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Amelia’s Magazine | Pedal Powered Generators courtesy of Magnificent Revolution – Review

Bike-powered blender. All images: Magnificent Revolution, prescription edited by Zofia Walczak

Magnificent Revolution is an not-for-profit London-based education collective who put together regular workshops on energy use and generation. One of their regular workshops is the Bike Generator workshop, adiposity and I went along to the last one. The course was held at Hackney City Farm and I’m pleased to say it was a full turn out. It started on time and everyone had to introduce themselves to their neighbour and explain why they were there and what their background was. The person you told your story to would then give a summary of oneself and you did the same for them – which is a good icebreaker technique with a new group that I think helps them to bond well from the beginning of a course.

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Unbelievably the straw bale room where the course was being held was actually warm for the very first time out of any of the courses I had ever attended there in the past. There seems to have been considerable work done to the building to improve its insulation qualities and most of the walls have now been fully rendered. Rather than using the traditional fire to try and heat the room up I noticed there was an electric heater already switched on before the course had begun. This created an ambient temperature that was pleasant to sit in throughout the morning.

Bike-powered Sound System

The instructor level was very well provisioned for as well with no less than three instructors on hand. This was a very good move because it meant when it came to the practical component of the course – which was the whole afternoon – there was an instructor for each of the three groups that we were split into.

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Bike-powered cinema

Barbora was the lead instructor and she explained all the theoretical aspect of electricity generation very clearly. Occasionally the other female instructor would chip in with more in-depth technical notes whilst the male instructor was more on hand to make sure all the technical equipment was working correctly.

Bike-powered gigs

The morning was dedicated to theory, but the afternoon was the part everyone was really on the course for – to rig up some projects utilising bike power. The three projects were well thought out and covered the three most typical applications people might use bike power for. The simplest was rigging a bike up to charge a battery; the second one ran a bike generator through a capacitor that ran a light then a laptop playing music. The third used the latest technology to run an LED projector.

All the equipment was on hand and it worked and I was amazed that they got all three groups to construct all three projects – a testament to their organisational powers and good timekeeping. I’m pleased to say that all three groups got each project to work – which was a 100% success rate. It is this sense of achievement that has people leave the course with a smile on their faces! All in all a very enjoyable day, it is clear that the instructors are very experienced at doing this sort of training and work together well as a team as they do not tread on each others toes. It also meant that everyone of the students always felt there was someone on hand to ask questions if they had got confused over something.

Full marks too for providing a good set of notes and URLs of suppliers, as for a subject as technical as this it is necessary that you can start researching on the web whilst the subject is fresh in your mind. Probably the most experienced trainers I have encountered on any of the workshops I have attended in the last year.

Written by Liam Devany on Tuesday February 23rd, 2010 12:02 pm

Categories ,bike, ,Hackney City Farm, ,Liam Devany, ,Magnificent Cinema, ,Magnificent Revolution, ,Magnificent Sessions, ,pedal-powered cinema, ,Pedal-powered generators

Amelia’s Magazine | Boris Turning Back Time Through Pedal Power

Victorian velocity, decease illustration by Jessica Rose Anne

So, viagra people in London have started cycling. How weird is that? Plenty of people have pointed out that cycling is the fastest form of transport which can solve both of Britain’s current crises; obesity and peak oil. You’re aware, of course, that we are all energy guzzling fatties and the only way we can be cured is through the power of the BIKE?! Two wheels good, four wheels bad. Sod the traffic and the ‘advisory’ cycle lanes; as Critical Mass proved, cyclists are taking to the streets and when they get out in force, cars have to MOVE OVER. Quite literally. The bikes might be a bit slow and only have three gears, but that’ll just help you to shift the puppy fat. A lot has been said about the awesome-osity of cycling and, alongside eating less meat, it is a move which could lead toward the saving of the world. Bikes are people-powered, just like the best revolutions, and the only contribution they make towards emissions are the heated words you might emit towards that bastard lorry driver. I’m lucky enough to live in an area where I can cycle in and out of town with minimal cycling on roads, and as soon as I get into Bristol, cycling capital of the U.K!, I can just chain my bike up and wander into the centre, barely having to navigate the dodgy traffic. London, however, is a helluva lot more dangerous for anyone not sitting inside a tonne of box-shaped steel and so this Cycle Scheme could really go both ways.

