Archive for June, 2008

Primark- Unethical Fashion?

June 25, 2008 · Filed under Fairtrade, ethical fashion, socially responsible investing · Tagged , , , , ,

This week in the UK the television show Panorama rightly expose Primark as using child labour to make their cheap clothing.  Clearly this should not be a surprise considering how cheap the clothes are?  Why it should have taken the UK media three years to unveil this in depth is a surprise.  In 2005 Ethical Consumer magazine voted Primark the most unethical fashion store.  The fact that Panorama has only just made a programme about this shows that, finally, ethical fashion is on the radar of the public.

The big question is will this actually stop people from buying clothes from Primark?  At the moment money is tight due to the credit crunch so will people put their morals on hold until they can afford to shop elsewhere?

Stores such as Gap, TopShop and Marks and Spencer have all been highlighting their ethical fashion credentials recently.  Could this programme shaming Primark finally signal a shift in the consciences of the public?  It would be great for the planet and foreign workers if it is.

 

There are a wide range of ethical fashion designers popping up.  We’ll be looking at ethical fashion in more detail.  For now check out Quail, a UK based ethical fashion company, to prove that ethical fashion is fashionable!

The website is www.quailbymail.co.uk

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BT Going Green

June 23, 2008 · Filed under Carbon Dioxide emissions, Companies going green, carbon footprint, reduce carbon footprint · Tagged , , , , , , ,

BT (British Telecom) is the largest provider of internet and phone lines in the UK.  In 1990 the company made a pledge to optimise environmental management.

Since 1966 BT has reduced its carbon footprint by 58% which is pretty amazing.  Their new target is to achieve an 80% reduction in CO2 production by 2020.  Even better they are to propose a new model to encourage global businesses to follow suit.  Good on BT.

 

Now I have to admit that I have found customer service at BT slightly wanting but knowing how committed they are to the environment makes it worthwhile.

Other green initiatives the company have are cutting down on paper bills.  If you elect to have your bill online you save £1.25 a month and The Woodland Trust will plant a sapling in a British woodland creation site on your behalf.

 

BT are also looking to their suppliers to reduce carbon emissions.  They are encouraging suppliers to promote sustainability and reduce impact on the environment.

BT has 18 million customers in 170 countries and therefore they are in a position to make a real difference to the environment.  The company has produced a range of energy efficient phones and by July 2008 more than 90% of their phone range will be energy efficient.  Cost to the customer?  Zero.

For businesses BT has produced a guide to help companies see how they can go green by reducing energy consumption and carbon footprints.

Well done BT- keep up the good work.

If you want to change your phone or broadband or indeed both follow this link BT Total Broadband - click here to order now

 
                                               

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Green Energy Revolution

June 22, 2008 · Filed under CO2 emissions, Carbon Dioxide emissions, carbon footprint, carbon neutral, green energy, reduce carbon footprint · Tagged , , , , , ,

This week the UK will see a £100 billion renewable energy strategy unveiled.  Yes that is £100 billion.  The EU has set targets for its member states to reach 15% of their energy consumption to be generated by renewable sources by 2020.  As part of this is government is to build 3,500 onshore wind turbines and 7,000 offshore wind turbines.

 

For homeowners who generate their own power there are plans to allow them to sell surplus power to the national grid for a premium price.  What an incentive to get people to install renewable energy sources into their homes!  Although there is a large initial outlay in costs for the installation of renewable energy, eventually huge savings are made and if you can sell back surplus you may even make a profit!  Good news for the planet.

 

However, the government still aren’t doing enough in terms of grants for installing renewable energy sources such as solar panels.  Installation of solar panels cost between £5000 and £10000 which is beyond the reach of most homeowners no matter how eco-friendly they may want to be.  If the government can not offer bigger incentives it will be difficult for them to reach the targets set by the EU.

On the plus side of the green energy revolution using renewable sources of energy would result in a 5% drop in oil use by 2020.  This would significantly reduce the UKs carbon footprint.  Another positive, as pointed out by Greenpeace, is that this would make the UK more self-sufficient in terms of energy production as we would be less reliant on foreign countries.  Our energy bills would also come down in price in the long term which I think we would all agree is needed!

