Green Links and Resources

Here are some green links for further information about green living.

There's just so much to learn about green living; one web site cannot possibly do justice to all the issues and practicalities of a greener lifestyle. This page gathers together some green links to help you learn more about the issues that interest you.

What's here?

Most of the links here relate to issues discussed on the Greenfootsteps site. There are also a few links to other green organisations and authorities. Most links will open in a new window. (We don't want to lose you!)

The main headings are arranged alphabetically.

Consumer goods

EWG's Skindeep Here's a great consumer resource for sorting out the good bodycare products from the bad and the just plain ugly! Check them for all your skincare purchases before you buy. The people at the Environmental Working Group have done all the hard work for us. Most products from the bigger companies are listed and there are quite a lot of earth-friendly products listed too. Great detail on the actual ingredients. You'll be in for some surprises, I'll bet!

Organic Beauty Source has some of the best organic cosmetics, baby, hair and body products. It also has some information on products and ingredients to avoid.

Ecocentric The online eco-homewares and gifts store bringing together contemporary design and increased eco-awareness. "At EcoCentric we love beautiful low energy, sustainable and recycled products that are as good for the home or as gifts as they are for the environment."

Seventh Generation Seventh Generation offers a complete line of non-toxic household products. They also have lots of good info on non-toxic cleaning ingredients and other green living initiatives.

Green People specialise in organic and cruelty free body care.

Eco-Beauty Eco-beauty.com provides a green shopping guide for organic skin care, herbal and aromatherapy facial products and body care products for women, men and children of all skin types.

Ethical Party Bags A great new way to find ethically sourced party bags for your young 'uns and their friends.

Conservation and Wildlife Organisations

The oceans and fish conservation

The Marine Stewardship Council is a US based conservation body for the oceans.

Greenpeace Ocean Defender This site is fascinating if you are at all interested in what is happening to our oceans. The crew members' blogs are a good read.

Birds

The RSPB is a 1 million-member conservation organisation from the UK. While their main focus is on birds they are very active in protecting and extending wild spaces for all our benefit.

Forests and wild spaces

Tropical Rainforest Animals is a site about rainforests, their animals and ecology and the conservation issues they face.

Climate Change, Carbon Reduction and Carbon Off-setting

Here are some sites which can help us to reduce our carbon footprint or can help us to offset our carbon emissions. You can also check your personal or family carbon footprint at some of them.

The CarbonNeutral Company, are devloping projects world-wide to help reduce the planet's carbon emissions.

The Carbon Fund

Redefining Progress is a site which looks at ways of changing the infrastructure to create a more sustainable economic system.

The World Wildlife Fund pages on climate change

Environment News – Global Warming Tips, Environment Education Articles | Information
Environment Education News – 4ecotips provides Global Warming News and Tips, Environment issues news articles, global warming information and eco travel with eco friendly tips, eco news and articles for Environmental and Economics history from UK, Europe.

Carbon Offsets

Carbon Offsetting offers a way cancel out or reduce your carbon footprint by supporting sustainable energy projects, tree planting and investment in renewable resources such as wind power.

Future Forests specialises in providing individuals and businesses with such projects.

Carbon Offset Offset your carbon emissions with an affordable, verified TerraPass. Help fight climate change today!

TreeTwist exists to make it easy and fun for you to plant a tree and make a positive contribution towards our environment. You help recreate the great Caledonian forest and get an interesting piece of personal artwork to remind you of your gift!

Energy Sites

Here you'll find a few sites which specialise in alternatives to conventional energy sources. Some of these links should prove useful if you're thinking of upgrading to an even greener lifestyle by changing to solar energy or wind power! (For sites which give information about greener building techniques, see Green Homes, below).

Solar Heating Panels UK experts in solar heating panels, ground source heat pump and underfloor heating systems. They provide UK plumber training in environmental products and services such as condensing boilers.

Echarger Go off grid for your mobile phone charging. You can also use solar power to charge other personal gadgets such as cameras.

Environmental Change

Transition Towns A site which trains and mentors people and groups to turn their local towns, villages, cities into low-carbon green living spaces.

Greenpeace tackles a good many climate and conservation issues, often head-on.

Environmental Organisations and Forums

Here are a few other environmental organisations which you might find useful. Some of these have forums.

The Environment Site is an international resource offering a very friendly and lively forum, among other things. Just about every conceivable green issue is debated here!

Morsbags.com Morsbags.com is doing something to reduce the tally of plastic bags swashing about the planet and harming wildlife.

