Organic Care Systems: Ethical hair products for Earth Day

Award-winning hair company OCS, recently mentioned in the likes of Vogue, the New York Times, the Wall St Journal and the Observer magazine, and winner of a Celebs on Sunday Beauty Survey award, are the perfect product choice for Earth Day. As well as using certified organic ingredients and carrying the Choose Cruelty Free bunny logo, they have implemented a number of clever green initiatives.

Factory

* Now uses shredding from the office as packaging material. They also shred cardboard boxes and use them instead of bubble wrap.

* IBCs (containers for bulk product such as peroxide) are now being removed by an interested party instead of being sent to landfill.

Offices

* Installed motion sensors on the corridor lights to reduce electrical usage.

* Windows in reception have been glazed with a film which filters the light and reduces heat loss in winter and negates the need for cooling in summer.

* Replaced the printers with more efficient ones with energy saving functions to save electricity. They now all have compatible consumables as well, so reducing consumable waste.

Whole company

* An incentivised ‘Leave Your Car At Home’ scheme has been launched for all staff. Points can be earned each day for walking, cycling, jogging, using public transport or car pooling. The points can then be converted into gift vouchers of varying values for certain stores / experiences.

* Training has been given to all staff in waste recognition and a suggestion scheme for improvements has been launched. The ‘Leave Your Car At Home’ scheme came through the suggestion box.

* Installed water saving Hippo bags in the toilet cisterns.

* The company which supplies the printers sponsors a tree planting for every 100,000 prints we make, through the Future-Forests programme.

But don’t just choose them because they’re green, choose them because they perform brilliantly! OCS is a UK-based company (the country’s largest own-brand manufacturer of hair products) and the range includes ammonia-free colour, shampoos, conditioners, treatments and styling products, which contain Soil Association and ECOCERT Organic Certified ingredients.

The brand has never tested on animals and the raw materials they use meet the strict criteria set by Choose Cruelty Free. Parabens and other nasties are excluded in favour of ingredients with natural, hard working properties, such as sunflower oil (a natural UV inhibitor), Fennel Seed (conditioner); White Willow Bark (conditioner and antiseptic properties); Sea Mayweed (antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and soothing properties); Geranium Oil (anti-inflammatory properties); Bergamot Fruit oil (Antiseptic properties); Comfrey (conditioner, soothing, moisturising); and Wheat (conditioner, strengthens and protects hair) among others. OCS is the salon professional brand to choose for top quality products with a clear conscience.

For information on Earth Day visit http://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2011

For information on Choose Cruelty Free visit http://www.choosecrueltyfree.org.au/

To find your nearest OCS salon/stockist, call 01590 613 490 or see www.organiccoloursystems.com

(EDITOR: See? You can look good but also be good for the environment, too!)

Tracking Down Top Quinine And Fighting Off Malaria

Fever-Tree Trekkers Take Time Out At The Chelsea Flower Show

While the co-founders of Fever-Tree have been risking life and limb to work with small specialist producers in the Democratic Republic of Congo or the Ivory Coast, visitors to the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show are offered a more theatrical and playful welcome from Charles Rolls and Tim Warrillow. The first Fever-Tree garden comes complete with Tree House (made partly from reclaimed Chinchona Ledgeriana wood) – the perfect place for G&T drinkers to enjoy a summer cooler.

But there is little rest for Charles and Tim who travel to inhospitable and dangerous countries, ravaged by years of civil war, ethnic strife and widespread disease, to seek out a supply of only the highest quality natural ingredients for their range of premium mixers.

Proud to be the only drinks company going such lengths, Fever-Tree will showcase some of their inspirational ingredients in their ‘Tree House Garden’ at the Chelsea Flower Show, 24th–28th May 2011.

Six years ago, Fever-Tree launched their first product, an Indian Tonic Water, which has revolutionised G&T. In direct contrast to mainstream mixer brands, at Fever-Tree taste and quality have always been paramount.

The top priority for the Indian Tonic Water was sourcing the purest strain of quinine, the essential bitterness in tonic water. Tim traced one of the last remaining plantations of Cinchona Ledgeriana trees (whose bark produces the world’s highest quality quinine) to the Eastern Congo. Visiting the region he found a thriving plantation amid an area otherwise decimated by years of war. By blending this pure quinine with subtle botanical flavours, spring water and natural cane sugar, Fever-Tree have created a delicious, natural tonic with subtle citrus notes and a refreshing taste and aroma. Fever-Tree is now served in seven of the top ten restaurants in the world.

As well as creating the bitter flavour in tonic water, quinine is also known for its treatment of malaria. When travelling across Africa, Charles caught plasmodium falciparum - the parasitic cause of cerebral malaria and the biggest killer in Africa. Charles was treated with pure, natural quinine, probably from the same source that Fever-Tree now works with.

Fever-Tree’s Tree House Garden celebrates a selection of other plants that have been used over the years to treat fevers including Fillipendula Ulmaria (Meadow Sweet), a fever remedy administered after drying and grinding up the roots and adding to beverages. The leaves are reminiscent of strawberries.

Other key plants in the garden include citrus, lemon thyme and rosemary from the Mediterranean as well as a ‘chocolatey’ ginger from Cochin in India. These will be planted alongside a small spring which represents the natural spring water used in all of Fever-Tree’s award winning drinks.

