I've made the pledge, have you?

In a bid to do more to help the earth, reduce my impact on it and make sure I'm supporting ethical business I've made the pledge, for the rest of this year from today I'm only buying handmade goods. If you can't do this, I encourage you to read more about how you can reduce your consumption and have ethical products in your home!



p.s. Thanks to a more green and simple life for the link!
Next stop, ethical banking - currently in research mode, hoping to switch all money over to ethical funds in the next month or so!

A big CONGRATULATIONS are in order!!!

My wonderful friend met her daughter for the first time in the last couple of weeks and is now home from Ethiopia after a long adoption process with her darling baby girl, who as everyone can see is all smiles!
What a special family you make, a BIG Congratulations!

I can die happy...!

Your IQ Is 120

Your Logical Intelligence is Exceptional Your Verbal Intelligence is Genius Your Mathematical Intelligence is Exceptional Your General Knowledge is Above Average

A Quick and Dirty IQ Test

Mensa anyone?

Easy 10 Tips for a more eco friendly life brought to you by SNOW!

So, I'm snowed in, well actually not snowed in per se, but unable to get to my holiday destination due to road closure. Thankfully everyone was helpful and I'm able to get a booking to leave in the morning instead. So, I thought I'd do a post I've been thinking of for some time, the 10 easy changes I made to live a more eco friendly life!

1. Switched from regular dishwashing liquid and detergents to eco friendly ones. Most supermarkets stock them, I personally enjoy ecover

2. Switched all light bulbs in the house to environmentally friendly ones

3. Committed to understanding that cheap clothing = not only modern day slave labor, but also process' that hurt the environment. Therefore I not only save money but stop contributing to slave labor and unethical process'.

4. Began buying Fairtrade tea & coffee, eventually moved on to purchasing all fairtrade products available including many fruits and clothing

5. Stopped leaving things plugged in and on stand by. If it's plugged in, it means I am watching or listening to it, if I'm not it's unplugged!

6. Switched to purchasing organic food. Began with meat & dairy in the year 2000, moved onto fruit and veg (2001), now including all grains (2003) and officially needed to stop buying organic meat and dairy in 2008.

7. As hinted above, became a vegan. Now, I should say, that I began by going back to being a vegetarian, the vegan bit was a natural progression. Reasons were partly due to the environmental impact of livestock, partly due to health reasons (toxins, pesticides, cancer rates) and a big factor was the ethics. I suddenly realized how very hypocritical it was for me to cry hearing a story of horses being transported across Europe for slaughtering, when I was in fact eating animals myself (and no, I wasn't eating horses). I do believe that people can make choices to eat meat more ethically. I believe in Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall's campaign to educate people into eating free range organic meats instead of factory bread animals who have no space to move, live in horrific conditions etc. You can read more about their campaign here

8. I invested in good, sturdy reusable bags to pack my groceries in and they are still going strong eight years and three countries later. My bags do not promote those same shops that want us to think they are doing something, when in actual fact they remain with their unethical practices. Most of the bags I have are fairtrade or made directly from artists in developing countries who get a fair pay for their work.

9. I started purchasing 90% of my gifts for people from charities and foundations offering good gifts. I get most of my things from World Vision, Toybox and Oxfam

10. I stopped buying paper towels, wet wipes, baby wipes and anything else disposable (don't get me started on the disposable nappy/diaper industry!) Instead I invested about £10 = $20 in purchasing good fairtrade cloth and knit some dish clothes and then also purchased mini flannels. These have lasted me 5 years and must have saved me at least $500 by now!

11. Only wash clothes when they really need it (jeans for instance as well as towels and PJ's can be used many times before needing washing) the exception is more personal items like underwear. I also reduced the temperature in the washing machine to 30 degrees and hang clothes to dry as much as possible.

My next two tasks are to start using the mooncup & moonrabbits (gulp!) and start growing my own fruit and veggies in an allotment

I leave you with this article

Please consider signing this petition so that animals used for meat are kept in ethical living conditions

p.s. yes I know I gave 11, I just can't help myself :)

Where in the world was I?

Judging from these photos, my guess would be either Cuba or Spain. I walked through the front door of the hotel to a wonderful old world Latin flavour. A mix of Havana and Andalusia were upon me. Every corner of the hotel was well thought out and planned fitting in with the theme. The hotel included an "honesty bar" which allowed patrons to help themselves to a variety of alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages, with a little sheet and slate pencil to record your takings. Of course, I was in neither Cuba or Spain, but instead London. The only give away was breakfast (home made smoothies - the best I have ever tasted, croissants, organic oatmeal and yogurt) and of course the view of the London Eye from the window.

While this was mainly a business trip, I did enjoy a 2.5 hour boat ride down the Thames, lunch with friends at some of the best restaurants London has to offer as well as WAGAMAMA and enjoyed yet more celebrity sightings! And of course being asked out by 4 different men in 4 days was quite the experience too! I did say no to all 4 for a few different reasons!

Off on hols tomorrow, will reveal where once I'm back. Too paranoid of psycho to post in advance.

A reminder for all those in the UK, the Guardian has a guide to growing your own vegetables in the Saturday paper today with part 2 in the Observer tomorrow.