Archive for May, 2009

In all my comments over previous weeks about the potentially harmful household products that we pour down our drains, I have studiously avoided discussing the similar effects of hygiene and beauty products. Why is that? Is it because the bubbles, fragrance and silky texture enhance my bathing pleasure? Is it because my children exercise more control over my choices in this area? Or is it because we get through so much shower gel and shampoo that the price becomes all-important?

Certainly, my supermarket’s shelves bear witness to the fact that people can be more easily persuaded to buy environmentally friendly washing liquid than shampoo. As far as I can see, there are no organic beauty products on offer. And yet it stands to reason that harmful ingredients in household products are also present in beauty products – what disappears down the plughole in the bath has the same harmful effects on the natural world as what disappears out of the sink in the kitchen. Time to try organic, naturally fragranced shower gels and shampoos without harmful chemical additives, I feel (especially as my body is entering a heightened allergy phase for some reason).

But how about the make-up and all the creams and potions that promise so much? For some people, to be separated from their face cream would be a matter of life and death. I remember a friend telling me

Read the rest of Ethical Beauty… Secret or Dilemma? »

I have been a regular consumer for many years. I have faced the supermarket weekly for well over twenty years. I have bought all the food and household products for seven people for over five years. I have been swayed by some ad campaigns and special offers. I have seen through others. I thought I had seen it all.

But what I saw last week in the supermarket in-store magazine topped it all. The news that 17-24 May was officially National Watercress Week filled me with horror, ridicule and despair. Not that I have anything particularly against watercress – but why have a week formally designated to it?

Flicking through the magazine, I was also made aware of other such ‘Weeks’. Did you know that 10-16 May was British Sandwich Week and National Breastfeeding Awareness Week? Sorry if you are disappointed that those have passed you by. The bad news is you also missed National Bread Week from the 4-10 May, so you may now have to wait a while for another bread-related week. The 18-22 May is also Walk to School Week and National Allergy Week. I guess for some, those two may be related.

Why do we do it? To raise awareness? As an advertising opportunity? To promote healthy living? As a chance for real fans to celebrate? Will National Watercress Week really have made some quantifiable difference?

Who comes up with these ’Weeks’ anyway? How do they become official? Can anyone have a go? I would like to propose 23-30 May as National Muesli Week and this is my pitch.

We all know the importance of eating a healthy breakfast. It’s a great start to the day, activating your brain and giving you the energy to give your best until lunch. And what better than muesli, the healthiest of all healthy breakfasts? Muesli was developed for just that reason. In around 1900, a Swiss physician saw muesli as a great way to boost the health of patients in his hospital. It became popular in western countries in the 1960s as people became increasingly interested in healthy eating and recognised the combination of beneficial ingredients found in a bowl of muesli. Fresh fruit, oats, nuts…..ingredients high in fibre and omega-3 fatty acids, with a low glycaemic index, shown to reduce high cholesterol and the risk of cancer…all served up with either fresh or soya milk. Perfect.

The only way to make it more perfect would be to buy Fair Trade or organic muesli. Then the benefit would not only be yours, but also the environment, and the growers and the producers of the ingredients. I’m a fan of Traidcraft muesli, especially now they have released an Apricot and Cranberry variety. I like to be able to read the information about the farmers on the back of the box. I like to know that what is improving the quality of my life is improving the quality of life for others as well. I like to be able to offer my family a choice of varieties to suit all tastes and with brands like Traidcraft, Rude Health and Alara; we’re spoilt for choice!

So are you with me on this? Will you join me in making 23-30 May National Muesli Week? Let me know your thoughts.

Happy munching!

Morning all, and welcome to this week’s Carnival of the Green. It’s just after 11.30am here in blustery Gateshead, so grab yourself a nice cup of tea, sit back and absorb the best green posts from last week’s Internet, incorporating our brand new feature™ #bestgreentweets

The Vetrazzo Process: A Photo Essay By MC O’Connor

Jim from bargaineering brings us five reasons to go paperless with your statements (bank, credit card, mortgage, etc.). Paperless is not only good for the environment but also good for you financially. Use less and everyone wins!

With petrol prices on the rise yet again, we look to hypermiling: a set of skills employed to reduce fuel consumption. Techniques range from simple to extreme, dangerous to downright illegal. Green Promise sheds some light on these practices, with safety and the environment in mind.

