Attempts at sustainability or just eco-marketing?

Everywhere you look at the moment the big companies are trying to do their bit for the environment. For example, Ariel have been doing their ‘turn to 30’ campaign for a while now, with reportedly excellent success. They have also tried to address the issue of clean water with their campaign where they give 10 litres of drinking water for every special pack they sell. Volvic are also doing a similar campaign with their ‘1 litre for 10 litre’ promotion. But are these attempts at eco-marketing enough? If volvic went all out for sustainability, switched their plastic bottles for biodegradable corn bottles like Belu then I’d commend them. It just seems like some of these efforts are rather half hearted. Arial are kind of missing the point with their water campaign as to dilute the chemicals in one load of laundry to a safe level requires up to 12000 litres of water (as reported in ecologist magazine). Which makes the 10 litres of clean water seem rather insignificant. But I suppose any efforts from a major multinational are a step in the right direction.

Guilt free shopping in the credit crunch? You'll be lucky

The main problem I had with going to Africa was that I needed to buy stuff like a sleeping bag, mosquito net and insect repellent which of course you can’t really get in your local Oxfam. So, I’m ashamed to say, I went to a high street camping shop and spent far too much money on these travel ‘essentials’, most of which I didn’t even use. The other problem I had was that my chemical free lifestyle had to go on hold. I took biodegradable soap of course, but taking anti-malarial medication, taking anti-histamines and using DEET don’t go hand in hand with my paraben free shampoo and organic veg. But I didn’t commit the usual sin of holiday clothes shopping and buying a load of new clothes – well, I did buy new clothes but they were all from charity shops and I’ll wear them next summer too.

Since being back I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I have this urge to buy new stuff. You would think that seeing people who live on next to nothing would make me feel privileged but walking round the shops, I just want to buy things. I could easily spend hundreds on new clothes and shoes in the high street if I wasn’t the sensible, restrained person with great self control that I am. And in this time of ‘financial crisis’, ‘credit crunch’ and start of a recession it’s really inappropriate. I must admit, I did by a t-shirt in Next but it was organic. Apart from that I’ve been good, and again I have been saved by charity shops. I found a long jumper (just like the ones I was pining over in the high street the other day) in Oxfam for £4 and some lovely brown boots in another charity shop. Even though I still feel guilty about spending the money, as I am overdrawn and should be saving for a rainy day, I feel better knowing that my money has gone to a good cause. It’s not quite guilt free shopping, but the closest I’m going to get to it for a while!

Getting to the root of the need for cash

As you might have noticed, I’ve been away for a bit. I’ve been away, doing a lot of thinking somewhere very different from credit crunch England where people have rather different attitudes to money. I have been in Africa, met the Masai in Kenya and spent some time talking to the inhabitants of a poor village on the slopes of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Here, ethical shopping isn’t an issue. Both the Masai and the villages have very little money. They are mostly self sufficient, living off the land and making do with what they have. It really brought home to me that we in the west have a bizarre attitude to money. We work all day to make money which we then spend on ‘stuff’ to cheer us up and entertain us because we’re so exhausted from working all week. Whereas the people I spoke to worked hard to eat. They just got on with living, and they were some of the friendliest people I’ve ever met. Of course they would like more money but then so would almost everyone that I know. I think the different is, that they have their way of life and it’s been that way for generations and that’s how everyone else in the village lives. Here in the west we see rich people with their big houses, fancies clothes and posh cars and want to be like them. There is a line in a song ‘if I hadn’t seen such riches I could live with being poor’. Perhaps we need to stop aspiring to be someone we’re not and learn to accept who we are and live within our means. During the current financial problems we’re experiencing in the west, its probably best that we focus more on being content with what we have, spending less and just enjoying the simple things in life. Well, when you put it like that it sounds rather idyllic!

New money for old rope: recycling at its best

After a couple of recent blips in my almost untarnished record of ethical shopping (actually, that’s an exaggeration – its just that I’m very good at justifying my unethical spends as essentials!) I have been rather good again. One of my unethical spends (which I was feeling guilty about) was a new pair of jeans which I have recently found out is likely to be one of my most environmentally friendly spends. Apparently, as jeans are so hard wearing compared to most other clothes you are more likely to keep a pair of jeans for years and years than anything else. Which is totally believable as I’ve still got jeans from 10 years ago and they were from a charity shop in the first place! A couple of my other unethical spends were totally justifiable too. I bought a throw with will give my old (second hand sofa) a new lease of life and will protect it from the chocolate that I have a tendency to drop on it! I also bought a coffee table but it was made from reclaimed wood and it looks lovely and old too – I just wish they would have told me what it used to have been! I will soon be tightening the purse strings again and going back to the charity shops. As Christmas is rapidly returning, way too soon, I’m going to need to save every penny I have!

