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Why Celebrate International Women's Day? Why We Celebrate International Women's Day: The Significance of March 8thInternational Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated annually on March 8th to honour the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. This day also serves as a reminder of the ongoing struggle for gender equality and women's rights. In this blog, we will explore the history and significance of International Women's Day.History of International Women's DayThe First International Women'...

Fair trade ? The Power of the Purchase The power of a customer’s purchase can have a meaningful impact on the world. Through buying fair trade goods and supporting organizations dedicated to promoting fair trade, as customers we can make a difference in the lives of producers in developing countries and help create a more sustainable global economy by making purchases that are labelled as fair trade. Fair trade advocates for paying producers in developing nations a fair price for their goods and, in certain situations, even provid...

Empowering Artisans The modern world is full of mass-produced, low-cost goods. While they may be convenient, the production and transportation of these products have a significant impact on the environment and the people involved in their production. As consumers become more aware of these issues, many are turning to handcrafted products that are made with care and attention to detail. Not only are handcrafted products often of higher quality, but they can also support fair trade and economic development in deve...

Wood Wide Web One of the most important things we’ve come to understand is that mycelium is a vast ecological network - a cellular network that has a far-reaching and significant impact on everything in its path. A mycelium network acts as a recycling mechanism that helps to nourish other members of the ecological community by recycling nutrients through the food chain from the earth to plants to animals. Some estimate that up to 90% of all land plants benefit from the underground mycelial network. This fu...

The Health Benefits of Playfulness Playfulness is an essential part of mental health. It can help to reduce stress and anxiety, boost creativity, and build emotional resilience. Psychologists suggest that adults should think of playfulness as a way to relax and have fun - not just something that’s meant for children.There are plenty of ways to be playful, from writing a silly poem to playing a game with friends. By taking time to engage in activities that are fun, you can lower your stress level and give your mind a break. Pla...

NOT Black Friday The environmental impact of Black Friday... As you can imagine, the soaring level of consumption on Black Friday and Cyber Monday inevitably leads to a huge amount of waste. From clothing to gadgets, shoppers across the world rush to purchase millions of discounted products that they may not really want. Once the ‘Black Friday buzz’ has worn off, these (mostly non-recyclable) items are more often than not discarded and end up in landfill. The attractive Black Friday discounts can be hard to...

What is Vertical Agriculture? Agriculture is still mostly carried out in a "horizontal" fashion, that is, in vast fields that are obviously outside, despite the fact that it has tremendously evolved since its inception, especially in recent decades thanks to machinery and our current technologies. Space, soil quality, unfavourable weather, excessive sunlight, and the large number of pests that demand the use of pesticides are just a few of the drawbacks of this method of operation. These are sharply attacked by ce...

10 Simple Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint Climate change is one of the most critical issues that we face today. It is a global problem that requires a collective effort to reduce our carbon footprint. A carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that result from our daily activities. These emissions are a significant contributor to climate change. The good news is that there are many simple and effective ways to reduce your carbon footprint. In this article, we will discuss ten easy and practical steps that you can ta...

A Guide to Making Your Travel More Sustainable. Cultural sensitivity and carbon offsets Many people now like travelling, but it's vital to think about how it affects the environment. The travel sector considerably raises global carbon emissions, from lodging to air transport. It's not all bad news, however. Fortunately, there are actions we can take to lessen our carbon footprint and honour the local customs when travelling. The idea of sustainable tourism and travel will be covered in this guide, along with information on carbon o...

How to make your very own Rosehip Syrup Brimming with Vitamin C... Now is the time to get out there and forage for rosehips. Pick a beautiful sunset evening and the well-being moments are priceless. I headed out with my pal, Amanda, with scissors and my favourite little upcycled basket. We filled a basket while chatting about all manner of things and appreciating our beautiful surroundings. Remember to leave enough hips for the birdies. Next job... wash and remove prickly bits. Next up, pop into a container and freeze overnight. ...

Happy Diwali It's been a long night of darkness in many parts of the world in recent years so celebrating Diwali this year becomes particularly significant. A triumph of light over dark and good over evil is most certainly in order. Wherever you are and whatever your beliefs I hope that Hope is still alive for you and that you can share in the blessings of freedom and enlightenment. Diwali (also called Divali or Deepavali) is a “festival of lights”. The name comes from Sanksrit dipavali, meaning “row...

FungiBrew At RainbowLife we are interested in all things good for us. So, we have been doing a fair bit of research into the benefits of adding fungi to the diet. It is often sought out for its immune-boosting and antioxidant properties... Mushroom tea is a popular and nutritious beverage that has gained popularity in recent years for its many health benefits. Made by brewing dried mushrooms, such as reishi and chaga in hot water, mushroom tea is rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that can sup...

