EARTH

Water crisis& the meat industry

MATTERSTi p s t o

g r e e n e r

d r i v i n g

Beauty

without

the

cruelty

+Leona Lewis’

shows support

for Peta

High street style -is it really a fairtrade?

MAY 2012 | Issue 01

7

£2.99

Thismonth...

Hello!Welcome to the first

edition of Earth Matters!

We’re an ethical

magazine, focused on all

aspects of leading an

environmentally friendly

and happy lifestyle!

This month our issue has

something for everyone

whether your car crazy

or waste weary.

We look at the world

wide water crisis, the

huge amounts of waste

food dumped by super-

markets, cruelty free

beauty on a budget and

whether the Kindle is

environmentally friendly,

or not?

Also we look at cheaper

alternatives to High

Street style and if it really

is a fair trade ?

I hope you enjoy this

issue, see you next

month!

Fiona x1

On the cover:

P14 - Beauty without the cruelty

P16 - Water Crisis & the meat industry

P12 - High Street style - is it really a fair

trade?

P4 - 7 Tips to greener driving

PLUS:

P5 - Can’t afford a hybrid but still want to

lower your carbon footprint?

P7 - Supermarket waste - the impact

P10 - Does money really make the world go

around?

P11 - Vegan recipes

P16 - Worldwide water crisis - meat eaters

know whats at steak

P3 - Kony 2012 - How much do people care?

P15 - H&M launch new eco range

P18 - Do e-readers save our planet?

P20 - 5 Tips to an eco-friendly home

2

In the world of celebrity,

looking good is key.

Whether it’s the latest

clothing trend, make-up look

or a new hairdo, the rich

and famous have to have it

all to keep on top of their

game.

But this constant need to

look good has an impact;

many of the brands celebri-

ties use to make themselves

look good, or even use their

name to endorse, test on ani-

mals.

Many celebs, including

‘Britain’s sweetheart’ Cheryl

Cole, are the faces of cos-

metics company L’Oreal,

known for its use of animal

testing. However, many fa-

mous figures are taking a

stand against animal cruelty,

including our cover star,

singer Leona Lewis.

Leona, who won the X Fac-

tor in 2006, has been a vege-

tarian since the age of 12,

and refuses to wear clothing

made from animal produce.

She has been in talks with

Topshop about releasing an

ethical line of clothing, and is

often pictured wearing vegan-

friendly clothing.

In 2008, Leona reportedly

turned down a seven figure

sum of money to open a Har-

rods sale in London. When

asked why she turned the op-

portunity down, Leona told

the press that she refused

the offer as Harrods are the

only UK department store

which continues to stock

clothing made from animal

fur. She said: "It wasn't a mil-

lion pounds that I was of-

fered, as the papers

reported, but even if it had

been, I still would have turned

it down. I got a lot of flak for

that. There were people who

said I should have done it and

given the money to charity,

but that would have been

such a contradiction."

She has been named

PETA’s (People For The Ehti-

cal Treatment of Animals)

‘Sexiest Vegetarian’ two

years running and was

awarded the charities ‘Per-

son of The Year’ award in

2008.

Leona joins a host of

celebrities, including come-

dian Ricky Gervais and for-

mer Pussycat Doll Kimberley

Wyatt, on a mission to end

cruelty to animals. She is a

supporter of the World Soci-

ety For The Protection of Ani-

mals, and is a patron of the

Hopefield Animal Sanctuary

in Brentfield, London.

LE ONA S H OWSH E R S U P P OR T

The X Factor star protests against animal cruelty

L e o n a i n a n a n t i - a n i m a l t e s t i n g c a m p a i g n .

Just How much do people care?

I’m sure there’s no need forme to condescend by tellingyou about Kony 2012.

We all know what it is, we allknow what it was designed to do,and we are all aware of the variousrepercussions.

However; the thing that becameabundantly clear was the incessanthuman nature instilled in the ma-jority of Facebook and Twitter’smasses the need to cast an insin-cere false image of the knowledge-able saintly self.

So, how many really empathised?Is it just a front, perhaps a sedativefor societal guilt?

Take, for example, the Japanesetsunami, or the earthquakes inHaiti, people heard about it, peoplegave some money, and people

forgot. The shocking thing aboutKony 2012 wasn’t the content, butthe ignorance of most if itsrecipients – many of whom wereoblivious to any such crimesbeforehand.

The rallying call of those who tookumbridge with the twenty mintuelong video has taken the form ofCover The Night - A plan to coversome of the biggest cities withKony Awareness posters.

However, this planned rebellionagainst Kony’s evil crimes has beenscheduled to take place a monthafter the video spread. Bearing inmind the method which gave thevideo such a base of attention: isit likely to remain poignant amongthe wouldbe revoutionaries?

When asked about the

reactions, Ben Blankley (ofwarchild.org) said: “Sure, it’s greatthat people are finally aware, but itshouldn’t take this long to evokesuch enthusiasm.”

Think for a second about thepotential number of other warcriminals, who aren’t given such aSocial Network style publicitycampaign; when will theircomeuppance arrive?

“The planned poster campaign isa step in the right direction, butmore needs to be done for causeslike this.

On the eve of Cover The Night (aposter campaign in accordancewith Kony 2012) I put it to you:Posters fall, but true compassionfor a cause will always weather thestorm.

3

7 Tips to greener driving

Slow downRemember the speed limit is the

limit, not something you need to con-

stantly match. For instance on motor-

ways you’ll use 10% less fuel driving

at 50 rather than 70. Also anticipate

your surroundings well to avoid un-

necessary braking/acceleration.

5

Service regularlyMany people skip services to save

money but this is a corner you

should not cut. By servicing your car

at the indicated intervals you will

keep your engine in top condition

and make break-downs less likely.

