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Mockinghorse, an acrylic accessories company, was set up two years ago as my long-desired creative outlet. I set out to make the sort of necklaces that I wanted to wear but couldn’t find in shops. However, I wanted to know that what I was doing was not another drain on the environment and that, in fact, was doing some good.
To start with, I chose to use UK suppliers. This may cost more than sourcing from places like China or the US; but not only is international importing more complicated, sourcing locally keeps my carbon footprint down.
All the chains and findings are also sourced from within the UK – and from small (often family-run) companies. It is a real blessing to know who your suppliers are and deal with the same people every time. Each necklace design is drawn by hand using computer software, and is then sent to an acrylic laser-cutting company in the UK. All the acrylic they use is recyclable, and they melt down any waste so it can be reused again.
Lastly there was packaging to consider. It was important to me that each product came in its own gift box, and even more so that every box was made from recycled paper. So I was delighted to find a packaging company which only offers recycled and eco-friendly boxes, and who, again, are a local company with heart.
For businesses, being eco-conscious may not always be the most simple or cost-effective option, but it is easier than you might think. There are plenty of areas where you can make more ethical choices. Companies should not be afraid to pay more to go green - I believe customers are generally happier to pay that much extra to know they are buying something that’s ethical.
After all, what might save your company money right now might eventually cost the earth.
Claire’s tips for the eco-minded shopper
1. Buy UK-made
Support local businesses and buy jewellery and accessories made in the UK. Buying locally encourages independent designers, boosts the local economy and reduces our carbon footprint.
2. Be a conscious consumer
Do your research on a company before you buy. Don't be afraid to contact a business and ask them what their eco-credentials are.
3. Question the need
Before buying, ask yourself whether you will wear it enough to justify the purchase. Reducing waste and excessive consumption is important for our environment. If you do buy something and find you no longer wear it, recycle it, or give it away.
4. Campaign
Shopping ethically encourages other consumers to do the same, and businesses to improve their policies. If you buy from an ethical company you like, spread the word.
If you want to help the victims of the Haiti earthquake, then DEC should be your first port of call, but it was interesting to come across an entry in green blog Treehugger, outlining some of the island’s green projects that will also need our support to keep running. And then there’s Architecture for Humanity who work with local organisations to help rebuild permanent housing.
I must tell you about a lovely birthday gift that I’ll be redeeming the moment spring hits. It’s a small vegetable garden, delivered straight to my door from Rocket Gardens in Cornwall.
I love the idea of growing my own but I’m pretty new to the idea and am grateful for a friendly nudge. My package will contain a number of organic baby vegetable plants (instructions included, thankfully) including rocket, tomatoes, potatoes and a variety of lettuces. I can either pop them straight into a vegetable patch or settle them down in containers.
I might go for the container option to prettify a rather sorry looking patio area, plus pots of vegetables seem much more artistic to me than rows.
This was one of my presents of the year and will make an excellent Christmas gift for the veg-loving person in your life who you’re struggling to buy for. Granted, the goodies won’t arrive until April time but there’s nothing like a spot of delayed gratification to whet my appetite for some home grown fare.
Congratulations Gazza, Cheryl, PJ and Duncan. Your town, Newcastle, is now the UK’s greenest, knocking Bristol off the top spot, according to the 2009 sustainable cities index.
The country’s 20 largest cities were ranked according to scores on environmental performance, quality of life and future proofing (preparing for the challenges of climate change in the years ahead, from rating the resilience of its local food supply to the diversity of its economy).
Reading the Sustainable Cities report I was struck by what a complex business it is to be green. Being a good person by recycling everything, shunning air travel and fitting solar panels will only go so far. We also need brilliant public transport, top notch recycling schemes and clean energy. This takes work on a local, national and international scale.
The bottom line is we need to work together to get things done, thank goodness then for sites like NeighbourGoods which allows you to hook up with neighbours and share your stuff. I say thank goodness, but there is a slight drawback: you need to live in Los Angeles to really benefit and I’ve not found anything similar in the UK, but give it time.
From carshare to landshare, more of us are getting used to the idea of sharing stuff. One writer I spoke to recently had set up a toy library on her street for mothers to swap toys, rather than buy them. You don’t need a flashy logo or a cutting edge internet presence to make these green schemes work, just a good idea and we’ve all got plenty of those – if we set our mind to it.
Have you come across any brilliant green ideas recently? Then share them with the rest of us and post your comments below.
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If you've picked up the new copy of Psychologies you'll see that I've been having a go at some of the more eccentric practices of the green world. The most successful was my egg shampoo, here's a recipe but there are as many variations as there are eco shampoo websites so don't be afraid to tinker with ingredients and amounts and see how it goes. I promise your hair won't mind!
Ingredients:
One egg (if you're doing this for eco purposes, free range and organic is obviously better!)
2 tablespoons of cider vinegar
One glug of olive oil (I was worried about greasy hair so I missed out this ingredient, although I've seen it mentioned a lot)
Method:
Beat the egg and other ingredients together and apply to wet hair. It's obviously nowhere near as thick as regular shampoo so add it little by little and rub in until your hair is completely eggy! Leave this in your hair for five minutes or so and then rinse with plenty of water and some more cider vinegar, a couple of tablespoons' worth to get a good shine.
Essential tip:
It may sound obvious but do remember to use cold water throughout or the egg will scramble.
Egg cleaned hair has an unexpected texture when it's dry, mine was less silky than I was used to but it felt thick and shiny and didn't smell eggy in the least. If you want your hair to smell shampoo clean, some recipes suggest adding a drop of essential oil but I was quite happy to experience egg-clean hair completely unperfumed.
If you try this at home, let me know how it goes. Looking forward to hearing from you!