Birdsong Radio lives on

Did you ever listen to Birdsong radio? Unfortunately the DAB Station went off air on 1st June. However, you can order the CD for offline access, or listen to the peaceful sounds of Dawn Chorus via your computer, using the player on http://www.birdsongradio.com/. You can also become a Facebook Fan or follow the service on Twitter.

Shrinking the Footprint in every parish

A senior bishop and a Government minister have spelled out the importance of the Church of England’s role in mobilising action on climate change, as its Shrinking the Footprint campaign unveiled energy saving toolkits for every parish in a bid to create the 20% Church by 2050. Read more details here.

Calvin at 500

Marking the 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin, Radio 4's Beyond Belief this week discussed why this major Protestant reformer altered the shape and changed the thinking of Western Europe. Listen here to learn more about the legacy of Calvin and why his ideas still influence churches in Britain and around the world today.

Over on the Theology Network, Mike Reeves introduces us to Calvin, his life and theology, in three talks.

Gadget reviews

The John Lewis website contains a Buying guide for technology gadgets. More informative than just a straight sales pitch, for each topic (e..g. digital cameras, laptops and mobile phones) there is a succinct overview of the technology and the main options. For independent advice, view the Which website (for thousands of products that have been individually tested and rated by experts) and the Good Housekeeping Institute (GHI), described as an "unbeatable check-before-you-buy resource".

Recycle Week 2009

Recycle Week 2009 takes place from 22-28 June. It's a campaign that wants you to do less, not more! This Recycle Week is all about the many, easy ways we can all waste less.

It’s easy to get involved this Recycle Week. We can all help by doing anything from re-using our carrier bags to recycling old electrical items – remembering to put as much of our recycling out, reducing our food waste and home composting of course! However you choose to waste less, it helps the environment and you might even save money in the process. To show how much we can contribute as individuals, the website includes a list of easy-to-achieve pledges.

Leading group walks (and other tips)

As midsummer approaches, here's advice on leading group walks in remote areas or demanding conditions, in a helpful factsheet from the Ramblers. There are lots more helpful tips on the Ramblers website.

See also:
- Preparing for hiking

- Long Distance Walkers Association

Students help connect the Vatican to Internet 2.0

A college student helped bring Pope Benedict XVI to YouTube and Facebook — literally. As an intern for the Vatican’s Internet office, Samantha Chin researched different ways for the Roman Catholic Church to publicize the Pope’s message for annual World Communication Day, in May. Ms. Chin was part of a Villanova University internship program that has been working for the past seven years to keep the Catholic Church up to date with multimedia tools and technology. Tools include the Vatican’s YouTube site; a Facebook application called Pope2You, which allows users to send virtual postcards and get-well messages in five languages; and an iPhone application that distributes news.

Ideal job for mountain lovers?

In a first for Scotland, a Unesco chair has been created at Perth College UHI in recognition of the institution's work into maintaining mountains and their communities. Martin Price, director of the Centre for Mountain Studies, will take on the new chair in Sustainable Mountain Development, where he will work with international partners to promote the field. Professor Price was appointed the world's first Professor of Mountain Studies in 2005; in 2007, he shared the Nobel Peace Prize with former US vice-president and environmental activist Al Gore. See also: 'I like mountains because of the physical challenge and the aesthetics'.

Save on travel and language books

Travelling this summer? Borders is currently offering 25% off a host of travel books including guidebooks, travel journals and classic travelogues. You can also save 50% off Take Off in Language Courses - multimedia courses which allow you to work at your own pace and provide a compact and complete language course. All orders over £10 come with free UK delivery.

Jonathan Porritt on the ultimate recession

As part of the Centenary celebrations at Loughborough University, and to highlight the institution's commitment to environmental sustainability, the University is hostinga Centenary Lecture by Jonathon Porritt on Wednesday 24 June at 5pm: "From Credit Crunch to Climate Crunch: Avoiding the Ultimate Recession". Further information.

Grow a garden from matchsticks?

Planning on starting a credit crunch garden but don't know where to start? Maybe you need a matchstick garden... What appears to be a book of matches is actually 10 strips of card, bearing seeds. You just tear off a strip, stick in a plant pot, and watch your greens grow in front of your very eyes. You don't need a big garden, a swanky greenhouse or fancy gardening skills to get started! Available in Mixed Greens and Italian Garden varieties.