3Rev lessAs the cost of fuel continues to rise,

even boy racers can’t afford to rev

away fuel unnecessarily. By changing

gear when your car revs between 2-

3000 rpm you’ll burn less fuel and also

notice your fuel gauge falling slower

than usual.

2

Plan aheadUnless you’re out a spontaneous drive (which wouldn’t be

green at all) you will have a rough idea where you want to

go, so plan your route before you leave. Try avoiding busy

town centres where you’ll be forced into stop-start traffic

and traffic jams. It’ll make for a less stressful drive too.

1

Lose unnecessary weightBasically, if you don’t use it lose

it. Driving around with unneces-

sary objects in the car make the

car heavier and increase the

amount of fuel you use. Also take

roof racks off when not in use as

they create extra aerodynamic

drag.

4

Turn it offIf you’re going to be sitting wait-

ing for more than a minute or

two, you’ll save fuel and emis-

sions by turning off your engine

rather than leaving it idling.

6 Keep your tyres pumped upUnder inflated tyres cause more drag

and therefore use more fuel. By keeping

them pumped up to the correct PSI you’ll

save money and lower emissions. Lots

of petrol stations have air stands you can

use and the recommended PSI for your

car will be in your handbook.

7

4

If you can’t afford a hybrid but

still want to do your bit for

the planet, these superminis

are just a few examples of

what can be had for an af-

fordable price. These city

cars offer low co2 emissions

as well as cheap running

costs. Here we highlight the

best of this competitive sec-

tor.

As fuel prices

continue to

soar the small

car sector has

never been

more competi-

tive. If you’re

looking for an

eco-friendly car

without the

hefty price tag,

a supermini is

the way to go.

Thanks to

their small di-

mensions,

these cars are

naturally frugal. And thanks to

clever engineering we now

have cars capable of 80+ mpg

with a miniscule co2 output.

One of the best examples is

the Ford Fiesta Econetic. It

emits a minuet 87g/km of

CO2 and can achieve a com-

bined fuel consumption of

85.6mpg. It achieves this

through a variety of tweaks to

the 95bhp 1.6 TDCi engine as

well as some aerodynamic

tweaks. The engine feaThtures

stop-start, which cuts the en-

gine out when the car is put

into neutral in traffic, clever re-

generative braking and revised

gear ratios which are just a

few of the things that help it

reach these impressive fig-

ures. Thanks to these figures

the frugal fiesta

is exempt from

road tax and

the London con-

gestion charge,

adding to its ap-

peal. However

all of this tech-

nology comes

at a cost. But if

you can afford

to spend

£14,445 this is

where we would

put our money.

Thankfully

there are

cheaper alternatives available

that boast green credentials.

Take the Fiat 500 Twinair for

instance. It uses a clever 2

cylinder turbo-charged 0.9 litre

engine, which emits just

95g/km of CO2 and yet deliv-

ers 23% more power than the

traditional 1.2 power plant. It

costs from £11,660 brand

new but if you look about you

could pick up a 1-year-old

model from as little as £8,995.

Because this car emits so little

CO2 it is exempt from road tax

and the London congestion

charge. Add group 1 insur-

ance, the lowest possible band,

and you’re looking at truly

cheap and eco-friendly motor-

ing.

Cheaper still is the Hyundai

i10. There is a blue version

which is powered by a 68bhp

1.0 litre engine and emits just

99g/km of CO2 making it too

exempt from paying road tax

as well the London congestion

charge. Add mpg figures of

67.3mpg and we've got an-

other frugal supermini, which

is sure to keep costs down. Un-

like the first two, we are not

recommending the 'eco ver-

sion' of the model as the stan-

dard 1.2 litre engine is still very

economical and is far cheaper

to buy. It's no hazard to the en-

vironment either with CO2 fig-

ures of 108g/km and you'll

only pay £20 on road tax for

the year. The 1.2 is capable of

60+ mpg and when you con-

sider that you can pick up a

brand new 1.2 from as little as

£8,345 it really is an eco-bar-

gain. Any one of this trio of city

cars will cost you pennies to

run and ease your environmen-

tal conscience.The fiesta is the

most capable motorwaycruiser here, so if you do a lot

of motorway miles its the car

to go for. Meanwhile the Fiat

and Hyundai are at their best

in town, zipping through city

streets and making light work

of tight parking spaces. The

main thing to remember is

that all 3 of these cars are

good in their own ways and it

depends on what you use your

car for. All three cater for dif-

ferent needs whilst maintainingan enivronmental conscience.These superminis’ prove there

is life in the conventional en-

gine yet and that there are far

cheaper alternatives to plug in

hybrids or electric cars readily

available. One thing is certain:

the petrol era has life in it yet.

Eco Supermini heroesCan’t afford a hybrid but still want to lower your carbon footprint?

By Jack Walsh

The Hyundai’s interior is very practical

The fiesta’s controls are clear and easy to use

5

If you can’t afford a hybrid but

still want to do your bit for

the planet, these superminis

are just a few examples of

what can be had for an af-

fordable price. These city

cars offer low co2 emissions

as well as cheap running

costs. Here we highlight the

best of this competitive sec-

tor.

As fuel prices

continue to

soar the small

car sector has

never been

more competi-

tive. If you’re

looking for an

eco-friendly car

without the

hefty price tag,

a supermini is

the way to go.

Thanks to

their small di-

mensions,

these cars are

naturally frugal. And thanks to

clever engineering we now

have cars capable of 80+ mpg

with a miniscule co2 output.

