September is here and the excitement at Eco Age is palpable! Every year it feels like this is the month where everything new begins – and so does a new page in the Eco Age life.

On the fashion front, inspired by Vogue, we have created our very own ethical September Issue.  Don’t miss the opportunity to visit the store and buy the “it” LBD (little black dress) by Outsider, or the “it” coat by From Somewhere and the “it” bag by MT Label and much more for the new you.  It is time to start a next chapter in fashion, and it begins here!

Lucy Siegle and I are taking our adventures back to the pages of Vogue.com and as ever we are desperate to hear what your ideas and feeback! This time round we are very happy to be joined by Laura Bailey and Sheherazade Goldsmith and I can’t wait to see what the girls will bring to the table!

Following on the successful steps of the “Livia Firth” shopper, I have designed a new bag charm, the profits of which will go to the wonderful charity Helping Handbags created by Melora Jonhson – a truly inspiring woman.

And now, more excitement on the design front!

From September 18^th to the 26^th Eco will be part of London Design Festival as we are playing to host an exciting exhibition called “Re-Lux” – luxurious pieces of furniture and design made entirely with waste.  Don’t miss it for the world!

Last but by no means least at the 100% Design fair we are launching our exclusive collaboration with Michelle Mason, a designer we have always loved.  The Rosetta Rug, the first luxury rug made with 100% recycled plastic bottles felt, will showcase in Michelle’s stand and then sold at Eco Age and other retailers worldwide.

Ah! We are so excited our feet can barely touch the floor…

Yours, Livia

You will not know this about me dear reader but I like fashion. I like the way without a syllable tumbling from my lips I can express myself, an emotion, a thought, who I want to be that day. Now, this may open me up to criticism for being superficial, maybe vain – but I believe fashion effects culture – both esthetically and ethically;  its part of the zeitgeist.  So it was with light heart and foot that I accompanied Livia to the Shared Talent India Roundtable discussion, held at the London School of Fashion.

The discussion was hosted by Alex McIntosh, the Business Support manager for the Center of Sustainable Fashion and Dilys Williams, The Director of the Center of Sustainable Fashion, who started the website Shared Talent India with the hope of stimulating and encouraging relationships between Western companies and Indian suppliers. This incredibly admirable aim brought together buyers from many of the most popular chains on the High Street to discuss the possibilites and to open up the conversation between peers in the industry – needless to say – I was out of my depth.

Chaired by Eco friend, Lucy Siegle, the discussion moved from the issues found when working with different cultures, to the need for Western companies to develop longer relationships with the factories and the communities they work with.

Many interesting points were made, but what really struck me was the organizations wish to encourage real commitment to the communities and a country that has maintained skills and techniques in the fashion industry that have been lost throughout Europe. 

After we left the talk we quickly had a peek in the in John Lewis to see another friend of Eco’s contribution to ethical fashion.  And what a contribution it was, Laura Bailey has teamed up with MADE to create a really beautiful collection of jewllery, which we drooled over for many minutes! I will definitely be making a trip back for the fantastic necklace with the Africa charms – divine!

Bianca Jagger, Social and politcal activists writes for the Huffington Post on the landmark victory which sees the Indian Government reject the plan which would ruin India's beautiful environment.

"Indian Minister of Environment and Forests, Jairam Ramesh's courageous decision saves the real Avatar.

Today Indian Minister of Environment and Forests, Jairam Ramesh announced that he has rejected Vedanta's proposed bauxite mine in the Niyamgiri Mountain, Orissa, India. In addition, the clearance process for the expansion of the Lanjigarh refinery has been suspended. This represents a victory not only for the Dongria Kondh, but for indigenous and tribal people throughout the world.

Minister Ramesh declared that the government will issue a "show-cause notice" and take action against Vedanta. He stated,

"There has been a very serious violation of Environment Protection Act, Forest Conservation Act and the Forest Rights Act. There is no emotion, no politics, no prejudice ... I have taken the decision in a purely legal approach. That these laws are being violated."

Minister Ramesh's decision was based on the findings of a damning report released on August 16th, commissioned by India's Ministry of Environment and Forests.

