Your green promises:

Re-use plastic bags when shopping, Oliver Marcus, London >> Stop wasting resources, Ness Backs, New York >> Consume more plant-based foods, Chana Tzi, L.A., Ca., USA >> Start growing my own herbs and vegetables, Holly Weisfeld, Herts >> Cycle one a day if not more, Jamie Cooper, Harts >> Visit a lot of eco-sites, Maria Kamutzki, Berlin >> I won't litter, Joel Austin, Pinner >> Be more eco friendly, Connor Buchalter, Hatch End >> Re-use water bottles so less waste, David, Middx >> I won't waste water anymore, Ben Green, Hach End >> Help my dad recycle everyday, Phoebe Decker, Northwood >> Turn electrical things off when I have finished using them, Talia Austin, Pinner >> Not to waste food, Joshua Roson, Rickmansworth >> Eat fairtrade chocolate, Josie Sacks, Pinner >> Bike/walk to places not to far away, Zoe Buchalter, Hatch End >> Recycle plastic bags when I go shopping, Sophie Scholl, Moor Park >> Take and re-use our own plastic bags when we go shopping, Cass Family, Harrow >> Not waste paper, Jed Gaffin, Northwood >> Walk to school more, Lea Abrahams, Pinner >> To be more careful with water, Max Abrahams, Pinner >> Turn the tap off when I brush my teeth, Ellie Roston, Rickmansworth >> Try and ride my bike as much as I can, Zack Bluestone, Stanmore >> Walk to from school everyday, Meiron Avidan, Stanmore >> Use tap water instead of bottled, Rianna Roston, Earth >> Turn everything off, not leave it on standby, Lewis Decker, Northwood >> Put my rubbish in the bin, Aron Bhalla, Harrow >> I will put my rubbish in the bin, Seth Bhalla, Harrow >> I will not watch the same thing as my brother on a different TV, Ilana Braham, Northwood >> Our family will walk to places if it is less than 2miles, the Garland family, Pinner >> Don't use sandwich bags for packed lunch, David Braham, Northwood >> Switch off lights when I am not using them, Matthew Rodin, London >> To walk and get the train more, Steph Leigh, Watford >> Not to litter and put rubbish in the bin, Jacob Lauder, Harrow >> Help put out the recycling more, Rachel Bard, Hertfordshire >> To put my cans in a recycle bin, Hannah Hyman, Borehamwood, Herts >> Walk to the bus stop, Matti Brooks, Borehamwood >> Re-use plastic bags when shopping, Gemma Black 5B, Hertfordshire >> I pledge to water my plants with a watering can and not waste water, Gemma Black 5B, Hertfordshire >> Make more things e.g sculptures instead of just putting them in the bin, Minnie Diamond, Bushey >> I shall turn off lights and T.V. when not needed on, Harrry Rubin, Hertfordshire >> Turn the TV off and not leave it on standby, Harry Rubin 5 Beech, Herts, London >> Turn lights off when I leave a room, Katie Moss, Radlett >> Only flush the chain when I need to, Hannah Hyman, Borehamwood, Herts >> Cycle one a day if not more, Jamie Cooper, Harts >> Ride on my bike at least once a day, Sophie Pollock, Borehamwood, Herts >> Grow my own fruit and vegetables in the garden, Isabelle Copeland, Bushey >> Don't leave lights on, Rebecca A, Herts >> Use energy efficent light bulbs!, Dov Colman, Borhamwood >> Not use the car for short journeys, Josh Zucker, Hertfordshire >> Turn the TV off and not leave it on standby, Jake Murray, Borehamwood >> To not leave the shower running!, Lauren Seres, Herts >> Turn lights off when I leave a room, Tyler Freedman, Bushey >> Do more recycling and help my mum sort out the waste, Maddie Freedman, Bushey >> Turn the TV off and not leave it on standby, Joseph White, Radlett, Herts >> Turn lights off when I leave a room, Zoe Klein, Hertfordshire >> turn off the plugs in my bedroom, Oliver Rothstein, Adlenham, herts >> Turn lights off when I leave a room, Nina Freedman, Borehamwood >> Take showers instead of baths, Harry Singler, Bushey >> Recycle my household waste, Harry Black, Bushey >> Recycle my household waste, Mrs Myers, Borehamwood >> Re-use plastic bags when shopping, Daniel Simmons, Radlett >> Not to turn lights on if it is not neeeded, Etienne Dean, Borehamwood >> Not use the car for short journeys, Leah Gorb, Bushey >> Use bits of junk around the house to make something & to not throw it in the bin, Sophie Pollock >> Turn the tap off when I brush my teeth, Natalie Maurer, Hertfordshire >> Turn the TV off and not leave it on standby, Rebecca Selt, Radlett >> Turn the TV off and not leave it on standby, Avital Cohen, Borehamwood >> Recycle my household waste, Max Bean, Bushey >> Start growing my own herbs and vegetable, Talia N, Hertfordshire >> Recycle my household waste, Leanne Rosner, Radlett >> Turn lights off when I leave a room, Leanne Rosner, Radlett >> Turn lights off when I leave a room, Kezia Blakeley, Hertfordshire >> Don't buy herbs if you can grow them, Emily Sterman, Hertfordshire >> Re-use plastic bags when shopping, Joshua Silver, Radlett >> Turn lights off when I leave a room, Ella Kosmin, St Albans >> Turn lights off when I leave a room, Ella Green, Borehamwood >> Replace two light bulbs in my house with energy efficient light bulbs, Jacqueline Sefton, Bushey >> Take showers instead of baths, Sophie Hyman, Borehamwood, Herts >> Turn the tap off when I brush my teeth, Joshua, Herts >> Turn the tap off when I brush my teeth, Benjamin Isaac, Herts >> Turn the TV off and not leave it on standby, Abby Rosen, Elstree >> Replace two light bulbs in my house with energy efficient light bulbs, Amanda Finestone, Borehamwood >> Try to have a shower instead of a bath and will not sing in the shower for too long, Sadie, Hertfordshire >> Cycle at least once a day, Jamie Cooper, Borehamwood >> Re-use plastic bags when shopping, holly, herts >> Turn lights off when I leave a room, Michelle Hertz, Stanmore >> Start growing my own herbs and vegetable, nicola weisfeld, hertfordshire >> Turn the TV off and not leave it on standby, Jack Glazer, Bushey >> Turn lights off when I leave a room, Jack Glazer, Bushey >> Turn the tap off when I brush my teeth, Holly Weisfeld, Hertfortshire >> Turn the TV off and not leave it on standby, Joshua Collins, Hertfordshire >> Eat less meat, Stephen Scott, London >> Turn the tap off when I brush my teeth, Hannah, London >> Continue to educate myself and others in ways of taking care of our earth, Raven Moon, Connecticut >> Try to live on less and take pleasure in the effort, Erich Connell, Greenville, NC >> I will be a vegertarian on a weekly basis, Lee-Ann, Tauyuan, Taiwan >> I promise to make sure all recyclable items go in the recycling and not in the bin, Lara Gordon, London >> I will try to keep recycling my clothes and not buy too many new ones, L.Bratter, North London >> I promise to recycle by altering my clothes, Anita Lancet, London >>

