Fosters Go Green With Eco-friendly Beer

Australian beer giant Fosters are the latest brewers to climb aboard the green bandwagon, with the launch of a new beer named Green Cascade.

The lager, brewed at the Foster's owned Cascade brewery in Tasmania, is 100 percent carbon offset, bottled in the light weight glass bottles and packaged in a 100% recycled carton, printed with vegetable inks. With only $150,000 to be spent on carbon offsets over the next year, however, Fosters appear to be aiming to achieve the bare minimum required for a 'green' label.

Reports that Green Cascade is Australia's first eco-friendly beer are inaccurate, however. The Barefoot Brewery, for instance, already produce the carbon neutral Barefoot Radler beer, and the Mountain Goat micro-brewery in Victoria produce a range of organic beers in an eco-friendly brewery that makes use of solar heated water and greywater recycling.

goatbeer.com.au

New, Cheap Wind Up MP3 Player Launched

Power Plus, a company that produce wind up torches and radios, have followed in the footsteps of the Trevor Baylis fronted eco-media player, and launched a wind up MP3 player.

Unlike the Baylis device, which comes with a price tag of around £150 ($300), the power plus Verio gadget will retail at only £40 ($80) and is equipped with a one gigabyte memory.

Around one minute of winding will result in 15-20 minutes of play time, and a full charge with the USB charger achieves up to four hours of play back time. The wind up charger can also be used to give a power boost to a cell phone or for a few minutes of light using the in built torch.

Gadgets such as the Verio seem great in theory, as they will of course save the use of hundreds of batteries over their lifetime, and mean users never run out of juice; but the reality of a frantic minute of winding every quarter of an hour may put many people off.

The Verio is currently on sale in the UK from the Tango Group.

Keen Launch 2008 range of eco-gear

How would you like $25,000 for being green? That's what the winners of Keen footwear's Hybrid Stand competition will walk away with.

The competition will award the prizes for the best entry in three categories - Stand Up, Stand Out and Stand For, and the nominated entries will be available to view online at keenfootwear.com from 14 January.

Stand Up will award an artist or journalist for the best video, essay, or creative work with a sustainable theme; Stand Out will award an outstanding outdoor athlete, and Stand For will award eco-entrepreneurs and activists.

The awards of course will also provide some great publicity for Keen's new Spring 2008 range of shoes, bags and socks. The Hybrid Think range of products feature sustainable materials such as recycled rubber linings, recycled aluminium buckles and eyelets, recycled plastic fabrics and a new line of tote, messenger bags and clutch bags made using recycled rice paper.

keenfootwear.com

Solio Hybrid 1000 for Power on the Go

The Solio solar powered charger is easily one of the best chargers on the market in terms of looks and performance, but the fan design lacked any way to hang it up, or attach it to a bag – this problems have now been solved, however, with the launch of the hybrid 1000.

At $70, the second generation of the solio is smaller and cheaper than original and now features a carabiner style clip, to make it easy to charge gadgets on the go, and a USB cable means it can now also be charged via a USB port on a computer if the sun isn't out.

According to the manufacturer, the new Hybrid 1000 will keep its charge for up to one year and a one hour charge of the Hybrid will provide enough energy for 15 minutes of talk time or 40 minutes of MP3 music.

Together with the Tread solio cases, which are made from old car tires, the solio helps make any gadget eco-friendly, and with the cell phone industry agreeing to make USB 2.0 the standard for chargers, all new cell phones will be compatible with the solio chargers without the need to buy extra tips.

solio.com

Green Booze To Celebrate the Holidays

Eco-friendly alcohol, it’s a winning combination in our book. We’ve covered green booze before, and we always like hearing about new eco-friendly alcohol, and one of the latest is Purus vodka from Italy – the first 100% organic Italian wheat vodka.

The vodka is distilled five times using Alpine water at a small, family distillery in the Piemonte region of Italy, and is available in New York and Boston as well as Italy (although you may be better sticking to local vodkas to keep food miles down.)

The website states it comes in a 100% recyclable bottle – although most glass bottles are; it has a tree-free paper label which uses soy inks, and has a cork closure rather than plastic – which is good news for the cork forests in Europe.

This month Purus have also teamed up with American Forests, a group dedicated to ensuring that there are healthy forest eco-systems for every community. As wildlfires burned through 10m acres of forest last year in America, one sapling will be planted on behalf of the first 100,000 adult visitors to register on the website purusvodka.com

Trees will be planted in areas of need in California, Texas and Florida, and website visitors can see their tree on a virtual forest online – assuming you’ve drunk too much vodka of course.

Howies Open Eco-store in London

Welsh t-shirt company Howies have been knocking out eco-tees for skaters and bikers for years now, but this month they opened their first highstreet store in Carnaby Street in London, and like their clothes, the store follows their green principals.

Eco-website smartplanet.com, who visited the store, gives a run down of the features: "The wall-boards are made from reclaimed wood-chippings and recycled green glass, water-based eco-paint is used on floors and other surfaces, while the 't-tree' shelves are made with sustainable oak from Pembrokeshire Woodland.

"The table in the middle of the store has been constructed from t-tree offcuts, there are low-energy light-bulbs, a reclaimed sink and tap for people to fill up their water-bottles for free and last, but not least, there’s a button outside the store that, when pushed at night, will light up the window-displays for 30 seconds. This means people can have a peep in without Howies wasting energy by leaving their lights on overnight as most other clothes shops do."

