Bricolage is a word that has been bouncing around in my mind for some time now. I wrote an article at EcoStreet a few months ago about an artist called Cynthia Korzekwa who uses the junk that she comes across as a housewife to make art, which is when I discovered the concept of bricolage. Bricolage is, in essence, a form of recycling. It is defined in Wikipedia as “the construction or creation of a work from a diverse range of things which happen to be available”. And as we humans are so very talented as creating rubbish, rubbish is a thing that happens to be available. Heaps of it.

If you aren’t the creative sort yourself, support bricoleurs and the environment by buying art made of recycled odds ‘n ends.

Just as valid to us here in the UK as it is to America, this hilarious video pushes home the recycling message.  So, get your recycling ducks in a row, or the “trash annihilator” may be closer than you think.

Not having set foot in an office for over four years now, I have become rather dependent on my denim jeans, in fact, they are my standard uniform as a stay-at-home-mother and freelance blogger. Consequently, they get plenty of wear, and to stay true to my green convictions, I’ve become rather a whizz at repairing them when they suffer a rip or tear, as jeans often do when they’ve worn thin over the knee or rear end.

I called on a skill that I learned many years ago from a boyfriend who, unless you actually saw him sewing, you just would not believe had any talent for stitching. But stitch he did, and he mended numerous pairs of my jeans over the years that we were together. Here’s how he did it.

Step 1: Keep a stash of old denim from jeans that are too far gone for repair as your source of patches.
Step 2: Cut a patch from your denim stash that’s big enough to cover the tear with at least 5cm to spare on each side.
Step 3: Turn the jeans that you are about to repair inside out and pin the patch over the tear.
Step 4: Sew (either by hand or by machine) the patch onto the inside of the tear, about 2cm away from the tear itself.
Step 5: Turn the jeans back the right way round. The tear will still be there, but underneath it you will have intact denim to keep breezes out.
Step 6 (optional): If you are working on a sewing machine, you could give the patch some reinforcement and decoration by running either zig-zag or strait stitches across the outside of the tear and patch, across diagonally, vertically or horizontally (or all of the above).

If all else fails and your jeans are destined for the patch stash, buy yourself a new pair of jeans that are as ethical as you are.

TreeCycle will see Shrenik Rao undertake a 3900km cycle ride ‘Along the length of India in 80 Days’ as part of the United Nations Environmental Program’s ‘Billion Tree’s Campaign’.  He will set off on the 5th of June 2008 (World Environment Day) from Kanyakumari, India’s southernmost tip, and finish at Kashmir, India’s most northerly state on the 24th of August.

Shrenik is setting out to raise awareness of global warming and to raise a pledge to plant 10 million trees, one for each of the calories that he will burn during the cycle ride.  TreeCycle will be made into a six part documentary series to be screened globally, so keep an eye out for it on television later in the year.

The project has fostered a large amount of local support. For instance, the Surveyor General of India helped plan the route, Hyderabad Urban Development Authority pledged to plant 2.5million trees and the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) have provided a specialist cycling coach to train Shrenik.

If you’re feeling inspired by that, why not pledge to plant a tree too.  Or you could plant yourself some fruit and vegetables to harvest later on in the year to save some food miles.

Everybody seems to be talking about mineral make-up at the moment, so I decided that the time had come to try it out, and tell you about it.

What makes mineral make-up so special is that:

a) it’s much easier to apply than regular foundation,

b) it’s completely natural, and

c) it’s good for your skin.

Mineral make-up is made of (insert drumroll here) just minerals. Nothing else. No parabens. No oils. No fillers.  Nothing. It doesn’t block pores like regular foundation, and it is brilliant at covering blemishes and redness. Are you convinced yet?

It’s very easy to apply, using a brush called a Kabuki. You tip a tiny amount of the mineral make-up powder into the lid, swirl the brush in it, and then apply in circular motions to your face and neck, blending it evenly. It’s extremely easy, I’ve never looked more perfectly made up, and you just don’t get that caked on look, or tide marks.

So if you’re a regular make-up wearer, give this a try.  And if you’re not (like me), I’d still recommend giving it a try, it may change the way you feel about make-up.

Organic is one of the buzzwords of this decade and the number of organic products on offer has soared over the past few years. But what does organic mean? And how do you know that you’re getting what you pay for?