The report by a four member expert committee headed by Dr NC Saxena, found that Vedanta, in active collusion with state officials, has violated the Forest Conservation Act, the Forest Rights Act, the Environment Protection Act (EPA), the Orissa Forest Act and the Rights of Primitive and Tribal Groups. The report argued that if the bauxite mine were allowed to proceed, it would 'seriously harm the livelihood of hundreds of families' and 'destroy one of the most sacred sites of the Kondh Primitive Tribal Groups.' Furthermore, the expansion of the Lanjigarh refinery was found to be illegal as Vedanta has unlawfully enclosed and occupied 26,123 hectares of Village Forest Lands within the refinery, and contravened the conditions of clearance under the EPA granted to the refinery.

The report concludes, "Since the company in question has repeatedly violated the law, allowing it further access to the proposed mining lease area at the cost of the rights of the Kutia and Dongria Kondh, will have serious consequences for the security and well being of the entire country."

For the past two years I have been supporting the Kondh's battle to save their livelihood, under the auspices of the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation (BJHRF). During that period I have appealed to government officials in India, I have spearheaded a letter campaign to Chief Minister of Orissa Naveen Patnaik, I attended and spoke at two Vedanta AGMs in London in which I delivered an impassioned plea on behalf of the Kondh and an Amnesty International petition signed by 31,428 people and I have written several articles about the plight of the Kondh. Last April I visited the Kondh in Orissa. I was moved by their commitment and their unflinching determination to remain in Niyamgiri Mountain. Kuleska Patru one of the leaders of the Dongria Kondh told me, "We will not leave Niyamgiri. Without our mountain, our god, there is no life for us; we will resist the forced expulsion till death. Just as a fish cannot survive outside of water, the Kondh cannot survive without Niyamgiri."

My visit to the Kondh brought back memories of what I have witnessed in Nicaragua and throughout Latin America. The struggle of indigenous and tribal people versus corporations and states, over ancestral land rich in natural resources, is not a new issue; nor is it unique to India. Throughout history they have been oppressed and forcibly expelled from their ancestral land, their rights violated with impunity by governments that have put the interest of corporations above their survival. I have campaigned for human rights, social justice and environmental protection throughout the world for nearly thirty years. During that period I have seen first hand the devastating effects the irrational exploitation of our natural resources has had on the environment, communities and indigenous and tribal people.

At Vedanta's shareholders AGM on July 28th 2010, I asked chairman Anil Agarwal if he would accept the findings of the Saxena committee. Non- executive director, Naresh Chandra replied, "whatever the government of India decide, we will accept." I hope that Vedanta stands by this statement. The company has an appalling track record - it has shown no respect for human rights, the environment or for local communities. Until Vedanta adheres to Corporate and Social Responsibility and is willing to comply with OECD guidelines, and agrees to fully inform and consult local communities, I do not think the company should be allowed to mine.

I applaud Minister Ramesh's decision and I hope that the Indian government's decision reflects a growing awareness and concern for tribal people across the country. The critical questions of development, displacement, and livelihood, have not been at the heart of the policies implemented by many of the Indian states. The Kondh are just one of the many tribes that have fallen victim to the so-called 'development' promoted by multinational corporations in India.

Historically development has been defined in relation to the western world's perception of progress, based on the Western model of economic growth fueled by mass industrialization. This model of development has been implemented throughout the world. Rather than improving the living standards of the majority of people, it has instead led to an expansion in social inequalities, and the concentration wealth in the hands of a few.

We must modify our model of development. Any development project must take into account the needs and aspirations of the local communities, indigenous and tribal people, and should benefit all sectors of society. Development needs to encompass principles of justice, democracy, accountability and respect for human rights and it must protect the environment. In order to achieve this, we need to re-evaluate our definition of progress, growth and development. We need a shift in our fundamental values. A new definition of development needs to move away from our obsession with profit and growth and instead, focus on sustainability.

As Dr Saxena stated in an interview on Face our Nation: 'We must not say no to development, but we can not have a model of development in which the rich gain and the poor lose.'

