The Riverfood legacy is rooted back to 1951 on the dawn of a new marriage and a family enterprise in the making. Guy Watson, founder of the box scheme at Riverford, warmingly reminisces over the memory of his parent’s brothers and sisters enjoying a shared enthusiasm for their farming family’s ideals and a passion for good, earthy, rooted food. This year, nearly sixty years on from when it all started, Riverford Organic Veg won ‘Best Organic Retailer’ at the Natural and Organic Awards 2009, and here at EcoSwitch, we’re sure they’ll keep on working at this great growing success.

Organic farming at Riverfood has been in full force for a little over 22 years, but it is their commitment to the soil that sets them aside from other like-minded land lovers. Now, most organic farms can be defined as such by simply avoiding synthetic pesticides and fertilisers. However, Riverside combine biodynamic techniques with a good knowledge of British soil to get the very best from their crops, and instead of simply avoiding the unnatural, they are doing their bit to minimise their impact on the environment and encourage a healthy surrounding ecology too:

‘We do everything we can to reduce our carbon footprint. Some of the actions we take are unglamorous but important.’ They continue, ‘We use crop rotation and timed ploughing to control pest problems. We re-use packing as many times as possible. Instead of using slug pellets in our polytunnels and strawberry fields, we have a team of ducks, beetles and nematodes to do the job for us.’

It is this very same charming attitude to farming that drives the honesty behind this brand of organic retailer. They deliver up and down the country and have sister farms throughout the UK – so don’t worry about an unnecessary carbon footprint; you can source your fruit and veg locally. The contents of their box scheme will vary depending on where you live and what’s wholesome, in full flavour, and best for the season. Interested? Just have a look on their website (link below) and see what they are packing this week.

And if it’s not only vegetables you’re after, they also offer a selection of meat deliveries, fruit, and salad boxes. From then, log onto their website and decide what it is that best suits you; whether you’d like weekly, fortnightly or monthly deliveries (one-off’s are available too) it is entirley your choice. Once this has been decided, simply pop your postcode in their address finder and you’ll be given the name of your local minder who (lives locally) will oversee that all’s well.

Not only is the Riverford box scheme convenient, simple to use, and wholesome, it is also personal, which is a feeling that cannot be faked. Once you are set up, and welcomed into the extended family, all you have to do now is wait for your delivery, and enjoy cooking with Riverford Organic Vegetables and a long lived tradition of good, sustainable farming.

Source: Riverford Organic Veg

Posted under Articles, Gardening & Outdoors, House & Home, Lifestyle & Fashion

Stella Artois, the beer company responsible for the ‘Reassuringly Expensive’ adverts that managed to use the higher than average price of their lager to actually encourage consumer take-up, have unrolled a new campaign aimed at boosting sales of its beer.

Belonging to the super-brewery Anheuser-Busch InBev, Stella have spent years and lots of money creating an image for itself of tasteful luxury and ironic wit through its advertising campaigns and branding activities. Despite this focus on the drink’s higher than average cost, it has still managed to remain a regular staple of British pubs.

This new advertising campaign has two main themes to it- the first is recycling, and the second is planting hedges (an enterprise backed by the broadcaster, environmental campaigner and ‘adventurer’ Ben Fogle). The first side of this new advertising programme (‘Recyclage Deluxe’) consists of bill-board adverts shot in black and cream duo-tone photography, done in a French new-wave style and featuring stylish yet dryly absurd consumer objects that suggest the use of recycled Stella packaging in the manufacture of luxury goods- a vintage Citroen car with a massive Stella can rising out smoothly in one piece from its bonnet, for instance, reminiscent of the nuclear fusion reactor that powered the Delorian in the Back to the Future films. The written messages: Stella Artois bottles are made from 75% recycled glass. Stella Artois cans use (‘on average’) 50% recycled aluminium. And Stella Artois cardboard is made from 100% recycled paper (that’s the corrugated packs in supermarkets and the paper used in packaging- all of this only the paper or card used at ‘point of sale’). None of these claims appear to be particularly astounding or instantly, primitively impressive, and are all couched in conditions and terms on the accompanying website.

