Sustained Issue 006 - Christmas Special by Sustained Magazine

FREE! ISSUE SIX

ALTERNATIVE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

S M A L L

C H A N G E

B I G

D I F F E R E N C E

exclusive

Santa speaks out! Greenwashed ‘Ethical’ advertising exposed

Top Tips for an Ethical Christmas

MEAT MELTDOWN The Big Debate in Farming

give-away Prizes worth £800

Fergus the Forager

and his amazing Xmas pud

inside - real ways to improve your lifestyle

CONTENTS PAGE

Any ENQUIRIES Sustained Magazine Victoria Chambers St. Runwald Street Colchester C01 1HF T. 01206 574147 E. info@sustainedmagazine.com

Your EDITOR David North

Your VIEWS

www.sustainedmagazine.com

Our VISION Sustained has been published to inspire and encourage the British public to consider the environmental and social impact of living out their everyday lives. While we are a free publication, there will be a limited number of complimentary copies available in each area. We rely wholly on the continuing support of subscribers, advertisers and sponsors. This has been brought to you by The Creative Coop, a diverse group of freelance individuals and specialist in eco design and print solutions.

The CONTRIBUTORS Fergus Drennan PR Finbow Sally Cutchie Chris Wright Jack Woodcock Jeremy Piximan James Usher Clifford Thornton

What’s Inside?

Issue Six CHRISTMAS

Special

hough ‘tis the season to be jolly the issue of sustainability does infact need to be borne in mind, particularly because Christmas is, in reality, a mega-industry in its own right. Our society functions according to mass production and this time of year seems to be a celebration of that more than of love, peace and goodwill. In our jolliness we tend to forget the gargantuan levels of consumption that society is engaged in – Christmas spending in the UK is around £20bn. For me, in editing this issue, that awareness has been all the more acute so I was particularly pleased when I caught something on the radio recently; something suggesting a brighter and more optimistic side to Christmas. A group of children, aged four to eight, were asked to answer the question: "What does love mean?" One little boy said, “Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.” Enjoy.

04 The Big Debate Is meat murder ?

“Christmas spending in the UK is around £20bn.”

06 What Santa Knows Father Christmas tells us all

12 Christmas Recipe With Fergus the Forager

16 Christmas Tips

Have an ethical Christmas

18 Greenwashing Un-Ethical Advertising

22 Economic Growth Will blight strike the markets?

Our REGUL ARS

COMPETITION WORTH £800 Turn to p.26 for information

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Ethical Shopping Guide. Competition. Vegetable of the Month Dandelion Award

ollowing recent concerns over foot and mouth and blue tongue, and with the festive season on its way, we thought it would be appropriate to hold this issue’s debate on the meat industry. We asked numerous interest groups, government departments and businesses the following question: "Are consumer expectations and demands for meat contributory to unsustainable livestock farming and distribution practices, and to the appearance of epidemics like foot & mouth and bluetongue? If so, what can consumers do to improve the situation?" The general consensus of opinion in this instance indicates a negative influence from our supermarkets, the poor treatment of livestock, a need for better government regulation, and over-consumption on the part of the public. Developing a more localised system of production, slaughter, distribution and point of sale, and a decrease in consumer demand appears to be the answer. So let’s do it.

t root, diseases and epidemics such as SARS, mad cow, foot-and-mouth, bird flu and others are predictable consequences of the sickening and cruel meat industry. Animals in factory farms are raised in severely crowded, unnatural conditions, where they are deprived of everything that is natural and important to them, and where diseases spread like wildfire. For example, almost all pigs raised for meat in Britain are factory-farmed. The crowded, filthy conditions in which they are kept cause the animals extreme stress and discomfort. It’s no wonder the British public is starting to wake up and go vegetarian. In today’s world of virtually unlimited choices, there are kinder and more gentle ways to feed ourselves than by exploiting and killing animals. We should try to alleviate suffering wherever we can, and the best thing we can do for animals – and our health – is to go vegetarian. Visit GoVeg.co.uk to download PETA’s “Vegetarian Starter Kit”.

ecognising that demand for cheap meat has been fuelled in part by the use of vaccines and antibiotics to keep disease at bay, CIWF believes that commercial pressure to produce ever more cheaply means that corners may often be cut on welfare and health. It’s a vicious circle of consumer expectation, supermarket “value” marketing and a lack of vision about sustainability. For example, it is now being recognised that the average intensive chicken shed may provide just the conditions for avian flu to mutate and develop into a deadly human epidemic. Furthermore, animals suffer in appalling conditions, the climate is warmed by greenhouse gases from animal agriculture and consumers gorge themselves on saturated fat from excessive meat and dairy consumption. CIWF is calling on consumers to take the Big Food Challenge and reduce their meat and dairy consumption and only buy cuts from humanely reared animals.

eat consumption has increased dramatically in recent years and is set to rise even more as people in developing countries adopt Western style diets. Consumers in developed nations have access to extremely cheap meat as a result of industrial methods of farming. Such methods have a huge impact on the environment and animal welfare where there has been a move away from local production systems, which has meant closure of local abattoirs, and an increased use of centralised processing facilities. Therefore, animals and carcasses are transported huge distances within and between nations. Such high levels of movement can promote the spread of diseases. Organic farming ensures high levels of animal welfare, higher levels of biodiversity and 30% lower energy use than non organic systems. Consumers can make a difference by eating less but better quality meat that has been produced and distributed locally.