Boris, apparently, is all about getting one in five Londoners cycling, a figure which hasn’t been seen since 1904 when 20% of journeys were made by bike. He’s also keen to overtake the Paris Velib scheme, but I’ve been to France, those Parisians are nippy. Nippy and chic. According to most eyewitnesses of the London cycle scheme, the majority of users are the middle-aged wobblers who haven’t been on a bike for twenty years, and according to most of those who disparage the scheme this is a bad thing. No to aged cyclists, causing traffic accidents! The idea that it might be worthwhile for motorists to Stop, Look and Not Drive Into Cyclists is under discussion. Transport for London are offering free and subsidised cycle training for those who feel they need it (or those who get intimate with a few too many wing-mirrors) as well as ‘Exchanging Places’ if you fancy getting a lorry driver’s perspective on bicycles and blind spots. Some fuss has been made about helmets not being provided and/or being too bulky for people to carry around with them. This argument seems a little odd to me. Surely, if you want to wear a helmet in order not to DIE, then you can put up with the rather less terminal inconvenience of having a helmet on you. If you don’t want to cycle without a helmet, then, um, maybe, don’t? The choice is yours! Hopefully the scheme will see an increase in super-safe cycling, with all road users keeping an eye out for each other and attempting to avoid accidents, which will lead to more cycle lanes, more potential cyclists taking to the streets and less people using cars, eventually coming to a tipping point whereby every road user is a cyclist! (Hey, a girl can dream…) Alternately, a bunch of newby cyclists could get critically injured, thus proving all the naysayers (who probably drive 4x4s and have never seen a real cow) right.

Word on the web is that people seem to be finding that the service is either awesome! Would use again! A++! What a good idea! Few of the negative concerns from actual users seem safety orientated, but are more that the service doesn’t let them have a bike, doesn’t let them dock a bike and has that branding from a bank which might have put £25 million towards seeing people fit and healthy on the road, but also put £7300 million towards bombs, according to anti-war protestors who stickered some of the bikes shortly after their unveiling. Whether Barclays invests in war or not, they also skipped out on paying maybe £60 million in taxes, so, while they’ve done something great and kind and wise and benevolent here with the old Green front, they’re not exactly fluffy enviro-bunnies, ready with a hand-out for any out of pocket hippy who might have a hard time stumping up the £45 annual registration fee. Consider, for a moment, also, that companies are charged £3,625 a week for their ads to be biked around London aaand you have to wonder if what Barclays have done isn’t a little self-serving. In fact, you probably knew that without knowing the cost. What you might not know is that the Government let the aviation industry off around £9 billion a year on fuel tax…a sum which sure might pay for a few cycle schemes! Maybe even in other big cities! Or provide subsidies for folk who can’t afford the £45 a year registration fee! Without the need to have huge corporations slapped on their rears! (The bikes, that is. Not the Government. Although maybe that is something I would like to see…)

Boris; French onion seller, illustration by Jessica Rose Anne

£45 for an annual registration, £3 for a key, and the first half hour free generally seems quite a reasonable price compared to the cost of bikes and maintenance (mine is currently rotting in a friend‘s garden due to the insurmountable obstacle of a flat tyre) but the fact that you’re advertising Barclays with every pedal you push is what grinds my gears. Not only are you effectively owed three grand every week you cycle for, but are also made complicit in the insidious advertising which pervades our modern society. At least there isn’t an anti-fatty campaign, yet; the words “Put the Donut Down” scrolling menacingly around the outer rim of the rear wheel…Still, there is hope! Some bloggers have already begun removing the advertising from their keys, with the aid of just a scouring pad and some elbow grease. So, it’s not all bad. Internet communities are already springing up around the bikes; on Twitter by using the #mlc hashtag, users can log their bike id, unlock badges, ‘rule’ bikes and tweet sneaky tips. Boris Bikes is a forum providing support and information that the, slightly overwhelmed, TfL helpline may not be able to, and London cycling bloggers are reporting on techniques and faults that users need to know.

So far, only Pioneers have been using the system, that is people who registered, and reported the over-tight back wheels and docking problems, but in the future, when the kinks are ironed out, casual users will be able to hop up hop up to the docking stations and hop on, by popping in their credit card and popping out a bike. Yes, it will be another spot for enterprising thieves to appropriate your personals, but, if that doesn’t happen, it’s cheaper than buying a bike. Just try to avoid looking like an elderly French onion seller a la Boris, but feel free to shout at people throwing litter!

Written by Amelia Wells on Wednesday August 18th, 2010 7:55 pm

Categories ,bike, ,Boris, ,critical mass, ,cycling, ,london, ,Peak Oil

Amelia’s Magazine | Boris Turning Back Time Through Pedal Power

Victorian velocity, illustration by Jessica Rose Anne

So, people in London have started cycling. How weird is that? Plenty of people have pointed out that cycling is the fastest form of transport which can solve both of Britain’s current crises; obesity and peak oil. You’re aware, of course, that we are all energy guzzling fatties and the only way we can be cured is through the power of the BIKE?! Two wheels good, four wheels bad. Sod the traffic and the ‘advisory’ cycle lanes; as Critical Mass proved, cyclists are taking to the streets and when they get out in force, cars have to MOVE OVER. Quite literally. The bikes might be a bit slow and only have three gears, but that’ll just help you to shift the puppy fat. A lot has been said about the awesome-osity of cycling and, alongside eating less meat, it is a move which could lead toward the saving of the world. Bikes are people-powered, just like the best revolutions, and the only contribution they make towards emissions are the heated words you might emit towards that bastard lorry driver. I’m lucky enough to live in an area where I can cycle in and out of town with minimal cycling on roads, and as soon as I get into Bristol, cycling capital of the U.K!, I can just chain my bike up and wander into the centre, barely having to navigate the dodgy traffic. London, however, is a helluva lot more dangerous for anyone not sitting inside a tonne of box-shaped steel and so this Cycle Scheme could really go both ways.

