Until recently, milk that came in anything other than a glass bottle, delivered by a cheery, red-faced chap called 'Ernie' seemed to be too much for most Brits to take in (we even had to make a how-to video on handling milk pouches). But Sainsbury's has opted to follow the example set by Waitrose last year, and will start selling milk in recyclable plastic bags from today.
The thinking behind the move is the switching to refill bags such as these could reduce milk packaging waste by up to 75 percent, which would remove an estimated 100,000 tons of plastic waste from landfills. The big question is, of course, how consumers will take to the 'udder style' milk bags. Have you been buying milk presented this way in Waitrose, and will you continue to do so?
[Via Sustainable Is Good]
If you're in the habit of wrapping up your leftover food and turning it into lunch, you're already helping the planet by not letting valuable resources go to waste.
But if you're using cling film every time you do this, you're also getting through quite a hefty amount of plastic. By switching to a reusable sandwich wrapper like Wrap-N-Mat, you'll take all that plastic out of circulation, while keeping your food just as fresh. On sale via Onya Bags, the Wrap-N-Mat also serves as a handy placemat when it's opened out. No crumbs...neat!
Related: How to make your own reusable sandwich wrap
After gaining fairtrade acreditation for all its retail products, sugar giant Tate & Lyle is looking to join forces with several large confectionary companies hoping to mass-produce fairtrade sweets.
This is great news for anyone with a sweet tooth who wants to support fair working conditions. A spokeswoman for the fairtrade foundation said of the potential deals (which are still shrouded in some secrecy) they are 'fantastic news' and that the size of Tate & Lyle's industrial sugar production meant it would have a very significant impact if it was converted.
[Via The Guardian]
Nothing is more evocative of summer than the smell of sizzling barbeque food (even if you happen to be veggie). But how green is this form of outdoor cooking? The answer is it can be either decidedly ungreen, or not bad at all depending on which methods and fuel types you choose...
Lucy Sigel has given some good tips in this article on how to reduce the impact of your barbeque; the main point being that you should avoid the modern sort that pump out vast quantities of gas or electricity and ensure you use sustainable charcoal. A traditional, charcoal-burning model is the greener choice, and I love the fact that she mentions the best barbeque she ever had was cooked on a customised wheelbarrow.
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We're in for a 'scorcher' this summer, apparently, and for many this means gallons of decidedly un-green bottled water in the fridge. So why not decide to ban the bottle in your home this year and opt for a water chiller that filters tap water instead?
I've been researching water chillers for the office, and the Aqua Fountain filter by Brita caught my eye as one of the better looking designs that would be ideal for the kitchen. It's notoriously difficult to get kids to drink plenty of water in the heat, but I'm sure that this table-top gizmo with its funky illumination will pique their interest.
I've been veggie since I was seven years old, but I'm not too proud to admit that the smell of sizzling bacon still gets my juices going, and that I sometimes get mad cravings for protein. I've never caved in and gone back to the 'pleasures of the flesh', but my success is at least in part due to the abundance of meat-imitating products out there that more than make up for the lack of animal products in my diet.
So if you're considering going veggie this week but are concerned about missing out on your favourite meaty treats, here's my top five veggie product that will make the transition almost effortless.
Follow the jump for the full list
1. Linda McCartney Veggie Sausages
Before Linda's range appeared on the shelves, most veggie sausages were little more than mashed up veg squished into a rather anaemic looking sausage shape and sold mostly in dusty health food shops. I'm still occasionally partial to a well-made vegetable-based sausage, but if it's a greasy fry-up you want or some substantial sausages to go with your mash and veggie gravy, it's got to be Linda McCartney's every time. Made from soya protein and gently flavoured to be much like 'real' bangers, the sausages are the one items I always make sure I have in my freezer.
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Ben & Jerry's has added another classic flavour to its family of fairtrade ice creams: Chunky Monkey has become the latest variety to be granted certification.
If you've not had the pleasure of sampling it, Chunky Monkey is a mix of cream and chocolatey bananas, with chunky walnuts thrown in too. Ben & Jerry's is now working with the El Guabo banana producers' assocation in Ecuador, whose Vice-President Silvia Arevalo said: 'thanks to this co-operative, lives have been changed. Our farmers have guaranteed European sales for their bananas at a stable price all year round. If you want a fairer world you can make it happen...by helping disadvantaged producers, buying their products and spreading the Fairtrade message.'
Great to know that my favourite aspect of summer indulgence can now be entered into with a clear(er) conscience; the only question I want to ask is where on earth are they going to fairtrade monkeys? ;-p
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