Fair's fair for everyone

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, if we are feeling the pinch, you can bet someone who grows crops on a smallholding several thousand miles away is being hit far harder.


The next two weeks are set aside as Fairtrade Fortnight, but buying coffee, bananas or tea with the Fairtrade mark isn't just about 'doing your bit' and feeling good about buying 'the right thing'.

There's a bigger picture, too.


The Fairtrade Foundation points out that the smallholders like Conrad James, pictured above, from St Lucia, could actually teach the rest of the world a thing or two about solving the food crisis and tackling poverty.


In villages like Conrad's, smallholders are often at the centre of community action and feeling. It's a very different scenario to bigger farms, where low-quality crops are sold straight from the field to impersonal middlemen and on to the West for a criminally low price.


In smaller-scale Fairtrade cooperatives, from Caribbean banana producers to Rwandan coffee growers, local people have more secure jobs and, if the crop (eg coffee) starts being processed on-site, the chance to learn different skills.


Small-scale cooperatives are also known for being innovative farmers. They want to know how to do things better, make things taste better. They have a vested interest in constantly researching new ways to improve productivity, such as making organic compost, or to add value, such as roasting coffee beans using traditional techniques.


Small organic farms have the power to turn around the economic fortunes of a village or an area, which then slowly spreads to more children going to school and more small businesses and shops springing up.


It's a model of economic revival that, with the right support, could have a worldwide knock-on effect. And these smallholders aren't small fry: some 450 million farming households cultivate two hectares or less, and with their families they make up a third of the world's population.

They count, and what they stand for counts, too.


Buying thoughfully benefits everyone, including ourselves. And it doesn't stop at bananas.

That's why I love the stuff at www.ecohip.org.

Steve and Gabrielle, the couple behind the site, have thought carefully about what they select: everything there, from shampoos to tea, is from small companies that care, too.

They are organic, eco-friendly and as close to nature as you can get.

Shame they don't sell bananas, too...

Photograph: Simon Rawles/Fairtrade
Visit www.fairtrade.org.uk for more on Fairtrade Fortnight

Cut off

It's official: snow has the power to bring the country to its knees.
Last Monday, like many people, I couldn't make it in to the office. No trains, full stop.
The kids headed for the park with sledges; I headed for the computer for some remote working.
A few hours later, a rogue piece of spyware sneaked in and hijacked my screen - which promptly went blank.
And stayed that way for the rest of the week.
The next day, the roads were clearer, but disaster number two struck. For the first time ever, our boringly reliable car wouldn't start.
I felt like I was undergoing a modern-day Luddite experience: no computer, no car, pavements still skiddy and icy so couldn't venture too far too fast.
Everything was being stripped back. After a while I just gave in to fate, and it was oddly comforting. No emails, no urge to Google useless websites, no deadlines to worry about.
It reminded me of powercuts when I was living abroad a few years ago. In the Pacific country where I spent three years as a teacher, 'blackouts' were regular occurance, especially during tropical storms.
Again, you'd suddenly be left with no computer, no lights, no TV, no CDs.
Plenty of candles and books, though. And the Guardian Weekly crossword, which could keep us going for days.
Returning to the West's full-on barrage of multimedia sensory overload, our candlelit crossword sessions seem quaint and a little antiquated. But they served a purpose at the time.
And they were a reminder that, sometimes, less is more. Simple can be good. If you've got less, less can go wrong.
This week, the computer is repaired. The car is fixed. But it's got me thinking about scaling back - not just economically but in terms of what we accumulate, sometimes without even thinking about it.
These days, there's all the more reason for making meaningful, informed choices about what we buy for ourselves and our homes.
That's why I love Ecohip's pages (www.ecohip.org): it's all good, useful stuff that you can buy with a clear conscience. Some things are fun, but not frivolous. I'd prefer to spend a tenner on something gorgeous and ecologically sound from there than run-of-the mill stuff from Boots.
I guess being back online isn't such a bad thing after all...

