No, Al Gore isn't getting into British Education. The Climate Change Academies are the baby of The Energy Saving Trust. They're not secondary schools, just a series of workshops kicking off during Energy Saving Week (that's this week, folks!) for adults, families and businesses to learn more about how to fight climate change.
The interactive workshops will help you find out how to save energy every day (especially relevant now the weather's turned a bit nippy). Here's the schedule:
Thursday 22 October County Hotel by Thistle, Neville Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 5DF
Friday 23 October The Castle Green Hotel in Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 6RG
Tuesday 27 October Royal York Hotel & Events Centre, Station Road,York, YO24 1A
Tuesday 27 October MWB Business Exchange, 1 Farnham Road, Guildford, GU2 4RG Wednesday 28 October Hilton Nottingham, Milton Street, Nottingham, BG1 3PZ Thursday 29 October Novotel Birmingham Centre, 70 Broad Street, Birmingham, B1 2HT
Thursday 29 October The Southville Centre, Beauley Road, Bristol, BS3 1QG
It's first come, first served, so visit the Energy Saving Trust website to book your place or contact Kirsty Mitchell on
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
Lauren Shanley's ethical and eco-friendly designs show an independent streak and individual style. Lauren transforms vintage cotton, brocade, silk and velvet into bespoke jackets, skirts, dresses and handbags, even dramatic, one-of-a-kind wedding gowns. She also creates interior accessories, including cushions, quilts and upholstered chairs and her fabric is available by the metre for upholstery or DIY sewing projects. Lauren uses stitching, embroidery, appliqué and beading to create layers of interesting colour and texture.
Her newest collection is based on the Silk Route and Islamic art, launched during London Fashion Week and the London Design Festival. Pop into Lauren's studio at 1.14 Oxo Tower Wharf in the ever-so-happening Bankside.
After last week's earnest site (but please, do get on your bike!), I thought I'd head back to the cosy territory of fashion and the green pound (or dollar). Take a gander at these fashionable yet eco-friendly bags from Canopy Verde. Made from organic cotton and 'earth-kind' leather, these bags can hold their own with anything you spotted during London Fashion Week. I adore this mulberry-coloured 'Cassia Weekender' bag (left). It's perfect for a dirty weekend – with a clean conscience – or (if life's not quite that glitz-tastic at the mo) just another trip to the office. The details have a touch of whimsy: orange lining, wood trim and the embroidered 'tree' pattern. The 'Dewberry' oversized tote (right) makes a perfect nappy bag (that's diaper bag, US readers!) for the yummy green mummy. And you'll be helping to ensure there's a safer, greener world for your little one to grow up in.
EcoVelo is one part aspirational hippie-dom (can't we all give up cars and just get along?) but also one part tech-geek heaven (for those obsessed with the [literal] nuts and bolts of bicycles), and another part serious political information and campaigning (check out the Advocacy, Policy and Infrastructure posts.
The founders (left) are based in northern California (and aren’t they cute?) so you can find out what hot products are on the market there and what the cycling policies are like – San Francisco does have some cycle lane networks and Mayor Gavin Newsom (no relation) has announced that the city’s seasonal Sunday Streets (where great swathes of San Fran are closed to car traffic) will expand in summer 2010.
There are also plenty of product reviews, including dynamo-powered headlights to keep you safe at night (without endlessly buying batteries).
Slow Food UK campaigns for "good, clean and fair food", that tastes good, is grown in ways that respect the environment, human health and animal welfare and that pays producers a fare wage.
Slow Food works to raise awareness about sustainability and social justice issues surrounding food and also aims to preserve traditional UK foods and defend biodiversity.
Biodiversity is at the top of the agenda as this weekend's Slow Food Harvest Market comes to the Southbank Centre during Pestival: a celebration of insect life, with talks and demonstrations explaining how insects support our agriculture.
If you can't make it this weekend, don't worry. The Slow Food Market returns to Southbank Centre Square on: 18- 20 September, 30 October - 1 November, 27-29 November and 19-22 December.
The clever and colourful Flip & Tumble bags are now available in the UK from BagsyIt. As every household in the UK uses 300 plastic bags every year, it seems many of us would find these strong, re-usable, roll-em-up-and-carry-em-with-you-everyday numbers handy to ensure we don't forget to BYOB (bring our own bags) when shopping.
Like many brilliant (and often under-rated) ideas BagsyIt began with two mums chatting in a playground, when Emma Henderson and Nicky Pittaway discovered a shared passion for bags – and the environment. They'll continue to source eye-catching (and planet-saving) bags, so bookmark the site.
At HybridMile.com you'll find all the green buzz on electric cars, from the Chevy Volt to BMW's Megacity EV and its all-electric Mini, the MINI E, now being tested in Germany, the US and the UK (unfortunately, no one asked yours truly to be a guinea pig on this one). They even review the electric DS motorcycle from Zero Motorcycles, now on sale in the US. You'll also find news, such as the development of green buses in China and the US Department of Energy's plan to invest $777 million from its budget and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to invest in alternative energy research through 2013. Any similar investment afoot in the UK, or is the government simply relying on the new coal-fired power stations they're planning to build?
The Nag relaunches this week, with a new look, new features and a new push to harness 'online crowd power' to help solve the world's ecological and ethical problems. The new 'Get it Off Your Chest' section is where you can rant about your green frustrations, while the 'Suggest Solutions' section does what it says on the tin (err... actually YOU and other users do what it says on the tin). And the 'Do Something' section lists actions you can add to your To-Do list and helpful hints to green up your day, often without feeling even a twinge of sacrifice.
The Campaign for Better Transport is fighting to bring down rail fares (currently the highest in Europe). Take a look at its Fares Campaign and watch the silly-but-with-a-message video, right. It's shocking and illogical that when people try to 'do the right thing' and travel by train instead of car or plane, they are punished with sky-high fares.
They're not just bleating on about lowering fares (tricky in tough economic times), they actually have a plan. They're asking the Government to tax fuel used on domestic flights to make up for any money lost to lower train fares. They're basically just asking for a fair fight on fares. And not just train fares: they've also launched a competition to find the most ridiculously high bus fare. Enter here.
In June the UK Government will publish a Renewable Energy Strategy. Friends of the Earth wants you to help ensure this strategy doesn't backpedal and the government does:
*Stick to its promises to deliver at least 15% of UK energy from renewables by 2020
*Restructure the energy industry to prioritise renewables.
With the economic pressures facing the country, politicians may be tempted to stick with the
status quo, but switching to renewables will help reduce emissions and bring energy independence and (eventually) cheaper energy as oil starts to run out. Investing in renewables can also generate new jobs and stimulate business.
Ask your MP to tap into the vast renewable power of sun, wind, tides and waves.
FOE wants an ambitious strategy that aims to make renewable energy the top source of energy in the country.
Worthy Websites 
No, Al Gore isn't getting into British Education. The 
EcoVelo
The founders (left) are based in northern California (and aren’t they cute?) so you can find out what hot products are on the market there and what the cycling policies are like – San Francisco does have some cycle lane networks and Mayor Gavin Newsom (no relation) has announced that the city’s seasonal 
At 