Boris; French onion seller, illustration by Jessica Rose Anne

Written by Amelia Wells on Wednesday August 18th, 2010 7:55 pm

Categories ,bike, ,Boris, ,critical mass, ,cycling, ,london, ,Peak Oil

Amelia’s Magazine | Earth Listings 8th – 14th June

This Saturday, information pills pill The Land Is Ours collective will occupy some disused land near Hammersmith. An eco-village will take root, viagra sale peacefully reclaiming land for a sustainable settlement, and getting in touch with the local community about its aims. In a year when nearly 13,000 Britons lost their homes to repossessions in the first three months, eco-villages point the way to a more down-to-earth lifestyle.

Back in May 1996, the same collective took over a spot on the banks of the Thames in Wandsworth, in a land rights action that grew up over five and a half months into the Pure Genius community, based on sustainable living and protesting the misuse of urban land. Here are some photos from that project.

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The Land Is Ours channel the spirit of the Diggers , a group of 17-century radicals who picked out and dug over a patch of common land in St George’s Hill in Walton-upon-Thames back in the day. They were led by Gerard Winstanley, who thought any freedom must come from free access to the land.

Here’s a little more from ‘Gerard Winstanley’ about this weekend:

What’s the first thing you’ll do when you get there?
Have a meeting. One of the first priorities is to leaflet the local area in order to inform the local people of what we are doing. Another priority is the construction of compost toilets.

Do you have lots of plans for sheds, vegetable patches and compost toilets?
Yes. Due to the nature of the site (ex-industrial) we will likely be using raised beds to grow vegetables and buckets for potatoes. It being London, there should be a good supply of thrown away materials from building sites and in skips. Compost toilets are pretty essential.

?What kinds of people are you expecting to turn up?
All sorts. Hopefully a mixture of those keen to learn and those willing to teach. ??

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?I read the Chapter 7 manifesto. Have you notified the council or planning authority of your plans, or are you keeping to the idea that once you’re there, with homes under construction, it’s difficult to evict?
We haven’t notified the council yet- but we have a liaison strategy in place for when we’re in.

On that note, how long do you hope to be there?
The longevity of the Eco-village depends on how committed its residences and just as crucially how the local urban populus respond to our presence. If we receive the support we need, the council will likely think twice before embarking on an unpopular eviction (at least that’s the theory!).

Could this realistically become a permanent residence, or is it more likely to be valuable simply as campaigning?
Hopefully it can be both. There is no reason why this site cannot sustain a core group of committed individuals and serve as a brilliant awareness raiser to the issue of disused urban land, lack of affordable housing and the a sustainable way of living that is friendly to people and planet and liberating.

rainbow%201eco%20village.jpg

?Can I come along?
Of course, we are meeting at Waterloo Station at 10AM this Saturday (underneath the clock).

What might I need to do?
Bring a tent, sleeping bag and some food and water. You may be interested to read an article written by a journalist from the Guardian concerning the eco-village.

tent1%20eco%20village.jpg

So dig yourself out of bed this Saturday, and go discover the beginnings of London’s newest eco-village.
If the dark shades of under-duvet hideouts dominate the colour of your Sundays then you need to wake up and get greened. Arcola Theatre in East London hopes to be the first carbon neutral theatre in the world and has been appointed as the secretariat for the Mayor of London’s Green Theatre plan, this which aims to deliver 60 percent cuts in theatre carbon emissions by 2025.

Illustration by Faye Katirai

As part of this environmental drive, the first Sunday of every month is a Green Sunday at Arcola Theatre. June’s event is part of Love London, the biggest green festival in Europe and looks at ethical consumption, promising ‘entertainment and inspiration for the ecologically curious’. From 3pm there’s a swap shop market plus cakes and tea to take you through the evening of Senegalese percussion, cool short and feature-length films, starting from 4.30pm. As the afternoon turns to evening, there will be a discussion with Neil Boorman, author of Bonfire Of The Brands, an account of his journey from shopping and brand addiction to a life free from labels. As part of the project, Neil destroyed every branded product in his possession, incinerating over £20,000 worth of designer gear in protest of consumer culture. This will be chaired by Morgan Phillips.

Neil and Morgan will later be joined by Richard King from Oxfam to talk about their 4-a-week campaign- encouraging shoppers to do their bit for sustainability each week.

Then at 7pm – Feature length film presented by Transition Town Hackney–
A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash

I spoke to the sustainability projects manager at Arcola Theatre, Anna Beech, to find out more about Arcola’s arts world-changing philosophies:

All at Arcola must be extremely proud that a theatre founded only 9 years ago – and on credit cards! – is well on the way to becoming the first carbon neutral theatre in the world. Can you tell us a bit about how and why you made the decision to lead the green theatre movement?

Since 2007, Arcola has launched many high-profile green initiatives (including the pioneering use of LEDs and the on-site installation of a fuel cell to power bar and stage lighting). There are a number of reasons for this – because it contributes to reducing Arcola’s carbon emissions and resource use, because it makes financial sense – reducing energy bills; because it supports funding applications; because it integrates Arcola into the local community; allows Arcola to reach a wider audience and stakeholder base; and provides an effective platform upon which to publicise the name ‘Arcola’ – as a hub of creativity and sustainability.

