The Info Backstage

Life is full of annoyances, and I shrug most of them off.
But one thing that really grinds my gears is the casual misquoting of biblical passages:

Pride goeth before the fall

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. -Proverbs 16:18

Money is the root of all evil.

the love of money is the root of all evil. – I Tim. 6:10

Even worse is the distorted lifting out of context from the Book of Ruth:

“I will follow you where ever you go” (at weddings!) (or, as an exhortation to a woman to follow her husband, regardless of her feelings on the subject)

1:11 Naomi said, “Go back, my daughters. Why do you want to go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?

1:12 Go back, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say, ‘I have hope,’ if I should even have a husband tonight, and should also bear sons;

1:13 would you then wait until they were grown? Would you then refrain from having husbands? No, my daughters, for it grieves me much for your sakes, for the hand of Yahweh has gone out against me.”

1:14 They lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth joined with her.

1:15 She said, “Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people, and to her god. Follow your sister-in-law.”


1:16 Ruth said, “Don’t entreat me to leave you, and to return from following after you, for where you go, I will go; and where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God;

1:17 where you die, will I die, and there will I be buried. Yahweh do so to me, and more also, if anything but death part you and me.”

Last, and certainly the least of these, is one explanation given for why you must tithe – and here, I step into the shadow of doubt, for I fear to incense readers who may not see my point:

Of the twelve tribes of Israel, only the Levites were excused from the daily rigors of tilling the land and raising cattle. In fact, they received no land at all. Instead, they were charged with the care of the Tabernacle, the offering of sacrifices and generally, the spiritual matters of the tribes.
Well, they too had to eat, so it was commanded that they collect tithes from the other eleven tribes. One tenth of the tithe was an offering to god, while the Levites were entitled to the remaining nine tenths as a reward for their services. (See Numbers 18:26 – 31)

Yet, we commonly hear that “tithing to the church” means you must donate one tenth of everything you make! Technically, you would bring the first of your fruits, and one tenth of that is to be offered to god, while the remaining nine tenths went to the representative of the Tribe of Levites (your pastor.) So, if I am being a smart-ass, I would say, give the church your first paycheck and be done with it.
How the pastor offers one tenth of your paycheck to god, I don’t know (repaint the sanctuary?), but he is entitled to the rest, because he has bills to pay, too! Of course, the tithe was not a one-time collection, but occurred periodically. (I said I was being a smart-ass.)

I have heard some people say that you shouldn’t have to tithe at all, because with the advent of the New Covenant, the blood of the lamb for one sinner is replaced by the blood of Christ for all sinners. What they are implying is that the Old Covenant no longer holds force.

This, according to the prophecy of Jeremiah 31:31-34, is indeed the case; and, according to Matthew 25:26-29, the prophecy is fulfilled.

Even though tithing is part of the Old Covenant, that seems, to me, to be an underhanded way of getting out of supporting your spiritual leader.

And that, dear reader, is what really grinds my gears!

[Since this is my opinion, I have not rigorously researched this subject. However, I have discovered a delightful site about tithing, and you are welcome to explore it. Check out what it says about tithing under the New Testament. People forget that the Old Covenant was still in force under the New Testament, during the life of Christ.]

Mitchell Allen is an advocate for cross-networking: synergistically linking multiple social networks in order to increase membership exposure.

He writes for fun and profit at WritingUp.com

He maintains The Vertical Blog Tunnel Network at the social network, Ryze.com.

It seems like everyone these days is under a tremendous amount of stress. It’s a complicated thing – we feel stress strongly, but it’s so hard to define, so hard to know where it’s coming from. There are of course real stressors around us that we are simply unable to control. But there is also an inner switch that regulates one’s response to stress. If that switch isn’t working properly we cannot really be present in our lives, or be there for our family and loved ones.

Our nervous system is comprised of the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. Both have different functions that are useful for survival. The sympathetic system pumps adrenaline and gives us the energy we need to move quickly and get out of dangerous situations. The parasympathetic system promotes a state of calm and relaxation – the state in which our nervous system operates to regulate healthy body functions. Balance is key. A balanced system is a healthy one. Some stress is good for us. It’s when we get out of balance due to long-term stress that we develop problems. Then we get stuck in that sympathetic mode, which results in a constant state of anxiety or fear. Many doctors now recognize that stress is the precursor to numerous illnesses.