Biotunes presents Use recyclable, not just renewable, energy posted at Bioblog by Biotunes.

Marie Snyder questions the green-ness of the green bins.

Elizabeth at Go Green Travel Green discusses 12 Tips and Tricks for Green Business Travel. From staying in a green hotel to taking ecocabs, discover how to be a greener business traveler.

Jessica Nagel presents Love’s Baby Soft and Coca Cola posted at Sustainable Halo.

RecycleCindy from myrecycledbags.com (a website dedicated to recycling & crafting) offers her latest recycled tote bag which is crocheted from old plastic bags. Crochet your way to a wonderful reusable tote and a great way to repurpose those old plastic bags into a cool grocery bag. Here is the free crochet pattern link. Happy recycled green crafting to you!

Surbhi presents Wildlife Conservation – The Weak Link posted at The Viewspaper » The Viewspaper.

Beth Terry says: “For almost 2 years, I have collected and tallied my own weekly plastic waste on my blog, Fake Plastic Fish. Now it’s your turn. Are you willing to take the challenge and let us see your plastic pile for the week? This challenge is for educational purposes only. Leave your guilt in the garbage can and Show Us Your (Plastic) Trash!

Michal presents The FlexScan EV2303W Energy Efficient Monitor posted at Energy Saving Gadgets.

Is local food always the greenest choice? A new Worldwatch Institute study says no. Read about the study on Veggie Revolution this week, from Sally Kneidel. What could be greener than local?

Wren Caulfield presents Spring Cleaning: Do It Cheap, Do It Green posted at True Adventures in Money Hacking.

Jennifer Heigl presents Are You Getting “Localwashed?” posted at Daily Blender.

Pictures & video of a green home building project in Long Island. Those solar panels look awesome. 6.5kW!

Alex presents How to Get Rid of Ants with Apple Cider Vinegar posted at Home Life Weekly.

Instead of sending toxic cleaning products down the plug-hole, here are four easy and effective ways to use baking soda around your home from ooffoo.

Ooffoo have also just announced the winners of their reuse competition here in a post called Top 10 ReUse Tips & Ideas. 

Guffly presents Help the Enviroment with iTunes | Guffly posted at Guffly.

Kara presents Grilled Blue Cheese Portobello Burgers posted at An Hour In the Kitchen. 

Free Organic News presents Why Wear Natural Organic Fabrics Like Cotton, Wool, Linen And Hemp? posted at Free Organic News.

Busy Bee Kim presents how to pack a green school lunch posted at Busy Bee Lifestyle.

And finally, Erin, aka Conscious Shopper, discusses some of the ways available to finance a home energy retrofit, including tax credits, loans, and “weatherization assistance”. I think she means “weatherisation”. 

The Carnival Of The Green goes all a’Twitter

As Treehugger mentioned on Friday this is the first Carnival of the Green to incorporate twitter (What’s Twitter?). A few #bestgreentweets were submitted and these are the best three. Well done to all on twitter who joined in:

@Kare_At_EandM Unique Recycle of Plastic Bottle http://bit.ly/fYeMT #bestgreentweets

@greenbiztweets Group Releases New Standards to Green Utilities’ Supply Chains http://bit.ly/184rhf #bestgreentweets

@sustainablog SUNfiltered: 5 innovative non-profits making bicycling (and bikes) more accessible http://is.gd/zBtM #bestgreentweets

Thanks to our fine hosts last week over at Organic Mania.

Next week, the carnival stops at Surely You Nest.

TTFN!

My husband is not a typical man. Although, like many of us, he is inexplicably drawn to watch Top Gear on a regular basis, his choice of car has never had anything to do with status, speed, fashion statement or comfort (or to do with the consequences of my lack of spatial awareness, as far as I know). In fact, our recent car history has been pretty bizarre by normal people’s standards.

Let’s start with our most ’normal’ choice. Family needs family car; let’s buy a

Read the rest of Our Green Motoring Dilema »

India is a remarkable country. After only a three week visit I’m hardly qualified to say that I know it well, but during my trip I certainly got a wonderful impression of the place, the people and the varied and colourful histories of the different areas.

It’s a country of extreme contrasts: from dry and arid deserts to humid jungles and back waters, but I think the starkest contrast is that of the way that people have, and still do live. With World Fair Trade Day around the corner, it’s a good time to recognise and reflect upon these contrasts, and give extra recognition and a round of applause to the people who are working towards making a difference.

