Ethical Living Issue 14 September / October 2009
Ethical Chocolate The bitter-sweet bar?
Changing Time
Get to the bottom of reusable nappies
It’s Cold Outside
Issue 14 September / October 2009 £3.00 Make a positive difference
WIN A So Organic Hamper See page 55
Stylish ethical coats and wraps
Plus
• Organic Recipes • Eco Heroes • Home Exchange Holidays • Natural Lipsticks • Home Energy Saving • Running for Charity
Ethical Publishing
Welcome to Issue 14 of Ethical Living, our September/October 2009 issue. This issue has given us cause to think about plastic and packaging. Some of you may be receiving your copy in biodegradable plastic packaging rather than the usual paper envelopes. This is the first time that Ethical Living has used this type of packaging and we hope that it will help lower our carbon emissions by reducing the weight transported in dispatching the magazines to you. This issue has also given us cause to think about the future and to wonder if our campaigns really are making a difference to the world, and if fairly traded and organic food and products can ever really become a first choice for the majority of people rather than the dilligent few. We’ve certainly been inspired by the wonderful stories in our Eco Heroes feature who have shown that, with determination, one person can effect real change. We also continue to be inspired by your own stories of how you are making a difference in your homes, schools, neighbourhoods and workplaces. Please keep sending in your stories, which demonstrate to both us and other readers how we are all contributing together to help make a positive difference. Happy reading!
Kim Marks Editor
Editor Kim Marks editor@ethical-living.org Published 6 times a year by Ethical Publishing Limited, PO Box 282, Stamford, PE9 9BW
Editorial contributors Abel and Cole, Alison Bayne, Sarah Callard, Kate Davidson, Ellie Garwood, Alan Kirkham, Nicky Solloway, The Energy Saving Trust, Mike Woolnough
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September / October 2009
34
It’s Cold Outside Keep the autumn chill out in ethical style
Letters, News and Events Features 06
08 Budgeting for an Organic Future
Ellie Garwood investigates how the organics industry is fairing in the recession and asks can organic ever go mainsteam?
12 Chocolate: A Bitter-Sweet Story
One of our favourite treats comes with some bitter ethical dilemmas. But, Nicky Solloway explains, there are sweeter options
16 Eco Heroes
Get some inspiration to keep you on the ethical track with these stories of everyday folk and their campaigns
Home and Garden 20 Save Your Home Energy
Find out how you can improve the efficiency of your home, lower your environmental impact and save money at the same time
24 The Natural Nursery
New baby on the way? Jazz up your nursery with these fabulous ethical options
Health and Beauty 26 Running for Charity
Find out how, with the right training, going on the run can help you keep fit and raise funds for a good cause too
30 Review of Natural Lipsticks
Pucker up the ethical way with our review of natural and organic lipsticks
Subscription Offer Fashion 32
34 It’s Cold Outside
Keep cosy and warm through the Autumn and Winter months with a stylish ethical coat
39 It’s A Wrap
Accessorise your winter outfit with the latest ethical wraps and scarfs
September / October 2009
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48
Changing Time Getting to the bottom of reusable nappies
12
Bitter-Sweet The story behind your chocolate bar
Food and Drink
Travel
40 What’s In Season
52 Home from Home
41 Refreshment Get a late summer berry burst with a gentle
ginger fizz with our Ginger Berry Fizz
42 Easy, Quick and Seasonal Sensations
Delicious, healthy recipes from award winning organic food delivery company, Abel and Cole
47 Organic Sauces
Get saucy with our review of the best organic pasta sauces
Family 48 Eco Friendly Changing Time
Everything you need to know about reusable nappies, what it’s really like to use them and whether they are right for you
All the home comforts in a holiday setting. No wonder home exchange holidays are popular
Finance and Work 56 The Power of Ethical Investment
Use your investment power to change the way big businesses operate, says Alan Kirkham
Leisure 60 How to...
,,,keep chickens
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Reviews
The latest ethical books and music
Ethical Marketplace 66 Ethical Advice 64
51 Family favourites
The latest news and reviews for your family
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September / October 2009
Green Bounce Dear Ethical Living, I have bought a mini trampoline. No need for expensive gym memberships, I can now bounce my way to fitness for under £35. And it has the extra bonus that when I’m cold, instead of turning the heating up, I just go for a five minute bounce on the mini trampoline and I’m soon warmed up! Fiona MacNab
A Vegetable Shared Dear Ethical Living, I recently moved to the Highlands and joined ‘earthshare’ - a co-op of local organic vegetable producers who provide vegetables to their subscribers. It’s a scheme that aims to share both the benefits and risks of farming, so helps the co-op plan and expand, whilst engaging with the local community. The real benefit to me has been that they provide so many vegetables that I eat veggie most of the week and have saved a mammoth amount on my shopping bills as a result. I would heartily recommend eating more veg - good for your purse and your well-being - a community supported agriculture, or veg box scheme. Debbie Ruppenthal
Go Plastic Free! When I tell people that I’ve given up buying plastic for one year they tend to look at me as if I’m mad and then immediately let me know why they couldn’t possibly do the same or how it’s actually unfeasible in modern life. On the face of it I have to agree. But now that I’m actually in the throws of my new ‘plastic free’ adventure it’s actually not that difficult. Challenging - yes, frustrating - yes, impossible - NO. What really amazes me now is how I was so blissfully unaware about how much plastic I was buying, using and then throwing away. I have learnt about the devastating horrors of our plastic filled seas and oceans, the fact that plastic is the number one toxic pollutant of our time and how it’s even seeping into the bodies of our children affecting their fertility. As they say a bit of knowledge is a terrifying thing! On the plus side though, I’ve discovered that I can make a huge difference with just a little bit of effort. For example we love bacon in this house, I now buy it from the delicatessen, it costs a 1/4 of the price and I’m saving approx 156 pieces of plastic going to landfill each year. Changing your milk to being delivered in glass bottles saves another 182 pieces, and using only reusable bags (www.onya.co.uk) for your weekly shop saves another 260 pieces.
If you’d like to tell us about how you’re cutting back on your plastic usage, a green idea you’ve had or an eco-experience you’ve enjoyed, write to us at:
If just one hundred people changed these three simple things, between them they would save a staggering 59,800 pieces of plastic pollution per year! Please join me in my quest and give up five plastic products each month. Have a look at my helpful blog sponsored by Ethical Living Magazine and let us know how you are getting on.
Ethical Living, PO Box 282, Stamford, PE9 9BW or by email to editor@ethical-living.org
Sarita Cameron www.less-plastic-pledge.com
September / October 2009
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Post Box - © Elena Moiseeva - fotolia.com; Man reading newspaper © drx - Fotolia.com
Letters
News
Loaves of love Restoring the bread making skills of the past and encouraging sustainability of both planet and relationships is the brainchild of Bristol mum and Transition Town group member Inez Aponte, whose ‘Loaves of Love’ initiative began on 5 July in association with Devon-based sustainable community Embercombe, Resurgence Slow Sunday and the Transition Town Group. Loaves of Love aims to inspire people to host bread baking circles in their homes, with friends, old and new. Everyone who comes along, and learns to bake bread, then passes the skill on by hosting a circle of their own within a month, encouraging the entire nation to get baking. www.loavesoflove.co.uk
Yes, we won The women behind the world’s purest intimate lubricants recently celebrated winning in the Small Business category at the Triodos Women in Ethical Business Awards. Founders Sarah Brooks and Susi Lennox set up Yes Pure Intimacy to create the world’s purest intimate lubricants and moisturisers using pioneering plant-based formulations. They have been responsible for every aspect of the company’s operation, from designing and formulating the products to earning the prestigious Soil Association certification. - www.yesyesyes.org
Green fingers Green Tips have recently launched the world’s first household gloves made from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified latex. Made completely from natural rubber, sourced from a responsibly managed plantation and for which Green Tips pay a fair trade premium, both the gloves and their packaging are also completely biodegradable, so you can save your hands and the planet. - www.communityfoods.co.uk
Garden share A unique new garden-share scheme that links older garden owners with people who want their own growing space has been launched by Age Concern Wandsworth. The Garden Partners scheme is the first of its kind in the UK. It matches people aged 60-plus who need help to manage their garden with volunteers who tend the garden regularly to grow vegetables, fruit and flowers. www.ageconcernwandsworth.org.uk
Events
October
September
1 - 31 Breast Cancer Awareness Month Fundraising, challenges and sporting events nationwide. - www.breastcancercare.org.uk
05 - 20 Organic Fortnight The Soil Association’s celebration of all things organic with a huge festival - www.soilassociation.org 19 - 20 MCS Beachwater Big Weekend Join thousands of volunteers for the national litter survey and clean-up – www.adoptabeach.org.uk 25 FSC Friday Activities to raise awareness of responsible forestry of the UK’s forests and woodlands – www.fsc-uk.org 26 The Incredible Veggie Roadshow Information, demos, advice and entertainment on everything veggie – www.viva.org.uk
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3 Brecon Beacons Food Festival Autumn gala promoting the very best of local, fresh food, with a record number of food producers and entertainment - www.breacon-beacons.org 23 - 25 Big Green Home Show A place for budding self builders, renovators or home improvers to learn about making their homes more sustainable - www.buildstore.co.uk 31 CSV Make A Difference Day Join in the UK’s biggest annual day of volunteering with nationwide events - www.csv.org.uk
September / October 2009
Budgeting for an
Organic Future In a recession organic food and products are often seen as a luxury we can do without. So can organic ever become the mainstream? Ellie Garwood investigates.
September / October 2009
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f you’ve been keeping up with the media over recent months you’d be forgiven for thinking that organic produce has had its day; according to numerous articles we are shunning this extravagant lifestyle choice, leaving the consumption of crisp organic carrots solely to the upper echelons of society who can afford such premium luxuries. Journalists seem to be relishing the apparent lull in organic sales, the figures of which have been scrutinised and manipulated to fit sensationalist headlines dooming the phenomenon’s future. But you only have to take a look at the bigger picture to realise that organic produce is in fact weathering the storm. Despite UK GDP falling 1.9% over the last year, unemployment increasing by 1.3% and retail sales dropping by 1.8%, organic sales managed a respectable 1.7% increase in sales during 2008. Admittedly this is nothing compared to the 26% year-on-year average sales increase enjoyed by the Soil Association (the not-for-profit organisation responsible for 80% of all organic produce sold in the UK) since 1993, but it does clearly show the staying power of organic, even under the harsh economic conditions of a recession. Peter Melchett, Soil Association policy director, firmly believes the current lull is to be expected, seeing it as a manageable and temporary hindrance, ‘This has been a really difficult period for all retail, and organic sales have suffered along with the rest of the economy... But those consumers who are committed to organic products appear to be staying loyal. This shows the underlying resilience of the organic market, which we believe will grow again once the economy picks up.’
Expensive option? Woman with shopping trolley © James Peragine - Fotolia.com
Organic supporters, it seems, are a hardy and dedicated bunch; unfortunately they are also a relatively small one, which means despite the impressive growth in sales over recent decades organic is still defined as a niche market. I’ve spent many a daydream envisaging a future where organic is the unlabelled produce, with all remaining products requiring a ‘chemically treated’ sticker, but is this a naively hopeful pipedream, or does organic really have a shot at becoming the mainstream? Price, unfortunately, is a major issue for many shoppers. A quick glimpse along the shelf of any major supermarket is proof that organic produce
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is undeniably more expensive than non-organic. Scouting around my local store I noted 500 grams of organic carrots, for example, costs 73p, while regular carrots at the same weight cost 58p, a box of six large organic eggs cost £1.90 while a regular box cost £1.47, and a four pint carton of milk comes in at £1.73 for organic and £1.53 for regular. Organic sceptics repeatedly point out the ‘vast’ price difference; what is the extra cost for, they often ask, organic farms don’t have to spend money on pesticides so why the price tag?