So what can we do? We need to release the built up stress in our bodies and learn to reset our nervous system. We need to get out of the sympathetic and into the parasympathetic mode.

Massage is a powerful aid in doing so. It releases built-up stress and helps the body remember to relax again. The power of touch also creates a deep connection with our body’s innate ability to heal itself. Getting a massage isn’t just about pampering and luxury. It’s a valuable way of caring for yourself and your family.

Mary Liccion is an Empathic/Intuitive Healer and Body Worker with over 10 years of experience in Holistic Healing. She has been a Licensed Massage Therapist since 2001. Mary currently works as an LMT at Scott Miller – a salon, spa, and store in Rochester, NY (http://www.scottmillerstyle.com). Mary has traveled extensively and also works as a spiritual counselor.

Many people who suffer from asthma and allergies don’t realize it, but a low immune system is very likely at the root of their problems. Medical experts agree that a lowered or improperly functioning immune system can and does result in several diseases such as asthma, allergies, arthritis, psoriasis, lupus, chronic fatigue syndrome and cancer to name just a few.

The body’s immune systems first line of defense against disease are barriers that prevent antigens, which are large protein molecules of bacteria, viruses, chemicals and other substances that appear harmful from entering your body. The barriers include your skin, mucus, cough reflex, stomach acid and even enzymes in your tears, which destroy toxins. If the antigen or toxin manages to get past these barriers, then the immune system launches a second line of defense, found in your blood. They are white blood cells, which perform a protective function by seeking out and destroying foreign protein antigens.

If you suffer from a low immune system it is important to avoid things that suppress or act to destroy it, such as a high cholesterol diet, heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium), fat, alcohol, fried foods, food additives, obesity, industrial pollutants, pesticides, herbicides, stress, prescription drugs, too much sunlight, tobacco, and radiation.

Unfortunately, there is no “magic bullet” that you can take to quickly repair your immune system, but there are several ways to help build and support it by providing your body with proper nutrition, regular exercise, adequate rest, relaxation and maintaining a positive mental attitude.

Taking the following dietary steps will help protect and build your immune system:

1. Limit saturated and trans fats, food additives and alcohol
2. Take a good quality multi-vitamin/mineral supplement daily
3. Ensure your diet includes adequate protein
4. Take 1000 mg of Vitamin C daily.
5. Eat 3 to 4 servings of vegetables daily.
6. Eat 3 to 4 servings of legumes weekly.
7. Eat 3 to 4 servings of omega-3 fatty acid-rich foods weekly

The length of time required to re-build a low immune system of course will vary depending on your individual situation and environmental exposure to immune system suppressants. This is not an overnight process, for some people it can take three months to two years. Obviously, the higher your exposure has been to immuno-suppressants, the longer it will take to build your immune system. Children tend to heal much more quickly than adults or the elderly.

People with allergies and asthma will find that their asthma and allergy symptoms become less frequent and less severe when their immune systems are strong. It’s important to avoid using allergy and asthma drugs, which have toxic side effects and act to lower the immune system. There are natural supplements that safely and effectively eliminate allergy and asthma symptoms.

Susan Millar is a former asthma and allergy sufferer. She is the author of The Dramatic Asthma Relief Report, based on proven research about genuinely effective treatment for asthma & allergies. www.dramatic-asthma-relief.com/

Everyone knows that 666 is the sign of the devil and a day which represents this number is approaching fast. Will the first hurricane of 2006 Atlantic tropical hurricane season named Albert do be the devil? Will there be a war with Iran on June 6th, 2006? The truth is nobody knows, but something will happen on 666 or June 6, 2006.

Every day has news in it and every day both good and bad things happen, but what bad things will happen all on 666? Many parents are very worried in the deal even want to send their kids to school that day. Other very religious folks think that 666 is the beginning of the end. Could this be the end of days, Armageddon, the rapture or the day the devil is born?

One hospital in Florida noted that many women are canceling the appointments to have their babies delivered. Several women who are expected to give birth exactly nine months after conception found out that the baby was due on June 6, 2006. You can imagine how freaked out these ladies were, as they do not want to be the mother of the Antichrist.