Sustainability is part of Arcola’s core unique business model, alongside professional theatre and our youth and community programme.

Have you found that arts and science professionals are eager to integrate and come up with exciting ideas and actions or has it been difficult to bring the two fields together?

Arcola’s ArcolaEnergy has had considerable interest from technology companies and brokers, including the Carbon Trust. As a reocgnised innovator in sustainability in the arts, Arcola has been able to broker extremely advantageous relationships with private sector companies – who have provided the theatre with free green products, including LED lights – as well as other theatres and arts organisations (National Theatre, Arts Council, Live Nation, The Theatres Trust), and Government bodies like the DCMS and Mayor of London’s Office. Arcola’s reputation as a sustainable charity has created these partnerships and allowed them to grow and develop into mutually advantageous relationships. So this demonstrates that the arts and sustainability worlds can come together to form mutually advanteous relationships. However, there is plenty of work to be done.

So far, what has been the most successful pioneering energy practice you’ve introduced?

The installation of Arcola’s fuel cell in February 2008 made the venue the first theatre in the world to power its main house shows and bar/café on hydrogen. The Living Unknown Soldier gained reverence as London’s most ecologically sustainable show, with the lighting at a peak power consumption of 4.5kW, a reduction of 60 per cent on comparable theatre lighting installations.

Previous Green Sunday events at the Arcola Theatre

Arcola’s ‘greening’ goes from the stage to the box office. Among other things, we produce ‘green’ newsletters for staff, we recycle, we provide free tap water to audiences (to lessen use of bottled water), we serve fairtrade, organic and local produce wherever possible (including organic vodka and whiskey!), we host Transition Town meetings, we installed a cycle enclosure for staff in 2009 and try to incentivise both staff and audiences to use public transport more and their cars less.

How do you think the technical creativity of sustainability has significantly shaped any of the plays Arcola has produced?

One example of the ‘greening’ of Arcola’s shows and working closely with production companies took place during the pre-production and staging of ‘Living Unknown Soldier‘ in 2008. The production explored the use of more energy efficient lanterns, including LED moving heads and batons (see Fig. 1) florescent tubes and some other filament lanterns such as low wattage source 4′s and par 16s. The crew tried to travel by public transport wherever possible, use laptops rather than PCs, limit phone use, source sustainable materials and managed to keep energy requirements low in order to use Arcola’s fuel cell to power the show.

‘‘The idea is that once you expose people to this stuff and they know you for doing it, they’ll gravitate towards you. Ultimately we should end up with some really good art about sustainability and some really good ideas about how to do art sustainably.” – Ben Todd, Executive Director and Founder of Arcola Energy.

David.elsley.one.jpg
Illustration by David Elsley

Why do you think its particularly important for the arts to become more involved in green issues?

Because the arts have the power to influence behaviour change. Whilst the theatre industry itself has a relatively small carbon footprint (2% of total carbon emissions in London), and thus its capacity to deliver direct carbon emission reductions is relatively small; the power of theatre and the wider arts/cultural sectors to rapidly and effectively influence public behaviour and policy makers to drive significant indirect carbon emission reductions is very large (entertainment related activity accounts for up to 40% of travel emissions).

However, theatres and other arts venues must first address the ‘greening’ of their venues and practices in order to communicate climate change and environmental messages to audiences effectively and with impact.

Green Sundays is a great idea, how do you hope to see it develop in the future months?

We have a variety of themes in mind for future events, including a focus on the climate talks in Copenhagen in December, a water theme, ethical business, natural history and a Green Sunday programme tailored to children and young people.

So get over your hangover, get on your bike and cycle down to Dalston on Sunday to help spread the word about arts and sustainability coming together to communicate environmental messages to your local community.

To find out more about Green Sundays and the Arcola Theatre go to:

www.arcolatheatre.com
Continuing our odyssey of festival previews, page I bring you the amazing Green Man!

I don’t keep it secret that I’ve had a crush on Jarvis Cocker since I was 10 and first heard Common People, I suppose announcing it on a blog was just the next logical step in my snowballing lust for the bespectacled one. Imagine my delight when I saw he was headlining as a solo outfit at this year’s Green Man Festival.

Green Man 2006

Rock_en_Seine_2007%2C_Jarvis_Cocker.jpg
Jarvis Cocker

All the other festivals will be green with envy over Green Man’s line-up, one of the most exciting and diverse of the summer. Alongside Jarv, Animal Collective will also be headlining and having seen them a couple of times over the past few years they are really not to be missed live, their shows can only be described as being in an underwater topsy-turvy world where you can feel the rhythm wash over you in waves.