This is a fun and practical idea. The idea is to get together with people in your local community, drink wine and make reusable cloth bags (from old duvet covers, curtains from charity shops etc) and hand them out to the public for free on specified dates outside different supermarkets. Go to to be a part of a wonderful thing! This is a non-commercial/ non-profitable initiative - just beneficial for everyone, especially whales!

Events, Arts, Festivals and Other Initiatives

Project GreenHouse Here's a smoking, steak-eating, all-American SUV driver who's going bright green for a month! Watch the video here.

Feral Green This one appeals to me: 4 friends decide to go on an epic road trip to learn about and promote green living. "For four of us, that time is now... Our journey will incorporate adventure, danger, education, culture, and the promotion of GREEN Living. We’ll start the trip in Newport Beach, California and end in Chile after more than six months of travel."

Public Art Green Art is an interesting take on art as environmental comment. Some artists featured specialise in "earthworks" and "landart". The public art is worth viewing, too.

Food Production, Horticulture, Farming and Gardening Sites

Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) campaigns for better standards of husbandry worldwide. They promote organic and humane approaches to animal welfare on the farm. They have lots of info about the downside of chemical and factory farming, especially as regards animal welfare.

International Fair Trade Association

The Organic Consumers Association is a US organisation lobbying for higher standards in food and farming

Pesticides Action Network This is the UK site but you can go through it to the international site. It has lots of valuable information about the dangers of pesticides, particularly in food.

The Soil Association is the UK organisation which sets organic standards for UK farms and horticulturalists. It also lobbies for higher standards and has extensive reference libraries on-line.

WWOOF - Working Weekends on Organic Farms, Sweden This is a great way to explore organic gardening, farming or horticulture. You exchange labour for accommodation and food (and some education, of course) and get to see another part of the world, too. This link takes you to the Swedish site which looks a great place to start. It has links to other Wwoof sites worldwide.

Organic Food For Everyone enter the wonderful world of organic food.

Gardening sites:

My Garden My Garden is an innovative online gardening resource for lovers of gardening. Over 210,000 plant names listed.

The Real Seed Catalogue offers a great way to get organic and heritage seeds. They keep rare and unusual plant strains and have lots of interesting salad plants to try. They also have great information on how to collect your own seeds. UK and Europe only for seed orders but worth a visit for inspiration if you are elsewhere!

Vegetable Gardening Basics gives lots of helpful advice on compost and composting techniques for the new gardener who wants to grow successful food crops and be quite green, too. The site has information on growing many different vegetables in the north American climate zones.

Greenhouse Growing is a new site featuring articles about greenhouse cultivation and has many ideas for using your greenhouse to the full. Expert advice for a thriving greenhouse!

Basic Info 4 Organic Fertilisers This site provides information for the beginner organic gardener about beneficial insects, harmful insects, companion planting, fertilizer components, a hardiness zone map, composting, measurements, mulches and gardening tips. Altogether highly useful stuff for anyone who want to get good at organic gardening!

Green Magazines and Other Green Guides

The SierraClub online magazine has some useful green living ideas.

EthicsGirls is a UK magazine and co-operative working for fairer trade. They have lots of great fashion ideas and articles on products and ways to be greener. "We think every day can be a better day." You can also join their co-operative if you really want to get involved!

Easy Green Living is a new site which gives ideas which help us to be greener. It includes some pages on clothing.

Greener Homes, Greener Houses

Becoming greener in our homes is becoming ever more important as the effects of climate change become more apparent. Here are some links to organisations which promote green building technologies and to some which promote, make or sell innovative appliances and products for a greener home.

Live Green, Live Smart™ is devoted to fostering a green community in which individuals of all backgrounds and experience can share their experience with and ideas about environmentally sustainable lifestyles.

They are also looking for homeowners or future homeowners to join their 50,000 Green Homes Initiative.

SustainableBuild.co.uk Information and advice about land and the appropriate construction techniques to help you build in an eco-friendly way. This site is rich in information you'll find useful if you are considering any green building or renovation project.

GreenDimes offers to rid you of junk mail. US only at the moment but they are hoping to extend it to other countries.

Mind and Spirit

Here are a few selected links for spirituality, philosophy and psychology. This corner of the links page is for sites which help towards happiness, mental health and enjoyment of living. Many other links may cover this too (gardening makes me happy!) but this area is reserved for sites which focus on these issues.

Spiritual Healing Secrets This site focuses on spiritual healing and holistic medicine.

Self Growth has a huge number of articles on issues relating to human health and happiness.