Modern life is rubbish and other tales of woe

It’s been nearly ten months since I started trying to shop ethically, with mixed success. In the last couple of months I have been really struggling. I think it’s a reflection of modern living and how much stuff we need. If I lived in a little house in the middle of nowhere on a large plot with some animals and veggie patch, living the good life, aiming for self sufficiency then I’m sure I wouldn’t want for much. But when you’re doing nine-five to pay the mortgage, need clothes to go to the office and ‘stuff’ like films and good food to help you unwind at the end of the day, its not easy. Now I’m not some fashion victim who needs the latest look all the time but wearing scruffy old jeans to the office really doesn’t project a professional image. I know I’m making excuses for my failings but I have tried, really tried but I can’t manage to shop ethically 100% of the time. In a way I need to make peace with a compromise – if I can shop ethically most of the time, then that’s good, it’s not perfect, but it’s better. I’m still buying fair-trade and organic food where I can, still mostly buying from charities and independent stores but I have been to the high street a couple of times. The most upsetting part of my high street shame though, isn’t that I’ve bought things; it’s that the top I bought is now in the sale for half what I paid for it. Karma? Perhaps. A lesson in patience? Definitely. A sign that I should be more careful about what I spend my money on? Absolutely.

High fashion on the high street? Give me a charity shop and a fiver instead

If you have been following my blog, then you may have noticed that I’ve been rather off topic recently. I’ve been discussing broader environmental issues rather than just ethical shopping issues. The reason for this is that I’ve been doing so well – I’ve been sticking to my pledge and only buying from charity shops, charities and ethical outlets. I recently splashed out on this recycled t-shirt from earth huggers, a great website full of recycled goodies that may well have become my new favourite shop.

But, unfortunately, I’ve had a bit of a lapse. You see, I was invited to an event at a rather swanky club in Mayfair and my modest wardrobe really didn’t rise to the occasion. So I had to buy something to wear. By the usual persons standards, it wasn’t overly indulgent, just a top and jeans, but for me it’s a rather shameless lapse of my morals. But the strange this is, I actually really enjoyed buying things again which is something I didn’t expect. I still hate the high street, I hate the way that fashion is so fickle and most of it is so tasteless that shopping is just a bore, I hate the way that finding jeans to fit takes all day and I hate the way that it costs so much just to get just a top. But I discovered that I love the smell of new clothes, I love the way that some shops wrap the clothes in tissue paper like their delicate fragile things, I love the way that the clothes are actually new and aren’t bobbly or grubby from the previous owners dirt. Despite these things, I’m not giving up. Yes I feel bad about giving £50 of my hard earned cash to two high street shops but it was a one off and I do repent. I’ll find some way of making it up by volunteering for a charity or something. But I’ve been reading recently that some companies are actually really green but they just don’t advertise the fact – you never know, some high street stores might not actually be that bad! Look at me trying to justify myself. It shouldn’t matter to me if a high street store has converted to using only organic cotton or the like, the fact remains that the share holders will be raking it in and that’s what I really object to: fat cats getting fatter. So, it’s back to the charity shops for me. I still love charity shops, but then who doesn’t: discovering a bargain whilst listening to the mellow tunes of radio two – how could anyone not love that combination.

Are DVDs good for the planet?