At this critical juncture in history it is vital that we set global standards of accountability for corporations, in order to put an end to the culture of impunity and double standards that pervade the international legal system. Multinational corporations, especially those amongst oil, gas, mining and chemical companies have caused some of the worst environmental disasters and human rights abuses happening in our world today. In their irrational pursuit for our planet's natural resources, they have destroyed ecosystems, wiped out precious biodiversity, fauna and flora, and endangered the livelihood of communities worldwide. Now, more than ever, we need to hold these companies to account, to stop their reckless exploitation of the environment and of indigenous and tribal people.

After today's announcement, Dongria Kondh tribal spokesperson Sitaram Kulesika said: "This is a great day for the Kondh. Mining would be the end of our existence and our god. We thank the Indian government." He added "The government must remain firm on this and ensure that no one is allowed to manipulate peoples' right for any company."

Minister Ramesh's announcement is a landmark victory for justice, human rights and the environment. I commend his leadership and I hope that his decision will set a precedent worldwide.

Originally published with the Huffington Post 

As well as this Michelle spoke of the need to make our homes much more cosy and homely in this age of austerity.   She writes "The need for comfort and authenticity in difficult times,” which translates in my mind as the necessity for the appreciation of the natural beauty found in warm woods and other materials that age well.  She goes on to describe the  savvy shopper who knows  "when to spend and where to save, and also how to make the most of what you have got".

Her 3 golden rules are:

1) always put quality before quantity

2) buy the best you can afford

3) but don't spend money you haven't got". 

Very wise words indeed and ones that describe perfectly those that shop at Eco Age.  Along the same lines was the editors letter in House & Gardens in which Susan Crewe reminds us all about the beauty and joys of  "object trouve."  This sounds much more glamorous than the literal English translation 'found object', which in turn sounds more respectable than 'something I found in a skip!'" 

She made me smile when she wrote that "anyone can rootle about in skips, but it's what you do with your finds that separates the creative sheep from the unimaginative goats"

Make sure you visit Eco Age during London Design Week  (Sept/18th - 26th) for our Re Lux exhibition to see what our "super creative team of sheeps" have done with some rubbish and marvel at the luxury furniture you will find!

As I trawled through the stalls at Last years Top Draw design festival in Earl’s Court, which is as inspiring as it is exhausting I stumbled on a designer called BuzziSpace.  They have an incredible range of products and stay very true to the ethos we have here at Eco, that of design and ethics going hand in hand.  The thing that really grabbed my attention however was their amazing felt that is created only using 100% recycled plastic bottles. When I approached them about maybe stocking their products here at Eco they were, happily, very interested.

The potential of the material for Eco did not leave me however and soon I was trying to think of a way to incorporate it into the shop.   And then, though no one ever believes me, the idea came to me out of the blue.  A way to involve the BuzziSpace and Eco would be to have a collaboration on a product which could be a statement piece for the shop.  Instinctively I thought of a long time Eco friend and award winning designer Michelle Mason whose beautiful creations have adorned the shop since the beginning.  She has a fantastic talent for design, everything is always beautiful and practical at the same time, a rareity! 

Now a year on, we are launching the brilliant Rosetta Rug at 100% Design and are very proud of the way it’s turned out! Incredibly chic it is a credit to the Michelle’s talent.  This is the first product that will be sold both at Eco and nationwide through other retailers.  It’s so exciting. I can’t wait to see what we find this year!

I want to believe that, for either moral or economical reasons, the times of fast fashion are slowly fading away.  Or at least I hope.  When Lucy Siegle, Orsola de Castro, Jocelyn Whipple and I got together to form “12 degrees of ethical fashion” we did it more as an experiment or exercise to see;

A) Whether we could all work together?  

B) Would other women be interested?

C) What existed in terms of ethical fashion AND what does it look like?

D) To give an option and a “voice” to those brands which were struggling to reach the high street market. 

And I think we were incredibly successful in all four aims, especially the first! We really enjoy working together, since each one of us brings a completely difference set of skills and knowledge to the table.  But the one uniting bond that keeps us all together is that we are all still firm believers in the fact that fashion has to be ethical. What do we mean by that? We mean that all garments have to be produced by taking into consideration social justice and environmental impact.

This belief has lead us to rebranded ourselves “Noi” – which in Italian means “us”, because in the end it IS just “us!” the regular consumers, who can really change things. This is a call for All women to come together and start shopping and wearing “sensibly,” it is this, and only this that will make the very necessary difference!

