Alps to Eye Expedition 2010 almost complete…

3 ex-Royal Marine Commandos kayak 7 countries, over one thousand miles, the Channel and the Thames to help our heroes. At 11.30am on Saturday 31st August, Sean Johnson, one of Robbie Williams’ bodyguards, and fellow ex Royal Marine Commandos, Phil Carrington and Rob Tweddle will arrive by kayak at the London Eye to mark the end of a 1000+ mile gruelling expedition in order to raise cash for the ‘Help for Heroes’ charity.

The journey has been an immense physical and mental challenge. On June 27th 2010, the lads trekked 40 miles carrying their kayaks to the source of the river Rhine.  They started their missions from Tomasee lake, 2345 metres above sea level, and began paddling one of Europe’s longest rivers through Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands, finally to arrive in London this Saturday.

Having served a total of 32 years between them in the Royal Marine Commandos, raising money and awareness for Help For Heroes is a cause very close to their hearts. The aim is not only to kayak one of the longest rivers in Europe but to help raise as much money as possible for the amazing men and women of the armed forces.

The boys deserve a heroes welcome. For photo opportunities and more information, please contact Jez Felwick at Form Talent Ltd: Tel: 07815 154995, email: jez@formtalent.com . http://sport4charity.blogspot.com

Donations can be made through www.sport4charity.net  or the blog at http://sport4charity.blogspot.com/

Notes to Editors:

Sean Johnson: Serving in the Royal Marines for 14 years enabled Sean to travel the world extensively. Since leaving the Royal Marines he has worked as a security consultant on numerous countries in the Middle East and such projects as the 2004 Olympics, Hurricane Katrina, Robbie Williams 2007 world tour and the 2009 British and Irish Lions to name but a few! Besides being a family man Sean’s other pastimes are Expeditions, Having kayaked the 2302 miles of the Mississippi River, he then took it to another level in 2002/3 completing three back to back expeditions that included cycling 4200 miles east to west across Canada, Kayaking the 2556 miles of the Missouri River and hiking the 2171 miles of the Appalachian Trail north to south through winter, the trip taking just over a year to complete.

Rob Tweddle: Serving in the Royal Marines for 10 years also enabled Rob to travel the world extensively, while satisfying and sparking still more, the adventurous lifestyle he would always choose to pursue. On leaving the Royal Marines he pioneered the world of rope access construction, climbing such projects as Millennium Dome, London eye, Houses of Parliament, Stabilizing
the Rock of Gibraltar, JFK control tower and the CN tower in Canada, just to name a few. Besides work Rob has found time to fit plenty of amazing challenges under his belt. He did the 125 mile Devizes to Westminster, In addition he paddled the full length of the Mississippi river with Sean. Some would say that was just a warm-up. A couple of years later Rob and Sean took upon themselves to raise money for cancer by cycling across Canada from East to West coast, canoeing the full length of the Missouri river, and then to really finish themselves off, they hiked the Appalachian trail from Maine to Georgia. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005 Rob and Phil picked up there boots and paddles again and trekked over the Klondike pass to pick up there kayaks and slog down the 2300 mile Yukon river to the Bering sea.

Phil Carrington: Phil served eight years in the Royal Marines giving him the opportunity to work while travelling the world over. Upon leaving the Marines, Phil became a certified commercial diver which he knew would enable him yet again to work and travel around the globe. Saudi Arabia, Australia and the USA are just of few of his deep dive stops. While moving and living in the Bahamas Phil specialized in underwater photography while working for a shark feeding dive. Cancer, a subject close to Phil’s heart, prompted his next adventure. With a close friend Jay, they went about raising money for cancer research by racing 3000 miles across the Atlantic ocean in a 23 ft plywood rowing boat. Jay and Phil set off from La Gomera, Spain in a self contained specially designed row boat only to arrive in Barbados 51 days later. The Yukon river, first travelled during the gold rush in the hope of finding a fortune, Phil and Rob re-traced the historic steps and lived along the river with the local Indians and Eskimos. Covering 2300 miles and averaging 65 miles a day they reached the chilly Bering sea in a speedy 35 days.

