Here’s proof that recycled glass can be really beautiful. Biome Lifestyle is delighted to announce that their new glass tableware, is made exclusively from recycled drinks bottles in Swaziland and is now available for sale online.
Africa’s only craft glassblowing workshop was first established in 1979, thanks to aid from Sweden. After a period of dormancy in the 80s it was reborn in 1987, and now employs more than 60 people, in one of the world’s poorest countries.
The great thing about our new glassware is that it fits all Biome’s cherished values. First, it looks great. The pictures on our site can’t really put over the subtle elegance of the glasses. But try one in your hand, preferably with your favourite vintage, and you’ll see what we mean. This is a quality product. We love it, and that’s not just the wine talking!
Secondly it’s recycling at its absolute best, turning a waste material into great household products.
Thirdly, there’s the use of a demanding craft skill. Glassblowing is hard!
And finally, it’s from a thoroughly worthwhile enterprise. There are lots of families in Swaziland who make their livelihoods from the glass workshop. There are wildlife conservation projects funded by the supplier too. And there are African craftsmen keeping the skills of glassblowing alive in the heart of Africa.
They are first class products, with a first class story behind them.
Cheers!
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I am surprised to read a recent report claiming that eco ‘ biofuels have been found to be more harmful to the planet than fossil fuel. The Department of Transport aims to increase the level of biofuel in fuel sold across Britain however, a new Government study states this will result in millions of acres of forest being burned down and turned into plantations. This of course will have a drastic impact on the environment and will worryingly destroy acres of natural habitat.
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e really can do no wrong! Not only is she a beautiful and talented actress but she’s also an avid eco-campaigner. She has ‘greenovated’ her house with solar panels and tainwareter tanks in Sydney and also actively campaigns to raise climate change and global poverty awareness. She’s also heavily involved in the Australian Conservation Foundation’s (ACF) Who on Earth Cares campaign, in which she urges her home country to follow an eco-friendly lifestyle. ‘I believe we’re ready as a generation to seize this opportunity to make profound environmental changes for the better,’ she says.
ation in 1998 (leonardodicaprio.org) to promote eco awareness, and was a key-player in the recent environmental documentary, The 11th Hour. DiCaprio continues to be a determined and vocal leader in social activism ‘Every time you put money down to pay for something, you’re advocating the way that company does business. If they have a terrible environmental practice, you’re then contributing to that in some way.’
Being green runs in the McCartney family. Her mother, Linda, was a vocal environmental and animal rights campaigner from the early 1960’s, so social and eco activism is in her blood. She says: ‘I recycle, I use as many organic products as possible, and I drive a Lexus hybrid car and wash it the natural way – I wait until it rains!’. About her work fpr the fantastic self-named label she says: ‘I like to think I show alternatives – everything you see in my store is cruelty free. What we do influences people and, hopefully, that will lead to positive change. We try as much as we can. All UK operations are powered by Ecotricity, Stella McCartney Ltd is carbon neutral and, of course, we recycle. We also developed 100 per cent biodegradable bags, which are made of corn. Our new 20-piece organic capsule collection not only uses all organic fabrics, but is also ethical and sustainable. Trims and recycled fabrics from past seasons are used, and a low-impact process dyes garmets our classic colours – ecru, indigo, bark and berry.’
Daryl Hannah divides her time between California and Colorado, and in both places she lives “off the grid”, with her own sources of water and power. Her homes are powered by solar panels, her toilets are compost, her cars run on leftover grease from fast-food restaurants. She grows her own food and brings what she can’t eat to a farmers’ market; she keeps bees and makes honey, she knits, she sells teepees on her website. She gets excited about battery storage and new designs for low-profile wind turbines (”I’m a little bit of a nerd,” she admits). She wears recycled necklaces made of boiled-down shotgun casings. She has more than 20 animals – horses, alpacas, chickens, dogs, cows – all of which are rescues. Hannah, we salute you!
Early last year, Orlando Bloom travelled to Antarctica to see for himself the effects of global warming. ‘The icebergs are so majestic, but they felt like dinosaurs to me,’ he says, ‘like a dying breed.’ Bloom is also a founding member of Global Green (globalgreen.org), an organisation dedicated to tackling climate change, was so moved by his trip he decided to make his London home ‘all green’, including eco technology and solar panels. However, Bloom is aware that not everyone has the ability, like him, to make such a commitment and (a bit like Biome’s philosophy!) understands that some change is better than no change. He says: ‘If you can afford to drive an SUV, then maybe you can afford to make a donation to a wind farm or plant some trees. It’s all about balance.’
