Anvil knitwear and Carbonrally.com have teamed up to launch the Fashion Swap Challenge, an interactive online campaign to promote the sustainable practice of trading used clothing among friends.  The Fashion Swap Challenge is one of several Anvil Knitwear initiatives to motivate environmental activism in 2010.  Anvil is the official apparel partner of Earth Day Network and is a sponsor of Earth Day NY’s I am E campaign.  Anvil has also developed www.trackmyt.com, and interactive website designed to educate consumers about carbon footprint of their clothing.To find out more visit www.carbonrally.com 

Green Gone Wrong by Heather Rogers - An insightful look into investigating how our economy is undermining the environmental revolution.Buy a copy from amazon today!

UK Aware is the UK’s leading green and ethical lifestyle show. Taking place on Friday 16th and Saturday 17th April and expecting over 10,000 visitors, UK AWARE 2010 offers consumers a ‘one stop shop’ for sustainable living as it’s this country’s largest green and ethical lifestyle expo showcasing eco and ethical products and services for the general public.Attractions include: Over 50 world class guest speakers, over 100 exhibitors, Green Business Start Up Surgeries, The Ultimate Clothes Swapping Party, Kids Interactive area and much more!To pick up discounted tickets to this event please click here 

The Soil Associations annual organic fortnight is going to be held this year from 3rd-17th September 2010.  It is a celebration of all things organic.  There will be lots of enjoyable things to get involved with, along with the ever popular Organic Food Festival, a highlight of the fortnight and will be held over the weekend of the 11th/12th September at the Harbourside.  The fair is in its 10th year and celebrates the full spectrum of organic fare with hundreds of stalls selling delicious food and drink, organic clothes and beauty products.

About DIY coutureLondon based Rosie Martin runs DIY couture, picture books that help people make clothes from scratch.The books remove the need for complex sewing patterns so that learning to make clothes is easy and accessible to all - even extremely inexperienced sewers.DIY couture has a number of aims -1. To stimulate enthusiasm for sewing in generations x, y and z2. To enable people to access affordable clothing that has not been produced using sweatshop labour.3. To empower people to create for themselves to a high-standard, enabling them to opt out of brand culture.4. To build empathy with the invisible hands around the world that spend their time skilfully creating the clothes we wear.5. To inspire people to slow down - to take the time to make a garment that is precious and long-lasting, rather than to comfort-shop for disposable items which add to the world’s increasing piles of landfill. http://www.diy-couture.co.uk/howtomakeapleatedskirt.html

Findings from the Carbon Trust report March 2010.Consumers are more carbon conscious than ever but with research showing that the UK’s carbon footprint is 34% higher when measured by consumption it is vital businesses help their customers make positive choices.Tom Delay, Chief Executive of the Carbon Trust looks at how product carbon footprinting and labelling can help drive change.Many of the goods we buy and consume are imported from overseas, and measuring the UK’s carbon footprint by consumption rather than production - which includes the carbon emissions associated with the manufacture and transportation of these products - increases it by 34%.  Managing these ‘outsourced’ emissions has major implications for climate change policy, both internationally and domestically, but we should not underestimate the power of business and consumers to bring about change.Copenhagen has shown that we cannot and should not rely solely on governments to drive action to reduce global carbon emissions.  Leading global brands must take responsibility for decarbonising their own products by removing carbon from their supply chains.  In return for business action consumers must reward brands that produce low carbon products with their ‘low-carbon loyalty’ to drive increased demand.We know consumer appetite is strong - research carried out by the Carbon Trust earlier this year showed that 86% of consumers want their favourite brands to help combat the threat of climate change by reducing their carbon footprint and almost half are actively seeking information about the carbon impact of the products they buy.However consumers need help to turn goodwill into long term action and behaviour change.  Many people are uncertain about their own impacts and the steps they can take to deliver the greatest carbon reductions.  They lack consistent, credible information to enable them to make positive choices.Product carbon footprinting and labelling is a tool to deliver this, building understanding of the full carbon impact of consumption choices in everyday life.  It empowers businesses to manage the carbon footprint and energy costs of their supply chains and gives consumers the information to reduce their carbon footprint.Three years ago the Carbon Trust laid the foundations for a product footprinting methodology.  Published in October 2008 jointly with Defra and BSI British Foundation, PAS 2050 is the first international standard for companies to measure the carbon footprint of their products and services.Now the Carbon Trust Footprinting Company helps companies measure, reduce and communicate the lifecycle emissions of their products at every step of the supply chain, creating valuable energy and cost saving opportunities.It awards the Carbon Reduction Label to products that comply with the PAS 2050, the code of good practice and the certification requirements of Footprint ExpertTM to ensure consistency and maximise comparability in certified product carbon footprints.The Carbon Reduction Label currently appears on the products worth £2.7 billion in annual sales, including Morphy Richards Irons, Kingsmill Bread, Walkers Crisps, Tate & Lyle sugar, Silver Spoon sugar and Tesco milk, orange juice, lightbulbs and washing detergents.To find out more about the Carbon Reduction Label and how to start measuring the carbon footprinting of your products visit www.carbon-label.com

This year’s report - the most comprehensive look at UK organic industry trends, shows UK organic sales fell by 12.9% in 2009 to 1.84 billion. The report also confirms that in line with other retail sectors, shopper spent less on organic food in the recession.  In addition, leading retailers reduced organic ranges and shelf space, which created a further challenge for sales or organic products.However, 2010 promises to have a more positive outlook with over 60% of the biggest organic brands planning for growth.Click here to download the report, which was launched today at the Natural and Organic Products Show, Olympia.