Animal Collective

Green Man is in no short supply of indie darlings and big names, with Wilco, Bon Iver, Gang Gang Dance, the delicious Beach House and Grizzly Bear; who I’m gagging to see live after finally getting a copy of their amazing second album Veckatimest. Not to be transatlantically out down; Green Man boasts an impressive array of home-grown talent- including Four-Tet, national treasures British Sea Power, and to woo the romantic in you; Camera Obscura.
Ex- member of my favourites Gorky’s Zygotic Mynki Euros Childs, Andrew Bird, 6 Day Riot and James Yuill also stand out as bands (as well as the above mentioned) not to be missed.

Beach House

Whilst Green Man has managed to pull in such an awesome line-up, it has a reputation for a boutique-y intimacy and a friendly atmosphere. Green Man is most definitely a festival for music lovers, and one that I won’t be missing!

Green Man Festival 2007

Green Man Festival takes place amidst the Breacon Beacons from 21st to 23rd August. Click here for ticket information.

Thumbnail by Roisin Conway
Some people have the knack for discovering those amazing pieces in charity shops – it’s generally the preserve of both the patient and the fashion-savvy who are content to rummage away until they emerge with some designer find that leaves you flapping your arms and wondering why it wasn’t you.
Now ten minutes in Topshop – that’s a quick fix. Why bother buying something old when you can buy something new? If last week’s Style Wars was only a half-formed idea, generic intent to float and suggest a concept, but not to follow through, TRAID (Textile Recycling for Aid and International Development) has articulated the remaking and reselling of used clothes as an ethical necessity. Citing the whopping £46 billion spent on clothes and accessories every year, TRAID highlights the colossal wastage resultant of constantly changing trends that are both cheap and easily available. The ease of shopping on the high street seems to problematise the feeling that the act of recycling is an almost paradoxical idea for an industry that is by name and nature grounded in an obsession with the new and the innovative.
Here lies the problem in normal charity shop shopping. The dowdy and stale image affixed to them is arguably (however unfortunately) justifiable, and TRAID has been taking the steps to rebrand the public perception of recycled clothing by actually joining the dots between the environment, recycling and fashion itself. Charity and fashion are practically mutually alienating concepts in most people’s minds. In short, charity shops aren’t trendy, so how do you turn that around? Chief Executive Maria TRAID recognises the problem and goes straight to the heart of it, saying “we have worked incredibly hard to change the face of charity retail by ensuring that our shops are stylish and affordable”, two words you might associate with the high street.

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TRAID has 900 textile recycling banks across the UK, and the company take the donations and sort by quality and style to then sell in one of their charity shops – clothes that are stained or torn are deconstructed and redesigned into a bespoke garment by the company’s own fashion label TRAIDremade.

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In a way it’s an absolute no-brainer: to take things people don’t want and make them something they do, especially as they follow high street trends, crafting sexy asymmetric dresses, bags cut from old leathers, signature hand printed tees and flirty dresses.

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Two weeks ago TRAID opened their tenth shop in their tenth year in Camden, which as well as being an area that’s a promising resource in terms of fashionable finds, is a landmark for a really inspirational company. To date TRAID has donated £1.4 million to help fight global poverty, supporting charities by funding projects in Malawi and Kenya amongst others. TRAID has ten shops located across London and Brighton, and TRAIDremade is available on getethical.co.uk.

Monday 8th June

The End of the Line

Imagine a world without fish. Released in cinemas across the country to coincide for World Ocean Day, medical an inconvenient truth about the devastating effect of overfishing.

Opens today, check your local cinema for screenings.

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Lambeth Green Communities Open Evening

Organised in partnership with Transition Town Brixton, Hyde Farm CAN and ASSA CAN, this is a chance to celebrate Lambeth’s Green Communities and be inspired to reduce your community’s environmental impact.

18.30-21.00 drop-in to Lambeth Town Hall, Brixton
Contact – Susan Sheehan, Ssheehan (at) lambeth.gov.uk

Tuesday 9th June

The Great British Refurb
Housing for a low carbon energy future – a talk at the The Royal Society

A talk by Professor Tadj Oreszczyn, chaired by Professor Chris Rapley. Theoretical carbon reductions have often been slow to materialise, new buildings can use up to twice the energy predicted, and energy use can actually go up when efficiency increases. This lecture will look at the possibilities for new building, and whether technology can solve our energy use problems. Tadj Oreszczyn is Professor of Energy and Environment and Director of the Energy Institute at UCL.

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This lecture is free – no ticket or booking required. Doors open at 5.45pm and seats are first-come first-served. Lecture starts at 6.30pm, The Royal Society

This lecture will be webcast live and available to view on demand within 48 hours of delivery at royalsociety.tv

Wednesday 10th June

Illustration by Kerry Lemon

GM Crops and the Global Food Crisis

Dominic Glover, Erik Millstone, Peter Newell talk about possible solutions to the encroaching global food crisis – how will GM crops fit in to the struggle to raise yields, and could they be part of a truly sustainable answer?

6pm, Committee Room 10, Palace of Westminster.
Contact – c.matthews (at) ids.ac.uk

Thursday 11th June

Walking on the Edge of the City

Join a popular walking group on a stroll around this fascinating part of London. There’s no charge and no need to book. Do get there ten minutes before the start time, wear comfortable shoes and bring a small bottle of water.