About Help for Heroes:  Help for Heroes (H4H) was founded by Bryn and Emma Parry after a profoundly moving visit to Selly Oak Hospital in the summer of 2007. Bryn and Emma met some extraordinarily brave young people who had been badly wounded and they just wanted to do something to help.  The charity was launched in October 2007 and, with the backing and support of celebrities, including Jeremy and Francie Clarkson, the Royal Family, the media and countless ordinary decent people, it has raised over £1m a month since then. Help for Heroes is strictly non-political. We have no affiliation with any political party and we  do not endorse the use of our name for the promotion of any political viewpoint. The money that we raise at Help for Heroes is used to support wounded Servicemen and women of every colour and creed and we strongly oppose any individual or political party who believes otherwise, and those who seek to use the charity’s name for their own political gain. http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk

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Like ducks to water – Alps to Eye 2010 www.sport4charity.net

It’s been an epic tale of adventures and now Phil, Rob and Sean have made it across English Channel they’re on schedule to be at the London Eye around 11-12 on Saturday. All in aid of www.helpforheroes.org.uk follow the boys progress via www.sport4charity.net

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They’re coming to London www.sport4charity.net

Sport4charity www.sport4charity.net amazing Alps to Eye 1000 mile paddle in aid of Help for Heroes www.helpforheroes.org.uk is now entering the final phase of execution…all that is left now for the infamous three amigo’s (Phil, Rob and Sean) is a quick paddle across the English Channel, followed by the River Thames and a grand finale at the London Eye. Well done for getting this far fella’s and raising funds for such an amazing cause! We are all looking forward to seeing you back on dry land, sharing a few stories and no doubt hearing about the next ADVENTURE you’ve got planned. Keep on keepin on and inspiring others – BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

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The International Scott Centenary Expedition www.isce2012.co.uk

Thanks to Antony Jinman the story of Captain Robert Falcon Scott RN (1868 -1912) one of the greatest epic tales in human history will live on. To celebrate the centenary of Captain Scott’s last expedition, commemorate the deaths of the Polar Party and to support the continuation of their work through the Scott Polar Research Institute a team will undertake an expedition to Antarctica in January 2012 to visit the last tent site of Scott and his Polar Party and hold a commemoration service. In doing so to rise to the adventure of a challenging environment and involve people from multiple backgrounds and ages.

  • Inspire the leaders of tomorrow and the community at large through an education outreach and media programme.
  • Raise awareness of and funds for the Scott Polar Research Institute in order to support the living memorial dedicated to Scott and the Polar Party.

The Expedition

Just as Captain Scott involved as many people as possible in his expedition to represent as many interests as possible, so will the ISCE. This will be achieved through schools and public outreach programmes and through a dynamic range of participation in parties on the ice – the Sledge Party and the Flight Party.

The Sledge Party

The Sledge Party will attend the memorial service by forming a tribute man-hauling party who will follow the route taken by the Search Party of 1912. The team will travel with full supplies from Scott’s original Base to where the tent of the Polar Party was found. On completion of the service they will return overland – a journey of 290 miles. The team will consist of:

  • Established polar explorers and adventurers
  • Members of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces
  • Youth Members
  • Novice Expeditioners
  • Media team

The Flight Party

No commemoration would be complete without the descendants of Scott and his men. Descendants, major sponsors and representatives from organisations with links to the original expedition will be flown into Antarctica to join the Sledge Party for the memorial service, reminding us that real human lives form the heart of these epic stories. Participants may include:

  • Descendants of the five Polar families
  • Expedition Patrons
  • Major sponsors
  • Representatives of Polar Organisations
  • Senior Representatives of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces

To learn more about the expedition and show your support visit www.isce2012.co.uk

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The Green Marine and Sport4Charity

The Green Marine is very proud to be supporting the incredible 1000 miles of paddling ‘Alps to Eye’ expedition in aid of helpforheroes http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/. To help celebrate and provide Phil, Rob and Sean with some much needed sun protection, The Green Marine enlisted the help of Lucky Seven http://www.luckyseven.tv/ the guys who’s caps can be found on the heads from Madonna to Robbie Williams – here’s a sneak preview of the Ltd Edition Cap. Remember the boys need ALL YOUR HELP http://www.sport4charity.net/ 

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Flash backs, horn blowers, coffee break and the calm after the storm www.sport4charity.net

3 Men, 1 River and 1000 miles of paddling all in aid of ‘help for heroes’ read all about their latest adventures and show your support at www.sport4charity.net

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20 hot tips to stay cool

As temperatures soar and thousands head off on holiday to make the most of the long, hot summer days, we discover 20 ways to keep your cool in the heatwave:

Eat small meals and eat more often. The larger the meal, the more metabolic heat your body creates breaking down the food. Avoid foods that are high in protein, which increase metabolic heat.