Price vs principles Organic, because it is a niche product, is more expensive to produce, this is true of any specialist product whether it is kosher, gluten free or an exotic import. Organic farming measures are often more time intensive and incur different expenses than regular measures. Organic meat, for example, is more expensive due to the use of non-GM organic feed, access to the outdoors, slower and more natural growth rates, and high animal welfare standards; this is why organic dairy produce is also more expensive. Excitingly, however, the Soil Association has predicted a cheaper future for organic where prices rival current costs. This utopian vision originates from the idea that as organic produce derives its fertility from sunshine and organic matter no future premiums will be incurred, in fact the more popular organic becomes the more likely we are to see a drop in price. Chemically treated produce, on the other hand, relies on fossil fuel based fertilisers - in an age of peak oil this could potentially result in prices being pushed higher and higher. Unfortunately this encouraging future prospect doesn’t change the circumstances of today’s shopper who is faced with a price versus principles dilemma. The Soil Association, upon recognising this growing concern, has decided to dedicate this year’s Organic Fortnight (which takes place from September 5th - 20th) to helping ethical shoppers buy organic produce on the cheap. ‘Organic values on a budget’ is the official theme and the charity has devised a host of ways consumers can save money and still enjoy organic food. Tips include: joining or creating an organic buying group – by bulk-buying groups of friends can see costs greatly reduced (the Soil Association has produced a guide for anyone interested in getting started), growing your own
September / October 2009
Room to improve Promoting organic values on budget is vital to entice a new wave of shoppers, which is crucial if organic is to ever make it into the mainstream. Despite the impressive sales increases over the decades organic land still only accounts for 4% of the UK’s agricultural land, organic produce only accounts for approximately 2% of all UK food sales and 8% of consumers currently account for 60% of organic consumption. Nonetheless organic is a constant issue of interest, it is a hotly covered topic not only in the environmental press but also in the mainstream media, whether it’s Michelle Obama planting an organic garden at the White House or Prince Charles gallantly promoting organic vegetables. Whether organic can ever become ‘the norm’ is yet to be seen, and whether it is sustainable is another argument altogether, but it does make sense that in world of finite oil supplies, organic produce, especially that cultivated on small scale, local farms, could benefit us all in the long run.
Good reasons During economically troubled times organic is looked upon as a questionable luxury, but it is worth bearing in mind that during the 1950s consumers spent 33% of their annual wages on food, today we spend just 10% or less – in fact we spend more on our leisure pursuits than we do on feeding ourselves. Consumer power is, as always, key; organic may not be the answer to the exhaustive list of food concerns, but it certainly ticks numerous boxes. Whether you are looking
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to avoid pesticides for health reasons, want to avoid GM, ensure high animal welfare standards, protect the environment, wildlife and biodiversity, or even want to protect farm workers from excessive exposure to pesticides, organic has an angle for every consumer – humanitarian, environmental and animal welfare. For those who believe in the principles of organic but simply cannot afford the extra premium try being selective in your purchases, just buy organic meat for example, or dairy produce, or vegetables, and use the helpful tips from the Soil Association’s ‘organic values on a budget’ list. The recession has tested our ethical values to the maximum, but if the organic movement can survive these tough times we can rest assured a dedicated and strengthened market will be waiting on the other side.
Organic values on a budget: The Soil Association Organic Fortnight is a nationwide campaign highlighting all the great things about organic. Up and down the UK, people in shops, schools, cafes, churches and farms will be hosting events and raising awareness about why organic is the healthy choice, the best for animal welfare and the right thing for the planet. Organic values on a budget’ is this year’s official theme and the organisation has lots of advice on making your shopping basket work harder and how to shop organic for less. www.soilassociation.org Tel: 0117 314 5000
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Woman shopping © Monkey Business - Fotolia.com
organic fruit and vegetables – which also reduces food miles, and writing a shopping list - as a nation we throw away 6.7 million tonnes of food every year, by planning meals in advance both food and money could be saved.
Chocolate: A bitter-sweet story
Chocolate on foil Š Peterman - Fotolia.com
One of our favourite treats comes with some bitter ethical dilemmas but there are some sweeter options available. Nicky Solloway gets to grips with ethical chocolate.
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September / October 2009
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uilty pleasure is what many people feel about sinking their teeth into a bar of chocolate. Aside from the calories of course, the cocoa trade is tainted with ethical dilemmas. Indeed, cocoa is a bitter crop for many of the world’s farmers. Child trafficking, slavery, poverty and pesticides are endemic in the mainstream cocoa trade. Children as young as 12 are still being used as slaves on African cocoa farms, according to Stop The Traffik, a charity campaigning to end the trade in people trafficking. They say an estimated 12,000 trafficked children work in cocoa farms on the Ivory Coast where 40% of the world’s cocoa is grown. The many thousands of children working on farms in West Africa never get a taste of the delicately packaged treat at the end of the production line. Toiling from dawn to dusk in the tropical heat, they cut the cacao pods from high branches with machetes, split the pods open and scoop out the beans. The work is often dangerous and involves sharp knives and pesticides. School is often an unaffordable luxury for many of the children forced to work on the family cocoa farm. Humble family farms grow 90% of the world’s cocoa - often in grinding poverty - yet in the developed world; chocolate is a multi-million dollar business.
Small farmers Samantha Dormer, the business development manager for Fairtrade cocoa and chocolate at the Fairtrade Foundation says 14 million people in the developing world depend on cocoa production for their livelihoods. ‘Small farmers are the most economically disadvantaged and marginalized by the conventional trading system. Typically they are unaware of the changing value of their crops and are frequently paid much lower than market prices for their harvest by middlemen. Many farmers claim that commercial traders often resort to using distorted scales in order to trick the farmers into thinking their cocoa weighs less than it actually does,’ she says. Many farmers therefore receive less revenue for their crops than even the market levels dictate. Poverty then leads to the growing trade in child and slave labour in West Africa.
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But as ethical-minded readers will already be aware, Fairtrade offers an alternative which doesn’t leave a bitter after-taste. The Fairtrade label guarantees farmers receive a minimum price for their cocoa, currently $1600 per metric tonne, plus extra benefits for their communities in the form of a Fairtrade premium of $150 per metric tonne, which can be spent on social investments such as education, health services and equipment.
Cocoa co-operatives The Fairtrade standard prohibits the use of child labour and sets out an environmental agenda. Agrochemicals are restricted and sustainability is encouraged. Cocoa producers are organized into cooperatives or associations which are owned and managed by the farmers themselves. One example of this is Kuapa Kokoo, a Fairtrade cocoa cooperative in Ghana, which owns 45% of Divine Chocolate in the UK. Through the Fairtrade premium, the cooperative has built four local schools and purchased new scales to reduce farmers’ dependency on the middlemen. Mobile health clinics have been set up for members and the premium has also paid for boreholes to access drinking water. Meanwhile in the Dominican Republic, the Fairtrade mark has encouraged farmers to switch to organic agriculture. Around 85 per cent of cocoa grown by CONACADO, the National Confederation of Dominican Cocoa Producers is certified organic. The organisation grows about 25 per cent of the country’s cocoa and as sales have grown, the cooperative has set up a nursery to supply low-cost plants to farmers so that they can grow most of their own food.
Reaping rewards For Ramigia Moya, a 68-year-old cocoa farmer in the Dominican Republic, the Fair Trade premium has made a huge difference. She no longer has to fetch and carry water from a river a kilometre away from her house, thanks to new standpipes which now bring the water from a protected spring straight to the house. She says the new pipes leave her more time to work on the farm and tend to her cocoa trees. The premium has also helped cocoa farmer
September / October 2009
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Mariano Manzuela to send his children to school and has even paid for a new classroom at the local primary. As more consumers switch on to the benefits of a fairer trading system, sales of Fairtrade chocolate are rocketing. There was a 10% increase in Fairtrade chocolate last year. And now even the big players are jumping on board. This autumn Cadbury’s says its bestselling Dairy Milk chocolate will be certified as Fairtrade. Dairy Milk is the nation’s favourite chocolate bar, so the move is set to vastly increase the number of Fairtrade farming opportunities in Ghana where the company buys its cocoa.
Raw future And if organic and fair-trade isn’t ethical enough, there’s an even greener chocolate on the block. Raw chocolate leaves out the fat and sugar, but comes with some pretty impressive green credentials. Naked Chocolate for example, is produced in the UK from cacao grown in the forests of Peru and was created by an English raw food enthusiast who simply calls herself Shazzie. ‘Raw chocolate has not been cooked like traditional chocolate and so it retains all its natural nutrients,’ says Shazzie, who is the managing director of Detox Your World and author of the book, Naked Chocolate. These nutrients include antioxidants along with magnesium, sulphur, iron, chromium and anandamide, a neurotransmitter, also known as the bliss chemical. Shazzie’s company imports and sells raw organic chocolate products - cacao nibs, beans, butter, liquor and powder - to create a ‘superfood’. Not the type of confectionary to be found at the local sweet shop, the bars - including Temptress, Empress and Desire - come in six flavours and can be bought through www.detoxyourworld.com. ‘Eating raw chocolate allows people to experience the taste of full-on raw cacao without it being adulterated by milk and sugar, and it also allows people to absorb the full range of benefits from the cacao itself,’ says Shazzie. ‘Our chocolate is sweetened with agave nectar so there’s no white sugar to get addicted to and there’s no dairy so it’s suitable for vegans too.’
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The production of raw chocolate is far less energy intensive than that of traditional chocolate. Naked Chocolate is handmade in Norfolk using a low temperature process with no heavy-duty industrial machines and it is packaged in recycled paper. So now you can have all the pleasure and none of the guilt!
Five of the best ethical chocolatiers: Montezuma’s Award-winning British chocolatier with an organic and vegan range, including a vegan truffle box, which promises the smooth taste without any butter, cream or artificial flavourings www.montezumas.co.uk Tel: 08454 506 306 Traidcraft With 30 years in the Fairtrade business, Traidcraft’s chocolate is reasonably priced and all profits go to charity www.traidcraft.co.uk Tel: 0191 491 0591 Green and Black’s The biggest and most famous ethical chocolatier, Green & Blacks’ lost some ecocredibility when it was taken over by Cadbury’s in 2005, yet it is still one of the most popular and accessible organic chocolate brands www.greenandblacks.com Tel: 020 7633 5900 Divine Though not all organic, all Divine’s bars are Fairtrade and nearly half the company is owned by Ghanaian cocoa co-op, Kuapa Kokoo www.divinechocolate.com Tel: 020 7378 6550 Booja Booja These handmade organic and vegan chocolates have picked up numerous awards. Includes Stuff in a Tub, an alternative to dairy ice cream and Cognac Flambéed Banana Truffles, made with fresh organic bananas www.boojabooja.com Tel: 01508 558 888
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September / October 2009
15
Wa n g a ri M a a thi
Eco Heroes
Ca
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Pe
tr in
i
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September / October 2009
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Green Earth Š Beboy - Fotolia.com; Wangari Maathi Š United Nations Environment Programme
Can one person really make a difference? Get inspired with these stories of everyday environmental campaigners.
