ethics just as important as the earth

A new survey by The Body Shop indicates that in spite of the economic climate, ethics are as important as price with today's consumers. I'd have to disagree, given the cars I see streaming out of Walmart every weekend, but I digress...

In Canada the findings revealed that 77% of consumers are making more purchasing choices based on the corporate behaviour and ethics of a company than they were five years ago, and 40% of those polled say that they make those decisions on a weekly basis.

However, 35% said price and value is their criteria for purchase -- aha, the Walmart shoppers!

Shelley Simmons, Director of Brand & Values Initiatives for The Body Shop: "A growing number of people are demanding more from the businesses that produce and sell the goods they buy. Not only do they feel they have the right to a high quality product, they want to know that the company they buy from is transparent and honest about how those goods reach the shelves."

"They want the story behind the product that assures them that the company has treated its suppliers fairly and that it has done its best to take into account its impact on the environment; and that perhaps someone has actually benefited from the manufacture of that product."

"The retail world is going to have to take notice of this powerful group of consumers. If they respond to the expectations of the eco-shopper everyone will benefit: Customers, suppliers, the planet and the businesses themselves. It is a win-win for everyone."

We can only hope the yellow roll-back guy doesn't get to them first.

B is for biking to school

Great article from Vivian Song of Sun Media on the ABCs of going back to school in a green way.

A new school year means a fresh new start that can include greening your kids' daily curriculum. Here are the ABCs for parents, students and teachers on how to become eco-friendly.

A is for apple.

Canada exports approximately 50,000 tonnes of fresh apples annually, mostly to the U.S. About 62 per cent of Canadian exports are from BC, while 26 per cent originate from Ontario. Meanwhile, Canada imports apples year-round from the U.S. Chile, South Africa, New Zealand and Argentina.

Folly? Yes. So send a message to apple farmers, and shine a locally-grown apple for your favourite teacher.

V is for Vintage and Q is for questioning claims that could be greenwashing - we love it. Full article here

food for thought

The recent outbreak of listeria in processed foods has many thinking plenty about just where our food comes from.

I read an interesting editorial today about this very thing:

Michael Den Tandt wrote "Increasingly, Canadians are hyperaware of what they eat. This is partly a result of higher food prices. It's partly due to the childhood obesity epidemic. And it's partly due to greater concern about health, driven by baby boomers who are trying to extend their active life spans.

Mainly though, the trend is driven by the Green movement. Concern about food quality and safety is a sibling of the fight against climate change."

I don't think I'm alone in thinking that it's unbelievable that Maple Leaf Foods has over 2oo products on recall. I mean...200? It just boggles the mind that there were that many in the first place.

Full story here

100 Mile Diet

school! it's coming! get your supplies!

Retailers have been telling us to hurry up and get our back-to-school supplies since school let out, but now we really are getting close.

Happily, 85 per cent of Canadian parents will consider buying environmentally friendly products while back-to-school shopping for their school-age children*.

Here's our list of cool things we'd fill our hemp backpacks with:

• recycled binder
  
• solar calculator
  
• recycled exercise books (manufactured in Canada!)
  
• unbleached cotton pencil case
  
• recycled copy paper
  
• gen pens made from cell phones and headlights
  

*According to a July 2008 STAPLES Business Depot survey. STAPLES offers more than 2,000 eco-friendly items at their locations across Canada, and online.

slow but sure

Sailing the high seas with cargo is becoming an attractive alternative to traditional container ships nowadays, given the high cost of fuel.

It's estimated that the carbon emissions are just one-seventh when compared to a typical container ship. Diesel fuel is still required for the tricky maneuvering in ports and generators are used for the navigational equipment on board.

The Kathleen and May (pictured above) is just one really cool example of this new trend...'the slow movement.' She recently transported her precious cargo of 21,000 bottles of wine from Languedoc to Dublin.

Whether it be in response to fuel prices or the real desire to cut back on carbon emissions, this slow movement is sure to pick up speed (no pun intended!).

Full story: Treehugger

stoop and bio-scoop

I'm fortunate enough to be dogsitting a friend's adorable Yorkie, and while his poop is small, I felt terrible yesterday as I only had a regular plastic grocery bag kicking around.

A quick stop by the pet store and I scored some compostable dog waste bags from Biobag.

The bags do not contain any polyethylene-based ingredients, so they are 100% biodegradable and 100% compostable.

These babies decompose within 40 days in a well-functioning composting environment, so they're a great alternative to normal plastic bags that take more than 100 years to decompose.

simple we are not

There was a time, not so long ago, when being 'green' went by another, not so sexy word - frugal. Years ago I happily discovered the simplicity movement. Books like 'The Simple Living Guide' and 'Your Money or Your Life' made me consider spending and consuming in an entirely new way.

It made sense that scaling down and buying less meant I could work less, have more free time, and worry less about the things I had to insure and clean and use. Unfortunately, the concept of reducing and reusing (i.e. being frugal) didn't catch on in the real world - maybe people were afraid of being called cheap.

Fast forward a few years and being 'eco-friendly' is all the rage. But it's not frugal, nor is it simple.

Take the urban mom I saw today: burlap-bag-with-clever-eco-slogan slung over her shoulder, inquiring as to the distance the overpriced cheese before her travelled, while her child sat in a ridiculously oversized made-in-China branded stroller sucking on the straw of a non-recyclable juice box.

Ironic, no?

The point is, we can't buy our way to a better planet. It's not sexy, but having less and using less is the only way to go. Spread the word people.

carbon neutral music

From our friends at the daily green, here's today's 'one thing' - see a show by a musician that's going green.

If you enjoy live music, think of the substantial footprint - staging, signage, costumes, tour buses, and lights, not to mention the pounds of food wrappers, cans and other garbage left behind at the venue.

Radiohead's Thom Yorke has been taking the issue of global warming to the fans, while Coldplay innovated by making their CDs carbon neutral. Scottish sensation KT Tunstall tours in buses fueled with biodiesel...read on

Support homegrown talent too, like the Barenaked Ladies and Sarah Harmer. (Jack Johnson is American, but pictured for his green efforts and good looks ;)