Steve Cain

27 Feb

10 secrets to charity shop success

I get most of my clothes second hand, and a lot of these are from charity shops. I love the feeling of finding unusual items and supporting a good cause. Even better, research shows there's plenty of environmental benefits to buying from charity shops.

I have more than 50 suits and 27 jackets ranging from vintage to the latest designs, and have only ever bought three from new.

When my friends comment on my outfit, I always make a point of telling them where I bought it, as  part of my personal mission to spread the word charity shops are fun, fun, fun! more ...

Alex Gregory

27 Feb

Olympic gold medallist Alex Gregory: get training for The Big Green Bike Ride

Training is tough at the very best of times. And never more than when the British weather is at its wintery worst. But there is very little that is more satisfying than achieving a goal you have set however big or small. That's why I want to encourage you to sign up to the Big Green Bike Ride and challenge yourself to ride from London to the New Forest to raise money for Friends of the Earth. more ...

Amelia Collins

26 Feb

Glass half full: Environmental Photographer of the Year 2013

Looking through the images from CIWEM's Environmental Photographer of the Year 2013 , I was heartened by a sense of positivity. I don't mean that climate change, social inequality or development issues are no longer there to be photographed. Rather, the tone of the photography is changing. This series of images demonstrates that beauty can be as powerful as negativity in portraying the challenges we face.
  more ...

Neil Kingsnorth

25 Feb

EDF's legal threat could threaten us all

Like so many others last October, I was incredibly impressed by the campaigners from No Dash for Gas who spent a week occupying EDF's new West Burton gas-fired power station in Nottinghamshire.  more ...

Benita Matofska

21 Feb

Facing the future: making and saving money by sharing

Make sharing sexy: stop selling the message 'buy more', start selling the message 'share more'.

Benita Matofska considers how we can profit by sharing in the last of her articles. more ...

Nithya Natarajan

15 Feb

The future of mobile phone design

What exciting innovation would you like to see in your next mobile phone? Bendable glass, super-fast-charging batteries - these concepts are not far from our shops.

Mobile technology is moving fast. It would be great to see companies developing phones that reduce their impact on people and planet. We're not asking for the impossible - compare today's slim smartphones with clunky 80s handsets.

Here are 5 steps to greener phones, from Professor of Sustainable Design and Consumption Tim Cooper. more ...

Karen Simmons

15 Feb

How to make double chocolate cupcakes

As part of our series of recipe blogs, here's how to make double chocolate cupcakes - by far the moistest and most reliable cupcakes I've ever made.

They're so delicious and easy, in fact, that I made them for my wedding. And who doesn't love chocolate? They went down a storm.

I try to use Fairtrade cocoa powder and sugar, which ensures a fair living for the people producing them.

Oh, and they're vegan too.

Recipe

Makes 12 large cupcakes. more ...

Janet Gunter

15 Feb

Learning how to repair and value electronics

We need to learn for ourselves what needs to change and demand action from manufacturers.

Guest writer Janet Gunter, The Restart Project

Who hasn't been frustrated by a laptop with a dodgy dvd drive or a camera that suddenly goes on the blink?

The Restart Project believes that we must regain the repair skills to make our electronics last longer. This keeps them out of landfill and cuts down on waste. But the real magic is when we lose our fear and take apart gadgets, reclaiming control over the technology we depend on. more ...

Annabella Macris

14 Feb

Sneak preview of George Monbiot's 'Feral' in our Book Club

I'm very excited by next week's Friends of the Earth book club on 20 February 2013, 1-2pm, at our London office.  more ...

Alison Benjamin

11 Feb

Keeping bees part 9: Bees and cold weather

A layer of snow, say, on the roof of the hive might even help insulate it further against the cold.

In fact the hive can get so toasty it will attract mice, so you'll need to guard them by fastening a galvanised metal strip called a mouse guard over the entrance.

The main worry at this time of year, however, is whether the bees have enough honey to eat when it's too cold to leave the hive. more ...

