I think the growing trend towards purchasing ethical products and garments is fantastic. I hope it is a lasting change rather than a fad. However, I have to take issue with a couple of things. I have noticed that many ‘ethical’ fashion brands and labels use non-animal friendly products, such as silk and leather. None of these are particularly ‘ethical.’ To be honest, wool’s not great either.
Just in time for the sun to come out again, ethical superstore Adili is offering a cool one third off men's and women's t-shirts for the coming fortnight.
The promotion includes all the store's top-selling lines, including Howies, Patagonia, People Tree and Kuyichi. The classic Howies logo-tee above has been slashed from £25 to £17, while the (perhaps appropriate) 'wellies applique' top also by Howies has gone to just £13. Take your pick here!
PETA is back in the news again today, as PETA 2, the youth branch of the animal-loving action group, has launched a competition for a new pro-veggie t-shirt design.
The competition is being run in conjunction with April 77, a fashion label selected for its cruelty-free credentials, whose designs are worn by the likes of bands The Horrors, The Rakes, and the Klaxons. Entrants have got until 15 August to enter and the winning design will appear on April77 T-shirts in 20 countries worldwide. If you think you've got what it takes, rules on entry are here, and I'll be putting my money on a design that goes for the shock-factor to win this one...
[Via New Consumer]
BritishEco.com is a marvelous website that sells a whole host of serious eco gadgets and fun green paraphernalia. Their products have featured a number of times on hippyshopper. If you’re after some funky summer gizmo, garden feature or solar-powered toy BritishEco is the source for all this stuff, usually at unbeatable prices. I’ve found a number of products cheaper than others on the site.
Related stories: solar powered UFO | Vote with your solar globes
The biofuels debate was stepped up another notch today as the 'anti agro-fuels' charity Grain launched an attack on plans to tackle climate change with plant-based petrol.
The charity claims to have evidence that both biofuels companies and governments are putting pressure on indigenous peasant communities in developing countires to vacate areas staked out for growing jatropha. A spokesman for the charity said: "The numbers involved are mind-boggling. The Indian government is talking of planting 14 million hectares of land with jatropha."
Are you into personal change? Are you looking to be greener? Eco-friendlier? Making yourself a better person? Well, if I don’t sound hippy and American enough for you, then you might want to check out a great eco podcast website recently launched. Living Green from PersonalLifeMedia is all about giving you the lifestyle tips and info you need to make yourself a more environmentally friendly person. Hosted by conservation expert Meredith Medland (I mean you have to be an ecologist with a name like that), you’ll get latest hot interviews, cool green-living tips and warm debate on the latest issues.
[via shinyshiny]
Related stories: Green mag with Pazzaz | Sustainable living courses
Stainless steel is a highly recyclable material, and what's one of its best-known uses? Why, making cutlery of course. So we should recycle more of it.
Who knows what these elegant, classic forks, knives and spoons were before being melted down for use at the dinner table? I'll bet they were (slightly less stylish) forks knives and spoons. But don't let that get in the way of the fun. The full set is available for £95 via EcoCentric
At the other end of the ethical scale, Tesco’s has been accused by the Actress Emma Thompson of subjecting some of their workers in South Africa to appalling pay and conditions. Thompson, who is an ambassador for ActionAid said “I have visited these farms and I was shocked by what I saw” after her tour of farms in the Western Cape area of South Africa. She claimed that 80 women worked from 7am to 6pm for the equivalent of just 38p.
Her claims were denied by Tesco’s media director, jonathan Church who said “We have looked at the farm conditions and pay, gone over the allegations made and not found any evidence to suggest there is a problem”. I’m sure the media director sat in his plush offices in the UK really knows more about the situation on South African farms than Emma Thompson who has actually been there and seen the situation for herself.
Good golly gosh, have we here at Shiny Media got a competition for you.
Live Earth, the massive worldwide music event designed to raise awareness of global warming, is happening on 7th July. The London leg of the event is taking place at the magnificent new Wembley Stadium in north London. If we were to list all of the artists performing on the day we'd probably miss the concert, but suffice it to say they include Beastie Boys, Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Razorlight, Genesis, Snow Patrol, Spinal Tap, Kasabian and Metallica. The concert will also be available to view live online at www.liveearth.msn.com/concerts.
Tickets for the gig sold out within approximately 2 milliseconds of being put on sale, but thanks to Live Earth official online partners MSN we have a pair to give away to one lucky reader.
Firstly, the good stuff…The Co-operative Group has been found by an independent study to be the most climate-friendly chain on the high street. The environmental research company, Trucost carried out the study for the BBC’s Money Programme. The study found that for every million £ of turnover, the Co-op produced £324 worth of carbon and waste, whereas Somerfield came out as the worst performer with £1,194 worth of carbon and waste for every million £ of turnover. The Co-operative’s banking arm, Smile has been named the ‘best current account provider’ at the Which? Awards, with 82% of its customers “very satisfied with their treatment”.
If the concepts of boozing and healthy, chemical free living sit well enough together in your mind, you're in for a real treat with Sunshine vodka, which is quadruple-distilled from 100% organic grain and pure Vermont spring water. All grain used in the drink is also certified GMO free.
Whenever possible, the distillers try to purchase raw ingredients from local farm co-ops, but if you're not based locally yourself and fancy a chemically untainted cocktail, you might want to source another brand closer to home. In the UK, Godminster have an exciting range of vodka infusions, including cucumber, elderflower and sloe.
[Via Alternative Consumer]
On the 21st August the Party for Animals Worldwidee will be launched. Pink is headlining the event at Cardiff's International Arena which aims to raise funds and awareness for six major animal welfare and conservation charities.
The six beneficiaries are: SPANA, the Marine Conservation Society, the Born Free Foundation, The Monkey Sanctuary Trust, PDSA and Animals Asia Foundation.
Show your support and "Get The Party Started" for animals worldwide
Pink has added an extra date to her sell-out European tour to give her support to the event.
Tuna shortages are forcing Japan's sushi chefs to come up with imaginative alternatives to to tuna in traditional sushi and sashimi. How about avocado? Venison? Or horse?
The decline in tuna (and other fish species) is the result of overfishing on a massive scale. Fish consumption has increased globally and in order to meet the demand more fish have to be caught.
The Lil' Stony philosophy is simple...'healthy you healthy planet'. They have brought out a range of yogurts and fromage frais, produced using milk from over 50 organic farms across Ireland. They are big on promoting the fight against global warming, and are one of the sponsors of Live Earth. Their electricity comes from green supplier Airtricity, they are working on biodegradable pots (they currently use recycled plastics), and are also installing wind turbines to power their plant. At the moment they're offering a discount on a family subscription to The Soil Association. If those aren't enough reason for you to buy the products, maybe you'll be won over by their adorable little family of 'stonies', who have names like Vanilla the Hun, Sustainably Strawberry and Renewably Raspberry! My only gripe is the fact they use sugar in the kid's desserts.
The Lil' Stony range is available in most major supermarkets.
Related: Cool down this summer with September Organic Dairy ice cream | Organic Treat of the Week: Rocombe sublime organic ice cream
Find out how to handle the new floppy plastic saving eco-pak from Waitrose. They're not as easy to get to grips with as you might have thought, but with a bit of practice and following our simple tips, they're a good way to save on packaging.
Related stories: Waitrose new milk pouches | Waitrose ethical citrus
From: Green graffiti - It's all in the mossage