same time.
A solar powered security light helps keep your home safe
The recession has seen a steep increase in the rise of burglaries, so being security conscious has never been more important – and with this Proteam solar powered security light you can safeguard your home and the environment at the same time. This easy to install dual headed light is suitable for your home, garden, garage or shed. It comes with a wall mount bracket and 1.8m of cable, so that you can choose the best position to place it and it can be corner mounted or flat mounted against a wall. Featuring dual adjustable heads, LED bulbs, a solar panel and motion sensor, the Proteam security light is environmentally friendly and inexpensive to run, as it requires no mains power. It features a distance and timing adjustor and can be used to detect motion up to 10 metres away, depending on your requirements. The lights are also easily pivoted to give you the best coverage. As research repeatedly shows that all but the most determined thieves are deterred by even basic home security measures, this solar powered security light is an inexpensive way to help keep your home safe. In these dark months, it is also useful if you live in an area with poor street lighting – no more fumbling for your keys in the dark! Best of all, you can be sure that in protecting your home you are also protecting the planet by choosing this environmentally friendly system.
H2Oh! What a great water powered clock!
This amazing water powered multi-function clock is the cutting edge of environmental design. It offers digital technology and runs on an H20 water powered rechargeable battery – so it’s not only inexpensive to buy, it’s super-cheap to run and uses hardly any energy. The water powered clock not only tells the time, by turning it 90 degrees you can access day and date, alarm settings, timer and temperature – all in one compact device! To keep the clock going all you need to do is refill the water as it evaporates, which is roughly every two to three months – and the battery lasts up to two years of continuous use. It can also be stored dry and left to dry off, which extends its life cycle. The H2O battery has many advantages over its traditional equivalent: normal batteries are toxic and difficult to recycle and add significant amounts of waste to landfill every year, whereas all aspects of the H2O battery are recyclable and when it finally runs out, you simply replace the battery and keep using the clock. The perfect size for any desk, this multi-function water-powered clock is the perfect thing to cheer up your office in the New Year! Though you might not want to look at the temperature reading for a while…
Shed some light with a lovely lentil design lamp
If you are looking for a stylish and environmentally friendly lighting solution, this recycled lentil design lamp could just be the perfect choice. Designed and hand-made in London, this stylish lamp utilises eco-friendly materials and contemporary design to create something that is both chic and ethically sound. Because it is made in the UK there are no air miles to worry about, and the recycled lentil design lamp is made from recycled paper and porcelain clay, which is cleverly infused with lentils, which is what gives the lamp its beautiful finish. The lamp gives a lovely warm glow so is ideal for living rooms and bedrooms, especially on these cold, dark nights! Measuring 48 x 16cm, when turned off the lamp has a neutral, ceramic colour, plain enough to complement any decor, but is transformed to this lovely shade when switched on. So you can enjoy the best of British design while safe in the knowledge that you are not only investing in style, but in sustainability and the environment. So switch on a recycled lentil design lamp today, and shine a little light into these grim winter evenings.
The Smart Solar window alarm is a green way to secure your home
Want to be environmentally aware but security conscious too? It may seem a difficult balance, but the Smart Solar window alarm pack may just be the answer. This discreet alarm is easy to install, but effective, with a 6.8khz alarm sound, so perfect for your security needs. Smart Solar is a company which specialises in making solar powered equipment for the home and garden so you can be sure of the quality of the product, as you are buying from the experts. As well as being eco-friendly because it runs on solar power, the window alarm is also economical because there are no day-to-day running costs involved. The fact that the alarm is solar powered also means there is no ugly or difficult to install mains wiring. The alarms come with an adjustable cable so will fit most windows and can be mounted anywhere. There are two alarms to a pack and, as each Smart Solar window alarm pack retails for under £30, you can affordably equip your entire home. As the recession sees burglaries rise, home security has rarely been more important, and many thieves are opportunists who are deterred by visible security measures. So it is good to know that, thanks to Smart Solar’s window alarm pack, you can secure your home without compromising on your environmental standards.
The Eco-Eye Elite energy meter helps you keep your costs down
At this time of year it’s tempting to crank up the heating and damn the expense, but with ever increasing fuel prices, this can leave a nasty hangover in the New Year – which is where the Eco-Eye Elite comes in. This easy to use electricity meter has a large, clear display which shows how much energy you have consumed – and how much it costs you! This gives an excellent incentive to make sure you are being energy efficient, both in terms of reducing your carbon footprint and your bills. The Eco-Eye’s large, clear display gives at-a-glance information and can show by the hour, day, month or even year, and has a memory function so you can make comparisons and see how much you are saving once you start your energy efficiency campaign. Seeing how much energy you are actually using – and your resulting CO2 emissions – will hopefully make it easier to reduce your energy usage by doing things such as switching off lights, using draught excluders at doors, not leaving items on standby, or using energy efficiency boosters such as the radiator energy saving kit. These are simple steps we can all take to maximise our energy efficiency and reduce our carbon footprint, which is good for our wallet and the planet.
This cork eco laptop case will keep your laptop safe from scratches
If you want to keep your laptop free from dust and scratches, this eco laptop case is the ideal thing. It comes in a range of sizes for PC laptops and Macs, and is simple, stylish and eco-friendly. The laptop case is made from cork which is sourced from a sustainable certified FSC cork farm, and is made in the UK, so isn’t clocking up airmiles. Natural cork is an environmentally friendly material: it is farmed in such as way that no trees need to be cut down, the bark is simply harvested from a Cork Oak Tree, which renews itself. Cork is also environmentally friendly in that it can easily be recycled, or it simply biodegrades. Furthermore, keeping the demand for cork high – especially at a time when many wine manufacturers have switched to plastic stoppers or screw tops for their wine – enables the Cork Oak landscapes of the Mediterranean to flourish. This is important because it helps the region maintain biodiversity and prevents deforestation. Lightweight and durable, the cork eco laptop case is naturally soft and pleasingly tactile, and is a great way to keep your laptop free from scratches and marks. If you like this great laptop cover, you’ll be pleased to know that there is also a matching cork eco iPod case available.
Eco friendly cooking with recycled cast iron cookware
When it comes to kitchenware, it can be better to buy one quality item that will last a life time than make false economies and buy products with short lifespans that need regularly replacing – and this range of luxury recycled cast iron cookware is a perfect example of this. These ethically sourced, recycled cast iron pans are extremely durable, made to the highest quality and designed to last. They are made using a traditional Japanese artisan craft combined with sleek modern design. Because they are free from chemical substances (with no tefal or enamel coating, which tends to chip over time), no chemicals are released when the pans are heated. The oxide film produced naturally when heated prevents the pan from rusting and makes it a non-stick surface that makes cooking easier. The cookware is designed to be top of the range, cooking food faster, distributing heat evenly making food taste delicious. The pans are already a hit in Japan, where they are commonly used in top restaurants. The pans are made from 75% recycled cast iron and, when they come to the end of their very long lives they can then be recycled in turn. The range of luxury recycled cast iron cookware includes a wok, frying pan and roasting tin. Consider them the perfect investment for your kitchen – and the planet!
