I am always on the lookout for good vegetarian cookbooks and Plenty has quickly become one of my favourite. The recipes are tasty and original and (best of all for me ) most of them are not cheese based. The book looks wonderful with great photography.

Plenty is drawn from Yotam Ottolenghi’s column ‘The New Vegetarian’ for the Guardian’s Weekend magazine. Drawing inspiration from his unapologetic love of ingredients and his far-ranging and eclectic culinary influences, he is well-known for his truly original and innovative approach to vegetable dishes.

Broken down into sections covering types of vegetable, Plenty opens with recipes for roots across the seasons, from warming Roasted parsnips and sweet potatoes with caper vinaigrette to a summer salad of Beetroot, yoghurt and preserved lemon relish.

Inspiration is then provided for leaves (both cooked and raw) in recipes such as Green pancakes with lime butter, Swiss chard, chickpea and tamarind stew and Vine leaf, herb and yoghurt pie.

Chapters on Green Things and Green Beans include Warm glass noodles and edamame beans, Green gazpacho, Hot yoghurt and broad bean soup and Soba Noodles with wakame. Vibrant dishes such as Avocado, quinoa and broad bean, Coconut rice with sambal and okra and Quinoa salad with dried Iranian lime are suffused with the flavours
of the East and Mediterranean, whilst Courgette and cobnut salad showcases a traditional English ingredient.

Go waste-free this school year while saving money & the environment. Here are some benefits of kids going waste free as explained by Kids Konserve:

1. Families save money when they switch from single-serving packaged foods, drinks and containers. See Cost Comparison

2. Families reduce waste and help the health of the environment.

3. Kids eat healthier when they prepare and bring fresh foods to school.

4. Kids benefit from waste-free lunch products that are free of harmful toxins. All Kids Konserve’s products are free of BPA, phthalates, PVC and lead.

5. Kids learn how their actions can directly affect the health of our planet when they pack a waste-free lunch and take part in waste-free activities.

6. Schools save money on waste-hauling costs when lunchtime waste is reduced. The Center for Ecoliteracy reports: “A recent waste audit in Berkeley (California) Unified School District determined that the district was spending on the average of $26 per student for waste disposal, or a total yearly cost of $225,661 for the district. A large part of this figure is waste generated from school lunch.”

7. Schools meet their goals to become more sustainable, promote environmental stewardship, and make real changes to educate their students about the importance of reuse.

Start this school year by putting an end to daily throwaway of foil, plastic bags, used juice cartons and containers with Kids Konserve’s lunch kits! Waste-free and reusable they are fun and colourful. Kids love their fun and colourful caterpillar and butterfly designs.

Each lunch kit contains a stainless steel drink bottle, 2 stainless steel containers with leak proof plastic lids, 1 Food Kozy™ (reusable bag for sandwiches, cheese etc..), 1 cotton napkin, 1 recycled aluminium tag.

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Manufacturers are very keen to label clothes as “dry clean only” to protect themselves from any complains. The label is overused and often we all can use our best judgment to see which garments really need that special treatment.

Dry cleaning is expensive and can be quite nasty for the environment. Hangers, pins and plastic covers also produce a lot of waste.

Dry cleaning is a cleaning process using an organic solvent rather than water. The solvent used is typically tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene), abbreviated to “perc”. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a draft review stating that perc’s classification should be changed to “likely human carcinogen” from its current status in a grey area between “possible” and “probable” carcinogen. When poorly managed, disposal of conventional dry cleaning waste can leak into the soil and groundwater.

There are 4 main alternatives to dry cleaning:

:: Professional Wet Cleaning is regarded as an environmentally safe alternative to dry cleaning, wet-cleaning uses water as the solvent with a mild detergent.

:: Some argue that CO2 (carbon dioxide) cleaning process is better. Compressed CO2 turns into a clear and transparent liquid, which is a very effective yet gentle solvent for cleaning garments. The CO2 is collected and purified from CO2 present in the atmosphere. Approximately 98% of the CO2 used in this cleaning process is recovered for reuse, and all dirt removed from clothes is safely disposed of. Contact Ecodrycleaning for you nearest agent.

:: Green Earth dry cleaning process uses liquid silicone, a gentle solution made from silica (sand). This method is more widely available than the previous two. See Green Earth website for your nearest store.

:: The fourth alternative to dry cleaning is to avoid it altogether. Choose clothes that are not labelled as “dry clean only”. If it is a must-have piece then use your best judgement as most fabric and garment can be hand washed with cold water instead.

So next time you are shopping think twice before buying clothes you know will need dry cleaning. Shop around for a more eco friendly dry cleaner and don’t forget to recycle those plastic covers, pins and hangers back to the shop.

Hand crafted from 100 % recycled tyres, these innovative, attractive planters made by Tread are environmentally friendly, frost proof and easy to move – if dropped, they bounce! The different tread marks and individual characteristics of the tyres make each planter unique.

Practical and maintenance free planters are an Eco- friendly option for your garden, offering extra strength and they wont rot, suitable for small trees, shrubs, bedding plants, allotment produce, herbs or garden tools.

Also great for planting indoors or as a practical storage solution for logs, magazines, toys or even as a waste paper basket.

Tread design and supply a range of recycled tyre planters, containers and furniture offering an eco friendly option for the home and garden. Landfills overflowing with old car tyres take up valuable green space. Tread helps to keep our earth green transforming them into great environmentally friendly products.

They are proud to be supporting and sustaining the traditional artisan communities and crafts of Morocco, while promoting innovative and environmentally friendly products.

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We have extended our Facebook Competition deadline as some of you found it unclear where to enter. So here it is again:

Join us on Facebook and let us know which ethical brand you would like to see most at By Nature this Fall. Ends September 30th 2010.

What you can win: A Fabulous Case of Organic Wine from Vintage Roots!

How to enter: Entries need to be placed on our Wall. We do not accept any entries by email or phone.

(Winner of 1 case of Vintage Roots European Wine Case to be selected at random amongst answers to the above question. Competition opened to existing and new Facebook members)

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