David North

Marie-Claire Macintosh

Joyce D’Silva

Emma Hockridge

Editor | Sustained Magazine

Campaigns Co-ordinator PETA

Compassion in World Farming

Policy Department

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onsumer demand for cheap food has driven the development of a number of livestock enterprises which the RSPCA believes are unsustainable both economically, and in terms of animal welfare. Large numbers of animals in close proximity can exacerbate the effects of a disease outbreak but, ironically, diseases such as foot and mouth and bluetongue are more likely to affect animals kept outdoors, and cannot be attributed directly to farmers or farming practices. Achieving support for sustainable livestock farming requires the retailer to provide meaningful information about the way that food is produced whilst the consumer must be willing to pay a realistic price. Farmers deserve a fair price for the food they produce and must be given due recognition when rearing animals to higher welfare standards. Clearly, scenarios where bottled water is more expensive than milk reveals the unsustainable economic flaws of the present system.

ltimately, you get what you are prepared to pay for, and livestock farming has become more intensive in order to provide consumers with quality products at affordable prices. But well-managed intensive systems are not inherently unsustainable, and neither foot and mouth nor bluetongue has any particular association with intensive farming. FMD is a very old disease, which afflicts intensive and extensive livestock alike; bluetongue is a very new disease (in Northern Europe), which was carried by midges from sub-Saharan Africa and to which animals kept outdoors are more at risk. If consumers want to buy extensively-reared, welfare-friendly, ‘free-range’ or locally-produced livestock, then there is every opportunity to do so, given the range of meat and livestock products available. But in the final analysis, it should be their choice, to which farmers will respond, while always respecting the welfare of the animals in their charge.

o me, the big question here is: "Do consumers want cheap meat or good meat?' Over the last 50 years farmers have focused on production and allowed middlemen and retailers to focus on processing and selling. Unfortunately, intensive agriculture, with its disconnection between producer and consumer, has led to more livestock disease and farmers only receiving 9p in every £1 spent on food in supermarkets. An alternative system, where farmers rear free range animals, have them killed and butchered locally, and sell direct does not cost the consumer much more. The meat is better and selling direct gives the farmer 100% rather than 9%. This money is retained in the local economy whilst consumers learn about the product, interact with the farmer and contribute to the future development of the produce, farm and countryside. To buy direct visit BigBarn. co.uk or LocalFoodShop.co.uk to buy online and get a delivery.

John Avizienius

Anthony Gibson

Anthony Davison

Charlotte Fiander

RSPCA's farm animal department

NFU Director of Communications

Founder Big Barn Ltd

Spokesman Countryside Alliance

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ustainable livestock farming and distribution practices are currently heavily influenced by the relationship between farmers and supermarkets. Whilst supermarkets refuse to pay a fair price for farmer’s goods, a question mark will hang over the future of farming. The recent outbreaks of foot and mouth disease and bluetongue have highlighted how much the nation relies on the farming industry, and how much could be lost if it truly is unsustainable. Supermarkets must realize that fairer prices will allow the farming community to flourish and will redress the balance between producers and retailers. The Government also has a role to play given the accelerating decline in self-sufficiency; it needs to base its farming policies on the strategic need for food, energy and water to support British agriculture. These two combined would go a long way to securing the future of a sustainable and protected livestock industry.

INTERVIEW TIME

What SANTA knows Feature: Jeremy Piximan Illustration: James Greene

In an exclusive interview with Sustained the man with over a thousand years of Christmas’ under his belt, Santa Claus, talks candidly about work, being green and reindeer. Tell us what you know about sustainability. Children. Children? Yes. Sustainability is all about children. People need to think of them as I do; not just your own children today, but all the generations of the world’s children to come. Thinking like that, with loving kindness, is the key to sustainability. Recent statistics have shown that a team of nine reindeer would emit methane with a global-warming impact equivalent to 40,667 tonnes of CO2 as they covered the 122 million miles needed to deliver presents to every house in the world, making your sleigh ride almost as environmentally unfriendly as an aircraft, which would produce 41,480 tonnes of CO2. How do you justify that?

Did you know that 82% of all statistics quoted to prove a point are made up on the spot and 43% of those are worthless! Seriously though, we should remember that this is an essential journey for the children of the world, just once a year, and reindeer are also part and parcel of their eco-system and have helped to sustain indigenous peoples for millennia. That’s not to say that I think people should stop flying but they should consider why they are flying, how often they do it and perhaps it would be helpful if they stop making comparisons with living creatures in order to justify their own arbitrary actions. Anyway, it’s the methane we use to power the sleigh! Phewww! I must clarify for those of our audience reading in blue and white that you are, surprisingly, wearing a green suit and not a red one. Is Santa just jumping on the green bandwagon or, should I say, the green sleigh?

“Your world is under threat because of a fixation with consumption.”

