AUDIOBLOG: The Real Cost of Christmas Turkey

Every Monday we have an interview heard on PASSION for the PLANET.

Today, Alastair Currie explains why he believes we need to think more about our festive food shopping.

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You can hear more interviews on air and on demand at passionfortheplanet.com

£5,000 Prize Available to Transform an Ethical Business

Great news for Ethical Businesses – there’s £5000 up for grab!

The “Pledging For Change Ethical Business Advantage Award 2009” is a new competition to win £5,000 worth of business image development from the brand image experts, Creatively Minded Design.

Pledging For Change is an ethical community interest company promoting networking in the spirit of harmony with the planet and together with sponsors The SME Brand News, Creatively Minded design, Passion for the Planet and YouCanOnline they want to help small ethical businesses grow.

The organisers are looking for young or struggling ethical businesses which will really benefit from the transformation in image, online presence, marketing strategy and potential revenue this prize can open up.

They are looking for a business owner who is forward driven, ambitious and passionate about their ethical product or service. Someone who doesn't have the budget for brand development or the knowledge to ensure they exploit their business image at every given opportunity both online and offline. Someone who will really benefit from expert advice to help them STAND OUT and attract many new customers.

This Award also has a wider aim; to gather real life stories from ethical entrepreneurs, which can then be shared with other budding entrepreneurs to help them build their businesses. For example, how to get from a having a great idea to business launch and development, tips on overcoming typical business challenges, how to develop a brand on a shoe string budget, how to communicate a clear ethical message on social media, how to stay true to your ethical principles, how to market your business and grow your customer base and the practicalities of managing a positive business while keeping a work-family life balance.

The winning business owner will receive a bespoke prize package designed to help their business grow, plus there will be continued support from those backing the award. The prize package will help the winner to re-establish a niche, create the right business image, build credibility, put forward a clear business message, a consistent brand image and engage in marketing and social media promotion activities. The prize will include a website and training support. The prize is designed to help transform their business and give them a hand up towards a sustainable future.

To enter please join www.pledgingforchange.com (it is free to join) you can then sign up to the Business Image Advantage Group and complete the online entry form. Last date for submitting entries is Friday 11th December 2009.

Big News Name Getting Smaller

BIG NEWS NAME GETTING SMALLER
Kate Moody, FSN Washington DC Bureau

It's another casualty for the world of journalism - the Washington Post has announced it will close its remaining US bureaus (in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles). The six correspondents who work there have been offered positions in the Washington office, while three news assistants will be let go.

A memo from executive editor Marcuz Brauchli told staff: "Our commitment to national news of interest to our readers is undiminished, and we will maintain the level and caliber of coverage our readers expect." But even the Post's own media writer, Howard Kurtz, pointed out that the publication will be losing "the knowledge and experience of reporters who come to understand the local issues, personalities and culture of other regions by living there."

The move comes in stark contrast to a recent decision by the New York Times to expand its coverage in San Francisco and Chicago - and media insiders will be watching closely to see which strategy seems to be the most effective in the changing industry.

FSN is PASSION for the PLANET's award winning news partner, providing global news from bureaus worldwide.

You'll find more world news stories, plus analysis from FSN at FSN REPORTERS BLOG .

The Internet; how to stop wasting time and increase productivity

Avoiding Staff Misuse and Spam

Spam or unsolicited emails is the biggest waste of business time today.

As defences have improved so has the cunning of the “Spammers”. Last year they embedded all messages inside pictures to avoid detection, but the latest spam tools read the text inside pictures.
So first and foremost guard your email address as you would your pin number. If you put your email address on your website, put it on as a picture or break up the email, for example “sales @ abbeysupport dot com”. Also use a hotmail or gmail address for anything you register for.


We originally started stopping spam with Microsoft’s free offering or GFI Mail essentials and these blocked between 20-75% of spam, reducing user annoyance. They only occasionally gave a false positive.

Nowadays we have moved many of our customers over to a hosted spam solution, where your emails pass through a server which receives over a million emails a day, compares their content and source and strips out 90-99% of spam. It also has the facility to send you one email digest a day of all the emails blocked just in case of false positives.
With the basic version you even get another Anti-Virus clean, for the basic price of £15 per user per year, with the real added bonus that your internet is quicker because its not downloading spam messages.

Points to remember:
1) consider a hosted spam cleaning service
2) Publish email addresses on your website as picture only
3) Use Gmail or Hotmail for all product registrations

Internet misuse by staff is another big problem for many businesses – it leads to loss of productivity, slower broadband speeds and higher risks of infection.

I am repeatedly asked by owners of businesses what can be done to stop staff wasting company time on the internet. Surprisingly perhaps my answer is always the same: make sure you have an HR policy in place saying what is considered acceptable internet use and what is not.

The second stage is to remove messenger applications such as MSN messenger and Yahoo messenger. Combining this with the blocking of major sites such as “youtube” and “facebook” will reduce internet traffic.

The final solution is a hardware device, most of you will have a Zyxel firewall and it is possible to get a subscription service that will block certain types of sites based. This costs around £100.00 a year.

If you need more control of who can access what sites when, then there are devices from around £1,000.00 which allow you to control access on a per user basis. You get reports on internet usage and can allow all users access at lunch time or outside core hours.

Points to remember:
1) Put an HR policy in place and publish it to your staff
2) Block messenger applications and social sites
3) Upgrade your firewall or purchase an Internet proxy device

Anthony Melbourne is the founder of IT software and hardware support company; Abbey Support

Fancy a drink?

Millions of people in the UK spend millions of pounds on bottled water every year. And we’re being sold a scam… so let’s just clear something up;

By opting for tap water over bottles you can help the ENVIRONMENT, YOUR POCKET and YOUR HEALTH!