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Gabrielle Lobb

My name is Gabrielle Lobb. I run a community arts charity through which I engage with young people and adults from diverse communities. I'm married to Richard, a musician, and we became parents to our son, Eden, in July 2010. We are enjoying this new adventure and attempting to make environmentally-conscious parenting choices as we go. We grow a lot of vegetables in our garden and have recently taken on an allotment - this all helps with our choice to eat an organic, vegetarian diet. I bake and supply organic cakes to some local cafes. I love music and theatre, camping, cooking and entertaining.

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Parent Blog

Big Green Jewish would like to introduce Gabrielle Lobb, a Jewish Parent living in North London. Gabrielle will be sharing the joys and challenges of trying to raise children in an environmentally friendly way.

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A Look, a Book, and a Fluke

I love to browse through charity book shops looking for interesting or unusual 'reads' for my toddler. Sometimes I turn up a charming book or two, often I leave empty-handed. Occasionally something special appears...

A while ago, I bought Eden a book called Opposites by John Burningham. I found it in a local charity shop, as a single volume. It is a quirkily illustrated board book which turns out to be one of a series of four - the others are Numbers, Letters, Colours. I know this now, because weeks later, in another charity shop in another town, I happened upon the other three, together, no sign of Opposites - mysterious? b'shert?! Needless to say, we now have the complete set on our bookshelf.

The wonderful discoveries of that day didn't end there. In the same shop I unearthed Baby's First Hebrew Songs. This really made me tingle! I felt such delight, it was as if it was waiting there just for me. My mum used to sing Hebrew nursery songs to my brother and me when we were little - she had volunteered in a Kibbutz children's house during the Yom Kippur War - some of which I sing to Eden, others we're not sure of all the words... this book has the answers!

Holding the little book in my hands, I felt a rush of emotions - recognition, affiliation, nostalgia. It made me think about the journeys that objects travel, and the 'chance' events that move them along from place to place, person to person. I felt connected by the book to my own family, history and childhood; also to its previous owner(s); and somehow to everyone who sings and has sung Hebrew children's songs. It has inspired me to sing more often, learn those missing lyrics and track down a CD to learn the songs in the book that mum hadn't introduced me to.

While I'm on the subject of books, I love Big book little book cardboard box and so does Eden. This is a "green, affordable children’s bookcase, designed to encourage an early love of reading". It is made from sturdy, corrugated cardboard and holds more than 30 books with an off-centre divider to separate big books and little books. Eden loves to look through and choose his favourite stories, it's accessible to him as the front of the box is at baby-friendly crawling height and the book covers face front. I love it because it is a sustainable product - made in the UK from 80% recycled material, 20% from fast-growing, renewable softwood forests, it is reusable, recyclable and 100% biodegradable. I think it makes a lovely gift too - we have ordered and decorated these for a few of our friends as birthday presents, personalising the box with the child's name etc in collage.

Click on link below to view previous months

Lifting The Needy Up From The Dungheap - A Pesach Joke, or The Great Nappy Debate

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