Run your wrists under a cold tap for five seconds each every couple of hours. Because a main vein passes through this area, it helps cool the blood.

Eat spicy food. Although this may be the last thing you fancy in hot weather, curries and chillies can stimulate heat receptors in the mouth, enhance circulation and cause sweating, which cools the body down.

Take a tepid bath or shower just below body temperature, especially before bedtime. Although a cold shower might sound more tempting, your body generates heat afterwards to compensate for the heat loss.

If you have a basement, use it during the hottest hours of the day when the sun is highest. Basements are usually 10-15 degrees cooler than the upstairs part of the house.

Wear lightweight, light-coloured cotton clothes. Heat is trapped by synthetic fibres, but cotton absorbs perspiration and its evaporation causes you to feel cooler. The light colours reflect the sun’s radiation.

While you’re out, keep the house curtains drawn to stop it heating up like a greenhouse.

You may be longing for a cold beer or a chilled white wine spritzer. But you should avoid alcohol because it dehydrates the body. You are better off with mineral water or low-sugar fizzy drinks. Also, avoid drinks with caffeine such as coffee and colas. These increase the metabolic heat in the body.

Women should replace their usual body moisturiser with a cooling aloe vera aftersun product to use morning and night. This will help lower your skin temperature.

Slow down and avoid strenuous activity which will stimulate your body and raise its core temperature. If you must go jogging, do it during the coolest part of the day, which is usually before 7am.

Get Liquid Ice. This re-useable ice wrap is perfect for cooling hot skin. The cloth, pre-soaked in the Liquid Ice solution, cools instantly when removed from the packet without need for refrigeration.

Get some Mentholatum Migraine Ice patches. These soft gel patches – designed to soothe headaches – come into their own during heatwaves as they instantly reduce skin temperature when applied. They can be found in chemists.

Drink chrysanthemum tea. Practitioners say chrysanthemum is a cooling herb which clears the head.

Sleep on a feather or down pillow with a cotton pillowcase. Synthetic pillows will retain heat.

Hire an air-conditioning unit from £30 a week. Placed in the corner of the room, this box – no bigger than a bedside cabinet – will cool things down within half an hour. Alternatively, invest in air-conditioning for your home. One room can be arctic cool from £1,600 – and the unit doubles as a heater.

The night before you go out for the day in the sun, roll some damp flannels up and pop them in the freezer. Take them with you in a plastic bag. Then, when you start to feel hot, unwrap them and place them over your face.

Buy a Chillow. It’s a thin, soft, thermo-regulating leather device that pops into your pillow to cool it down. In studies, Chillow users got to sleep an average of 68 per cent faster. Try mail order at £24.95 from 020 8523 7395.

Try a Native American herbal remedy called Black Cohosh which has been clinically proven to relieve hot flushes and night sweats in menopausal women. Recent research suggests it works on the hypothalamus, where it may help regulate body temperature.

Ditch your duvet and sleep under a sheet instead. Even better, put your sheets in a plastic bag and stick them in the fridge a couple of hours before going to bed. As we fall asleep our body temperature lowers, which is why it’s difficult to sleep in hot weather. Cold sheets straight from the fridge should help you sleep better.

