Don’t worry, it’s not an environmental disaster! No, a new green festival ‘Green Wave’ – billed as ‘The Eco Family Fun Weekend’ – is headed for Brighton on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 July.

You’ll be able to experience all the fun of the green fair in the beautiful setting of Preston Park with eight different interactive Zones, from the Earth Zone – where you might find wormeries, composting ideas and a mini eco farm – to the Energy Zone, for products harnessing sustainable energy, ranging from mobile phones to solar powered cars, and an Energy Play Area or eco circus for children. (click on the image to the right to see the flyer full size)

The emphasis is very much on our favourite watchwords: biodiversity, eco-friendly, Fairtrade, homemade, locally produced, low carbon footprint, recycled and sustainable!

Take a stand!

If you are a Sussex-based ethical business, charity or NGO there is still time for you to take a stand at the fair. Charities and NGOs are eligible for free stands, and there may even be a few free stands available for small ethical businesses that add value or pure fun to the event!

If you are interested in this opportunity, do get in touch with the organisers:

Frank Jay on 01273 323 200 or 07721 633 233 or at frank@neweraassociates.co.uk

Or Jacqui on 01273 323 200 or 07740 201194 or at jac.cuff@talktalk.net

Or simply download the Green Wave booking form and return it to them.

It should be a fantastic event!

Take care,

Katie
Ethical Weddings

We are really excited about our World Fair Trade Day event this Saturday 10 May!

Greg Valerio of Cred Jewellery is going to be telling us all about the process of seeking Fair Trade certification for gold and diamonds. So if you’re on the lookout for an ethical engagement or wedding ring, are confused about conflict diamonds and focused on Fair Trade, it really is a must.

The event takes place this Saturday 10 May at The Friends Meeting House, Ship Street, Brighton.

If you happen to be in Brighton on Saturday and can tear yourself away from the beach for an hour or two, we’d love to see you there…!

Midday – 2pm – fair trade stalls and information stands

2-3pm – speaker event – ‘Fair Trade that glitters’ – raising awareness of the social and environmental issues surrounding gold and diamonds (going beyond conflict or blood diamonds) and the route towards fair trade certification that Greg Valerio of Cred Jewellery has been spearheading.

Greg will be talking about his experiences to date and what future he sees for fair trade gold and diamonds. A Q&A session will follow the presentation.

3-4.30pm – chance to chat to local ethical businesses

4.30pm – late! – chat some more in The Cricketers pub over the road (The Cricketers, Black Lion Street, BN1 1ND)

The event is free but donations to cover costs will be gratefully accepted.

You are very welcome to come along to all or any part of this day-long event.

Hope to see you there!

Katie & Jamie
www.ethicalweddings.com

After moaning that I hadn’t heard much from the Plastic Bag Free Brighton campaign in my last post, I was chuffed to get an email today with their latest news.

They are inviting everyone (well, it’s first come, first seated!) to a a free screening of ‘message in the waves’ at Brighton’s lovely arthouse cinema, the Duke of York’s Picturehouse.

The film, by the BBC Natural History Unit, takes a look at some of the environmental challenges facing the people and wildlife of the Hawaiian Islands and shows the impact our day-to-day activities have on ocean systems and wildlife.

Excitingly, this is the film that Rebecca Hosking helped to make which inspired her to make her home town of Modbury in Devon a plastic-bag free town. The Brighton campaign is hoping it will inspire us to help make Brighton & Hove the first plastic-bag free city!

And that’s not all… after ‘Message in the Waves’ there will be:

• two short films made by children at Balfour Juniors School, ‘The exciting adventures of the plastic bag’ and ‘Revenge of the rubbish’
• a talk by artist Lou McCurdy who spent a year collecting plastic from a Brighton beach to create the installation ‘More Plastic than Plankton’
• a short discussion with guest speakers (tba) and a Q&A session
• giveaways for all attending courtesy of their sponsors

The event is free to attend and will work on a first come, first seated basis. Donations will be collected for the Duke of York’s roof renovation fund, by way of thanks for their generosity in hosting the event at no cost.

If you’re in Brighton on Sunday 3 Feb, come along! 1.30pm Duke Of York’s Picturehouse, Preston Circus, Brighton BN1 4NA

Katie
ethicalweddings.com

I’m feeling a very guilty – and cold – green girl at the moment.

Guilty for not writing on this lovely blog for soooo long!

And cold because our central heating has broken… brrrr!

The upside of this, however, is that we will have a heating system that is over 90% efficient by the time our plumbers have finished, rather than one which was 40-50% efficient and about 50 years old. Which is worth shivering for I’m sure!