The store doesn't just sell Howies gear either, you'll also be able to find solar chargers, green themed books and stacks of other eco-friendly gifts and gadgets.

howies.co.uk

Nokia to Release Eco-friendly Mobile Phone

Mobile phones can be a mixed blessing during travel, ok it's great to be able to get hold of people and information when needed, but there's nothing worse than an annoying friend or relative from home trying to call you while you're attempting to escape from the rat race.

For travelers who do rely on their phones, however, there will soon be a greener option. Nokia announced today the launch of the Nokia Evolve, a phone made with bio-covers made from more than 50% renewable material.

Like all of Nokia's newer phones, the Evolve, which will be available in early 2008, also features an alert system to remind users to unplug the charger, is sold in a small package made of 60% recycled content and it comes with Nokia’s most energy efficient charger yet, which uses 94% less energy than the US Energy Star requirements. The phone will also be compatible with solar chargers such as the solio, thanks to its USB2.0 socket.

As for features, the Evolve has a 1.3 megapixel camera with video recorder and 8x digital zoom, an FM stereo radio, an MP3 player and support support for microSD memory cards of up to 2GB.

The launch of the phone could be the start of further greening up by Nokia. As well as expanding their take back recycling scheme, the company are also developing concept products such as printable nano electronics and a eco-sensor, which will allow users to monitor local weather, air pollution and even their heart rate.

nokia.com/environment

Green Travel Tips: Make It Yourself

Green gear made from bamboo fiber or recycled plastic is all when and good – but buying new gear isn't always the greenest option, so join the MIY revolution and make it yourself. We've scoured the web for designs and kits for MIY gear and here are a few of our favorite MIY ideas that are ideal for travelers.

Jersey Shirt Bag

There's no need to throw away old shirts if you have a needle and thread. this simple design makes use of the torso of the shirt for the bag compartment, and the shirt sleeves are used to make the handles.

Find full instructions at Replayground.com


Duct Tape Wallet

It can be made on the road, it's waterproof and can be made in several colors - an ideal travel wallet. All you need to put this together are a roll of duct tape, a cutting board, ruler and a cutting knife or razor.

Find full instructions at ducttapeguys.com


Lego USB Charger

This fairly complicated gadget makes use of Lego from a Mindstorms kit and a few other electronics. Wind the crank shaft to power up a small motor, which can be used to recharge gadgets via USB.

Find full instructions at instructables.com

Sleeping Bag Stuff Sack

A sewing machine may come in handy for this design, which uses waterproof nylon and a drawstring to create a stuff sack - although any material can be use of course.

For the full design and a materials kit head to Thru-hiker.com

Green Gear Store Launched

Backpacks made from recycled plastic (pictured), organic t-shirts, wind-up torches, eco-friendly approach boots and much more can now be found all in one place at our Jamble Green Gear Store - just in time for Christmas.

The store, powered by Amazon, features many of the products we have previewed on this site before, so it's now much simpler to put together an eco-friendly kit list for your next round the world jaunt.

We don't hold any stock ourselves and you'll need an Amazon account to order products, but we'll be updating it with the latest green gadgets and outdoor gear as it becomes available.

jamblemag.co.uk/store.html

Green Travel Gadget Christmas Wishlist

If you haven’t done so already it’s about time to start writing to Santa, and if you’re aiming to green up your travels next year, there are plenty of green gadgets worth putting on your wish list. Here are a few of our favorites.

Solar Powered Shaver

This solar shaver can keep help you less like a hobo during your treks and adventures as it's compact enough to slip into a shirt pocket and can be charged anywhere the sun shines - but the small solar cell probably equates to a long charge time. Available from the UK for around $60

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Eco-media Player

The iPod Touch is not the only MP3 player getting all the attention this year. This wind up media player has become a hot gadget over in the UK thanks to its green credentials - which mean you’ll never run out of juice half way through a marathon train or bus journey. The player has a 2GB memory and an additional SD memory slot; a 1.8 video screen and can be recharged by USB for when winding gets too tiring. Available from the UK for around $310

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Boblbee Solar iPod Case

If you’re sticking to an ipod, rather than an eco-player, then there are several options to make it solar powered. The Solio charger is still the most stylish, but the Swedish designed Boblbee case also gives your ipod some rugged protection. The case slips over the iPod to solar charge it on the go in 8-10 hours, and keeps it protected from knocks, scrapes and rain showers. At around $182, however, it is a little on the pricey side. Available in Japan.

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Sony Crank and Capture video camera

Don’t expect this gadget for Christmas quite yer, as it’s still only a concept model from Sony. The Crank and Capture video camera would be made of recycled or vegetable-based plastic, connected by sturdy natural rubber bands, and powered by turning the crank on the side for shooting and playback. Unlike a regular video camera, images are not smooth but intentionally choppy, as if animated by flipping pages.

New Lonely Planet Australia Takes Green Focus

Lonely Planet have been publishing a backpacker’s guide to Australia for 30 years – but the new 14th edition, published this month, will be the first to feature a new section dedicated to green travel - the GreenDex.

The section is a quick-reference index of Australia’s top eco-friendly hostels, tours and experiences, designed to help backpackers know what’s green and what’s not.

Rather than taking an encyclopedic approach, however, the guide is a little more selective, and only features author recommended green tours and attractions– many of which have also been certified by Ecotourism Australia, who grant certificates based on cultural and environmental sustainability and business ethics.