Stella measures its Carbon Dioxide emissions in hectolitres- there’s 100 litres in a hectolitre unit, or 26.418 US gallons. They aim to reduce their energy use by 10% per hectolitre by 2010- again, not a particularly mind-blowing figure. But fair play to ‘em. Stella also want to reduce their water usage to 3.75 hectolitres per hectolitre of beer produced (the United Nations suggest that best practice in beer production is 5 hectolitres of water per hectolitre of beer produced- Stella are proud to be aiming below this figure). InBev are also part of the ‘Carbon Disclosure Project’. To Stella, ‘reducing, recycling and proper waste disposal are a key part of our global business strategy. At Stella Artois, we’re trying to lead by example through our Recyclage-Deluxe campaign but also by doing our best within our own operations to ensure we’re producing as little waste as possible and recycling what waste we do produce.’ Very precise action plan there.. Not. And then: ‘Aluminium’s a tricky substance. We love it because it’s lightweight (keeping down the environmental effect of transport), because it can be recycled an infinite number of times, and is tough enough to protect your Stella Artois from brewery to fridge until you can pour it in a Chalice glass to enjoy.’ Great marketing nudges in there, but very little meat. And one doubts whether aluminium was really chosen as the material for their cans because of its lighter footprint when transported- or whether this was a twist that was worked out only now.

The other side to the campaign is the ‘Hedge Fund’, where InBev (Stella’s Belgian owner) have pledged to plant a piece of hedge in the British countryside for every case of Stella bought in the UK- this piece of hedge will grow to be three times the size of the case of beer (again, the explanation of this on the promotional website is far from clear, but that, I accept, is their concern). The adverts pun on the phrase and make reference to the financial world, featuring photographs of men and women in suits sizing up a hedge, which is placed on a desk, with a tape-measure- the tagline running ‘Once upon a time a hedge fund was just that’.

Stella take a lot of credit for this hedge-building enterprise, but their language doesn’t give due credit to their partners in this enterprise: ‘we plan to fund over 365,000 hedge saplings and 8,650 trees saplings, to be planted in the British countryside. And they’ll be carefully looked after by volunteers, to keep them spruce and bursting with wildlife.’ This work is, of course, not undertaken by Stella/InBev volunteers, but by their partner in the enterprise- the Tree Council. The Tree Council could legitimately be said to be the real heroes here. The UK’s ‘lead charity for trees’, the organisation promotes trees through community action programmes, a national tree warden scheme, the distribution of annual planting grants, and publications, including the magazine ‘Tree News’ (available at branches of Borders and WHSmiths, amongst other stockists). Stella also claim that they will ‘grow hedges, wherever they are most needed’. This is possibly false, as one doubts whether Stella will be out there, looking for places where hedges are desperately needed. Stella is, after all, a beer company. Most probably they will hope that the Tree Council plant hedges where they are needed- Stella are silent partners. Besides, the hedges being planted indirectly through Stella are proportional to the amount of cases of beer that are sold. This is a limited and sales-related planting exercise. Some money is donated to the Tree Council- Stella don’t do anything but donate.
This could of course be taken as a pedantic attack on Stella’s scheme which is nevertheless positive in its nature- the move to fund the plantation of hedges is of course a good one, but what has just passed has been an brief exegesis on the perhaps misleading, self-promotional marketing language used by Stella Artois in their campaign.

Stella Artois must, of course, for their survival, market themselves savvily and keep their infiltration amongst drinking establishments, retailers and the consumer psyche intact. They certainly have the right backing- InBev, following an aggressive take-over of Anheuser-Busch (who make Budweiser), are now the world’s largest brewer. They are indeed a giant of the brewing world, and one of their first moves upon merging was to announce the closure of the historic Stagg Brewery in Mortlake, on the bank of the Thames in West London (ceasing operation in 2010). But this is beside the point. As long as you buy this beer, hedges will be planted, restoring the somewhat dilapidated hedgerow system of the British Isles, responsible for housing wildlife (including rare species, like Horseshoe bats and dormice) and keeping the soil together, preventing erosion and halting water-borne run-off.

Stella have moved their sleek advertising machine down a new detour- taking some of the edge off of their effective pseudo-luxurious campaign, in my opinion- and they want you to buy their beer. Perhaps consumers are environmental now, they think. And so their new advertising is split: split between carefree, throwaway, excessive, wasteful spending, and the recurrence of objects and material, the sustenance of long-lived singular forms. Stella Artois are hedging their bets.

Posted under Companies, Corporate, Gardening & Outdoors, Lifestyle & Fashion

Now that we’ve shown you the whereabouts to one of London’s most-loved Fair Trade stop offs, it is once again time to drop in and have a look around to see what Autumn essentials Jo Lawbuary and her team have seen to their shelves.