F
aced with the enormity of the environmental challenges facing us, it’s all too easy to feel helpless. After all, how much difference can one individual make? Well, judging by the accomplishments of these ethical heroes, the answer is one hell of a difference. Read and be inspired.
“Modbury is just a traditional farming town, it’s not green at all. Everyone has been saying that nothing has happened here since Cromwell’s time, so if we can do it anyone can.” Rebecca Hosking
Rebecca Hosking Rebecca Hosking was on a beach in Hawaii when her breaking point came. A documentary filmmaker by profession, she was making a programme about the effects of discarded plastic on marine life. Hosking knew the facts. The 1.2 trillion plastic bags that make their way into the ocean each year. The estimated 1 million seabirds that are killed as a result. But it still hadn’t quite hit home. Then she arrived at a beach littered with the bodies of hundreds of dead albatrosses, all suffocated or choked or split open by plastic in their stomachs. She found one solitary bird that was still alive and picked it up. It died in her arms. Now most of us would have found those dead albatrosses exceptionally distressing, but for Hosking it was more than that. It was a call to action. The daughter of a Devon farmer, she decided to return to her hometown of Modbury and set about banning plastic bags. Simple as that. Hosking had only two weapons in her quest - her compelling documentary film and her determination. She approached the town’s 42 shopkeepers, showed them the film, and asked them to sign up to a six-month ban. Within a few weeks they all agreed. Modbury became Europe’s first plastic-bag-free town and an overnight inspiration. Showing that good work spreads, a further 10 towns across Britain have been inspired by Modbury and become plastic-bag-free, and a further 70 have pledged their intention to follow suit. The cause has become a political phenomenon, with Gordon Brown pledging to meet with supermarket leaders and tackle the plastic problem, and the Welsh Assembly debating a motion to levy a 15p tax on all bags. Hosking is determined to keep campaigning. This year she investigated how to transform her father’s farm into a low-energy business in the BBC documentary, A Farm for the Future. Given Hosking’s track record, she will probably be inspiring us for years to come.
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Carlo Petrini Petrini first came to prominence in 1986 when McDonalds decided to open a branch on the Spanish Steps in Rome. During the ensuing protests Petrini, previously a little-known communist food journalist, launched the Slow Food Manifesto. Putting his beliefs into practice, he also handed out homemade pizza to his fellow demonstrators. The Slow Food manifesto is in direct opposition to the growth of the fast food business. Its core principle is that people should take time to grow and cook high quality food, both as a sensual pleasure and a bonding ritual with those they love. The symbol of the Slow Food movement is a small golden snail. During the 1990s Petrini realised that it was impossible to enjoy good food without also supporting local farmers, and the Slow Food movement began defending agricultural biodiversity. Today the bulk of the Slow Food movement’s efforts centre around building relationships with small-scale food producers and protecting the artisanal products that might otherwise become extinct. In 2009 the Slow Food movement has never been more active. It now has over 85,000 members in 132 countries. This year’s Slow Food world meeting - Salone del Gusto - attracted more than 185,000 food lovers and small-scale producers during a five-day period. Petrini also runs the University of Gastronomie and gives out Slow Food Awards for the defence of biodiversity. Despite all this activity, Petrini never forgets that his roots exist in slow pleasure. After all, fighting the industrialisation of food is so much easier when a good meal waits at the end of the day.
“A gastronome who is not also an environmentalist is an idiot. An environmentalist who is not also a gastronome is, well, sad.” Carlo Petrini
September / October 2009
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Muhammad Yunus
Wangari Maathi
At a time when the global financial system is in disarray, there is one banker whose work is continuing to flourish – Muhammad Yunus. Yunus is a community development banker who created an inspiring system of microcredit. Following the Bangladeshi famine of 1974, Yunus loaned just $27 of his own money to a group of 42 families so that they could buy the small craft materials that would lift them out of poverty. The project grew into Grameen Bank, a financial organisation that primarily makes very small loans to groups of poor rural women. Muhammad identified that women are more likely than men to invest sensibly, and the peer pressure involved in lending to a group rather than individuals means that some 97% of loans are paid back, a staggeringly high proportion in the world of banking. Unusually, lenders also own the bank, receiving dividends instead of profits. In direct contrast to most modern financiers, Yunus believes that banking should encourage environmentalism. He asks all lenders to pledge to a range of ethical principles including growing vegetables, planting seedlings and taking part in community work. In recognition of the need to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, Grameen Bank also has an enterprise - Grameen Shakti – that installs solar home systems, bio gas plants, and improved stoves in homes across Bangladesh. Proving that social banking can have a bright future, Yunus’s system continues to go from strength to strength. Grameen Bank has so far leant more than $6 billion dollars and stretches across the globe, with plans underfoot to open the UK’s first Grameen Bank branch in Glasgow. Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 and - although he is now 68 - plans to continue banking “with joy”.
Wangari Maathi is a Kenyan Environmentalist and Political Activist. Originally a scientific academic, it was back in 1977 - while her husband was standing for parliament on a ticket of job creation – that Maathi realised the environment and employment should not be treated as mutually exclusive. In the same year, she started the Green Belt movement from a small nursery in her back garden. The principle behind the Green Belt movement was simple – she would pay rural Kenyan women a small stipend for each seed they gathered and grew into a sapling. Using this method of reforestation would not only restore the natural environment but also create jobs in rural areas. It’s fair to say Maathi’s scheme was a roaring success; today the Green Belt movement has more than 5,000 African nurseries and has planted more than 30 million trees. Maathi is also an inspiration for triumphing despite her fair share of troubles. In the late 1970s Maathi’s husband divorced her, saying that she was “too educated, too strong, too successful, too stubborn and too hard to control”. During the subsequent court battle, a judge ordered Maathi to stop using her husband’s surname. In a gesture of defiance she kept using the name but avoiding illegality by simply adding an extra letter ‘a’. In the 1980s Maathi’s difficulties were on a larger political scale. When the Kenyan government announced their plans to build a media complex in the middle of Uhuri National Park, Maathi organised a defiant resistance movement. During the course of the campaign she was vilified in the national press, arrested, and beaten unconscious by the police. Despite everything, she continued to fight for the park. Eventually her determination paid off, and the government scrapped the scheme under growing international pressure. In 1994 Maathi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She was the first environmentalist to do so, in recognition that peace depends on our ability to nourish the natural environment.
“The financial, environmental and food crises are all interrelated and are all driven by selfishness. We must seize this opportunity to come up with an alternative financial system, based on trust and selflessness.” Muhammad Yunnus
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“It’s the little things citizens do. That’s what will make the difference. My little thing is planting trees.” Wangari Maathi
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Save Your Home Energy By taking steps to improve the efficiency of your home, you can lower your impact on the environment and save pounds on your energy bill too! The Energy Saving Trust is here to tell you how.
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ith over 40% of the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions actually coming from the energy we use every day, people are getting more switched on to reducing the environmental impact of how we live. Maybe you’ve started recycling, washing at 30 degrees or have switched to energy efficient lighting. But with rising fuel prices, saving money in the home can be as important as reducing your home’s carbon footprint. Furthermore, the introduction of Energy Performance Certificates means that energy efficiency is now also high on the demand list for homebuyers. So, even if you’ve decided to sell your home, there are even more reasons to step up your energy efficiency to the next level.
With the potential to reduce heating costs by 15%, insulating your loft is a simple and effective way to reduce your heating bills and you can even do it yourself. Insulate your loft today and in a year you could save around £150 off your annual fuel bill if you previously had no insulation, or around £45 a year if you are topping up your insulation. As well as the heat escaping via the roof, heat loss through the walls is another major source of heat loss. So insulate your cavity walls and you could save around £115 on energy bills each year. You can reduce heat loss from floors by fitting a layer of insulation to the underside of timber floorboards, which will save around £50 and 270kg of CO2 a year. You’ll also be warmer and more comfortable in your home. Finally, if your boiler is over 15 years old, it’s probably time to replace it. By law, new gas boilers in England and Wales must now be of the high efficiency condensing type, which can help you to save up to a quarter on your heating bills, with even more savings to be made if you upgrade to modern controls as well. A new, 75mm thick, insulating jacket for your hot water tank costs around £12, but will save around £35 and 190kg of CO2. So, it could pay for itself in less than six months. If your tank already has a jacket, check the thickness of it. If it’s less than 75mm, you’ll
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Plug © Kirsty Pargeter - Fotolia.com
Home Basics
save energy by replacing it or putting another jacket on top of it. Insulating visible hot water pipes, especially those between the boiler and the hot water cylinder, can save you an extra ÂŁ10 a year and 60kg of CO2. You could improve the efficiency of your heating system even further by fitting modern heating controls. Fitting automatic timer switches, known as programmers, to control your heating and hot water systems, room thermostats and thermostatic radiator valves, will also help to ensure that room temperatures in your home are always kept at a comfortable level.
Simply by leaving appliances on standby the UK wastes the same amount of electricity as the annual output of two 700MW power stations. When buying appliances look for the Energy Saving Recommended logo (ESR). ESR appliances are the most efficient in their category and investing in an ESR product has greater benefits than just reduced carbon emissions, the financial savings you’ll reap make it a smart move indeed. For instance, an energy efficient fridge freezer will use around 60% less energy than an older appliance to do the same job.
Renewables Gadgets By 2010, the consumer electronics sector will become the biggest single user of domestic electricity, overtaking the traditionally high consuming sectors, such as kitchen appliances and lighting. So looking at how you use and buy electrical goods can reveal things about your energy use.
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Large domestic pole mounted wind turbines can generate enough electricity to power a household throughout the year when they are located in good open, windy areas. They produce a clean power source because it doesn’t produce any CO2 emissions or waste products. Or there is solar power, which contrary to public opinion does not require hours and hours of
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Californian sunshine. Standard UK daylight will suffice. This resource can be tapped in the following ways: Solar water heating can provide you with about a third of your hot water needs and work alongside your conventional water heater. The average domestic system reduces carbon dioxide by around 260kg per year. This will save you about £50 a year on your hot water bills if you currently use gas or more if you use other fuels, but you will need to check your boiler is compatible. Solar photo-voltaic panels can come in the form of tiles that look like roof tiles, panels and transparent cells that you can use on conservatories and glass to provide shading as well as generating electricity. If you intend to have major roof repairs carried out it may be worth exploring PV tiles as they can offset the cost of roof tiles. Grid connected systems require very little maintenance. You could be saving almost 1 tonne of CO2 a year (out of the average 5.4 tonnes of carbon dioxide emitted yearly from the average household) and this could save around £200 on your electricity bill. Ground source heat pumps use a buried ground loop which transfers heat from the ground into a building to provide space heating and, in some cases, to pre-heat domestic hot water. On average you can save around £600 on your heating bills when replacing coal heating and 5.6 tonnes of CO2 per year. Savings will vary depending on what fuel you are already using.
boiler, this fuel can be a cost effective way to heat your home. A detached house could save around £170 a year on heating and hot water bills and over 9.5 tonnes of CO2 when replacing coal with wood fuel as the main source of heating. Wood fuel is considered a carbon neutral fuel because CO2 produced when the fuel is burnt, is balanced out by the amount of CO2 absorbed during the tree’s growth.
Hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity uses running water turning a turbine to produce electricity. A typical 5 kW micro-hydro system suitable for an average home might cost between £20,000 - £25,000 including installation and could provide substantial energy savings. You can use one renewable technology or have a system that uses several technologies. Whatever you choose, first it’s important to make sure that you’re using energy as efficiently as possible, by taking steps to minimise your energy needs. You’ll then need to use less renewable energy. As not all technologies are suited to every home it is important to thoroughly investigate which technology is right for you. The energy produced and installation costs for each system vary, but the cost of a small scale renewable system starts from around £3,000 for solar water heating. Grants may be available towards installation costs.
Wood fuelled heating Wood fuelled heating systems generally burn wood pellets, chips or logs. With a special wood fuelled
For more information on saving energy: The Energy Saving Trust are a non-profit organisation that provides free impartial advice tailored to suit you. Their advice can help you save money and fight climate change by reducing carbon dioxide emissions from your home. Save energy today, visit the website or call for advice. www.energysavingtrust.org.uk Tel: 0800 512 012
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The Natural Nursery Give your little ones the best possible start in life with natural, organic, fair trade and sustainable furniture and accessories for the perfect eco-stylish nursery.
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Bamboo Cot Amber toned, eco-friendly bamboo cot, with two protective teething rails, three mattress base heights and single handed dropside operation. Takes standard 120 x 60cm mattress size.
Organic Cot Mattress Made from organic coir from the husk of coconuts, surrounded by organic lambswool with natural antidust mite protection and excellent temperature regulating qualities, and unbleached cotton cover. ÂŁ110.00.
Organic Cotton Cot Sheet Fairtrade certified organic jersey cotton cot sheet with either beautiful butterfly (pictured) or airplane design, printed in eco-friendly dyes and presented in a matching drawstring bag. ÂŁ15.99.
Available from: www.eastcoastnursery.co.uk
Available from: www.naturalmat.co.uk Tel: 020 7985 0474
Available from: www.babipur.co.uk Tel: 01766 515 240
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Natural Moses Basket Hand woven in palm leaf, comes with a removable unbleached cotton lining. Stand made from sustainably produced beach and finished in natural oil. Suitable for newborn to 9kg. Basket £60.00, Stand £40.00.
Wooden Animal Nursery Chair Colourful, soft back animal chairs, with cute giraffe face style back in soft fabric and sturdy natural wood seat, perfect to brighten up any nursery or children’s room. £16.00
Fair Trade Koala Baby Hammock Hand made in Brazil to fair trade standards, gently swinging hammock with simple safety system and sewn-in harness for secure support. Portable, easy to assemble and fold away. £58.67
Available from: www.dojoeco.co.uk Tel: 0161 834 5432
Available from: www.babykind.co.uk Tel: 08450 724 462
Available from: www.babipur.co.uk Tel: 01766 515 240
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Mimosa Sheepskin Rug Sheepskin with natural insulating properties. Naturally tanned in extract from the mimosa tree in Africa, leaving it soft and luxurious and a whiter, more natural colour. From £49.99
Organic Mattress Protector Soft, organic cotton blanket with a thin core of synthetic rubber to provide a waterproof barrier, lies on top of the cot or bed sheet and is easily removed for washing. One size. £18.00
Wooden Hand Painted Mobile Attractive natural wood mobile, made to fair trade standards in Sri Lanka in either minibeast or dinosaur design. Hand painted in bright primary colours to stimulate even tiny newborns. £11.50
Available from: www.beamingbaby.co.uk Tel: 0800 0345 672
Available from: www.dojoeco.com Tel: 0161 834 5432
Available from: www.babykind.co.uk Tel: 08450 942 275
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Running
for charity
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T
he running events circuit has boomed over the past 5 years, and there are now a whole host of events available to suit your first time runner to your experienced marathoner. With constant messages surrounding our lives regarding obesity, physical activity and health/well being there has never been a better time to turn your attention to running and what better motivation than to sign up to an event and raise money for charity. The London Marathon is the epitome of running for charity. Established in 1981, the race has grown from a small fundraising event for a few runners to an event worth over £46million to charities each year. Charities buy their ‘gold bond’ places and then recruit a team of runners to fundraise for them, many individually raising thousands of pounds for their chosen cause. However, due to its popularity, it is increasingly difficult to secure a place in the race, with many charities having twenty or thirty runners applying per gold bond spot. That should not put you off though as there are an increasing number of alternatives to London that will put you through the gruelling 26.2 miles whilst giving you a unique view of a different city. Popular ‘other’ marathons include New York, Dublin, Berlin, Paris, Edinburgh and, new for 2010, Brighton, or ‘London by the sea’ as the race organisers call it. All charity websites will list how you can go about gaining a place in one of these races, and the benefits of running for them. However, if you think a marathon may be one mile too far there is a plethora of other events available to you, all with the option of raising funds for charity. For those new to running, or those getting back in to it there are a wide range of 5k events all over the country, all varying in size and structure. There really is a race out there to suit everyone. For women, there is the ‘Race for Life’ series, which is operated by Cancer Research UK and takes part all over the country. Or, for those based in London
September / October 2009
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Couple running © Vadimone - fotolia.com; marathon runner back © Mark Atkins
Want to keep fit and raise funds for a good cause too? Check out our top tips on how to get started.
Committing yourself to taking part in a run immediately enhances your reasons to set aside some training time in the weeks/months leading up to race day. Pledging to run for charity only increases this.
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Reasons to run Many runners choose to run in memory of a loved one, close friend or family member, or to get them through a tough personal battle. Whilst this can mean an emotional period of time training, or a few tears at the end of the race, there can be no greater sense of achievement knowing that, not only have you accomplished a personal goal, but your fundraising, no matter how small, will have helped others going through a similar situation.
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Motivation and support Committing yourself to taking part in a run immediately enhances your reasons to set aside some training time in the weeks/months leading up to race day. Pledging to run for charity only increases this. Charities are there to help you both on and off the running track, giving you vital support in achieving both your training and fundraising. Typically a charity will give you guidance on your training programme, hints and tips on nutrition and what to expect on the day. They are also on the end of the phone should you encounter any problems, need any advice or guidance or just have some questions about the day itself. Most charities will also offer runners a branded technical running vest to run in, which not only gives runners the feeling of being part of a team but also makes cheering individual runners a lot easier, especially if they customize their vest to display their name. Post race they will also be there to congratulate you, often with refreshments and a much needed massage, as well as providing a perfect spot to meet up with your friends and family post race. Likewise, fellow runners on the course will be there to support you as you unite to raise funds for a good cause. Charities are dedicated to supporting their fundraisers, whether they are 5k joggers, half marathon runners or taking up the ultimate challenge of a marathon. They rely on individuals raising money to ensure that there work can continue, whether that is supporting people with illness, conducting research into potential cures or many other goodwill causes. So, when you think about how you are going to keep yourself fit and healthy, or setting yourself a new challenge, definitely think running, and signing up to run for charity.
September / October 2009
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Runner at finnish line © Kochergin - Fotolia.com; marathan crowd at start line © asiphoto.net
and surrounding areas the ‘Adidas Women’s 5k Challenge’ provides a platform to fundraise for a charity of your choice combined with a great day out. Moving up from there, charities will have places in 10k races such as the Bupa 10,000 or British 10k so a participant can decide whether to purchase their own place and then opt to fundraise for charity, or go direct to the charity themselves and be assigned a guaranteed place through them. If you have secured your own place independently then you can approach a charity of your choice for support, and they will welcome the additional member to their team. All big races will have a designated charity section with relevant information and links to specific websites. There is then the ‘Great Run’ series of events that again take place all over the country and provide a fantastic stage for charities to recruit and then support runners. The Great South Run and the Great North Run attract runners from all over the World and are popular charity choices, with charities often enjoying a team of over 400 designated runners per event. What is great about events like these is that it is common place for charities to have a central base at the start/finish area as well as assigned cheering spots on route. The on the day support is there to ensure that you get round the course with as much enjoyment as possible, getting as many shouts of support as possible.
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September / October 2009
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Review of Many of us use lipstick almost every day, making it one of the most frequently used beauty products. And although we might not like to think about it, we ingest a large quantity of the lipstick that we wear, some figures suggest as much 6lbs of it over a lifetime. So, its important to ensure that the lipsticks we use are as natural as possible and avoid synthetic dyes, fragrances and other chemical nasties. Why not try some of these gorgeous natural options?
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Woman with lipstick Š Dash - Fotolia.com
Lipstick
Nvey Eco Organic Lipstick
Elysambre Natural Lipstick
Logona Lipstick
With an organic castor oil base combined with soothing safflower, beeswax and vitamin E, gives a creamy matt finish. Available in 16 vibrant colours.
Long lasting, refillable lipstick, made with 100% natural ingredients, including organic apricot oil and shea butter, in matt or glossy finish.
Enriched with natural and organic botanical oils and waxes, including castor oil, beeswax and jojoba, for great texture. Available in a range of vibrant colour options.
This tube is £16.00 Available online from: www.soorganic.com Tel: 0800 169 2579
This stick is £10.99 Available online from: www.lucyrose.biz Tel: 01989 750 354
This stick is £12.90 Available from: www.amarya.co.uk Tel: 01565 653 727
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Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmer
Lip Ink SemiPermanent Lip Colour
The Organic Pharmacy Organic Glam Creamy Lipstick
Natural beeswax balm, with added earth pigments in seven glamorous, shimmering shades, includes vitamin E and coconut and sunflower oils.
Liquid organic colour stain for lips, made using only natural products, gives colour that only comes off when you want it to and is smudge free.
Rich, creamy and easy to apply, this lipstick is infused with shea butter, castor oil and green tea to protect and nourish. Available in seven essential shades.
This tube is £5.87 Available online from: www.burtsbees.co.uk
Mini Kit with 1 lip colour £28.50 Available online from: www.lipink.co.uk Tel: 01854 333 833
This stick is £16.59 Available online from: www.theorganicpharmacy.com Tel: 08448 008 399
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FREE Essential Care Organic Products when you subscribe to Worth
£28.00
Receive two FREE lovely Essential Care products worth £28.00 when you subscribe to Ethical Living.
Organic Hand and Body Lotion 150ml and one of Essential Care’s 2 cleansers: For normal / combination skin: Essential Care Lemon & Tea Tree Facial Wash 150ml OR For dry / normal / mature skin: Essential Care Creamy Coconut Cleanser 150ml
Essential Care’s award-winning range is hand-made in Suffolk and is certified to Soil Association organic standards, your independent guarantee that it is free from toxic chemicals, artificial fragrance & colour and is non-GM. The products contain the maximum possible organically grown ingredients, are vegetarian and biodegradable. None of them have been tested on animals.
For more information about Essential Care visit www.essential-care.co.uk or call 01638 716 593
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To subscribe for only £18 call 01778 392 011, complete the order form below or visit www.ethical-living.org and quote promotion code ‘Lemon’ or ‘Coconut’
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Ethical Publishing Limited, PO Box 282, Stamford, PE9 9BW Fax: 08456 432 499 Make a positive difference
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It’s cold outside
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Button up and keep the autumn chill at bay in the latest organic, natural and recycled material coats and you’ll feel warm on the outside and cozy on the inside too!
