First published October 2020 As discussed in the previous blog, Ethical Consumer week is coming up at the end of October. Last time, we looked at some of the national and online shops where you can buy clothes which are kinder to the planet. However, Bristol itself, which has been a FairTrade City since 2005, is a great place for shopping with both the environment and ethics in mind. Plus of course buying local means you can pop down to the shops on your bike, rather than paying for lorries to move goods around the country. Here are some of my top picks for ethical shopping in Bristol. Arts and crafts: Room 212 Independent art and gallery shop Room 212 on Gloucester Road sells arts and crafts made by local people, including its owner Sarah Thorp. This shop features a gallery space at the back where artists have their own areas to display their work. The shop offers a range of Bristol-related prints, jewellery and gifts, meaning it’s the perfect place to buy birthday or Christmas presents for your loved ones. You can also order the prints online and either have them dropped round to you or go and pick them up. The shop is described as ‘fiercely independent’ and is partially run by the local artists who sell their work there. Sarah says: I strongly believe in encouraging people to shop local within their community, think about the products they buy and reduce waste and packaging. Zero waste shops There are a host of zero waste shops in Bristol. My favourite is Nom Wholefoods, who are a delivery service rather than a physical shop. Nom currently deliver to BS4, BS5, BS7, BS15, BS16, BS30, BS31 and BS36. However, they are looking to expand this catchment area, so get in touch with them if you live elsewhere and want to use their services. Nom sell beans, pulses, coffee, herbs and spices, nuts and seeds, bathroom products and face masks. They will deliver in either paper bags or glass jars, which they will then refill. They will also refill your laundry detergent for you, meaning you can reuse those pesky plastic bottles. Photo by Tim Hüfner on Unsplash Other zero waste shops in Bristol include Smaller Footprints, Preserve, Scoopaway and Zero Green. Clothes Brothers We Stand is a shop that sells men's clothes made ethically and created to last. Each item of clothing sold in store has a label which details its social and environmental impact, offering you a transparent window on what it is you’re buying. You can read more about their vision here. You can order their clothes online, but they also have a physical store in Whapping Wharf. In a world that can be dominated by clothes for women, it’s great to see something for the men out there as well. Brothers We Stand sells funky, colourful shirts, cosy looking hoodies and even has a range of vegan belts and wallets. Buying your clothes second hand is always going to be more ethical than buying new as it avoids landfill and means fabric is reused. Fortunately, there is a dizzying array of second hand shops in Bristol. My personal recommendation is to get down to Cotham Road in Clifton, where there are multiple options. You can also pick up books, records, DVDs and games in these shops, as well as clothes. Food: Owwee Vegan, Old Market Assembly, Root Bristol has been crowned as the World’s number one city for vegans three years in a row, meaning it’s super easy to eat delicious food which hasn’t harmed the planet or any animals in almost any area of the city. As a vegan and lover of dinner myself, I would personally recommend the vegan options at Dangun, the burgers at Quay Street Diner and the wraps at Baba Ganoush. Additionally the Old Market Assembly offer delicious food from a seasonal and sustainable flexitarian menu. These guys say they are ‘passionate about showcasing local supplier produce with creative, flavourful dishes we create everything fresh in house’. They offer veggie, vegan and meat dishes, meaning you don’t have to go entirely plant-based to eat here. Photo by Yoav Aziz on Unsplash
Did you know: Bristol was the first council in the UK to declare a climate emergency, back in 2018?