Sit back, close your eyes and picture snow. Research has shown that the body reacts to these daydreams, reducing its overall temperature. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-191204/20-hot-tips-stay-cool.html#ixzz0sS5Rh4K5

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Report lists top ten countries at risk of water shortages

Sub-Saharan African countries top list of those with most vulnerable water supplies as report warns of ‘looming crisis’ in both Asia and Africa from pollution and depletion of natural water resources. http://www.theecologist.org/News

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Zero carbon Britain: how to get there in 10 steps

A blueprint for how Britain could reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to zero over the next 20 years by a combination of electrification, insulation and a massive scaling up of offshore wind

The UK government aims to reduce carbon emissions by 30 per cent by 2020 and 80 per cent by 2050 but is this enough? The Centre of Alternative Technology (CAT) has gone further and outlined a series of measures we could take to bring our emissions right down to zero by 2030. Below the Ecologist explain how it can be down in ten steps.

1) Insulation – and lots of it

The home accounts for 28 per cent of Britain’s energy demand and is responsible for 30 per cent of our total greenhouse gas emissions. More than half of those emissions come from heating our homes.

We can reduce home energy demand by 70 per cent by improving insulation in every home (there are 6.3 million lofts with little or no insulation), improving new home designs and aiming for thermal comfort (warmer surfaces and less draught) rather than heating up buildings to certain pre-defined temperatures.

This mass refurbishment policy can be achieved through a mixture of; council rebates for energy efficiency improvements, green mortgages providing lower interest rates for investment in energy efficiency, VAT reductions on certain materials like insulation and new build regulations for housebuilders.

2) Offshore  wind

Britain has the potential to meet all its energy needs through renewables by 2030, which means no nuclear or coal-fired power stations. The bulk of this (55 per cent) can be met through offshore wind through an estimated 20,000 turbines.

Britain already has the largest deployed offshore wind capacity in Europe but as its North Sea oil and gas reserves decline it could create a new energy surplus through massive growth in its offshore wind capacity. 

A total government investment of £300 billion over the next 20 years would be required to facilitate this growth. This is an enormous amount, but at its peak will only amount to a little more than 2 per cent of the UK’s gross domestic product in 2008.

3) Fewer cows, sheep and green fielded countryside

Thirteen million hectares in Britain are used mainly for grazing livestock and growing feed for them. By cutting the numbers of cows (by 80-90 per cent) and sheep (by 80 per cent) we can cut methane emissions from livestock and switch the land to fast-growing energy crops like short rotation coppice. These can be used to produce heat and power. 

It would mean a diet of less beef and lamb (50 per cent less meat and dairy produce overall) and a countryside landscape of fewer sheep-dotted fields and more tall woody crops.

4) Electric cars and hydrogen buses

Electric cars produce around 50 per cent less carbon dioxide emissions compared to petrol or diesel.

We could run our entire car and taxi fleet on just 16 per cent of the total current electricity demand. Smart charging at night when demand is low and charging garages where drivers can swap batteries during the day can reduce the need for additional electricity production.

Reductions in car use can be achieved by two methods; a tax on each mile driven to make public transport costs more comparable to car costs; and town planning changes to reduce distances we need to travel and encourage cycling, walking and public transport alternatives.

5) Lots more trains

Trains can be electrified to reduce emissions and the network expanded to cut out the need for any domestic aviation at all by 2030. Improved high-speed rail connections to Europe could also reduce short-haul flights (45 per cent of flights in Europe are less than 500km). Carbon pricing could help make trains a cheaper option for consumers.

6) Massive cut in long-haul flying

Aviation is one of the fastest growing sectors of the world economy and in the UK a 200 per cent increase in air passengers is expected by 2030.

To reach a zero carbon Britain we would need to end domestic flying and cut international, long-haul flights by two-thirds. Long-haul flights account for the bulk (66 per cent) of the UK’s aviation greenhouse gas emissions. 

Some reductions would be expected through adoption of video-confercing for business meetings and an increase in holidaying closer to home but the bulk of reductions would need to be achieved by price regulation.

 7) Biofuels

They have got a bad reputation but ‘second generation’ biofuels made from woody biomass converted into liquid may have a lower greenhouse gas impact because they can be grown on a wider variety of land types and not lead to deforestation. This fuel can be used in sectors like aviation where electrification is not possible.

8) Carbon price and taxes

To achieve the zero emissions target we would need new regulations but also an eventual carbon price of around £200 per tonne of CO2 but this could rise to as high as £500 a tonne according to CAT. This would have a huge impact on the price of carbon-intensive consumption. For example, under such a pricing a kilogram of beef would be £7 more expensive while a kilogram of chicken would cost an extra £1.75.

