Archive for February, 2009

A banana-based frenzy broke out at Ethical Superstore this lunchtime. As part of the Fairtrade Foundation’s Fairtrade Fortnight celebrations, we’re in training for the world’s biggest Fairtrade banana-eating record attempt.

Ethical Superstore Teams Go Bananas!

You can join in too; all you have to do is eat a Fairtrade banana any time between noon on Friday 6 March and noon Saturday 7 March.

We’re signed up as one of a whole host of events across the UK – check out the map on the Go Bananas! site to find your local event or submit your own; whether it’s just the family munching a banana each at home, or a whole office involved with banana-themed games – there’s sure to be something you can get involved with.

To keep you informed and entertained throughout your banana-eating check out these banana facts and figures;

• The banana is the most popular fruit in the world – people spend over £10 billion a year on the fruit globally.
• Banana plants are the largest plants on earth without a woody stem.
• Wild bananas have been cultivated for more than 4,000 years.
• Bananas are one of the few fruits that ripen best off the plant.
• Bananas are harvested every day of the year.
• The word banana is derivated from the Arabic meaning ‘finger’.
• Eating two bananas provides enough energy to see you through a strenuous 90-minute gym workout.
• There are 57 certified producer groups in ten countries of Latin America, the Caribbean and West Africa supplying Fairtrade bananas to twenty countries in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific.
• Fairtrade bananas were launched in 1994, and now one in four bananas sold in the UK is Fairtrade.
• Bananas contain tryptophan and vitamin B6, known to help make you feel happy

We never like to miss the opportunity to bend the ear of a politician – yesterday we had two visit the Ethical Superstore. Wendy Morton, the prospective parliamentary candidate for Tynemouth, was welcoming Bernard Jenkin MP, the Shadow Secretary of State for Defence, to our region, and decided that Ethical Superstore would be a great example of a North East business doing well despite the tough conditions. After a tour of the warehouse and offices, a fairtrade cup of tea was enjoyed by all.

Andy Redfern commented  “It’s all too easy to criticize politicians for being out of touch, so we never like to miss the chance to let them know what it’s like at the grass roots.”

Wendy gave us this feedback “As a Conservative I support Fairtrade. Developing Countries need aid but they also need economic development, trade and skills to lift them out of poverty. That’s why I believe Fairtrade is important.

“I was really impressed by the vast range of Fairtrade and ethical products at the Ethical Superstore – they have everything from groceries, to gadgets, to gifts. But what struck me most was the innovation and imagination behind many of the products. For example handbags made from recycled juice packets, and beer glasses made from recycled bottles.

“Visiting a place like this really does provide food for thought.”

Lunch on Day Two

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you will probably be currently thinking that the whole organisation has gone “Fairtrade Fortnight” and “giving things up for lent” mad.  You shouldn’t be surprised though – Ethical Superstore is largely staffed by optimists.  We don’t look at global poverty and climate change and shrug our shoulders. We believe that we can make a difference to these things even through something as mundane as the type of coffee you drink. So when Lent comes around many people in the team have decided to do things to make their lifestyle or the world a better place.

So in that context my decision for lent doesn’t feel quite so stupid – I’ve decided to only eat things I can buy from the Ethical Superstore range for lent. When someone first said it couldn’t be done, it seemed easy – I reeled off a long list of all the things we sell. However, as I begin my Lenten pledge it’s the things we don’t sell that seem more problematic – no milk, no margarine, no butter, no bread, no eggs. This is going to be an interesting six weeks.

So the rules I have set are quite simple, apart from water (and by the way we do sell water too!) everything I consume over the coming weeks will have all of the ingredients derived from the Ethical Superstore range of food products. Yesterday was day 1.

Read the rest of I’m not mad, just optimistic… »

It would probably be fair to say that the majority of the population are familiar with the notion of Pancake Day, but how many people actually think of it as Shrove Tuesday, the final day of reckoning before Lent is upon us?

Giving up an indulgence for the 40 days between Shrove Tuesday and Easter Day can be thought of as a personal challenge as well as religious tradition, and a quick whip around the EthicalSuperstore HQ has revealed that there are a fair number of people stepping up to the test.

The most popular item that staff here are giving up is chocolate, followed closely by coffee, crisps, alcohol and fried takeaway breakfasts. Excluding such junk food items from our daily diets is sure to make us healthier, and the achievement of completing a challenge is always a nice buzz too. And if you don’t want to cut certain food items out completely, changing your habits and only buying Fairtrade and organic as Helen has described in her Fairtrade Fortnight Challenge blog is a great idea.

We’d love to know whether the rest of you are giving anything up for Lent – are you joining us in cutting out the unhealthy foodstuffs, or do you have other inspiration and challenges for us?

my only concessions were recycled toilet paper and free range eggs

This fortnight, I will only be buying fair trade and organic…

Monday saw the start of Fairtrade Fortnight and I decided to set myself the challenge of only buying fairtrade and organic products for two weeks. And I mean only – where there is no fairtrade or organic option, we will do without. (I survived half term with no heating and no hot water – how hard can this be?)