Interview with Narnia Code author

You may be interested in an interview with the Rev. Dr. Michael Ward, an Anglican minister and the author of Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis. The book was featured in The Narnia Code - the BBC documentary called broadcast on BBC1 in April and May.

New teashop for Snowdon!

[above: Infusion climbed Snowdon in 2004]

An £8.3 million visitor centre, is to be formally opened today (12 June 2009) on the top of Mount Snowdon, Wales's highest mountain. Although Hafod Eryri, comprising a rail terminus, cafe and visitor centre, opened its doors to the public in May, the official opening will be carried out by the Rt. Hon. Rhodri Morgan who will unveil a special mountain stone set into the rear terrace of the new building. Eryri in English is Snowdonia but there is no translation for Hafod, an old Welsh term for residence on high land. Check out the Snowdon Summit Blog for more information.

Library reward scheme

Members of Leicestershire libraries can join the free, new library reward scheme. You can collect a point on your rewards card each time you visit a county or mobile library and borrow six or more items. You can collect up to 12 points on each card and these can be cashed in for one of a range of rewards. More on the library service blog.

The poetry of the Psalms

This week's edition of Poetry Please on Radio 4 was dedicated to the poetry of the Book of Psalms, in old translations and new. Some were read in the King James version, and others in the recent translation of the Psalms by Robert Alter. It was presented by Roger McGough and read by Kenneth Cranham and Henry Goodman. There are five more days to Listen again to the programme.

Hold a Blooming Great Tea Party

The UK Tea Council is encouraging us all to hold a Blooming Great Tea Party between June 12 and July 12 in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care. Every tea party, however big or small, will help Marie Curie Cancer Care nurse someone with terminal cancer, giving them the choice to be cared for at home.
You can sign up now and receive a fundraising pack bursting with ideas to help you create your perfect party by visiting www.mariecurie.org.uk/teaparty.

Environment Sunday

Following World Environment Day on Friday, today is Environment Sunday. To coincide with this, A Rocha UK have launched the new website for their Living Lightly initiative. It aims to encourage and motivate you to make practical changes in all these areas through giving you ideas of things you can do, further information on key issues, links to useful websites and resources, and an on-line community that you can share your thoughts and questions with. See also: Pray now, act now.

Round-up of animal stories

• City birds sing higher than country cousins: birds living in cities sing higher-pitched songs than country-dwelling birds in order to be heard above the urban din.
• Beavers return after 400-year gap: beavers brought over from Norway for a reintroduction programme have been released into the wild in Argyll.
• Wallaby spotted in Cornish garden: a wallaby with a baby joey has been photographed hopping around the back garden of a house in Cornwall.
• Baby anteater finds its feet: a baby anteater has made its public debut at an aquarium in Tokyo.

Happy World Environment Day!

The UN has dubbed every 5 June as World Environment Day (WED) a day used by the United Nations to stimulate worldwide awareness of environmental issues and encourages political action.to try and get the planet to be top of mind for a change. Here is Cafédirect’s take on WED.

USB-rechargable battery

USBCELL rechargeable batteries are a new concept in rechargeable batteries - you simply plug them into the USB ports on your computer to charge them up, then use them in your electrical gadget. With over 15 billion alkaline batteries made and thrown away each year - wasting resources, C02 and creating toxic landfill - it's good to come across an eco-friendly alternative. Even better when the eco-friendly alternative can be re-used hundreds of times and doesn't require a charger or adaptor cable, saving money, hassle and waste.

USBCELL batteries are available from Amazon and the Onya company (who also sell the Onya Weigh and wrapsacks).

Hungry Elephant - affiliate scheme for charities‏

The Hungry Elephant website runs an affiliate scheme for charities to obtain a financial contribution from a vendor when someone uses the charity's code to shop online. It can be a way for voluntary organisations to lever income from the spending of your members or supporters. For example, some supermarkets will pay a certain percentage of the bill to the charity when people shop online with them. And the name? It comes from the "feeling that trying to fundraise is a bit like trying to feed a hungry elephant...a lot of hard work for very little gain". [forwarded by Phil]

My YHA

Somehow I missed the launch of My YHA at the end of last year:
Since My YHA was launched in December, more than 1,500 people have signed up to become part of YHA’s online community. Registering your details on the site allows you to start your own topics in the forum, respond to comments left by other users, and submit reviews of any hostel . You can use the online forum to help you find out information about what YHA has to offer. People have so far been discussing anything from their favourite hostels to looking for suggestions for their next holiday.