 

It would seem that the UK government has held back or as long as possible to look into renewable energy sources.  If investment had been put in ten years ago we would not be in the position we are now of huge increases in our fuel and energy bills.  You have to admit that it is not a surprise that fossil fuels have gone up in price as reserves run low and countries develop.  The fact that stores of fossil fuels will not last forever is not exactly a new concept.  So why has the government taken so long to act?

 

Long live the green energy revolution!  It has been a long time coming but things are gradually turning in a green direction.  For those of us who can not afford our own solar panels check out the Green Energy page and have a look at what energy companies are doing to go greener.  There is a list of companies that are offsetting their carbon footprints alongside those who are using 100% renewable energy sources.  If we all sign up to one of these tariffs we could make a huge difference to our carbon footprints.

Click here to go to the page.

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Green Festivals

June 17, 2008 · Filed under carbon footprint · Tagged , , ,

As we approach the official start of the summer and the longest day it appears that festival season is in full swing.  Last weekend we had the Isle of White festival and soon it will be Glastonbury- which for the first time in years has not sold out!  The best festival by far (in my opinion) has to be Latitude.  Sadly I missed out on tickets this year and I am still immensely disappointed.  However I thought I would still let you know why Latitude is one of the most ethical and green festivals.

 

 

Latitude is now in its third year and is held near Southwold in the UK.  It is a unique festival in that there is music, poetry, comedy and loads of other exciting stuff going on amid beautiful scenery.  At night there is a club in the woods, which is decorated with fairy lights- very magical.  I can honestly say that I have never enjoyed a festival so much before. The ethos behind the festival is great and there is a real sense that the organiser’s care about ethical and green issues.

 

Last year when we arrived at the campsite we were given a Camper’s Waste Kit to separate our waste so it could be recycled.  There were also Ecocover shower gel etc for us to use.  One of my favourite ideas was to pay a deposit and get a plastic pint glass for the duration of the festival.  This encouraged people to hang onto their glass rather than throw them away after they have been used.  In fact, almost a year on we still have ours!

There will be Green Messengers on site who will be able to direct you to the recycling bins and offer advice on how to be good to the environment.  The festival organisers are also encouraging people to travel in an eco-friendly fashion by taking the train, coach and running a car share scheme.  Even the Market Traders have to be eco-friendly with their packaging and recycling their waste!  All good ideas!

One of the best things about Latitude is that the event organisers really want to hear your ideas.  Their website has a forum section where people can post their thoughts, positive and negative, and offer suggestions and ideas.  There is a section for Latitude Green where people have been posting their green ideas.  Someone has had the idea of a place you can share items that you might have forgotten to bring with you so you do not have to buy them.

The Latitude festival has some tips for green camping which you can read here.  These tips can be used where ever you are camping be it at a festival or on holiday.  

 

So there we have it.  What a wonderful festival.  The organisers Festival Republic have a strong ethical and green ethos which is evident in the way they think about running their events.  They use renewable energy and recycle and use green cleaning products in their offices.  Their aim is that this will spread the message to the people who go to their festivals.  It’s good to see a company practicing what they preach so well done to all those who put in so much effort to organise these events.

Enjoy the festival season!

 

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Quail- Ethical Fashion in the UK

June 16, 2008 · Filed under Fairtrade, carbon footprint, ethical fashion, sustainable living · Tagged , , , , , , ,

The Ethical Fashion movement is really taking off and rightly so.  Here in the UK a company called Quail caught my eye. 

Making Clothes in Devon the ethical and green way

Quail By Mail is a clothing label located in Devon which specialises in organic and Fairtrade cotton clothing which has been designed and made in England. Quail believes in British ingenuity and only commissions British fashion graduates.

 

Design elements such as functioning pockets, pleats, generous cuts etc are Quail’s speciality and all clothing lines are produced as limited editions. Interested in producing vintage-inspired practical clothing with genuine ethical integrity, Shauna Chapman, founder of Quail said:

 

“Our aim is to add maximum design value to the organic and Fairtrade cotton fabric. Recently we discovered that larger sizes were needed to include a wider audience so we will begin to introduce sizes up to 20 before the end of Summer 2008.”