Keep those chills away…

Handloom Wool Blankets: Organic and hand made in the foothills of the Himalaya, by the Timalagabar village co-op society. They come in two assorted sizes pankhi – 100 x 200cm., RRP £44.99 – a thinner weave to the wool, perfect as a throw by the bed or over the side of the sofa. The thoolma is a slightly larger and thicker blanket – 150 x 250cm., RRP £125 – its heavily worked handloom wool is an ideal duty blanket to really snuggle into.

Handloom Cotton Bedlinen: Fully machine washable handloom cotton. This range of linen has been made under the care of Reaching the Unreached (www.rtu.org.uk), a development organisation in Southern India, and Artisan Hut, Bangladesh in partnership with Fairly Covered (www.fairlycovered.com). They come in five different styles: fine ribbed white, heavy white, pink chambray, amber and heavy blue. The duvets are available in the three traditional sizes (single, double and king size). So they offer a great ethical alternative to the thousands of us out there looking to change the covers before the winter weather sets in this year.

Kantha textiles: These are a personal and store favourite. Kantha textiles feature specialised regional techniques such as sujini and kanther embroidery and patchwork. The designs are delightfully whimsical, as well as bold and abstract. They cover a large range of items, including; the silk kantha throw, the kantha sari quilt, baby blankets, kantha janwar cushion covers, and much more.

Gift Solutions…

Aromatherapy Pot Candles: Handmade candles infused with essential oils in a hand-thrown clay pot. Made by Silence – a registered society of 25 years working for the social and economic rehabilitation of the deaf and the physically challenged (www.silence-india.com) – they come in a selection of scents and tasteful colours: lavender, vanilla, orange, jasmine, neem. RRP., £5.99.

Natuarl Incense: These incense cones, made by Greater Goods (www.greatergoodsonline.com) have been traditionally handrolled, using essential oils, floral perfumes and a delicate blend of flowers. They come in packs of 12 and retail at £1.75, and are great to have around the home or to be given as a gift.

Recycled Plastic: made in the UK, this range of items has found ways to recycle and apply plastics into interesting and innovative gifts. Notebooks, keyrings, clipboards and coasters are some of the charming examples for possible stocking-fillers this Christmas.

Ari Stitch Wallhangings: Produced using traditional cobblers stitch by the Self Employed Women’s Association – the SEWA works to ensure the active participation of poor women and self-employed women in the co-operative movement to support their lives with regular work and income – these wallhangings are stitched to intricate motifs and warm colourings; available in three sizes and range between £20 – £35.

Ganesha’s mix of interesting, traditional and innovative Fair Trade products are a great way to introduce friends and family to ethical alternatives. There is always a friendly and welcoming atmosphere in both London stores, so make sure you get down to see Ganesha’s full stock listings, and find out more about how and why these products were sourced.

website: www.ganesha.co.uk

Posted under Articles, House & Home, Lifestyle & Fashion

The Barbican Art Gallery- Radical Nature
Art and Architecture for a Changing Planet 1969-2009

Forty acres of baffling axis: seven floors of future-heritage; it must be the Barbican Estate, London. In a quiet foyer of the Barbican’s dedicated Arts Centre, staircases spiral and elevators hover. The Arts Centre can shift itself against the grain of gravity, or else impose its own depth charge. Within this colossal transfer-unit (moving us through planes, trajectory, space), the Radical Nature exhibition is nestled.

The sense of mutated elevation continues inside the exhibition- trees grow from the walls, grasslands float on wheeled trucks. Upon entering the exhibition one instantly walks into the territory of a guardian-wolf, its eyes and nose raised; what seems to be merely a fashionable piece of taxidermy, standing on a two-wheeled trailer (it seems as if the animal might be driven away at any moment to a new freak-show) has more significance than that: Mark Dion’s tightly-packed corpse (situated in sniffing distance from the gift shop) warns us visitors away from the cataloguing and commodification of nature, urging a native caution in regards to the roots and branches on display. The exo-cadaver of the wolf (not nature at all, but a sculpture slid inside a hide) possesses a realistic sadness; it knows better than us the dangers of holding on for too long to a lifeform that needs to die.

