Greener Kew in the The Green

This months The Green magazine features Greener Kew in a double page spread and cover story.

Very nice.

Debate on plastic bags

The pros and cons of banning the bag are discussed noce a clearly on this BBC article

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bloom/actions/bringyourownbag.shtml

BBC News Clip

There is a clip viewable on the BBC website:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7484488.stm

Party Started

Last night we had a super launch party in Kew Village.

Baroness Tonge was late due to delays on the tube, but she spoke as did Susan Kramer MP, the Mayor of Richmond, and Zac Goldsmith as well.

There was a great turn out and fab weather, drinks from Olivers, coffee from Starbucks and snacks from Ma Cuisine,

We raised at least £500 towards the £1500 we need to cover costs of things like printing the bags and stickers, information and so on.

Greener Kew bags were much in evidence and Kew Gardens put some of tehir new paper bags on display.

Mike Glazebrook made a good point - that we need to stop using disposable bags at all. Even using paper and cornstarch, while they are better in that they can rot away quickly, still has a high environmental impact. Zac made the point that average disposable bag has a use lifetime of around 20 minutes, which represents simply a crazy waste of resources.

A good number of people in kew now will be aware of the campagin and we wonder how well it lasts. In six months time, will we back to old habits or is this the start of a lasting change?

And what other things can we do to make Kew Greener?? Tell us on the comments!

Greener Kew on BBC 1 London News

Greener Kew's launch party was covered by the BBC news and will be showing after the ten o clock news tonight.

I am very excited cos this is my first logo to appear on television! :-)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7482519.stm

More local press coverage

http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/richmondnews/display.var.2346611.0.kew_to_go_plastic_bag_free.php


The BBC will be covering this evening's party and interviewing traders tomorrow morning as well.

National Archives Pledge Support

The National Archives is committed to supporting the Greener Kew Campaign and will no longer offer customers plastic bags in its shop, opting for recycled paper bags instead. Customers requesting a more substantial bag will be given a plastic bag only while the small quantity of existing stock lasts. In the future we plan to offer a Fairtrade cotton bag for sale. We are also exploring more environmentally-friendly alternatives to the clear plastic bags currently used in our reading rooms.

There's Going to be a Party and Everyone's Invited

Greener Kew is having a launch party on Monday June 30th from 7pm, to launch a plastic-bag- free village.

And everyone's invited!

Various bags and information will be available and Zac Goldsmith, Susan Kramer MP and Baroness Jenny Tonge will be there to give speeches.

The lovely banner is made by the kids of Kew College.

Another Kew Trader joins in

La Boheme is a romantic and cosy boutique specialising in vintage home accessories. The distinctive Belgian charm with abundance of colours and rare items is what sets us apart.

Shopping in La Boheme feels like a treasure hunt, with crystal candleholders, cherub figurines, vintage clocks and everything else just scattered all over the place, because a home is like that - things are all around the house, with one photo frame displayed on the mantelpiece and the other next to the bed just for you to glance before going to sleep...

We do not believe in overpricing but we do believe in high quality and excellent customer service. So, visit us and experience your own treasure hunt.

Plastic bags media coverage - Standard v Richmond & Twick

Article in the Richmond & Twickenham Times - not so soft on Tesco this time!

http://www.richmondandtwickenhamtimes.co.uk/search/display.var.2346611.0.kew_to_go_plastic_bag_free.php

Latest headlines

Kew has got the attention of London's press, and so has Tesco...

Read the story in Evening Standard

The Original Maids of Honour

The famous Maids of Honour tea rooms on the Kew Road have pledged their support to the campaign. We also discovered they've recently started using free range chicken only in the pies, in response to the Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Jamie Oliver 'Chicken Out' campaign. They are also reviewing other areas of the business to see how they can improve their ecological profile.

And most importantly of all, they do delicious cakes.

Visit their website to find out more about the Original Maids of Honour.

Earthlife Pledges Support

Earthlife is a unique and tranquil facility in the arches of Kew Bridge, where emphasis is placed on Fitness, Health and Wellbeing. Our aim is to provide a personal and holistic approach to fitness and wellbeing in a place of calm and relaxation.

We offer a wide range of Complementary Therapies, Beauty Treatments and Workshops, as well as Fitness Classes for adults, teens and children, with no membership or joining fees.

On our website, www.earth-life.co.uk, you can read more about what we offer and if you are not sure which treatment or class would be best for you, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will do our best to help you find the right one for you.

Earthlife Wellbeing & Fitness
Arch 2, Kew Bridge Arches
Richmond, TW9 3AW

Tel: 020 8940 0888
Email: info@earth-life.co.uk
Web: www.earth-life.co.uk

Kew Frame - Fine Framing with Flair

Florence Nielsen of Kew Frame is also supporting a Greener Kew!