Upon my arrival in Delhi, I was lucky enough to be introduced to the people behind Tara Projects, a long established Fair Trade organisation which is helping to make a difference for the people involved in their programmes. Having never visited a workshop of this kind before I was really excited to be able to visit and discover more of what goes on behind the scenes, and meet the driving forces behind the widespread good work that this organisation achieves.

Read the rest of Fair Trade in Action – My Visit to Tara Projects »

Like all couples, we have our differences. We argue about the kids, money, whose turn it is to load the dishwasher, all the usual stuff. But sometimes the argument focuses on something a little less ordinary and today, we invite you to eavesdrop on our issue of the moment and join our great debate.

Is it better to buy supermarket own label fair trade goods or to support fairtrade pioneer brands like Cafedirect and Divine.

My argument for supermarket own label fair trade goods:-

Since my husband rarely visits a supermarket (daggers drawn early on!) and I frequent the same supermarket at the same time on the same day every week, I feel I am in more of a position to comment on what actually appears on and disappears off the supermarket shelves from a consumer perspective.

In our early days as fair trade supporters, we could never have envisaged being able to buy fair trade products in a local supermarket, let alone the advent of own label fair trade goods. I therefore feel the need to support any steps in the right direction taken by the supermarket chains. I take pride in buying own label fairly traded coffee, chocolate spread, honey, fresh fruit and veg, and the latest new addition to their range, banana cake and chocolate cake.

As I have discovered with the own label organic products, these items are launched with a great deal of hype but removed very quietly and without comment. If the consumers do not buy them, then the lines will be withdrawn. Simple as that. Surely the ethical consumer needs to buy these products to ensure their place on the shelves.

Read the rest of Supermarket own label fair trade V Fairtrade pioneers »

There are many reasons why you choose your first bank. For some it was their parents who opened their account for them. For others it was the bank offering the best student bribe benefit. While for others it was just the convenience of which bank was located in their High Street. For me choosing a bank was a no-brainer. I come from a  “Co-op” family (pronounced “kworp” in the part of Manchester I am from). My great uncle was the Chief Executive of the Cooperative Wholesale Society – the Tescos of the 1950s when he was in charge. My grandpa was the chief actuary at the Co-operative Insurance Society in the 1970s. My brother-in-law still works for the Coop Bank today.

My mum was so brand loyal to The Coop that we even had to go to the Coop dentist which was appropriately on the corner of Redfern St in the centre of Manchester. Never did find out whether she got dividend on our treatment or not. In the early part of the 20th Century the Coop really could look after every aspect of your life. From baby food sold in the Coop supermarkets through to the funeral service which the Coop still dominates today. So in this context I opened a Coop bank account in 1986. I have laterally switched to their “fun” online brand Smile because I never need to go to a branch. But I have stayed loyal to the bank. And that loyalty isn’t much to do with heritage. It is down to the fact that they have taken ethics to their very core.

In 1989 they announced their ethical policy and overnight placed themselves in a different league to the other high street banks. The Coop Bank has conducted several stakeholder reports or social audits that look at the views of all of the Bank’s stakeholders. The report is independently audited and you can see clear action plans for how they are going to do more on each of the areas of concern. Even the CIS skyscraper in the centre of Manchester (where my Grandpa proudly had an office on the 19th floor) now has a giant solar panel down the whole of its south facing lift shaft. When you enter the reception you can see a giant display of how much energy is being generated.

And yet can I really say I love a bank after all the banking turmoil of the last 2 years? Well you probably won’t be surprised to learn that Coop Bank didn’t dash for the cash in the sub-prime market. In fact in March 2009 it actually posted a tidy profit for last year – rather in stark contrast to all the “state owned” banks who have fallen from grace.

I have no intention of moving my bank accounts and have already convinced 2 of my kids to bank with Coop. Perhaps it has always been in my DNA to bank with the Coop but they keep giving new ethical reasons to stay.

We work hard to provide the best possible online shopping service in the ethical products world.  To help us make our product range more complete and our services even better, we invite you to share your views by taking part in our Ethical Consumer Survey.

We’re running the survey until the 20th of May, following which we’ll share the results on the EthicalSuperstore.com website, as well as start working on the suggestions we receive!

Complete our survey and you’ll be entered into our competition to win a £100 gift voucher for shopping on Ethicalsuperstore.com!

Click here to take The Ethical Consumer Survey 2009 »