Imagine if the chairs we sat on or the equipment we used was recycled and made out of melted polyester fleece! Thinking that it would never be done? Well think again because London born designer Tom Price has produced eco – friendly plastic chairs for Arts Co.

These chairs are just what we need in our new – eco friendly lifestyles! Formed by melting piles of polyester fleece to create a unique set of chairs is something that Tom Price has been working on for a while and the genius is an idea that will probably change the making of futuristic home deco.

The city of Birmingham is one that has come to terms with the importance of recycling and are doing everything in their power to introduce recycling as a part of everyone’s daily lives. Here’s what the people of Birmingham think about this new invention:

‘I think its absolutely fabulous, I mean what better way to introduce recycled products into our homes!’

Sharon Moore, 42, Erdington

‘I would definitely buy one, or a few may be but that would all depend on the price. I hope they come cheap because they sound fantastic!’

Andrew Willis, 52, Solihull

‘It sounds good. Its giving something back in a fun way because I absolutely love decorating my home and buying new things so to keep it up to date with the planet is an added bonus!’

Anna Pears, 36, Handsworth

So the people of Birmingham would love to eat their evening meals on recycled chairs, would you?

People of the world can now begin to celebrate greener kitchens as kitchenware, available on the shelves of our local supermarkets, takes a turn for the green!

Cooks can do their bit for the globe and become environmentally friendly with eco-friendly equipment. As recycling begins to rave all communities, the glass and plastic is being used to produce kitchenware that we can be proud of.

Cuisinart’s Green Gourmet, Martha Stewart’s Green Pan and Target’s Green Pan have introduced a new non – stick pan that is ceramic – based, which means it requires less energy because the heat is spread more evenly. The new ceramic surface produces 50 % less green house gases, a kind act towards our home, the Earth. (http://www.seattlepi.com/athome/406845_greenkitchen0603.html?source=rss)

We can’t get away from using plastic because it is probably the most convenient thing we can use in the kitchen. It looks good, comes in attractive colours that make our kitchen look pleasant and is shatter resistant but its not so eco-friendly. Not to worry any more kitchen fanatics because you can now use 100% recycled plastic in the kitchen, so its still got all those features as well as helping to save the Earth.

If that didn’t sound amazing, we can also use glassware made from recycled glass, it might not be shatter proof like plastic but still does its bit for global warming.

Kirandeep Gill, a student who studies waste and recycling management in Birmingham, says, ‘I think this is fantastic! I mean what better way to do your part for global warming by using your old dinner plates as antiques and introducing a whole load of eco-friendly equipment into your kitchen. I think its absolutely genius and it will definitely work’.

So everyone, summer time is the time you also take a turn for the green!

The street cleaning scheme is something that has been around for a while now. Birmingham is proud to be one of those cities who can say that they are ahead of the game when it comes to street cleaning.

‘The street cleaning service provides regular mechanical and manual sweeping of all adopted roads on a scheduled basis.’ (www.birmingham.gov.uk)

Generally, Birmingham City Council finds deceased animals on the roads and aims to incinerate them straight away by removing them and putting them to rest almost immediately.

‘The Street Cleaning service will respond quickly to requests for the removal and disposal of dead animals found on the highway or open land.’ (www.birmingham.gov.uk)

However, this doesn’t only apply to those animals who are found on roads, it also applies to the animals we learn to love and grow dearly attached to. Birmingham City Council’s scheme is available for residents who have deceased pets. If you can’t afford to put your pet to rest you can give Birmingham City Council a call and they will arrange for your pet to be taken as soon as possible and it will be done absolutely free of charge.

For more information: Tel: 0121 303 1112

Got an old vehicle that isn’t really worth much any more? Had enough of your car and want a new one? Well get on the phone to Birmingham City Council to arrange for free removal and disposal of your vehicle!

Every year thousands of reports are made for abandoned vehicles in Birmingham which the council then go on to remove and dispose of, meaning that the material can then be recycled and used for something else.

Abandoned vehicles are extremely common and with so many reports that does mean a lot of material to recycle. Birmingham City Council would like to encourage people to report these abandoned vehicles, but before you do, check the following information:

Birmingham is the second largest and one of the more popular cities in the United Kingdom. Tourists are attracted to Birmingham and when they come here one of the main attractions is the bull in the Bullring (shopping centre). When you go shopping wouldn’t you like to know that the place where you shop is eco-friendly?

Over the last couple of months as I made my regular shopping trips into town I noticed the increase in the bins being placed around the Bullring. Not just any bins but actual recycling bins.

The Bullring has recognised the need for recycling and has actually put something into place to help the cause. Bullrings cleaning company Europa have, in cooperation with the Bullring itself, placed double barrel bins across the Bullring in an attempt to encourage people to recycle their rubbish.

Veronica, a spokes person on behalf of Europa said ‘We have put these bins here in order to encourage people to recycle in the proper way, this is a way of making people aware of what they can recycle.’

The bins have clear, red and green labels on them to separate the items which need to be recycled. Europa states, ‘By putting the sings on the bins people will start to recycle properly and put their rubbish in the correct bin. We can’t recycle things that have been mixed so it just makes the process easier’.

As we all do our bit for recycling, knowing that a major organization such as the Bullring is playing their part in the process is an encouraging thought. Hopefully more companies will follow in its footsteps.

Many people would re – use carrier bags, maybe to put their shopping in again or just as a bin bag. But what about those that get thrown away for compost? As the world becomes a greener place, many shops have tried to introduce the go-green/recycling scheme through carrier bags. One way in which they’ve done this is by introducing the carrier bag that isn’t plastic. However, unlike free and convenient plastic carrier bags this new genius comes along with a price tag .. in most cases a pretty heavy one.

The plastic bag can, in some ways, be seen as a greener way of assisting with the ‘Go Green’ scheme, because they actually require a lot less energy to manufacture, ship and recycle, causing less greenhouse gases. However, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (UK Government), the collection and disposing of plastic bags works out extremely expensive and difficult, simply due to the nature of the product.

The all new trend of non – plastic carrier bag can be seen as a fashion statement. People are paying for these bags so they want to get their money’s worth which is fair enough. But are enough people encouraged to purchase these dainty environment savers? The first non – plastic bag was created by Anya Hindmarch, a member of the bag/fashion industry, who invented the ‘I’m not a plastic bag’ carrier. This was seen, by some, as a fashion statement or was it the beginning of something new for all those go – greeners? The bag, priced at a £5 in shops across the UK, was sold out within an hour of being placed on the shelves, and then many high street stores began to follow in its footsteps.

Shops such as Boots, Tesco and many more have created their own versions of the bag in an attempt to introduce green ethics to their brands. Many supermarkets have now created the ‘bag for life’, a re-usable carrier bag for those shoppers concerned with being eco – friendly, which is priced at roughly 10 pence. So, in comparison to the ‘I’m not a plastic bag’ carrier, that is almost next to nothing. One could argue that even if people are just paying for the bags as a fashion statement at least the world is getting one step closer to a better environment! This new alternate to plastic bags is, possibly, a way of raising awareness in today’s world as to the harsh environment by which we are surrounded. Anything we can do even if it is as small as changing the bag that carries your shopping, we are improving, slowly but surely. Go green!