Read All About It - UK Aware in the News

By all accounts, UK Aware 09 was a roaring success. Here’s what is being said in the press and in the blogosphere. And don’t forget, we want to hear from you. What did you think of the event? What were your favorite things? Got any suggestions for improvement? Are you planning on coming next year?

The Ecologist

GreenFinder Blog

Ethical PR Girl

The New York Times Green Inc. Blog

Healthy Planet

THANK YOU

Thanks to everyone who attended UK Aware 09 and in doing so made it such a positive experience. Everyone agreed that it was a spectacular success. Here's some interesting facts about UK Aware 09:

• UK Aware 09 had more than 7,500 visitors, more than double last year's attendance.
• UK Aware 09 had 60% more exhibitors than last year's UK Aware show.
• UK Aware 09 was over double the physical size of last year's.
• UK Aware Green Machines Expo saw the largest collection of low-carbon vehicles every assembled under one roof in the U.K.

The team at UK Aware is asking for your feedback, so that they can make next year's show even better and bigger than this year's. If you registered your details at UKAware.com, then you should receive a short survey in the near future. Please take a couple of minutes and fill it in, and you'll receive a free ticket to the next UK Aware exhibition and also be entered in a drawing for a chance to win a pair of tickets on Eurostar from London to Paris, Lille or Brussels.

If we don't have your details, we still welcome your feedback. If you have any particular comments, then please do drop a message to info@ukaware.com. The show organizers, Danny and Jodie, promise to read, absorb and appreciate them all! You're also welcome to leave comments here on the blog. I look forward to reading them and will pass along to Danny and Jodie. Check back to the blog soon for pics from the big event.

Oh, and Happy Earth Day everybody!

It's a Family Affair

If you’re planning on attending UK Aware this weekend and leaving the kids at home, maybe you should reconsider and bring them along.

By bringing together some of the country’s most influential environmental organisations and companies, UK Aware will provide the perfect opportunity to inspire your little ones and teach them about global warming and the importance of green living. It will help you talk to your kids about how they can live a greener lifestyle by doing such things as riding a bike, using renewable energy and eating organic produce. Climate change is going to present younger generations with immeasurable challenges. Creating awareness in children is the first step toward getting them to take action. Knowledge, after all, is power.

So make sure you bring your whole family, and stop by the Footprint Friends booth, where kids can paint eco-art on the soles of their feet! (All painted feet will be photographed and placed in the Footprint Friends art gallery.)

Footprint Friends is a web-based social networking site for 11-18 year olds. It was launched in 2007 to encourage young people to participate in the climate change conversation and to raise greater environmental awareness and inspire positive action among youth around the world. Make sure to check it out. Hope to see you—and your family—there!

For more info about Footprint Friends, click here.

UK Aware or Bust

How do you plan to get to UK Aware this weekend? In the spirit of all that the show stands for, we suggest leaving the car at home and taking public transport. The venue, Olympia Two, is in West London, near the Olympia tube stop, so it will be much easier to get around via public transport anyway. Plus, showing up to UK Aware in a Chelsea tractor would go against everything the show stands for, no? Then again, if you choose to drive a big car, hopefully you will learn how to green other aspects of your life to help offset your car’s carbon emissions.

You really should have no trouble getting to Olympia. EC&O Venues has loads of helpful travel information on their website, including interactive maps, walking maps and maps of bike racks, as well as a link to the Transport for London Journey Planner and National Express, plus much, much more. Olympia is incredibly easy to access from virtually anywhere by public transport. Don’t get your tickets in advance and start planning your trip. Safe travels everyone!

For travel info to Olympia Two, click here.

Let the Countdown Begin!

It's now less than a week until UK AWARE 09 taking place in Olympia Two on Friday 17th and Saturday 18th April from 10am to 6pm.

For those of you who have registered to attend the event: Thank you! We would like to remind you to bring a few bits and bobs ... this year's event will be even more inspiring and interactive than ever! 
Here's what to bring if you would like to get involved...