One of the best examples is

the Ford Fiesta Econetic. It

emits a minuet 87g/km of

CO2 and can achieve a com-

bined fuel consumption of

85.6mpg. It achieves this

through a variety of tweaks to

the 95bhp 1.6 TDCi engine as

well as some aerodynamic

tweaks. The engine feaThtures

stop-start, which cuts the en-

gine out when the car is put

into neutral in traffic, clever re-

generative braking and revised

gear ratios which are just a

few of the things that help it

reach these impressive fig-

ures. Thanks to these figures

the frugal fiesta

is exempt from

road tax and

the London con-

gestion charge,

adding to its ap-

peal. However

all of this tech-

nology comes

at a cost. But if

you can afford

to spend

£14,445 this is

where we would

put our money.

Thankfully

there are

cheaper alternatives available

that boast green credentials.

Take the Fiat 500 Twinair for

instance. It uses a clever 2

cylinder turbo-charged 0.9 litre

engine, which emits just

95g/km of CO2 and yet deliv-

ers 23% more power than the

traditional 1.2 power plant. It

costs from £11,660 brand

new but if you look about you

could pick up a 1-year-old

model from as little as £8,995.

Because this car emits so little

CO2 it is exempt from road tax

and the London congestion

charge. Add group 1 insur-

ance, the lowest possible band,

and you’re looking at truly

cheap and eco-friendly motor-

ing.

Cheaper still is the Hyundai

i10. There is a blue version

which is powered by a 68bhp

1.0 litre engine and emits just

99g/km of CO2 making it too

exempt from paying road tax

as well the London congestion

charge. Add mpg figures of

67.3mpg and we've got an-

other frugal supermini, which

is sure to keep costs down. Un-

like the first two, we are not

recommending the 'eco ver-

sion' of the model as the stan-

dard 1.2 litre engine is still very

economical and is far cheaper

to buy. It's no hazard to the en-

vironment either with CO2 fig-

ures of 108g/km and you'll

only pay £20 on road tax for

the year. The 1.2 is capable of

60+ mpg and when you con-

sider that you can pick up a

brand new 1.2 from as little as

£8,345 it really is an eco-bar-

gain. Any one of this trio of city

cars will cost you pennies to

run and ease your environmen-

tal conscience.The fiesta is the

most capable motorwaycruiser here, so if you do a lot

of motorway miles its the car

to go for. Meanwhile the Fiat

and Hyundai are at their best

in town, zipping through city

streets and making light work

of tight parking spaces. The

main thing to remember is

that all 3 of these cars are

good in their own ways and it

depends on what you use your

car for. All three cater for dif-

ferent needs whilst maintainingan enivronmental conscience.These superminis’ prove there

is life in the conventional en-

gine yet and that there are far

cheaper alternatives to plug in

hybrids or electric cars readily

available. One thing is certain:

the petrol era has life in it yet.

Eco Supermini heroesCan’t afford a hybrid but still want to lower your carbon footprint?

The Fiat 500’s retro cabin is full of character

The Hyundai’s interior is very practical

6

It would seem that Benjamin

Franklin’s famous ethos ‘Waste not,

want not’ has gone completely unno-

ticed these days, as the world

teeters on the brink of drowning in

its own refuse. An alarmingly high

rate of total world waste is food;

fresh, clean and ready to eat - the

United States food waste in one

year alone would feed the world’s

hungry many times over.

Here in the UK the statistics are

just as shocking: the UK wastes

around 16 million tonnes of food

each year, with a high percentage of

that waste coming from our super-

markets. This is perfectly good food,

with a value of around £20 billion,

sometimes with little more than

packaging faults, which fills our land-

fills each year, emitting millions of

tonnes of methane. Needless waste

of food contributes to masses of

wasted energy and resources, with

much of the waste coming down to

consumer negligence, but with a lot

of it being tied up in supermarket

policies and health and safety bu-

reaucracies that stop tonnes of food

as it comes off the production line.

Some of the nit-picking displayed by

supermarket chains when it comes

to judging a food by its appearance

is completely baffling. From bent

carrots and curvy cucumbers, to po-

tatoes with too many eyes, anything

that doesn’t meet the particular cri-

teria is sent away, either to landfill

sites, or as is becoming increasingly

common, back to the farmers who

grew the food to sell in the first

place. Another seemingly needless

practice carried out by several of

the big supermarket chains is to

throw away the crusts and the first

two inside slices of their loaves, re-

sulting in millions of slices of good

bread being thrown away every year.

WRAP (the Waste and Resources

Action Programme) estimate that

bread is the most wasted household

item in the UK. WRAP spokesper-

son Mark Newman recognises the

seeming lunacy behind some of the

standard operating practices:

“It is true that a lot of the big super-

markets have specific policies when

it comes to the presentation of their

bread, as well as other foods. They

tend to say that this is what the cus-

tomer wants although we have yet

to see any research that backs up

this assertion. People are throwing

away up to thirty percent of their

bread at home, and the retailers are

binning almost a quarter of a loaf

before it reaches the customer, it

makes for some pretty miserable

reading.”

Supermarket

Waste - THE IMPACT

By Greg Thomson

7

Earth Matters lifts the lid on the amount of foodneedlesly thrown away in the UK each year

When we consider bread wastage

alone, and the amount of time, en-

ergy and resources that goes into,

first of all producing, packaging and

transporting the bread, and the

amount that then goes into dumping

it for no good reason, it certainly

highlights the extent of our collective

ignorance. Although there are peo-

ple out there trying to salvage all the

food they can, even if it means re-

sorting to desperate measures.

Bin-diving is fast becoming a cheap

alternative to paying over the odds

for food, food that in all likelihood will

be in the supermarket bins the fol-

lowing day. Rummaging through

bins for food is nothing new; people

have been doing it for as long as

there were bins to rummage

through. These days however it is a

big part of many people’s lives, and

is a major tenet of ‘Freeganism’.