9) Cut food imports

We currently import 30-40 per cent of the food we eat but we can reduce that to 15 per cent. This would cut our demand on imports of food or animal feed grown on deforested land. 

This would probably mean an end to out-of-season produce on our supermarket shelves although some foods, like strawberries, can be grown in areas of Britain in polytunnels all-year round.

10) Clever marketing tactics

Underpinning all the above steps is a requirement for behavioural change and acceptance of things like reduced meat consumption, international travel and a very different countryside landscape.

As CAT themselves acknowledge on the issue of cutting meat consumption, ‘this proposal goes against very strong preferences, powerful vested interest and an almost universal historical trend towards higher consumption of livestock products’.

They say government and NGOs must develop multi-communication strategies for different audiences. They should also support local programmes that aim to achieve specific behavioural changes through appeals to community-orientated values. http://www.theecologist.org/News/

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Corporate responsibility is no longer optional

If you are not a socially responsible company you will be punished right!…consumers are now savvy that they will not be taken in by superficial brand repositioning or public relations initiatives. CSR must be fundamental to the business, not just a tactic! The Gulf of Mexico spill was always going to be a serious crisis for BP,  but what has exacerbated the feeling against BP is they overtly positioned themselves as a nice company. The 1990′s were the age of image, when for example BP dropped its old name British Petroleum. The second decade from 2000 – 2010 was the age of advantage where companies such as Whole Foods made ethical behaviour a point of competitive difference. This new decade is about the age of damage. In the era of on line social media where the public has so much access to information and can share and comment on it consumers punish those that don’t live up to expectations…companies (brands) must demonstrate transparency, authenticity and speed – all qualities it might be said that BP lacked. The most successful businesses over the next decade are going to be the most socially responsible. Plainly companies must be profitable as well as socially responsible and CSR is no longer a nice optional extra – you know the best way to get the public to respect your brand? Have a respectable brand! As The Green Marine says “the time is always right to do what is right”…the time is right!!!

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What is biodiversity offsetting and how would it work?

European observers say it is going to be as ‘big as the carbon market’, but is buying a licence to cause ecological damage a sound strategy?

Targets to halt biodiversity loss are failing. Both the EU and the UK Governments admit as much, and it is a similar story around the world. This failure is blamed in part on the lack of value that decision-makers place on nature and the benefits it provides humans. www.theecologist.org

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Urban gardening – 5 new business ideas from Springwise

More than half of humanity now lives in cities, according to the United Nations Population Fund. This rapid and ongoing change presents a raft of new challenges, many of which create opportunities for resourceful entrepreneurs. Here are five concepts that target consumers’ increasing interest in growing their own food in the city:

1. REEL GARDENING — Simplifying the process of starting a domestic garden, South Africa’s Reel Gardening provides a strip of biodegradable paper carrying correctly spaced, pre-fertilised seeds. The strips are colour coded (e.g. red for tomatoes, purple for beetroot) and carry instructions for how deep they should be planted in your soil. Just add water!

2. THE WIKI GARDEN — Urban gardeners who haven’t even got a bed of soil may be interested in the Wiki Garden from Hawaii. It’s a metre-long “growing medium” (i.e. sack) containing compost, worm castings, bat guano and more, plus a built-in irrigation system with a hose attachment. The bags can be connected, allowing for an easily scalable system.

3. CLICK AND GROW — Another alternative is to do without soil at all. Estonia’s Click and Grow is a hi-tech growing system deploying aeroponics: the plant’s lower stem and roots are contained in an air or mist environment, regulated by sensors and electronics to ensure the plant is fed and watered correctly. The pots even feature a USB port to upload new growing instructions.

4. WINDOWFARMS — Rather than selling a particular product, the Window Farms project in New York promotes the production of hydroponic food gardens in homes and offices, using recycled or locally-sourced materials. The founders aim to build a community to share ideas and engender a DIY approach to solving environmental problems.

5. OOOOBY — Based in New Zealand, Ooooby, short for Out Of Our Own Back Yard, is a social networking community dedicated to connecting local food producers and consumers for trade, networking, and sharing ideas. Ooooby also organises stalls at farmers’ markets and other locations through which people can buy, sell and barter local produce and small-scale farming supplies.