To find out more about what's going on with NOI, follow them on twitter NOI_collective.

Working for the Soil Association means I often meet the most incredible people and visit many amazing farms, companies and countries.

Ghana is one my favourites! I visited in 2003 and this summer I found myself back in a far busier and modernised airport in the capital, Accra.  This time I was with Charlotte Vohtz, the Founder of Green People, one of the leading organic beauty companies in the UK. Charlotte’s Danish, beautiful and full of optimism. Her daughter, Sandra, who as a baby reacted so violently to the harmful chemicals in her baby skincare products and so inspired Charlotte to set up Green People, also came with us. Sandra is equally stunning and now 17. Like mother, like daughter, each is impressively passionate about doing good in the world! Hence our trip…

Together, with Georgina Koomsom, our guide and very special lady behind the project we were visiting, and Prince our trusted driver, we travelled the length and breadth of Ghana over eight days. Hours and hours of driving, accidents and several new tyres aside, we had THE most amazing experience!  

Ghanaians are positive, they’re optimistic and incredibly hard-working – especially the women!

Georgina is one such hard-working lady! It’s little wonder that she is the first African woman to be presented with the IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movement) Spirit of Organic Award. Every other week she takes a gruelling 14 hour bus journey to the Northern region to visit the tribal community of Guli who are producing the very Shea Butter found in Green People’s and other quality organic skincare products.

Georgina set up this project in 2003. Her dedication and that of the wonderful people of Guli, has resulted in a huge increase of production. They were producing just 500kg a year and now produce over 20 tonnes every six weeks! And, all is organic!

We were greeted by the Chief, the village elders and the ‘Assembly Man’ (effectively the General Manager) along with the vast majority of the 200-strong village community. Those not there when we arrived later greeted us with big broad smiles and lots of singing, in their near-by crèche and school - neither of which would exist if it wasn’t for the success of this project.  

 It is hard to describe the scene. Picture beautifully dressed, elegantly poised women, many with a desperately cute baby artfully strapped to their backs.  This project has quite literally empowered these women beyond expectations! Georgina was at pains to describe why she set up this project. She wanted (and has achieved) independence for the women of the village. They process the Shea nuts into a very precious ingredient and in return they earn their own money to afford food, clothing and a roof over their family’s heads. They don’t have light, they don’t have televisions, they have no luxuries but they are happy!

And, they truly deserve this because they quite literally do everything!

To produce organic Shea Butter the nuts are collected from underneath hundreds of Shea trees stretching 9 miles in each direction. None are taken from anywhere close to the roadside, where they could be contaminated by car pollution or neighbouring activities.

 30% of the nuts are left on the ground for providing nutrients for the soil and allowing germination of new seedlings – an essential requirement of organic production.  The nuts are collected in large aluminium bowls and carried back to the production area for weighing.  These same bowls are also used for carrying all manner of essentials – including water, food and washing – the community clearly wouldn’t survive without them!

Before the nuts are processed, they are sorted to extract any bad quality nuts, and left in the sun to dry. The soft outer skin of the nuts is removed through a parboiling process. The nuts are then processed using a small primitive grinding machine. They are then roasted outside over an open flame in a large clay pot, whilst constantly being stirred by one of the many hard-working ladies.

The roasted ground nuts are then milled using a small machine to extract the oil from the nuts, which combines to make a dark brown creamy liquid - a bit like melted chocolate.  A good quality Shea butter is one that smells like chocolate!  Then the real hard work starts! The hand kneading takes place, by a group of women, who take turns, chat and sing to add their touch of magic to this miracle beauty ingredient! Their workouts pay dividends, they are all fantastically fit!

Once cooled, the result is a creamy white more solid Shea butter which is ready to be weighed, packed and collected by trailer, ready for export.  Nothing is added and nothing is taken away.  This product is pure beauty in its natural state!

And I didn’t know it could do so much.  Natural Shea Butter is an excellent moisturiser packed with vitamin A for healthy skin, vitamin E to prevent premature ageing and antioxidants to provide a natural defence against cancer.  Shea butter also offers a UV protection, and is a natural anti-inflammatory and an anti-irritant – wonderful on our mosquito bites!