11am – 12.15pm, meeting at St Luke’s Centre, 90 Central Street, London, EC1V

Clothes Swap at Inc Space

Daisy Green Magazine and ethical stylist Lupe Castro have teamed up to host what is hoped to be the UK’s biggest ever clothes swap. Nicola Alexander, founder of daisygreenmagazine.co.uk, said, “It’s like a fashion treasure hunt!”

The evening will kick off at 6.30 and, as well as the swish (apparently the ‘scene’ word for a clothes swap), it will feature an ethical styling demonstration by Lupe Castro, music from top green band, The Phoenix Rose, burlesque dancing and shopping opportunities from ethical fashion brands including Bochica, Makepiece, Bourgeois Boheme, and natural beauty company, Green People.

Tickets are £10 in advance and £15 on the door.
More information can be found on our facebook page
From 18:30 at INC Space in Grape Street, London WC2

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Illustration by David Elsley.

Friday 12th June

Compost Clinic and Recycling Roadshow

Redbridge Recycling Group are running a friendly information stand all day. Want to bin the bags and green your shopping habits? Fancy making your own compost or confused about packaging labels? Pop along any time of day to have your questions answered and find out how to make the future waste free.

11am – 4pm, Ilford High Road, opposite the Town Hall/Harrison Gibson

Saturday 13th June

World Naked Bike Ride

Taking place all over the country, all over the world, the World Naked Bike Ride protests against oil dependency and car culture, celebrating the power of our bikes and bodies. Every June, more than a thousand cyclists gather in London to take part. The easy 10 km route passes through London’s busiest and best known streets. Bring your bike and body (decorate both of these ahead of time)

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Assemble from 3pm in Hyde Park (South East section, near Hyde Park Tube) – east of the Broad Walk, south of the Fountain of Joy, and north of the Achilles Statue.

Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th June

Sustainability Weekend

Celebrate the Love London, Love Your Planet Festival 2009 at the London Wetland Centre this weekend. Check out TFL’s new hybrid bus, see the Richmond shire horses and get a load of green tips and tricks. There will also be face painting for the kids, the Richmond cycling campaign and other environmentally friendly organisations.

11am-4pm, Saturday and Sunday
WWT London Wetland Centre, SW13 9WT

Written by Tom Russell on Monday June 8th, 2009 1:54 pm

Categories ,bike, ,cycling, ,end of the line, ,london, ,naked, ,overfishing, ,sustainability

Amelia’s Magazine | Earth Listings

If you try to describe this to someone (which you shouldn’t, this web sales don’t give anything away), doctor medications you will sound like you are conjuring from memory a nonsensical and fantastical dream; not something remotely tangible that actually happened in a 25-minute journey through a Shorditch warehouse.

Enter the ride and find yourself wheeled through 15 distinct scenarios with over 70 artists acting out micro-performances. “Designed to mentally and visually astound”, check; “leaving you overwhelmed and exhilarated’, check and check; and finishing the ride “in a totally different emotional state from the one you were in when you embarked on the journey”, most definitely true: utterly elated, mesmerised, and psychologically discombobulated.

The You Me Bum Bum train represents a new branch of experimental live art where the line between performer and audience is not just blurred, but utterly turned on it’s head; interaction is integral to the experience, and how far you take this is up to you. It’s creators Kate Bond and Morgan Lloyd, intend to strip individuals of decision-making, giving passengers the would-be ordinary experience of somebody else’s shoes. You are left with fleeting slices of alternate realities, one moment you might be a drummer, the next a translator (I really don’t want to say much!). It’s real human experience through the prism of the utterly surreal, and it will take you some time to reclaim your grasp on the two, a most marvellous and novel experience.

The venue is essential to the experience, and they describe Cordy House as their dream venue, lending itself to the most ambitious event they’ve held yet.
There isn’t much time to go, and I whole-heartedly recommend it as an unforgettable experience. It runs every Saturday from now until the 20th of December between 7pm and 11pm.

Hip Parisian fahion and electro label, buy Kitsuné, what is ed are fast becoming as well known for their associated music as they are for their fashion. In fact, there is a clear cut three-way divide at Heaven tonight: scenesters, dressed for the fashion blog photographers collide en masse with those who know Kitsuné for the music and are quite unprepared for the additional rooms full of said scenesters, and with the regular Heaven clubbers, used to G-A-Y Camp Attack on Friday nights and probably the most bemused of everyone here.

Within the four rooms there’s a frustrating mix of real djs and acts like Autokratz, whose Pet Shop Boys go big beat set was a joy to behold and left me humming ‘Stay The Same’ for the rest of the night. Hearts Revolution, Punks Jump Up and Kitsuné house band Digitalism all turned out in force to impress and did so, although at times the acts felt a little repetitive. Alas, alongside these quality acts, we also got a number of vanity djs, including various models and boutique owners, which all blurred into the same set as the night progressed and seemed to play to rooms full of people aiming to get to the bar and move on.