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1 Duffle Coat, in poppy. Made from organic cotton with reclaimed navy and red check linen lining and handmade wooden toggle buttons. £60.00 www.anniegreenabelle.com Tel: 01509 812 833 2 Miksa Cropped Jacket, made from fair trade and organic cotton, with hood, zip fastening and rib hem and cuff. £40.00 www.bochica.co.uk 3 Kelly B Taylor Trench, made from 100% organic cotton fleece, with oversized buttons, belt and funnel collar. £157.50 www.devidoll.com Tel: 020 7316 6321 Make a positive difference
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4 Toklas Coat, in ethical Hebridean tattersal check 100% wool outer, double breasted and fitted. ÂŁ960.00 www.eloisegrey.com Tel: 01252 705 169 5 Komodo Millie Jacket, made from 100% cotton velvet with 100% organic cotton lining. ÂŁ145.00 www.green-squirrel.co.uk Tel: 01738 444 491 36
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6 Pink Printed Coat, with lining, made to fair trade standards with rouched collar and cuffs and jewel buttons. ÂŁ97.50 www.nomadsclothing.com Tel: 08451 306 633 7 Shetland Trapeze Coat, with off-centre buckle fastenings, made from undyed wool from rescued rare breed sheep. ÂŁ365.00 www.izzylane.com Tel: 01748 821 116
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It’s a wrap 1
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1 Raw Silk Scarf, in dark citron, with tassel detail at end. Hand made in Vietnam to fair trade standards. £14.00 available from Purity Style www.puritystyle.com Tel: 01252 820 055 Fa
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4 Hand-knitted Alpaca Wrap, in natural undyed colours, made to fair trade standards in Peru. £48.00 available from Traidcraft www.traidcraftshop.co.uk Tel: 08453 308 900 Fa
Keep the autumn chill at bay with one of these gorgeous ethical wraps
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2 Candice Wren Garden Flower Pashmina in duck egg, hand printed using eco-friendly inks. £45.00 available from The Natural Store www.thenaturalstore.co.uk Tel: 01273 746 781 Na
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5 Indian Wrap, woven to fair trade standards in India, available in a variety of autumnal colours. £10.99 available from Shared Earth www.sharedearth.co.uk Tel: 01904 670 321 Fa
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3 Cashmere Watershawl in Bright Red, made to fair trade standards from 90% cashmere, 10% silk. £35.00 available from Artes Mundi www.artes-mundi.co.uk Tel: 01353 740 586 i r tr a d e
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6 Luxurious Mohair Wrap in navy blue, hand dyed and hand loomed to fair trade standards in South Africa. £45.00 from Eco Chic www.ecochiccollection.co.uk Tel: 01273 245 533 Fa
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What’s in Season Fruits and Nuts
Apples, Blackberries, Damsons, Figs, Pears, Plums, Quince, Raspberries, Rhubarb, Tomatoes, Walnuts
Vegetables Fish and Seafood
Bass, Cockles, Crab, Dover Sole, Haddock, Halibut, Mackerel, Mussels, Plaice, Sea Bream, Whiting
Aubergine, Beetroot, Broccoli, Butternut Squash, Carrots, French Beans, Garlic, Kale, Rocket, Sweetcorn, Wild Mushrooms,
Meat
Duck, Grouse, Hare, Lamb, Partridge, Rabbit 40
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Green Swirl © OnFocus - Fotolia.com; Figs © Andre - Fotolia.com; Pears © innershadows - fotolia.com; Sweetcorn © Johnny Lye - Fotolia.com; Mushrooms © Kristian Peetz - Fotolia.com; Mussels © spinetta - Fotolia.com; Fish © Paul Turner - Fotolia.com
September/October
Refreshment Ingredients: 50mls* Utkins Organic White Rum 1 handful of Berries (blackberries, blueberries and raspberries work well we recommend a mixture of the three) 2 tspns of Organic White Sugar Juice of half a Lime 1 small bottle of Fevertree All Natural Ginger Ale
Ginger Berry Fizz (Serves 1)
Hang on to the last days of summer with the gentle ginger and bursting berries in this sparkling refresher
* 25ml is roughly equal to one egg cup
Method:
1� Place the berries into the bottom of a cocktail shaker or similar receptacle. 2�
Add the sugar and crush the ingredients together with the end of a rolling pin – make sure all of the sugar has dissolved into the berry juice
3� Add the rum and the lime juice and stir well to mix the ingredients 4�
If you want to remove the seeds pour the mixture through a sieve and press the liquid through it with the back of a tablespoon
5� Pour the mixture into a tall glass 6�
Fill up the glass with cracked ice – crack the ice by wrapping some cubes in a clean tea towel and smashing them with a rolling pin
7� Fill the glass with Fevertree all natural ginger ale 8� Add a couple of straws and large, fresh mint sprig for garnish Bartender’s Tip: For a stronger ginger flavour replace the ginger ale with ginger beer. If rum isn’t your tipple, this cocktail works equally well with Utkins UK 5 Organic Vodka. This cocktail was created for Ethical Living by David Owens and Andrew Mullins of Fling International Bar Services (www.flingibs.com) a carbon neutral company Make a positive difference
September / October 2009
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It doesn’t have to take hours slaving over a hot stove to create appetising, healthy, seasonal and organic meals. These quick and easy recipe ideas make the most of the season’s ingredients to create mouth-watering dishes that the whole family will love. This creamy gratin, made with the ever popular ingredients of parsnip and parmesan, can be prepared in advance
and refrigerated for later use. The balsamic mushrooms on toast make an excellent starter or light snack, that is equally delicious whether served hot or cold. And why not try out this fantastic risotto variation that makes the most of one of the seasons most popular and widely available vegetables - butternut squash.
Easy, Quick and Seasonal Sensations Try out these tempting organic recipes from The Abel and Cole Cookbook
Parsnip and Parmesan Gratin Serves 4-6 Ingredients: 500g Parsnips 175ml Berkeley Farm Luxury Pouring Cream - or Double Cream 2 Garlic Cloves - crushed, peeled and roughly chopped 2 sprigs of Thyme - leaves only 1 heaped tsp of Dijon Mustard Nutmeg 4 tbsp Freshly Grated Parmesan Salt and Pepper
Remove from oven and cap with grated Parmesan. Return to oven for 10 minutes, until golden and bubbly.
Method: Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Butter a gratin dish. Peel the parsnips and slice as thinly as possible into rounds. Steam for 5-10 minutes until soft but still holding their shape (or boil for 4-5 minutes and allow to steam-dry in a colander). Layer roughly in the gratin dish. Mix together the cream, garlic, thyme, mustard and a good grating of nutmeg. Season generously, particularly with salt. Pour over the parsnips and press down so the liquid oozes through the vegetables. Dot the top with butter and cook in the oven for 35 minutes.
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Roast Chicken Legs with Caramelised Onions and Thyme Serves 2 Ingredients: 2 Chicken Legs 50g Unsalted Butter 2 Garlic Cloves - peeled and crushed 1 Lemon - halved 10g Fresh Thyme 1 Large Onion - thinly sliced 1/2 tsp Caster Sugar Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Method: Preheat oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas Mark 7. Place 1 tbsp of the butter in a roasting dish, along with the garlic, lemon and a good bit of salt and pepper. Pluck 1/2 tsp thyme leaves from the 10g of thyme and set aside to add to the onions a bit later. Place the remaining thyme (stalks and all) in the roasting dish. Add the chicken. Squeeze the lemon juice over the chicken and rub the thyme, butter, salt, pepper and garlic into the skin. Pop the crushed cloves under the skin above the thigh. Arrange evenly in the pan and pop into the oven. Set the time for 10 minutes. Melt the remaining butter in a frying pan until bubbly. Add the onions, sugar and a pinch of salt. Cook the onions, gently over medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes, until soft, gently golden and sweet. Once finished, stir through the reserved thyme leaves. When the timer goes off on the chicken, turn the heat down to 180°C and cook for a further 20 minutes. Place the chicken onto plates. Spoon the onions on top of or alongside the chicken and serve with mashed potatoes, roasted squash wedges, or couscous and some broccoli, or a tangle of lightly dressed rocket.
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Organic, local, fresh ingredients from farmers’ markets, local suppliers or even your back garden will enhance your cooking and tasting experience.
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Butternut Squash and Sage Risotto Serves 4 Ingredients: 2 tbsp Olive Oil 1 Onion - finely chopped 300g Risotto Rice 400g Butternut Squash Flesh - cut into roughly 1cm cubes 200ml Dry White Wine 1 litre Chicken or Vegetable Stock 12 Fresh Sage Leaves 1 tbsp Butter 2 tbsp Mascarpone Cheese 6 tbsp Freshly Grated Parmesan
Method: Heat olive oil in a wide pan. Add onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until softened. Stir in risotto rice and turn in the oil until all the grains are coated and you hear them crackle and pop a bit, about 2 minutes. Stir in butternut squash cubes and thoroughly mix in with the rice. Add 200ml dry white wine and let it bubble up until it’s fully absorbed into the rice. Add 1 litre hot vegetable stock a quarter at a time, adding each quarter only after the previous stock has been absorbed by the rice. Meanwhile, place 8 of the sage leaves of top of each other, all stacked up. Roll the sage leaves horizontally, so it’s like you have a long, thin sage cigarette. Then, slice the sage into very thin slivers. Set aside. In a small frying pan, melt the butter and then fry the remaining sage leaves until just crispy on each side. Set on a wooden cutting board to dry and crisp up, sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt.
Sage © Miroslav Beneda - Fotolia.com
When the rice is tender and the stock absorbed, stir in chopped sage until thoroughly mixed. Then, fold in the mascarpone cheese and half of the Parmesan cheese, spoon onto plates and top with the remaining Parmesan. To finish, garnish each with one of the fried sage leaves.
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Balsamic Mushrooms on Toast Serves 4 Ingredients: 200g Portobello Mushrooms 2 Garlic Cloves - peeled and finely chopped 1 tbsp Butter - plus extra to butter the bread 2 tbsp Olive Oil 2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar 2 tbsp Fresh Parsley - finely chopped 400g loaf of Long Crichel Long Fermentation Bread
Melt the butter in a frying pan, once bubbly add the oil. Warm for a minute and then add the mushrooms, sauté for a few minutes and then add the garlic. Fry until the mushrooms are golden. Then, drizzle in the balsamic vinegar and let it bubble and soak into the mushrooms until fully absorbed.
Method:
Season with pepper (you don’t really need salt - or at least not much of it as the vinegar is a touch salty). Finish with the fresh parsley.
Brush the mushrooms clean and then cut them into 1cm thick slices.
Slice the bread into 2cm thick, toast and butter. Top with the warm mushrooms and serve.
Pimhill Porridge with Grated Apple and Raisins Serves 2 Ingredients:
Method:
150g Pimhill Jumbo Porridge Oats 2 tbsp Raisins 1/2 tsp Cinnamon 200ml Water 100ml Milk - plus 2 tbsp to top finished porridge (any, even soya – but the best for flavour and body is full cream or Guernsey milk) 1 Eating Apple – any variety 1 tbsp Runny Honey
Fold the raisins and the cinnamon into the oats.
Award winning organic food delivery company, Abel and Cole, offer organic vegetables, seasonal fruit and vegetable boxes delivered weekly to your door, organic meat and more. Established for over 20 years and passionate about the organic industry, they source seasonal foods, supporting British farming and never air freight.
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Place water and 100ml of milk in a sauce pan over medium-high heat and bring just to the boil. Stir in oats with raisins and cinnamon, lower heat and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently. Once all the liquid has absorbed into the oats, remove from the heat. Grate the apple (skin and all unless you’re totally against it), gently fold in. Place into bowls. Splash 1 tbsp milk over each and drizzle over a swirl of honey. Serve immediately.