My dear Jeremy, let me tell you that I am wearing green because I have always worn green and will continue to always wear green. Green is my traditional colour and the only reason you are used to seeing me in red comes from a fairly recent representation of me in that colour which was widely publicised in the advertising campaign of a soft drinks corporation. On the subject of yuletide advertising, marketing and consumption, do you think Christmas is in crisis Santa? Indeed it is dear boy, indeed it is. You see Christmas is about giving and about sharing but western culture has taken the beauty and necessity of those values and turned Christmas into a time of excess. It’s as simple as that. Your world is under threat because of a fixation with consumption and Christmas is a time when you take that to its extreme.4

So you’re not actually supportive of a consumer Christmas filled with toys, cards, decorations, gadgets, clothes, food, drink, TV specials, advertising, packaging, wrapping, crackers, tinsel, perfumes, deodorants, Christmas lights, chocolate, cheap plastic junk, nylon Santa hats and reindeer horns and, and . . . Slade?

promises a future crop and a future harvest, for the presence of the light and warmth of love that promises your future security and future joy. There are plenty of ways to celebrate it, to give gifts and enjoy the festive spirit, without going over the top. Think simple, think sustainable, think kindness. Approach it like that and it will bless you. Approach it in a frenzy and, well, you get the idea.

Yes, Christmas singles! Yes. Yes? Yes, I’m not supportive of all that but I do actually like Slade. “Look to the future now, it’s only just begun.” Great line don’t you think; very now!

Indeed. Now, contrary to your popular image as one of the good guys are you not guilty of running an over-centralised, multinational corporation powered by an exploited workforce of underpaid and overworked elves operating in sweatshop conditions. Bit cold for a sweatshop!

Indeed, but if you could elaborate on Christmas consumption. . . Ah yes, well, as I’ve said, Christmas is all about people, about family and community, about not leaving anyone out in the cold, about thanksgiving for the goodness of your life, for the returning light and warmth that

Come on, answer the question. Okay. The truth is that the Christmas operation is actually run by the elves as a workerowned co-operative with production and distribution centres all over the world sourcing natural products from indigenous elfin communities. I’m just the delivery man.

Thank you Santa. Our readers will be very glad to hear that. Just one more thing? What’s that? Can I get off your knee now?

“Think simple, think sustainble, think kindness. Approach it like that and it will bless you.”

Santa, the international elf co-operative and Sustained magazine would like to wish you all a very joyous, peaceful and loving Christmas and a happy and sustainably prosperous New Year. Take it kids. ‘So here it is, Merry Christmas, Everybody’s having fun, Look to the future now It’s only just begun . . ’ g Who would you like us to interview? Are there any champions of sustainable and ethical living who you would like to see interviewed in the future? If so send your suggestions to editor@sustainedmgazine.com

THINGS WE LIKE

The ETHICAL Shopper For gift ideas with a difference, look no further than our selection of eco products for every member of the family and everything is available to WIN! Go online or see page 26 for details. Eco Plunk | You can't beat a classic! A well loved game of sticks and marbles with eco friendly bamboo, a winning formula. It costs £19, at EcoCentric. T: 020 7739 3888. www.ecocentric.co.uk

Organic Wine Tasting | Take a stroll around an idyllic vineyard in the south of England and then get the chance to sample the goods. Immerse yourself in these beautiful surroundings for £55, at British Eco. T: 0845 257 0041. www.britisheco.com

Eco Media Player | This wind-up device plays music, video and radio, acts as a torch, sound recorder, photo viewer and phone charger. And it'll never run out of juice. It is £169.99 at Trevor Baylis. T: 01452 621888. www.ecomediaplayer.com

Sun Jar | You can never get enough sun, so designer Tobias Wong has bottled it. Sit it on your windowsill during the day and watch it glow all night long. It is £19.99, at Nigel's Eco Store. T: 0800 288 8970. www.nigelsecostore.com Candeloo Childrens Light | Kids delight in lights and the cute Candeloo set makes a great energy efficient, bedside light. They are £49.59, at love Eco. E: hello@love-eco.co.uk www.love-eco.co.uk

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Brown & Yellow Clutch Bag | You can't go wrong with a vintage accessory these days and this soft leather remnants clutch is perfect for a night on the town. It is £49.99, at Love Eco. E: hello@love-eco.co.uk www.love-eco.co.uk

A Chocolate Hamper | Whether you need a special gift or just something to take to a Christmas party who'd be disappointed if they‘re given a selection of organic chocolate? Prices start at £8.00, from Green & Blacks. T: 0870 242 2597 www.greenandblacks.com

Stripy Scarf Set | Wrap up in hand-knitted loveliness. Choose from a stripy tassled scarf, a slouchy beret and fingerless gloves or buy the whole gang. Prices start from £14, at Earth Huggers. T: 0870 977 0126. www.earth-huggers.com

Kiddimoto Bike | Toys have certainly moved on and any three year old would be over the moon to own this cool piece of equipment. Prices for the natural finish training bike start from £88.99. T: 01934 733654. www.kiddimoto.com

An Organic Spa Experience | A 'Christmas gift to Sparkle' including a Decleor Taster Facial, Elemis Exotic Lime and Ginger Salt Glow, full use of spa facilities and a light lunch. Prices start from £55.00 at Titanic Spa T: 01484 843 544 www.titanicspa.com

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SEASONAL FOOD

A Wild Christmas Feast Feature: Fergus Drennan Photography: Claire Gannon

Master forager and chef, Fergus Drennan, gives an insight into the world of foraging and offers some tips for spicing up your festive feasting.

