No matter how large or small your home is, the cost of furnishing it is always going to be high, that is unless you make a conscious decision that you will only buy from certain places and definitely at certain prices which would normally be limited to well below the retail price tag.

Of course we all know that when it come to bargains the one place to look is eBay, some people do not like it, but others swear by it, like the guys over at Apartment Therapy. They know how to search around for some great bargains, which in a sense is recycling isn’t it?

Source [Apartment Therapy]

When you mention going on an eco trip or holiday, people would normally be thinking of roughing it, with none of the basics that we all take for granted, such as showers and working bathrooms. However, just because this is a green break it does not necessarily mean that life’s little luxuries go out of the window. Like Perfect Earth Tours, they offer an eco break without having to go without.

Perfect Earth Tours Eco Spa & Retreat. The way we purchase goods and products follows a few main guidelines:

Support local organic businesses first.

Buy organic within western North America if we can’t find it locally.

Use recycled products as much as possible.

Most of our bedding, staff clothes, furniture are made of sustainable organic material (i.E. organic hemp, organic cotton, organic silk etc.).

Natural organic rubber mattresses. A sleep you will dream of afterwards.

Our vehicles run on mostly Bio-diesel .

Minimize the use of fossil fuel related items, with the goal of totally eliminating any use of fossil fuels.

Using only alternative energy sources at our resort and as much as possible at home such as solar, wind, geothermal, river and human power.

5 % of our gross revenue will be donated to a local independent charity in the Yukon

If it is not good enough for our children, it’s not good enough for us or our clients.

Source [Really Natural]

As the credit crunch takes hold, many people resort to other methods of either making more money or getting the goods that they want, but without paying the high prices. Other people just pay or do without, but this is the way of the world.

However, as money gets tight, spending extra on organic food becomes more of a choice of cost rather than conscience. Maybe this is why the UK’s largest supermarket chain has started to place electronic tags on all of their organically grown chickens! Normally you would see these tags on DVD’s and other goods, but it seems organic food has become the food of choice for shoplifters. I do have one question though, how do you get a whole chicken out of a supermarket?

Source [Hippyshopper]

There is no doubt that Project Catwalk is a brilliant success on both sides of the Atlantic, but on some occasions there is not much eco friendly designing going on there, which is shame as this would make for a better show.

Thankfully, the producers have thought about this and an Eco Friendly Edition of Project Catwalk is in the making for Bravo. To make it even more interesting that famous eco fashion icon Natalie Portman will be one of the guest judges, let us hope that they use some of her eco shoes from the Te Casan label.

Source [Ecorazzi]

Imagine visiting a city for the first time, normally at some point a cab ride is needed, but not only are cabs expensive but they are not at the top of the eco friendly league either. That is unless you are visiting the capital city of Ireland, Dublin. Here you will find the greenest taxis and to top it all they are totally free, how great is that?

The Ecocab is human powered, the driver uses the cycle device to get the thing moving, but there is also a small electric motor, which can kick in when times get a little tough. They can carry two to three passengers around the city centre, every day from 10.00am to 19.00pm.

The ride is free because the Ecocab’s are sponsored by businesses and organisations who care about the environment, the vehicle and driver are company colours and the driver may also give you a leaflet to read, but the ride is free!

Source [Sustainablog]

It was a dream of the Prime Minister Gordon Brown to develop eco towns in the UK; this would have been the first major building projects in the country since the 1960’s. However, these plans have been put into limbo simply because it is believed that many of these developments were not green enough.

Originally there were to be around ten of these eco towns, but this has been cut down to around two and even those may not get the go ahead either. This is a significant blow not only for the building of eco friendly projects, but for the UK housing market too.

Nevertheless, thinking up an eco town is one thing, putting it into practice is another with transport, utilities and the established local area. However, there is still a need for new homes and surely, the best way is to build eco friendly new homes rather than the alternative.

Source [Telegraph]

The British International Motor Show is not the sort of place that you would expect to see an eco car, but times have changed and all of sudden green is good. MyCar is made by a company called the Nice Car Company and will be going on sale in the UK this autumn.

Being all electric the car is not going race away from the traffic lights, but you would not want that anyway. What you do get is a hundred miles for around £20 ($40) which is great by anybodies standards. With prices starting at around £9000 ($18,000) this car offers a viable form of city transport that is not going to ruin the earth or break the bank either.

Source [Motor Torque]