Freegans take what they can from

wherever they can, they try to live as

eco-friendly and as inexpensively as

possible and although many are ac-

tivists at heart who are trying to

make a statement, many different

people from all walks of life are

adopting freeganism as a viable so-

lution to paying for food. Glasgow

based freegan James Merchant

has been diving for three years,

stumbling across the idea when uni-

versity costs became too much to

bear:

“It was when I was at uni in London

that me and my mates first did a bit

of bin-diving. At first it was a bit of a

thrill and a bit of a laugh and it also

saved us a lot of much needed

money, but it soon became an every-

day thing for me. I mean once you

get used to getting food for free,

why would you want to change

that?”

James swears by bin-diving and has

had better meals from bins than he

could ever afford to buy in the

shops:

“Yeah I’ve had lots of good meals, I

don’t think people realise, it’s not

bits of crust we’re talking about, its

good quality food, with nothing

wrong with it. I’ve had salmon,

steaks, all kinds of dry and frozen

foods that have just been chucked

out that night. There’s always been

lots of vegetables, I’m probably

healthier now than I’ve ever been.”

He now works as a volunteer in

Glasgow and says bin-diving helped

him break free from the financial

web he had found himself stuck in:

“I did start bin-diving out of basic ne-

cessity but it helps you realise just

how much we’re wasting and you

start to notice other ways that you

can free yourself up from some of

the pressures of modern living. I

hate even thinking about all the

money I used to spend on food

every day, your money just disap-

pears. And I don’t need to go out for

food every day, once or twice a week

in general, there’s times when I’ve

found enough to last me for weeks.

I even found a brand new dvd player

one night.”

Ultimately, bin-diving does nothing to

stop supermarkets being wasteful

with the food that they stock, how-

ever it is an effective way of diverting

8

the good food that goes to landfill

sites. According to WRAP, the

greenhouse gasses produced by our

food waste alone in landfill sites ac-

count for around five percent of the

UK’s total yearly emissions. WRAP’s

Mark Newman says:

“If we could eradicate all food waste

from landfill sites, it would be the

equivalent of taking a quarter of the

cars in Britain off the road.”

As well as landfill sites, the other

preferred option in the UK for deal-

ing with food waste is another con-

taminant of the earth’s atmosphere.

Anaerobic digestion, where food is

converted into energy emits up to

500 times the amount of carbon

dioxide that would have been emit-

ted if the waste had been fed to pigs

– a practice that is mandatory in

Asian countries, but illegal in the UK

and Europe.

What is more worrying still is the su-

permarkets reluctance to release

the official data regarding just how

much food they actually throw away.

All figures and estimates up till now

have been the result of chasing up

secondary sources by various cam-

paign groups - how much food

waste enters landfill sites; how

much is taken in at the anaerobic di-

gestion plants; how much is sent

back to the suppliers and how much

is refused on aesthetic grounds be-

fore it has even reached the super-

market? These are just some of the

various avenues that had to be ex-

plored in order to present the public

with the rough estimates that we

have today. In a recent Channel Four

investigation into the lack of solid fig-

ures provided by supermarkets

when it comes to food waste, only

one supermarket giant out of the big

four: Asda, Tesco, Morrison’s and

Sainsbury’s, released their food

waste numbers – Sainsbury’s re-

vealed their total food waste to be

44,000 tonnes per year. The other

three either refused to explain why

they wouldn’t release the figures, or

branded it commercially sensitive.

The picture painted here of our cur-

rent state of affairs regarding food

waste may seem like a gloomy one,

and it is. But there are many cam-

paign groups and charities that are

doing everything they can to try and

spread the wealth, or at least

spread the rubbish. London based

charity organisation Fareshare

works to get its hands on all of the

edible food waste that retailers

throw away and to distribute it

among the poor and the homeless -

surely a scheme that could have

been implemented long ago. How-

ever even with mouths to feed and

charity workers willing to distribute

it, supermarkets are still not taking

to the idea wholeheartedly. Many

still refuse to give away anything

that is past the best-before-date,

resulting in tonnes of food lying in

waste. Sainsbury’s currently give

their entire in-date food surplus to

charity.

But it would be wrong to moralise

the supermarket industry for its

waste while we as a group of

individuals squander more food than

they do. Some say the average

British household wastes nearly 40

percent of all food it buys.

This culture of excess, greed and

mindless waste is something that

has been allowed to grow over time,

and it will take just as long to bring it

to an end.

Until then, the worms in Britain’s

landfills will remain better fed than

the people on its streets.

9

Food Waste Facts:

In one year UK households produce

enough bread and cereal waste to

feed 30 million of the world’s hun-

gry.

We throw away more than 7

million tonnes of food and drink

every year from our homes - most

of which could have been safely

consumed.

10% of rich countries' greenhouse

gas emissions come from growing

food that is never eaten.

All the world's nearly one billion hun-

gry people could be lifted out of mal-

nourishment on less than a quarter

of the food that is wasted in the US,

UK and Europe.

Globally, over half of the food pro-

duced today is lost, wasted or

discarded as a result of inefficiency

in the human-managed food chain.

“Annual income twenty

pounds, annual expenditure

nineteen six, result

happiness. Annual income

twenty pounds, annual

expenditure twenty pound

ought and six, result misery.”

– Charles Dickens

Greg Thomson asks:

Does money really make the world go round?

10

Translated to the modern ver-

nacular, what Mr Dickens was say-

ing was, that if you spend more

money than you make, you will be

miserable.

This might seem like an obvious

statement to many people, but if

happiness really is balanced so

precariously on the edge of your

last pound coin, might it not be a

good idea to start looking for real

inner wealth rather than putting all

of our stock in the material world?

The financial crash of 2008,

coupled with a growing division

between rich and poor, has brought

the subject of the evils of money

back to the fore. But can money be

escaped entirely?

