The Big Green Idea Newsletter

BGI Newsletter

Issue 1 - September 2008

DIARY of green events

Welcome to the first newsletter from the Big Green Idea!

Hello! My name is Brigit and I’ve spent the last year overseeing the setting up of The Big Green Idea charity and the refit of our first double-decker eco-bus. Life at the moment is very hectic, but also very exciting! Our bus refit is nearing completion, the revamped website has just gone live and here we are with our first newsletter. Our lovely editor, Jo, has been working her socks off for the last few weeks to pull together all kinds of interesting articles and bits of news that we hope will both interest and inspire you. The Big Green Idea (BGI) has brought together a growing community of amazing people from all over the UK who want to do something to make a difference. I’d like to thank them all from the bottom of my heart for helping to get the charity off the ground, for their work on the website and for contributing to this newsletter.

Brigit Strawbridge

The Big Green Bus project

Our first Big Green Bus, which will run on biodiesel, is available to hire and will tour towns and cities across the UK, stopping for a few days at each location so that as many people as possible will have a chance to visit and benefit from the comprehensive array of information and resources it will have to offer.more details

Birth of an ECO-BUS!

If you've watched the video of Brigit collecting the first of our buses ( and if you haven't you can watch it here [ dial-up / broadband ] ), you will have heard the dreams and aspirations...this is the story of the work that has taken place so far by a couple of the people who have been involved in little bits, so it is as much personal impressions as it is details of the changes, but we hope the words and pictures give you some idea of the tremendous efforts that a small of group of determined people have put in. Read on here... more details

Nappy Culture & Green Parenting

'Imperfectly Natural' mum Janey Lee Grace has some strong views about the current disposable nappy culture and puts forward some compelling arguments for the reusable cloth option...

'When it comes to being a ‘greener’ parent there are few subjects more emotive than the whole furore of cloth nappies versus disposables. From an environmental standpoint, we throw away 8 million nappies every day in Britain alone, making up over four per cent of land-filled domestic waste. Every one of them could take 200–500 years to fully decompose...' full story

Natural Cleaning Products

Helen James of 'Innocent Oils' has championed the use of natural cleaning products for several years and feels they offer a viable and environmental alternative to "mainstream" items available from your local supermarket...

'Household cleaning can be a toxin-filled chore. But it doesn’t have to be when you make your own natural cleaning products. You can avoid harsh chemicals which are harmful to your family and the environment. In fact, with just a few cheap staples and a few easy recipes you can keep your home sparkling and fresh and save money too!...' full story

Tanya & Jim'll fix it for you...

Lean, green, digging machine Jim'll and his partner Tanya will talk you through the essentials for your green gardening efforts over the next month, and throw in a few general hints and tips for good measure... more details

Our Top Tips for Instant Green...

These quick fixes will cost you little or nothing and get you well on the way to greening up your life and might put a few bob back in your pocket too... more details

Wall.E gets an eco-review by our tame film buff Matt! full story

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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.

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The Bus

'Hi ! My name's Brigit and today I want to tell you about...'

Chat from Brigit and the team as they work towards getting the bus on the road, visit events, or just want to get stuff of their collective chest !

A little Green thought...

'Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.'

Cree Indian Proverb

A Big Thank You !

The Big Green Idea would like to thank Talent 4 A Cause www.myspace.com/talentcause for donating the funds raised from their launch gig. In particular we would like to thank:- William Jones (founder of Talent 4 A Cause) and the bands who played for free – Bash Roland, Omertta, Hi-Jack and Fuse. Also a big thank you to DJ Ad Lib (Adam Hill) for both his set and the loan of his equipment; Loll Dow – sound technician; and John Redman for setting up. Finally a big thank you to John White from Malvern Youth Centre, for kindly allowing the premises to be used free of charge. Talent 4 A Cause raised over £500 for us at this gig!

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ARTICLES in this issue

'Imperfectly Natural' mum Janey Lee Grace on nappy culture and green parenting

Helen James of 'Innocent Oils' gets down and not so dirty with natural cleaning products

REGULAR FEATURES

Gardening in September

Seasonal Recipes: Back to school

Green News from around the world

The resources page

From crafts through building useful stuff from pallets to natural skincare or wormeries, you'll find lots of helpful advice in our resource section!