Nutrition and Alternative Medicine

Holistic Herbalist
offers info about holistic herbal remedies that are approached in a holistic way with modern herbal medicine and the synergy of Ayurvedic Medicine. Find great info about medicinal herbs and common disorders.

Vegetarian Nook is a site which looks at vegetarian, vegan and "flexitarian" diet options.

Saskias Flower Essences
This company brings you hand crafted organic flower essences from the English Cotswolds to help with emotional health and well-being.

Healthy Holistic Living
This site reflects upon the author's experience living with a chronic illness and her personal journey to health. Learn the tools and techniques she used to gain spiritual, physical and mental holistic health. The site includes tips on building a healthy home, developing a healthy living strategy, alternative medicine, how to manage a chronic illness, how to get disability as well as various articles and links devoted to the topic of holistic health.

Parenting, Childcare and Family

Treehuggermums is a British site giving advice on nappies and other childcare issues. They also have some products.

Eco-friendly Weddings is a British site where you can find ethical and green wedding ideas, info and UK wedding suppliers.

If you are interested in the issue of real nappies and the environmental costs of disposables there's some good information at The Real Nappy Campaign.

Breast Feeding Community Breastfeeding Community is a new UK site, which has the slogan: ‘support through awareness’.

Reduce, Re-use, Recycle!

We all know the mantra by now - Reduce, Re-use, Recycle. Here are some organisations which help towards these aims.

Rag and Bone specialises in helping us find new homes for bulky but usable items. UK only, so far.

Rubbish Net specialises in clearing houses and recycles 75% of the contents. North England and Scotland only, so far.

A reminder to recycle often from RecyclingPin Blogspot.

Travel and Transport

Here I'll put some links to a few eco-travel sites and anything else I find that helps to make transportation greener. There are lots of initiatives springing up, greening the future of travel.

Go Green Car Here's a new London Taxi firm which is greener than most. They use hybrid cars to help cut emissions by as much as 60% and they do carbon off-setting too.

Eco-friendly Tourist This is a user-friendly guide to green holidays. Packed with ideas and information about where to go, how to get there, and things to do while you're away. It also features a growing database of listings for UK accommodation in the UK.

ETA the Environmental Transport Association, "We are the only motoring organisation to campaign for a sustainable transport system" - this British site offers greener motoring from insurance to car buying guides and cycling info. They also have some useful information on vehicle emissions.

CarBudi A car share scheme with free sign up and user-friendly software that enables you to give or receive lifts. You can form car sharing groups within the system, too.

Liftshare.org This is the umbrella organisation for Carbudi above. You can also find taxi buddies, walk buddies and cycle buddies. Brilliant concept! They have over 200,000 members and growing.

Green Directories

Go Green Directory
natural,

organic,

and eco-friendly

Organic Portal is a free online directory for organic food produce and other services in the UK. It has regional information and a forum, too.

Sustainable Living & Simple Living Resources

The Green Providers Directory is a leading resource for finding green, organic and fair trade goods and services. "We are a not-for-profit, green directory founded on ethical principles. All the companies listed have been individually vetted so you can be sure of their eco-friendly credentials."

Green Maven is doing a great job of creating a comprehensive green listings.

Other News Organisations and Feeds

Newsvine is new way of sharing and promoting news stories. This is my page on newsvine where I "seed" stories which I think are worth promoting. (Seeding just means that you select news stories you find of interest to the Vine so that others can see them. There are also environmental groups you can join within Newsvine.)

You can help push some of the environmental issues up the vine by voting up stories that you think are important. You can also start your own page...

East Anglian Organisations and Businesses

"Think globally, act locally" was the mantra of the Rio Earth Summit. So, I'm putting a few links to East Anglian sites which have an environmental and/or alternative healthcare emphasis. There are quite a few interesting initiatives around here! In fact, one of the pioneers of the organic movement, Eve Balfour, started her work in Suffolk.

If you would like your organisation to be added here, please contact me via the contact page with details.

Suffolk Real Nappy Network supports parents who opt for cloth nappies and breastfeeding. They now have a centre in Ipswich in Museum Street where you can breastfeed or change nappies, or stock up on eco-friendly parenting products.

Green Living Centre has some information on local farm shops, local green groups and events.

Green Suffolk An initiative to make Suffolk the UK 's greenest county. They are currently making waves and building links.

Sesame Wholefoods deliver a good range of organic and wholefoods to the whole of East Anglia.

GreenEyedFrog sells a range of eco-friendly kit, including baby clothes and bedding.

Marilyn Griffin Therapy - therapies to help you to be how you want to be.