The Beach Shack Project specialises in handmade unique pieces of jewellery made from flotsam and Jetsam. Sea glass, old Victorian pottery shards, driftwood, nylon, monofilament, plastic, shells and stones all make up the unusual components used in each design.

Although the beach is a great place to source new objects and inspiration, the items gathered whilst beachcombing can also pose a threat to the coastal eco system. For example, huge tumbleweed sized balls of monofilament, discarded by fisherman or thrown over board can be an unfortunate end for any bird or fish unlucky to become entangled. They are also un-biodegradable, so can become a very permanent feature on the beaches. These tangled balls are collected and laboriously unraveled, unknotted, and even reknotted until the nylon is left in workable strands. These balls are then washed thoroughly in antibacterial soap so they are squeaky-clean and then ready to design with.

I can find working with found materials limiting, but this can result in an unusual creative output. It makes you really think about what you are using, because you work with what you find.

Currently, here at the Beach Shack Project we are working with Surfers Against Sewage by donating a percentage of profits from the reclaimed nylon range of jewellery to their campaign.

Surfers Against Sewage is a campaign group set up by surfers who wanted to use clean safe oceans. One of their missions is to reduce “Marine Litter” which is a problem for the wildlife and the many diverse groups of people who use the sea for recreational sport.

15% from the sale price of each piece of reclaimed nylon jewellery goes to the group and most of the pieces available are one offs. To see the range available please visit
www.beachshackproject.bigcartel.com/category/surfers-against-sewage-promo

Currently, there is also 50% off the other lines in the store until the end of January to make way for new stock. Please login to www.beachshackproject.co.uk for more information and to access the discount code. And there is also a fabulous necklace giveaway too, win a handmade organic hemp knitted fisherman’s rope necklace with a chunky bottle green sea glass pendant.

Article by Hannah Marshall
www.beachshackproject.co.uk

I’ve worked with The WILD Foundation for almost 3 years and one major thing that I have noticed in that time is the power of face-to-face interactions to effect change in the environmental space. The internet has given us all incredible tools for communication, but I think it’s important to never forget the power of many minds all gathering in one spot.  This is when real progress is made! I believe face-to-face formal and informal interactions have powers that all of our digital communication tools cannot yet rival. This is one of the main reasons why I am so excited to be a part of WILD9 this fall. It will be my first World Wilderness Congress, and I’ve heard so much about the accomplishments and interactions that have taken place at each of the previous 8 Congress.  WILD9 promises to be unique, interesting, interactive and a huge success for wilderness world-wide!

WILD9, the 9th World Wilderness Congress will convene in Merida, Mexico from 6-13 November 2009, in the heart of the Mayan world.  Having convened 8 times on 5 continents, WILD9 will be the first ever WWC in Latin America.  Many of the world’s leading conservation experts, politicians, academics, corporations, artists, native peoples, students and many others will gather to debate and act upon the most urgent environmental issues of our time such as climate change, water and more.  Some of the top confirmed presenters are Dr. Jane Goodall, Russell Mittermeier (President of Conservation International), the Indian economist Pavan Sukdev and Stephan Harding, an expert on Gaia theory.

Among its rigorous conservation objectives, WILD9 is slated to be the largest gathering of conservation photography ever in Latin America, with participation from many of the top conservation photographers around the world.  I’ve had the pleasure of featuring some of these talented photographers on our blog over the past year, and you can check out some of their photos here. Each day the plenary sessions will feature keynote presentation from top-level conservation photographers including: James Balog, Art Wolfe, Thomas Mangelson, David Doubiliet and Nick Nichols.  Many other members of the International League of Conservation Photographers will be in attendance, participating in and leading workshops, seminars and panels discussions.

The WILD9 program is filled with exciting presentations, workshops, local excursions and training sessions and there are many major conservation objectives including new wilderness designations, the first international agreement on wilderness and more! Registration is open to the public and special discount apply for delegates from certain regions, students and for those who are able to register prior to 1 August.  Looking forward to seeing you in Merida!

Article by by Emily Loose

Emily Loose is the Director of Communications for The WILD Foundation. She can be contacted there, or found on Twitter @WILDfoundation.

Here’s a message from the GGG team to wish all of our readers a merry and peaceful festive season and a happy New Year!

If you’re celebrating over the next couple of weeks here’s a look back at some 2008 Green Girls Global articles to help you have a greener Christmas….

January – Junk Yard Challenge
Get creative with your holiday waste.

February – Going Green on Love Products
Treat someone special with this green gift

March – Eco Sins
This time of year often leads to over indulgence. Reflect on your eco sins and repent!