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First published September 2020 You may well have heard about the damage that fast fashion is doing to the planet. The West’s appetite for new clothes is harmful to people, animals and the planet. Indeed, it has been claimed that the fashion industry emits more carbon than international flights and maritime shipping combined. The fashion industry accounts for 10% of humanity’s carbon outputs, uses more than its fair share of water and damages the oceans by releasing plastic when clothes are washed. With the advent of shops like Primark, clothes have less and less value, meaning a huge percentage of formerly fawned over outfits end up in landfill. Plus there is the human cost of poorly treated workers who slave to make these clothes, sometimes losing their lives to do so, as highlighted by the horrific events of 2013, when the Rana Plaza factory collapsed, killing at least 1,132 people and injuring thousands more. Ethical Consumer Magazine are holding their annual Ethical Consumer Week later this month, from October 24th-30th. This is a week of panels and workshops designed to help businesses and individuals make more ethical choices in the future. So what can you do if you need some new clothes and want to avoid contributing to the climate emergency? Firstly, ask yourself if you really do need anything new. Is there something in the back of your wardrobe you forgot about? Can you put a belt round that dress so that it looks like something new? Has your flatmate got something you can borrow? Photo by Md Salman on Unsplash Sometimes, the answer to all those things is no. And that’s OK - you still have ethical options ahead of you. Buying second hand is a great option. Bristol is chocca with fantastic charity shops, particularly in Clifton. Additionally, you tick the ‘used’ option on eBay, you can find great second-hand outfits for any occasion. Mending or repairing clothes you’d given up on is another option. Can you sew or patch some old favourites? back to life? If you’re not a dab hand with the machine, you could contact one of the local sewing geniuses on our website, such as Victoria Dry Cleaners in central Bristol, Sew Much More in Easton or Direct Dry Cleaners, Brunel Tailoring or Daddy Alterations, all on Gloucester Road. If you’ve tried all of those options and still can’t find the right dress for that special wedding or shirt for that important interview, there are some high-quality, eco-options for buying new clothes. Ethical Consumer have a great resource which goes into detail here, but let’s have a look at some of my favourites. Lucy and Yak are my favourites from the Ethical Consumer list. Lots of my mates own dungarees (see image to the left) made by this company, and I’ve felt very envious of their comfy yet stylish lounge-ability. The dungarees are unisex, but the rest of the collection, which includes fabulously colourful trousers, pinafore dresses and polka dot socks, is for women only. As another plus point, while ethical clothes are always going to be more expensive than fast fashion, the prices here are not too eye-watering. If you avoid Primark for a couple of months, you might find you have enough left over for a £54 pair of dungarees without having to smash too many piggy banks. Thought Clothing have collections for men and women, as well as sale section so tempting I nearly broke my own pledge of buying no new clothes in 2020. They set out to protect people and the environment with their clothes, which are simple, stylish and made to last. Finally, Greenfibre Organic deserve a mention as they sell sustainable items for your kitchen, bathroom and bedroom as well as having clothes for men, women and children. Some of the pyjamas on this site look especially snuggly and delicious. If you do decide to buy new, look out for clothing that uses organic cotton and is fair trade, and avoid vicose clothing, which is hugely damaging to the planet.
Good luck out there - let us know how you get on with your forays into slower fashion! Did you know: It takes 2000 gallons of water to grow enough cotton to make a pair of jeans. First published August 2020 Easier Than You Think is about the individual actions we can take to help fight climate change. However, as we all know, individual actions are not enough to change the world. If they were, trust me, I’d have a lot more ponies and a lot less rain in my life! There is a perfect opportunity to do just that this week – you can write to your MP about the Climate and Ecological Emergency (CEE) bill. This is a bill that’s been created by activists, scientists and policy experts. If it passes, the bill will force the UK government to create an enact a serious plan to deal with all of our emissions - those we keep at home and those we palm off overseas. Photo by Fabian Burghardt on Unsplash We can't hope for technology to be invented that will save the day. We're running out of time and need to act now; the crazy extremes of weather we've seen in Bristol in the past few weeks are evidence of that. I believe that one of the best ways to enforce real change is through a citizen's assembly (which the CEE calls for) since some of the decisions that will need to be taken could be political suicide for any party. Although of course others may well prove hugely popular – who didn’t enjoy the cleaner air and quiet streets in the first few weeks of lockdown? The bill is supported by Caroline Lucas, environmental writer Rob Hopkins and environmental academic Bill McKibben. And by me! There are several ways you could contact your MP to ask them to support the CEE. You could write a letter, send an email or give them a ring. If you’re unsure, this handy website will tell you who your MP is. When writing to your MP, it’s best to pen something yourself rather than copying and pasting an email, as this means it’s more likely that your concerns will be read. However, it can be hard to know what to say. Here’s the email I wrote my lovely MP Kerry McCarthy, to give you an example of how this can be done. Start off by