 It’s no wonder that these ladies had the type of skin that made us green with envy! One major reason for visiting was to help establish what they still needed to do to achieve their fairtrade certification. We interrogated the certification process and benefits of this hugely well-known and well marketed scheme. Critically, we were keen to ensure that the very farmers and processors who are producing this special ingredient really do benefit and really can, therefore, invest in their future quality of life.  

They should shortly achieve their fairtrade certification and so will hopefully be able to afford a new playground as well as more books for their new library.  

What was really striking was how pleased the villagers were to meet us. They were so grateful to us for buying and using their product – they had no concept of how much we appreciated them. If only everyone who used their beautiful Shea Butter could see how much goes into creating this wondrous product and what it means to the women of Guli.

 Thank you Charlotte for such a fabulous experience!

A Dorset girl finds her stride in London

When I first arrived in London, it felt as though I was experiencing life in reverse. I had spent the first twenty years in a place that people aim to retire in, and am only now heading to a city that coerces you into passively smoking on average one cigarette a day and has a starless sky.

I used to take fresh air for granted and harbour views were part and parcel of my daily routine, so you can imagine my discomfort when I moved to London and discovered that the closest ‘green' bit was the graveyard around the nearest church to my flat. Thus, I Hannah Jarratt, country girl of Dorset, is determined to discover the ‘green' side of London living even if it kills me, one healthy fresh breath at a time. To do this I am planning to fill my free time with hell raising bicycle riding through the streets to the less dangerous outdoor Tai Chi, whilst maintaining my ethical fashion scruples.

Fashion in the Fields of Yore

My first step to finding this elusive ‘green' in the city saw me and my Eco team mate Fliss actually stepping all the way to Chichester, talk about running for the hills. After surviving the tubes, steps, and finally London Victoria in the midst of rush hour with a bag which weighed roughly the same amount as a cow, we missed our train and barely made the next one; all I was fit for was a deliciously soft bed somewhere.

However, once we arrived in Chichester, we were greeted with style, swing, and rolling green fields, cue the epic weekend that was ‘Vintage' at Goodwood. On arrival, our primary concern was the ‘toilet situation', which can often prove rather traumatic in festival life. However, we were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves greeted with flushing toilets, taps, and toilet roll, it was a WC paradise. On the other ‘eco' hand, we were not as supportive as I am sure a compost toilet is far better for the environment than a portable WC heaven.

We here at Eco are big fans of taking the best bits which have arisen from those before us and using them to make our future better and so we were right at home in the Future Exhibition along the ‘Vintage' high street. This section of the festival highlighted the vintage classics we have from the 20th century and using a selection of high class judges we were given a display of all of the designs, artworks, graphic design, fashion, music, vehicles and transportation that will be classics from the 21st century.

Just to give you an idea of the level of competition, amongst these predictions, was the car that screams Bond sex appeal, the Aston Martin DB9, a mode of transportation that I feel sure will stand out from this era of Nissan Micra's and Fiat Punto's. In addition to this was the beautiful Livia Firth Shopper, which fitted in nicely with the Aston Martin and Apple Mac and I think we can all agree, will retain its elegance and style throughout the centuries. The judge, who picked the Livia Shopper, was the acclaimed Pakistani poet and writer Fatima Bhutto who put together a time capsule for the festival, showing her support for the ‘trade not aid' principle that we hold dear.

It was all hairspray, high heels and Mick Hucknell for the Eco Team last weekend as we headed to the first ever ‘Vintage’ festival at Goodwood.  Set to a backdrop of beautiful Sussex countryside, Vintage saw folk of all ages come out to celebrate all ages with a festival dedicated to the bygone decades of England.  The festival opened every morning with an air display by a WW2 Spitfire before festival goers entered the ground past the classic cars, beauty salons and Vintage clothes stores.

Although we enjoy a good festival here at Eco Age, The Eco Team attended Vintage with a purpose, spending our Saturday morning working in the ‘Upcycle’ craft tent helping children and adults with making their very own ‘Youdoodolls’.  Youdoodolls give you the chance to make your very own ‘mini me’ using a small fabric doll, printer transfer paper and various materials.  For the Eco touch the Youdoodolls we were dressing were being garbed in the off cuts of the finest eco fabrics, from banana fibres to bamboo to organic cottons.  On arriving at the stall and realising we were going to have to help out using needles and threads I was sent into a slight panic remembering being banned by my teacher from studying GCSE textiles due to my complete inability to do anything involving sewing, but found my niche in doll stuffing so all was well.

