The Big Green Idea Newsletter

			BGI Newsletter
			Issue 10 - June 2009
			From the Editor... In this month's newsletter we are celebrating the sun - central to everything in our lives - our days and nights, our seasons, the food on our plates, the plants all around us. The summer solstice falls on 21st June, when we can enjoy our longest day and the bounties of summer finally begin. Cold, dark winter days are as far away as they ever will be and that in itself is something worth celebrating! Sunbathing can be harmful but getting your ten minutes of vitamin D a day whilst doing something fun and fulfilling certainly isn't. We show you many ways to enjoy this incredible energy source which will help you become greener and save the planet so generations to come can celebrate the summer solstice too. BREAKING NEWS!! Our Big Green Bus has been in Bournemouth for the Big Green Fortnight. Read the first article to get Judy's on-the-spot report. Note: The next newsletter will be our bumper Summer Edition and should be in your inboxes in mid-July. Then the hard-working newsletter writers will be taking a well-earned break over the summer to return brimful of ideas for the September issue. Jo x Bournemouth Big Green Fortnight The Big Green Bus has been in Bournemouth for the past two weeks, helping promote the Big Green Fortnight. Judy was lucky enough to visit the bus and tells us all about the Bus's Big Adventure!! Find out more Biofuels - Miracle Solution or Part of the Problem? Nothing is ever clear-cut. Last year biofuels were apparently the answer to all our prayers. Now, it seems they may make matters worse. Brigit explains the issues and tells us what she thinks the answer is full story Big Green Heroes - Devon Our Green Heroes series has provided many individual heroes but this month we are going a little left-field and awarding the coveted title to a whole area! Anne-Christine is lucky enough to live in the South-West and tells us what makes the glorious county of Devon a Big Green Hero read more Guerilla Gardening - An Urban Revolution The sun is out, the soil is warm and your green fingers are itching to get creative in the garden. But you have nothing more than a postage stamp garden with a patio pot. We have the solution. Put your skills and enthusiasm to good use and create a garden many can enjoy. Graham Burnett shows you how here Jim'll and Tanya's Homemade Solar Dryer It's all very well growing your own veg but what do you do when you have a glut, the freezer is full and the shelves are groaning under the weight of your jams and pickles? Easy! Jim'll and Tanya made their own solar drier from recycled items and dried all their excess produce. And it doesn't even need sun! more details Capital Growth Do you hear the words Capital Growth and immediately picture a suit-clad banker? Not this time! We have news of a much better sort of hedge fund that is a real investment in our future! An amazing new project that benefits the people of London, putting land at their disposal and teaching them veg growing skills full story Hand-crafting Ceremonies What could be more romantic or more memorable than your own hand-crafted ceremony held in a sacred or special location? Margot Oakenby can create intimate ceremonies for any occasion find out more Blowing in the Wind Summer is here and line drying washing is a breeze. Then, after a few rainy days, we get a backlog and a quick blast in the tumbler suddenly seems rather tempting. But Judy tells us that tumbling is un-green and expensive and shows us there are much more eco-friendly alternatives. Find out what Here Comes the Sun... Too much sun is most certainly bad for us. But a little sun in moderation can supply us with essential vitamin D. Covering up is not always practical so our lovely skincare guru, Helen, investigates what green suncare is available. Find out more The sun is out, the sky is blue... The birds are singing and everything is well with the world. Well it certainly is in Fiona's garden. The wildlife share the sunshine with our new Wildlife Correspondent. Find out what delights she has discovered here How Green is Your Festival? The summer festival season is here at last! However, according to Michael Eavis, if a festival was to be truly green then it wouldn't happen. But that's no fun!! So Jo finds out what some festivals are doing to make themselves as green as possible. And also what you can do! Find out more Letters I am writing in to say how much I enjoy the BGI newsletter, it is a really great read each month. I have a tip I would like to share with you. My niece has a very small garden but still likes to grow veg. She plants seed potatoes in a used tyre, filling the compost up to the tyre brim. As soon as the shoots start to push through the compost, put another tyre on the first one and fill with compost. Carry on until it is four tyres tall. This will produce a bucket of potatoes from almost no space! Podraigh Murphy, Mallow, Co Cork If you have a green tip you would like to share, an idea for something you would like to read about or any comments on this newsletter please email me: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) To unsubscribe from our newsletter click here and type 'unsubscribe' in the subject line © The Big Green Idea 2009 - Content Editor: Jo Barlow The Big Green Idea registered charity No. 1123650 Disclaimer: All views expressed in the content are those of the relevant author or sources they draw upon, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Big Green Idea or its Trustees. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of any information in this publication, readers should not rely upon it and should verify the detail for themselves before acting upon it. Important Notice: Although The Big Green Idea does not encourage consumerism, we do appreciate that everyone shops for essentials and the occasional treat they cannot create themselves. If you choose to shop with any of the merchants via the links in the right-hand column, they will donate between 7% and 10% from the sale to us.		Sponsored this month by The remarkable mirror-finish aluminium SunPipe which brings in natural daylight Find out more about our sponsor here Donate Visit our website About Us The Bus How You Can Help Resources Contact us Brigit's Blog 'Hi ! My name's Brigit and today I want to tell you about...' Chat from Brigit and the team as the 2009 bus tour season takes shape, we visit events, and learn just what it takes to make a green charity tick! Diary of Green Events There's plenty going on around the UK, so why not dip in? Many of these events are free or very reasonably priced! We are also starting to include weekend and longer courses on a wide variety of ethical, eco- or green-related subjects. Regular Features Gardening Month by Month: June Urban Green - Solar Powered Music Wren's Seasonal Recipes Golden Days - What's in Your Basket? Green News from Earthwire A little Green thought... After a visit to the beach, it's hard to believe that we live in a material world. Pam Shaw Green Tip of the Month Affie Turner from Wimbledon emailed in to say 'With the cool nights of early summer and not having the central heating on, houses can get cold. Once you have finished cooking the evening meal, turn off the oven but leave the door open. It will warm up downstairs. Also hang damp tea towels over the open door to help them dry.' Website of the Month Spiral Sun Solar Showers Ethos Spiral Sun Solar Showers have been specially designed to bring a touch of eco luxury to festivals and other outdoor events. Showing that environmentally friendly technology can be aesthetically pleasing, economical, effective and pleasant to use. Part of the aim of Spiral Sun Solar Showers is to help raise public awareness of the potential of alternative technologies by providing attractive facilities they can use. Naturally their presence at events helps reinforce any similar eco-friendly messages event organisers may wish to convey. Affiliate shopping