Freeshare seems to think so. The

site is home to a group of people

who are, getting the most out of

their money by using it less. By

giving away old or unneeded items

instead of throwing them out, the

‘sharers’ are making their money

travel – but for the good of lots of

other people.

One sharer, Stephanie Mackay,

channels the enthusiasm of the

site: “Since becoming aware of the

group I’ve had a pair of ankle-

weights, a bedside lamp, a rug for

my living room and a vinyl record

player with a stack of old vinyl’s. I’ve

given away an old couch and

television that were here when I

moved in, and a broken typewriter

that someone used for parts.

“It’s a relief knowing that I might

not need to spend daft amounts of

money on all those little things that

you tend to buy over time. I’d say

I’ve probably saved more than a

hundred pounds already.”

Local swap-shops are another

good way to do your bit for the

environment by reusing that which

would otherwise be thrown away,

and will help free you up from some

of life’s financial strains.

However not everyone adheres to

modern life’s biggest boundary.

One such hermit of the modern

day is 69 year-old German woman

Heidemarie Schwermer, who has

lived without money for 16 years.

She began by initiating a swap-shop

in her home city of Dortmund where

people would swap not only goods

but skills and services. After seeing

how well this worked Heidemarie

gave up her job, sold all of her

possessions and left her flat.

Now she lives completely without

money and constantly travels,

trading her own skills and services

such as housekeeping and

gardening, and even psychiatry

sessions (she used to be a

psychiatrist) in return for food.

Too many people today put money

straight in at the top of their list,

and then struggle and strive all of

their lives to reach that happiness

which was never there in the first

place.

Maybe its time that skills and

experience take pride of place over

the restrictive bonds of modern day

finance.

Eat GreenEmbrace Veganism

Living as a Vegan isa lot easier, fun andinexpensive thanpeople often firstimagine. Put simply,vegans do not eatanything which de-rives from animals.

Far from being restric-tive, a vegan diet canopen up a new world oftaste sensations, newdishes and flavours.

Fancy trying it? Heresa simple three coursevegan meal:

Spinach, Smoked Tofu and Tomato Salad(Serves 4)

You will need:2 handfuls of leaf spinach. 2 oz (55g) smoked tofu, finely crumbled.4 cherry tomatoes.1 very small clove of garlic, crushed.1 tbsp olive oil.1/2 tsp vegan red wine vinegar.Squeeze of lemon. Freshly ground black pepper.

1.Wash and finely chop the spinach. Place in a bowland add the smoked tofu and the tomatoes.2. To make the dressing, mix the garlic, olive oil,vinegar and lemon juice. Adding freshly groundblack pepper.3. Pour the dressing on to the spinach, smoked tofu

and tomatoes. Toss and serve.

African Stew (Serves 4)

You will need:2 1/2 pints (1.4 litres) vegetable stock.3 cloves garlic, crushed.2 onions, chopped.1 lb (450g) sweet potato, peeled and diced.1 x 400g tin chick peas.6 oz (170g) millet.1 tbsp soya sauce.4 oz (115g) peanut butter. 3 oz (85g) chopped kale.Juice of 1 lemon.

1. Heat a large saucepan with 1-2 tablespoons ofvegetable stock. Add garlic and onion and sauté untilsoft.2. Add the rest of the stock, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, millet and a few drops of soy sauce. Simmerfor 20 minutes. 3. Remove some of the stew liquid from thesaucepan, blend with peanut butter and return tothe saucepan.4. Add the kale and cook for 5 min. Season to tastewith lemon juice and soya sauce.

Lime and Coconut Cheesecake (Serves 8)

You will need:9 oz (250g) vegan ginger biscuits 2 dssp vegetable oil5 oz (145g) block creamed coconut2 limes12 oz (350g) firm silken tofu1 avocado2 1/2 oz (70g) caster sugarCoconut shavings and lime slices to decorate

1. Break the biscuits to fine crumbs using a plas-tic bag and rolling pin.2. Place vegetable oil and 45g/1 1/2 oz of thecreamed coconut in a saucepan, heat gently, andstir continuously, until the coconut has melted. 3. Remove from heat and add the crushed gingerbiscuits. Mixing well and transfer to a lightly oiled7-inch cake tin with a spring bottom. Press downfirmly and leave to cool in a fridge.4. Using the saucepan again, add the juice andpulp of the two limes and the rest of the creamedcoconut. Heat gently until the coconut hasmelted. 5. Transfer to a blender and add the tofu, avo-cado and sugar. Blend until well mixed andsmooth.6. Remove the biscuit base from the fridge andpour the tofu mix into the tin. Decorate with co-conut shavings and lime slices. Place in the fridge

and leave to set for approximately 3 hours.

FairtradeFashion

High street style - is it really a fair trade?

In the pursuit of being moreeco-friendly many of us havemade alterations to our homesand lifestyles, however ourwardrobes are the one placethat shut the door on us livinga more environmentallyfriendly lifestyle. After constant awarenessthroughout the past few yearson measures we can adopt toliving a more ethical lifestyle;such as recycling house holdwaste, washing clothes at3O0c, using energy savingbulbs, to name a few. The oneindustry lacking ethical aware-ness is the Fashion industry.The UK high street fashion in-dustry is worth an estimated£44.5 billion fuelled by trendfollowing Brits who can’t getenough of looking good.How-ever, what goes on behind theattractive shop window displaysis far from glamorous. Last yearthe International Textile Gar-ment and Leather Workers' Fed-eration (ITGLWF) revealed ashocking report that factories inAsia are still working in sweatshop style environments supply-

ing clothes and footwear for in-ternational brands. In March this year The Observerand anti-sweatshop campaigngroup ‘War on Want’ unearthed

inhumane working practices infactories in Bangladesh, India,who supply goods for sportsbrands Nike and Adidas.Orders are of high demand assports companies like Nike areselling branded clothing andmerchandise for the London2012 Olympics. It has been re-

ported that workers in a factorymaking Adidas products wereearning around 7 Indian Rupeean hour– the equivalent of ninepence in British sterling. When

interviewed workersadmitted during someshifts that they hadtheir hair pulled, wereslapped and refusedpermission to go to the

toilet. War on Want a charityagainst sweatshopsfound that in 2008‘cheap chic’ store Pri-mark were exploitingits workers in factoriesin the Bangladeshicapital, Dhaka.The charity discoveredthat workers wereworking for as little as