Spotters: Catherine Corry, Liz Stone, Kristoff Everaerts, Louisa Redshaw, http://springwise.com/weekly/

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Scientists use shellfish to assess toxic impact of BP gulf oil spill

Concerns rise that smaller animals will absorb toxic compounds and pass them along the marine food chain causing lasting damage to fisheries and marine ecosystems. http://www.theecologist.org/News/

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The Most Important Leadership Quality for CEOs? Creativity

For CEOs, creativity is now the most important leadership quality for success in business, outweighing even integrity and global thinking, according to a new study by IBM. The study is the largest known sample of one-on-one CEO interviews, with over 1,500 corporate heads and public sector leaders across 60 nations and 33 industries polled on what drives them in managing their companies in today’s world.

Fast Company‘s annual list of the 100 Most Creative People in Business just took on a whole new depth. And this year’s list will be revealed later this month. Steven Tomasco, a manager at IBM Global Business Services, expressed surprise at this key finding, saying that it is “very interesting that coming off the worst economic conditions they’d ever seen, [CEOs] didn’t fall back on management discipline, existing best practices, rigor, or operations. In fact, they [did] just the opposite.” About 60% of CEOs polled cited creativity as the most important leadership quality, compared with 52% for integrity and 35% for global thinking. Creative leaders are also more prepared to break with the status quo of industry, enterprise and revenue models, and they are 81% more likely to rate innovation as a “crucial capability.”

Other key findings showed a large disparity between views of North American CEOs and those from other territories. For example, in North America, 65% of CEOs think integrity is a top quality for tomorrow’s leaders, whereas only 29-48% of CEOs in other territories view it as such. Ironically, while company leaders in North America will bring more integrity to the job, they also expect far more regulation than foreign heads — both presumably reactions to negative public perception and heavy government intervention following the recession. A full 87% anticipate greater government oversight and regulation over the next five years — only 70% of CEOs in Europe hold this opinion, and 50% and 53% in Japan and China, respectively. Meanwhile, nearly double the amount of CEOs in China view global thinking as a top leadership quality, compared with Europe and North America. The area of focus the regions can all agree on is customer focus: 88% of all CEOs, and an astounding 95% of standout leaders, believe getting closer to the customer is the top business strategy over the next five years. IBM will be holding a Web dialogue with experts to discuss the study’s findings. You can find a link for the Web cast here, and a schedule as follows:

  • Creative Leaders Webcast – 8am-9am EDT
  • Connected Customers Webcast – 1pm-2pm EDT
  • Dexterous Organizations – 8pm-9pm EDT

What do you think of the findings? Is creativity the most important leadership quality today? Don’t forget to sign up for our Most Creative People in Business conference, which is sure to provide excellent insight on the topic.

http://www.fastcompany.com/1648943/creativity-the-most-important-leadership-quality-for-ceos-study

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Pesticide residue exposure linked to ADHD in children report Ecologist

Parents urged to wash fruits and vegetables before eating after study finds commonly used pesticides may contribute to ADHD in children. Children exposed to organophosphate pesticide residues found in fruit are at increased risk of developing Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), www.theecologist.org/News/

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Safety in the Sun – Top Tips

It seems to be getting hotter, maybe summer if finally on its way? Doh! Safety in the sun is something some of us may forget while we are busy basking in the glorious weather. In fact, even on a cloudy day there are still some very real risks to us and our children. We give you some helpful tips on how to protect your children in the sun, so you and your family can enjoy a relaxing, burn-free holiday! Remember you can burn in the UK – The Great British sun is quite capable of burning your child! Take extra care at home as well as abroad.