 

 

To combat Greenwash, Quail uses the phrase “Product Provenance“ to show customers exactly how their fashion purchase started from the non-GM seed grown organically in India to the recyclable paper and raffia bow packaging used to parcel up orders”. The entire lifestyle of the Quail founders at the live/work studio in Brixham, South Devon is devoted to energy- saving, buying local, organic produce, fairtrade, traditional, reuse, reduce and recycle. Having produced clothing with provenance, which is also ethical, green and British it is Quail’s aim to grow the business sustainably and create artisan, exciting ‘proper’ fashion!

In the past fashion journalists have commented that ethical fashion just isn’t cool.  You can see from the pictures that just because it’s ethical clothing it doesn’t mean it’s not fashionable.  I’d certainly wear these clothes as would a number of people who I’ve pointed in Quail’s direction.  They have a really lovely box pleat shirt but I couldn’t get a picture on here.

 

Check out the website at www.quailbymail.co.uk

 

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Greener driving- how to reduce your CO2 emissions

June 15, 2008 · Filed under CO2 emissions, Carbon Dioxide emissions, Tips for reducing CO2 emissions, carbon footprint, carbon neutral, green driving, reduce carbon footprint · Tagged , , , , ,

A while ago we looked at green cars and how engines are being modified to run on biofuels and alternative sources of fuel.  However, not all of us (me included) have a car that has low CO2 emissions so what can you do to keep emissions lower without having to fork out for a new car?  The obvious answer is to leave the car at home and use public transport or cycle/walk to your destination.  This is great but what if you need your car for work?  Thankfully some companies such as PwC have low CO2 emission company cars but this is not the norm.

 

If you want to reduce CO2 emissions whilst you are driving here are a few tips from the UK Government about driving efficiently.  When fuel prices are so high this is useful for everyone!

  • driving smoothly can reduce fuel consumption - check the road ahead, anticipate traffic and avoid harsh acceleration and braking
  • shift to a higher gear at the right time - shift up at 2500rpm for petrol cars and 2000rpm for diesel cars. A vehicle travelling at 37mph in third gear uses 25 per cent more fuel than it would at the same speed in fifth gear
  • get in and go - modern engines are designed to be most efficient when you just get in and go. Keeping the engine running or pumping the accelerator wastes fuel, increases engine wear and increases emissions
  • switch your engine off if you know you won’t be moving for a while
  • check your tyre pressures regularly - under-inflated tyres can increase your fuel consumption by up to three per cent
  • stick to the speed limits - at 70mph you could be using up to 30 per cent more fuel than at 50mph
  • remove unnecessary weight and roof racks - they increase the weight and air resistance so they increase the amount of fuel you use
  • air conditioning and other on-board electrical devices (like mobile phone chargers) increase fuel consumption, so only use them when necessary
I have read elsewhere on the net that using your air conditioning doesn’t actually affect fuel consumption massively.  If you have any information on this get in touch.
I’ve just taken everything out of my boot (except the spare tyre) so we’ll see what a difference taking on board this information makes to my fuel consumption.
For more information on greener issues you can check out the UK Governments website by clicking here.

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The Big Green Idea

June 3, 2008 · Filed under CO2 emissions, Tips for reducing CO2 emissions, carbon footprint, carbon neutral, reduce carbon footprint · Tagged , , , , ,

Here in the UK the BBC recently ran a series called It’s Not Easy Being Green that followed a family who were trying to live a sustainable lifestyle.  Since the show finished the family has been inundated with people asking for tips on how to live more sustainably, ethically and generally more green.

The result of this was The Big Green Idea.  If you are a UK resident or happen to be visiting the country this summer you may well see the big green bus.

The Big Green Idea busLet’s face it-you’re not going to miss this if it’s in your town and basically that’s the point.

Fear not those of you thinking about the bus pumping fumes into our atmosphere and making the project have a huge carbon footprint.  The bus is powered by bio-diesel.

The downstairs is going to be packed with ethical and green products that people can try out.  Examples include eco-friendly skincare products and energy saving devices.  Upstairs there will be workshops and a solar powered cinema showing demonstrations and convincing people that it’s not hard to go green!  Films to be shown are ‘An Inconvenient Truth” and ‘The Power of Community.”

All in all this is a great idea so pop along if you see the bus.  The Big Green Idea are also trying to get local councils on board and do follow up visits with a green man in a van if people want a consultant to come into their home with green ideas that also save money.