Now, if all this is true then why is bottled water such a successful industry? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that it isn’t a very sustainable way of doing business.

Some imported brands of bottled water are responsible for more than 300 times the CO2 emissions per litre than tap water (Thames Water 2009). According to WRAP three out of four plastics bottles are not recycled meaning millions of bottles needlessly end up in landfill. And even if they are recycled (which is far better than creating them from raw materials) it still leads to higher carbon emissions as the recycling process consumes energy.

Ignoring the environmental impact for a minute, why do people just keep reaching in to their pockets to buy another bottle of water when it’s so expensive?

According to the Consumer Council for Water bottled water costs 500 times more than tap water, so when we ask for bottled water at a restaurant it can be comparable to paying £1500 for a beer or glass of wine when we’d usually pay just £3. Interestingly, one in five people claim that they’re ‘slightly nervous’ or ‘too scared to ask’ for tap water (National Consumer Council). But the main reason is because of successful advertising campaigns which have managed to convince us that bottled water is somehow better for us.

However on the whole, tap water is just as safe, clean and healthy. And if you live in London (where the water certainly isn’t coming from any fresh water springs) then your tap water is actually rated top in the UK according the Drinking Water Inspectorate’s (DWI) annual water quality report in 2008. The DWI rigorously tests the quality of drinking water to make sure that it is safe in terms of bacteria, the chemical and metal content and perhaps surprisingly, how the water looks and tastes.

Further to this, The London On Tap campaign, a collaboration between Thames Water and the Mayor of London, recently launched a competition to design an iconic carafe to be used to serve tap water in restaurants, bars and hotels throughout the capital. So now restaurant owners can order a carafe with their logo on to serve tap water, which not only looks smart, but shows that their establishment has invested in our environment.

Now if you already know all of the above and in addition are trying to cut down on how much tap water you use (we salute you) then the Consumer Council for Water and the Energy Saving Trust have come up with these top tips to help you save money and the environment:

• Replace worn washers on leaky taps. A dripping hot water tap wastes energy and over a year could unnecessarily add over £18 to your annual water bill.

• Shorten your shower. For every minute you cut off your daily shower you could save between £5 and £10 off your energy bills over the year, or go one step further and install a water saving shower head, which can cut the amount of water used by about 30 per cent.

• When putting the kettle on to boil, only fill it with as much water as necessary. Two-thirds of us waste energy by boiling more water than we need.

• Make sure that the dishwasher or washing machine is completely full before turning it on, and avoid using the half load setting. Half-load cycles use much more than half the energy and water of a full load.

• Washing machines use huge amounts of energy, 90 per cent of which is through heating water. By reducing the temperature from 40 to 30 degrees, energy consumption will be reduced by 40 per cent.

• The hot water cylinder thermostat should be set at 60°C or 140°F. Any higher is a waste of energy and could lead to scalding.

• Insulate the hot water cistern to avoid wasting energy to keep it hot. Fitting a jacket that is at least 75mm thick could save around £35 each year.

Like so many environmental initiatives, when you think about it, it makes perfect sense, it saves you money and it’s actually very easy to do.

AUDIOBLOG: Timothy Freke & Re-writing the Bible

Every Monday we have an interview heard on PASSION for the PLANET.

Today Timothy Freke explains why the Bible needs a re-write.

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You can hear more interviews on air and on demand at passionfortheplanet.com

Do you want to get your music played on the radio?

Getting radio airplay is easier than you might think. This blog from Schofield And Company tells you how to do it, and I agree with every word. It’s aimed specifically at online radio stations, but the same applies to all types of radio station. So if you’re an aspiring musician here is what you need to know…

Step 1
Visit an online radio station database website to search for stations compatible with your music. Live 365 offers links to over 6000 stations. You can search by genre and each listing will have contact information as well as a link to the station’s website.

Step 2
Study the websites of those stations that interest you, and read their play lists. If you can see your music sitting comfortably alongside the names on the play lists, then put the station on your submission shortlist.

Step 3
Send emails to the contact persons of the stations on your list, politely asking if you can send them your music for airplay consideration. Be sure to address them by name, and let them know that you’re familiar with their format. This will show that you’ve done a little homework, and aren’t just sending out blanket emails to every station out there.

Step 4
Promptly mail your CD to any station that responds favorably to your query. Mail it in a padded envelope marked “Requested Material” along with a brief bio, photo and one-sheet. The one-sheet should be a basic overview of your CD with track names and their running times, along with a word or two about any standout tracks. Include a brief, personalized cover letter and remind them of your previous correspondence.

Step 5
Keep records of all submissions so you can send follow-up emails and keep track of your airplay. Remember these stations will have multiple submissions to review, so wait a couple of weeks before getting in touch again. When you do, be brief and courteous, and ask if the CD arrived and if there are any plans to add it to the rotation.

Step 6
Monitor the playlists of all stations that you submit your music to. It’s up to you to keep track of any airtime you receive.

Step 7
After airplay, thank the station for their support, and ask if there’s anything you can do to support the station. Whether it’s playing at a benefit show, or sending extra CDs for use as giveaways during fundraisers, anything that furthers the relationship will bode well for future airplay.

From Schofield and Company.

Tea Pots & Europe's Young Innovators plus Clinton in Vogue

BATTLE FOR EUROPE'S BRIGHTEST BRAINS
Nina-Maria Potts, FSN Brussels Bureau

Europe's top innovators, researchers and scientists still see the US as the best place to work, and tough economic times can only trigger more defections across the Atlantic.