Out of the wolf’s glass sight, and away from its cautionary message, we walk on to more fertile sections. On the left, chicken wire pens of British crop specimens, a re-staging of 1972’s Full Farm (the show delves as far back as 1969). In the centre of the gallery, a bubble-chain: a series of plastic pods floating with the assistance of wires and hooks, forming the plan of Air-Port-City, Tomas Saraceno’s situationist utopia: a visionary architectural model of a flying cell of conjoined cities and transport terminals, ‘similar in status to airplanes in flight, which are bound by international law rather than the rules of one country’. The un-realistic construction of the piece, from transparent plastic sacks, adds another level of interpretation to the model, another shift from the ‘real’; its position inside the Barbican, a realised utopian complex, another.

A room on the left holds plans for symbiotic buildings by the Parisian architectural firm R&Sie(n). Amongst the thin veins of data, blueprints and schema that climb and spread over the white gallery walls- mirroring the viral shoots and nodes of the creeping life that their architecture ‘clones’- rests a snapshot of a mutating architectural mission- unstable and necessary. Amongst the patterns (it seems wrong to call them blueprints) flow mutations of repetitive elements, organic graphs eating into themselves, cloning, hybridising, grafting, perpetual. From the unstable substitutions, the genetic cartographies and territorial alterations, the ‘plans’ of ‘structures’ stutter smoothly out of the blueprints to become something else; the buildings themselves, mirroring the topography of their sites, are colonised and made invisible by invasive plants. Truly impressive.

In a dim room a recycled plywood/MDF bench faces a projection of two films by Robert Smithson. Spiral Jetty, barely heard through the musty fuzz of the audio, nevertheless impresses with its Jurassic maps and hovering camera angles. Spiral Jetty itself is a monumental earthwork on the Great Salt Lake in Utah, USA, constructed with black basalt rocks and earth in 1970- a 1,500 foot long coil that stretches from the land out into the water of the lake. Spiral Jetty is best viewed from above, and an image search on the web will uncover certain photographs that appear to show a blue-green sun (the rounded edge of land) spouting a sun-storm of white flame (the jetty) into red space (the translucent lake).

A grass hillock rests on the gallery floor nearby- as if the peak of a hillside had been surgically sliced and implanted here. Hans Haacke’s ‘real-time system’ Grass Grows, dating from 1969, is alive and fresh, one of the pieces of the exhibition which is nature, regardless of its surroundings. The mound seems to be pushing up through the floor, making the viewer cast their eyes around the Barbican space and view the apparently solid and grounded floor with new eyes. The piece creates a sense of reassertive nature, or else highlights our un-natural level of height, here in the Barbican centre, as in the multi-levels of the surrounding city also.

The next ‘exhibit’ is one of the boldest and most real/unreal. The deep-brown trunks of tropical trees- again, real specimens- grow slowly in height and girth under a sustaining field of artificial light. The thing about this authentic 16-metre-square rainforest segment, however, is that it grows on its side- the forest ‘carpet’ is a base-board situated at 45 degrees to the gallery floor, through which the trees are inserted, their roots immersed in nutrients behind. A square of whispering, weeping forest drapes a leafy canopy gracefully downward through the air, brushing the floor. Suggestive of hurricane detritus or jungle warfare after-effects, Fallen Forest (2006) gives the viewer a one-on-one experience with nature that many will have never had. Actual rainforest, in the flesh; the stuff that everyone talks about so much and that most people vaguely accept as somehow key to the existence of the world, is encountered through a simple physical distortion; a first-experience that, possibly, questions the first-contact with nature that most people experience, occurring through the medium of HD Satellite television and Ipod LCD imagery, or even the banal language of postcard pictures; the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, &c. In a more obvious way, the forest segment is a brought-forth commodity; a ‘bought-back’ forest; shipped timber; or waste from rainforest destruction, the primal form of office paper. The forest seems to grow towards us in attack-mode, facing us like a mute rhinoceros, defensive and instinctively expressive. The great thing about this and other pieces is that the natural forms do much of their own talking, and their presence is the most convincing argument.

Elsewhere on the ground floor, a room of mirrors echoes and reverberates a square of lush inflorescence into a shaky and mis-printed infinity. Another criticism of artificiality and reproduction, and of false space. An outdoor garden on one of the Barbican balconies gives us our first taste of fresh air.

Upstairs there is less greenery, and more architectural, photographic and performance work. Here one has the strange vantage point of seeing Fallen Forest from above- on the ground, we could walk its length and feel that we had climbed to the top of a rainforest; up here we can fly around the side of the forest, reaching the canopy only by a strange circuit on the upstairs mezzanines. None of this surveying of the forest is done in natural or easy movements.