Having practised fine art framing in both Brussels and London, Florence creates some of the best frames in London at local prices. Visit her at her fascinating workshop close to Kew Green for:

•  A large range of hight quality moulding: platinum, gilded, silvered, painted, stained, distressed, wood and more
  
• A very wide range of mounts which can be used to create specific styles: traditional, rustic, contemporary, box style
• Glass: standard, museum, non reflective, mirror, perplex
• Restoration services for oils, prints, watercolours and frames
• Friendly, professional service and advice
• A selection of paintings, prints and cards for sale

Kew Frame

8 Mortlake Terrace

Kew Green 

TW9 3DT

020 8296 8999

07708923738

kewframe@yahoo.co.uk

Opening Hours:

Tue - Fri 9.30 - 17.30

Sat 9.00 - 17.00

Kew Bookshop Pledges to Ban the Bag

We are delighted to add that Kew Bookshop have pledged their support for a Greener Kew, promising to end plastic bags from July 1st.

If you are a trader in Kew and are interested in participating, email us for information or ask for an information pack at Robbins' hardware store by Kew Gardens Station.

About Kew Bookshop
Kew Bookshop has been serving the local community for nearly two decades. We are a small, friendly family-run bookshop with a strong emphasis on children’s books, book-related gifts and greetings cards. We have a large range of adult titles including fiction, travel, cookery and history. One of the highlights of the shop is the recommended reading section which is full of books read and enjoyed by staff members – this means we have a more diverse and interesting range than many other shops. If you want some personalised advice on what to buy just ask – we are always happy to help.

Kew Bookshop
1-2 Station Approach
Kew
Surrey TW9 3QB
Tel: 020 8940 0030
Email : kew.bookshop@virgin.net

Painting by Victoria Messel

Mia Wood joins greener Kew

Mia Wood is delighted to be a part of a Greener Kew. If you are looking for something special Mia sells a unique range of jewellery, handbags, accessories and homewards at her flagship store in the heart of Kew Gardens Village. Alternatively you can visit our website for a range of products, or the new store on Ham Parade, Petersham.

www.miawood.co.uk

Logo agreed

The meeting on Saturday was useful and a logo design was agreed upon for the campaign, which will go on the cotton bags that are intended for retailers to seel. They are also potentially going to be distributed to residents, depending on the council's decision on funding which is due in the next few days.

The logo could also be used to make window stickers, reminder notes for people to put on the fridge or front door, and whatever else we come up with.

The design is by local Sarah Dixon of Spider Creative.

Recyclable, Recycled, Degradable, Biodegradable, Compostable

As the green idea is gathering momentum, plenty of companies try to look "green" without really changing a thing. Where plastic carrier bags are concerned, you can find all sorts of claims on them to lure you into thinking that your supermarket is doing something - it's most likely to be very little if anything at all.

Some bags read RECYCLABLE. Hah! Nearly everything is recyclable, but it needs to be collected, it needs to be clean, it needs to be sorted and so on. Plastic bags are, of course, theoretically recyclable but unfortunately 99% of them are not being recycled. So much for that.

Then, some bags contain RECYCLED plastic, varying from "contains a proportion of recycled material", to 20% or 33%, perhaps more. That is a step in the right direction, but the problems of plastic bags littering our environment and clogging our landfill sites remain.

Some plastic bags (the co-op uses them now, except, of course the co-op in plastic-bag-free Modbury), are DEGRADABLE. These are still petroleum based, see below, but will degrade in about three years or so. That's certainly better than floating about for 500 years! Again, a step, but not enough.

I think that if we have to use disposable bags at all, they ought to be BIODEGRADABLE / COMPOSTABLE. This means that they decompose into natural matter in a matter of months, some might need longer on a domestic compost heap. Corn starch bags fit the bill as well as unbleached paper bags.

There is lots more bag info to be found on the Modbury website.

Campaign featured on BBC London!

Our campaign has featured on BBC London radio!

We were interviewed during the Breakfast Show on Thursday 17th April. The show is now offline. Keep watching this blpg to stay up to date with press coverage.

Meeting for Kew Traders Saturday 19th 9am

There will be a meeting in Kew for traders, to find out how they can stop using plastic bags.

The meeting is to be held on Saturday 19th at 9am. If you can't make it, please let us know by sending a comment on this post. We can then get in touch with you and keep you informed.

Lots of traders are concnerned that they need plastic bags for their customers. The idea of the meeting is to suggest the alternatives and give information eg pricing, availability etc.

The main alternatives proposed are to use cornstarch instead of plastic, and paper bags.