We are all really looking forward to this event.  An update will be posted when the bus has visited this neck of the woods.

The website is www.thebiggreenidea.org

 

 

 

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Sex and the City- Ethical Fashion?

June 3, 2008 · Filed under ethical fashion · Tagged , ,

 

This week’s number one film is Sex and the City Movie. I’ve yet to see it (due to tickets being sold out) but was a massive fan of the series.  What’s Sex and the City got to do with ethical fashion I hear you ask?  Well because of the release of the film there have been a lot of interesting blogs popping up in celebration of the movie.  Most of them feature celebrity gossip and comments about the film but some are focussing on the fashion.  For those of you not familiar with the series fashion is a HUGE part of it.

 

After much debate we have decided that Carrie would win the prize, out of the four girls, for being the most ethically minded shopper.  Why?  The reasons are as follows:

 

  • For Carrie it’s not all about the labels, more about what looks good (in her opinion)
  • She matches expensive shoes with dresses she buys from the flea market
  • She ‘recycles’ pieces and puts them together with other bits
  • She doesn’t throw out her shoes
Whilst we can’t be sure if the character Carrie is really concerned with environmental issues we like to think that she pays attention to ethical issues in the fashion world.  Disagree?  Let us know.
While we are on the subject of Sex and the City, one blog had a fabulous idea for a SATC party that involves swapping clothes.  This is a great idea for a party on it’s own merit.  Apparently everyone brings along an item/items of clothing, you pitch your item and then someone takes it away.  Fab idea- especially if you have trendy friends.  It’s also good for the environment as instead of the clothes being thrown out they are recycled.  You can check out all the details by visiting the site at www.celebrations.com

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Will the credit crunch be the make or break for green issues?

June 2, 2008 · Filed under CO2 emissions, carbon footprint, carbon neutral, ethical fashion, organic products, reduce carbon footprint · Tagged , , , , , ,

The credit crunch is hitting everyone at the moment.  You can’t escape the fact that food, fuel and bills are more expensive causing most people to tighten their belts.  Traditionally ethical and green products have been more expensive than there counterparts.

Take for example food.  The organic section is always more expensive than the imported fruit and veg.  The same goes for meat.  So with everyone cutting back will sales of organic food be hit?  Here in the UK we have heard suppilers complaining that profits have been down over the last few months.  Does this mean that ultimately consumers are fairweather eco-warriors?  The evidence seems to point that way.

The same is true for ethical fashion.  There is a comment on this blog to show that the ethical fashion industry is being hit by the credit crunch.   Check out the post here. It appears that people are flocking to places like Primark where you can pick up T-shirts for £3.

 

However, could there be a positive side?  In the short term some sectors may take a hit but then this is the same whether you are an ethical and green company or more mainstream.  We could see second hand clothing stores take off.  People may mend their clothes rather than bin them or swap them with friends.  In terms of food will people start to grow their own veg rather than buy from superstores?

In the world of travel will more people take to public transport as it will be so much cheaper than filling the car with petrol.  People are also more likely to take a holiday in their native country as exchange rates are less attractive and flights are more expensive.

Only time will tell what the outcome will be.  Hopefully the credit crunch will lead people to think more about their carbon footprint and how to become carbon neutral, if only in an effort to save the pennies!

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Organic Wine

June 2, 2008 · Filed under Fairtrade, carbon footprint, organic products · Tagged , ,

One of my weaknesses has to be wine.  My favourites come from all over the world and to be honest up until a few weeks ago I didn’t think too much about the eco-credentials of my wine.  That was until I started reading about the carbon footprint of the screw caps on wine bottles.  Then I was pointed in the direction of the Organic Wine Journal which has all the information on organic wine that you could ever need to know.  

For me I needed to start at the very beginning and find out exactly what organic wine is.

 

Thankfully the Organic Wine Journal had the answer.  To briefly summarise their article organic wine is:

  • Wine that is made from grapes that have been grown without the use of chemicals
  • The wine making techniques must involve little or no manipulation of natural techniques
  • If the label says ‘organic’ it must have met certain standards which differ from country to country
This is a brief summary.  The entire article can be found by clicking here.  
Having had a look at the website I’ve decided to start my own organic wine collection- although how long it will last is anyone’s guess.  As soon as I have tasted the organic wine I’ll let you know.

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