Twenty years ago, my husband and I got married at Castle Methodist Church, Colchester. I wore gypsophila in my hair a la Charlene from Neighbours; he should have gone to Specsavers. It was a beautiful sunny day and we were happy smiley people.
Twenty years ago, we were local Traidcraft reps in a fair trade wilderness. We held stalls in church halls and did talks at women’s groups in church halls. We tried to persuade people to give the coffee a go. Muesli and honey were seen as the safe options to try (although I did once find a small lump of coal in my muesli which was reduced to dust by the time I sent it to Customer Complaints). You could not buy a single fair trade item in a supermarket; you could not even envisage a day when that would become a reality.
That time of year is upon us once again where the mornings are getting lighter, the evenings brighter, and our bodies are waking up from winter-mode. For me and for my family, that usually means a passion for all things Spring Cleaning comes to the fore like never before.
Whether it’s finally getting round to painting the bathroom ceiling again, fixing that dodgy shelf, clearing out your wardrobes, or giving the house a good once over; there always seems to be something to do!
But in our hurry to get the job done and in our attempt to create the tidiest and cleanest environment possible, do we sometimes neglect to think of attaining the greenest environment possible?
In the run up to Go Banana’s For Fairtrade day, which is tomorrow (6th March), we here at Ethical Superstore have been racking our brains to come up with the most creative, entertaining, bizarre, and thought provoking banana-based activities!
Late last week we had a trial run of our banana-eating-a-thon, a few more games and events are in the Top Secret pipeline, and over the past couple of days we’ve been trying to get rid of a Fairtrade banana by offering it to passersby.
Let me explain; we tied a Fairtrade banana to a tree outside our offices so that it was hanging above the footpath within arm’s reach of any pedestrian, with a note attached saying “Please eat me, I’m safe & Fairtrade too!” in a hope of raising awareness of Fairtrade.
BarryNana has received a few funny looks, been ignored, been pointed at, but not once has anyone attempted to free him from his state of limbo and indulge in some Fairtrade goodness.
This got us wondering why people seem to be so adverse to freebies, why people seem to ignore what they don’t think is really there, and why people’s confusion or apathy leads to inaction or inertia.
Don’t Panic! (or should that be rejoice?!) The fast-food chain we love to hate hasn’t been subject to some kind of McDisaster. Rather, this is the latest installation from the Danish art-collective Superflex entitled “Flooded McDonald’s”.
If you’re wondering what Fairtrade means to the producers of goods then watch this short video which documents two Fairtrade certified banana producer organisations, BANELINO and ASOBANU in the Dominican Republic and find out how Fairtrade has changed their lives and livelihood for the better.
Whilst self-destruction is at the beating heart of rock n roll, planetary destruction is seemingly off the agenda nowadays, with more and more musicians and bands jumping on the biofuel powered eco-bandwagon, and doing their bit for Mother Earth. Cynics might claim that it’s just another ploy to raise profiles in an increasingly tough business, but whatever the motivation, the message is certainly getting through.
1. Pearl Jam
In terms of putting their money where their collective mouths are, few bands come close to the eco-awareness of Pearl Jam. In gifting $100,000 to various eco projects during a recent world tour, it was more than a donation, it was a call to arms. The activism section on Pearljam.com makes for great reading, and offers an insight into the lengths the band will go to in order to ensure their impact on the planet is kept to a minimum.
2. Radiohead
When Radiohead recently snubbed Glastonbury, it wasn’t because of the mud, the distinct lack of sanitary toilets, or a sudden dislike for Indonesian nose harpists. Nothing so trivial would keep Thom ‘Smiler’ Yorke and his merry band of men away. ‘Glastonbury’s spiritual houseband’, as the 2003 programme called them, disappointed legions of fans for one reason, and one reason alone – the lack of a green transport system to the site. The message was clear – the biggest greenfield festival in the world just isn’t green enough.
If we ever need a little inspiration, a push in the right direction, or a kick up the backside to ‘Go One Better’ or green up our lifestyle than we should look no further than our own back yard.
It appears that nature is teaming with busy little environmentalists, all hell-bent on reducing, reusing, and recycling whatever is in their path.
According to Environmental Graffiti, a cracking site for environmentalists who don’t take themselves too seriously, these little chaps are the most eco-friendly bugs around;
3. Environmental Designer Extraordinaire: The Orb Web Spider
The female orb web spider is one of natural world’s top designers, but she’s one of its thriftiest recyclers too. She’s known to eat her web at night, before spinning a new one, to recoup some of the energy expended producing silk that’s rich in protein and stronger than steel.
Ecorazzi have attributed the following quote to champion boxer Ricky Hatton “I am used to defeating my opponent in the ring, so I’m delighted to get behind the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation’s De-Feet Lung Cancer campaign. By getting involved with De- Feet, you too can help give lung cancer the knock-out blow.”
Nice pun Ricky!
The shoes are going to be auctioned off starting on September 12.
If charity footwear floats your boat, why not check out Ethical Superstore’s great range of ethical and Fairtrade footwear; designed and manufactured in a planet-friendly manner, meaning that your feet can be encased by eco-friendly, comfy, and stylish trainers!
Whilst perusing the interweb for various hints, tips and suggestions on green living, eco-friendly lifestyles, and money/energy saving devices, I came across this great tool for armchair activists from Troika.
In the modern age where text messaging has taken over from note passing, and emails have replaced letters, why shouldn’t the humble megaphone or loudspeaker be subject to such change? Well, a renowned German designer (Moritz Waldemeyer) who describes his work as a fusion of technology, art, fashion and design, (who has previously collaborated with the band OKGO), has teamed up with Troika, a multi-disciplinary art and design practice, to create such a thing.
This nifty creation is “able to receive incoming sms messages and speak them out loud through its powerful megaphone, thus allowing the armchair activist to shout out its rants and protests in the comfort of his sitting room”.
It was made with the support from Arts Council England and I think it’s inspiring in its modern day, thought provoking design and concept.
Check out this video from BBC 2’s The Culture Show highlighting more of Waldemeyer’s work:[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPsmrEmQ_lk&eurl=http://www.waldemeyer.com/pressf.html[/youtube]
Something that came to my attention about a month ago (and which I have successfully managed to block out since) has resurfaced thanks to our friends over at TreeHugger. The aptly named Shit Box is supposed to be the answer to all of your festival toilet troubles.
The creator, who also founded the footwear retailer Office, is Richard Wharton who has since set up the Brown Corporation to manufacturer his little brown brain child. It is a portable, flatpack, lightweight cardboard toilet designed for outdoor use when you need it most. It’s designed to be reused with the use of degradable poop bags – 10 of which come with the Shit Box.
So next time your kids are desperate for the loo in the car, or you’re at a festival and are dreading the long drop – just think – you could be sitting comfortably on a cardboard box, in the comfort of your own tent, emptying your bowels in style!
Seriously though, it’s quite impressive and its eco-friendly credentials aren’t bad either. Made with 70% recycled cardboard, with all of the components degradable, this novel idea might just prove to be popular, not least with eco-conscious festival goers.
Whilst perusing the interweb for various hints, tips and suggestions on green living, eco-friendly lifestyles, and money/energy saving devices, I came across this 
Something that came to my attention about a month ago (and which I have successfully managed to block out since) has resurfaced thanks to our friends over at 
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