think it is easy to take the world around us for granted, to think we know all about it, and to loose site of the extraordinary hidden in the mundane, so searching for and getting creative with wild plants opens up a whole new world of discovery. It also provides a great excuse to amble about woods, fields and coast line, to nose into hidden places and to keep ticking over, fitness-wise, along the way. The Ecologist magazine (Oct 07) featured an article entitled ‘Mass Society and Mass Depression’, suggesting that our excessively fast paced consumer culture is the source of increasing psychological problems. Foraging is just one delightful way to slow

down, respect oneself and the environment, and live a lifestyle that can function as a cleansing balm against modern insanities – not the least of which is mass produced, calorie dense but nutrient deficient ‘food’! Depending on the time of year my diet comprises between 10% and 60% foraged foods. However, not being one to do things by halves, beginning on 1st of April 2008 I will be endeavouring to eat 100% foraged food for a whole year: A foolish and unachievable endeavour begun on a day for fools? Probably, possibly; we shall see. Foraging in Britain doesn’t just mean nettles either – and if it did I’d still do it because nettles are fantastic! In fact, it involves

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“Foraging in Britain doesn’t just mean nettles either.”

sampling the unique delights of up to 250 or so plants, 25 seaweeds and 150 edible fungi. And, of course, if you’re prepared to push the boundaries into the multitudinous realms of those things categorised as ‘edibility unknown’ then the sky’s the limit – especially if you’ve been good in this life and have booked your place in Heaven. So, it is both eminently possible and enormous fun to pull off a wild food feast. Probably the easiest way to do this is to select conventional recipes you are familiar with and substitute the main or distinctive ingredient for a wild substitute: Watercress Soup then becomes Nettle and Chickweed Soup; Broccoli and Sun-dried Tomato Quiche with Mixed Salad becomes Sea Kale Floret and Dulse Quiche with Wild Herb Salad; Blackcurrant cheesecake becomes Bullace Plum cheesecake and so on. Every year I make a 100% foraged Christmas pudding though the ingredients for this have to be gathered throughout the year. Nevertheless, there are still some great things around in December to accompany your Christmas dinner. Last year I gathered a type of fungus called Trumpet, or Winter Chanterelle (Cantharellus tubaeformis), until January. They are wonderful when lightly fried with garlic, chives and olive oil but are also excellent as a basis for a mushroom stuffing. In addition, they can be dried with great success and given as presents.4

However, my number one top tip for Christmas would be to find the classic Chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius). Last year they were still around at the beginning of November but you will be able to get them from a good farmers market in December. Brush them clean and pack loosely, then totally immerse them in a sealed jar of 45% proof vodka* and leave for a month. The texture and flavour is amazing. An initial burst of aromatic Chanterelle flavour is immediately blown away by a vodka explosion. Wow! * 45% proof in order to properly preserve the mushroom. Putting all thoughts of convenience food aside and, in a challenging seasonal celebration of the slow, fantastically inconvenient, absurd and impractical, here is my recipe for a completely foraged . . .

Christmas pudding. 100g chestnuts 100g hawthorn berries 100g bilberries 80g dried (after removing seeds) hedgerow grapes 1 large eating apple 2-4oz concentrated apple syrup from approx 2kg of fresh eating apples (depending whether or not you use the optional extras) 5 medium sized fresh figs 10 wild cherries 10 soft rosehips (dog rose) 10 walnuts 2 large bletted medlars 1 cup home-made cider Optional extras: 3 oz veg suit 3 oz bread crumbs 1 egg zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange 1 /4 teaspoon mixed spice 1 /4 teaspoon grated nutmeg 1 /8 teaspoon cinnamon powder 2 tablespoons rum 2 tablespoons of stout.

Peel and core the apple, remove seeds from rosehips, chop both of these as well as the figs, bilberries, fully ripened grapes (gathered in October) and stoned cherries. Spread out and dry on wire racks on a heater (overnight) or low oven (4ish hours).

Bake and peel the chestnuts. Boil the hawthorns in a little water, strain and press pulp through a sieve.

Into a good food processor place the chestnuts, hawthorn and extracted medlar pulp, apple syrup and cider (and other optional drinks). Blend to a smooth paste, the consistency of thick mashed potato. Thoroughly mix in the chopped walnuts and all other ingredients (including optional ingredients if desired).

Press into a pudding bowl, cover and steam for three hours.

To find out more about Fergus, foraging, wild recipes or his foraging courses visit wildmanwildfood.com Below you will find three festive drinks to complement this Christmas pudding as recommended by Susan McCraith, Master of Wine and founder at Ethical Fine Wines.

www.ethicalwine.com insider’s Recommendation

Heaven on Earth Sweet Wine

Priced: £7.25 Origin: South Africa Score: HHHHH Luscious Fairtrade dessert wine made from dried organic Muscat grapes infused with the fragrance of Rooibos tea and pressed to yield a sweet syrup. Heady scents of honey, apricots, marmalade and raisins.

Fonseca Terra Prima Reserve Port Priced: £10.95 Origin: Portugal Score: HHHHI A non-vintage, organic port, wood matured for five years. Lusciously fruity and full of liquorice sweet, spicy character. A perfect complement to Christmas pudding’s rich flavours.

Prunier Fins Bois VSOP Cognac Priced: £27.95 Origin: France Score: HHHHI This glorious, golden, organic cognac has hints of orange and vanilla plus a silky smooth texture. Pour a little over the pudding and enjoy the rest. True Christmas spirit!