What is community? Last Sunday a super group of people in my village organised what has become known as 'The Christmas Countdown'. This is essentially a fundraising event but also locals get a chance to do a spot of Christmas shopping, have a cup of tea and cake and catch up with friends. It has been running for a number of years and each year the organisers select different charities to support. This year we were supporting Alzheimer's Research UK and the representative gave an informative speech o...

Why is Ancient Woodland in the UK so important? What is Ancient Woodland? Ancient woods are areas of woodland that have persisted since 1600 in England and Wales, and 1750 in Scotland. This is when maps started to be reasonably accurate so we can tell that these areas have had tree cover for hundreds of years. They are relatively undisturbed by human development. As a result, they are unique and complex communities of plants, fungi, insects and other microorganisms. Ancient woodland has been around for so long it has developed special comm...

Autumn Foraging Many of us have fond memories of blackberry picking in late August and September. Coming home stained with berry juice sporting purple tongues, there were never quite enough blackberries to make crumble and we all got gripey tummies from gorging ourselves all afternoon. But I don't recall foraging for anything other than blackberries. Indeed I do remember being firmly told never to pick any other berry for fear of poisoning. This fear, successfully instilled, has remained until I learnt...

Let's Get Real about Recycling! Another Recycling Week and the theme this year is 'Let's get Real about Recycling' How many years have we been trying to 'get real' so why haven't we? What is stopping us 'getting real'?By now most of us pretty much realise the threats to the planet- climate change, sea levels rising, poverty, inequality, plastic. But what really is the biggest threat to the planet? Our behaviour.... Overconsumption of products and our buying patterns directly cause climate cha...

International Day of the Girl 11th October 2022 On the tenth year of International Day of the Girl, girls across the world are coming together to make their voices heard. Sadly, girls around the world have continued to face unprecedented challenges to their education, their physical and mental wellness, and the protection needed for a life without violence. COVID-19 has worsened existing burdens on girls around the world and eroded important gains made over the last decade. Investment in girls’ rights remain limited and girls continue to c...

Sustainable buildings made from rubbish - Earthships These off-the-grid homes are made from mainly recycled materials and natural resources. Earthships are a type of off-the-grid home built from old tyres and glass bottles and interest in them is increasing as people look for ways to live more sustainably in the face of climate change. Mike Reynolds graduated with a degree in architecture in 1969. He then moved from Ohio to Taos, New Mexico, where he started experimenting with ways to solve two perennial problems simultaneously: too much rubbi...

International Literacy Day In the aftermath of the pandemic, nearly 24 million learners might never return to formal education, out of which, 11 million are projected to be girls and young women. Vulnerable populations worldwide are likely to have been significantly affected. Through the celebration of International Literacy Day, UNESCO is calling on all actors in the field of education and beyond to re-think the role of literacy. UNESCO has been working to realize the vision of literacy for all since 1946 in the belie...

Why Forage? Back in June I had a serendipitous opportunity to learn a little about foraging for wild food. My eyes have once again been opened to the richness of the Kent countryside where I am fortuitous to live. 'Who knew' seems to have become a staple in the modern vernacular and I couldn't help but apply it in this situation. Indeed, I think all my foraging compatriots who looked agape as our tutor revealed the richness, had this phrase in mind. We retuned from our forage in the Canter...

Positive Eco News in March 2022 The news is always full of doom and gloom, so we have compiled three of our favourite positive new articles this month that will make you smile... These solar panels are harvesting the sun twice in Kenya. Solar panels could be used to improve crop production, according to new research. A collaboration between the University of Sheffield, World Agroforestry, and Latia Agripreneurship Instituten based in Kajiado, Kenya, has found potential in initial tests. The project showed increased agricu...

Robert Burns and Russia Haggis. A regular visitor to family meals during my childhood living in Scotland. While at University, on rather tight finances, after rent and booze bills were taken care of, noodles or peanut butter sandwiches were not on our budget conscious menu. Rather we would troop out to Iceland and pick up a dozen frozen haggis. Microwaved they were brilliant. Very filling, great mouth feel (chewy bits), plenty of greasy goodness, totally satisfying. Throw in some mashed tatties and a big dollop of c...

The season of love It's the season of love! But do you know what that means? Over the next few months there are many events that celebrate love and encourage love and kindness! March 1st Pancake day - who doesn't love pancakes? March 27th Mother’s Day April 3rd. Find a Rainbow Day April 11th. National Pet Day - Who doesn't love Pets? May 15th. International Day of Families There are also many other factors to why its the season of love 1) More Sunshine The sunny days of spring are goo...

Solid Shampoo Bars .... Are they worth it? Are you looking for the best Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) free shampoo and conditioner bar for your travels? Me too, and due to my dreadlocks, I actually just recently discovered that shampoo bars were a thing. What are the different types of Solid Shampoo Bars. There are three broad categories of shampoo bars, although some will overlap categories. Cold-pressed shampoo bars are typically made by home crafters and natural product companies. They are often full of natural oils to help conditio...