picture: http://www.freeimages.co.uk/

Say it with flowers

On the wooded common a short walk from our place, the first shoots of snowbells are starting to come up, and the ground is dotted with patches of vivid rich green moss.
Come spring, a sheltered bank of the woodland will be covered in a vivid haze of bluebells.
Scenes like this represent British nature at its best: wild flowers growing where they have for generations, for all to admire (without picking them).
But walk for 15 minutes in the other direction and you come to a petrol station. On the concrete forecourt there is a line of buckets containing bunches of luminous pink, yellow and red flowers wrapped in cellophane, looking exotic and out of place.
The West has an insatiable desire for out-of-season cut flowers, and Britain leads the pack. A third of the flowers we import are flown in from Kenya, racking up C02 emissions. Local activists have also reported that large-scale flower growing has damaged the Kenyan environment and village communities.
Human rights groups reported that valuable river water has been diverted from local villages to feed the West’s desire for year-round blooms.
In 2006 and 2007, journalist John Vidal wrote in The Guardian about how flower companies were accused of diverting water from the Ngiro river and lakes. It was conservatively estimated that at least 20,000 cubic metres of water a day were taken for flower farming.
A survey by a Kenyan school found that the maximum depth of one lake was just 3.7 metres - more than three metres below what it was in 1982. Combined with climate change, this was having a serious impact on the lives of local farmers.
Another big flower producer is the Netherlands - but buying Dutch blooms isn't much better from an environmental point of view. A study at Cranfield University compared the energy used in hot-housing Dutch flowers and flying in Kenyan ones. It concluded that, including the altitude effect on CO2, Dutch CO2 emissions were about 5.8 times larger than Kenyan CO2 emissions.
If this hasn't already wilted your desire for a Valentine's Day bunch of roses next month, read more about the nasties of flower farming, like pesticides and slave wages, in The Ecologist(http://www.theecologist.org/pages/archive_detail.asp?content_id=230).

But if you'd prefer a bit of feel-good relief, the good news is that there is an ethical, eco-friendly way to say it with flowers this Valentine's Day.

Ecohip has a stylish range of cards made from recycled paper that are infused with wildflower seeds - including one especially for Valentine's Day. When your loved one has finished displaying their card, all they have to do is put it in a sunny spot, spread a thin layer of soil on top and water it well. In 6-8 weeks a mini-bed of wildflowers will grow, serving as a lasting reminder of the blossoming love between you.
Brilliant: a Valentine with the kind of message you want to send. And it goes without saying that no flowers were picked or force-grown in the making of this card.
And aside from the eco benefits, sending a plantable card is so much more original and stylish than grabbing a bunch of gaudy flowers from the supermarket or petrol station forecourt... Check them out at http://www.ecohip.org/

Bluebell picture: http://www.freeimages.co.uk/

It's crunch time

You can't turn on the radio or open a newspaper these days without more news of redundancies. For anyone directly feeling the effects of the recession - and we're having to accept it is a recession rather than the rather more sound-bitey, touchy-feely phrase 'credit crunch' - it's a terrifying and potentially devastating prospect.

But without wishing to sound heartless, could the forced mass exodus of people from city centre jobs have a silver lining for the environment?
Of course, no-one forced out of their job or home is going to be rejoicing or, probably, giving a damn about global warming or carbon emissions. That's not their main priority right now. But if we take a more detached, big-picture view, the global recession could be an opportunity for a major rethink about the world of work and its impact on our lives - now and in the future.
Until recently, the message we've all been sold and have willingly bought into is that making money is what it's all about. As Gordon Gekko says in that Eighties classic Wall Street: "Greed is good."
Don't think about your carbon footprint as you drive your air-con pumping, fuel injected, gas guzzling 4x4 into the city centre every day. Don't think about those short-hop flights (after all, time is money) for work or weekends away. Don't even trouble yourself about the fast-disappearing green fields as you shut yourself behind the gates of your executive estate in commuterland.
We were all encouraged to just concentrate on the rewards: the status car, the exotic holidays and the 'dream' home. And if we got a bit stressed out in the process, or never saw our partner or kids, it was a small price to pay.
Except now, we're all living through the proof that greed isn't quite so good.
Either by circumstance or by choice, many of us actually have the opportunity to rethink our life priorities. Whether we like it or not, more of us will be spending more time at home, from those whose hours are cut to freelance home workers. But couldn't this be a chance to think about reintegrating into our communities, rather than dashing between home and office without exchanging words with our neighbours?
Plenty of people will have to cut their two-car-family habit - but might that not mean we'll all benefit from a reduction in carbon emissions and less traffic clogging up our streets?
Slashed incomes will probably rule out overseas holidays for many this year. But couldn't this be a chance to rediscover the wild countryside and culture on our doorsteps? OK, plenty of Britsh B&Bs have a way to go before they will rival hotels abroad, but there's a whole world of low-emission destinations out there, from wild Cornish beaches and Scottish islands to city gems like Canterbury and Edinburgh.
And counting the pennies could even mean that instead of buying air-freighted food from giant supermarkets (and then throwing away a third of it), more of us might support local shops. Heck, some are even planning to grow their own veg this year and councils report that applications for allotments are on the rise.
Suddenly, shopping and 'value' start to take on a different meaning. Buying eco-friendly products that genuinely work from small-scale companies (like the ones you see at www.ecohip.org) makes more sense (and gives a clearer conscience) than scooping up 3 for 2 factory-fodder piled high at the supermarket.
Those with kids who find themselves too stretched to fork out for a Wii or the next must-have gadget could even end up showing their offspring how to get back to basics, too - climbing trees in the woods, making bows and arrows or playing tennis in the real world instead of being wired up to a virtual world while slumped on the sofa.
Maybe this is utopian dreaming. Or maybe it's an opportunity to genuinely rethink our priorities and rewrite the rules. Out with a world that puts its faith in a morally bankrupt economy and in with one that actually gives a damn about people and the world we live in.