telling your MP who you are and, if possible, making it clear that you know a bit about who they are. If they are doing good work to help fight climate change, thank them. If they’re not, don’t be rude or aggro; it won’t help the cause. If you don’t know where your MP stands on climate change, have a look at how they have voted about the issue previously on this website. I am one of your constituents, and I'm writing to you to ask you to support the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill (the CEE). We've emailed before about several issues, including the frequent flyer tax, so I know you're dedicated to fighting climate change. Thank you for all you are doing for the planet. Talk a bit about why you care about this issue. Are you worried about your family, friends abroad, animals, the developing world? Tell your MP about this. I am terrified by climate change. In the past months, we've seen some of the highest temperatures on record in the UK, followed by devastating winds and rain. We can't hide from the truth anymore - climate change is coming. It's going to make our lives difficult, and the lives of our children unthinkable. Of course, it’s already wreaking havoc in the developing world, as a result of the consumption habits of the West, which is so shameful. Photo by Carolyn V on Unsplash Tell them why you’re emailing – and again, make it personal if you can. I'm going to guess that you already know about and support the CEE bill - but just in case, I'll tell you a bit about it. The bill is a call for the UK to make and (crucially!) stick to an urgent and serious plan for dealing with our emissions; ALL of our emissions, both those at home and those we palm off overseas. The bill also calls for the protection and conservation of nature and a recognition of the damage we do through our consumption habits. End your email with a call to action and more thanks; either for their hard work, or just for reading your letter. Please do all you can to get this bill passed - the planet needs us to act. Thank you again for all the hard work you do, And then sign your name. If you would prefer to call your MP, that’s great – apparently that has more impact. Personally, I get a bit flustered on the phone – written words are way more my thing than spoken ones – but the few times I have gathered up my courage and called an MP, they’ve always been polite and open to listening to what I have to say. Good luck, and let us know how you get on in the comment box below! Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
Did you know: The Extinction Rebellion protests of 2019 had a direct impact on the UK’s announcement that we are in a climate emergency. Protesting can work! First published August 2020 Thanks to dear old David Attenborough, we all know that single-use plastics are the work of the devil. Some single use plastics are pretty easy to ditch - we can all saw no to straws down the pub or pick up loose apples instead of those wrapped in plastic in the supermarket. Others are rather harder to replace - including those in the bathroom. Shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, razors - all of these thing tend to come in plastic. Of course, one option is just to give up washing entirely, but for the sake of your friends and family, it might be a good idea try to think outside of that particular box. I decided to aim for a plastic-free bathroom about a year ago. I’m not all the way there yet, but I have made some good discoveries which I shall share with you in this blog. Switching shower gel for soap is a super-easy first step. You might need to shop around to find a soap that lathers up in the way you want it to, but there are lots out there to choose from. Lots of options are even made right here in Bristol, including Margaret May and Made in Fishponds soaps. There’s also a wide range of shampoo bars out there these days. I personally love Lush’s Jason and the Argan Oil bar, which lathers up really well and leaves my hair feeling clean and fresh. There’s a Lush shop in Broadmead, so you can cycle down there and browse their range of zero-waste products, many of which are also vegan. Conditioner is a bit tougher - I’ve tried various conditioner bars which have left my hair pretty crunchy, as if we’re back in the 80s and I’ve piled on the mousse in an attempt to look like Cyndi Lauper - never a bad thing in itself, but not great for clean hair! The two conditioner bars which I’ve found to work fairly well are the Big pressed conditioner from Lush and the Tilly Oak shea butter conditioner bar. Zero Green, a zero waste shop on North Street (BS3) has several reasonably priced refill options for conditioner. I haven’t tried these yet, but they’re worth checking out if you live nearby. I'm leaning towards this as even the better conditioner bars aren't that satisfying to use. If you’re going to opt for using bars to wash your hair, you also might find you have to wash it a bit more often. Razors are tougher still. Despite being an ardent feminist, I have grown up in a world which teaches us that women should be smooth and hairless from the neck down at all times - and it must be said, the fancy-pants, triple-bladed, disposable razors that are readily available in the supermarket make it simple for this dream to become a reality. I tried using an old safety razor that belongs to my partner, but I found it pretty tricky to use. In the end, I took a deep breath and settled for just being hairy for a few months. If this sounds like your idea of hell, check out these zero waste shaving packages, which look pretty good, although I’ve yet to try them: Wearth London; Peace With the Wild; and Mutiny shaving. There’s lots of choices from Plastic Freedom, who apparently plant a tree for every order made Photo by Lubomirkin on Unsplash