  • Know the shadow rule – If your shadow is longer than you are, then you are safe from the sun. When your shadow is shorter than you are, the sun can burn you.
  • Use shade – Keep babies in complete shade: under trees, umbrellas, canopies or indoors.
  • Cover them up - Dress children in cotton clothing that is baggy, close-weave and cool. Oversized T-shirts are good for covering most of their skin.
  • Use dry clothing – Remember that wet clothing stretches and can lose up to half of its UV protection – put children in dry clothing after playing in water.
  • Protect shoulders and necks – Don’t put children in vest tops or sundresses if they are spending a lot of time outdoors – shoulders and backs of necks get easily burned.
  • Wear sunglasses – Buy good quality, wraparound sunglasses for children, as soon as they can wear them. Sunglasses don’t have to be expensive brands, but toy sunglasses can do more harm than good.
  • Find hats they like – Encourage children to wear hats with brims, especially if they are not wearing sunglasses. The wider the brim, the more skin will be shaded from the sun.
  • Use sunscreen wisely – Apply factor 15+ sunscreen before children go outdoors. Then reapply often to be sure of good coverage. Don’t forget their shoulders, nose, ears, cheeks and tops of feet.

To find out more top ‘sunny’ tips go to http://www.mychild.co.uk/articles/safety-sun-top-tips-423

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Transforming Rio’s slums through community driven art

A splash of colour and design can go a long way toward beautifying a grey, ugly space, as Carspaze and Style-your-garage have already shown. Now aiming to do something similar for the slums of Rio de Janeiro through large, community-driven murals, the Favela Painting project also goes several steps further by incorporating training and employment for local residents.

Website: www.favelapainting.com
Contact: info@favelapainting.com

Spotted by: Ruben Brusse

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BBC – Signs of Change with Chris Packham

The Home of Spring Watch – Chris Packham shows us how changes in nature around us provide solid proof that climate change is already happening. Some of the most powerful data has come from amateur naturalists and recorders. Chris investigates what climate change means for UK plants and animals and predicts the winners and the losers. By showcasing new and exciting ways in which conservation can help our flora and fauna deal with the challenge, Chris reveals not only large-scale visionary schemes, but also advice on how to shape a positive future for UK wildlife in a changing world. http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/uk/

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Marine scientists study ocean-floor film of Deepwater Horizon oil leak

Deepwater Horizon oil rig

One analysis suggests gusher is 70,000 barrels daily, or an Exxon Valdez every four days, and 12 times more powerful than estimates by Coast Guard or BP. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/may/13/bp-oil-spill-ocean-footage

Gulf Oil Spill Begins To Reach Land As BP Struggles To Contain Leak

Contract workers in Hopedale, Louisiana, take a break from unloading oil booms to protect marshlands from the massive oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico. Photograph: John Moore/Getty Images

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Cloud-whitening trials ‘a dangerous experiment’ or good?

Clouds

Microsoft founder Bill Gates providing funding for geoegineering experiment to increase whiteness of clouds, reflect more sunlight back into space and reduce global warming http://www.theecologist.org/News/

Cloud Scenery

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The Amazing Cucumber

 

This information was in The New York Times several weeks ago as part of their “Spotlight on the Home” series that highlighted creative and fanciful ways to solve common problems.

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the Caffeineted soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last For hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause. The collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!

6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to  Replenish essential nutrients the body lost,keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover And headache!!

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don’t have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.

9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeaking is gone!

10. Stressed out and don’t have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been. Shown to reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don’t have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

12. Looking for a ‘green’ way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but it won’t leave streaks and won’t harm your fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!

Not too sure of the total accuracy of the content but please do pass it on to people you know who are open minded and on the look out for better and safer ways to solve some of life’s everyday problems..enjoy

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Guerrilla gardening

Made from a mixture of clay, compost, and seeds, “seedbombs” are becoming an increasingly popular means combating the many forgotten grey spaces we encounter everyday-from sidewalk cracks to vacant lots and parking medians. They can be thrown anonymously into these derelict urban sites to temporarily reclaim and transform them into places worth looking at and caring for. The Greenaid dispensary simply makes these guerilla gardening efforts more accessible to all by appropriating the existing distribution system of the quarter operated candy machine. http://www.thecommonstudio.com/index.php?/project/greenaid/

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Cardboard boxes laden with seeds

Hard on the heels of our recent story about Greenaid’s guerrilla gardening project comes word of yet another seed-planting effort: the Life Box, a replacement for the traditional cardboard box that is impregnated with seeds. http://springwise.com/eco_sustainability/lifebox/

Website: www.lifeboxcompany.com
Contact: info@lifeboxcompany.com

Spotted by: Eunice Miller

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10 campaign groups calling for cleaner water

Many of the groups below have worked tirelessly towards the creation of a world where we can protect our water supplies from pollution, ensure stocks last and enable as many people as possible to have fair and easy access to it.