Philippe Rahm’s indoor installation Pulmonary Space is a baggy form with arms that lead to wind instruments; when blown, the bag inflates at different points. A video of a György Ligeti piece being played ‘into’ it (Ten Pieces for Wind Quartet, 1968) is shown behind the saggy form, along with a chunk of printed theory concerning Hegel, idealism, and physicality.

The 1970s design group Ant Farm are represented by Dolphin Embassy (1974-1978), a funny/serious project (documented with video, designs and promotional material) to promote interspecies communication with dolphins, including a sea-top embassy. An interview between a human ambassador and a dolphin, to see how the dolphins feel about all this, says it all. Ant Farm are particularly admirable for their forward-thinking sense of the ridiculous whilst acknowledging the profound and the important; this is one of the valuable exhibits which question the natural art movement in a major way. Artists such as the British Bruce Mclean made similar jabs at land art in the 1960s whilst still creating ‘profound’ works; Pulmonary Space also questions the possibility of ‘connecting’ in any real way with nature, denouncing philosophical idealism (and romanticism) and claiming physical materiality as its successor.

Next, a construction material. Wolf Hilbertz’s original process of ocean-based mineral accretion promised a natural, regenerative material that was stronger than Portland cement. In the mid-1970s he trademarked Biorock® and drafted his model of Autopia, a spiral shaped island accreted underwater- basically a frame that develops hard ‘muscle’ in the form of a mineral bulk attaching and surrounding itself to it. A scale model of this island is displayed along with sections of life-size Biorock®, in its barnacle- and skeletal-like manifestation.

Elsewhere, Joseph Beuys’ ‘healing and regenerative’ work Honeypump at the Workplace (1977) is on display- two tons of honey being pumped through two ship’s motors lubricated with margarine. Apparently ‘the honey embodied energy as well as the nutritional value of a natural substance produced by an ideal collaborative community’.

Luke Howler’s Bogman Palmjaguar (2007) is a dirty-misty land/mind-scape documentary film about the mental state of the ancient bogland of Flow Country in North East Scotland, as well as its inhabitant, Bogman Bluequartz Palmjaguar, diagnosed as schizophrenic by the local authorities. Definitely worth watching, the film’s projection in a very dark room, in-between the gallery walls, makes one feel that the bogland doesn’t exist in this world, just as this viewing room doesn’t seem to.

Lara Almarcegui has kindly printed booklets for visitors to take away and peruse; ‘Guide to the Wastelands of the Lea Valley’ gives us basic photographs and magazine-style histories of East London’s Lea Valley canal ruins, an area popular with artists and given significance by the impending London Olympics, but covered more definitively and in more splendid detail by the writer Iain Sinclair.

Elsewhere Tue Greenfort showcases his camera-traps, urban ghost-catchers disguised with plastic bags and soda-cups which contain a disposable camera with flash, triggered when a fox nibbles and tugs at the frankfurter attached by string. Photographs are displayed of the surprised foxes, caught in the act- another suggestion of animals as being elsewhere, like the wolf-skin; only mindless vegetable matter can be caught and taken into this gallery, where they rear towards the artificial ceiling from their unnatural bed of air. Greenfort’s Wardian Case (Alustar-Sonatural) (2007/9) is also here- a flatpack green house containing mass-produced orchids.

Radical Nature is a good collection, notable for its international scope and its focus upon the uncontrollable, even as it it cuts, moves and stimulates nature. The lack of indulgence in artists such as Richard Long and Andy Goldsworthy is a good indicator of the exhibition’s focus on dialogue, warning and interrogation; the inclusion of popular artists like these might have added an extra aesthetic appeal to the show, but, as it stands, the exhibition is distinguished by a respect, admiration and awe of nature, in which the place of humans is ambiguous. The visitor sees snapshots, moments, surprises- the glanced portions invoke nature as a wider force despite their disparateness. The autonomy of nature is the centrepiece here, and our place within it is merely as another mutation, a growth. The name says it all- this isn’t a show about shining beauty, but the radical intersection of nature and human projects.

Note- the gallery guide is printed by ‘an energy efficient stencil duplicator’, with soy inks, on 100% recycled paper, and is printed in batches to avoid large-scale waste. The gallery is open daily from 11am-8pm (Wednesday 6pm, Thursday 10pm). Tickets are £8 for adults and £6 online/concessions. Radical Nature runs until 18th October.

The Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS

Nearest tube- Barbican/Moorgate.

http://www.barbican.org.uk/radical_nature

Posted under Eco Reviews, EcoWarriors, Events, Gardening & Outdoors, Lifestyle & Fashion

In a move sure to please all the greens out there as well as mobile phone users at large, the world’s biggest mobile phone companies- that is, phone manufacturers and network operators- are set to go ahead with a much needed plan to introduce a universal charging device which would be compatible with all handsets, regardless of  model or manufacturer.

As it stands, the huge variety of shapes and sizes means that forgetting one’s own charger when going away for any length of time inevitably means dead batteries and a useless weight in the pocket. Many, whilst staying over at a friend’s, have felt a feeling of terror and nervous expectation as they rifle through drawers and cupboards, searching for the right model amongst a snake pit of black plastic forms. Not only do chargers differ between brands, but also across different models of the same manufacturer- the connector often slimming down as technology progresses and newer models come off the shelves. Whilst some of us keep a range of our old chargers, either for emergencies or in the hope of recycling them, this still results in a huge amount of waste: wasted energy in making the new chargers, and waste in the environment from the defunct chargers thrown away by unconverted non-recyclers. (A tip for those who are unsure of how to recycle chargers- put them up on your local Freecycle, or send them free-post to Help the Aged.)

The extra good news is that the chargers- which will last us longer, as we won’t have to update unless they break- will also consume up to 50% less standby energy than current models.

New handsets should all be able to support the universal charger by 2012, and firms behind the move include Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, LG, T-Mobile, Orange, 3, AT&T and Vodafone. The move will be a global one.

The new charger will use a micro-USB connection between it and the phone. According to the GSMA (an umbrella group representing the interests of the world mobile communications industry) the new charger could save up to 51,000 tonnes of duplicate chargers. In February the EU Industry Commissioner Guenter Verheugen said on German radio that there were currently more than 30 different kinds of charger in use across the 27-nations of the European Union.

Welcome news for the environment and workaholics.

Posted under Environmental News, Lifestyle & Fashion, Product Innovations

Nominated for the Biofach awards 2009, the La Vialla Farm - a family-run organic enterprise based in the heart of Tuscany - is not only renowned for its wine producing, or even its authentic Tuscan gastronomic specialities (and let’s not ignore the idyllic artisan setting of this fantastic refuge) La Vialla is being praised by ecologists for its 30 year marriage of unbeatable food and understood farming – Biodynamic farming, that is!

The famous wine producer Jack Piouse once said: “Every wine is a mirror of its origin, it’s the child of the earth, air and man. It immortalises the life of the area and its rhythms.” And if this be the case, the age old techniques refined at La Vialla are a direct expression of the land, the knowledge, the work and successes of biological biodynamic farming today. But what is biodynamic farming? And what are the benefits?

Rudolf Steiner and the Birth of Biodynamics
Rudolf Steiner, the founder of biodynamic science, taught that the moon’s cycle and movement, and that of other planets in our solar system, influences life on Earth. If we consider the moon and its effects on the tides, and then see the tide as liquids in general, this theory becomes immediately apparent. Water is the fundamental element that serves as nourishment and gives life to organisms on earth. Therefore the moon’s role in fertilisation will clearly determine the outcome of probably the most effected organism on earth – plants.
As early as 1924, ahead of his time, Steiner was trying to encourage farmers to adopt methods that would preserve the environment. His fascination lay within the soil, the rhythms of the earth, and agronomic techniques that would help improve its strength. Steiner often warned farmers against the use of chemicals in modern agriculture. He predicted that consistent use would pollute, erode and weaken our crops, air and water supplies, whilst disturbing the evolution of the soil.

Using 30 years of experience and heritage, La Vialla farm according to the approaches of biological and biodynamic farming, avoiding more ‘modern’ methods of chemical agriculture that have seen farming deteriorate through the last century.

The Science: biodynamic composting at La Vialla
Towards the closing months of Autum, the farmers at La Vialla begin to build the essential tool. Using compost from the stalls, the remains from the oil press, the vegetables, the wine, the mills, and the dairy (basically whatever is left from the farm’s produce) the farmers construct a 70-80m long compost heap. A digger is then used to first compact the mound, to prevent it being washed away by rain, and then cover the heap with an insulating layer of straw – which regulates its temperature throughout the seasons.