They also re-use and recycle wherever possible to keep packaging to a minimum and are passionate about animal welfare, having won the RSPCA Good Business Award in 2007. For more information about Abel and Cole and their services, please call 08452 626 364 or visit www.abelandcole.co.uk
September / October 2009
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daphne@greencuisine.org
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September / October 2009
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Organic Sauces Real Organic Mushroom and Wine Robustly flavoured with porcini mushrooms and aromatic thyme from a family run company in Oxfordshire. We had simply with penne and grated Parmesan cheese and it coated beautifully and tasted great. Vegan plus no GM ingredients, preservatives or artificial additives. 350g £2.39.
Organico Vegetable Bolognese Pasta Sauce You could easily pass this off as a traditional beef Bolognese, as it has a fantastic texture and loads of flavour. It’s great for vegetarians or for carnivores trying to cut back on meat. Super low fat at just 0.2g per 100ml and delicious sauce to boot. 360g £2.54.
Biona Toscana Made with 100% organic extra virgin olive oil, sun-ripened tomatoes and aubergines. Biona’s ingredient traceability is exemplary and the agave syrup sweetening makes this sauce beautifully and naturally balanced. No artificial preservatives, thickeners or additives. 350g £2.06.
Available from: www.realorganic.co.uk Tel: 01491 615 280
Available from: www.ableandcole.co.uk Tel: 08452 626 364
Available from: www.goodnessdirect.co.uk Tel: 08718 716 611
Meridian Tomato and Herb With this very popular and great value organic sauce, Meridien have proved that organic is affordable with this excellent sauce including basil and oregano. Perfect in lasagne. Low fat with great taste. Vegan. 440g £1.99.
Suma Puttanesca Worker co-operative Suma, whom have ethical and environmental policies second to none, have created a classic organic Italian sauce with capers and olives which make a perfect pizza base. Vegan and gluten free. 340g £1.80
Peter Rabbit Organics Tomato & Basil One for the kids, this blended sauce with 5 hidden vegetables (carrot, courgette, aubergine, celery and onions) makes a serving one of your five-a-day. Ideal for tricking kids that don’t want ‘bits’. It’s also made without any oil so it should wash off clothes and high chairs easily. Genius. 300g £1.89
Available from: www.villageearthfoods.co.uk Tel: 01743 231 414
Available from: Waitrose, Ocado, Fresh & Wild, Wholefoods and independent stores
Available from: www.ethicalsuperstore.com Tel: 0800 999 2134
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September / October 2009
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Ti m e
in g ng
ha
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n e i r F Eco
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W
e know that millions of nappies are thrown away every day in the UK and 90% of these end up in landfill, where the plastics they contain take centuries to decompose. We know that the manufacture of disposable nappies is a wasteful, polluting and chemical-laden process, the cost of which will be met by future generations. Yet the majority of parents continue to opt for disposable nappies, citing them as convenient and effective. All babies need nappies and all types of nappy have an environmental impact. Before I come across as holier-than-thou, let me confess that although my daughter wore washable nappies until she was potty-trained, it was a different story when my bouncing baby boy arrived. Not only did he wee in an entirely different direction, creating floods where only minor leaks had previously occurred, he soon outgrew our collection of nappies and wraps. Perhaps more influential in my decision to switch to disposable nappies was the arrival of post-natal depression. A daily load of washing, seven days a week, was something I needed to let go. Many were confused by the conclusion of the Environment Agency report ‘Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable and Reusable Nappies in the UK’ , which stated that there was ‘no significant difference’ between the environmental impacts of disposables and reusables. The 2005 report based key assumptions on flawed data, says the Women’s Environmental Network (WEN) ‘and therefore overestimated the impact of washing nappies’. It also ignored the potential of modern, fitted cloth nappies, and the use of A-rated washing appliances to reduce impacts. According to Kay Wagland, WEN’s Real Nappy Project Officer, ‘washable nappies are clearly better for the environment, even when you take account of the energy and water
September / October 2009
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Baby © lisalucia - Fotolia.com; towels © robynmac - Fotolia.com
Choose reusable nappies and you no longer have to settle for terry towels with huge safety pins. Alison Bayne explains that there is now a huge variety of styles available.
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used to wash them. With a good washing routine, parents can minimise the environmental impact of their babies’ nappies, reduce waste and save themselves money.’ Many parents, such as Ed, an engineer, ‘want to be eco-minded about nappies if possible’ but are put off because ‘real nappies would have meant lots of extra washing..’ The answer here may be to investigate a nappy laundry service. ‘For about £6 - £11 a week,’ says WEN, ‘the service supplies, delivers, collects and washes. Just place used nappies in the bin they provide and collect each week. The nappies are washed to thermal disinfection standards used by hospital laundries and after their useful life, they are sold as rags to all sorts of industries.’
Types of reusable nappies Flat Traditional terries, prefolds, muslins, and continental tie-on nappies • Cheap, versatile and quick drying. • Need some folding to fit the baby and a waterproof cover. • Around £2 per nappy Shaped nappies Shaped and fitted, with elasticated legs and waist • Need a waterproof cover • A neater fit than flat nappies • Easier to put on, with poppers or velcro. • Wash and dry easily. • Around £4 each
community composting of nappy waste has yet to be implemented. Even if disposables were 100% biodegradable, landfill does not provide the right conditions. Material decomposing in landfill creates methane, a potent contributor to global warming.
Rebecca’s Story A dentist, decided to use washable nappies before her first child was born and researched on the internet, particularly www.twinkleontheweb.co.uk. ‘I couldn’t bear the thought of the mountainous pile of disposables we would create. I had also found out it could be cheaper!’ she admits. Rebecca’s choice: • biodegradable liner by Perfectly Happy People (£2 for 200), • flat terry nappy (folded) (Little Ewes are thick, lovely and absorbent and really soft) • and an outer waterproof wrap (Rikki velcro fastening wraps, £30 for four: you will need about four for each size. They have plain white or lovely patterns, so you know you are not using the same wrap over and over.) Positives: • Terries can be folded to fit any size/shape baby and you can learn to do different folds according to size and the baby’s gender. • Quicker drying than prefolds so less use of tumble-drier • No need for nappy pins – use nappy-nippas • Terries squares are cheap, (10 for six from Mothercare)
All-in-ones Shaped, fitted nappy with velcro or popper fastenings and a built-in waterproof cover • Easiest to use • Less durable than two part systems • Take longer to dry • Around £8 each
Further reading:
What about environmentally friendly disposables?
Baby Kind www.babykind.co.uk Tel: 08450 942 275
If you are using disposables, brands marketed as eco may be a better option than other types. But claims of environmental friendliness can be misleading. Composting and flushing disposable nappy waste is not practicable. Home-composting of nappies is impractical, due to the bulk, and
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Women’s Environmental Network www.wen.org.uk/nappies Tel: 020 7481 9004
Little Green Earthlets www.earthlets.co.uk Tel: 08450 724 462
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Negatives: • You will need to change nappies more frequently. • Although dry nights can be achieved by adding a booster pad (like a sanitary towel-shaped terry) to the nappy, after about 18months, Rebecca found only a disposable nappy would last all night. • Other mums may be a bit surprised, some still think it is old-fashioned to use cloth nappies!
Positives • really easy to use, especially once baby is mobile! • slim fit under clothes. • quick-drying. • absorbency can be varied by adding boosters as required. Negatives: • having to carry around several soiled nappies when on a day out.
Rebecca’s tips: • Do lots of research before your baby arrives. • Use two nappy buckets with lids and wash nappies every other night. • Fold up clean nappies ready to use, with a liner, once dry, because it is a lot easier to fold in advance than with a wriggly, pooey baby in front of you. • Washable nappy-wearers need bigger clothes, so choose big vests, dungarees, and tracksuit bottoms rather than jeans.
‘The only times I resorted to disposables were on holiday when it wasn’t practical to wet or dry pail nappies’, recalls Linda, ‘and also when my baby was very young as I just didn’t have the time when putting lots of energy into establishing breastfeeding as well as caring for the rest of the family.’
‘I was so happy about my choice,’ concludes Rebecca. ‘It was pretty easy, cheaper, good for my son and so much better for the environment. I’ve had two children now, and I’ve just passed my nappies, buckets, wraps and nappy nippas on to a friend who’s due her first. These Terries go on and on. And when they are retired from bottom duty, they make great cleaning clothes for windows, bikes and floors.’
WEN’s top tips to help the environment: 1. Use an AAA-rated energy-efficient washing machine. 2. Wash soiled nappies at 60°C (there is no need to boil wash; indeed, it reduces the life of the nappy) and wash wet (rather than soiled) nappies and waterproof wraps at lower temperatures, along with the rest of your laundry. 3. Avoid tumble drying – hang nappies out to dry or use an airer. 4. Use eco-detergent and avoid using unnecessary chemicals such as conditioners and sanitizers. 5. Extend the life of your nappies – reuse them on another baby, or give/sell them to someone else.
Linda’s Story A trainee La Leche League counsellor, is a big fan of reusable nappies. ‘I believe there is no excuse for using disposables these days. There are money -off schemes run by councils to cut the cost of buying real nappies and they are also easily available second-hand so there is no big initial outlay.’ Linda’s choice: • Nappy liner. • Stuffable or pocket nappy (these are shaped with press-stud fastenings and a pocket for a booster pad to increase absorbency). Linda recommends Mommy’s Touch and Fuzzi Bunz brands. • Outer waterproof wrap.
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If you’re using washable nappies all the time, good for you. Even just using washables now and then is a bonus and I would encourage anyone to do so. But if, like me, you resort to disposables, there are plenty more green things you can do. The Book of Rubbish Ideas by Tracey Smith states that 20% of UK household waste is garden waste, 18% is paper and board, and 17% is kitchen waste. So how much of our total household waste is disposable nappies? Only 2% Phillip, an IT consultant, recalls ‘our bin at the end of the week was emptier than most of our neighbours who didn’t have children in disposable nappies because we recycled everything else that we possibly could.’ Parents have a hard time doing the right thing. Let each of us do the best we can
September / October 2009
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Family favourites Sub-heading.