April – Big Green Purse Review
Shopping, shopping, shopping! Make sure your purse is a brighter shade of green.

May – Balloon Litter
We love the colours and glitter of the festive decorations but don’t make nature pay for them.

June – In the Closet :: Know your Clothing
Searching for that perfect party frock? Get familiar with the labels.

July – Are you doing bokashi?
What do do with all those veggie peelings from your Chrimbo dinner? Bokashi!

August – Downsizing for the Environment
Think twice before you ask for more prezzies.

September – 7 Eco Tips to Beat the Credit Crunch
If you’re going to feel the pinch its at this time of year. Use these tips to help you through/

October – A Hand Made Statement
Try making some gifts by hand and create your craft manifesto at the same time.

November – Discover your Local Country Market
If you really must buy brussel sprouts, get them from your local farmers market

December – Breathing Spaces Christmas Song
Take a moment to think about the wildlife and do your conservation bit.

Have a good one!

Find out what the UK wildlife want from Santa this Christmas.

Breathing Places is an important project about getting involved in conservation and protecting wildlife in the UK. I’m not sure that these animals are 100% anatomically correct though….

Our footprints are all over this planet…..but do we have to stomp so hard!?

My name is Laura Bergman, the creator of Bottled Up Designs. I have lived all my life in the beautiful Pennsylvania Amish Country, where as a child we would dig around old foundations pulling old treasures from the ground from a simpler time.

The love of old glass and bottle digging stayed with me, and have always been an avid bottle collector. One thing that has always bothered me, though, is how we take away the pretty whole pieces, but leave all the broken remains behind for the environment and wildlife do deal with.

When I walk through these pretty wooded habitats, the sun slants through the woods and lights these little pieces of history. The ruby glows in the sun, looking like it’s on fire, amber from old medicine, beer, and the countless broken Clorox bottles used and carelessly tossed there so long ago. Another common find is the pretty ice blue glass of broken Mason jars, and always envision them in someone’s pantry full of the summer’s work “put up” for the coming winter. I am always a little sad when I see the broken depression glass, wondering if during those lean times there was the money to replace the pretty dishware that had broken.

To me, this glass still has history and real beauty behind it, and out of love for the pretty glass and the environment, I now bring home the broken pieces and create my jewelry. Each piece is handmade from this reclaimed glass, and wanting to share the history with those that wear it, have created “The Story of the Glass” detailing for each piece what it was originally, and the approx. age of the glass.

Recently, while walking my dog through a peaceful part of the woods, I spotted a baby fawn and her mother laying in the dappled sunlight. Of course, they caught the scent of us and were up and away, and where the fawn was laying was the broken shards of a cobalt Noxzema bottle. Hoping that she was unhurt, I sighed and picked up the glass to bring it home, wondering once again how we ever thought we had the right to treat our environment so carelessly.

To see all of the pretty vintage colors and how they are wonderfully transformed into beautiful artisan jewelry, please visit www.bottledupdesigns.com.

Read GGG editor Henriette’s review of Bottled Up Designs and this beautiful necklace.

I haven’t seen this before – but it’s scaring me that this video is 16 years old and still as relevant as it was back then, if not more. I think the message in this video is so strong that it gives me goosebumps – and I am ashamed that we still ain’t fixin it. I would say it’s a must-see. Enjoy.

Severn Suzuki speaking at UN Earth Summit 1992

Lyme Bay Reefs on the Devon / Dorset coast is one of the UK’s finest marine wildlife sites and thanks to a successful campaign conducted by the Wildlife Trusts in conjunction with excellent support from members of the public, an area of 60sq miles has been protected from commercial scallop dredging.

I first reported about the Save Lyme Bay Reefs campaign in the posts titled ‘Help save the seaside’ and I would like to thank any GGG readers who supported the campaigning by signing the petition and or writing to Defra.

The Wildlife Trusts have been campaigning for a 60sq mile exclusion zone around Lyme Bay reefs , since concern was highlighted, in the early 1990s, by divers who observed damage to some areas. Survey work by Devon and Dorset Wildlife Trusts has shown that scallop-dredging is damaging the reefs and that time is running out for their preservation.

Lyme Bay is home to around 300 recorded species of plants and animals, including dense populations of the nationally protected pink seafan and the extremely rare sunset coral. As well as a haven for sponges, starfish and coral, the reefs also support a range of seafood animals, including crab, lobster and scallops.

