As a committed veggie and animal lover, you might expect me to back the Vegan Society's decision to drop Ecover from its list of certified products after it emerged that the company tests its some of it products on water fleas. But actually it's made me 'hopping' mad...
What concerns me is that in removing its endorsement, the vegan society is failing to recognise that anyone wanting to avoid genuinely animal-tested products will now be in less of a position to distinguish between products tested on minute insects and those whose production really does involve cruel and unnecessary testing on highly sentient mammals. I think this is downright irresponsible.
Would the same society shun a toothpaste that kills off the harmful bacteria in our mouths, or for that matter, disapprove of removing fleas and ticks from our pets? I somehow doubt it. In my opinion, this is the sort of rigid and counterproductive logic that makes if far more difficult than it should be for people to make positive changes, and frankly, gives the green movement a bad name.
In today's Guardian, George Monbiot expressed a view that I've heard countless times since I've been editing Hippyshopper; that nowadays 'going green' is mainly another way for the middle classes to make themselves feel virtuous, while continuing to pollute the planet with long-held habits. And it caused me exactly the same internal conflict as it invariably does...
Largely because a lot of the article is depressingly familiar. How many comfortably-off people do you know who congratulate themselves for their eco-warrior credentials whilst continuing to fly, drive their kids around in people-carriers and buying as many questionable items as before? (Stand up Mr Chris Martin)
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Outgoing Environment minister Ben Bradshaw has resurrected the old cloth versus disposable debate yet again by using the flawed 2005 Environment Agency report as an excuse to cut funding to real nappy initiatives.
As it was widely pointed out at the time, the comparison was hardly scientific as so many frankly ludicrous assumptions about real nappy usage had been built into the report. As most real nappies users would agree, and < href=“http://environment.guardian.co.uk/waste/story/0,,2117860,00.html”>Joanna Moorhead in the Guardian has wearily pointed out yet again, people don’t usually have more than about 25 real nappies, they don’t boil wash or tumble dry them, let alone iron them, and they use them for two or more children.
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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.
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The Independent has an article tucked away in its Environment section that I think should have been front-page news. The article covers the news that for the first time rice containing human genes is being grown commercially. The rice in question has been developed to grow two proteins found in human breast milk. The company behind the rice, Ventria Biosciences says it wants to use it to make baby milk and rehydration drinks to help children in the third world. This all sounds very commendable, until you really think about this.
[Via The Independent]
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Scottish cloth nappy company Tots Bots are about launch their first organic nappy. They acknowledge their Bamboozle is still the best washable nappy on the market, but there's no denying the time it takes to dry is still too long for some of us, so they've decided to make their regular cotton nappies organic. Due to the nature of the company, they feel using organic cotton is the next logical step for them, to ensure their products have the least impact on the environment. The new nappies will be available in white, unbleached and the trademark rainbow colours. No prices at the moment, but watch this space...
Related: Woolly Wraps for cloth bums | Plush Pants: a Cloth Nappy Library | Lollipop reusable nappies in cotton and silk
I recently did a review of Raw Gaia products and I was pleased to discover that following a recent packaging overhaul, they are taking any mention of de-aging, wrinkles, rejuvenation and such like, off their products, in a stand against the traditional marketing tactics of beauty product manufacturers.
Women are constantly made to feel inadequate about their appearance and advertising regularly reinforces these feelings, by supposing that we are all appearance obsessed. The sad reality is that many women are, because we live in a society that propagates stereotypes. We are exposed to adverts of preposterously unblemished air-brushed models and given the stark message that ageing skin is unsightly. In fact, one natural skin care company actually refers to wrinkles as being unsightly. One famous brand mentions the “fight against wrinkles” in their product blurb. Can we not just grow old gracefully?
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Every week now we seem to be getting press releases from major corporations and businesses telling us about their new green initiatives and strategies. The latest is Waitrose supermarket’s commitment to the environment. Waitrose has pledged that by 2010 all fruit, vegetables and flowers that are non-organic will be farmed to high environmental standards and will carry the LEAF Marque to certify this. This ensures farmers are working with the environment rather than against it. Good on Waitrose I say.
Whether it’s supermarkets telling us how they are saving the planet, or banks telling us about their eco-friendly credit cards, the list goes on. Does this show a genuine concern for the environment or is this merely a marketing exercise dreamt up by some smug advertising executive? Has big business acquired a conscience? I find that hard to believe, maybe I’m just an old cynic, but I am pretty sure there are very real financial incentives pushing this rush to go green, but I am equally sure there must be some very genuine individuals in many organisations pushing for change because they care about the environment.
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Yesterday, I opened up a bit of a can of worms when I tried to find cheap ways of dressing in an eco friendly and ethical way. And I'll be honest; the cheaper the items - whether organic, 'sweatshop free' or laying claim to any other eco-buzzword - the harder it is to find out just how green they really are. Organic certification, the Fairtrade logo and the new standards coming in for beauty products and restaurants do command a higher price-tag, and it's therefore no wonder we want to believe it when a shop offers us organic clothing for a tenner.
So what I want to put to you is that being green is a luxury. Much as we may want to do something, those of us on a tight budget will have to accept that until the excitement about being green dies down and it stops being fashionable again, we'll have to occasionally make choices we disagree with.
Or, are those who can afford to pay extra missing the point and forgetting that - with a bit of extra effort - it's quite possible to be green without falling for the hype. What have you done to go green that actually saved you money, or at least didn't leave you out of pocket?
Sainsbury's is really flying the green flag just now, particularly with regard to ethical issues; it recently became the first supermarket to stock only fairtrade bananas, and now the chain has opted to lead the way on another big wellfare concern: eggs.
Trading Director Miles Coupe (I'm sure there's a pun in there somewhere) has announced that the store will sell only free range eggs by 2012, and is doing all it can to phase out eggs from battery hens long before that date.
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