I never knew such a thing existed - The Miss Earth beauty pageant! It’s criminal that I didn’t know of this before, and it’s in its 8th year!

Then I immediately thought the women involved aren’t interested in the environment!? As soon as I saw the image of 30 women out in bikinis smiling I thought it was some kind of joke, ridiculing the rest of us that actually do things each day to help the planet.

BUT instead of it literally being a show to parade ‘green’ cuties around the world for a few hours I read more into it and the winning lady (Miss Earth) actually dedicates herself to a year of promoting environmental projects and addressing other concerning issues. Last year’s winner Jessica Trisko, has a Ph. D in Political Science and worked with the Miss Earth Foundation to lead various eco-tours and environmental orientations throughout the year.

Even the runners up also keep themselves busy and are given the names of other natural elements (to keep them content with losing out I guess) Miss Fire (equivalent to third runner-up), Miss Water (second runner-up), and Miss Air (first runner-up).

Who said being green and caring about the environment was boring stuff hey? I’m right behind them and their skimpy bikinis even if it means temperatures going up elsewhere…

No longer will my town be mocked for our women donning the ‘Croydon Facelift' nor for being voted the UK's chav capital as Croydon had something to be proud off in the past couple weeks.

Croydon council (that's in London for you international readers) have been hosting their very own Eco-Exhibition for 2008 which gave the public a demonstration and insight on how to be creative and make a difference in reducing the borough's carbon footprint. The two weeks were showcased as being ‘environmentally low impact but visually and inspirationally its impact will be impressive'

It was a very cool event which had loads of stuff going on including a ‘green drinks' night, an Eco Music Fest and even a fashion show which took ideas that I talked about before about recycling old clothes and making use out of them. There were even food stalls set up in various locations to celebrate organic and homemade bites and different specialty products.

How about setting up an expo at your school, college or university? Spread the word and create a sustainable community in a creative and engaging way like the lovely people of Croydon!

Pictures from the event to follow...

Civic Hybrid wins Green gadget of the year at T3 Awards

For somebody that doesn’t drive I’m kind of worried that if I want to do my bit for global warming when I finally hit the road I’ve only got the Honda Civic Hybrid to look to as the epitome of the eco–car world. I mean just look at it…

For most of us I’m sure the first car we’ve got our hands on hasn’t been the most glamorous. I cringe looking back at me ‘cruising’ around in the passenger side of my brothers Vauxhall Kadett – not a good look!

I’m not one for saying its all about looks (I’m sure a few of my friends can vouch for that!) but I’m sure if any new driver is given a choice between one of these and something more ‘prettier’ you know what they’re going to pick…

Don’t get me wrong there are some nice hybrids out there, like those in the sleek and sexy Lexus GS 450h range or the Peugeot 307 Hybrid but unless anyone has a spare $30,000 (£17,000 in my money) for me then forget it!

Maybe it’s my lack of knowledge on cars and the way they have to be built, but for all of the Civic’s economical and energy saving work would you really want to be seen in one of these unsightly cars? It seems like all the ‘nice’ hybrids are too costly and a first time buyer like myself would be priced out …or am I just being superficial and ignoring other cars on the market? What right have I got complain, I should be proud of sitting in my ‘ugly’ but snug and environmentally friendly Civic.

It could be a looks vs. brains argument all over again almost but before I get into that read on to see just how this car does its bit for Mother Earth as well as some other hybrids on the market….

http://www.thegreencarwebsite.co.uk/blog/index.php/honda-civic-hybrid-hybrid-cars/

Mindful of the need to cut costs in today's economic climate, the Queen was reluctant to splash out on an expensive new evening gown for her Slovenian State Visit.

Instead, she dug out some fabric she was given over 20 years ago and had someone on the sewing machine style into a dress for a white tie state banquet hosted in her honour…

…where is this going you wonder? No, I’m not about to be tell you to dress like the Queen or copy her style but this grabbed my attention as surely we’ve all got clothes and accessories in the closet that we don’t go near for whatever reasons.

Maybe you bought something and a week later you still haven’t worn it thinking “why did I buy this? Or maybe it’s the woolly jumper you got as a youngster with your initials or a choo-choo train stitched on the front?

Well, unlike the Queen your stuff is unlikely to be 20 years old so surely something can be done with it if its no longer in use. Transform some old joggers into shorts or even an old t-shirt into a cleaning cloth (Ok maybe not creative enough but you get the point) - whatever it is it doesn’t need to be thrown away. Also if this story I checked up on is really true maybe we certainly need to do more at our end with our old stuff?

I know for sure I’m going to have a look in my closet and see what can be re-styled. Winter is coming up so I could experiment on maybe adding an extra layer in my jeans with some old tracksuit bottoms… (That idea’s a bit better)

If all else fails and you can’t make something new out of your old stuff then check out Just Give to see what you can do with your old gear!