Talking about the success Paul Gompertz, Devon Wildlife Trust’s director, said:

“This is one small step for marine but one giant leap for marine-kind. It finally acknowledges that our seas need vital life-support systems like Lyme Bay reefs. It’s taken 18 years, hundreds of thousands of fundraised pounds, the energy and dedication of many people – and a host of setbacks and heartache along the way. But it has all been worth it – to see a new day dawn for the future of marine conservation in this country. The Government is to be congratulated on a bold step. Now we need to see the exclusions enforced.”

Important Marine Sites

World wide there are a range of important wildlife marine sites that require urgent protection. Whilst it may appear a daunting task to get such sites protected, I think that if conservation organisations work in partnership with one another, engage members of public into the campaigns and lobby MP’s face to face then we can truly save our seas.

Photo Sources

Lyme Bay by North Light: Source Flickr

Scallops by Rory MacNish: Source Marine Photobank

When I watch wildlife documentaries I love to see playful seals and I would love to take part in a seal watching expedition in Scotland or even on the South East Coast of England (Margate in Kent is becoming a hot spot for seal spotting).

However these popular marine mammals which help attract wildlife tourists to various locations across the world are victims of human cruelty. Seals are brutally and savagely murdered across the world for their skin, oil and most bizarrely by fishermen because seals eat fish to survive!

The Canadian commercial seal hunt

When I think of Canada, I think of a country rich in wildlife however it appears that the Canadian Government may care more about what the fishing industry thinks and increasing GDP from commercial activity than wanting to keep its country rich in wildlife. Each year a cruel and unethical practice takes place in Canada in which seals (including pups aged about 2 weeks to 3 months) are killed with a blow to the head using a wooden club or hakapik.

This hunt is a highly competitive activity and it is disturbing to know that some of the seals are actually skinned before being rendered fully unconscious. Most of the sealers are fishermen who in addition to wanting the seals to sell abroad also have a vested interest as they own sea food companies and thus want to reduce seal population to maintain cod stock levels which in turn will increase their profits.

The 2008 Seal Hunt

The allowed quota for 2008 was 275,000 seals however it was reported that participation in seal hunting was lower than usual and federal officials say that about 80% of the quota was taken (still far too many!!). The reason for low participation included bad weather, high fuel price and the fall in financial value of pelts (half of what they were a year ago).

Seal products

Whilst seal products are not sold in the U.S.A (thanks Marine Mammal Protection Act) they are still legally sold in a variety of countries including the UK!

Seal pelts

Back in 1982, the European Union banned the import of ‘whitecoat’ seal pup pelts (skin) however hunters instead waited until the pups shed their white fur before they killed them.

Seal pelts are still used for a variety of products ranging from designer coats to traditional Scottish sporrans (see photograph below).

However I was delighted to hear that the UK ethical Bank ‘Cop-Operative’ refused to do business with one Scottish kilt company which still uses seal pelts in its sporran range (news source from Guardian newspaper)

Seal meat

After the seals have been skinned most of the meat is wasted and left on the ice, however some is sold and ground up into animal feed and some of the flippers are even sold for human consumption in Newfoundland.

Seal oil

North Atlantic Harp Seal oil is sold in capsules labeled “Terra Nova Omega-3 capsules” by a company called ‘Atlantic Marine Products’. However there is no need at all to source Omega 3 from seals or even fish as ethical alternatives exists including vegan versions containing predominantly seed oil.

Seal products and the EU Legislation

Thanks to the successful lobbying of various conservation and animal welfare organisations the European Commission recently announced that it will seek to ban the import of “inhumane” seal products.  However it is not known how long it will be until it is enforced.

Seals and the Fishing industry

It is hard to escape the fact that fish stocks are becoming drastically low, however rather than blaming the unsustainable fish quota’s, many unjustifiable persecute seals simply for eating fish for survival.

Conservation organisations including the Seal Preservation Action Group (SPAG) in the
UK state that:

“There is no scientific evidence to justify claims that seals are threats to fish stocks when human over-fishing clearly is”

In fact research suggests that seals are opportunistic feeders and their diet mainly consists of fish species which commercial fishermen target. According to SPAG:

“It has been estimated that seals in the North Sea account for only 2% of fish stocks annually, compared to 25% to 30% by the fishing industry”

The way in which some fishermen, fish farmers and even the owners of sports fishing rivers deal with seals eating their fish stock is to shoot them. In such instances profit is being put before ethics, animal welfare and nature conservation. However consumers must also play a role in terms of supply and demand, commercial fishermen and fish farmers are protecting fish stock from marine mammals to supply the demand from consumers.