If you’ve not been sure about what you’re getting when you choose organic, you’ll be pleased to know that organic is a word defined by law, and that any food labelled organic must meet strict standards set by the Soil Association (or other organic certification organisations in other parts of the world). So as long as you’re choosing food labelled with the Soil Association logo on the product or packaging, you’re getting something that’s guaranteed to be organic.

Here’s the definition of organic, courtesy of the Soil Association (www.soilassociation.org):

Organic systems recognise that our health is directly connected to the food we eat and, ultimately, the health of the soil.

Organic farmers aim to produce good food from a balanced living soil. Strict regulations, known as standards, define what they can and can’t do. They place strong emphasis on protecting the environment.

Organic farmers use crop rotations to make the soil more fertile. For example, a farmer might graze sheep on a field one year, making the soil more fertile, then plant wheat the next and so on.

They can’t grow genetically modified crops and can only use - as a last resort - seven of the hundreds of pesticides available to farmers (the Soil Association, however, only allow four of these).

Parasite problems in farm animals are controlled through regularly moving the animals to fresh pasture and other preventative methods, rather than routinely dosing the animals with drugs.

Here are some of organic farming’s main features:

• Organic farming severely restricts the use of artificial chemical fertilisers and pesticides
• Instead, organic farmers rely on developing a healthy, fertile soil and growing a mixture of crops
• Animals are reared without the routine use of drugs, antibiotics and wormers common in intensive livestock farming

Making the switch to a greener energy tariff is easy, simple and can save you money. Here’s a step-by-step guide explaining how to switch to a greener energy provider with Pricegrabber.

Step 1: Click on this link to be taken to Pricegrabber’s Utilities page. You’ll find yourself at a webpage that looks like this:

Step 2: Enter your annual fuel bills and your postcode in the fields provided and click on “get quote”.

Step 3: On the next page (see below) fill in your existing supplier details and your method of payment preference, and click on “search”.

Step 4: You’ll end up with a page of results like the one below. Click on the GREEN tariff button to have only green tariffs listed.

Step 5: Choose your green tariff, click continue and provide your personal details to make the switch.

It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. And once you’ve switched, you’ve instantly reduced your carbon footprint without very much effort at all.

Hayfever is a widespread problem in the UK and as the pollen count rises Springtime can mean suffering and irritation to many. Here are some alternative natural remedies to sooth the discomfort of hayfever.

HayMax is an organic, drug-free pollen barrier that works by wiping a little HayMax around the bottom of your nose so that pollen is trapped before it gets inside your body. No pollen, no sneezing. It’s as simple as that.

Local honey can help desensitise you to local pollens. Just take a spoonful of locally produced honey (find it at a local farm shop or farmers market) every day from a month or two before the hayfever season starts.

The Bionaire BAP412 Mini Tower air purifier has a washable HEPA filter that removes up to 99.97% of all airborne pollution, allergens, smoke and odours, helping to make your indoor environment a hayfever free zone.

Green Tea contains catechins, which have a natural antihistamine effect.  Drink two or three cups daily during the hayfever season.

Great looking bags that are planet friendly. Ecoist makes accessories made from mostly repurposed and sustainable materials. They are produced in fair trade, sweatshop-free environments. Get your Ecoist bag here.

Now that Spring appears to be here, let’s get outside for some gardening. Growing our own food and enjoying our outside space is a great way to relax. Or for some close encounters of the wild kind, attract wildlife into your garden too by providing a habitat and food for birds, butterflies, bees and other creatures. Here are some useful eco-friendly garden gadgets to help you.

Growing your own
Forget about buying sowing and seedling pots, instead recycle old newspapers into pots with a Paper Potter. It’s easy to use and newspaper pots rot away meaning minimal disturbance to tender roots when you transplant them.

Encouraging wildlife
Give ladybirds some natural habitat in your garden with a lady bird tower. Ladybirds control aphids and so are a very beneficial insect to encourage. Do some bird watching in your own garden. Feeding the birds will bring them to your garden.

Stocking the garden shed
Having a ball of organic jute string in the garden shed is an absolute necessity. This one comes on a handy beech spindle stand for keeping it at hand for jobs in the garden.

Enjoying your outdoor space
A throw is perfect for sitting out in on cool Summer evenings, around a chiminea or fire-pit.