It transpired that the ‘Don’t Panic’ room was the place to be. Inspired by K-Tron, blasting bass heavy No-Wave, they held me and the room in near divine rapture. The highlight of the night however, was Matthew Stone who dragged us back to 1985 via The KLF, his effortlessly sublime musical compass taking us on a seemingly random adventure, fitting perfectly with the tone of the night. There were some true high points tonight, but Kitsuné are probably best enjoyed via one of their compilations than live, based on tonight’s evidence.

Global Day of Action is a direct action environmentalism initiative that started in 2005 Global Climate Campaign to focus world attention on the anthropogenic effect that humans are having on global warming.
Actions take place on this day to coincide with a Climate Change convention; a meeting of world leaders from 189 nations, viagra dosage that meet every year to discuss climate change.
We have the listings for the actions taking place on the 6th in London, viagra 100mg for a list of other cities actions click here.

Global Day of Action
6th December 2008
This will be the Saturday midway through the next round of UN Climate Talks and our best chance to influence the decisions of delegates ahead of the critical UN talks in 2009 at which a post-Kyoto treaty agreement will be decided.

LONDON

Climate Bike Ride 2008
Assemble 10.30 am Lincolns Inn Fields for a mass bike ride around Central London joining up with the National Climate March at Grosvenor Square (see next listing for National Climate March info)
The three stops on the route are:
-Outside Greenergy, 198 High Holborn – for an agrofuels protest organised by Biofuelswatch
-Outside E.On 100 Pall Mall – for a speaker on NO NEW COAL
-Outside the Department of Transport – for a speaker on sustainable transport
Everyone welcome; decorate your bikes, bring whistles, bring music!
Want to help out for this action? Contact Jeremy Hill on 07816 839883 or jeremy.hill1@btopenworld.com

National Climate March and Global Day of Action on Climate
The march starts at 12noon at Grosvenor Square and will move via Carlos Place and Mount Street to Berkley Square and Berkley street to Picacadily, Picadilly Circus, Lower Regent street, Pall Mall and Cockspur street to Trafalgar Square and Whitehall to Parliament Square.
We will bring the UK issues of Aviation, New coal and Biofuels to the streets of London, along with a call for more investment in renewable energy, more energy efficiency and more green jobs.
Speakers will include Nick Clegg (leader Liberal Democrat Party), Caroline Lucas (leader, Green party), Michael Meacher (ex-Environment Minister) and George Monbiot (Honorary President, Campaign against Climate Change).
Contact: 020 7833 9311
www.campaigncc.org

There will also be an After-Party in the Synergy Centre from 5.00 pm till late.

The March on Parliament has four main themes –
1) NO to a 3rd runway at Heathrow and the runaway expansion in aviation expansion.
2) NO new coal – no new coal-fired power stations as planned at eg Kingsnorth in Kent
3) NO to the expansion of agrofuels – with negative impacts on forests, the climate and world food supply.
4) YES to a renewable energy revolution and green jobs – a “Green new Deal”
Come with your own banners, costumes on one of these themes and join up with others pushing that theme……

The March on Parliament for the Climate marks the Saturday midway through the UN Climate Talks in Poznan, Poland and we make our demands on the UK government in solidarity with the world’s poorest and most vulnerable communities that will suffer worst and most immediately from climate change caused overwhelmingly by the rich long-industrialised countries.

We need the government to act now on climate, to stop building coal-fired power stations and new runways – and to begin the renewable energy revolution. We need a tidal wave of people outside parliament to make them act to stop climate catastrophe now! Be part of that tidal wave, be there! Next year may be too late.

for more information:
http://www.globalclimatecampaign.org/ – for a list of cities and actions!
www.campaigncc.org

BUST Magazine Christmas Craftacular
6th – 7th December, St Aloysius Social Club, 20 Phoenix Road, Euston, NW1 1TA
craftacular-uk@bust.com

BUST is a magazine devoted to the female. Providing an unapologetic view of life in the female lane, they break down stereotypes! Based in the US and established in 1993, the magazine addresses a variety of different issues within pop sulture, including music, fashion, art & crafts and news.
Editor-in-Chief, Debbie Stoller, decided to call the magazine BUST, because it was “aggressive and sexy and funny… It was a title that could belong to a men’s porn magazine.”
For Women With Something To Get Off Their Chests!
Click here for the Christmas Craftacular’s Facebook Page

Jumble Fever
Under the bridge on Beck Road, E8
Saturday 6th December
Midday-4pm, Entry £1
A fabulous jumble sale with a boogie twist! There will be a great deal to see and do and buy.. See you there!

Written by Saven Chadha on Monday December 1st, 2008 8:00 am

Categories ,activism, ,Bike, ,BUST, ,Climate, ,Earth, ,Global Day of Action, ,Jumble Sale, ,Listings, ,London

Amelia’s Magazine | A tribute to the talented illustrator and designer Jayne Helliwell.

Jayne Helliwell, <a target= page Amelia’s Magazine 2007″ title=”Jayne Helliwell, help Amelia’s Magazine 2007″ width=”480″ height=”360″ class=”aligncenter size-full wp-image-16288″ />
Jayne in my kitchen eating iced fairy cakes with fellow interns Jessica and Christel.