On the guilty front, I hope I will be forgiven to some extent as I can promise you I have not been spending the time not writing on GGG lazing on the sofa (well, maybe if the heating was working I would have been…!).

Indeed, no, I have been working away on our all new and improved Ethical Weddings website along with my fellow GGG and ethical web designer extraordinaire, Vicky of Make Hay.

Take a look at the fruits of our labour at www.ethicalweddings.com and enjoy a good explore of the site.

If you’re an ethical bride or green groom, have ethical wedding related expertise or want to get involved in any way at all in turning the wedding industry green, get in touch, we’d love to hear from you!

But to get to the subject of my post today, I thought it was time to share the news that Brighton is – supposed to be – going plastic bag free.

I’m sharing this news with you in the hope that some Brightonians or fellow Sussexians (if there is such a word!) at any rate, will hear me as although I stumbled across the campaign for the removal of the Brighton plastic bag on the internet (and immediately contacted the group to let them know they had my full support!), sadly I see very little evidence that this has filtered down into the shops.

I am still offered a plastic bag nearly everywhere I go in Brighton, and I have seen no signs or flyers encouraging shoppers or shop keepers to “just say no”.

This campaign needs our support. If you are for a plastic free Brighton, check out plasticbagfreebrighton.co.uk and get in touch with Chloë to let them know we want this to work and will help in any way we can.

If Modbury can do it, why can’t we?

Take care (and just say no!)

Katie
Ethical Weddings

Hurrah! Fashion Made Fair is coming to Brighton!

When we lived in London, we loved getting the chance at the Old Truman Brewery off Brick Lane to see our favourite fair trade fashion come out of the catalogue and onto the clothes hanger.  So I was thrilled to see a poster announcing that Green Threads was bringing the fair to Fabrica in Brighton for Fairtrade Fortnight.

All the usual favourites will be there…

People Tree – with some gorgeous garments in their new Spring collection

Howies – the ‘go to’ people for a talking point t-shirt! And lots of lovely comfort clothes…

And top Tonic t-shirts and Ethletic trainers (must get me some of those…) too.

Oh, and when’s all this happening? Well it all kicks off tomorrow (sorry about the late notice – I only saw the poster on Monday!) with late opening till 9pm…

Thursday 8 March 5-9pm
Friday 9 March 10am-6pm
Saturday 10 March 10am-6pm
Sunday 11 March 11am-4pm

Will I see you there? Hope so!

Katie
ethicalweddings.com

No, I’m not defending myself against allegations of plastic surgery (I’m far too young for that – honest!).  But I felt the time had come for me to introduce you to what I think is a fab skin and hair care range: I am natural

I first came across them when an I am natural moisturiser and lip salve turned up in my stocking at Christmas, courtesy of my little sister.  I loved them and couldn’t wait to seek out more when I moved down to Brighton & Hove.

Lovingly handmade, these moisturisers, hand creams, deodorants, lip salves (and lots more) really are exactly what it says on the label: natural.  Unlike many other expensive creams that make such claims, these products have a sell by date and if you’ve been using it a bit too sparingly (as I did with my first pot) and don’t use by that date, it does start to grow mould – which I think is actually quite reassuring, testifying to the lack of chemical preservatives claim!

The products are made by Esther Cohen, a former IT Project Manager, who says:

“Over the years I became aware of what I put on my skin and hair and found it frustrating that so many companies were capitalising on the new organic market and selling outrageously expensive creams and lotions. Organic products shouldn’t be luxury items only to be bought at Christmas and birthdays.”

I couldn’t agree more, and my personal favourite, the avocado face cream, is only £3.29 for a 30ml pot! All the ingredients are clearly marked on the label and on the website.  There is even an A-Z of all the ingredients Esther uses and the majority, if not all, of the products are approved by The Vegan Society.

A regular at several local markets including the lovethatstuff Fair Trade Farmers Market on the third Saturday of each month, and at the Vegetarian Farmers Market in Hove, mentioned in my earlier post, on the first Sunday of each month, I am natural can also be found at The Old Post Office Market in Brighton from 11 – 5pm Wed – Fri, 10 – 6pm Sat and 12 – 5pm Sun.

If you aren’t in walking distance of Brighton beach, you can always order online – and being that time of year, I’d get your order in quickly for one of the beautiful (and very reasonably priced!) gift sets.

And last but not least, with my Ethical Weddings thinking cap on, what about throwing an I am natural party for your hen night – and getting £20 in vouchers for the privilege!

Take care,

Katie

ethicalweddings.com