Natural resourcesWith spring in the air, it's a good time to open up those windows. The Environmental Protection Agency in the US has found that pollutant levels in the home can be five times higher than outside.
Conventional cleaning products can be loaded with chemicals and fragrances. Keep an eye out for Lilly's Eco Clean - a range of quirky-looking cleaning products that are made from natural ingredients.
The owner, 36-year-old Lilli Klint from Finland, was running her own cleaning business in Wicklow when she started getting very ill (symptoms included sinusitis, uncontrollable sneezing and a rash). She wondered if cleaning products might be responsible. "You always felt a place was really clean when you were finished. But they were so toxic - one bathroom cleaner corroded through my rubber gloves." Klint read Cleaning Yourself to Death, Pat Thomas's guide to the toxicity of household cleaners. "It was a turning point. I found recipes on the web and started making my own products. Within a month my symptoms had cleared up."
Klint spotted an opportunity. "It was really small to start with - filling old milk cartons with the liquids and printing out labels on my computer," she laughs. Lilly's Eco Clean now employs three people, produces 400 bottles a week and is starting to supply mainstream supermarkets. In 2005 Klint moved her operation from Wicklow and now lives and works in Eskivaude in Co Cork. "I fell in love with this area. And of course it's so much cheaper to run a business." See www.lillysecoluv.com for details. Mick Kelly
On register
Crystal is cutting edge again, so to speak - out of the cupboards and back on the table. John Rocha's most recent stemware is far more elegant and light than his first collection, and the new glass and tableware designed by Marc Jacobs for Waterford (shown here) is delicate, fine and most desirable. Best of all, both designers' work is actually made in Waterford, not outsourced. Marc Jacobs's team has produced three collections, with five-piece place settings to match. We like the "Jean" decanter (€295) and goblet (€70) best - they have a certain turn-of-the-century elegance about them. The matching gold and ivory china to match is classic. All hot off the press for anyone with a wedding on the cards. You'll find it in Brown Thomas.
World of wine
A consumer show of Australian Riesling and Rosé wines will be held in Mitchell & Sons on Kildare St, Dublin, on April 17th from 7pm to 9pm. The evening will be hosted by wine journalist Mary Dowey, late of this parish. Tickets cost €15 and are available from John McDonnell of Wine Australia, who can be contacted at Ireland@wineaustralia.comor 065-7077264. And there are still some spaces available for Dowey's "Classic Blends and New Trends" wine weekend in Ballymaloe, Co Cork (April 20th-22nd).
La Cave Wine Bar on South Anne Street in Dublin kicks off five wine-tasting evenings on Monday April 30th with an "introduction to wine varietals". The cost is €30 per person. Call 01-6794409 or e-mail lacave@iol.ie. Finally, have you checked your cellar recently? Perhaps you might have a bottle of the 1945 Romanée-Conti. If so, start smiling: Christies recently sold one such bottle for £12,375. Joe Breen
Brides-to-be
If you are in the thrall of planning a wedding, and aspire to bespoke services, you might consult the consortium of eight experts known as The Wedding Circle. Comprised of a photographer, videographer, make-up artist, hairdresser, jewellery/ hair accessories designer, florist, invitation engraver and engagement and wedding ring specialist, they collaborate among themselves and with each couple to deliver highly individualised, design-led services. Check out www.weddingcircle.netto explore this talented and enterprising crew.
A drop to drink
The Simply Water filter removes just about all the nasties you don't want to find in your drinking water: rust, dirt, sediments, pesticides, E coli, salmonella, faecal coliforms, chlorine and - rather topically now - parasites, including cryptosporidium. The system has been used by Oxfam, Unicef and Save the Children Fund in Africa and Asia in the middle of typhoid and dysentery epidemics, according to the company's managing director, Adrian Hamilton.
The self-install unit fits under your kitchen sink, and delivers clean water via a separate tap. The system costs €248-€298 and comes with a free filter element (normally costing €48) that lasts a year. For those who wish to remove fluoride from their water as well, there is a linked system (€128), which also comes with an element that must be replaced annually (€48). For further details, see www.simplywater.ieor call 01-4920414. Jane Powers
Easter antics
The Lithuanians are in action at Powerscourt Townhouse today, with lots of eggs handpainted in traditional eastern European fashion and egg-rolling games for children from 11am to 1pm. Pawna, a new Dublin band, will perform from 2-4pm. The Farmers' Market will be open in the centre all day. See www.powerscourtcentre.com
Chocolatier Benoit Lorge, who won six medals at the recent Taste of Dublin Awards, will be making Easter eggs tomorrow in the Marriott Druids Glen Hotel and Country Club in
Co Wicklow, where there will also be a gourmet egg hunt on the grounds. Two-night packages are available from €190 B&B based on two people sharing; Easter lunch from €32.50. Call 01-2870800.
If you are near Drogheda this weekend, head for Edmund McNulty's studio where his annual half-price sale is on today and tomorrow. His lightweight wraps and cardigans come in great, heathery colours in kid-mohair, fine merino wool and alpaca mixes. Very original. You'll find him in Studio 7, Milmount Craft Centre, Drogheda (041-9844199).