The European Commission is again sounding the alarm, amid fears that shrinking investment in research and development, is likely to crush Europe's chances of ever catching up.

Having appointed 27 EU Ambassadors to champion European innovation, Brussels has now produced a 'manifesto'- designed to wake Europe up to the problem.

Even as a child, Damini Kumar told people she was going to be an inventor.

And she is now one of Europe's top young talents. She invented the world's first non-drip teapot; she is an international award-winner, and hopes to inspire young people across Europe to follow their dreams.

As one of 27 EU ambassadors trying to promote innovation and creativity, she has co-written a manifesto aimed at boosting funding, and making it easier for young innovators to emerge onto the market.

That's a problem Damini Kumar is all too familiar with. She invented a world-changing product that has won 15 awards worldwide, but she says, it is still not on the market.

" I invented the world's first non-drip spout, that can be applied to anything that pours, any liquid or teapot, a petrol pump, industrial machinery, simple innovation, a shape change, that makes any vessel non-drip or non-spill. That was in 1998, so up until now it's still not in the markets."

Damini Kumar says the absence of a single European patent for new products, makes it nearly impossible for young designers to protect, and market their work.

" Nearly all my wages go on my patents. It took nearly ten years to get it granted worldwide. And now still a lot of my money is in renewing those patents, for a product that's not actually in the market."

Not only that, but European companies often turn out to be risk-averse when it comes to picking up and running with a new idea.

" Companies either wanted to buy my patent, just to sit on it, so noone could enjoy it. The whole point of me inventing consumer products is so that people can enjoy them, and their lives are easier. // So they either wanted to sit on my patent, never to produce them, or it was Catch 22, the big companies said unless it's out there, we have no competition, so wait until someone else brings it out, and then we'll follow suit- now if they all say that to you, no-one's going to bring it out there."

Which is why, as part of an elite team of European innovators and scientists, she has told the European Commission how badly young designers and researchers, need support.

Briefing the President of the European Commission earlier, Damini Kumar said Europe is not lacking in big ideas, or knowledge, or know-how. The fundamental problem is education and a lack of funding and support.

" For me it's really important the barrier between art and science is broken down, in the education system, and that it's multi-disciplinary, as should businesses be later, the accountants should be speaking to the marketeers, should be speaking to the designers or the engineers."

For Christine van Broeckhoven, Professor of Molecular Neuroscience at Antwerp University, Europe's education system is the main problem, and one which does not encourage original thinking

" The education system is selecting more towards the average, than it is towards excellence."

Professor van Broeckhoven says any sign of entrepreneurship among innovators or scientists, is crushed by a lack of vision, both in academia and business.

" It's a huge bureaucracy, it's a huge administration, and then what have you done, only protected your idea, and then you have to bring it to the market, and there again you are talking about venture capital, because you are trying to find people who are interested in your idea, and that actually realize it, and it's all so slow, and it's all so bureaucratic, and lots of administration."

Europe's manifesto talks of nurturing lifelong learning, making schools and universities centers of creativity, transforming work places into learning sites, promoting diversity and scientific research, design and business innovation.

All aspirational goals - the stuff of manifestos. The question is, will it actually work?



HILLARY CLINTON IN VOGUE
Kate Moody, FSN Washington DC Bureau

Vogue has published a fascinating profile of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Writer Jonathan Van Meter followed her on a 10 day trip to Africa this summer, as well as spending time with her at the UN General Assembly and in her office at the State Department. Click here to read the web version of the article, which examines her relationship with the traveling press corps, as well as her internal struggle about whether to accept the job of America's top diplomat. It's a whole new side of the former First Lady. Make sure to look at the photo slideshow as well, which includes a great picture of Secretary Clinton at a cocktail party she threw for the media in Cape Town.

FSN is PASSION for the PLANET's award winning news partner, providing global news from bureaus worldwide.

You'll find more world news stories, plus analysis from FSN at FSN REPORTERS BLOG .

Make 2010 your best year yet!

How Your Intuition can help you achieve what you want

Do you want to move house, change careers or improve your love life?

If so, learn how to use your intuition and let it guide you in all that you do. Your intuition works in parallel to the Reticular Activating System in your brain that draws your attention to those things that are in line with your goals and desires.

Your intuition is quite literally free expertise and guidance that is available to us all, all of the time.

So how can we use it to help us make 2010 our best year yet?

Your intuition can help you to be successful in all that you do by helping you make good decisions, guiding you to the right people, and helping you recognise opportunities. It can be used to accurately guide you on your path to your desired outcomes and to bring you the things that you desire in life.

There are eight key steps to using your intuition in this way.

The first four deal with identifying what you want your intuition to guide you towards;

1) You must be very clear about what you want to achieve

2) You need to be quite detailed about what you desire, the more detailed the better. Don’t just ask for a new car, ask for the make, model, year, colour and interior that you want

3) You then need to totally let go of and detach from your request knowing that if you are clear and focused it will come to you in the very best way possible and at the perfect time

4) When you receive intuitive guidance about the things you desire you need to act upon it. It’s no good receiving it if you don’t use it.

The second four relate to the ways in which you can access your intuition:

5) You must understand how your intuition comes to you; for example is it a feeling, is it something you see, is it something you hear or is it an idea that just “comes” to you? Think about times in the past when you’ve used intuition – this will help you recognise how it comes to you

6) You need to be in a position to allow your intuition to operate; for example you need to be open, relaxed and receptive. Stress is the biggest killer of intuition. So allow yourself a few minutes to relax and quieten your mind – even five minutes is better than nothing and can open the door to your intuition

7) You need to be able to differentiate between the constant chatter in your head and your real intuitive messages. This can be difficult sometimes but there are some simple ways to tell the difference. For example, listen out for messages that are both positive and repetitive – this is a great indicator of intuition at work

8) You need to have the confidence and trust to follow the intuitive messages you receive and take action based on that guidance. The more you act on your intuition the stronger it will get and the more your confidence and self esteem will increase. If you are nervous and don’t feel you can “trust yourself” use it for small decisions to get you started. Very soon you’ll discover that it is reliable and easy to access whenever you need it.