Lonely Planet’s commitment to promote sustainable tourism also resulted in their guide ‘The Green Code’, which focuses on eco-friendly experiences across the globe, and through The Lonely Planet Foundation they also donate five percent of profits to charity.

It seems likely that the Greendex will now appear in most updated Lonely Planet guidebooks in the future, which as well as encouraging backpackers to travel greener, gives another incentive for hostels and tours to get greener too.

Lonely Planet Shop

Green Travel Tips: Go Bamboo, Smell Sweeter

Travel to a hot climate and you’ll soon be regretting wearing that cotton t-shirt - with the fabric plastered to your skin like saran wrap and a stink that has everyone ten feet back it can be hard to make friends, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Clothes made from natural fibers such as bamboo or organic merino wool have anti-microbial qualities, which simply means they smell fresher, longer – we took some eco-clothes to Wales’ national parks to check out the claims.

Bam Bamboo t-shirt

Bamboo is fast growing, sustainable and can be grown chemical free, and as well as being ideal for chopsticks and scaffolding, it creates a great fabric too. These t-shirts are soft to the touch but are tough in performance – we gave this shirt a thorough workout hiking up to the summit of Snowdonia, Wales’ highest mountain, it didn’t stick to our skin like wet cotton and made an ideal base layer, plus it lasted several days before kicking up a stink.

Bam Clothing

Teko socks

Socks don’t come much greener than Teko socks – their range includes socks made from ingeo (corn), recycled polyester and organic wool. The socks come in recycled card packaging with no annoying plastic tags, and are made in the USA in a plant powered by green energy. We got hold of a pair of eco-merino wool hiking socks and gave them a punishing test along the Pembrokeshire National Park coastal track – as well as keeping our feet blister free, these socks were as fresh at mile 20 as they were as mile one.

Teko Socks

These Eco-clothes aren’t about making a statement but get top marks when it comes to quality - and as they stay fresh you’ll need to wash them less frequently too, perfect for terrains where washing machines are few are far between.

Eco-products - Green Booze

Hitting the local bar when you're backpacking is a great way to meet other travelers, and there's no faster way to make friends than learning how to say 'cheers' in a dozen different languages. If you're aiming to keep your conscience clear, however (if not your head), there are now a wide range of eco-friendly brews on the market. Here's our guide to some of our favorites.

Vodka 360

Although not organic, Vodka 360 is One of the greenest vodkas on the market. The quadruple distilled and five times filtered vodka is packaged in bottles featuring 85% recycled glass, 100% recycled paper labels. Billboard adverts for the brand are transformed into bags and accessories at the end of campaigns - and the material bio-degrades after four years. The distillery in Missouri also donates $1 to environmental charities for each bottle stopper that is sent back to them for re-use.

Available from Vodka 360

Read More...

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Fat Tire Amber Ale

This Belgium style ale is part of the range of eco-friendly beers brewed in Colorado at the New Belgium brewery. As well as following a three R's policy which includes recycling keg tops and turning spent grain into cattle feed, the brewery also features a bio-generator, buys wind-energy and hosts 'bike in movie' screenings. During the summer keep an eye out for 'Tour-de-fat', a touring event created to get people out of the car and on to their bikes.

Available from New Belgium Beer

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Juniper Green Gin

The world's first organic London Dry Gin is distilled at Thames Distillery near Clapham in Central London, and is the result of 300 years of distilling knowledge. Organic Juniper, Coriander, Angelica and Savory are added to organic grain, which has led to the gin receiving several gold awards in tasting competitions across the globe.

Available from Juniper Green

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Green Path Wines

These organic Chardonnay and Shiraz wines from Jerilderie, New South Wales are sold in 1 liter tetrapacks, which means you get more wine, plus packs are recyclable and light weight - so less fuel is needed to transport them from oz. The winery also composts 100% of its waste and runs a stringent water management program to conserve water.

Available from The Country Vintner

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Wolaver's Pale Ale

While brewers such as Anheuser-Busch, who produce Budweiser and Michelob, are just entering the organic market with their Stone Mill organic ale, Wolaver's have been brewing organic beer for a decade. As well as the pale ales, Wolaver's also brew an oatmeal stout and a Belgian style white beer from their base in Middlebury, Vermont.

Available from Wolavers

Mission Playground launch eco-friendly surf boards

Fall is kicking in up here in Chicago - so now is the ideal time for those hardy souls who surf on Lake Michigan to take to the water. And, just in time for the Great Lakes surfing season, California based company Mission Playground have launched their first eco-friendly surf boards and board shorts.

MP, who also have a range of organic cotton t-shirts, have produced the boards using Biofoam™, a product created from all-natural plant oils by San Diego company Homeblown.

The boards are decorated with MP's own green themed artwork and will be available in several models, and hot on their heels will be the new range of recycled PET board shorts, available next February, with three styles for men and three for women.

If you're not a Great Lakes surfer, of course, you'll be happy to know that Mission Playground goods are available online and in eco-stores all over the world.

missionplayground.com

El Naturalista Launch Fall Range of Eco-Shoes

Shoe company El Naturalista, who were originally founded in Spain, have launched their Fall/Winter range of eco-friendly shoes.

The shoe designs, which include men, women and unisex ranges, were all inspired by journeys across the globe, such as the Viadante (passer-by), whose inspiration came after treading the pavement around the shops of Panama, and the Organico boot, inspired by Scotland's art and nature.

