Green Christmas delight

People of the UK are forecast to spend almost £17bn on gifts this Christmas according to a survey by Deloitte. It’s fair to say that with a little more emphasis on how we spend all this cash, we could make a small difference to the world that we can all feel good about. Here are a few varied ideas to promote a more green, ethical and Fair Trade way of spending.


Roque the Tiger
You can now buy your loved one a tiger. As you may struggle for the house space, it’s just as well that Born Free will let you adopt Roque (‘Rocky’) and cater for all his care in a jungle enclosure at a sanctuary in India - an effective gift with real meaning.
How much: £30.00
Where from: bornfree.org.uk


Water supply
Oxfam offer a straight forward gift package to maintain safe water for ten people by setting up a safe water supply in Africa. This will bring the biggest of smiles to not just one, but ten people this Christmas.
How much: £9.00
Where from: Oxfam.org.uk




The Eco Button
This is one for the technology obsessed and the electricity consumers. The gizmo plugs into the USB of a computer and causes the pc and monitor to draw out as little power as possible when the user is away from their desk, recording the carbon units saved as well as helping stamp out the carbon footprint.
How much: £12.99
Where from: iwantoneofthose.com



Choc-Affair
For those that you need a buy a mini-gift, choose the Choc-Affair Hot Chocolate Drink melting stick. These are delicious low cost treats that contain 100% natural Fair Trade ingredients and are great for handing out around the office.
How much: £2.25
Where from: ethicalsuperstore.com



Eco mug
If you need to convict your friends of their economic ignorance, you can now give the gift of global awareness. The global warming mug shows a world map that when adding hot water shows the world's coastlines to slowly disappear under a hundred metres of water of melted icecaps.
How much: £7.99
Where from: iwantonofthose.com



The Powerball
A gadget that uses zero electricity or battery power, functioning purely off the momentum of the gyroscope internal rotor to strengthen and rehabilitating the arms and wrists whilst being fun, addictive and competitive.
How much: £17.99
Where from: powerballs.com




Fruit tree
Purchase something fruitful in more ways than one. For £9.00 you can buy the gift of fruit trees for poor villages in Sierra Leone with produce like cherries, peaches, olives, lemons and pears.
How much: £9.00
Where from: musthavegifts.org



The sun jar
This will add a glow to someone’s life in the most solar-powered ethical way. Leave the large jar on the window sill and natural sunlight will charge it to lighten up the evening.
How much: £11.99
Where from: play.com



Micro D-Luxe Scarf
A gift ‘for her’ could be a Micro D-Luxe Scarf to keep the weather at bay over winter, made from the softest featherweight material and recycled through the Common Threads Recycling Program.
How much: £22.00
Where from: Patagonia.com



Family goat
Buying a goat may sound like an odd choice, but in northern Rwanda, a little goat can change a family’s lives producing milk, fertilising crops and cheering people up.
How much: £25.00
Where from: Oxfam.org

Ed Byrne, Different Class – The Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent - November 24th’09

Ed Byrne is not one of those household comedy names, nor is he an unknown. The 37-year-old Irishman is no newcomer to the comedy world having already completed three sell out tours in the UK alone and recognised as an undeniably skilled professional with a perfected style of his own.

The most instant and enjoyable thing about Byrne is his likability. There is nothing more uncomfortable than watching a comedian choke the audience with their ego whilst demanding laughs because they’re on television. He quickly established a relaxed and light hearted atmosphere by seeming to enjoy himself on stage and appear comfortable in his own skin.

An animated and gifted story teller, Byrne really gives the effect that he’s passionate about his frustrations with movie storylines that don’t make sense, his position in the class system and the ridiculousness of wedding planning.

At a time when swearing is used exuberantly in comedy, Byrne’s timing, use and choice of swear words only ever added to the material that was nothing short of hilarious as he spins his comical yarns about ridiculous human behaviour such as those one-liner retorts that are thought up months after an argument takes place.

One of my personal highlights was Byrne's fast talking quick fire delivery system which not only made it more engaging, but meant that the audience were treated to a surplus of material.

I was almost embarrassed during the repeated incoherent outcries of a random member of the audience which quickly subsided when Byrne finally responded: “Did you wake up this morning, and think ‘I’m a d**k. Now how can I prove this to 600 people?’” Whilst this is contrasting my point about being offensive, whenever he did decide to slate a person, they deserved it.

To finish, the encore was mainly a mockery of encores themselves, telling tales of audiences that weren’t aware of an encore and fled the building as though a military operation were in place before he could return to the stage. Fortunately, our audience were only too happy to applaud for more of the consistent and colourful humour we’d seen through both sides of the interval.

Byrne can be seen throughout the rest of November at the following venues:

25/11 - Coventry Warwick Arts Centre

26/11 – London Hammersmith Apollo

27/11 – Cheltenham Town Hall

28/11 – Newcastle City Hall

Details are available on Ed Byrne’s website: www.edbyrne.com.

Tickets can be purchases at: www.ticketmaster.co.uk.