Benita Matofska

07 Feb

Facing the future: share to survive

Sharing is what makes us human. It's what unites and connects us.

Guest writer Benita Matofska - in her first of three articles 

Making TV programmes requires teamwork but sharing isn't endemic. After 20 years in broadcasting, I decided that the shortage of sharing in TV was a microcosm of the world.

As a society we've survived through sharing. Sharing is the most important lesson we learn as kids - but by the time we grow up, we forget how to share. more ...

Neil Kingsnorth

01 Feb

Big wins on bees, nuclear dumping and Shell - what a week

People make Friends of the Earth what it is and this week you've helped prove that in a big way.

On Wednesday, three major retailers - B&Q, Homebase and Wickes - all announced they're banning pesticides linked to shrinking bee populations.Then the European Commission proposed laws to limit the use of these dangerous chemicals. It's a big step forward for our Bee Cause campaign.

The same day as the Bee Cause success we were celebrating again. more ...

Annabella Macris

30 Jan

What has nature ever done for us? Q&A with author

• In the week it was published, it was the most reviewed book, according to The Bookseller.
• Three weeks after publication, it's already on its fourth print run.

What's making such waves in the world of publishing? A new Harry Potter book? more ...

Shilpa Shah

29 Jan

How to make momo

As part of our new, regular recipe series, here are my tips on how to make momo.

Momos are in my top 10 list of favourite foods. They are a type of filled dumpling originating in Tibet, and biting into one takes me straight back to Nepal, where I first tried them in a little café in Kathmandu.

I was spending six months in India, visiting family and volunteering with a women's organisation. My two weeks in Nepal were spent climbing mountains, exploring the jungle - and eating momos. more ...

Craig Bennett

15 Jan

Tony Juniper's new book: What Has Nature Ever Done For Us?

So I read a new book over Christmas: 'What Has Nature Ever Done For Us?' by none other than Friends of the Earth's ex Executive Director Tony Juniper.
 
Personally, I think it is brilliant - one of the best environment books in a very long time.  more ...

Brenda Pollack

11 Jan

How we created a new bee haven in Brighton

I love my job. I'm lucky to be a paid worker at Friends of the Earth. But after 20-odd years campaigning anyone could get jaded. That's why I'm particularly chuffed to have spent a recent morning away from my computer and phone, out in the open, making a difference in a practical way. more ...

Annabella Macris

10 Jan

Guilt-free eating

At this time of the year it is waste not waist that weighs heavily with me. Whilst everyone is obsessed with a dieting regime I am actually feeling guilty about throwing food away. So I was dismayed to read the statistics in the new Global Food: Waste Not Want Not Report by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Apparently up to 50% of all food produced never reaches a human stomach. more ...

Adam Bradbury

20 Dec

List-eria strikes again. Our 10 most popular blog posts of 2012

It's the season of top this, worst that and 100 most revolting other. So we thought we'd take a look a back at the Green Blog posts you've been reading most in 2012.

And what politically tuned-in, good-food-loving, green-living folk you are. more ...

Brenda Pollack

19 Dec

Compelling TV: Is our weather getting worse?

I've been watching Is Our Weather Getting Worse?. Have you? It's about how we have seen increased extreme weather events in recent years. It showed scenes from Hurricane Sandy in America and the severe floods all around England in November which really brought home to me how climate change is happening right now. more ...

Annabella Macris

13 Dec

Co-operatives - an answer to the economic crisis?

Did you know that...

• More people are employed by co-operatives worldwide than by multinationals.
• Co-operative systems are seen throughout nature and are a successful survival strategy.
• All animals with nucleated cells, including you and I, are living co-ops of different organisms.

All these facts and more emerged at our recent thought-provoking book club. We met to discuss Co-operative Revolution: a Graphic Novel.  more ...