Another Eco thumbs up to Vintage went to the vast amount of vintage and upcycled clothes stores lining the ‘streets’, where you could buy anything from genuine 1920’s flapper dresses to 1980 bolero jackets, WW2 military hats to 1970 flares, you name it and there was definitely a stall selling it.  It not only gave serious shoppers the chance to find some gems, (Polkadot 1990s cropped blazer anybody?) but also allowed those who had not realised how seriously dressing up was going to be taken to find some pieces to put together their outfit.  The Eco Team felt very out of place turning up in jeans and wellies whilst everyone around had put in a huge effort replicating fashions from the 20^th century.  Even hair and makeup could be catered for with a beauty parlour.

Gold Stars also went to the recycling of old school music legends, with the likes of The Faces and Sandie Shaw being joined by current musicians, however an Eco thumbs down for Mick Hucknell’s backwards dancing which proved a health and safety hazard for his fellow band mates!  Also a slight disappointment was the lack of obvious recycle points for people’s rubbish, but overall a fantastic weekend was had by all and so long as it keeps it’s quirky charm will be a brilliant family event for years to come.

Take one Oxfam Stewarding tabard, a line up of awesome bands and family entertainment, 7000 tents and then set it in the grounds of a 17^th century castle in the beautiful Dorset countryside and you have my Camp Bestival 2010.Camp Bestival is currently in its third year and is renown as ‘the’ family festival, with entertainment for all age groups, ranging from the ‘Boutique Babysitters’ to the legendary Pimms Bus, a sprawling children’s area that this year has stretched its way over two fields to a hairdressers, massage and casino area.  However for every camp site, entertainment field and Portaloo, Camp Bestival needs staff to make sure it all runs smoothly and that is where Oxfam steps in.

Oxfam now attends over fifteen of the UKs biggest and best festivals with thousands of volunteers signing up every year to work at their favourite events.  In return for volunteering your time you get free entry, meal vouchers and a secure campsite, however in exchange stewards work three eight hour shifts anywhere around the site. This year my time was spent on campsite patrol in the pouring rain, controlling crowds and looking after lost children/panicking lost parents (sometimes all at once) Still, you also get to meet some fantastic people, see some great bands in your free time, go behind the scenes and know that by giving up a few hours of your weekend the festival will make a large donation to Oxfam.  By providing volunteers who work for free to the festival sites, the Festival organisers use the money they would have spent on employing people to steward to make a donation to the charity, which in 2009 led to over £1,000,000 being raised for Oxfam’s work to overcome poverty.

Festivals attract thousands of punters every year and with that amount of people the huge amount of rubbish generated is inevitable and a real problem for the fields and countryside the campsites take over.  Consequently over the past few years festival organisers have developed a ‘greener’ conscious and this year at Campy B I was excited to see a huge amount of recycle points around the campsites and arenas.

My personal favourites were the ones where each bin was labelled by someone writing in paint on an old record - very vintage and cool, even if they did forget to put in a bin for general waste! Also many of the bars were paying people 10p to return their paper cups once they were done so that they could be recycled. Young entrepreneurs of the future became apparent when they cottoned on to this scheme however as a fool proof way to raise more pocket money and set about collecting as many cups as they could, resulting in a cleaner arena and kids high as kites on sugar after buying as many sweeties as their new found riches would allow.

Even the dreaded festival Portaloos are becoming eco friendly with the presence of compost toilets.  It’s a bit weird at first taking a cup full of wood chippings and peat to the bathroom with you to throw down once you’re done, but it beats pumping the waste tanks with all sorts of hazardous chemicals.  For me it also trounces the ‘using the bathroom in one breath’ situation that I often face with the hellish portaloos, especially by the end of the weekend when you generally don’t want to risk breathing once the blue plastic door is shut for fear of contracting some life threatening illness.

All in all, after searching around various websites it certainly looks like Festival organisers are realising the impact their festivals have on the environment and are beginning to make large changes towards making everything as eco friendly and sustainable as possible and things only look to be improving.