Can A Stainless Steel Soap Really Work?

Well that’s what I’ll be finding out soon – whether a small (5cm) stainless steel alloy disc can really be as effective as a soap.

The Ziloclass Smellkiller from Zilonka has been sent to me by Big Green Smile and I’m currently testing it ready for a review in the next couple of weeks. Will I be amazed or disappointed? Keep checking back to find out.

Drink Wine, Donate Water

Online wine vendor CellarThief donates 100 days’ worth of clean water for every bottle of wine it sells.

From the site “Almost 1 billion people on the planet don’t have clean drinking water – that’s 1 in 8 people. Not having clean drinking water leads to terrible illness and death – in fact 42,000 people die every week from a lack of clean, safe water with 90% of those deaths being children 5 years old or younger. If you help us sell this wine out, the Bounty is awarded! We’ll tag on another 50 days of clean water for every bottle of wine sold! That totals 5 months of clean water per bottle of wine – that can make a difference!”

A great idea, if you’re buying wine anyway, and it’s the same price as somewhere that donates water, then why not buy from them? Shipping for 3 or more bottles is $5.

[Via: Springwise]

Duchy Originals Organic Select Ale Eco Product Review

I’ve reviewed a Duchy Originals beer before (here) and was quite impressed with it. Duchy Originals is a brand launched by Prince Charles, HRH the Prince of Wales, and spans a huge range of products from bath foam (which I reviewed here) and this, its Organic Select Ale.

The brand is only sold online in the UK or through supermarket Waitrose so remains quite exclusive. Its products are usually organic and made with quality ingredients which mean they’re not cheap. And this is the case here, the Organic Ale isn’t much cheaper than buying a pint in the pub – it’s £2.15 in Waitrose – and it’s made from Plumage Archer barley harvested from organic farms around the UK. One of those farms is High Farm at Highgrove – the Prince’s country home.

This is a fuller-bodied (ie heavier) beer than the ‘just’ Organic Ale and is quite strong – 6.2% as opposes to 5%. And it’s immediately noticeable in the taste. It’s more flavoursome and feels more substantive. It claims to dried fruit and toffee flavours with bitter citrus notes but as anyone who has ever read one of my beer reviews will know, I find it hard to notice those flavours. I would say there’s maybe a hint of toffee but gnerally I’d say it has a nice flavour!

I suppose it’s best to compare this to its less alcoholic counterpart and should you pay the 16p extra for it? Well it’s probably worth it, I would say that’s better value than the cheaper ale as it’s stonger – the bottle is nicer (if you care about that sort of thing!) and it is more flavoursome – something to be savoured. I doubt I could drink many of them in a go though and the other ale is a little lighter and fresher.

Duchy Originals Organic Select Ale costs £2.15 for 500ml from Waitrose and is 6.2% abv.

Discovery Channel’s LIFE Comes Alive on March 21st

On March 21st Discovery Channel’s LIFE premieres. It’s an 11-part follow up to PLANET EARTH which is the most successful natural history documentary of all time.

“While PLANET EARTH told the story of the natural world through the framework of our planet’s ecosystems and regions, LIFE takes us on a more intimate journey, introducing different animal and plant groups, using the latest in HD filming techniques to show jaw-dropping behaviors never witnessed before. Narrated by Oprah Winfrey and spanning all seven continents, LIFE took over four years to produce and every minute of footage in the series is new.”

Made by the BBC and Discovery, there are some cool previews of the series are below (warning, advert before each one)

From Challenges of Life (Premiering March 21 at 8 PM ET/PT)
Cheetahs Hunt Ostrich:

Stalk-Eyed Fly:

From Reptiles and Amphibians (Premiering March 21 at 9 PM ET/PT)
Komodo Dragons Hunt Buffalo:

Waterfall Toad Leap from Danger:

Turning Trash Into Toys

At school we used to make rocket ships from toilet paper rolls and washing up liquid bottles. Make Do from Australia have turned this into a business and taken it one step further with their product that enables people to make fun stuff out of waste materials such as cardboard, plastic and fabric.

A Make Do “Kit for One” (US$25) consists of a reusable construction tool that cuts and perforates new or old materials safely. It also comes with 8 hinges and 30 connectors, which use a ziptag-style mechanism to fasten pieces together.

“Packaged in a recycled cardboard tube, the components are designed to last, and are made from materials that can be recycled.”

“Make Do adds value in the form of community workshops, educational resources for teachers, a newsletter/blog for inspiration and … downloadable construction plans.”

You can read about their environmental credentials here and watch a video on how it all works below:

[Via: Springwise]

Duchy Originals Organic Ale Eco Product Review

Duchy Originals is a brand launched by Prince Charles, HRH the Prince of Wales, and spans a huge range of products from bath foam (which I reviewed here) and this, its Organic Ale.

The brand is only sold online in the UK or through supermarkets such as Waitrose so remains quite exclusive. Its products are usually organic and made with quality ingredients which mean they’re not cheap. And this is the case here, the Organic Ale isn’t much cheaper than buying a pint in the pub – it’s £1.99 in Waitrose – and it’s made from Plumage Archer barley harvested from organic farms around the UK. One of those farms is High Farm at Highgrove – the Prince’s country home.

Anyway, enough of all that, how does it taste? The night before I tried it I went to a real ale festival and had quite a few ‘golden’ beers so my first tast of this proper ale had me thinking it was far too heavy. But actually it’s not heavy at all and ornce you get into it it’s very pleasant. There’s no aftertaste or sharpness, it’s very easy drinking.

As mentioned in my other beer reviews I like my ale cold but you may want to wait a while after taking this out of the fridge as the flavour seemed to come out the warmer it got. A really nice beer that’s definitely worth a try.

Duchy Originals Organic Ale costs £1.99 for 500ml from Waitrose and other supermarkets and is 5.0% abv.

Recycle Your Old Vibrator – And Get A New One Half Price

Adult retailer Love Honey has a new scheme where you can send them your old rabbit vibrator and get a new one from them at half-price.

Electrical recycling may be on the increase but whether people feel comfortable taking their sex toys to a recycling centre is another matter altogther. The Rabbit Amnesty is the perfect solution, just send it to them after filling in the online form and you’ll be able to get a new one for half price. LoveHoney also donates £1 to The World Land Trust for each vibrator that gets sent back.

Ecover Promotions At Big Green Smile

I’m always looking for deals and there are hardly ever ones for environmentally friendly products, so when I spotted this at Big Green Smile I thought I’d share the good news.

BGS has a 3 for 2 deal on 5litre tubs of Ecover liquid here. It also includes Ecovers 10kg washing powder.

You may think they’re expensive normally for 5litres but they’re not at all – the fabric softener lasted me just over a year and is less than £12! Add that to a 3 for 2 deal, plus delivery of around £5 (or free for orders over £50), and it’s a great deal.

As an addition, Big Green Smile also has 10% off Ecover laundry tablets.

Next Page »