Finally, if you switch your plastic pouffy scrubber for an organic cotton flannel and try to only have a shower when you really need one, you’ll have made some great steps towards that greener shower. Let us know if you have any more tips in the comments below. Did you know: Every year, 8 million metric tons of plastics enter our oceans on top of the estimated 150 million metric tons that are already there? First published July 2020 It seems impossible to believe that in 2012, just eight years ago – the year of the Olympics, the year of the smoking ban, the year that BoJo became London mayor – most of us didn’t yet have a smartphone. How did we muddle through without Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at our fingertips? How did we ever find our way anywhere without Google Maps to tell us which way was up? How did we cope without emails constantly barraging our consciousness? Well, probably a lot better in many ways, but that’s a whole different blog for a whole different day. Smartphones are here now, and the chances are, they’re here to stay. While smartphones might make us more connected and more able to cheat at pub quizzes whenever we like, they are not without their environmental costs. Mining the precious metals and rare materials that make the chip and motherboard for smartphones is pretty carbon-heavy; and if we’re changing phone every two years, this is a process that is repeated again and again. Given that most of us have – and feel we need – smartphones, how can we try to neutralise some of the damage they do? Here are three simple steps we can all take to be greener smartphone owners. • Upgrade less often Keeping your smartphone for even three years instead of two makes a big difference as it means no-one has to mine for those new materials. I've done this a few times now - it tends to mean deleting some of those photos (honestly, are you ever going to look at them again?) and getting rid of the apps you don't use, but if you do those things, you should be able to get a bit more use of out your handset than the typical two years. • Buy second hand when you do upgrade There are plenty of good sellers offering refurbished second-hand phones on eBay; just check the seller’s reviews before you buy. Or visit your local branch of CEX, where you will always find a selection of second hand phones for sale. As with all ‘stuff’, second hand is better as it means fewer resources are used and less once treasured items are thrown into landfill. I bought my most recent handset from eBay and it's working like a dream. • Get an Ecotalk SIM card Ecotalk are a company who offer well-priced mobile phone deals with a green outcome. They use the money they make from their customers to buy land and give it back to nature. In this way, they are providing urgently needed homes for bees, meaning that you are giving something back to nature as you make calls and texts. Getting an Ecotalk SIM is a simple process which only takes a few days. I've had my Ecotalk contract for nearly a year now. They don't yet support Wi-Fi calling, so if you live in a poor reception area and rely on Wi-Fi, that is something to bear in mind. However, aside from that, I've had no problems with them at all. Their customer service is excellent and the deals are good value. Have you got any more tips for how to be a (slightly more!) responsible smartphone owner? If so, post them in the comment box below.
Did you know: Smartphones are more damaging to the environment than computers, laptops, monitors and servers, as demonstrated by the fact that that ICT (Information and Communication Technology) represented just 1% of the carbon footprint in 2007 and, according to the researchers, will top 14% by 2040.
Photo by Dmitrii Vaccinium on Unsplash I was dimly aware that all the traffic jams I was part of were bad for more reasons than just my blood pressure, but with miles rolling away beneath me, the sun coming in through the windows and pop music pounding on the stereo, I kept telling myself that this was my only option. My brave neighbour cycled to work every day, but given that I hadn’t been on a bike in 15 years and even my Renault Clio could barely make it up Broadoak Hill, I quickly dismissed that as madness and kept on truckin’, although the guilt about my emissions kept creeping up. When I moved to Fishponds in 2019 and became properly engaged with just how bad the climate crisis really is, I knew I couldn’t put off the evil moment anymore. So, filled with a certainty that I’d be smashed to smithereens under a truck before the week was out – or, more likely, die of a stitch by the end of the day – I got myself down to Bool’s Bikes on Staple Hill and, after being helped by some truly lovely staff members, bought myself a purple hydrid. I named her Greta. Because why wouldn’t I? Photo by Joline Torres on Unsplash Rather than being the trial I feared, I fell in love with cycling pretty damn quickly. Zipping past the traffic, flying down hills, taking in the ever-changing graffiti – it’s all pretty awesome. Living right near the Bristol and Bath Railway Path helped. You do have to contend with all those terribly important men wearing Lycra who are in a Very Big Rush to get past you. That can be a bit unnerving at first, but you get used to it. And the certainty of knowing that you will arrive at your destination at the right time, rather than having to allow an extra half an hour ‘just in case’ makes it all worth it. The hills are hard, I’m not gonna lie. But the warm glow of knowing you’re doing good for the planet while also earning yourself some extra cake-calories when you get home make it easier. And if the hills are too much for you, you could always get an electric bike for that bit of extra help. If you live in Bristol and are nervous about making that all-important switch from car to bike, you might be interested to know that Life Cycle UK does lessons for adults who are new to cycling, making it that bit easier get started. If you live in the South West, have a look at this map to find a bike shop near you.
Let us know how you get on in the comment box below. Did you know… Bikes aren’t entirely carbon-footprint-free as they do need to be made. However, riding a bike contributes 10 times LESS carbon to the atmosphere than driving. |
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