Being ethical and green is all about lifestyle choices. As I sat in the cinema last week, looking over the hundreds of people swarming round the multiplex, I wondered how many of them had arrived by public transport. As I bolted out of the cinema (before the end of the film) to catch my train home, I spotted the car park. Obviously, most people would prefer to drive home rather than miss the end. Conclusion: cinemas can’t be green. With more and more DVD rental companies offering a mail order service, is it greener to stay home and watch a DVD? Some cinemas cost up to £8 per person so a DVD for the night is cheaper; you get to watch it (and pause it) in the comfort of your own home; you can eat and drink whatever you like without being charged extortionate cinema prices and if you have a high def TV and blu-ray player it is actually higher quality. So you’re better off with a DVD but is it better for the environment? Well, the jury is still out on that one. DVDs are produced from a variety of materials including metals, plastics and dyes which aren’t going to be good for the environment, but if you take into account the journeys of cinema goers and the impact of building the cinema you could argue that DVDs are better for the environment. Using that logic, some DVD rental companies could start a ‘be green and rent’ campaign like ‘Love Film? Love the environment?’ Some might think that is greenwashing but if it means more people stay at home and use their car less would it matter? People aren’t going to give up films; it’s a lifestyle choice so switching to a greener option is the only way forward (especially if other efforts were made such as recycled packaging). However, it would cripple the film industry, meaning that only the big budget Hollywood blockbusters would be made if everyone rented. Again, its choices: perhaps, I’ll only go to the cinema to see the independent films in future then.

Can environmentalism kill fashion?

As my search for ethical things to buy continues, I find myself being more and more fussy about things. I’ll admit that I do have lapses into bad habits when it comes to buying underwear and bargain CDs on the odd occasion but most of the time I do try to find the most ethical way to buy. I’ve even switched to lip balm from Burt’s bees which doesn’t contain petroleum products (after I’ve finished up the old one first), organic toothpaste and paraben free hair products.

I love the way that ethical shopping is becoming more mainstream; this month Marie Claire magazine dedicated a whole issue to green glam. My only concern with this consumerist version of ethical shopping is that it’s still shopping. OK, you can buy an organic or fair-trade dress that’s £132 from an ethical online store such as Adili but that’s expensive to most of us and there’s no transparency is where the money is going. I think given the choice between high priced ethical good and standard high street prices, the high street is going to win. But then if you can save £100 by shopping on the high street and then donate a percentage of your savings to a suitable charity (such as a child labour charity) then surely that can’t be bad? Even something simple like an organic t-shirt can seem pretty pricey plus if it’s from a high street store is it really that much better?

Fashion is such a wasteful industry and disposable fashion can be just as damaging to the environment as air travel so you can see why Traid started. Traid is a charity that collects and recycles old clothes by repairing them and reselling them, the money raised is then used to fund sustainable development projects. Traid works at both reducing waste and making a difference in the world and it makes me want to buy things just so that I’m supporting it. It’s very difficult to see how fashion can be sustainable at all as the nature of fashion means throwing out unfashionable items regularly just to stay in vogue. The phrase ‘make do and mend’ is bandied about a lot but seems totally incompatible with fashion. I wonder if our new found love of saving the planet will impact on the fashion industry. Sustainable fashion is probably an oxymoron so maybe environmentalism will overthrow the tyrannical reign of fashion.

Could recycling save a city?

The recent news footage of the rubbish problem in Naples is rather disturbing. This is a modern city, in a modern world but it cannot deal with its own waste. The images clearly show that amongst the litter is cardboard and many other recyclable materials. I suppose, to some extent, I take for granted the kerbside recycling collection in my area, its not something I really think about any more as I’ve been recycling for so many years now. Taking the glass to the bottle bank is habit for me now, as is separating the paper from the plastic and taking the veg peelings to the compost bin. Waste is such a huge issue; in Naples they have run out of space to put their waste. In New York they had Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island – personally, I find the idea of dumping your unwanted waste on an island a rather dismissive attitude. (Perhaps I’m biased because I used to live on the Isle of Wight but it feels rather like an Alcatraz idea to me: keeping something you don’t want to think about at a distance rather than confronting and dealing with the problem.) There’s also a floating pile of rubbish drifting around the Pacific Ocean. Recycling, reusing and avoiding packaging can stop these problems from getting worse. I don’t know if the litter we’ve already created can ever go away but we really should be doing everything we can to stop them from getting worse. If we don’t, then more and more cities will be stinking like Naples.

Will the credit crunch threaten ethical spending?

Many people will have noticed that the cost of living has rocketed in the past few months. Most noticeable is the cost of food. A few months ago, I was starting to buy more fair trade and organic produce and hoping that the rest of the country would be doing the same. We’ve all seen Hugh’s chicken run and most of us are keen to make more ethical choices when it comes to buying food. But with these rising food prices, I think we’re going to find a lot of people turning back to the cheaper alternatives. Plus, many people are finding that general living costs such as utility bills and mortgages are also going up so belts will have to be tightened on the non essentials. It’s a very sad state of affairs. Some might say we were on the brink of being able to change the food industry in this country to a more ethical and sustainable industry, but as usual, money has come between us and our ideals.