I guess that makes sense really? A few mothers are asking to have labor induced born June 7th, 2007. Are you a Christian family who is worried about 666? Are you one of the millions of Americans who is worried for your lives on June 6, 2006? If you are; Booo! And

“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

If you’re a new writer, you may be feeling overwhelmed with how much there is to do and keep straight in your head. You’ve got to get ideas, research, write, find markets, create queries, and send them off to markets. And you’ll got to do at least one or two of those things every day. Does thinking about all this make you exhausted?

If so, relax. Just do one thing at a time. For now, if you’re a new writer, tell yourself that the ability to do everything we’ve mentioned will develop as you develop as a writer. Let’s talk about growing your career and writing skills organically, because it’s important.

Every word you write will improve your writing skills. However, if you’re not selling as much (or for as much money as you’d like) you can become frustrated.

=> Let yourself grow organically

What does that mean— “organically”?

It means to let yourself develop by trusting yourself. There’s an excellent book: The Inner Game of Work: Focus, Learning, Pleasure, and Mobility in the Workplace by Tim Gallwey which talks about Self One and Self Two. Gallwey points out that we have two selves, Self One and Self Two. Self One is the bossy, didactic voice in our head. This voice is not our real self, it’s a false self which parrots every hurtful, destructive thing we’ve ever heard. It’s no wonder that we’re frightened of failure, frightened of success, and just plain frightened if we take Self One seriously.

Gallwey suggests that we trust our real self, Self Two. Our real self, Self Two, is much more powerful than Self One. Self Two is everything we are. If we trust ourselves, and allow Self Two to do the work, it gets done.

The problem is that Self Two is mute. It’s not verbal. It communicates with feelings, images and I guess — intuition. The easiest way to discover whether Self One or Self Two is currently in charge of our inner self is to ask: am I loving what I’m doing? Am I feeling joy? If the background feeling to what you’re doing is joy, then Self Two is in charge. Self Two is you, happily absorbed, completely engrossed with what you’re doing.

Letting yourself grow organically means putting Self Two in charge. Trust that as long as you’re writing, you’re letting Self Two take the lead.

When you start out as a writer, writing 500 words is a big deal. Sending out ONE query letter is a big deal. At this beginning stage, celebrate all these milestones. You got a query in the mail! You wrote a complete article! An editor wants to see your work! And of course — you’ve made your first sale!

If you’re in the first five years of your writing career, enjoy your writing. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. When you walk into a bookstore, imagine your books on the shelves. Walk along the shelves, and imagine your books, sitting alongside all the other books. It will happen.

As your career picks up pace, you will have sent out so many queries and proposals, that the process has become automatic for you. You get an idea, write up the proposal, and send it out, and the entire process has taken you no longer than ten minutes. You’ll write 2000 words of your book in two hours, and still have time to plot another book, answer your email, and write an entry in your blog.

=> Keep lists

Lists are lifesavers. As you become busier, and are working on several projects at a time, you need to develop the ability to compartmentalize. The easiest way to do this is to keep lists of what’s happening in each of your projects.

Your organizational skills will grow as your needs as a writer grow. Allow it to grow organically. Remember: you’ll know that Self Two is in charge when you’re excited and happy. Focus on maintaining that excitement, and let Self Two do the work.

Stuck in your writing career? Get a coach! Angela Booth coaches writers in copywriting (writing for business), nonfiction, and fiction. A veteran writer, published by major publishers worldwide, Angela is also an experienced writing teacher, who knows how to inspire and motivate. You CAN make a success of your writing career. Free daily info for writers at her blog: http://copywriter.typepad.com/ Start your writing coaching today by contacting Angela at her site http://angelabooth.com/ Angela offers personal one-on-one e-courses and mentoring for all forms of writing. Ask for a low-cost initial phone or email consultation.

Everyday I am challenged to find the good in things: world events; newspaper headlines; hometown issues; even my marriage. Of all of the Spiritual Scientist characteristics this one seems to go in and out of focus the most.

Six characteristics of a Spiritual Scientist:

1. Uses everything for learning, growth and awareness
2. Looks for the good in all things
3. Works masterfully with the human nature
4. Lives in the present with intention

5. Takes full responsibility for everything in their life
6. Develops multidimensional awareness as a divine being

When I am successful at shifting the lens from “I don’t like this” to “I see the good in this” and perceive and receive the awareness of ‘good’ in all things my body is flooded with peace. I have come to treasure this kinesthetic shift as very precious – a pearl of great price. And the ‘price” that is exacted, I have noticed, is letting go of my fear and seeing with the eyes of the soul.