My personal experience has shown me that if you follow these steps in a way that is open and relaxed you will find that your intuition and creative mind can bring you your desired outcomes for 2010 with ease. Sometimes the challenge is to believe how easy it is to draw things to you.

Over the last 10 years many of my clients have found that by using this method and by following their intuition, doors have opened for them and they have been able to draw things into their lives that were even more wonderful than they dared to imagine. Personally I used intuition to build and sell (in 2000) my first business and I continue to use it to build my current business and help clients from all over the world access, understand and act upon their own inner intuition.

Sarah Alexander is a performance coach and an expert in helping clients access their intuition. Go to her website for more information.

Getting relationships wrong hurts.

And when it’s our relationship with the world we live in it hurts more than just us.

Everything we do affects our world. Smile, don’t smile. Praise, criticise. Vote, stay at home. Buy fair trade, buy the cheapest. Think profit, think it through.

Personal or planet-wide, decisions and actions have consequences.

For example… too many sheep means higher insurance premiums, buying a fur coat costs you more than the price on the ticket, and driving your car increases the cost of bread.

Deforestation and over grazing by sheep in rural areas robs the land of its ability to absorb and retain rainwater. The water’s got to go somewhere … that’ll be rivers. Add too much rainwater going into rivers and you’ve got towns and villages becoming more prone to flooding. After Hue Edwards has slipped off his wellies and returned to the dry safety of Television Centre the less photogenic headline is higher insurance premiums.

In the 1930’s a South American mammal called the Coypu was introduced into the UK in fur farms. A few escaped from a farm in Norfolk and within a year they were destroying crops, digging into river banks and damaging drainage systems and flood defences. It took 50 years of hard work and many millions of pounds to eradicate the Coypu.

When you jump in your car to go to the shops you know that you’re adding the price of the petrol to your shopping bill. But did you also know that you’re increasing the cost of the food you’re buying? Cars release CO2 into the atmosphere and this changes our climate. A changed climate has lead to wheat crops failing in many countries. In particular Australia, one of the world's largest producers of wheat, is suffering from the worst droughts in a century. The failed crops have lead to a global shortage, affecting wheat prices and ultimately putting up the price of a loaf in supermarkets in the UK.

Every action we take can have a negative or positive affect on our relationship with the planet we live on. And just like relationships between humans, when we make a mistake and hurt a friend we rely on, we try to make amends, and so it is with the planet. We rely on the Earth and could not survive without it. So let’s consider our relationship with it and make amends for the hurt we’ve caused.

AUDIOBLOG: SUPER FOODS with KATE WOODS

Every Monday we have an interview heard on PASSION for the PLANET. Today Kate Woods explains what super foods are, and why they're good for us.

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You can hear more interviews on air and on demand at passionfortheplanet.com

Happiness starts at work.

So we’ve all heard the expression ‘happiness starts at home’. However, for a lot of people most of their waking lives are actually spent outside the home and in the office. So why then, don’t we make as much effort to improve our lives, and environmental efforts at work?

I know many people who spend hours cooking delicious organic dishes for dinner, are oh so sustainable on the weekends - recycling almost everything, composting food waste and tea bags, re-using yoghurt pots for labeling pot plants, walking their kids to the park saving an unnecessary car journey, and many other fantastic ways to be green.

But then during the week they end up having a supermarket BLT for lunch (or at best a packaged salad which probably contains more salt than it’s equivalent in sea water), produce tonnes of administrative waste that ends up in landfills rather than being recycled, have the company spend money on expensive paper and packaging while the offices pay electricity bills for vending machines that are filled with chocolate and crisps. Remember, even if you are a carnivore with a sweet tooth with no interest in reducing your carbon footprint – the money alone that’s being wasted here could be coming straight out of your pay cheque!

So what can you do about the harm being done environmentally, to your health and to your pocket?


Here’s a list of things you as an individual can change:

• Next to the printer have a pile of clean paper and scrap paper – print on the back of the scrap paper if it’s for internal use
• Have a stationary box for stationary you get given free at events. Okay – so I accept this might not be enough to supply your whole office but it will certainly cut down annual spending and reduce waste
• Re-use jiffy bags when you get sent a package. We keep ours in a filing cabinet drawer and have the right size bag for virtually anything we want to send out
• Re-use the piece of paper in between business cards that the printers use to stop them smudging and don’t throw away out-of-date business cards – both can be used instead of post-it notes
• Bring a homemade vegetarian lunch in – that extra vegetarian meal per day will make all the difference to your carbon footprint, be cheaper and hopefully improve your health [for some recipes see Munch Less Meat]
• If you drive to work, take public transport once a week. Friday is often a good day to do this as it also means you can have a sneaky drink on the way home!
• Don’t throw yesterdays water down the drain (kettle or bottled) – water the plants in the office instead when you go to refill
• Walk rather than taking the lift which will also have positive health implications
• Don’t overfill the kettle you only need to put in it what will be used when making everyone some tea
• Bring in chocolates / biscuits you receive for everyone to share – so technically this isn’t any more environmentally friendly but it’s a nice gesture which will cheer everyone up around you, save your waistline and in turn cut down the nations health bills (I could go on about the importance healthy eating habits at work here but I won’t…)

And here are some things that you can suggest that your office changes:

• Ask them to buy stationery only from sustainable office suppliers [such as The Green Stationery Company] and always choose recycled paper.
• Have recycling for paper, cardboard, bottles, cans, etc (label one pile as ‘to be shredded’ if you’re worried about confidential information being passed on)
• Suggest that staff bring in their own bottle to use for water rather than using polystyrene or plastic cups next to a water machine. For clients offer them a glass of water that you can wash up (this also looks smarter)
• If you have a canteen suggest they offer at least two nutritionally balanced vegetarian options
• Ask the offices to take out vending machines and replace them with better cooking facilities. If people want chocolate they can always bring it in rather than your offices paying for the electricity that a vending machine uses and adding to their carbon footprint

Swiss Church Changes

Today I'm at the Swiss Church in Covent Garden to see its radical redevelopment

Here's what the interior of the church looked like before ...

As you can see - the church has undergone quite a transformation, ahead of its official re-opening this weekend ...

The project has been led by architects Christ & Gantenbein.

Olly Barratt - FSN UK correspondent

FSN is PASSION for the PLANET's award winning news partner, providing global news from bureaus worldwide.

You'll find more world news stories, plus analysis from FSN at FSN REPORTERS BLOG .

Camley Street, King’s Cross – A Sustainable Vision

Alex Smith is the founder and MD of Alara Wholefoods – one of the UK’s biggest organic muesli manufacturers who are based in the heart of the capital at King’s Cross.

I love gardening, but more than that I love to grow food, and in this day and age when we spend so much money on food in the UK and yet there are people starving across the world I believe that we must move towards a society where we all grow our own.

It is all linked to the matter of fuel and moving from a non sustainable fossil fuel reliant society to a sustainable one who ‘welcomes the sun’ and harnesses alternative energy sources.

My food manufacturing company Alara Wholefoods is based right in the centre of London, the King’s Cross hub where historically there have been a huge amount of important social and economic developments throughout history. For example St Pancreas Old Church, which is based just down the road from me, is one of the earliest above ground Christian Churches in Europe, and near here at Battlebridge Queen Boadicea was finally defeated by the Romans, or so it is said…

Most importantly, I feel, for the development of London into one of the world’s greatest capital cities, was the completion of the Grand Union Canal in 1780 which allowed grain to be brought into the heart of the city via the River Fleet. Just down from Alara is Granary Street where the grain that was brought in along this water way would have been used to make bread and feed the growing population.

I feel this was one of the most important historical events for London as the growth in population to over 1 million people in 1785 (the second city to get to this size after Ancient Rome) led to an overall change in the structure of society. Governmental infrastructure was put in place and subsequently the Industrial Revolution, and from that the British Empire grew – all based on the ability to provide food for the fast expanding population.

Looking around this historical area nowadays I find myself becoming disheartened as to what has become left from the ‘green and pleasant land’ of the past that Blake wrote about in his famous poem. He lamented that the post industrial revolutions ‘dark Satanic mills’ were now covering the landscape, but amongst all the development and business I can see areas that could be green and pleasant once more….

My point is that here at the Kings’ Cross hub, which in my opinion was where London entered into the unsustainable industrial age, it is a perfect place to start to move to ‘Welcome the Sun’ and towards a more sustainable society. And it all comes full circle back again to food. Where once grain barges came to Granary Street to feed the population who worked to make industry great, now it is food that once more needs to be at the forefront of the change the way our society works.

All my business life has been about food, but more importantly organic food. I make muesli and at Alara we produce over 70 tonnes a week. I find it so crazy these days that so many people have no real concept of growing food, good nutrition, healthy eating – we live such a consumer way of life where the supermarkets supposedly have all we need and we don’t think twice about growing our own.

At Alara I decided to make my own Permaculture Forest Garden – Permaculture being the theory of using the space you have to produce the highest yield of crops. It took the removal of 50 tonnes of rubbish (the finest King’s Cross had to offer!) and the dreaded Japanese knotweed! I love my garden and found this year that I didn’t have to buy any fruit for me and my family – I always sit out there and eat my muesli in the morning looking at what we have achieved, whist hearing the roar of the express trains rushing by – my very own piece of green and pleasant land..

But it hasn’t stopped there; looking around the edges of the factory I kept noticing bits of land and thinking what we could do with them. Now we have London’s biggest inner city organic vineyard, and also a Community food garden with Camden Black and Minority Ethnic groups that is really thriving.

There are so many places that are wasted, so much potential for food growing for local communities, and all it takes is a bit of hard work and passion. There really is nothing better than eating something you have grown yourself….

A few weeks ago (Sunday October 18th) we held the Camley Street Apple Day which attracted over 250 people. The day was a fantastic celebration of that most English of fruits – the apple and much fun was had by all. It was also a way to bring people from the local area, community groups and organisations together to show them of the projects we have been undertaking already, to start a new project with our neighbours Booker Cash and Carry, and to look to the future of the Camley Street area.
Firstly the BME garden was opened by the Mayor of Camden who praised the hard work of the community groups who now are able to use the raised beds to grow produce for their community canteens. Many of the people in these groups used to grow their own produce before they came to London but are now without the space to do so, and so it is fantastic to see their growing knowledge and expertise coming to life once more.

Next we planted an Orchard in conjunction with our neighbours Booker Cash and Carry on land that up to now has been a grassy strip. Now it has a new, much more fruitful purpose.

Lastly I was able to introduce my Sustainable Vision for Camley Street and the surrounding area. As I mentioned there is so much land up and down Camley Street that is going to waste; it’s nasty, overgrown, dirty, dumping ground. So much could be done that would not only improve the look and feel of the place, but would also give rise to huge areas of food producing land for local businesses, communities and social enterprise. I think the people really got it, they saw what can be achieved with a bit of planning and some hard work but as always the more the merrier and when you have a group of you involved in planting an digging it is always easier to achieve your goal.