Tap
Drinking tap water certainly makes more economic sense and is a better environmental choice than buying bottled. Of the three billion empty plastic bottles thrown away in Britain each year, only 10 per cent are recycled, with the rest going into landfill. Founded by ethical communications agency Provokateur, as well as campaigning against bottled water, Tap has championed higher quality tap-water and sells products that make drinking tap water fashionable, easy and safe. www.wewanttap.org

Waterkeeper Alliance
Founded on the premise that citizens must roll up their sleeves to defend their waterways, the Waterkeeper Alliance is an international grassroots advocacy organisation based in the US, with 182 waterway-conservation programmes and growing. Part investigator, scientist, lawyer and advocate, ‘waterkeepers’ are people who are recognised by communities, local governments and media as a voice for the protection and preservation of a particular body of water, be it river, lake or bay. www.waterkeeper.org

Waterwise
Demand for water is growing. In the UK we use about 150 litres of water a day (enough to fill 15 buckets) – almost 50 per cent more water than 25 years ago. Waterwise, a UK NGO, is focused on decreasing water consumption in Britain and is the leading water authority on water efficiency. It says saving water will make sure the water we do get lasts, and will reduce the pressure on the environment. www.waterwise.org.uk

Blue Planet Project
Access to water is a fundamental human right. This global initiative based in Canada works to protect the world’s fresh water from the growing threats of trade and privatisation. www.blueplanetproject.net

International Rivers
This group focuses on stopping destructive river projects around the world and defending the rights of communities that depend on them. As well as opposing destructive dams and the development model they advance, it encourages better ways of meeting the need for water, energy and protection from floods. www.internationalrivers.org

Fluoride Action Network
Why is it that a chemical historically used as a rat poison and linked to cancer, brittle bones and thyroid disease is also routinely added to the water supply of some six million Brits? In the US, 70 per cent of the water is fluoridated. The Fluoride Action Network, an international coalition based in the US, is packed with information about the toxicity and hidden health impacts of fluoride. www.fluoridealert.org

Algalita
Plastic rubbish in our oceans is one of the most under-recognised yet ubiquitous issues facing our planet. It affects millions of square miles of ocean and is miles deep, either floating, swirling beneath the surface or sunk to the sea floor. Algalita is a US-based non-profit, independent research foundation examining the scope of plastic contamination and its implications on the food chain. The focus is on the North Pacific subtropical gyre, dubbed the great Pacific garbage Patch, a swirling vortex of plastic soup estimated to be twice the size of Texas. www.algalita.org

Surfers Against Sewage
Wetsuits, gas masks and a six-foot inflatable turd have been the essential attention-grabbing tools of the trade used by this UK non-profit organisation, founded in 1990 by a group of cornish surfers who were ‘sick of getting sick’ through repeated ear, nose, throat and gastric infections after going in the sea. Joined by like-minded water-users from around the UK, the campaign has had a considerable impact. www.sas.org.uk

WaterAid
WaterAid lobbied to establish the right to water, declared by the UN in 2002, and is now working to help the world’s poorest people achieve that right. An international charity, it works in 17 countries, providing water, sanitation and hygiene education. It is also lobbying to double the financing from all sources that is currently spent on the issue.
www.wateraid.org/uk

Troubled Water
Written in 2004 by Dame Anita Roddick and Brooke Shelby Biggs, with contributions from Vandana Shiva and Robert F. Kennedy Jr, this book (subtitled Saints, Sinners, Truth and Lies about the Global Water Crisis) is a helpful if frightening overview of the growing global water crisis. Proceeds from its sale help support grassroots groups, NGOs and individuals trying to address this problem. Published by Anita Roddick Books, £9.99 www.troubledwater.org

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Excessive water abstraction threatens UK rivers

Out-of-date licensing rules mean water companies are taking too much water from rivers and threatening local ecosystems

River ecosystems in England and Wales are being increasingly threatened with over-abstraction by water companies http://www.theecologist.org/

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