Fear is the number one culprit that robs me of my peace and knowing the goodness that is present. Fear steals silently into my thoughts influencing and shaping how I hear, see, taste and smell a conversation, a news story, or a world event. If I am not vigilant I find myself mired in the fog of helplessness, hopelessness and contraction.

In other words, an illusion is created and one that my rational mind supports whole heartedly. The inner dialogue goes something like this….”This is not good. This is bad. What will be next? I better begin protecting myself.” or “That’s horrible. Why did that happen? I can’t trust this universe. Or I can’t trust …” And quite unconsciously, my heart shuts down.

When my heart is shut down I do not see ‘good’ anywhere because good is perceived by the heart – not the mind.

The key is to remember to shift out of my mind chatter and access the greater being – my divinity. My divinity is a direct door to greater wisdom, intuition and inner knowing.

My secret weapon is asking for the light – ‘living in God’s holy thoughts’.
When I ask for the light – again and again – my divinity breaks through my mind’s defense ever so gently with the compassionate query:
“What’s the greater picture here? What other possible choice could you make other than seeing this as bad?”
“What is the real fear that is present in this moment?”

Now here is a question that causes me to pause – And as I stop my mind chatter long enough to quiet and focus on my breathing I hear the truth…I’m afraid because I feel out of control. I can’t control that person, that situation or those people.

“But what is the ultimate control?” that gentle voice asks again. “Cooperating with what is…accepting that there is much I cannot control outside of me but what I can control is present here, inside, in this moment.” I take a deep breath in and remember, all is well.

“OK, what can I cooperate with in this moment?”, I ask myself.

A loving, caring heart
Willingness to hold for the unseen good
Compassion for myself and for all those that are involved
Peace that is beyond all the mind chatter

And so I have found the good, once again and I experience that precious presence of peace. I realize once more that good is present because I put it there. I am the creator and cocreator of the good.

And the good becomes:
Courage to face the fear
Willingness to make another choice
Inner strength to ask myself scary questions
Patience to wait for the higher revelation

As a Spiritual Scientist – one who has chosen to observe through the eyes of the soul and see the good, I serve myself, others and the world. Now, that is good.

Rebecca Skeele is the author of You Can Make It Heaven: How to Enrich Your Life with Abundance and Loving Her coaching and counseling business, Make It Heaven, LLC offers life changing courses and workshops inspiring people to become masterful at cocreating their personal heaven on earth. An ordained minister, Rebecca is an international workshop leader and speaker. Her new course, Becoming a Spiritual Scientist: A Course for Cocreators gives practical tools to move beyond story-based reality and begin living intentionally with divinity. Enrollment for FALL 2005 course now. For more information about Soul Salons and course enrollment visit Rebecca’s new website: http://www.spiritual-scientist.com or email course@spiritual-scientist.com

Kids love snacks. After school, in the late evening, or just about anytime, kids want snacks. You may be struggling with snack ideas for your kids that are healthy and inexpensive.

Here is a list of healthy snacks to give your kids.

Some of the healthy choices for kid’s snacks are unsweetened
applesauce, bottled water, fruit cups or snacks, raisins and other dried fruits, granola bars, low fat or fat free milk, and pure fruit juice.

Meat and Cheese: Low fat lunchmeats such as chicken, turkey, and ham make fun snacks when rolled around a small slice of cheese or on whole wheat bread, cut into finger size sandwiches. Cheese and low fat or fat free crackers served with low-sodium pickles are favorites as well as turkey hot dogs with mustard.

Fresh fruit: Kids love fresh fruit peeled and sliced into bits size pieces with some low-fat yogurt on the side for dipping. Peanut butter sandwiches on whole wheat bread with a little sugar free jelly are great ideas for a healthy snack that your kids will enjoy.

Fresh veggies: Fresh vegetables cut into bite size chunks with some low fat salad dressing are fun snacks that your kids will love and not even notice that they are healthy.