7 pence an hour.Paul Collins, a spokesperson atthe anti-poverty charity War onWant, said: "Our support for ex-ploited garment workers makingUK stores' clothes have helpedwin important gains. These in-clude substantial rises in mini-mum wages, compensation for

12

Lauren Sneddon investigates the use of sweatshops by the UK high street

High street shop windows hide the

truth of sweatshop usage

factory blaze victims and newsafety measures. Like us,shadow Olympics minister TessaJowell has urged the Gamessportswear partner to improvepay and conditions for itsBangladeshi clothing plant work-ers. And many thousands ofpeople in Britain have backedour campaign ‘Love FashionHate Sweatshops’”. For more in-formation visit the website:www.waronwant.org.Swedish fashion retailer H&Mhave been shamed in thepress over recent years aftera number of incidents linkingthem to unfair practices. In2010, 21 of thier workers diedin one of thier factories inBangladesh as they were un-able to get to safety as thefire exists were blocked.Unsafe buildings and harmfulchemicals are just some of thecomponents that make up themachine that is the sweatshopindustry. The input of the workers hardyet unrewarding labour is con-structed in a cheap way and theend result of the clothes are soldfor a low price tag in the HighStreet with the big bosses ofcompanies receiving the fairesttrade as they reap the rewardsof a tidy profit.British people are not expectedto work in conditions so de-meaning yet are happy to buyclothes in the UK High streetwhich are made by people whowork in exhausting conditionswhere their basic human rightsare overlooked.Despite several newspaper in-vestigations exposing high streetstores and a growing number ofanti sweatshop organizations,the fight against unethical work-ing practices is still to reach avictory stage. One developmentthat has emerged within thefashion industry over the lastfew years is the number of fairtrade organisations selling ecofriendly fashion. People Tree, anethical clothing organisation setup in Japan in 1991 launchedthe UK branch of its company in2001. In 2006 it launched its fairtrade on the high street cam-paign by launching ranges at

High Street favourite Topshop,visit: www.peopletree.co.uk tosee the eco fashion ranges avail-able. High Street supermarkets Sains-bury’s and Tesco have alsojoined the fight against sweat-shops by selling fair trade cloth-ing ranges and fair trade foodproducts within their UK stores.H&M have also defied criticism

from eco campaigners bylaunching a spring/summer con-scious collection in all their in-ternational stores this April. Sarah Cordey, press officer forthe British Retail Consortiumsaid: “Even though awarenesssurrounding fair trade fashion isgrowing there is still a lack ofpresence of fair trade clothescompared to high street labels inthe high street which may bedown to price. There is less consumer demandfor fairtrade clothes as the costof fair trade clothing are higherthan the popular high streettrends as fair trade clothes aremade from organic cotton whichcosts more to produce.” Thehigh street sells a huge varietyof clothes made from other ma-terials other than cotton e.g.lace and silk therefore fashionforward consumers are pre-sented with more choice oftrends that they can wearwhereas with fair trade fashionthere look is limited. Less than1% of cotton fashion sold on thehigh street carries the fair-tradecertified mark therefore almostall clothes sold on the highstreet are not made with fairtrade materials. The fair trade

certified mark is an internationallabel that provides consumerswith a guarantee that the prod-uct they are buying supportsthird world producers. Cottonhas a huge carbon footprint forproduction and manufacturingtherefore supporting cottonfarms is important. However because of the highdemand of clothes expected by

retailers, cotton isusually geneticallymodified (GM). Thismeans that pesticidesand fertilisers areused in cotton pro-duction, which isharmful to the envi-ronment.The land used to growGM cotton becomesdamaged thereforefarmers become debt-ridden and oftencommit suicide as aresult. The fair-tradeFoundation has aimed

for at least 10% of cotton cloth-ing sold in the UK to be fair-trade material by this year. Martine Perry, media and PRmanager for the Fair-trade Foun-dation said: “Cotton salespeaked in 2009 with over 18million units being sold in the UKmarket alone however since2009 we have seen a decline insales which we put down to therecession but also pressures onmargins as higher costs haveforced many companies to cutback on sustainable product op-tions. We are launching an excit-ing new campaign on cotton thisJune which aims to boost salesof fair-trade school uniforms,which is growing category forus.”In times when eco awareness isa growing issue amongst house-holders all aspects of clothingavailable should have a fairtrade option so that third worldproducers receive the benefitsthey deserve. More awareness and campaignswill ensure consumers get themessage loud and clear that fairtrade fashion should be seen asthe best trend around, one thatis made to last.

PROTEST: War on Want campaignersprotest with anti sweatshop slogans

13

With hundreds of beautybrands sold in the UK, it’shard to know if you’re buyingcruelty free products or not.

But today, more and more cos-metic companies are going cru-elty free and more affordableproducts are becoming avail-able.

Many companies will claim thattheir products are cruelty free,when in fact only their ‘finishedproduct’ hasn’t been tested onanimals, but the ingredientsused to make the product havebeen.

