Step this way to get your daily fix of green news, eco product launches and videos delivered by email.
Julien Temple probably isn’t the first person you think of when it comes to eco shopping. But the cult film director, along with producer Eski Thomas, has just launched Greenzone, a quirky ecotailer-cum-video website which boasts a grand total of…eight products.
Better known for directing music documentaries like The Sex Pistols’ The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, Temple has now turned to shooting short films for Greenzone’s select few products. "Greenzone is a green QVC, but not as you know it, baby," says the obviously shy and retiring Temple.
The films are used to explain why the products are useful and how they’re green -- in a refreshingly tongue-in-cheek way that had us chuckling. "The time for internet TV is now," says Temple. "There’s no point saying it with words if you can say it with moving pictures, certainly if you’re looking to harness the power of the wallet to help make a fairer and greener world."
For fans of the Greenzone duo, the step into environmental concern won’t be all that surprising. Since 2000, environmental activist Thomas has collaborated with Temple to make several Greenpeace short films. "Every green product purchased results in its non-green counterpart remaining unsold on the shelf," says Thomas. Their website defines the company's green policy as “either 100% organic, recycled, reused or powered by a renewable energy source”.
One of its top products is designer electricity meter, the Wattson (pictured). Championed by our very own Adam Vaughan and described as the "ipod of electricity meters", the minimalist gadget shows you the level of energy you’re using -- or wasting -- and how much it’s costing you. It's also limited edition, which presumably explains the whopping £350 price tag. It's worth noting you can buy a less exclusive -- read, mass manufactured -- version of the Wattson for £150 from makers DIY Kyoto.
Apart from the Wattson, the other products aren’t exactly a revelation in green technology -- in fact you’ve probably seen them all before. There’s the giant 25-litre containers of Ecover cleaning products, the cardboard rocket (as seen on SmartPlanet), FSC-certified wood bird box, pouch-sized Onya reusable bag (similar to the flip and tumble bags), sustainable-wood whistles that sounds like bird calls, the Solio solar powered charger and rubber wood jigsaws for green kids.
Although the gadgets may not be all that new, we like the fresh approach and the quirky videos. Besides a brush of rock-star glam never hurts a cause -- just ask Bono, Geldof and er.. Chris Martin.
Please note: Your email address must be entered but will not be displayed
Please note: All submitted content becomes the sole property of CNET Networks UK and may be used, edited or rejected at CNET Networks UK's sole discretion. You acknowledge that you, not CNET Networks UK, are responsible for the contents of your submission.
Step this way to get your daily fix of green news, eco product launches and videos delivered by email.