I have big plans for this area. We are currently moving forward with planning permission and funding for a small community scale Anaerobic Digester (the first of its kind in Europe) which would produce tonnes of digestate for these areas that I see in the area, and really help these small projects to get off the ground.

In summery there’s a huge amount of potential here, and I know this is the same all across the capital. Food is the most important commodity and we often really take it for granted, but I hope that we can all start to grow our own and reap the benefits of doing so.

For more information about the Camley Street vision and Alara please visit Alara's website.

Why we should remember the other 9/11

Monday was a big day. The 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

On 9th November 1989 I was in Cologne, at the radio HQ of BFBS, prepping the next day’s breakfast show. Then the world changed. Instead of picking three hours of music and writing some gags before heading for the bar, I found myself producing my friend Alton Andrews’ Drive Time programme as our colleagues based in Berlin described the incredible scenes live to our audience across West Germany, Holland & Belgium. It was a blur of activity, I don’t remember any details, I’m not even sure if I ever made it to the bar. Pretty sure we didn’t play David Hasselhoff’s “Looking For Freedom” though.

A few months later I started presenting the breakfast show from Berlin. The Wall was still there, but the city was becoming less divided, with East Berliners loading their trabants with treasure from West Berlin supermarkets. That’s what was important about that other 9/11. The world got better. The lives of millions of people got better. And who did they have to thank? Mostly themselves.

The chain of events that led to the Wall coming down started in September 1989. Hungary had removed it’s defences along the border with Austria, and thousands of East German tourists took advantage and crossed the border. Thousands of other East Germans were prevented from reaching Austria, so they swamped the West German embassy, refusing to return home. The same thing happened in Czechoslovakia. This kicked off the Peaceful Revolution in East Germany, which pushed the East German authorities into easing travel restrictions and resulted in thousands of East Berliners gathering at the Wall on 9th November demanding access to the West.

That day saw a shift in the political landscape, changing Germany, Europe and the world. And ordinary people did it. That’s worth remembering.

What will we do next?

AUDIOBLOG: The Berlin Wall

Germany and the world have been marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and Olly Barrett has been speaking with Dr Robin Niblett of Chatham House about British reactions at the time, and how those momentous events have shaped Anglo-German relations since.

Dr Niblett says even experts at thinktanks like Chatham House were surprised when the Wall fell. Listen here.

Olly Barrett is part of the team at FSN, PASSION for the PLANET's award winning news partner, providing global news from bureaus worldwide.

You'll find more world news stories, plus analysis from FSN at FSN REPORTERS BLOG.

Armoured Tanks, AK47s, cups of tea and tears.

Did Radovan Karadzic have a deal with the Americans? I hope not. I’ve seen, first hand, the devastation of war in the former Yugoslavia.

I remember standing in what had once been a thriving ski resort in the mountains of Bosnia. Only a few years before this area had been full of tourists. Now the hotel was a burnt wreck, the ground at my feet littered with spent shells from AK47s, and looming lonely in the debris was a memorial to the men who had fought and died here just a few short years ago.

I was under strict instructions not to leave the path as the area had been mined. On our journey up here we’d passed at least three separate tanks sitting in the middle of fields – they’d been blown up by mines, their inhabitants killed, their bodies left to rot as no one dared cross the grass to retrieve them.

It’s 1996 a year after the Dayton Peace Agreement and I am in Bosnia reporting on the peacekeeping work of the British Army. I spent a few days in Gornji vakuf which was a town that had been in the front line during some of the fiercest fighting. It was strategically important as it was at the crossroads to central Bosnia. It was socially important as it was home to almost equal numbers of Bosnian Muslims and Croats.

At the height of the war in 1993 the town was divided; Bosnians on one side of the High Street, Croats on the other and snipers on every roof ready to take out anyone that moved near the border between the two areas.

By the time I was there the snipers had gone and there was an uneasy peace as people tried to forget the past and move on. But it’s difficult to do that when all the houses are damaged, the shops are burnt out and wrecked cars litter the streets; a stark reminder of the pain and hate that filled the air only months before.

It was fascinating to see that it was the cafes that were the first to open for business. They served a rough and highly potent drink called Slipovitch (nicknamed “slip in a ditch – because that’s what you’d end up doing if you drank too much of it). The bars were bright and welcoming and fully renovated – no sign of the war left to disturb the customers. Does this say something about where we place our priorities and the human love of alcohol? Or is it because we’re desperate to return to normality after such horrors? Many of these bars became the focus for “business” deals, unofficial agreements and black market trading.

I met some amazing people during that trip to Bosnia – people that inspired me and moved me. I remember one elderly lady who welcomed me into what was left of her home and gave me tea, insisting it was served properly; from a pot, into china cups on a table with a tablecloth. These people had virtually nothing left, they had lived through hell and still they welcomed me and fed and watered me. She told me (through an interpreter) that soon after the war broke out her neighbour had fallen ill. But her neighbour was a Serb and most of the village was Muslim, so no one was willing to help him, even though he was ill and elderly. So she had walked to the nearest hospital which was four hours away to get him medicine. The village ostracised her for helping a Serb. She was lucky that that was all they did. She nursed her neighbour until he died. No one would help her bury him. So she and her sons chopped up their only table to make him a coffin and buried him in his back garden.