The British Union for the Aboli-tion of Vivisection (BUAV)’s ‘GoCruelty Free’ campaign aims toabolish animal testing in

the UK,and several companies have al-ready signed up to carry thecharities ‘Leaping Bunny’ logo on

their products. BUAV say: “Whilesome products carry labelsclaiming that their brand is ‘nottested on animals’ or is ‘againstanimal testing’, these are oftenconfusing and do not guaranteethat the product is actually freefrom animal testing. Only theLeaping Bunny can providepeace of mind.

Products bearing the LeapingBunny mark are certified ‘cruelty

free’ under the internationally-recognised Humane Cosmeticsor Humane Household ProductsStandards.” Some cruelty freebeauty brands in the UK includeSuperdrug’s own products, MUA,Sleek Make Up, Barry M, JohnFrieda and Urban Decay, someexpensive brands, some not, butall 100% cruelty free.

But behold! Days of partingwith insane amounts of cash toensure your make-up is crueltyfree are gone. By all means,enjoy indulging in expensivebeauty products knowing no ani-mals were harmed makingthem, but for those who arefeeling a little frugal in the cur-rent economic climate, there arenow cheaper options.

Cruelty Free Beauty

Barry M Nail Paints - £2.99

Sleek Pout Polish - £4.30

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette- £36

MUA Eyeshadows - £1.00

14

H&M go green with new eco‘Concious Collection’H&M have launched an eco

friendly fashion collection with a

huge promo called ‘conscious

collection 2012’ after vowing to

go green after recent public scan-

dals relating to unfair trade prac-

tices.

The Swedish fashion retailer

suffered a bad year in 2010

when it was accused by a german

newspaper of organic cotton

fraud after clothes samples in a

lab in Germany were tested and

found to have traces of geneti-

cally modified cotton. H&M la-

belled their cotton clothes with

organic cotton labels tricking

shoppers into thinking they were

buying organic cotton when really

they weren’t. Their eco friendly

fashion collection is available in

shops from April 12 2012 and

makes use of some of the best

spring/summer trends out in-

cluding tropical print playsuits, flo-

ral dresses and the mid maxi

skirts. The clothes have been

made from 100% cotton, hemp

and recyled polyester. As well as

selling trends H&M may be start-

ing its own trend in the fashion

production industry by ‘ upcy-

cling’, which is when clothes are

made from existing pieces to

make new ones. This collection is

a positive move forward in pro-

moting eco friendly

fashion and is already popular

among celebrities. (See actress

Michelle Williams wearing H&M

below, right). Get your hands on

the collection now from H&M

stores on your nearest High

Street or visit

www.www.hm.com/gb.

Michelle Williams in monochromegown from H&M Conscious Collection

Pale green organic lace top

High Waisted White Shorts

White lace sleeved top

14.99£

£14.99

£7.99Lime green thighsplit dress

£162.00

Fuschia pink thigh

split dress£245.00

Lime greenembellesheddress

£57.00

15

WORLDWIDE

WATER CRISIS -

MEAT EATERS,

KNOW WHATS AT

STEAK

Water is a resource that most of

us in the UK take for granted.

When we consider issues of

water and food security we are

likely to conjure up images

of third world countries.

However, some environ-

mentalists claim that we are in

the midst of a global water crisis.

Worldwide water consumption

rose six fold between 1990 and

1995, double the rate of popula-

tion development and this contin-

ues to rise as demands on

farming, industries and domestic

life continue to grow.

By Kimberley Winning

One of the main perpetrators of global water loss

is the meat industry, and with the water equivalent

of 50 baths needed to produce just one steak, veg-

etarianism could be the answer to this looming cri-

sis.

One third of the world’s population currently re-

side in countries with limited water resources.

Worryingly, this number is expected to rise to as

much as two –thirds by 2025.

Boutros Boutros Ghali, former UN Secretary Gen-

eral goes as far to say;

“ Water will be more important than oil this cen-

tury.”

A strong statement to make, but as populations

continue to grow at a rapid rate, with all we eat de-

pending on water to grow, he may be accurate in

his assumption.

World Water Day was sanctioned by the United

Nations Conference on Environment and Develop-

ment (UNCED) in 1992.

Held annually, it focuses global attention on the

significance of fresh water, and also promotes the

need for sustainable management of fresh water

resources.

The lead up to World Water Day 2012, sparked

numerous half naked protests around the globe,

arranged by People for the Ethical Treat ment of

Animals (PETA).

A UK based animal charity dedicated to establish-

ing and protecting the rights of all animals.

Half naked beauties frolicked in bath tubs in the

centre of London, Edinburgh, Dublin and Hollywood,

in order to promote the meat industries drain on

the world’s water resources.

They sent one clear message, you cannot be a

meat eating environmentalist.

The bathers held up signs reading : "50 Baths =

1 Steak. Clean Your Conscience - Go Vegan,”

Vegan PETA supporters Marika Rea and Helaine

Murrin took part in the Dublin protest.

Helaine said, “"Not only is the meat industry cruel,

it also wastes huge amounts of water and dam-

ages the planet."

"You can't eat meat and be an environmentalist”

Sandra Smiley of PETA said, “The action, organ-

ised by PETA, aimed to show people that the best

way to fight the worldwide water crisis and clear

their conscience is to stop eating meat.

It takes about 15,500 litres of water to produce

one kilogram of beef, compared with just 1,000

litres of water to produce one kilogram of wheat.

As well as giving you a clear conscience, there are

many health benefits to giving up meat, leading to a

slimmer, healthier and happier you.

Sandra continues, “Vegetarians and vegans are,

on average, significantly trimmer than meat eaters

are , and they are less likely to suffer from heart

disease, cancer, strokes and diabetes.”

Elisa Allen of PETA stated: “A recent United Na-

tions report found that the meat industry is "one of

the top two or three most significant contributors

to the most serious environmental problems, at

every scale from local to global".