And of course, like many travelers, El Naturalista's designers seek to protect the environments which inspire them, which is why the range is made with materials including recycled or natural rubber soles, Pergamino leather (chrome free goat leather) and vegetable dyed leather.

The company also work with the Spanish Association of Cerebral Paralysis and in 2005, set up Project Atauchi - a scheme to develop education opportunities for the poorest communities in Peru.

The El Naturalista range is available online, and also in a few stores around the world, including Berlin, Taipei, Helsinki and Santa Monica.

elnaturalista.com

Fairtrade Month Begins In USA

October is Fair Trade month in the USA - an entire month dedicated to promoting the benefits of the Fair Trade movement.

The social benefits of Fair Trade are well documented, and although the core function of the scheme is to provide a fair wage to crop growers across the world, Fair Trade also has benefits for the environment.

Fair Trade makes small-scale agriculture more profitable, which discourages deforestation for large scale farming, which helps prevent erosion and protect wildlife.

To be certified as a Fair Trade producer, farmers must also cut down on agrochemical use, and Fair Trade also provides farmers and workers with financial incentives and the technical know-how to convert to organic production. Which is why many Fair Trade Certified products sold on the U.S. market are also certified organic.

Here at Jamble we have always supported Fair Trade in the office - we only use Fair Trade coffee, sugar and when we want treat ourselves, Fair Trade chocolate too!

More information on Fair Trade products and retailers can be found at the TransfairUSA website, along with a few Fair Trade recipes.

(image: Costa Rican Co-op El Dos member Alba Luz picking ripe coffee cherriesPhoto courtesy of Amy Hansen)

transfairusa.org

Green Gear: Eco-tees

Organic cotton tees are spreading fast through the fashion world, and just because their eco-friendly it doesn't mean they all come with eco-slogans and lame green messages. We've found a few tees that tick the boxes for good design as well as the environment. Here are a few of our favorites:

Butterfly Invaders

This kitsch women's tee is knocked out by a Welsh company glo4life - a husband and wife team who specialize in eco-urban fashion. As well as only using 100% organic cotton for their tees, all their packaging is made from recycled material too.

Available from Glo4life (UK)

Read more...

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Leave No Trace

Welsh tee designers Howies never disappoint with their range of outdoors inspired tees, created for surfers, skaters, cyclists, and anyone who appreciates tongue in cheek designs. Howies use organic cotton for their tees and other clothes, and even recycle waste cotton and old clothing to create brand new fashions.

Available from Howies (UK)

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Abstract Fish

Patagonia has always been at the forefront of eco-friendly clothing and their tees are no exception. This men's tee, with the funky Geoff McFetridge artwork, is made from 100% organic cotton, and once it has reached the end of its useful life, can be sent to Patagonia's Common Threads program for recycling.

Available from Patagonia (US)

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Arch Ltd

This tee from snow and surf company Moah is printed with vegetable based inks onto organic cotton. The company are also members of 1% for the planet, and have launched a scheme named Project Playground - which aims to tackle climate change and help ensure there will be snow falls for future boarders to enjoy.

Available from Moah (UK)

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Geisha on the Go

California based Wunjo have a knack for producing uber-stylish tees and have now produced their first designs on organic cotton, including this funky Geisha on the Go women's tee.

Available from: Wunjo (US)

The Jamble Alternative Kit List

Most guidebooks and backpacker sites will suggest the same old stuff on their kit lists, useful, and sensible they may be, but chances are you will have lost or broken before you set foot in your first destination.

So we've put together this alternative kit list, featuring a few bits and bobs that we now can't do without when exploring the globe, but other kit lists usually fail to mention.

Hiking sock plug

Universal sink plugs are great, but not when you realise it's still in a plughole 100 miles behind you. Instead, you can use a nice, thick hiking sock to block up your plughole - one size fits all. It works just as well and you're much less likely to leave it behind.
read more...

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Germolene New Skin

Plasters, aka bandaids, are completely useless in humid climates and slip off your skin as soon as you've stuck them on. Liquid plasters are a far better option and ideal for sealing up small cuts and grazes nice and quickly.

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Dirty underpants

Security belts are great in theory - but a pain in the ass to use in reality, and they make things very easy for muggers. We prefer to spread the wealth and keep small amounts of cash in several locations - and if you can't use a locker at your hostel, hide notes in dirty, smelly underwear, as prospective theives won't search through your stinky pants.

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Digital vault

Unlike memory sticks, online, digital vaults can't be left behind in internet cafes or slip out your pocket on the bus. There are a few to choose from, but our favourite is 123-vault, which is free, offers unlimited storage and neatly sorts files into photo, music and document folders. You can also choose to share your files with friends - so your mates back home can see your pics.

Available at 123-reg.co.uk

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Fishing line and needle

If you're planning a long trip then you have to expect a little wear and tear on your gear. Thread is fine for clothes, but if your rucksack rips you'll need something a little stronger, so try fishing line instead with a curved, heavyweight mattress needle. Alternatively a glue stick and lighter can be handy for making watertight repairs.

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Beach book

You always need a good book to read on the beach, coach or train, but you only need one - as when you're done you can swap it with a fellow backpacker or at hostel book swap. Must reads for backpackers include The Beach, On the Road, Celestine Prophecy and The Alchemist.