Keep viruses at bay
Pick up a penguin
Keeping things clean and safe for your little ones can be challenging. Thankfully, the new Bugs At Bay Natural Anti-viral Sanitiser is here to help with natural ingredients & essential oils with anti-viral properties, such as tea tree - used for centuries to fight infection. - www.homescents.co.uk
As the days begin to get shorter and the nights longer, kids can light their way with this fun Wind Up Torch - no batteries required! The cute Penguin Torch requires just one minute of squeezing to generate five minutes of light. Also available in a variety of other zoo and farm animals, including Tiger, Monkey, Chick, and (our favourite) Pig. ÂŁ5.50. - www.myecostore.co.uk
Join the eco-club We’re delighted to hear that children can now join together and learn valuable skills that will really make a difference. Eco-Kids is a fantastic weekly kids club that aims to demonstrate the greener side of life with fun activities on various eco topics. www.little-green-house.co.uk
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All the home comforts in your ideal holiday destination - opting for a home exchange is just the ticket
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landscape © jojjik - Fotolia.com; feet © Monkey Business - Fotolia.com
Home O from Home
ne of the cruel ironies of the recession is that at exactly the time when most of us need a break from financial gloom, we are least able to afford it. It is perhaps unsurprising then that home exchange holidays are booming, with Gumtree reporting a 61% rise in the number of homes registered for potential exchanges. It’s not hard to see the advantages. First of all, home swap holidays are cheap. There are no accommodation costs beyond the small outlay of registering with a home exchange site. Many swappers also arrange to switch cars or bicycles, taking the cost of rental hire out of the holidays. And there are plenty of great home exchange properties in Britain, meaning that you don’t need to pay for expensive flights. Home exchange can also be an attractive option for couples with young children. Exchanging with a similar family ensures a far more child-friendly property than most hotels can possibly offer. Take a little effort to find the right swap and you can arrive to dolls, trucks, bicycles, cots, car seats and prams. Parents travel light, and children can have the pleasure of discovering a whole new set of toys. Could there be a less stressful way for families to travel? Of course, from an ethical perspective, home exchange is also a sound choice. Home Base Holidays have noticed a marked shift
during 2009. Not only have the numbers of people registering on the site grown steadily but swappers are choosing to search out interesting British properties rather than travel further overseas. Less travel lowers carbon footprints, and that’s not to mention cutting out all the overt consumption that goes hand-in-hand with the average hotel stay. Lastly, home exchange holidays can be a fascinating way to travel. Lois Sealey, Manager of Home Base Holidays, says that their ‘regular home exchangers say that they choose home exchange because they get away from the tourist trail. They stay in a real neighbourhood, and experience the local lifestyle firsthand’. Home exchangers typically provide information on their local area or ask friends to show their guests around. This can lead to experiences holiday-makers could never find in a guidebook; perhaps attending an offbeat festival, eating in a hidden gem of a restaurant, or visiting a natural beauty spot that only the locals know. Of course, home exchange is not for everyone. Make a positive difference
If you are the type of person who might spend your holiday worrying about muddy footprints on your pristine white carpet back home, then home exchange might not be the best option for you. The typical home exchanger needs to take a relaxed attitude. By far and away the largest number of complaints to home exchange organisations centre on differing standards of housekeeping. Imagine the scenario: you’ve spent weeks scrubbing your house before the exchange but arrive to dusty shelves, crumbs on the dining table and traces of mould in the corner of the shower. Of course, no exchanger would be overjoyed at visiting a dirty house, but if you honestly suspect this scenario might ruin your entire holiday then perhaps you’re best to give home exchange a miss. Home Base Holidays say that the biggest concern for most first-time house swappers is letting a stranger into their homes. It does sound like the set-up for a disaster movie. Nice couple swap with deranged maniacs. Surely by the end of the first act September / October 2009
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they’ll be swinging from your crystal chandelier, burning cigarette holes into your designer dresses, and smashing your grandmother’s china against a priceless Picasso? The reality is very different. Despite decades of home swapping, the large home exchange companies have not yet reported a single guest that has wilfully trashed their host house. Even accidental breakages are rare. Generally the fact that exchangers are both guests in each other’s homes fosters a mutual respect for possessions. Indeed insurance companies generally prefer a home exchange to an empty house, which can be a magnet for burglars. Still, there are precautions that help ensure you have a good home exchange holiday. It is recommended that you:
Gather information Listing your property on a home exchange website is only the first step in the process. Both parties will want to make sure that the swap is right. Get in contact with any potential exchange partner and ask plenty of questions. If the offer seems incompatible with your attitude and lifestyle, then don’t go ahead.
Notify your insurance company Unless an insurance company is notified in advance they might be unwilling to pay for damage that has not been caused by a break-in. Knowing that you are covered will put your mind at rest. Most insurance companies welcome swaps, and there should not be an additional charge.
Lock away valuables Think how horrible it would be to break a vase on holiday, only to find it was a priceless heirloom. If you have items that are of exceptional financial or sentimental value then lock them in a cupboard or leave them with a friend.
Draw up an informal contract Before the swap it is helpful to set a few mutual rules with your exchange partner. These might include what to do in case of breakages or accidents, whether any areas of the property are out-ofbounds, and some agreement on telephone and internet usage. Clearly spell out arrangements about transport, keys and pets. The last hurdle for many potential home exchangers is the standard of their home. Those who live in pricy housing markets such as London may look at the sprawling Provencal mansions on
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exchange websites, and wonder if anybody would choose their small urban flat. Lesley Sealey of Home Base Holidays advises them to relax. For many, the attraction of home exchange is the chance to sample a different lifestyle, or to have a base for exploring an unknown area. List your flat and you might be surprised at the offers that come rolling in. And surprise is often an element of home exchange - occasionally in the best possible way. While most exchanges are straightforward, there is always the small chance that you might drop into a truly exceptional lifestyle. It does happen. There was the couple that were supplied with a manned yacht for twice weekly fishing expeditions. The family who were given guided tours through a private deerfilled forest. And even a couple who wound up being served by a full-time maid and a personal Thai masseuse. Hidden gems, free accommodation, and the possibility of your own private yacht. Why wouldn’t you give it a try?
Find out more: The first step towards home swapping is registering your details with a website that specialises in home exchange holidays. Try visiting: Home Base Holidays www.homebase-hols.com Tel: 020 8886 8752 (Annual membership £29) UKHolidaySwapShop www.ukholidayswapshop.co.uk Tel: 01766 780 740 (Annual membership £24.95) HomeLink International www.homelink.org.uk Tel: 01962 886 882 (Annual membership £115) Intervac www.intervac.co.uk Tel: 08452 605 776 (Annual membership £49.99)
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Win £50 Hamper Win a £50 Soil Association Hamper
Prize details:
We have teamed up with So Organic to give one lucky reader the chance to win a £50 Soil Association Hamper.For your chance to win simply answer the following: So Organic’s delivery service is: A) Carbon Dated B) Carbon Neutral C) Carbonated Entry details: Send your answer, name, address and email to SoOrganic Competition, PO Box 282, Stamford, PE9 9BW or by email to SoOrganic@ethical-living.org Terms and conditions: Closing date for entries is 30th November 2009. Entries received after this date will not be eligible. Subject to availability, non transferable and no cash equivalent can be redeemed. By entering this competition you accept that Ethical Publishing Ltd may occasionally provide you with relevant direct mail and/or telephone information. Ethical Publishing Ltd may also email you with information about relevant products and services. Ethical Publishing Ltd will occasionally allow selected third parties to contact you about their products and services by direct mail and/or telephone information and/or email. You can opt out at any time by sending an email to hello@ethical-living.org
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BROCKWOOD PARK SCHOOL Open Morning - Saturday 7th Nov - 10 am to 12.30 pm
- International co-ed boarding school for 14 - 19 year olds - Holistic education - 7:1 students : staff ratio - Wide range of academic subjects available - Exceptional attention to pastoral care - Vegetarian diet 'A unique school ' The Good Schools Guide 2008
To find out more visit www.brockwood.org.uk or contact Vicki Lewin, Brockwood Park School, Bramdean Hampshire, SO24 0LQ, UK Tel: 01962 771744, Fax : 01962 771875 Email: enquiry@brockwood.org.uk Founded in 1969 by J.Krishnamurti. Part of Krishnamurti Foundation Trust Registered Charity No. 312865
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The Power of
Ethical Investment
O
ver the last few months, you have been told how to make your office greener and the benefits of green banks. Now I want to talk to you about power and how by using it the right way you can change big business. Think of your savings and investments (pensions, ISAs, etc) as a battery where you store the energy that you generated to earn that money. When you invest, some of that energy will go into making money for you and some of it will help shape the business world. If you use your investment to support dirty industries, they will flourish, but if you use it to help clean up the business world, both physically and ethically, that will flourish. That’s what ethical investment is all about - using the authority of your money to help clean up the business world by supporting the activities you want to see flourish. You may not have an investment portfolio, but if you have a bank account, a life insurance policy, a savings
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scheme, an ISA or even an endowment, then you are already an investor with power!
When you buy into a savings or investment scheme, you give the ethical fund manager the authority to choose the companies with whom to invest. By investing in companies which have been identified as open to change, the fund manager can bring pressure to bear to support directors in their move towards ethical and environmental policies. This style of investment is called Engagement Investment and is one of the most powerful change methods currently available. If you are more cautious about ethical investment, your fund manager can take a ‘best of sector’ approach to find the greenest bank, oil company etc. These types of investment are lower risk than the very dark green funds. It’s a fact that the Big Bears of Business are simple folk - talk
to them about ethics in business and they get confused. Tell them they can’t have your money unless they behave ethically and it becomes crystal clear! They know that to continue to attract investment they will have to imbed green thinking in the heart of their business. A client recently told me that ‘for years we have been at the factory gate shouting for change - now we are in the board room talking to the decision makers’. Ethical investment first started in America when the Methodist Church wanted to avoid investing in gambling and alcohol. Later the Vietnam War brought the ordinary investor to ethical investment and the very successful PAX fund was started. Friends Provident brought ethical investment to the UK as a straight forward exclusion fund and now there is a range of ways that an ethical strategy can be applied. To begin with, traditional negative or positive screening excluded some thirty activities
September / October 2009
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So, how does it work?
Money in plant pot © Maksim Shebeko - Fotolia.com
These days ethical campaigners are taking their battle to the board room. Alan Kirkham of Investing Ethically explains how we can all use our investment power to change big business.
Investing ethically isn’t the Holy Grail, but it’s also not the poor performing fringe activity those who know little about it would have you believe
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including tobacco, alcohol, gambling. Over the years many others have been added including pornography, unfair trading, bad health and safety records and child labour.
Are you an ethical investor? The good news is that ethical investors are no longer thought of as pioneers of the money world. Interestingly, many people investing ethically are doing so for performance as much as for ethics. Most ethical investors recognize that it’s not all about short term performance, in fact as we have seen recently the race for short term gains have proved the downfall of many companies.
But isn’t it just a fad or a fringe activity? Research last month from The Co-operative Investments shows that 18% more people intend to invest ethically this year. The Co-op’s own ethical fund, Sustainable Leaders Trust, has seen unit growth throughout 2008 of 16% and it says growth is continuing during this year. In 1998 there were 304,000 ethical accounts and less than £2.2bn invested, now there is £6.8bn invested and 750,000 accounts in 2008 (Source EIRIS). At its launch cynics derided the concept as ‘the Brazil’ (because you would have to be nuts to invest in it) now Friends Provident’s Stewardship funds have grown from just £10m in 1986 to £453m by May 2009, according to Morningstar. Penny Shepherd, chief executive at the UK sustainable investment and finance association, said: ‘These latest numbers add even more weight to the argument that green and ethical investors are sticky. They are typically long-term investors who look beyond short-term market fluctuations and want to benefit
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from sustainable wealth creation. Retail inflows into ethical funds have now exceeded outflows for each of the fourteen months since February 2008.’ It seems that ethical investors fall into two camps; those who invest ethically because of the opportunities it presents, and secondly, those with a truly ethical standpoint, who will invest ethically regardless of the economy. As far as clients are concerned, they don’t suddenly change their mind on an ethical investment with the ups and downs of the market. They’ve held the ethical view long beforehand.
But the question is - does it perform? No doubt you are asking yourself ‘does this come at a cost either to my returns or my risk? Well the answer is, it really depends on how you get involved. Citywire are a reputable source of information and they tell the bleak story of investment over the last three years. The average loss on a fund that invests globally is some 11.3% - the old Norwich Union, (now newly renamed Aviva), lost nearly 12.2%. Compare this with some ethical funds, for example the Henderson Industries of the Future, who lost just 3.8%. One of the difficulties for the dark green funds is that much of the recent growth has come from companies excluded from their investments, e.g. British American Tobacco, BP and Royal Dutch Shell. Of course, this is less of a problem if you are taking a ‘best of sector’ approach.