Free jute bag with your first order Ethical Fine Wines delivers great-tasting, fairly-priced wines to your door. Ranging between ÂŁ5 and ÂŁ50 per bottle each wine has been hand-picked by our Master of Wine based on its quality and ethical criteria. Sustainable, organic, biodynamic, carbon neutral, fairtrade and ethical wines - available in single or mixed cases. Enjoy quality not quantity. To claim a free jute bag, please quote SM1207 under delivery instructions. Offer ends 31/12/07

T. 01454 313 300 | E. info@ethicalwine.com | www.ethicalwine.com

CHRISTMAS TIPS

12 SINS OF CHRISTMAS This Christmas, after dinner, as the fire gently warms your face and you slowly fall back into your armchair, drowsily sipping another glass of wine, you might stop and ask yourself – So, what's this all about then?

aa Humbug! Christmas seems to start earlier every year. You’re now lucky to get through September without hearing about the festive season. Don’t get me wrong, I love the time to be jolly but, increasingly, the twinkle on my baubles is tarnished by those in the corporate world who insist on telling me about the need to plan ahead. Whether its puddings, turkeys, stockings or the Argos advert can't it all wait just a little bit longer? With all the hype and spin around Christmas there's no wonder that we all end up with a ‘spend-spend-spend’ mentality. Every year, like enslaved zombies, most of us will end up jostling down the high street, parting with money we can barely afford, for things we’re dubious about buying anyway.

However, we are here to tell you there is another way, both to beat the Christmas spin and the January blues that follow. By participating in festivities on YOUR OWN terms, you can keep the real meaning alive, of what now seems like, a festival long forgotten. Christmas doesn’t need to burn a whole in your pocket, nor in your conscience. All it takes is a little imagination and initiative. Then simply sit back and enjoy. Easy I say! Maybe not? But with that in mind, we've compiled a list of the 12 deadliest Christmas sins. Simply tear it out, stick it on the fridge, and away you go, ticking each one off to bag yourself a truly ethical Christmas. Good Luck. Want to have your say? Have we missed another festive sin or do you have some tips to share? www.sustainedmagazines.com/sins.

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a guilt free dinner Most turkeys will spend their lives in a dark building with up to 25,000 others. Consider veggie alternatives or visit the CIWF compassionate Christmas online guide or Big Barn to find out where to buy a local free range/organic option. I've bought Christmas dinner locally

spend, spend, spend One in 10 shoppers don’t think about Christmas spending until they receive their statement in the New Year. They could be letting themselves in for a shock. Some banks have increased their fees four-fold in two years. I’m not going into debt this Christmas

wrap up well! Britain uses enough wrapping paper at Christmas to cover half of Wales. Use cloth or put several presents into one re-usable Christmas bag – visit cottonkids.co.uk. Use string or natural ribbon such as raffia instead of tape. I’ve cut my wrapping paper by half

waste not, want not The average family will throw away one-third of the festive food they purchase this Christmas so plan your menu carefully and get some exciting recipes for leftovers like those at www.curryhouse.co.uk/chef/turkey.html I’m only going to buy what we need

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oh! christmas tree This year we’ll use over 8 million Christmas trees which will be thrown away in January, generating over 12,000 tonnes of rubbish. Recycle it or, better still, buy a living tree and plant it outside after Christmas. I've recycled / planted trees

poorman’s holiday? At Christmas poor people don’t get a break from poverty. For £750 you, your family, friends and colleagues can buy a family in Africa a cow, providing milk, calves and manure for farming all year round - sendacow.com i’ve donated to poverty relief

home sweet home Crisis has estimated that there are around 400,000 adults who can be classified as hidden homeless, and it has been claimed over 100,000 children will be without a home this Christmas. Made you think? I've contacted a local charity to help

batteries not included Almost everything requires some form of power these days so for those gadgets requiring batteries, buy rechargeable. Last year batteries created over 19,000 tonnes of waste - not to mention all those nasty chemicals gone to landfill. Yes, I've switched to rechargables

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brand spankin' new? There still seems to be a stigma with buying second hand for Christmas. Try visiting vintage and charity shops, flea markets and antique jewellery stores for presents - it's recycling at its best and you'll be giving a unique present. I've bought at least one vintage gift

kerry katona's kitchen Last year we were appalled by Iceland’s 'Straight from the freezer, into the oven and onto the table' Christmas dinner. Yuk! Take the time to enjoy creating everything from scratch; you might surprise yourself! I'm making the dinner from scratch

...with boughs of holly The average household spends £25 a year on decorations. This year Covent Garden will host an exchange for people to swap them. Join freecycle.org.uk to swap yours so that your home will look fresh and festive without paying for new. I've swapped some decorations

dont forget the elderly Help the Aged is aiming to reach out to 25,000 older people across the UK, providing them with a Christmas meal to enjoy with friends. A donation of just £4 will enable Help the Aged to supply at least one meal. Yes, I have Helped the Aged

D E B AT E S T I M U L U S

Grey areas

and green ideas Feature: Jack Woodcock Illistration: GRAFIKwürks

There’s an urban myth that Coca Cola were the first to dress Santa in red. The reality is that in 1931, the year he was first shown swigging a coke, Santa’s winter wardrobe experiment was already over.