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Soap strips

Toilets in Asia can be a shock to the system when you first come across them, and toilet paper can be rare, so these paper thin leaves of soap are ideal for such a situation. All you need is a little water and they disolve into a soapy lather, and the packs are small enough to keep in your pocket. Laundry leaves are also available - which are great for washing clothes in sinks and basins.

Available from Adventure Shop

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Solarsafe wristbands

The sunblock you use back home may not be much good once you reach a tropical island, and no matter how beautiful the beach, getting badly sunburnt is guaranteed to ruin your stay. Solarsafe's wristbands therefore can be a life saver. Simply cover the wristband in the same suncream you cover yourself, and it will soak up the rays at the same rate as your skin, and change colour when you need to re-apply sunscreen or seek shade.

Available from Solarsafe.com

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Ziploc bags

Endlessly useful little bags. Great for keeping wet clothes in if you don't have time to dry them, or tolietries that could leak or explode, or for food in the hostel fridge, or for keeping valuables dry and in sight while you take a shower.

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Canvas bag

Just as smoking bans seem to have swept round the world, we reckon plastic bag bans will be the next big thing. Cities including Dar Es Salaam and San Francisco already have bans in place, and you could even get a fine for using plastic bags in Zanzibar - so don't get caught out on your trip to the market, take a canvas or jute bag instead.

Available from Ethical Superstore

BeeCeuticals Introduce Eco-friendly Travel Kit

BeeCeuticals Organics create body care products made from, (you guessed it) honey, and all of their products are natural, organic and Fair Trade - but not stopping there, they are now they're flying an eco-friendly travel kit onto the shelves.

The Hive Five(TM) Kit contains five organic travel size products, including Bee-Hair-Now Shampoo and Conditioner, a honey body lotion and a facial cream, and to make it even more earth friendly, the packaging is made from corn plastic - a non toxic alternative to vinyl packaging.

On top of that BeeCeuticals has pledged to plant a pollinator-friendly tree as a part of their Trees for Bees(TM) program, for every kit sold - a program that has already planted over 10,000 pollinator-friendly trees around the globe, making this kit one of the greenest on the market.

Kits are available from healthfromthehive.com

LoDingo launches new city MP3 audio tours

One simple way to go greener on a city break is to ditch the traditional travel guide an upload an audio tour to your MP3 player instead, and over 500 global audio guides can now be found at digital megastore Lodingo.

The guides cover cities in the UK, Europe, the United States, Africa, South America and the Asia-Pacific region, and several styles are available, so travelers can choose to shop till they drop in Hong Kong, soak up the sun in Copacabana or marvel at Michelangelo's masterpiece in the Sistine Chapel.

Our favourite audio guides, however, are the Audissey Guides. Currently only available for Chicago, Boston and Seattle, they're all presented by city locals and come stuffed full of style and attitude and the insider knowledge only a city native can impart.

The guides range from around $10-$20, and as well as the audio guides, there's plenty of language courses available too.

lodingo.com

Timbuk2 launch hemp messenger bags

Hemp bags have been around some time now, but stylish hemp bags - they're a little harder to find, until now.

Timbuk2, a San Fransico based company who've been crafting messenger bags for 17 years, have just launched their first hemp and recycled PET bags, based on their classic messenger bag design, and in terms of style it is an evolutionary jump forward for hemp bags.

Like other Timbuk2 bags they are made in San Fran, feature heavy duty stitching, reflective tabs and a waterproof lining, but as only 100 limited edition bags are available at the moment you'd better act quick if you want to get your hands on one. At $165 they aren't the cheapest eco-bags available, but are easily one of the best looking.

timbuk2.com

Osprey launch new recycled bag range

Colorado based rucksack company Osprey have launched a range of daypacks and courier bags, called the Resource range, made from 70% recycled materials.

The products, which took two years to develop, are created from recycled plastic bottles and feature recycled plastic buckles, mesh pockets, webbing and zipper pulls. The bags also feature hangtags printed onto recycled card and the packs are even delivered into stores in a recycled polybag.

Osprey have long printed 'leave no trace' tags into their larger rucksacks and shown a strong commitment to the environment, so recycled bags were clearly the next logical step. Thankfully, these bags are stylish and colourful as well as eco-friendly and have plenty of room for a laptop.

There still seems to be a shortage of large capacity hiking bags made from recycled materials on the market, but hopefully it will only be a matter of time before Osprey expand the Resource range.

If you do snap up one of these new bags, check out the Osprey photo competition too - they want photos of Osprey packs in action for a future ad campaign, and all pics used will receive $100.

ospreypacks.com

Green Gear: Eco-shoes

Non-leather shoes aren't just for vegans anymore. There's a whole variety of recycled, natural product shoes out there, and none of them are made in sweat shops in third world countries. Here's a few of our favorite eco-shoes:

Simple Play Toe

Simple shoes go by the slogan 'shoes with less junk them', and like the rest of their Green Toe range, the Play Toe is made from sustainable materials, including jute uppers and laces, bamboo lining, recycled paper footbeds and a little natural latex. Simple have even reduced the stuffing in their packaging to reduce waste.

Available from Simple Shoes (US)

Read more...

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Komodo Sneakers

Komodo prove that eco-friendly materials doesn't mean a compromise on style. Their range of men's and women's sneakers are made by hand in Asia using local, sustainable materials including bamboo, banana plant, coconut fibres and hemp textiles.