It is time for us to consider what we can do as in-

dividuals to support our future water resources.

Not just for the future of the human race, but for

all species who rely on , and reside on the blue

planet alongside us.

Vegan supporters Marika Rea and Heliane Murrin protest in

a bath in Dublin on World Water Day 2012

It takes 15,500 litres of water to produce one kg of beef

17

When the subject of pollutionis brought up it is predomi-nantly thoughts of car fumes,refineries and power stationsthat spring to mind, how-ever, the paper and pulp in-dustry is one of the world’slargest sources of pollution.

The main cause for concernpresents itself through the dan-gers of deforestation. Trees areregarded as a ‘renewable’ re-source – when a forest is har-vested, another is replanted inits place. See various advertisingcampaigns for toilet paper forreference – However, just howrenewable is it? The majority ofpaper companies take theirstock from private farms, grownespecially for harvesting andsubsequently an afterlife in thepaper industry. This conceptseems fine at base level, beforethe demand outweighs the sup-ply, and the companies mustharvest natural old forestry tomeet their paper quota – whichbegins to take some of thestrength from the ‘renewable’argument.

The production of paper subse-quently consumes large volumes

of water, and releases a host oftoxic chemicals into the atmos-phere – equally as threateningas that of the ever feared re-fineries and motor vapours.

Enter Amazon’s Kindle – theworld’s favourite e-reader andthe number one substitute forphysical literature. Compact,small, intelligently hooked up tothe ,increasingly present, worldof the web. Human communica-tion is one of ceaseless evolu-tion; from the early beginningsof paintings on cave walls, tothe leap to paper, radio, televi-sion and now the internet - thee-reader was inevitable.

The Kindle uses zero paper, notoxic inks and above all, grantsthe user the ability to carry mul-tiple works, regardless of anyadded weight. So surely, it’s thebetter option.

Perhaps not. There can be nodenying the beneficial elementsof E-readers, particualrly defor-estation and paper waste. Not tomention redundancies of variousharmful chemicals used in theinking process of physical publi-cations. Factors that are oftenoverlooked are that of the

materials used in the creation ofthese devices and the cost oftheir upkeep.

E-readers gain their base ma-terials through extensive miningand use of potentially harmfulplastics, often this miningprocess will incorporate non-re-newable substances such as‘columbitetantalite’ and not tomention the ever precious,lithium (which powers the de-vices’ battery).

Following from this, we havethe perpetual need to charge thebattery of a Kindle (studies haveproven that in North Americaalone, the dedicated serversthemselves use more energythan the entire paper industry).Suddenly the pulping processand energy autonomous paper-books seem slightly less daunting.

Recent figures display thataround 70% of the energy usedin pulping, producing and dis-tributing from the traditionaltangible works is recovered, asopposed to the 18% recoveredfrom electronic means of media.

However, a report produced in2009 by Cleanteach, detailing

>>

Do e-readers save our planet?Philip Wilson investigates the eco-claims of digital literature

18

the environmental effectsof the Kindle showed astounding numbers in thee-reader’s favour.

Emma Ritch, author of thereport, stated: “It’s not justbuying e-books that mat-ters, the key is that theydisplace the purchase of22.5 physical books.”Therefore, 22.5 regulartangible books equate tothe total carbon footprint ofone Kindle.

Ms Ritch argues that, tak-ing the example of a normal book carbon emissions are present bythe fossil fuels needed todeliver them, and the factthat, on average 20-30 ofthose books will be re-turned to the publisher.The publishers will then either incinerate, or (hopefully) recycle them.

The report adds: “Multi-plied by millions of unitsand increased sales of e-books, e-readers will havea staggering impact onimproving the sustainabilityand environmental impacton one of the world’s mostpolluting industries: thepublishing of books, newspapersand magazines.”

Both sides are not without

their faults, and with the ongoing popularity of e-readers, traditional print appears to be

dyingon its feet.

Environmental arguments will

always come downto one verses theother, and in thecase of the Kindleand its associates,the answer reliesupon the user. The threatening environmental impact of e-readerswill only break ifthe user is an avidreader, i.e. savingon potential inkingand pulping damages of purchasing a seriesof new titles on aferquent basis.Time is the mainfactor in ensuringbenefits of e-readers.

So there’s your answer, albeit a

slightly unorthodoxone;e-readers tossus in a hole and

hand us a shovel - they may justsave the planet if used regularly.

50%

of the paper

industry’s raw

materials come

from recycled

paper!

Top 5 paper saving tips

1.Print on both sides of the page orprint two pages to a single side.2.Use an eletronic diary, for example; Google Calender.3.Be ruthless! When deciding whatneeds to be printed and whatdoesn’t.4.Proof read on screen before printing - most paper waste comesfrom reprinting documents!5.Recycle! Most offices will have recycling points. Make use of them!Recycling at home is no more difficult than throwing away yourweekly rubbish. So make sure to getinto the habit.

1Solar Panels

Solar Panels of rooftops can generate energy or even

just heat for water. As far as water heating is

concerned, solar heating panels can save up to 50% of

annual bills.

2Energy Saving

Lightbulbs

Low Wattage light bulbs can save energy in all rooms

around the home and lower energy bills by around £55

per year.

3Take a shower!

Using the shower instead of taking a bath can save

money. A quick shower only uses around 35 litres of

water, compared to a whopping 80 in the tub!

4Switch off!

If you’re not using it, switch it off! Don’t just leave things

on standby; switching electrical products off at the wall

can save you around £70 a year.

5Recycle!

If you can recyle it, do it. Up to 60% of rubbish in your bin

could be recyclable, all of which can be re-used and can

save energy - check online for your local recycling centre,

there are plenty around!

Top Tips For An Eco-Friendly Home

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