We can all help change the face of business in the future Over the years, more sophisticated selection filters have helped bring ethical investing into the mainstream, allowing advisers to bring ethical
September / October 2009
concerns into their conversations with clients. As the market for ethical investing has matured, there has been an ever widening choice of funds and a broadening of access to chasing returns from a moral position. Investing ethically isn’t the Holy Grail, but it’s also not the poor performing fringe activity those who know little about it would have you believe. Like all financial decisions there are good ideas and bad ones. Before you make a decision, choose an advisor who understands the ethical market and the global benefits of supporting it. Ask them how many fund managers they have talked to in the last year? Are they members of the Ethical Investors Association? What percentage of their business is done through ethically screened funds? How long have they specialized? Then trust your instincts!
Investing Ethically’s team started in 1992, and are 100% committed to socially responsible investment. Authorized directly by the Financial Services Authority and members of The Ethical Investment Assoc and Quakers in Business, they are unique in the world of financial advice. They offer nationwide service and fee or commission based advice, plus a first free interview. Contact Alan on 01603 309 020, or visit www.investing-ethically.co.uk.
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How to....
raise your own chickens
Fancy your breakfast eggs fresh from the nest box? Mike Woolnough, author of Raising Chickens for Eggs and Meat, gives us a few simple pointers to get started with keeping your own chickens.
M
ost people have heard of Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall and Jamie Oliver, and have probably also heard about their campaign to stop using battery hens. Many supermarkets are now switching over to selling eggs that have been raised by slightly more ethical means. I use the term slightly because there is still a lot of room for improvement, but at least things are moving in the right direction.
I wonder how many of you think about it when you buy a packet of biscuits, or some cakes, certain pastas, mayonnaise and many others products though. They all contain eggs, and 99% of those eggs will have been from battery-raised chickens…. and I haven’t mentioned take away chicken meals yet. There is clearly a long way to go before we can buy many foods with a clear conscience, but there are things that we can do to make a difference, and the easiest place to start is in your own back yard! Why not keep a couple of chickens and have a constant supply of the tastiest eggs that you are ever likely to have the pleasure of enjoying? I have a lady who phones me each week begging for some eggs – she can’t find any anywhere to compare with them for flavour, and she has tried barn, free range and farm eggs. She reckons that none of them are as nice as mine. The yolks are a deep golden orange, and this is created by a diet rich in fresh green stuff, not by the addition of colouring in their food, as with many supermarket eggs.
Basic necessities If you have a reasonably secure back garden, and a spare patch of ground about eight feet by four feet, then you have the basic necessities to house a couple of chooks. More room would be nice, and if you don’t mind letting them out into your garden to free range a little they would be in seventh heaven. They will rid your garden of slugs snails and various grubs and larvae – although they will probably rid it of a few of your favourite plants too as they have no idea of social etiquette.
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Predator proofing The most important thing is that their house and run should be predator proof. The urban fox is a wily (and hungry) beast, and if there is any weakness in your defences, he will find it. Badgers, feral ferrets, and neighbourhood dogs that jump fences are all perils that your birds have to be protected from. It needn’t be a major task though, as there are many well-designed chicken houses on the market that will do a good job of getting you started. There are also some very poorly designed ones too, so if at all possible get some advice from somebody you know who keeps chooks. Chickens are flock animals, and should never be kept alone as they are likely to just pine away. Always keep two, and preferably three, together, and try to buy them all in one go from one poultry breeder. If they all come from one hatch, so much the better as they will have grown up together and will already have an established a pecking order. Every group of chickens has one top hen, which literally rules the roost, and each bird will know its place. Birds coming together for the first time will fight and squabble until this social structure has become established.
Sourcing your birds Buying all your stock from one breeder also means that you are a lot less likely to have problems with some of the nastier diseases that afflict poultry. Any birds bought from a reputable breeder should stand you in good stead, and if you keep them in good clean conditions you will probably never have any problems with illness, apart perhaps from red mite. These pinhead sized pests are the scourge of hot weather, and are carried by wild birds. They are a nuisance, and can kill your stock if you don’t eradicate them, but there are some easy ways of doing so.
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to keep a cockerel to get eggs. Your girls will be much happier without the rough attentions of a noisy old randy rooster. Obviously, if you decide to breed from your stock then a cock bird becomes essential, and thought has to be given to how your neighbours will react to being woken up at four thirty in the morning. You also need to decide beforehand what you will do with all the unwanted boys that will result from your hatchings – are you capable of killing and eating them?
Choosing a breed As for breeds, you are almost spoilt for choice. There is a bewildering range of shapes colours and sizes to take your pick from, and it doesn’t stop there are you can have white eggs, buff eggs, deep chocolate brown eggs, sky blue eggs, and even green ones! Many people like to keep the hybrid varieties that have been selectively bred for the battery farms. They will lay an egg virtually every day for two years, but then their egg laying will grind to a halt. What will you do with them then? Much better to go for one of the traditional British pure breeds such as a Light Sussex or Dorking, breeds that have been serving us well for over a hundred years. Their egg production will gradually tail away over a number of years, and as the average life expectancy is around the six year mark, they will probably pass away before their eggs completely dry up. They are also a good meat bird, should you eventually decide that rearing your own Sunday roast is something that you would like to do. But beware, it is a slippery slope. We started with two chooks in the garden, and now live the full ‘Good Life’ raising all our own fruit vegetables, eggs and meat. You’ll never have a tastier breakfast than a couple of your own boiled eggs though.
For several years Mike and Sue Woolnough have raised their own chickens in both their garden and on allotments as part of their striving to be as self-sufficient as possible. Raising Chickens for Eggs and Meat covers all aspects of looking after your chickens, from the joys of seeing your first chicks hatch to finally seeing them safely and humanely dispatched if desired. The book is realistic and tells it how it is, also covering illness ,death, culling and butchering, and making sure that any prospective chicken keepers are fully aware of their responsibilities to the birds. Available from www.goodlifepress.co.uk, Tel: 01772 652 693
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Books Letting Go Of The Glitz Dr. Seuss
Letting Go of the Glitz ISBN: 978 184590142-4 Paperback, £8.99 Crown House Publishing Limited Tel: 01267 211 345 www.crownhouse.co.uk
Telling the true story of one woman’s struggle to live the simple life in Chelsea, Letting Go of the Glitz is a wonderfully honest account of party girl turned green goddess. Julia Stephenson, transforms from Surrey housewife to single girl about town and on realising that she isn’t cut out for the party lifestyle reinvents herself as a femme serieuse representing the Green Party. Floating somewhere between lighthearted and amusing chick-lit and serious story with a message, it makes an entertaining read with a few helpful tips on eco-friendly living too.
The Eco-Living Handbook Sarah Callard and Diane Millis
The Eco-Living Handbook ISBN: 978 1847320834 Paperback, £9.99 Carlton Books Ltd Tel: 020 7612 0400 www.carltonbooks.co.uk
This book aims to show you how to improve the quality of the planet and your personal wellbeing on a day-to-day basis. Its a useful guide for those who want to learn how to make a difference, containing information on everything from choosing organic food, to advice on eco-friendly interior decoration, or buying fuel saving cars. A great resource for those who want to make a few simple changes to help save the planet.
Website
For further information and to sign up visit www.cooltribe.com
Cooltribe.com The UK’s only green networking site, which launched earlier this year, has already generated a lot of interest. The site is aimed at the ordinary person who wants to lead a greener life and do their bit for the environment and includes daily news, discussion topics for members to air their views and experiences. For each member that joins the community, Cooltribe will plant one tree in the rainforest on their behalf to counteract illegal logging and deforestation.
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September / October 2009
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Denny Andrews Comfortable clothes from India handblocked prints and ikat or khadi weaves, kaftan, kimonos, kurtas, etc. Send for a catalogue Clock House, Coleshill Nr. Swindon, SN6 7TP 01793 762 476 dennyandrews@virgin.net www.dennyandrews.com
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Money DOES grow on trees! Imagine if you could earn money and help the environment at the same time…well you can! At Green Metropolis, the more unwanted books you sell and buy, the more trees can be saved and planted because we donate 5p from every sale to the Woodland Trust. Just visit the website and start recycling!
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Our non-smoking hotel & restaurant is set in a stunning Normandy valley within 3 acres of beautiful gardens. • Delicious vegetarian and vegan gourmet menus • Naturally grown produce, organic wines, ciders and beers. ∞ Visit Monet’s garden, Bayeux, Honfleur, Camembert & more ∞ Chateaux, markets, gardens, beaches, pictureseque towns ∞ Walk, cycle, relax!
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Ethical Advice In this column our ethical agony aunt, Sarah Callard, answers your ethical dilemmas. From where to holiday to whether it’s better to hand wash your dishes or use a dishwasher, Sarah finds out the most environmentally friendly and ethical options.
Sarah Callard has been writing about natural lifestyles for over 10 years. She is a columnist for the Saturday Telegraph magazine and the author of Green Living. If you have an ethical question that you would like Sarah to answer, please email us at advice@ethical-living.org
???? ????? Q. We are trying to reduce our grocery shopping bills and are considering buying free-range rather than organic eggs due to price. Are free-range eggs still a good ethical option?
A. The main differences for
the chickens used to produce organic eggs compared to those producing free-range eggs are smaller flock sizes, access to open-air runs, and fewer vaccinations. According to the Soil Association there are also environmental benefits when opting for organic eggs: lower stocking densities mean less impact on the land; feed for organic chickens is produced organically, so it too has less impact on the environment; and the longer land resting periods mean there is more opportunity for the land to recover.
Useful websites: www.rspca.org.uk www.soilassociation.org www.ciwf.org.uk www.omlet.co.uk
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However, there are many benefits to buying free-range eggs, particularly when compared to battery eggs, which is how the majority (around 70%) of the 29 million egg-laying chickens in the UK are housed. Hens producing free-range eggs must have had, during at least half their lifetime, continuous daytime access to open-air runs. When being housed indoors a total of 12 birds per square metre are allowed and maximum stock sizes for freerange hens are 2,500 birds per hectare. Compare this to caged birds, where a minimum of 550cm2 (around the same size as an A4 sheet of paper) per bird is required in standard cages installed prior to 2003. However, these cages are due to be phased out under EU legislation by 2012. Any cages installed since 2003 must provide a minimum of 750cm2 per layer, along with access to a shared nest (chickens prefer to lay their eggs in a nest), perching space and a scratching area. Research by the RSPCA, which is campaigning for all cage systems to be banned, says that chickens prevented from behaving naturally (being able to scratch, dust bathe and forage for food) suffer psychological stress,
September / October 2009
boredom and frustration, as well as potential health problems, such as osteoporosis. A report by Compassion in World Farming into animal welfare states ‘Farm production methods… such as the battery cage for hens … fail to meet the behavioural and physiological needs of the animals reared and therefore cause suffering.’ Buying free-range eggs is therefore more ethical than buying battery farmed eggs but doesn’t meet the same rigorous standards as organically-produced eggs. The best way to get your eggs of course is to keep your own chickens. And once you’ve made the initial lay-out for the chicken house and equipment, the eggs are virtually free! Keeping your own chickens is possible these days, even if you’ve only got a small garden or backyard, due to things like the eglu from Omlet, an award winning eco chicken house specifically designed for urban and first time chicken keepers to make it as easy as possible. Failing that visit your local butcher or farm shop for locally produced, free-range or organic eggs, which are often much cheaper than their supermarket equivalents.
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Ethical Living Issue 14 September / October 2009
Ethical Chocolate The bitter-sweet bar?
Changing Time
Get to the bottom of reusable nappies
It’s Cold Outside
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