Finding healthy snacks that your kids will actually eat is not
impossible. Give your kids healthy choices and arrange the various food items in a fun, colorful way on their plates as extra incentive to enjoy the healthy foods.

Childhood obesity is a major problem in our society. Make sure your kids eat healthy, fun snacks that give them some nutritional benefits and set an example of healthy eating from a young age.

Angela Tyler would rather spend time doing the things she loves
rather than being stuck in the kitchen. She invites you to
http://www.freequickrecipes.com where you’ll find quick recipes for mothers… and others. And, if you are looking for fun exercise for your kids, check out http://www.funexercisevideos.com/big-kid-exercise.php

Servicing corporate clients can keep you very busy. You must stay on top of matters to ensure proper customer service, quick turnarounds and quality products. Your clients are expecting you to follow through and offer the best possible results for their needs. They are also looking for reasons to continue a business relationship with your company if you are providing good service. Choosing the right location for your business can help give your reputation a boost in the right direction with your clients. Renting a Business Center is a smart solution if you need a prestigious office in a popular area. Here’s why.

Choose a Smart Location; Make Lasting Impressions

Your business should be located in an area with which your major clients can identify. If you service clients in a large city and many of the clients are located in prestigious business offices, your office and location should meet the standards your clients expect. Imagine working with a new company that is going to service your business on a continual basis. You ask to meet with the company owner and find yourself at a run-down building with poor facilities or a small cottage along a lengthy country road. Your perception of that company tumbles dramatically because you expected to see a prestigious, corporate office instead.

The scenario above doesn’t apply with all types of businesses, of course. For example, a company named “Mary’s Country Crafts” might be very successful in a small cottage in the suburbs. However, a major financial consultant helping large corporations with their everyday business planning would have a more professional image if located in a prestigious business park in the
downtown area of a major city.

Ready-Made Corporate Look

a Business Center provides a ready-made corporate look for your company. enting this type of office saves you time and money because you don’t have o worry with office details such as buying equipment, setting up phone lines and Internet connections, installing computers, fax machines and copiers, or furnishing and designing your office. Everything you need in an office is already in place when you move into your Business Center.

Professional Style and Design

The style and design of many Business Centers offers the look and feel of a corporate office. There is usually a receptionist available at an elegant front desk to greet your clients. Your clients are able to meet with you in a clean, professional environment. If you are uneasy about meeting your clients at your desk, you can reserve a conference room for meetings. You’ll
have up-to-date equipment to meet the needs of your business and your clients.

Prestigious Business Address

a Business Center enables you to take advantage of a well-known downtown business address without the expense. Even clients who don’t visit in person will recognize the professional address.

You can enjoy convenience and an impressionable business location by renting a Business Center. Providing excellent customer service along with building a great image will help your business grow and succeed.

Grace Corporate Park virtual office service can help you establish a prestigious business in New
York City. We also provide permanent and temporary serviced office spaces.
See http://www.corporatepark.net for more information.

Edith Piaf remains an icon and her best loved song, “Non, je ne regrette rien”, remains an anthem in part because of the issues that so many of us have with regret. If the emotionally vulnerable Parisian sparrow could live free from regrets then maybe the rest us can also.

Women who are just starting out on their journey of recovery from abuse are often stymied by the spectre of future regret.

Curiously, that regret isn’t generally about wasting their time, love and energy on an emotional Neanderthal. Instead it’s about their own perceived failures in the relationship and the fear that they might yet realise that they have given up on a good thing.

(Quite why a ‘good thing’ would masquerade so resolutely as a bad thing defies explanation. But any woman who is prepared to believe in the fundamental goodness of her partner, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, should never accuse herself of a lack of optimism. Sure, it may be misplaced, but it proves that she has a capacity for unlimited optimism that she can begin to turn to her own advantage.)

Future regret is a worst-case scenario in which a woman views her unhappy relationship through rose coloured blinkers and sees a yet more distorted and selective reworking of reality.

Future regret is actually an expression of present fear: fear that she will never again encounter such a wonderful human being (truly); fear that life has nothing more to offer her, nor she to offer life; fear of the void that awaits her.

Abuse breeds fear, and fear breeds paralysis.

It’s powerful stuff. But where does it come from?

