Interesting, if not cheerful, weekend reading.....

'The Anatomy of a Silent Crisis' has just been released by the Global Humanitarian Forum. This is the first comprehensive study which quantifies the effect of climate change on humanity. According to the report climate change is already responsible for 300 000 deaths per year. Of course the naysayers will have their own opinions and dismiss this as just another lefty-liberal treehugging fuss about nothing (still boggles my mind when I hear/read the 'what climate change?' view but I won't launch into rant mode or we'll be here all day) but for some of us it makes quite chilling reading....

LUSH....

Despite the occasionally over-enthusiastic sales people, I really rate Lush for their general philosophy on organics, recycling and animal testing. Lush products have minimal preservatives and packaging and they tend to use mostly organic ingredients.

I was puzzled as to why they are not listed on www.gocrueltyfree.org/companies.php as a PETA approved 'no animal testing' organisation so I wrote to them to find out why and they actually had a plausible explanation. They sent me a fact sheet on Lush's stance on testing, which explains their Supplier Specific Boycott Policy. It explains the benefits to this policy, which is different from the Fixed Cut-off Date policy employed by the Humane Cosmetics Standard. Lush are not included on PETA's approved list because of this policy difference but they are actually specifically mentioned on the Go Cruelty Free website as a recommended retailer and cites the same explanation for their exclusion from the BUAV (British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection) list.

Lush products use minimal packaging which makes a refreshing change from many cosmetic's companies. Although I find some of their products overwhelming in terms of scent and underwhelming in terms of effect, they also have some great stuff.

My favourites are:

• Ceridwyn's Cauldron bath melt


• The Blonde solid shampoo (which is great for reducing packaging)


• Marilyn hair treatment


• Buffy exfoliating scrub

Lush are a great example of a company that manages to combine numerous ethical considerations at the same time, which is great for a concerned consumer as it takes the guess-work out of purchases. However, just because a shop or company is perceived to be 'good' it certainly doesn't mean they are so it is a good idea to ask questions if something doesn't make sense. It also lets them know that people are genuinely concerned and they can't just get away with vague claims about their ethical credentials.

Flowers...you can eat...yeah!

I know that it is incredibly girly of me but I love the idea of eating flowers. I went to Saf, the vegetarian, organic, generally virtuous restaurant a few weeks ago for lunch (food was great, service was not but that's another story) and had, among other things, the 'greens and flowers' salad which made me even more excited about my nasturtium seedlings growing in the garden. I planted them from seed and they've been completely hassle free. The vivid orange flowers can be used in salads or added to vinaigrettes and they have a distinct spicy/peppery flavour as well as looking beautiful. They don't even need to be in the garden but can be grown in medium to large containers. A pack of seeds cost about a quid so in keeping with the current spirit of thrift and grow-your-own I would recommend adding this to your next list of things-to-do....

Wish list....

I cannot, however hard I may try, justify the purchase of another pair of trainers at the moment. Not even by my vast imagination when it comes to the necessariness (I don't think this is really a word) of another pair of shoes do I need another pair of trainers. But if I did, and could overlook the fairly hefty £73 price tag, then these retro, Veja Volley Trainers would be mine...all mine! Oh, and they're also fairly traded, sustainable and made with organic cotton as an added bonus.

Find them online at http://www.equaclothing.com/ and http://www.endclothing.co.uk/. to name but two....

World Fair Trade Day: Saturday 09 May...

This Saturday is World Fair Trade Day. I am, like many of us I suspect, guilty of being a bit of a fairweather fair trade buyer. I tend to go for the usual fair trade suspects like bananas, coffee, tea and chocolate. These tend to be the easiest and most visible/publicised fair trade products. But there is actually a suprisingly wide range of fair trade stuff out there, and not just from stores like Ethical Superstore, but also from online grocery stores like Waitrose and Sainsbury's, who tend to have a wider range available online than in-store which will hopefully change in future. And it's not just groceries that you should consider but clothes, accessories and household items.

The Fairtrade Foundation are suggesting we get involved with a fair trade breakfast which sounds like a cool idea to me. But even if you can't manage that, try adding a few extra fair trade items to your shopping basket in the next week or so and it might even become a habit....

Changing the way we behave....

I read an interesting article in the New York Times Magazine recently entitled 'Why Isn't the Brain Green' by Jon Gertner. Although it gets quite technical in terms of behavioral psychology, I think the basic question Gertner asks is intriguing. Why aren't we all more concerned about climate change? Why is there very little sense of urgency among the majority of the population?

I don't know the answer to this. I just know that personally, inaction is often due to a combination of ignorance and laziness. As the article concludes, unfortunately, human beings don't always act in their own/society's best interests. Hence the need for greater incentives and stricter laws. I am no fan of being told what to do but sometimes it seems to me that if we can't be trusted to help ourselves, we need some significant pushes in the right direction...

How green is a barbeque?

After a lovely, sunny bank holiday weekend consisting of 3 barbeques, 1 hosted by moi and 2 by friends, my boyfriend gave me a mild rebuke regarding my love of barbeques considering that they 'are not exactly environmentally friendly'.

I must confess that I do love bbqs, mainly just because of the fact that I get to spend more time outside, chilling in the sun with a beverage, which seems a much more pleasant way to cook when the weather is warm and the evenings are long. However, I hadn't honestly considered the 'green' concerns. As always, the internet saves the day with some useful information on how to green your bbq. Thankfully, I've not come across any sites which have vetoed them outright which is encouraging, as I'm not sure I could manage that.

Ethical Super Store stock 'BioRegional HomeGrown FSC Certified Charcoal' which is a good start, ie making sure that the charcoal you use is FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified. I was quite chuffed to come across a tip on Planet Green's 'How to go Green: Barbeque' pages which my family have always done, not because it's green but because it's very effective and that is to use a raw onion sliced in half to clean the grill rather than a chemical spray of some sort.

Sierra Magazine's website also has some great green bbq tips in their article, The Green Life: Get your grill on.

So it seems that bbqs are allowed, which is cool as I've already been to 3 and Summer has only just begun....

Update: The Telegraphs' eco-friendly barbeques articles states that the following sell charcoal with the FSC logo: Waitrose (Big K brand), Morrisons (own label 'Instant Light' only); Co-Op (own label), Asda (own label). This is quite an old article though so there are probably more available now. Waitrose definately still sell the Big K Brand, which is still FSC certified.

Latest cookbook purchase....

I love cookbooks so much that I try not to look at them too often....I would fill my house with cookbooks given half the chance and really, I can only cook so many things. In fact half the time, I just like reading them, even if I don't actually end up directly following any of the recipes!

I am quite excitedly awaiting the arrival of Sophie Dahl's new recipe book. I liked the idea that she has divided the recipes into seasons so you can make the recipe when the ingredients are accessible.

Will keep you posted on how it turns out!