The garden is situated at the bottom of a larger garden, set in a country village, and includes a reclaimed wooden post and rail fencing, an old wooden stile, sheep hurdle panels to mark the boundaries. Nearly all of the garden’s components have been sourced locally, reclaimed, recycled or borrowed and all of the materials will be reused after the show.

The National Trust is supporting the Plant and Protect campaign which has been launched by Copella.

The National Trust is supporting the Plant and Protect campaign which has been launched by Copella.

As English apple growth declines, new independent research has highlighted how out of touch with their heritage varieties Britons are. The study of over 1,000 Britons commissioned by apple juice experts, Copella, has revealed that over three quarters of the population (76%) think the Granny Smith is an English variety, when in fact, it's Australian.

The study also revealed that only 11% of Britons are able to identify English apple varieties from a list of names and 45% of Britons buy apples based on perfect looks alone.

Ironically, those in Northern Ireland and Scotland were the most successful at identifying English apples (28% and 23% respectively) compared to their English counterparts. People in Birmingham were the least successful at identifying the English apple from a line-up (7%), However,,65% of Britons are actively concerned about the plight of English apple varieties.

The news comes as recent apple market data has revealed that the iconic Cox, as well as over 50 other traditional English apple varieties, are in decline and could face potential extinction due to a lack of consumer demand for them; as the 'apple a day' mantra results in the pursuit of more aesthetically pleasing varieties.

To reverse this decline and get consumers re-engaged with great tasting English heritage apple varieties they have forgotten about, juice experts Copella have launched the 'Plant and Protect' campaign with the support of David Bellamy and the National Trust - with the ultimate aim of getting consumers planting and protecting English apple trees themselves.

The campaign calls on Britons to support the wide range of English apple varieties by asking them to pledge their support for English apples. For every pledge, Copella will make a donation to support the planting and protecting of apples at English National Trust orchards.

In 1972, there were 55,000 acres of eating apple orchards; by 2010 this had fallen to 4,886 acres. Copella aims to change this, with the support of the National Trust, whose orchards around the country allow visitors to see and experience apples local to their area.

Dr David Bellamy explained: "With more and more scary information about the heritage of the English apples, please join me in this battle, a battle that must be won. With the UK's help and the vision of Copella and the National Trust, we are going do just that. The National Trust cares for some of our most wonderful houses and estates, some of which boast wonderful orchards, buzzing with biodiversity and sustainability. What a team."

Copella brand manager, Meena Nagarajan said: "We hope that our Plant and Protect campaign will inspire people to think more about and enjoy the full range of English apple varieties. All Britons can show their support for national apples - whether it's planting an endangered variety in your garden, or pledging support for the campaign."

Chris Groves, orchard officer from The National Trust explained: "We're excited to be working with Copella, who is just as passionate as us about championing English Apple varieties available."

FACTFILE:
The National Trust is a charity with a statutory duty to preserve places across England, Wales and Northern Ireland 'of historic interest and natural beauty for the benefit of the nation'.

As Europe's largest conservation charity it protects over 350 historic houses, 160 gardens, 1,100 kilometres of coastline, 254,000 hectares of land of outstanding natural beauty, six World Heritage Sites, 28 castles and 60 pubs, including many places to visit in London - and give access to them for people to enjoy.

Water-powered buses for Wales

From this June, visitors to the spectacular Brecon Beacons will be able to enjoy using a truly innovative and green mode. Please to welcome Boris and Blodwen - the eco-friendly low-carbon-footprint b-bugs!

The Brecon Beacons, is one of the UK's finest National Parks. Wide-open spaces, and miles and miles of footpaths, make it an ideal location for anyone interested in walking, horse riding, or mountain biking. An ideal destination for a green holiday, in fact!

As we say, there’s another (greener) mode of transport available to anyone who spends a few nights in The Brecon Beacons. The b-bugs are powered by locally sourced electricity, generated by the Talybont-on-Usk micro hydro scheme, powered by Welsh rain.

Best of all, from June until October, the b-bugs can be delivered to your accommodation and used on Brecon Beacons’ highways and byways by anyone in possession of a fully comprehensive car insurance policy.

One of 4 winners at the Green Dragons’ Den Sustainable Development Challenge which ran at the 2010 Hay Festival, the project was awarded £10,000 by the Welsh Assembly Government in order to design and build the two trial buggies.

Just imagine… waking up in a self-catering cottage in some of the wildest, most remote countryside in Britain, and then going to collect your newspaper in an electric vehicle capable of a top speed of 30mph?

Or driving through the country lanes and market towns of The Brecon Beacons before plugging in for a quick re-charge at one of the friendly b-bug charge points whilst you enjoy a pub lunch, shopping or a walk.

It's as easy as driving a go-kart. There are only two pedals to bother with, accelerator and brake – it takes just a couple of minutes of instructions, and then five minutes of driving along the quiet Brecon Beacons’ roads to “catch the bug”.

Full details can be found at www.b-bug.com.

Welcome to Thats Green!

Thats Green will be bringing you green, ecological and environmental news from all over the world. There will be some theory, yes. But in the main Thats Green will be bringing you practical solutions to environmental problems, both large scale and small scale.

If you are looking to convert a 1960s office block to a modern eco standard, if you are looking for stories on how to make a smallholding or a larger farm ecologically sustainable, if you want to make your house, apartment or flat more eco-friendly, if you want to make your business greener or if you want to do your bit to make the world a greener place, then Thats Green is where you will find the information and the tools to do this.