Available from The Natural Shoe Store (UK)

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Terra Plana Escape Trainer

Terra Plana's range of worn again shoes are made from 99% recycled materials. The Escape shoe is made with recycled rubber soles and a combination of recycled T-shirt fabric and a material they call e-leather - which recycles leather scraps that would otherwise end up on the landfill. Terra Plana will also repair trainers if they have any production defects.

Available from Worn Again (UK)

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Pachira Hiker

Eco-friendly shoes are usually found in the leisure market, but this boot has been designed for use rather than fashion. The Pachira Hemp Hiking Boot is constructed from recycled pop bottles, recycled rubber tires, and hemp, and even comes in a shoe box made from recycled cardboard; and it's been made tough enough to handle most hikes and trails.

Available from Jade Planet (US)

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Patagonia Sneakers

Patagonia have been making eco-friendly gear for climbers, surfers and adventurers for years. This trainer is made with part leather, part hemp upper, and part recycled rubber for the soles.

Available from The Natural Shoe Store

Green Gear: Bathroom Products

Thinking green when it comes to packing your washroom bits and bobs will not only save you space but it will save you some cash too. Here's the Jamble guide to our favorite green bathroom products.

Soapods

Carrying washing powder with you on your travels isn't a great idea - especially when you have to go through customs. Soapods, however, are easy to carry around and get your clothes clean whether you handwash or use a washing machine; they're all natural too - the soapy pods are simply nut shells from the soapnut tree.

Available from ethicalsupermarket.com (UK)

Read more...

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Monte Bianco toothbrush

Billions of toothbrushes get thrown out every year, but with this toothbrush there's no need to throw out the handle as you can simply clip on a new head and keep brushing. Take a few replacement heads with you on your travels and you'll save money, space and help avoid expensive emergency dental treatment.

Available from naturalcollection (UK) Amazon (US)

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Organic shampoo and body bar

Ditch the plastic bottles and go for this two in one organic shampoo and body wash bar. Made with organic hemp seed, tea tree and coconut oils, its eco-friendly and space saving. And of course it can't explode and leak all over your clothes during a flight.

Available from green people (UK)

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Preserve razor

Over two billion disposable razors are thrown out every year in the US alone, the preserve razor, however, features replaceable blades and the handle can be recycled - and like all Preserve products, it is made from recycled Stoneyfield Farm yogurt pots.

Available from Amazon (US)

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Doy Bags

Small Doy bags make ideal wash/cosmetic bags but they also come in a wide range of styles and sizes including shoulder bags, backpacks and even i-pod holders. All the doybag styles though are made from recycled juice cartons and put together by a women's co-operative in the Philippines.

Available from ethicalsupermarket.com (UK)

World's first wind-up MP3 and Video player launched

For anyone planning to do a lot of travelling an MP3 or video player has become an essential bit of kit, and now, at last, a player has been launched that won’t run out of power half way through your 20 hour bus trek.

The eco-media player is the latest product from Trevor Baylis, the man who invented the wind up radio 16 years ago, and all it takes is one minute of winding to provide 40 minutes of music playback time.

The large, sturdy design makes it ideal for travel, and as well as playing several different music file formats the unit is also a video player with a full colour 1.8” LCD screen, a super bright led torch, an emergency phone charger, a photo viewer, an FM radio and a voice recorder. In fact, it seems the only thing this player won’t do is make you a cup of coffee.

The eco-friendly players, which are available online now for around £170 (but selling fast), come with a minimum 1GB internal memory and also have a SD memory card slot. The internal battery can also be charged via USB, providing 20 hours playback when fully charged.

We’ll have to wait until we get our hands this gadget before we can declare it the perfect media player for travel, but with no power adaptors or disposable batteries to lug around it already has a huge advantage of other media players and is definitely at the top of our most-wanted green gadgets list.

Available at: ethicalsuperstore.com
Tangogroup.net

Adnams brewery create eco-friendly ‘beer from the coast’

Backpacking and beer have always had a close relationship and most travellers can say ‘cheers’ in at least a dozen different languages – so the good news for green backpackers in London is that you can now get hold of an eco-friendly beer.

Suffolk based brewer Adnams, who produce beers such as Explorer and Tally-Ho, have recently installed a new energy efficient brewhouse, which instead of releasing steam created during the brewing process into the atmosphere redirects it back into the brewery to heat the following brew.

Adnams have also opened a new eco-friendly distribution centre, featuring a sedum roof, lime and hemp walls, rainwater harvesting and solar heating, which compared with their old warehouse, uses 55% less electricity and 30% less gas per square meter.

Earlier in the year Adnams also introduced a new light-weight bottle for their beer. The new design uses 34% less glass than their previous design and manufacture of the bottles moved from Scotland to Harlow – all off which results in lower fuel usage and Co2 emissions due to lighter transportation and fewer ‘beer miles’.

Adnams haven’t stopped there with their green initiatives, however. The brewery, located near the Suffolk coast (giving rise to their slogan ‘Beer from the Coast’) also organise regular beach clean-ups to help protect their local environment, with the next one taking place in mid-September, and keep an eye on the little things, such as switching computer monitors off at night.