Sustainability vs economy: greenwash or brainwash?

So green is the new black, even Argos are advertising environmentally friendly products such as recycling bins and rotary clothes lines. But I’m not so sure that anything has actually changed. Some retailers have made a real half hearted effort at looking sustainable. Despite Argos’s double page spread of green products they still sell patio heaters and their products are shipped from the other side of the world. Woolworths aren’t even bothering to try and are going with the economy instead: as prices on everything else are going up, woollies are selling kids clothes from 70p. The irony of getting an Asian man to advertise clothes made in Asia isn’t lost on me. But the fact remain that if they can afford to sell t-shirts for 70p then someone along the line is missing out. As things go from bad to worse in the UK economy its likely that more people will be making decisions based on price rather than sustainability or humanitarian issues. Reports show that sales of sewing machines are increasing and more and more people are learning how to make meals out of leftovers. Maybe we’re entering a new phase of economising where consumers are actually consuming less and making do with what they have rather than just replacing it with cheap items made by underpaid workers in developing countries. We can only hope.

Swings and roundabouts: why some things just have to be done the unethical way

It may sounds a little harsh but sometimes you have to do things the unethical way. I’m not talking about anything big like human rights or killing animals, but the little things. I’m all for being ethical where you can but the whole point of my ethical crusade is doing things that aren’t going to impact on the way I lead my life but make a huge change in my world view. For instance, it’s been 7 months since I started my ethical shopping and not many people know that I refuse to buy things in chain stores. OK, I haven’t actually been out shopping with anyone in that time but I’m not wearing rags or anything. I’ve been doing really well with buying things from charity shops and small local stores and it’s even changed the way I buy food. I’m buying local, organic and fair trade food as much as I can now, despite the higher prices. But there are some things I have discovered I can’t live without. For example, finding shoes that fit in second hand shops isn’t very practical and small local shoe shops seem to be fairly rare. Also CDs and DVDs (although not essential are great stress relief when you’re a busy racing rat) are hard to find. I have bought some great finds from charity shops though. And finding a pair of black trousers if just impossible! But overall, I’m pleased with myself. My frivolous spending is totally under control and limited to charity shops only.

So imagine my confusion when I read this article in the developments magazine saying that avoiding products from far flung places could have a negative impact on the people in developing countries. Even if a product isn’t fair trade it doesn’t necessarily mean that the product is taking advantage of people. The trouble is; we consumers can only make decisions with the information that is available to us. Until someone develops a food labelling system that takes into account the people, the environment and the distance the product has travelled and this labelling system is rolled out to every product available, then we can only do our best. We just have to read the labels, judge the packaging, the distance and hope we’re making the right decision.

Is being green the new black?

It seems now that being green is becoming mainstream. In my local cornershop the other day I found PG tips tea bags sold in association with the rain forest alliance meaning that at least 50% of the tea bags were the equivalent of fair trade. I also found Andrex toilet roll in association with WWF. Pedigree dog food is supporting dog adoptions too. I’d like to think that this means that consumers are demanding more ethically conscience brands, but the cynical part of me wonders if the big brands are just jumping on the bandwagon. Maybe they are afraid that they will lose out as more and more people are switching to organic, fair-trade and free range so are taking steps to be more competitive. I suppose, either way it doesn’t really matter. As long as some charities and local people benefit then whether it is a real change or just a marketing idea then it’s worthwhile. But I really do hope that this isn’t just a passing phase but that its means that ethical products are actually here to stay.

Recycling problems: living in a disposable world

I spent most of the day yesterday polishing furniture. Whilst I lovingly worked the wax into the tatty looking wood I thought of my friends. One of whom, until recently, thought that furniture polish came in a spray can with a duck on and the other who has told me that she has never polished a pair of shoes in her life. This got my thinking: why is everything so disposable? It started off with disposable nappies, which is fair enough (being face to face with poop isn’t everyone’s cup of tea), but now it seems that everything is designed to be thrown out. You can buy disposable cleaning wipes (because washing out a cloth is such a hardship), use kitchen towel instead of a mop, use make up removing wipes instead of a flannel and the old favourite, Kleenex instead of hankies. I use the brand name here on purpose as the manufacture of Kleenex in particular is wiping out vast tracks of forest throughout the world.