Therefore, at the checkout of my local ASDA store on Monday, I had a trolley full of ethical food and boy, was I proud of it! My only concessions (and I hope you will allow me these) were recycled toilet paper and free range eggs. Going without toilet paper was a step too far and although I believe you can buy organic eggs, I lack the stamina to trail round other stores looking for them.

The checkout assistant couldn’t fail to notice this was a family shop with a difference and a conversation ensued (which was part of the purpose of the challenge). She informed me that

Read the rest of My Personal Fairtrade Fortnight Challenge »

Joanna’s recent blog  ‘The Great Packaging Debate’ touched a nerve with me.  Don’t get me wrong I’m all in favour of recycling. Too much so, if you ask my kids, as I’m rather fond of picking up bottles and cans whilst walking our dog and bringing home the spoils to add to our kerb-it box. Perhaps it’s the way that I then record my results on the calendar (21 cans is my personal best) which prompts their accusations that I’m obsessive. But I’m also firmly of the opinion that recycling shouldn’t be viewed as the first option when dealing with our waste.

So here’s my top 5 ideas for cutting down recycling without adding anything to landfill.

1 – Plan ahead.

One of the biggest improvements we’ve made to reducing waste in our home is by taking time

Read the rest of Top tips to cut your recycling »

Here at Ethical Superstore we’re delighted to announce the imminent launch of Palestinian Fairtrade olive oil in the UK, coinciding with Fairtrade Fortnight 2009 (23 Feb – 8 March).

Zaytoun’s Fairtrade, organic olive oil is a unique product able to compete with the best oils from all over the world. With the launch of these great-tasting, life-changing products in the UK, Zaytoun are offering small-scale farmers, often working under extreme conditions, not only a fair price and a chance to expand and improve their production, but also the opportunity to sustain a livelihood with dignity and security.

The olive tree and its produce are of key cultural and economic importance to Palestinian people, and Zaytoun creates international links through trade rather than aid. Cathi Pawson, co-founder of Zaytoun says this is vital to the company’s philosophy:

“Aid donations, while necessary, rarely foster foundations for long-term prosperity and social revitalization. To date, our trade with the Palestinian people has brought well over £1 million to their economy, and support for rural society”

Zaytoun Olive Oil is described by wine and food writer Malcolm Gluck as:

“One of the least aggressive yet pungently attractive olive oils I have tasted. It is in the rich nourishing class of the best of the fruity Sicilian, Cretan, and northern Spanish oils and its beautiful green cloudiness bespeaks of care and judicious handling.”

Read the rest of UK launch of world’s first Fairtrade Olive Oil, made in Palestine »

Don’t Panic! (or should that be rejoice?!) The fast-food chain we love to hate hasn’t been subject to some kind of McDisaster. Rather, this is the latest installation from the Danish art-collective Superflex entitled “Flooded McDonald’s”.

Read the rest of McFlood »

Image: mrhayata - Flickr

I know I’m a little premature with this one, but with the festive season over yet winter still upon us, my mind is turning to holidays. You must have noticed the travel agents’ New Year advertising campaigns trying to tempt us all with the promise of the exotic, and year on year increasing numbers of Brits are taking the pundits up on their offers, and fleeing the country searching for weather, activities and the holiday atmosphere that you just don’t get in the UK.

I’m feeling like one of the lucky ones at the moment. Rather than still having several months to wait, I shall be jetting off to foreign lands sooner than most – in only a few weeks time I shall be exploring all that India has to offer. It’s a trip I’ve been looking forward to for a while now, and although I’m sure the country has many challenges to offer, I don’t think India will fail to disappoint in terms of beauty and wonder, cultural diversity and tasty food.

In the face of such excitement in anticipation of a holiday, there is nevertheless a big issue looming… It’s all very well looking on at SkiDubai’s desert snow dome in judgement when I myself am indulging in totally unnecessary long-haul flying. Ok, so one trip to India versus 3 football-pitches of snow frozen exclusively for Dubai’s affluent skiers may not be an entirely equal comparison, but where exactly do you set your boundaries for what is, and what isn’t acceptable as a luxurious indulgence. It is possible to indulge in chocolate ethically with brands such as Green & Black’s and Divine, but is there such a thing as ethical long-haul flying? Offsetting the carbon emissions of your flight is a good place to start when journeying abroad (you can offset the carbon emissions of your shopping here at EthicalSuperstore too) but I’m not convinced that even that can entirely assuage the negative impact of aeroplane travel.

Read the rest of Ethical Adventuring and Green Getaways »

The latest line of products to enter our ever-expanding warehouse here at EthicalSuperstore is the great new Spring ‘09 range from the outdoor clothing and technical apparel manufacturer, Patagonia.

We’re excited to bring you this new product range, including hiking boots, men’s and women’s walking and outdoor equipment, and some fashion pieces.

Patagonia started life as a one-man mission to make and sell affordable and reliable climbing gear to like-minded people. Now, after over 30 years in business the folk at Patagonia still hold the same values dear; simplicity, utility, respect for nature, and a minimalist approach to life and work.

The range is not only functional and stylish though, it also boasts top-notch environmental credentials; Patagonia use recycled polyester in many of its clothes and only use organic cotton. You’ll find more information on individual garments’ materials and make-up on their product page.

Read the rest of Patagonia Hits The Shelves Of EthicalSuperstore.com »