he reason Coke’s winter ads have been so effective is simple; people like Christmas. The fact that Coca Cola is a carbonated soft drink, a product that in reality has very little to do with Christmas doesn’t really matter. When Santa cracks open the coke we all know that ‘holidays are coming’. Of course Coke isn’t the only company to create tenuous links between themselves and the season. Although many of these can border on the ridiculous it’s tricky to argue that such campaigns cause any damage, except perhaps to our pockets. Over the last decade, however, a fresh trend has developed, one with far more ominous implications. Greenwash first began finding its way onto magazine pages,

billboards and TV screens in the late 1980’s. Back then the ethical economy was in its infancy with awareness limited to single issues like animal testing, dolphin-friendly fishing and CFCs. Today it’s a multi billion pound market with ‘organic’, ‘fair trade’ and ‘carbon neutral’ labels just a few of those now competing for shoppers’ attentions. A prime example of Greenwashing in action is the launch of the new ‘Future Friendly’ logo. Billed as a partnership between environmental organisations and leading consumer brands, on closer inspection you realise that all the brands involved are owned by Proctor and Gamble. Proctor and Gamble, the global corporation behind household brands like Aerial, Flash and Lenor has invested heavily in repositioning itself in line with the‘eco revolution’. Just as Coca Cola

“Next time you see an eco ad consider what is actually being said.”

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realised people like Christmas they’ve realised that people like the environment. However, it is very important to be wary of these sorts of claims. As Chris Arnold from the ethical marketing agency FEEL, points out, “Doing something less harmfully than you did it before isn’t the same as doing something good.” The growth of the Internet means we now have access to an ever-increasing wealth of information. It’s now the norm to carefully research products before we buy. As we are so bombarded by ads everyday it makes sense then to know about the techniques advertisers use before buying into the message they are trying to sell. Next time you see an eco ad consider what is actually being said and see if it displays any of these classic signs of greenwash. 4

Seductive images The most common form of greenwash is the simple use of environmental and natural images. In the recent £6 million campaign for Nestlé, the Milkybar Kid rides through an idyllic woodland paradise. Whilst birdsong floats on the breeze animals scamper from the undergrowth to greet him and his chocolaty cargo. He trots off into the sunset to the departing message; ‘Milkybar, now with all natural ingredients’. Interestingly, the ingredients (which include sugar, whey powder and Soya lecithin) aren’t listed anywhere online. To find them out I had to go and buy one. It was very nice but I’m not convinced it was full of the ‘natural goodness’ the forest paradise was implying. Youtube – milkybar, nature

Impressive Projects Often a company will attempt to wow us with exciting eco projects. Through a number of campaigns BP have highlighted how they have become the biggest producer of solar energy in the world. It somehow becomes less impressive though when you discover that this was solely due to buying out Solarex in 1999 and, though it only accounts for less than 1% of BP’s total business, it has been the main focus of a number of multinational advertising campaigns. Youtube – beyond, petroleum Focussing on the human element One of the most subversive methods used to win us over is the humanisation of global corporations. The marketing heads at Shell know they can’t claim to have become environmentalists over night; people aren’t that stupid. Instead they’ve decided to create a new character for the brand; a ‘reformed sinner’. Jaap is an engineer troubled by the necessity to drill oil wells and his lack of time for his son Max. As if by magic the two problems are solved simultaneously. He visits Max and the straw in his milkshake inspires him! Jaap designs a new drill whilst Max scores a goal in his football match. Everybody’s happy. That’s the fiction. The reality is

that in the wake of the Brent Spar fiasco and their underhand practices in Nigeria there are many who are less than happy with Shell’s ethical performance. Youtube – shell, eureka

More Information In a recent survey by MORI it was revealed that four in five Britons believe that companies pretend to be ethical just to sell more products. If you see something that you don’t agree with visit www.asa.gov.uk to register a complaint.

It’s a common belief that companies tend not to brazenly tell lies. However, you only need to look at the Advertising Standards Agency’s website to see how wrong this is. There you can find a long list of complaints that have been upheld against companies making false environmental claims. Companies like Toyota, who misrepresented the efficiency of their Prius range, and Scottish and Southern Energy, who fibbed about their carbon offset programme. In September this year the ASA received 90 complaints about ethical and environmental claims compared to only 10 in the previous year. The fact that it takes only a handful of complaints to force them to spark further investigation really hands the initiative to ordinary consumers who simply want to know that what they are buying is the real McCoy. The more of these expensive campaigns that get cancelled before they’ve come to an end, then the more care companies will take in ensuring they don’t misrepresent the truth in their advertising. g

G U E S T F E AT U R E

Does history

REPEAT ITSELF ? Feature: Chris Wright Photography: Duncan Walker

With the Northern Rock fiasco signalling the threat of blight in the global financial network is there a danger the whole system will go down? Author and sustainability expert, Chris Wright, argues that there is.

he great Irish Potato Famine of 1846 onwards killed around one million people and forced another two million to migrate overseas. The immediate causes were obvious – a near total dependence on a single crop that failed spectacularly when potato blight swept in from the USA and affected great swathes of Northern Europe. At first sight you might think that there are few parallels between our own era and that of the potato famine. We enjoy a greater diversity of food than at any time in human history and even the seasons no longer limit availability. But we are as dependent on one crop as the Irish peasant of a hundred and fifty years ago. It may not grow in the soil but it still has to be grown and, like any other monoculture, it is as prone to blight as the potato. We call it money.