Picture: www.freeimages.co.uk

Can fashion have a conscience?

What's the mood on your local high street? Ours is looking a bit the worse for wear after the Christmas binge. For a start, Woolies, that stalwart of the British high street, now stands dark, empty and rather sad. Meanwhile, all the clothes shops scream ‘SALE’ and ‘UP TO 75% OFF!’ from their windows. It’s all a bit desperate.
So far, I’ve steered clear of the clothes sales. It’s not just credit crunch – I’m having a bit of a rethink on the fashion front.

A fashionable friend of mine once made a new year’s resolution not to buy new clothes for a year. She became an expert at spotting charity shop bargains, swapping dresses with her sister and digging deep into the back of her wardrobe for forgotten cast-offs. And I didn’t even notice: for the full 12 months she was as well turned out as ever.
I’m not planning on going completely cold turkey, like her. I will probably succumb to a new pair of boots this January (well, it is snowing as I type this) and treat myself to feel-good beach dress when summer finally comes around. But I’m going to try to stick to ethical and organically produced items - and steer clear of sweat-shop fodder.
I confess, I’ve done the Primark thing: come home with armfuls of fluffy sweaters without really questioning how they sell them so cheaply. Because, even though high street shops and supermarkets have now been forced to look more carefully at their suppliers’ working conditions, there’s no getting around the fact that these days, clothes are valued for being cheap and disposable.
Whether it’s a T-shirt or a pair of bootleg jeans, the high street gives you a fast fix – something to wear once or twice and then consign to the landfill. So much so that the Environment Select Committee tells us that in the last five years, the proportion of textile waste at council tips has risen from 7 per cent to 30 per cent.
But for a good few years now, ethical and organic clothes companies have slowly but surely been telling a different story. Finally, they are making an impact. And if you suspect I’m talking about shapeless hemp shirts rather than on-trend clothes, take a look at the likes of People Tree (www.peopletree.co.uk) or Howies (right, www.howies.co.uk).
These clothes don’t just look good – they are good news for everyone. The suppliers get paid a fair wage for their product and don’t have to work with hazardous dyes, bleaches or production processes. And, even if the clothes cost a bit more than a supermarket bargain, there are good reasons why. Clothes made from quality, fairtrade-certified fabrics will keep their shape and last far longer than one season.
For more and more of us, fashion in 2009 is going to be about buying thoughtfully. About choosing two key investment pieces that will last several years, rather than eight slightly dodgy items that don’t make it into 2010.
That’s my resolution anyway. Even if Primark doesn’t notice I’ve gone (after all, they take up to £600,000 a day at their Marble Arch store alone), change has to start somewhere. And while I might feel the pinch in 2009, you can bet that someone working in a clothes factory in Bangladesh for 7p an hour will be feeling it far more.

For more information, the Guardian has an ethical fashion directory at www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/page/ethicalfashiondirectory.

Pictures: People Tree and Howies (T-shirt)

Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater...

Eco-awareness can strike at the most unexpected times. This weekend, I emailed my friends Chris and Denise, who are expecting their first baby in four weeks. I wished them luck – and added, as an afterthought: "PS: Whatever you do, don’t bother buying a baby bath. "Everyone does, but you don’t need one. They are big, ugly and plastic and just get in your way and you’ll never need it."

Chris emailed me back within five minutes: "Thanks for the great advice. Sadly, a large yellow baby bath is one of the first things we bought. I’m already banging my knee on it every time I get out of bed…"

I confess I was just the same when I had my first baby – and probably committed more eco sins that I care to remember. You make your way from shop to shop, clutching a list of ‘must-haves’ that ranges from cumbersome pieces of changing equipment to itty-bitty clothes and mysterious lotions and potions.
The driving force is partly hormones – that famous ‘nesting’ instinct, which hits men as well as women. It turns even the most laid-back shopper into a frenzied consumer, as if your life depends on finding a changing mat with a hopping bunnies motif or a musical mobile that promises to lull babies to sleep. Think panic buying on Christmas Eve to the power of 20.
But it’s not just hormones to blame for this mass spending spree. From the moment that magical line appears on a pregnancy test, you are bombarded with messages that you must spend, spend, spend. This is before your baby has even uttered its first cry, let alone learned to say "I want" (which leads you on whole new adventures in consumer land…).
Yes, there are accessories that make life easier (My Baby Bjorn sling became like a second skin) and products you couldn’t do without (Green Baby’s Petroleum Free Jelly zaps nappy rash – and feels a whole lot better than smearing a byproduct of the oil industry on your baby’s bottom). But there are a truckload of unnecessary things on offer that just clutter up your life.
For me, buying a baby bath was a classic case of us putting consumerism before what really matters when you have a baby. In the end, both my babies were fine - and felt far more safe and reassured - sitting between a parent’s knees in our big bath. What’s more, shelling out for these throwaway items (often made from non-recyclable plastic) not only empties your pockets, it also has an impact on the environment - and your baby certainly isn’t going to thank you for that.
But the good news is there are plenty of ways to be an ecohip parent, without sacrificing style – or the planet. All it takes is rethinking a few ideas, and you’ll all be richer in every sense.
Oh, and don’t let yourself feel guilt about not giving your baby ‘the best’. If you’re parenting with care, love and consideration, that’s the real deal, not buying up half the stock of ToysRUs.