I listened in awe to this woman and how she’d found the strength to survive and stand on her own when the village turned against her and war raged around her. We couldn’t speak each other’s language but it didn’t seem to matter. We sat together on her sofa holding hands, talking, not to the interpreter, but to each other through the interpreter, tears streaming down our cheeks as she told her story so full of raw emotion.

I saw many things during my time in Bosnia –some truly inspiring, some truly horrific, but none affected me more than the hour I spent with this lady hearing her story and seeing her house – a house, a home, a family, a life – that had once been quite similar to the one we live in the UK, and yet was now changed forever.

That trip was 13 years ago and I haven’t thought about it for a long time. And that’s a mistake. It’s easy to forget that there was a war on our doorstep. It’s easy to forget the atrocities and focus our attention on newer more newsworthy areas of the world. The former Yugoslavia hasn’t miraculously sorted itself out, there was no group hug, no getting drunk and letting bygones be bygones. Instead there is a fragmented country with a population emotionally and physically scarred, a people living with an anger that hasn’t gone away.

I am not suggesting that we must all remember the conflict in Bosnia in particular. After all what makes it “more (or less) important” than Rwanda or Chechnya or any other country affected by conflict? I am however suggesting that sometimes we should take a minute to remember the conflicts and people affected, we should be thankful that its not us and we should remember what’s important to us. I don’t want to have to live through a war to find out what’s really important to me. And I don’t want to let my prejudices or my bigotry (and we all have both), lead me willingly into conflict. I haven’t experienced war first hand, but I have seen, heard, smelled, touched and been touched by the consequences of conflict – and that’s enough to let me know there is very little that makes a war worthwhile.

Distributing food, maybe one day in a flying car?

New York non-profit distributes leftover Yankee Stadium food
Feature Story News New York Bureau Chief Nathan King has filed the following video.




British Space Agency tests 'crackpot' anti-gravity device
Apparently the device works by shooting microwaves into a specially shaped metal tin. It hits one end of the tin with more power, causing it to float. Regardless of how it works, I'm looking forward to driving a flying car while cooking frozen burritos. Brad Zerivitz reports.




FSN is PASSION for the PLANET's award winning news partner, providing global news from bureaus worldwide.

You'll find more from world news stories, plus analysis from FSN at FSN REPORTERS BLOG .

10 Things To Do If You're Feeling Stressed

Sometimes we don't want to admit to feeling overwhelmed, we feel we should be able to cope with everything life throws at us and that we'd be admitting to a weakness, or our career may be under threat, if we say we’re stressed.

For many people though, it’s just that the difference between stress and pressure is not clear. That means they're not aware of the effects undue stress can have on their physical, mental & spiritual wellbeing and what can be done to make things better.

Which is why everyone needs to understand stress and its implications.

The good news is that there are many proven techniques, which can help…

• reduce undue stress
• improve quality of sleep
• reduce anxiety, panic & phobias
• reduce blood pressure
• calm nerves
• restore mental and physical health
• improve relationships & communication
• restore a positive mental attitude
• restore self-confidence
• improve performance & enjoyment of life
• help people understand more about themselves and what they want out of life so they make the right choices for them
• give people the tools to go for it!

Big claims I know, but in the words of one client; "This stuff works, doesn't it?" Yes it does and it transforms the lives of those people who work with stress management techniques.

There is a lot of debate in the wellbeing industry about the definition of stress and nobody seems to be able to settle on one definitive description. Why? Because:

• stress is a very individual thing and can mean different things to different people at different times in there lives
• although we think that situations and people cause us stress, it is not the situation or person that stresses us, but our own reaction to it. That puts us in a lot more control as to how we deal with it and
• there is a huge difference between short term pressure after which we return to normal mental and physical good health and long term, unabated pressure which causes undue stress and can lead to serious illness

When we perceive that we are under excessive pressure for one reason or another, there is a reaction in the body called 'fight or flight' which affects just about every system in the body. This is great in the short term as it allows us to either escape danger or face it and survive. But herein lies the rub.

It’s called The Stress Paradox.

After periods of excessive pressure like this over a short time, our body and minds are designed to take a break and give themselves a chance to restore equilibrium and for the body's functions to return to a more relaxed state.

The issue is that our current 24/7 culture teaches us to be on the go 24/7 and often even our 'relaxation' time is filled all the time with things which excite us. Our exercise regimes, where we go on holiday, how we spend our time – all are packed with stuff that takes us to 'the edge' and fills every waking moment.

In short, we've become adrenaline junkies!

When we constantly find ourselves in an over-stimulated state, it becomes a habit and we can't return to relaxation even if we want to. This means we leave ourselves exposed to becoming:
• hypervigilant causing anxiety, fears & phobias
• over-emotional and irrational in our thinking
• unable to relax and take time out
• physically unwell because our immune system is affected
• unable to make clear decisions
• lacking in energy and constantly tired
• unable to enjoy where we are right now and constantly unsatisfied with what we have and where we are
• unhappy with who we are and/or with those around us
• unhappy because we feel victimised and unlucky and often blame others for our situation
• unhappy with life

Over a period of time, this can manifest itself in numerous ways and often with physical, mental and perhaps most importantly spiritual (in its broadest sense!) illness. At best it makes us extremely uncomfortable and unhappy. At worst, it's potentially fatal.

Thinking you can battle through it couldn't be further from the truth and is just another symptom. Undue stress does NOT go away if untreated. It gets worse until the symptoms are such that you HAVE to do something about it.




So What Can You Do About It?

What is essential to understand is that, unless you're willing to change some of the things you do, no amount of workshops, seminars, counselling or coaching will make any difference.

People who are experiencing undue stress are not 'bonkers' and they are not 'weak'. Without exception, they are all extremely capable people. They're just overloaded or facing a particular challenge. They've either reached a crisis or challenge in their lives or need some practical coaching. They're looking for a non-judgmental, practical and objective approach to life and they're open to exploring new ways of thinking and behaving.

