5 things I have done today to help the planet… [Day 008 – 22 May ’19]
The train keeps rolling, jump aboard if you want to help the planet.
Organic food, plastic cotton buds, Ethical Consumers and Twitter, Twitter, Twitter.
And for good measure it was World Biodiversity Day.
1. A 100% Organic Food Shop
Our family's goal is to go 100% organic.
We are always on the hunt for new organic products and new places to buy them from.
Fresh fruit and vegetables are always an issue. We can grow an increasing amount, but for a while yet we will still need to buy some.
Luckily we have a Co-operative supermarket not too many miles away that has a decent amount of organic fresh produce.
It isn't always available but today I got lucky and all the items I required were in stock.
I achieved a 100% organic food shop - fruit, veg, bread, cheese...
There is though the issue in the Co-op, as in all the supermarkets at present, of the excessive plastic packaging on organic products. I have started on that - but that is a different story.
2. Get those plastics right out of my ear
Although the UK Government these days seems to be totally and solely embroiled in the never ending mess of Brexit, it did manage to pop its head up today a do a bit of good for the environment.
In response to public concern and in a bid to limit ocean pollution, the UK government will be introducing new controls on single use plastic items next year. This will cover plastic straws, plastic drinks stirrers and plastic cotton buds...
We don't use straws or drinks stirrers so they are not an issue for us, but my daughters particularly do use cotton buds. So far they been plastic.
The news today prompted me to make an instant change.
We were needing some more cotton buds, and a quick search online found some bamboo and organic cotton ones.
If I hunted round a bit more I am sure I could find some a bit cheaper but for now the ones I have ordered are from a small family company called Alyn...
Here at Alyn, we aim to create renewable sustainable products that help protect the environment and preserve our planet for future generations. Our small family company offers high quality nature-friendly alternatives to conventional items. Alyn products are biodegradable, made from renewable raw materials and free of harmful plastics and synthetics. Even our packaging is 100% compostable!
3. The Ethical Consumer magazine is in the house
I mentioned a few days ago that I had subscribed to Ethical Consumer.
Today the magazine arrived in the post.
Although I already had online access to the digital copy, it is nice sometimes to sit down and browse through a real magazine.
And this magazine is well worth a browse, a full-on read and a total absorption.
There is so much fascinating, and important, stuff in there. The latest edition has in-depth studies of supermarkets, cat & dog food, cooking oil and paint. As well as a truck load of other interesting news.
If you have any desire to spend your money ethically and more sustainably you really should subscribe to this magazine.
It is £29.95 per year in the UK. Money very well spent.
If anyone in the UK would like a subscription to the magazine but really can't afford it I will buy them a subscription. All you have to do is make a '5 things I have done today to help the planet' post like this one every day for a month, and tweet about it with the hashtag 'five4theplanet'.
Of course they will have to be real things you are doing! I will make this offer for up to 3 people until the end of June.
4. Twitter - seems like a great tool for eco-campaigning
I have to date been a rather low key Twitter user.
Now I am moving up a gear.
I have started following accounts from various environmental, conservation and organic organisations.
It really is a great way to find out what is going on and to make contact with people.
And it is fast moving.
I am really getting into it.
Through Twitter just today I have found out about a campaign against a damaging oil exploration project in Cardigan Bay, about a new sustainable fashion event in Swansea, about the Seed Festival in Stroud and about the B Corporation business program.
5. The Daily Donation - World Biodiversity Day - WWF
Today was the United Nations sanctioned International Day for Biological Diversity.
Thank you to @mr-greens for alerting me to this.
Many organisations work to maintain and improve the biodiversity of the planet. But one of the most stand-out and long established is WWF.
Instantly recognisable by their iconic panda logo WWF work tirelessly to protect nature in the UK and all around the world.
Today I have sent my daily donation of £10 to WWF. According to their site that is enough to buy 40 seedlings for forests in Tanzania.
Wow, more than a week gone and I have kept up the daily challenge.
Each day I learn more and want to do more.
So much to do.
Never sure I am doing enough. But at least I've made a start.
[ images, in order, from unsplash.com, @pennsif, Ethical Consumer ]
Something I'm grateful for here, is that the organic produce section in our SA Foodland local supermarkets usually has loose selection, which is often a bit cheaper than the prepackaged ones. Many of them also provide paper bags for you to use, instead of the plastic ones. I think they're also getting used to those of us who bring our reusable produce bags. Currently, the other Australiawide supermarkets have little organic produce, if any, and what they have is usually packaged. Consisting we're supposed to be a backwater, the state is surprisingly advanced in this area. Maybe it's the rivalry between the states, but the South Aussies take pride in supporting SA local businesses when they can.
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That sounds ideal with Foodland. Hopefully some supermarkets here will start to pick up on this.
You've been visited by @thistle-rock from Homesteaders Co-op.
Oh, this is fantastic what you are doing, more people need to be this conscientious, but it takes a lot of persuasion to convert some people.
As you mentioned, there is a lot of plastic with the produce, we find that here too and I always find it annoying. The other day I was at our local grocery store who had corn on sale. The produce girl happened to be filling the bin so I asked her if there were any paper bags. She said "no, everybody just uses plastic". I mentioned to her they should have paper and she said that she noticed I had my own cloth bags with me, but of course, none big enough for the corn. I proceeded to the cashier to ask for a paper bag and came back with one and the produce girl said "Oh, there you go", I told her it only makes one person at a time to make a change and that I would have to put a suggestion into their suggestion box, to which she said she will mention it to her manager. I will be surprised if they will do this, but there is always hope.
Thank you for sharing this, I will check out the magazine online. Resteemed.
A community marketplace of ethical, handmade and sustainable products available for STEEM, SBD (and USD): https://homesteaderscoop.com/
follow: @homesteaderscoop
Most definitely. Just keep asking and hopefully one day they will listen and take action...
Inspired by your recent programme of posts to re-invest in a permanent travel coffee mug so I stop using the disposable coffee cups! Tomorrow I get 25p of my takeaway coffee as a result. Keep the coming.....
A very good place to start.
Do any of the outlets offer organic coffee?
I’m not sure I’ll have to keep checking that - I’m very keen to buy organic fruit and vedge but don’t generally look out for the organic badge on my coffee strangely. A good next step in the right direction thanks planting that seed.....
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Awesome!
My wife just started working for a new company and I believe their product is all organic. The one thing I always noticed was the cost. Always seemed so much more than non organic. Is it that way by you as well?
Generally organics will have a cost premium of 20%+.
I try to usually compensate by using less or cutting out altogether, and being more careful about wastage.