Abusive partners endlessly – and in all seriousness – tell women just how wonderful they, the abusers, are. They brainwash women into accepting a questionable worldview in which abused women have been blessed with the incredible, unrepeatable good fortune of being tolerated by a prince-among-men…

Now, suppose these women have already been subjected to a schematic vision of the world in which their alleged unworthiness is tolerated (just), by their (wonderful) parents or family members. Then, much of the groundwork has already been done, even before a prince-among-men (P-A-M) appears, croaking his endearing frog-like croak.

Given their lack of self-assurance, abused women assume that a P-A-M-free future is likely to be worse than reality deux. They don’t think that this is actually an incredibly tall order. Abusive men are, after all, past masters at ensuring that things are as bad as they can get. (Some will continue to do so, even after the woman ends the relationship.)

Nevertheless, it is possible for abused women to create the future they want for themselves. All the more so once they realise that present fears cannot accurately predict future reality.

In “The Sedona Method”, Hale Dwoskin makes the telling observation: “Feelings only lie. They tell us we are going to get from letting go of them what we already have from holding on to them.” So it is with our fears and regrets. What we fear we will regret by letting go of a situation, is simply what we have by holding on to it.

As a general principle, people who instil in you a fear of what you might live to regret are precisely those who feel they stand to lose by what you might decide. Their (unspoken) fear is that you might spread your wings and fly, leaving them behind, earth-bound. In other words, in an undeniably neat manoeuvre, they have managed to dump their fear onto you, in the guise of your alleged future regret.

Once you can see how regret is designed to hamstring you, you can start to move forward into the unknown and the future free of your old fear.

C) 2005 Annie Kaszina

Joyful Coaching

An NLP Practitioner and Women’s Empowerment Coach, Annie specialises in helping women heal the trauma of the past, so they can enjoy the present and look forward to the future.

Email:annie@joyfulcoaching.com To subscribe to Annie’s twice monthly ezine, or order her eBook ‘The Woman You Want To Be, go: to http://www.joyfulcoaching.com

Literature and storytelling have been at the heart of culture for hundreds of years. Before the printing press it flourished orally, passing through communities and generations in the recesses of memory. It was adapted by each teller, and recorded according to their preferences as they retold it to their audiences. Oral masterpieces – Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, the anonymously written Sir Gawain and the Green Knight – were never recorded in definitive versions by their authors. As time and technique drove on, forms of printing were established, so that authors could record their work. Generally speaking, the earliest forms of production was woodblock printing, which dates back to 220AD. The earliest surviving forms can be found in China, with similar types from Egypt.

In Europe, block printing was common practice by 1300. Even during early modern history, then, literature and storytelling can be seen as synonymous with the destruction of habitats; every piece that was block printed required wood for the process. But this reached a larger scale in the European industrial revolutions, when mass printing – similar to the forms in which we know it today – required the pulp of vast numbers of trees as demand for printing increased. To this day, then, the mass production of printed literature means the mass pulping of the world’s natural habitats.

There caption, “Where Books Grow Trees” is a perfect encapsulation of the problem and solution: to offset the production of books with the recycling of old ones. They have also made the endeavour commercially viable; each and every book that is sold through the website costs just £3.75, and postage and packing is free. It means that it can attract customers looking for a bargain, before connecting them to the cause.

They also buy used books for £3.00, meaning that they make a margin of profit, whilst keeping a circulation of books recycling amongst the websites members.

And their commitment grows stronger, as the website outlines:

“By recycling used books not only are we saving existing trees, we’re actually planting new ones. How? GreenMetropolis.com donates 5p for every book sold to the ‘Tree For All’ campaign run by the Woodland Trust.” The Woodland Trust – endorsed, as outlined above, by Green Metropolis – is dedicated to the conservation and preservation of the UK’s native woodland. It has four main aims:
1) No further loss of ancient woodland.
2) Improving the biodiversity of our woodlands.
3) Increasing and restoring native woodlands.
4) Increasing people’s awareness and enjoyment of woodland. Green Metropolis, along with its compulsory donation of 5p for every book sold, encourages its members to donate too, from the books they sell to the website.

So they keep a constant circulation of used books away from the litter bins, and invest in the growth of new habitats. It is a website then, that encourages community and an active role in the environmental protection of the UK. Buy a Book. Plant a Tree.

Chris Woolfrey is the solar panels expert at EcoSwitch The environmental social network.