Adnams don’t yet offer an organic beer, but are clearly in the running for the title of Britain’s greenest beer, and the most important factor of course, is that their beer tastes great.

beerfromthecoast.co.uk

Green Gear: Eco-flip-flops

Thongs, flip-flops, toe post sandals, whatever you call them they're a must have item for hitting the beach, bar, town, or wherever - Flip flops are the ultimate backpacker footwear; and now there's a decent choice of eco-friendly flip flops too too. Here's a few of our favorites:

Komodo Catch 22
Komodo have been knocking out stylish surf sandals for twenty years now, and during that time they've supported causes such as Free Tibet and become the flip flop of choice for celebs like Leonardo Di Caprio (they supplied clothes for the film 'The Beach'). Their latest range of sandals, which are made by hand in Bali, feature soles made from recycled motorbike tires and hemp, cotton and other natural fabrics for the uppers.
Available from: Sole Trader (UK)

Read more...

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Kenyan FairTrade Patti

The Patti is a flip-flop made by a co-operative of workers in the Korogocho shantytown in Nairobi. The shoes are made using denim and recycled tire tread rubber scavenged from the area - and all profits from the sale of the sandals go back to the people who make them. The shoes are available in the US from the non-profit organization eco-sandals

Available from Eco-sandals (US)

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Stop Global Warming Toepeeka

This flip flop is part of Simple Shoes' eco-friendly Green Toe range - and has a car tire outsole, organic cotton upper and recycled paper footbed. The folks at Simple will also ship the shoes in a biodegradable bag and donate $5 to stopglobalwarming.org for every pair sold.

Available from Simple Shoes (US)

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SoleRebels stripe sandal

SoleRebels are based on basic sandals called selates, which are made from discarded tire rubber and are popular with rebel armies the world over - hence the name. These shoes are even made by ex-rebel soldiers in Ethiopia, and also make use of locally grown, hand spun organic cotton and salvaged burlap.

Available from All Things Green (UK)
SoleRebels.com (ESP) Urban Outfitters (US)

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Splaff flops

These American-made flops have been made entirely with used recycled dirt track motor-racing tires, bicycle inner tubes and hemp fabrics, resulting in a 100% waste free and waterproof shoe.

Available from: Ethical Wares (UK) Amazon (US)

Teva launch new eco-shoe range

The evolution of green shoes seems to be flying along at rapid pace at the moment. Shoe companies are realising that being green isn't enough - eco-shoes also have to be fashionable; and the new 'Curbside collection' from Teva does the job nicely.

The shoes in the collection, which includes two styles for men and four for women, all feature recycled PET canvas lining and rubber outsoles using recycled car tires and factory scraps, and the packaging also uses recycled card and soy based inks - but most importantly the shoes look good too.

To enhance their eco-cred Teva have also arranged a series of river clean-up projects which will take place in cities such as Athens, Georgia; Eugene, Oregon and Flagstaff, Arizona.

The Curbside collection is designed more for lounging and hitting the bar than for sports or outdoor use - unlike many of the shoes in their complete range, but the curbside shoes will hopefully be the start of a much larger range of fashionable, Teva eco-shoes.

teva.com

Green Gear: Eco-bags

Any journey can be made a little bit greener with the right kit, and when it comes to buying an eco-friendly bag there are plenty to choose from. We recommend the following:

Freitag Renegade

The Swiss made Freitag bags are cut from old truck tarpaulins - each with a unique design, and finished off with handles and straps made from recycled bicycle inner tubes and old air bags. As well as backpacks, messenger bags and ipod covers, the Zurich outfit also produce the Renegade, a 2in1 bag designed especially for travel. The Renegade is both a medium sized locker bag and a small shoulder bag, but zip them together and you get a large flightbag too, making it ideal for city breaks.

Available from Freitag

Read more...

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Ragbag

These multi-colored bags are crafted from waste plastic bags – gathered by ragpickers in the slums of New Delhi. The plastic is sewn together and laminated into sheets of fabric to form the waterproof material used for these shoulder bags.

Available from Nigels Eco Store

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Hemp Eco 40 rucksack

Many eco-friendly bags currently on the market are designed for fashion rather than function, but this hemp and recycled polyester 40 liter rucksack bucks that trend, and features an airflow back, a double compartment with access from the pack bottom, a rain cover and pockets for cameras, documents and water bottles. For trekkers and hikers this looks to be one of the best eco-bags available.

Available from La fuma

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Hemp Suitcase

Forget about identikit luggage and get yourself a hemp suitcase to stand out on the baggage carousel. This suitcase, with an extendable handle and dozens of pockets, is made from a hemp and cotton blend and recycled metal work; it’s also approved by the World Wildlife Fund and Amnesty International.

Available from The Hemp Shop

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Smosho

Save pop bottles from the landfill with this rucksack made from recycled plastic. Each bag is made from around 12 two-liter bottles, all shredded, processed into a durable, water-repellant fabric, and dyed with an eco-friendly method. A single strap rucksack – the smosho bag – is also available.

Available from Natural Collection

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Voltaic

No need for universal power adaptors with this bag, simply plug in your ipod, camera or phone and the solar panels will recharge your gadgets while you stay on the move. The lightweight solar panels are waterproof, of course, so no chance of shocks, and a built in battery pack means you can store up solar power for use throughout the night.

Available from Voltaic Systems

Patagonia launch new eco-friendly shoe range

Outdoor gear specialists, Patagonia, have launched a new Spring 07 footwear range, and like all of their gear, the shoes are designed to be functional, fashionable and eco-friendly.

The new range is divided into three categories. The blue group is for for water-based activities and includes flip-flops and sandals, the Green group is for travel and includes casual shoes, boots and sneakers, and the Brown group is primarily for outdoor activities and features approach shoes and hiking boots, such as the GORETEX equipped ‘Nomad GTX’ boots pictured, which are made from recycled and natural fibres.