The reasons for the catastrophe of the potato famine are not hard to unravel. Once tenants started defaulting on their rent because they couldn’t feed themselves, the economics of the time made it cheaper to ship the destitute abroad than pay for their upkeep in the workhouse. Workhouses were designed to accommodate only a tiny proportion of the population. When the numbers began to rise dramatically, the inflexible system simply failed and the centralised decision-making processes didn’t appreciate the scale of the problem until it was far too late. Almost everything we do or buy requires money. As a society we have become very efficient at growing money through a complex system of debt and speculation that is fine-tuned to harvest maximum profit. Its tentacles reach everywhere but it

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About the Writer Chris Wright is a founding member of Action for Sustainable Living (AFSL) and author of six books available online at www.afsl.org.uk with £5.00 from every sale donated toward ongoing projects.

is, at root, inflexible. It depends on the simple laws of supply and demand through the medium of unfettered competition; but, to satisfy demand increasingly requires technology, cheap labour and access to an efficient global transport system. The consequences can be bizarre but, as long as they produce a profit, they are to be encouraged. Thus, prawns landed in Scotland are hand-shelled in China and returned to the UK. It is becoming cheaper to produce milk in Eastern Europe, so the logic is that milk production will cease here. That just might be alright if it was sustainable. However, it clearly isn’t. We simply cannot continue shipping stuff around the world, particularly by air and, with oil running out, we won’t be able to for much longer anyway. Furthermore, with every aspect of modern agri-business, from 4

â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is at that point that, somewhere in the world, the blight of recession will appear. It will spread rapidly around the globe and we will be as unprepared for it as Ireland was all those years ago.â&#x20AC;? fertiliser to machinery, from packaging to transportation, being dependent on hydrocarbon fuels, it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t require much imagination to grasp what will happen when the demand for oil outstrips the ability of the industry to deliver. It is at that point that, somewhere in the world, the blight of recession will appear. It will spread rapidly around the globe and we will be as unprepared for it as Ireland was all those years ago. Local agriculture, now aimed at national if not international markets, will no longer be able to support its immediate populations and any food that is available will consequently cost more than most of us will be able to afford. We will become dependent on the welfare system. While the programmes we have in place are a vast improvement on the Victorian attitude towards the destitute, they remain for the minority. Imagine if 50% or more of the population had to be supported in that way. And where would the food come from anyway? It is not too late to reverse the trends of the money driven market place. We can all choose to buy local produce but, ultimately,

we will have to look at food as something other than a commodity to be bought and sold. It is a transaction between us and the natural world of which we are but a tiny part. Until we each renew and honour that link in a meaningful way we will only be scratching the surface of the problem. Farming has to be both sustainable in itself and local, and that means individuals and communities reviewing their attitudes to how they access food and what they eat and when. Local economies (in all aspects, not just food) need to be regenerated, ideally based on local systems of exchange that are driven by considerations of nurturing a quality of life both now and into the future (genuine wealth) rather than profitability. In a nutshell it means decentralisation and individuals and communities assuming responsibility for their own destinies. Anything less will have insufficient flexibility to cope with the threat of blight that is just around the corner if we do nothing. Does History repeat itself? You bet it does! g

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COMPETITION

Christmas

GIVE -AWAY We’ve one of every item on our products page to give away. To enter all you have to do is state which product you’d like to win and answer the question below: Exactly what can you win Organic wine tasting - British Eco, Eco Plunk - Ecocentric, Sun Jar - Nigels Eco Store, Candeloo Children’s Light - Love Eco, Eco Media Player - Trevor Bayliss, Clutch Bag - Love Eco, Chocolate Selection - Green & Blacks, Kiddimoto Bike - Kiddimoto, Organic Spa - Titanic Spa, Stripy Scarf Set - Earth Huggers.

Sustained Magazine CHRISTMAS Products GIVE-AWAY Answer the questions, fill out your details and send this coupon to: SUSTAINED MAGAZINE, Victoria Chambers, St Runwald Street, Colchester, Essex CO1 1HF Simply answer the following questions: Which ONE product would you like to win? ................................................ Do you feel you have learnt anything from or made any lifestyle changes as a direct result of Sustained Magazine and it’s online community ........................ ........................................................................................................................... Where did you pick up this copy of Sustained? ............................................... How many people will read this copy of Sustained? ....................................... Have you ever visited the Sustained website? ................................................. What would you like to see more of in Sustained? .............................................. ...........................................................................................................................

All possible information must be provided for a valid entry: Mr Mrs Miss Other .................................................... First Name ................................... Surname ................................ Address ........................................................................................ .................................................................................................... ........................................... Postcode ........................................... DOB (dd/mm/yy) ......................................................................... Telephone Number ....................................................................... Email ........................................................................................ Tick here if you do not want information to be passed to prize providers

Terms and Conditions: The Competition is open to UK residents over 18 years old, one entry per household only. No entries accepted from anyone connected to any of the companies involved. Responsibility will not be accepted for any entries lost or delayed. No cash alternative. The winner will be the first correct entry drawn at random after the closing date of 1st February 2008 and will be notified shortly afterwards. Sustained or The Creative Coop cannot be held responsible in the event a company supplying any prize cannot honour its obligation, for whatever reason.