• Old mobile phones to be recycled. (You'll be supporting charity, as well as making use of your old handsets.)

• Clothes that are in a good condition but sitting unused in your wardrobe - beat the crunch and swish your way to a whole new wardrobe completely free!

• Old batteries to be recycled. In exchange, you'll get a discount on the ubercool rechargeable USB cells that are on sale at the show.

• Unused material to make into a Morsbag.

• Your camera - please send your best photos of UK AWARE 09 to photo@ukaware.com. Whoever sends the best one will receive two standard class Eurostar return tickets to Paris, Brussels or Lille.

• A friend - they can use the code UA09AAA to book a free ticket - we need more people like you!

This years attractions include...

• FREE world-class speakers panels with more than 40 expert speakers.

• Green Business Startup Surgery - lectures and business advice that will help you take your first step toward becoming your own boss.

• 100+ amazing exhibitors showcasing 1000's of sexy green products and services.

• The Green Machines Expo

• Clothes swapping party

• Morsbags

• The Green Screen Cinema

• Footprint Friends Eco family action

• Green Marketplace

• Chillout lounge

• More than 7,000 visitors

We look forward to seeing you later this week!

Green Your Home

UK Aware is just nine days away, and the list of exciting exhibitors is growing faster than daffodils in spring. Here are a few that offer brilliant green products for your home. Make sure to stop by their booths at the show to check them out!



The Fair Trade Furniture Company
Although furniture cannot be officially labeled fair trade by the The Fair Trade Foundation, The Fair Trade Furniture Company uses the same criteria as their guiding principles, paying a fair price for the goods and helping improve the working conditions and lives of their suppliers in Indonesia. The company also works to minimise its environmental impact as much as possible, using sustainable materials that are environmentally harvested and avoiding carbon-intensive air freight for more eco-friendly sea transport. Their furniture is modern and unique, anything but cookie cutter. Check out their offering here.






Tami4 Filtered Water Dispensers
Bottled water may be convenient, but it’s not exactly a boon to the environment. Plastic water bottles are major sources of waste, and they take loads of energy and oil to produce. Break your bottled water habit with a Tami4 Water Filtration System for your home. Available in a range of lovely colors, Tami4 dispensers are stylish and modern—not like anything you’ve seen before. They connect directly to your mains water supply and provide filtered, chilled and boiling water at the touch of a button. See them for yourself here.

Don’t forget: Get your tickets for UK at www.ukaware.com. You better be there!

UK Aware Speaker Panels Just Announced!

The symposiums for this year’s UK Aware have just been announced, and I have to say the topics are brilliant and quite relevant to our lives and the times we live in. There will be eight sessions in all, four on Friday and four on Saturday. Each symposium features a panel of some of the brightest lights in London’s green scene, but the discussions are designed to be understandable—you don’t have to know anything about global warming or carbon emissions to enjoy and gain something from these panel discussions.

The speaker panels include: “Local to Global,” which focuses on how to drive change from the boardroom to the neighborhood; “The Big Carbon Debate,” where the panel will discuss the role that government, business, communities and individuals should play in reducing carbon emissions; “A to B Without the C02,” will cover what the future holds for personal transport; and “The Future’s Bright, The Future’s Green,” where the panel will discuss simple, practical steps you can take to live a happier, greener life.

The expert speakers are some of the brightest lights in London’s green scene, including Arthur Potts Dawson, Executive Chef of Acorn House, London’s famous eco-friendly restaurant; Michael Walton, Director of Shared Interest; Charlie Browne, IKEA UK Environment Manager; Polly Higgins of Trees Have Rights Too; Andrew Davis, Director of the Environmental Transport Association; and Anna Shepard, author of How Green Are my Wellies? Plus, many, many more. With a lineup like this, the speaker’s panels are on track to be the star of the show!

For a full list of panels and speakers, and a complete schedule, click here.