Go Eco Friend - The blog about going green and saving the environment

Get Ethical with Colin Firth this Christmas Want to know what Colin Firth is getting for Christmas this year? The British actor's new eco shop in Chiswick ECO AGE is offering a 'his & hers' Christmas gift bag service with BAGS OF CHANGE, the only bag which is also an ethical shopping loyalty scheme: www.bagsofchange.co.uk Christmas orders can be customised by filling one of the stylish Bags of Change bags with a selection of gifts from Eco Age. Prices start at 21 for the organic hemp-cotton bag and 40 for the wild rubber - bag plus gift contents. 'His' sample bag is shown, with a Bags of Change wild rubber bag. This Christmas Bags of Change is also collaborating with a number of UK designers-makers and small green companies who have joined together to open a pop-up shop in Notting Hill with a superb selection of Fairtrade, ethical, organic, and eco -friendly products. OUR ECO SHOP brings together the cream of British eco-chic designers under one roof, and anyo

Solar panels, hyper-efficient boilers, green cars that let you drive round with a big, smug smile because you are keeping your pollution to a minimum – they all have their appeal. Article published by www.express.co.uk September 26th 2008

Donald Trump has been given the freedom of Scotland. Permission to build a minor new town among the sand dunes north of Aberdeen.Licensed to kill the planning system that once prevented development in sensitive and protected habitats. Article published on www.guardian.co.uk November 4th 2008

Britons still consume 3bn litres of bottled water a year, and there lies the ecological rub, which starts with packaging, of 13bn plastic bottles sold in the UK last year, just 3bn were recycled. Article published in The Observer February 10th 2008

The tropical rainforests of Papua New Guinea (above) – in the top ten of the world's most biodiverse hotspots – are disappearing faster than anyone realised, according to a new report. Published by www.newscientist.com June 2nd 2008

Drivers of eco-friendly cars can save hundreds of pounds on city centre parking under a pioneering green scheme . Article published by www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk July 10th 2007

It's not often you find someone from the Green Party opposing something with the prefix "eco-", but Gordon Brown's " eco-towns " scheme is very far from deserving this badge. Article published by www.telegraph.co.uk July 4th 2008

The Seat Ibiza, 1.4 TDI (above) is both cheap to buy and cheap to run. One of the few good green things to come out of Alistair Darling's Budget was his shake-up of vehicle excise duty - better known as road tax - to penalise gas guzzling cars.Obviously the way to beat the budget is to buy a greener car . Article published by www.telegraph.co.uk March 19th 2008

Going green could save individuals thousands of pounds as well as helping to tackle climate change , according to a new guide published by Friends of the Earth and Collins. Article published by Friends Of The Earth 7 March 2005

Toni Vernelli was steralised at age 27 to reduce her carbon footprint .While some might think it strange to celebrate the reversal of nature and denial of motherhood, Toni relishes her decision with an almost religious zeal. Article appeared in the Daily Mail 21 November 2007

Human-waste disposal is an increasingly urgent but still taboo topic.The toilets are one of the main gripes among attendees at 'green' gatherings because organisers go to all the effort of setting up a green-themed shindig then wheel in noxious chemical loos . Article appeared in The Observer Sunday October 5 2008

BBC Scotland has a quiz to help schoolchildren discover how eco friendly they are.