What you can do to help

1) Use your consumer power to protect seals by:

a) Not purchasing any seal by-products

b) Boycott business organisations that sell seal byproducts including fashion designers

c) Help SPAG encourage UK food retailers to stock seal friendly salmon

d) Reduce or even completely stop eating fish

e) Not participating in or funding the sport fishing industry

2) Lobby for change:

a) Help SPAG encourage the UK government to create a Seal Protection Act whereby the killing of seals will be strictly forbidden.  If you would like to help SPAG’s campaign, please write to the relevant UK and Scottish Ministers calling for the protection of seals.

Their addresses are:

Lord Rooker, Minister for Animal Welfare, Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, Nobel House, London SW1P 3JR

Richard Lochhead MSP Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs, Scottish Parliament,Edinburgh EH99 1SP

For further information about this campaign please go to the Seal Preservation Action Group (SPAG) website

b) Write to the Canadian Ambassador in your country and pledge to boycott all Canadian seafood products until sealing is ended.

In the UK the address is Canadian High Commission, Macdonald House,1 Grosvenor Square, London,W1X 0AB

c) Write to UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown demanding that the UK introduces a unilateral ban on the import of all seal products as have EU partners Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands:

Rt Hon.Gordon Brown MP, Prime Minister, Downing Street, London, SWIA 2AA

I have written to all of the above and I hope that GGG readers will get involved to help protect seals too!

This is the most amazing time of year, everywhere you look there’s new life.

Flowers are beginning to bloom, birds are preparing their nests, tiny rabbit kittens graze on the grassy roadsides – there is ‘ahhh factor’ galore!

Even in our own back garden we’ve had some special babies this year. For the first time the frogs have laid spawn and we have hundreds (literally) of fat tadpoles swimming around in our pond.

I’m always fascinated with the pond because only a couple of summers ago it was just a plastic lining filled with tap water, a couple of bunches of pond weed and two water snails. Now it is so full of life, aside from the frogs, tadpoles and snails there are all kinds of insect larvae, plants and even the land dwelling wildlife such as blackbirds rely on it for baths and drinks. I always think of our garden pond as a tiny example of how resilient nature is.

The other newborns we witnessed this week were some spider babies which had been nesting in the corner of a window pane in our back door. The most incredible thing was to watch them collectively construct a long thread of launch web which allowed them to float off and make their own way in the world.

Nature is resilient but it is also a delicate balance and it is things like this that remind you why we must do our best not to cause it even more damage.

I’m back! Regular GGG readers may have noticed that it has been some time since I wrote a post for this fantastic blog and I would like to apologise for that. However I hope that you will forgive me as I have been in the middle of selling my house and relocating. Whilst I have lots of interesting news that I could post on GGG, I thought that I would start off by providing you all with an update about the Marine Bill Campaign.

Marine and Coastal Access Bill

After extensive campaigning from a wide range of environmental and conservation organisations the UK Government has included the Marine Bill (now called the Marine and Coastal Access Bill) in its draft legislative programme. This is absolutely fantastic news for the environment and marine life, however before we all get excited I would like to highlight that whilst there is a strong indication that it will be mentioned in the Queens speech (and thus be brought forward to Parliament) there is no guarantee.

Good – but could be better

I have read a couple of different summary documents for the Marine and Coastal Access Bill (not yet had time to read the whole draft Bill in great detail) and from what I can gather and what marine experts have informed me (including Lisa Chilton the Marine Development Manager at the Wildlife Trust) the Bill is good but could be a lot better. For example there is concern over the following points:

§ There seems to be too much emphasis on economic development (in terms of tourism, commerce etc) as opposed to protecting the environment and marine life.

§ Under the new rules some damaging activities such as dredging may be exempt from licensing. Also oil and gas licensing will continue under The Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR) rather than the Marine Management Organisation (MMO)

§ It appears that there is not a duty on the Secretary of State to designate Marine Conservation Zones (MCZ) which is appalling. The Marine Bill should enforce the duty to designate MCZ’s not just a power to designate.

Going Forward

A joint Committee of the House of Commons and the House of Lords has been established to scrutinize the draft Bill. As a member of the public you can provide your views and comments on the draft Bill by writing to Defra before 26^th June 2008.

I will be writing my response and I hope that GGG readers will too. In order to gain the full picture I highly recommend that you read the full, draft Marine Bill and accompanying notes which is available to download by clicking here.

After reading the draft Bill please send your comments to:

Marine Bill TeamDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsArea 2C Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London SW1P 3JR

I will keep you posted about the Marine and Coastal Access Bill including updates about specific important marine sites such as Lyme Bay Reefs.