Patagonia have strict eco-standards in place for all their products. With this range any leather used is sourced from ISO 14001 tanneries; latex is from the milk of the Hevea tree, and footbeds and outsoles use part recycled materials.

As well as being eco-friendly, however, the new range looks great too - and thankfully the age of clunky, ugly looking eco-shoes seems to be well behind us. Check out our guide to eco-shoes if you need more proof.

The shoes are available at Patagonia's US online store, and at stockists across the globe - check the Patagonia website to find your nearest store.

patagonia.com

Barclaycard to launch green credit card

Credit cards have recently replaced travellers cheques and wads of cash as the most popular form of currency for travellers, and now UK backpackers can even choose a card that rewards them for using public transport.

The Breathe creditcard, available from July 2nd, will offer lower interest rates when cardholders buy train and bus tickets, or other eco-friendly products and services.

The card itself will be made from PETg - a more environmentally friendly alternative to current PVC cards, a recycling scheme will be available for old cards when new cards are issued, and statements will only be available online.

50% cent of Barclaycard Breathe profits will also be donated to environmental projects dedicated to reducing carbon emissions around the world.

Full financial details are yet to be announced, including exact details of the lower interest rate products, but the card will have a standard APR of 14.9%, which means it is likely to be a good choice for backpackers and travellers.

together.com

Freitag launch 2in1 recycled flight bag

Swiss bag company Freitag have been making bags made from old truck tarpaulins since 1993, and this week they launched their latest design - the Renegade.

Like all of Freitag's bags, the Renegade is cut by hand and also features parts made from recycled bike inner tubes, car seat belts and used air bags - which makes each bag unique, tough and waterproof.

The Renegade, however, is designed with city breaks in mind. The bag has two parts - a locker bag and a day bag, which zip together to form one large flight bag with 35 litres of storage space - but still small enough to take as a carry on bag on flights.

The design, according to Freitag, should stop you having to wander around looking like a lost flight attendant when you arrive in a new city.

freitag.ch

Mini wind powered phone charger to be showcased at Glastonbury

Prototypes of a new portable wind turbine, designed for recharging mobile phones, will be on display at this year's Glastonbury Festival.

The mini turbines, developed by mobile phone company Orange, weigh only 150grams and are small enough to pack in a rucksack. Once mounted onto a tent they will store up enough energy throughout the day to recharge a phone in around one or two hours.

The turbines are not yet on sale, and there's no mention of how they'd cope in a traditional Glastonbury downpour, but they certainly have the potential of being a useful addition to any camping or festival kit list.

gotwind.org

Sony reveal 'Odo' - eco-friendly concept gadgets

If you're heading off on your travels the last thing you want is a bag full of batteries, plug-in chargers and socket adaptors weighing down your bag.

Currently the only alternative are solar powered chargers such as the solio, but this week Sony Japan revealed a few concept products that use simple mechanics to generate the power.

Gadgets in the Odo range include the spin'n'snap digital camera, which is powered up by placing your fingers in two holes and spinning it around; the crank'n'capture video camera and the Juicebox - a small fold-out solar panel which can be used for charging other devices.

There are no details yet as to when these products will hit the market, if at all, or what materials they will be made from; but it is likely that they could make use of Sony's vegetable based plastic, which is derived from biomass and currently used for employee ID cards in Japan.

The Odo designs, however, are part of a continuing eco-trend at Sony, which has acknowledged its responsibility towards initiating public interest in eco-friendly products.

According to Sony designer Yasuo Kuroki "it's human nature to want products that are more affordable, even if they're worse for the environment. That's why self-respecting manufacturers must not give them the chance. We must educate the market consumer."

As part of Sony's environmental policy products are designed for low power consumption, packaging is designed to be recyclable and space saving, and products such as the tiny S series Walkman are designed to use fewer manufacturing resources.

Source: sony.net

World's first Sheep Poo air fresheners created

A Snowdonia based firm has created the world's first air freshener made from poo.

Creative Paper Wales, who specialise in transforming dung from Welsh sheep into paper, have added air fresheners with the smell of daffodils or freshly cut grass to their product line (and they do smell great).

The Sheep Poo PaperTM air fresheners can be hung anywhere that needs a little freshening up - including your car, which means your next roadtrip can be made that little bit greener.

The company also produce dozens of other products made from Sheep Poo PaperTM , including bookmarks, maps of Wales and Earth Day greeting cards.

Source: sheeppoopaper.com

Turn blue jeans into green sandals

We've previously reported on eco-shoes made from recycled rubber, plastics, and hemp - and now come sandals made from old denim jeans.

UK manufacturer softwalker have launched a new site called www.recycleyourjeans.com which takes in people’s old jeans and turns them into new sandals.

People signing up at the site are sent a prepaid, addressed envelope to pack their (preferably washed) jeans in and send them off for recycling. A week or so later a pair of Kalahari brand sandals “guaranteed made from your own jeans” arrives in the post.

The shoes, which cost £45, aren't just eco-friendly from a recycling point of view. According to marketing manager Cat Stables; “more than 99% of all footwear sold in the UK has travelled half way around the world before it gets to the consumer, whereas the Kalahari sandals are made locally and so have the lowest transport footprint of any sandal on the market”.

Source: www.recycleyourjeans.com