They may for example be dealing with:
• Relationship issues at home or at work
• Ill-health or sick relatives
• Feelings of being victimised
• Lack of self-esteem
• Feelings that, 'there must be more to life than this!'
• Conflict
• Communication issues
• Phobias, anxiety and fear
• Negative, self-critical and unhappy behaviour
• Major life and career decisions
• Exam nerves
Or any situation which makes them feel out of control and overwhelmed. The great thing is that there is plenty on offer to reverse that trend.




10 THINGS TO DO IF YOU THINK YOU MAY BE UNDULY STRESSED

1. Review what’s going on in your life and try to identify the triggers and symptoms. There is a Free Stress Questionnaire on www.breathingspacetherapies.com/
2. Learn how to use breathing & relaxation techniques to calm your nervous system down.
3. Regular exercise is not only good for us physically, but also is a great stress-reliever. Make sure you build exercise into your daily routine. Walk to work instead of driving, take dancing lessons, take up a sport, walk up the escalators instead of standing on them etc. There are many ways you can build physical exercise into your routine without going anywhere near a gym!
4. Limit your intake of pre-prepared, take-away and processed foods. The more fresh, unprocessed foods you eat, the better your body is able to process them. Reduce your intake of fizzy drinks (including low calorie versions), white bread, white sugar, caffeinated drinks, eat more fresh fish, salads, fruits, vegetables, stir fries and so on and drink plenty of still water.
5. Take regular breaks of a few minutes every hour and take a break away from your work or house during the day for at least half an hour to give your body and mind to refresh themselves. It’s often in periods of rest that we come up with our best ideas and solutions and constant activity is inefficient and stressful.
6. If you are constantly trying to please others and find yourself in stressful situations, battling to keep up, put your own health and wellbeing first because then you are in a better position to take others into consideration.
7. Monitor your talk about yourself and others? Is your language negative or positive? Are you kind to yourself and others? Do you constantly see the downside in everything? Maintaining a balance between positive and negative thinking is essential to positive stress management and wellbeing. Proven techniques help you retrain your mind to a more balanced way of thinking.
8. Do you sleep well? 6 to 7 hours good sleep a night restores all the body and mind’s functions and even boosts your immune system. For a free download ‘An Easy Guide to a Blissful Night’s Sleep’ visit www.breathingspacetherapies.com and click on the icon at the bottom left hand corner of the screen for an instant download.
9. Do you have even a short time to yourself most days? If not, look at ways you can create space for yourself to read, relax, take part in a hobby, listen to music and so on and make ‘you’ time a priority.
10. If you think you need professional help, seek a specialist in Stress Management in your area who will introduce you to proven techniques to reverse unhelpful trends.

Annie Lawler is Managing Director of Breathing Space Therapies & Breathing Space for Business. For further information, contact Annie Lawler on 0772 581 8884, email on annie@breathingspacetherapies.com.

The Cost of Not Keeping Your Car Clean

Want to keep your car insurance low? Keep your car clean.

If you've got a Pure Highway [or similar DAB radio] or a SatNav for your car, you're probably very careful about moving that expensive bit of kit out of sight when you leave your vehicle. But do you think about the marks made by the suction cups? Apparently scumbags are looking out for suction cup marks, breaking in and ransacking glove boxes for DAB sets and/or SatNavs.

So, remember to wipe your windscreen and dashboard.

Can golf courses help save threatened birds?

Environmentally friendly and rich in biodiversity are not phrases you often hear associated with golf course.

However they could be ideal places to provide sanctuaries for threatened birds and other wildlife.

In the past golf courses have been criticised by green groups for excessive water, pesticide and fertiliser use but a new joint publication, Birds and Golf Courses: A Guide to Habitat Management, marks a change in attitude by the industry.

The good news is there are golf courses across the UK, where wildlife friendly measures have been a success. Every golf course has the potential to be a sanctuary for wildlife, and to provide an important stepping stone for birds and other animals whose habitat is under threat.

The emphasis now is on encouraging more clubs to do their bit to help protect birds and other wildlife. For example planting native plants like heather and creating reed beds and hay meadows as well as reducing pesticide and fertiliser use can all make a big difference to birds like skylarks, woodlarks, and corn buntings.

Across the UK there is 140,000 hectares of rough and out-of-bounds areas on golf courses which could be managed for wildlife. This is the same sized area covered by all the RSPB’s UK nature reserves!

It’s good to know that there has been a growing awareness over the past decade or so that courses need to do more for wildlife. While there are some green-keepers who still put more water and pesticides on their courses than the environment can stomach, there are many golf clubs that are managing habitats for wildlife on their land.

One golf course owner who is blazing a trail for wildlife is Paul Stevenson, from New Malton Golf Club in Hertfordshire. As well as cutting down on chemical and water use he has used the 40 hectares of out-of-bounds areas on his course to create habitats for birds and other animals.

So next time you are out for a round, take a look around you and see what wildlife is watching the play. And if there isn’t any – ask the club to make their greens more welcoming.

AUDIOBLOG: Wine Tasting with Elly Munro

Every Monday we have an interview heard on PASSION for the PLANET.

How many times have you stood in a shop staring at a wall of wine bottles hoping for some inspiration, determined not to give in to the easy option of going for a Hardys, Gallo or Jacobs Creek? Do you know what you like when you taste it, but don't know what to look for to give you that taste? Then you need some top tips from wine expert Elly Munro. CLICK FOR INTERVIEW

You can hear more interviews on air and on demand at passionfortheplanet.com