The government is urging us all to recycle more but they don’t seem to mind that it is becoming increasingly hard to recycle and minimise waste. We are bombarded with easy solutions to domestic problems; advertising tells us to pour chemicals down our drains to clear blockages even though a simple plunger is far cheaper and better for the environment. Until there is more education to consumers about these wasteful products or the government brings in legislation to make all products recyclable then I can’t see how things will change. I suppose I’m rather old school, doing things the hard way and polishing my shoes and furniture to make them last longer. Most people my generation would just replace them. But there goes my guilt again, every time I throw something away.

Can everyone afford to be ethical?

There has been a lot in the press recently about being green and being ethical with regards to energy bills and free range chickens. Most people would agree that it usually comes down to a matter of choice. It may cost more to switch to a green energy tariff or buy a free range chicken but most people can afford a couple of pounds a week extra to do their bit. My opinion is that is you are a bit strapped for cash them maybe smoke or drink less to save the money to afford these things (that is assuming you have enough spare cash for cigarettes and alcohol: no-one should expect families on the breadline to make their lives any harder). The real question is ‘where do you draw the line?’

I’ve been on my ethical shopping crusade for several months now and it’s been fairly successful. I have mostly been avoiding temptation and staying away from shops. I have walked past all the high street sales and ducked into the charity shops instead. So I’m feeling pretty snug and self righteous with my ethical shopping but I have struck upon a rather massive spanner in the shopping works: I have bought a house. The house isn’t the problem, its second (or third, or fourth) hand and it’s not from a high street chain store but how do I decorate it? The house needs a little work and I’m viewing it as akin to a piece of second hand clothing that needs a little repair work before I can wear it. My dilemma is do I buy a great environmentally friendly paint like ecopaint or scrimp every penny to pay the mortgage and just buy it from B&Q?

At what point do I, or anyone else for that matter, say ‘enough is enough, I’ve done my bit’ and go with the easy and cheaper option? It’s all well and good when the government and media start telling everyone to be green and turn our thermostats down but when we’re shivering with cold under three layers of blankets isn’t it time to think about ourselves again? I think some of us actually could go the whole hog if we thought that MPs and government officials were tucked up shivering in their blankets too but I sincerely doubt they are. It is a matter of personal choice and I know many people choice not to even think about it. Being ethical is difficult and it can become expensive. I have drawn my line and it lies between need and want. I need food and I need paint. I only want clothes, conditioner and non essential bits and bobs. I’ll buy food (although I try to get local, organic and free range as much as I can) and I’ll buy paint. My clothes and other frivolous spends will be ethically sourced.

Free range food: What is the price of freedom?

You can’t help but to have noticed that more and more supermarkets are starting to stock free range and organic produce. These previously speciality foods are slowly making their way into the mainstream and its about time too. Organic produce has been around for donkey’s years but it has taken such a long time to build up the amount of support it has got now. But it’s still not nearly enough, which is why the TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has launched his chicken out campaign to raise awareness of the poor conditions of most of the chickens in this country. Really there is no excuse for us to be keeping animals in these kinds of conditions. I’m sure most peoples’ excuse for not buying free range is that it’s too expensive but then it boils down to personal choices. I believe that everyone (within reason) can afford free range. By cutting down on luxuries such as alcohol, cigarettes and takeaways you can easily save the couple of pounds that would make the difference between intensively farmed chicken and free range. But then sadly a percentage of people in this country will not care or just won’t bother to think about it.

Low energy light bulbs – the great mercury shock

Like many people these days I’m keen to reduce my carbon footprint and do all the usual energy saving stuff. Changing your tungsten light bulbs to energy saving bulbs is one of the easiest ways to make a difference without breaking the bank. So I, like most people, found the recent news that these ‘planet saving’ light bulbs are in fact fairly toxic rather shocking. It’s now come to light that low energy light bulbs contain mercury and need to be disposed of by the council and good luck to you if you break one! I’m familiar with the recycling of electrical waste legislation and I know that new electrical goods have to have an ‘end of life’ strategy incorporated into their design. And this is why I’m so confused about this whole light bulbs mess. Why isn’t there any information on the box about how to dispose of them? Are they really better for the environment when they contain mercury? And most worrying of all; are people going to switch back to the old style energy hungry light bulbs because they are afraid? At a time when people are switching to organic produce and avoiding parabens in toiletries it’s surprising that something labelled as green can be so deceptively dangerous.