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GROW YOUR OWN

The POTATO VEGETABLE OF THE MONTH

Feature: PR Finbow Photography: istock

The good old potato (Solanum tuberosum) is for me, and probably the majority of folk, their preferred staple source for dietary carbohydrates due to its versatility.

f the thousands of potato varieties that are still cultivated in the Andes, relatively few are available in the UK. They are conventionally divided into four categories: First earlies Second earlies Early maincrop Maincrop The earlies are the easiest to grow but the maincrop varieties are the tastiest and under good conditions, can be stored for months. As far as varieties go, the best thing to do is to ask fellow gardeners in your locality for their advice because potato varieties seem to do better in some soils and microclimates than others. Earlies can be planted out from, wellâ&#x20AC;Ś I suggest that you experiment. It all depends on the weather but December sowings, well sheltered, could give you spuds in May. You normally plant them at the end of February,

later further north, for a June/July harvest. They are ready to harvest when they have flowered Maincrop spuds are not as easy. You can plant them until the end of April and they grow at an astonishing rate, sometimes to waist-height by harvest in September but they are vulnerable to blight. Industrial crops are sprayed with copper-based pesticides, some of which are up to organic standards, so are worth considering. For an early maincrop King Edwards are good for baking and roasting and my favourite lates are the small and tasty Pink Fir Apple and Roseval. Both my grandfathers used to grow spuds for village produce shows and were very competitive, using somewhat different methods. Grandpa Frost used nightsoil: the contents of the outside toilets, newspaper, straw and god knows what (he was a butcher by trade), composted for three years in earth closets at the bottom of the garden.

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“Harvesting is fun. I recall a good crop of Pink Fir Apples when it seemed that the deeper I dug, the more I found.” Grandpa Finbow, however, was blinded by science and used superphosphates, nitrates and ammonium salts to increase his yields. Grandpa Frost inevitably won but he used the double-digging technique, which is physically demanding. A nice maxim for spuds is: the more you put in, both in effort and input, the more you get out. Farmyard manure is as good as anything for potato growing. The soil on your plot should be very roughly but deeply dug in the autumn and covered with a mulch of compost or manure. This will inhibit weed growth and the rain will leach the nutrients into the soil, then the worms will get to work. A superficial digging for soil aeration is all that is required before planting. Once you’ve chosen the varieties that you wish to plant, delivered or purchased from a local supplier, the tubers have to be chitted. Chitting involves putting the tubers into trays somewhere cool and dimly lit. They slowly burst into life after a couple of weeks when purple sprouts grow from the “eyes” on the surface of the tuber.

They should be planted out in rows with 60 cm between potatoes and 60 cm between the rows. When the soil starts to warm, the tuber grows and their green leaves emerge from the soil. When this happens, the plants have to be “earthed up” by pulling up the soil from between the rows so as to cover the shoots to protect them from frosts. Repeat this until the risk of frost is over. Harvesting is fun. I recall a good crop of Pink Fir Apples when it seemed that the deeper I dug, the more I found but you have to be careful how you harvest them; damaged tubers tend to rot quickly. A flat-tined fork is the best tool and you try to get as deep beneath the row as you can. Never eat a potato that is green, implying that it has been exposed to sunlight, because they are poisonous, as are the leaves and the fruit. Everything has to have a Heath & Safety warning these days, so don’t put that fork through your foot! g The Vegetable of the Month is continued with an online forum and Sustained's allotment log.

The easiest way to plant potatoes: • Thrust your spade aided by your dominant foot, into the soil • Push forward a few times • Pull back a few times • Insert potato to 100 – 150 mm • Tread down and water if dry

ask the garden guru

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finbow.com

DANDELION AWARD

Into the BREACH Feature: Clifford Thornton Illustration: Russell Tate

In the vanguard of the ethical sector, Suma Wholefoods are veterans with 32 years’ ethical trading experience and are a signpost for any business seeking to become truly sustainable.

workers’ cooperative operating a democratic system, Suma’s decisions are made by everyone. This means that their day-to-day work is carried out by self-managing teams of workers who are all paid the same wage and who all enjoy an equal voice and an equal stake in the success of the business. Multi-skilling underpins their business operations with no individual having a single role. A driver who delivers to the customer might spend one day a week working in accounts, and another day cooking in the canteen. This not only banishes the ruts that come with routine but also equips the business to function normally during holidays or absence. It further ensures a

skills pool to which all have access for their self development. As Suma set out to provide an alternative to processed foods and supermarket shopping, they found themselves involved in ethical trading from their formative days in the 70s. They have principles which they simply do not compromise in the pursuit of profit and, if a course of action is not ethically justifiable, they simply choose an alternative. From the way they heat and light their premises to the wages paid to their suppliers, ethical trading is a recurring theme in every aspect of the organisation. Looking beyond the boundaries of their business, Suma actively participate in projects providing environmental and social benefits

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“They have principles which they simply do not compromise in the pursuit of profit.” NOMINATE! You can now nominate your very own favourite company by emailing our judging panel at:

dandelion@ sustainedmagazine.com

to the local and global community. Each year they team up with Treesponsibility to plant trees and in partnership with Calder Futures, Suma workers regularly clean up the quarter-mile stretch of river that runs by the warehouse. They also set up the first work-based Amnesty group. When it comes to their products they are just as committed. If something says it contains eggs, then they are free-range, while anything labelled ‘vegetarian’ is just so. Non-food products are subject to the same strict criteria, so their cosmetics and household products are cruelty-free and environmentally friendly. With more than 6,000 product lines in their catalogue, there is hardly an item that an ethical shopper could want that they haven’t got covered. So, this Christmas, when you’re browsing in your local wholefood store for everyday essentials, festive favourites or ethical gifts, spare a thought for how those goods got there. There’s every chance they came from Suma. g