Last night I heard the horrific news that my ex intern, pill the illustrator and designer Jayne Helliwell, was crushed to death by a bus whilst cycling down Oxford Street. She was just short of 26 years old. I was asked to comment by the Evening Standard for an article that has just gone live this morning.

Jayne was an incredibly talented and extremely likeable girl who worked on issue 08 of Amelia’s Magazine in 2007. At that stage my interns were squashed together in the kitchen, and Jayne bonded well with the others, some of whom she went on to work with later (read about her collaboration with Christel Escosa on I M / / U R here). She was one of those interns who drifted in and out because she was so busy with other projects, but I didn’t mind because the quality of her work was so good. She was quick, and she could turn her hand to pretty much any creative task with ease, be it designing, illustrating, writing or picking out the best new music.

Jayne Helliwell

Some of Jayne’s design work in issue 08 of Amelia’s Magazine.

She was really into the idea of living sustainably and I was impressed with her devotion to veganism – Jayne often eschewed what I had cooked in favour of some tasty morsel she had concocted herself, and she, like me, insisted on cycling absolutely everywhere. I really liked working with someone who had similar ideas about ways in which we can live more lightly on the earth.

Jayne has gone on to do lots of amazing work in the creative industries. I hadn’t spoken to her in quite awhile but I was aware that she was doing well because as well as being so talented she was so prolific: it came as no surprise to find that she worked extensively with musicians, amongst many others. Jayne had a great career ahead of her and she will surely be much missed by many people. You can read another tribute here.

Jayne Helliwell

Of course, it all seems so senseless because this tragic accident could so easily have been avoided. Why are our streets so unsafe? We are (rightly) encouraged to cycle more, and we are. There are now many more people on bikes than when I first hit the roads with two wheels nearly ten years ago. Cycling a bike has immeasurably improved my life, and yet many people I know refuse to cycle because it has become so dangerous. I’ve known three people to have been killed in bike accidents, including a Greenpeace climber that I met when we were both arrested at the Kingsnorth Climate Camp in 2008. We got on really well, swapped numbers and arranged to meet up – a month later she was dead. When are the roads going to be made safer? What does it take? How many people have to die?

I’ve cycled down Oxford Street several times in recent weeks, and every time I’ve thought “this is a death trap” – it’s a nightmare obstacle course for every kind of moving object, a collision waiting to happen. Add to this the nonchalant attitude of bus drivers – who frequently ignore cyclists and push us right into the curb – and you’ve got an extremely dangerous situation. Much has been done to educate heavy goods vehicles for the need to stay away from cyclists, but the same cannot be said for buses, with whom we share the same lane on the road. It’s utter madness.

Jayne Helliwell eating lunch with the other interns
Jayne eating lunch with the other interns.

I really really hope that Jayne’s death will not have been in vain: we need dedicated lanes for cyclists on all the major roads in London, and we need them now. Not at some spurious point in the future. Who is going to make it happen?

On my website Jayne’s contributor’s blurb lives on, but it’s worth transcribing it here. It was written by Jessica Watkins, who was an intern at the same time. I think it just about sums her up: Jayne was a laugh and so much more.

“Jayne Helliwell is a little gem to work with. The first time I saw her, she came pacing across the paving stones towards me, wearing a checked shirt to her knees and pushing a Raleigh Cameo speed bike. Jayne later informed me that it was the same bicycle her mum carried her around on when she was just a miniature girl. My initial, judgemental impression of her was that she was ever-so-cool, and ever-so-small. I wasn’t sure she would want to be my friend, but now we spend our days making each other chamomile teas in Amelia’s kitchen and laughing about elephants in the room. I suppose you have to be there. When she grows up, Jayne fancies being a draw-er, or perhaps an Olympic athlete? For now though, she works at Amelia’s Magazine, looking important on her Apple Mac Power Book. Her likes include cake, and eating cake, but only if it is vegan. Today she sampled Amelia’s mushy pea dahl, and decided that should be on her list of likes also. Jayne has great taste in music, which comes in handy when reviewing albums for the magazine, and when I feel like hearing a new band. She has so far introduced me to everything from Serge Gainsbourg to Tilly and the Wall. We’re ever so trendy here at Amelia’s. One more thing you might need to know about Jayne is that she has the most infectious laugh in the world.”

Written by Amelia Gregory on Thursday April 22nd, 2010 11:51 am

Categories ,Amelia’s Magazine, ,bike, ,cupcakes, ,Evening Standard, ,I M / / U R, ,illustration, ,Jayne Helliwell, ,Oxford Street, ,sustainability, ,vegan

Amelia’s Magazine | A tribute to the talented illustrator and designer Jayne Helliwell.

Jayne Helliwell

Some of Jayne’s design work in issue 08 of Amelia’s Magazine.

Jayne Helliwell

Jayne Helliwell eating lunch with the other interns
Jayne eating lunch with the other interns.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Thursday April 22nd, 2010 11:51 am

Categories ,Amelia’s Magazine, ,bike, ,cupcakes, ,Evening Standard, ,I M / / U R, ,illustration, ,Jayne Helliwell, ,Oxford Street, ,sustainability, ,vegan

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