Amelia Collins

05 Dec

Christmas gifts all sewn up

I used to leave Christmas shopping until Christmas eve. That was until this year when I acquired god-children numbers 7 and 8 and niece number 4. They do all have names I promise and I can just about remember them all.

I decided I would have to plan ahead. I've made a few dresses before, and they're reasonably cheap and quick to make, but not great for winter. So I hit upon the idea of nightdresses for the girls and, luckily 2 of the boys live in warmer climes, so shorts were perfect for them. more ...

Tom Wright

29 Nov

10 tips on keeping chickens - and why they're not just for Christmas

Have you ever thought about keeping chickens? I admit that until a few months ago I hadn't. Not for a second.

But then my son's nursery took part in a hatching project which ended with the parents being offered 2-week-old chicks.

I figured I'd learn on the job and took 3 home. It's been so much fun - so I thought I'd put together my 10 top tips for keeping backyard chickens. more ...

Peter Kindersley

29 Nov

Bee Lovely - last chance to sign pesticide petition from Neal's Yard Remedies

We need your help. Our bees need your help.

Most people are not aware that 84% of European crops are partly or entirely dependent on insect pollination. Managed honeybees pollinate certain crops - but wild bees (along with other pollinators like flies and wasps) cover a very broad spectrum of plants, and so are considered the most important guardians of our food supply and our natural biodiversity.

We must take action now to protect our bees and we need everyone to help us pile pressure on the UK Government. more ...

Rich Hines

29 Nov

Why did we take a giant phone down Oxford Street?

It wasn't because we're masochists. It wasn't because we just love dressing up. It wasn't even because we wanted an excuse to blare out Stevie Wonder to morning shoppers (especially that song). more ...

Annabella Macris

29 Nov

A World in One Cubic Foot by David Liittschwager

To understand a complex issue it can help to be able to visualise it. Biodiversity is no exception. No matter how many times we're told about biodiversity do we ever truly appreciate its importance? We rarely see the full picture. Noticing an occasional squirrel is a good start but by no means it. A multitude of creatures exist all around us whose faces we'll never gaze on and whose names we'll never know. more ...

Andy Atkins

23 Nov

Climate goals at risk as energy plans unveiled

There's no getting away from it: today is a kick in the teeth for everyone working towards a low-carbon future in the UK.

After months of delay, the Government has announced the contents of its 'Energy Bill', due to be formally published next week.

Ignore the Government spin, the headline news is this: the Bill doesn't contain a crucial target for making our power sector carbon-free. It's a green light for business-as-usual, high carbon, high cost energy generation for decades to come. more ...

Julian Kirby

23 Nov

Bangka - my trip to Indonesia's tin island

Just recently I crossed the globe to document the devastating effects of tin mining on a once beautiful Indonesian tropical island paradise: Bangka Island.

I knew there was a problem, but wasn't ready for the huge tracts of barren, deforested ex-mining land scarring the countryside.

I also had no idea just how much coral - 70% according to the marine biologist I spoke to - had been killed by the dredger boats' habit of dumping mining tailings into the previously clear water. more ...

Amelia Collins

22 Nov

Are the kids putting us to shame?

The results of the Children's Eyes on the Earth International photo competition do not disappoint. If anything they should be a wake up call. 4 out of the 6 winning expose an environmental issue. If children as young as 8 (the age of the winner) are so frequently facing these issues that they choose to photograph them, surely we should sit up and listen? more ...

Amelia Collins

21 Nov

Free Christmas ecards are here

Free, easy and helps the planet. What more could you want from a Christmas card?

Friends of the Earth has just launched this year's Christmas ecards - which for the second year running showcase the winner and shortlisted images from our Cold Snap Photo competition. more ...

Brenda Pollack

20 Nov

Why we need activists: lessons from a life well lived

You probably won't have heard of Paul Millmore - unless you live in Lewes, that is. Paul (pictured right) passed away earlier this year and his loss was mourned widely as he was an extremely vocal activist on a range of issues. more ...