Ecohip’s top 5 ways to be a green parent:
1 New isn’t always best
Suddenly your home will be full of ‘stuff’, from cots to car seats, buggies to baby carriers. Before you shell out, try NCT sales (see www.nct.org for branches), eBay (www.ebay.co.uk) Freecycle (www.freecycle.org) or My Skip (www.myskip.com) to give a nearly-new item a new lease of life. If you want to buy new, go for furniture (eg high chairs) made out of sustainably forested wood rather than plastic. The only things you are recommended to always buy new are car seats (there’s no way of knowing if it’s been in an accident) and cot mattresses (there’s a possible link between second-hand cot mattresses and sudden infant death syndrome).
2 Buy feel-good clothes
A lot of high street clothes for babies and children are made out of synthetic fabrics that can trigger allergies, use potentially toxic dyes and are sourced from sweatshops overseas, where workers (often children) are paid a pittance. Go for organic cotton clothes or fairtrade items. Quality items will often last longer (or can be passed on to someone else) than ‘cheap as chips’ brands. Charity shops and nearly-new sales often yield great items that have barely been worn.
3 Play safe
Old-fashioned wooden toys or soft toys made out of organic material get our vote. After all, the first thing a baby does with a toy is put it in their mouth to test its texture. And what would you prefer your baby to chew on: organic wool or a plastic Fimble? When they get to the toddler stage, swap toys between friends or join a toy library to cut down on crowding out your house with huge items that only get played with once.
4 Cook in bulk
Keep shop-bought organic jars and pots of baby food for when you’re on the go. At home, bulk cook favourite veggie and fruit purees, and freeze in ice trays.
5 Pass it on
If you’ve finished with something that was really useful, pass it on to a friend or put it in a nearly new sale (NCT ones are well organised, and you just donate a percentage of the money you make). But I’m not making any promises you’ll be able to get rid of that hulking yellow baby bath…

What was the most unnecessary thing you bought for your baby – or the one thing you couldn’t do without? Let us know…

Image: http://www.freeimages.co.uk/

What Everybody Ought to Know About Earwax

Earwax to keep or not to keep that is the question? The feeling of putting a cotton bud or Q-tip in the ear to remove earwax can be described as comforting, but are we doing any good?

The answers is not really as the earwax can be pushed down the canal and form a blockage. This can cause pain, pressure, itching, odours, ringing, ear discharge and hearing loss.

As earwax is not formed near the eardrum if one gets a build up there it can only be from probing.

Earwax should migrate outwards, its purpose is to carry dirt and debris with it, so using a Q-tip will just push this dirt back in which your body is trying to remove. It is therefore a important secretion to protect your ear.

Water can get in your ear canal -- whilst say swimming or taking a shower, for example.

Earwax As a Part of Our Protection System

The function of earwax will cause the water to bead up and move
away from your eardrum. Then the slipperiness of the wax encourages the water to run out of the canal.
Earwax is slightly acidic, which reduces bacterial or fungal growth in the moist, dark ear canal. Less earwax = more ear infections.

It's part of the body's self-cleaning system. No maintenance is required at all, except as earwax slowly migrates towards the opening of the ear canal and comes off.

Removing Earwax

If you want, you can take a washcloth and, using your finger, gently wash the opening of your ear.

So don't poke a cotton swab into your ear. A swab may remove a little wax, but it's also likely to push some deeper into the ear canal which is hourglass-shaped, and can create a plug that won't come out on its own.

So the problem is created by Q-Tips that send millions of people each year to the doctor.

Some people do produce large amounts of earwax. If your ear canal keeps getting clogged, you may need to see your doctor and have it removed.

This will most likely be removed with jets of carefully-controlled water to rinse out the ear canal and remove impacted wax. Ear specialists use a magnifying scope and a small instrument to remove wax.

How To Clean Earwax

There are some kits containing wax dissolving drops and a rubber sucking syringe that you can buy in the pharmacy but please follow directions and under supervision.