By December, it is time to prepare the spray. The cyclical combination of cold weather, rainy days and frost allow a decomposition process, supported by biodynamic techniques, that works on what will turn into the key ingredient for the highly nutritional crop spray. The biodynamic compost is regulated with stimuli and natural catalysts (along with a helping hand from worms and other micro-organisms) to become the centre piece for farming through the oncoming year.

Steiner proclaimed that biodynamics at its fundamental aim is to revitalise the soil, encouraging fertile rotation and the quality of the ground. There were a few but essential guidelines, however; crops most be stimulated on rotation using homeopathic doses, pesticides are excluded from the entire process, and the magic ingredient of dynamized biodynamic compost must be used in order to receive full effects. The dynamization process – that is, the substance’s slow activation in water – is necessary for the farmers to apply the solution to the crops, and spray roots and leaves according to the suitable days of the lunar calender.

Results: the Test is in the Taste
Steiner’s biodynamic procedures may seem out-moded and historic to today’s modern take on proactive farming. However, the organically enriched crop farming has a range of benefits; it improves the overall quality and fertility of the soil, mineral mix, and the absorption ability at the plants roots. And this high-organicity is passed directly through to the fruits themselves; enriching the quality and characteristics of their nature. Once you have seen, smelt and tasted the results at La Vialla, it will be clear why these farmers want to preserve and promote the natural patterns in Tuscan flavouring and continue the tradition of biodynamic farming in generations to come.

Source: www.la-vialla.com

Posted under Articles, Health, Lifestyle & Fashion

Any independent retailer that sells new and accessible high street fashion with the epitaph ‘Sustainable-Style since 2001′ has got to be on to a good thing. Especially when one of their leading sellers has given new meaning to the negatively connoted white vest, which was once labelled ‘The Wife-Beater’ – not a nice thought at all – and has since made that a thing of the past with their new 100% organic cotton ‘Strife Beater’!

The guys at LiViTY advertise this ingenious little number as a 100% eco-friendly product. And they’re right to. The organic cotton, grown without chemical pesticides, herbicides, or fertilisers, is tagged with 100% bio-degradeable hemp twine and recyclable paper, naturally. And what’s more is that these garments actually look and feel good too – not at all like what has come to be stereotypical of ‘ethical fashion’. So who is this group of well groomed fashion designers?

The concept behind LiViTY Outernational – just reading it like that can strike as one of those brilliant familiar foreign places - is all in their name. “Livity” is a Jamaican word (already inspiring a reggae coolness to the brand) which roughly translates to free, healthy lifestyle; and “Outernational” is the organisation’s strategic viewpoint: ‘it is our way of seeing the planet without political borders’ says livityouternational.com.

In fact when you log on to the brand’s website, what is waiting for its customers is an image of two old wooden boats painted with the messages ‘responsibility’, ‘look forward’, and ‘the lion’ colourfully outlined and shared between these two vessels. This is undoubtedly part of LiViTY’s  ’art as activism’ campaign; inspired by the eco-warrior’s passive protesting that takes place throughout the world in order to stimulate a more ecologically aware planet.

But what’s really got the attention of both sides of the fashion market  is LiViTY’s attention to style. This isn’t to suggest that environmentalists and shopaholics alike share an enthusiasm for a double-hem or a tee-shirt that zips up and away into a waistcoat. No, this is certainly not the case. LiViTY’s original and innovative style has tackled that megalith task, that merging of two hemispheres, that once thought impossibility of joining principle with popular-appeal, into product.

The American retailer has managed to create a brand with a strong and guiding principle that translates into their items of clothing. Just take a look at their website and online store (www.livityouternational.com) and flick through the catalogue full of fair trade, organically grown, eco-friendly clothes. As you’ll see, every detail at LiViTY has been considered, and it shows too. Just looking at the variety of hats, bags and accessories, and then taking note of their supporting guarantees and pledges of eco-friendly, all-round Green garments, really gives this fledgling of fashion a ‘cutting-edge’ that really should be at the forefront of popular style. And if you’re eager to get your hands on such favourites as the Strife Beater, right now, then they’re on sale in major international outfitters throughout the country. Let’s hope (like their clothes) they just keep on growing.

Posted under Lifestyle & Fashion

Organic farming, organic food, organic living; in fact, most types of organicity are more familiar than not. But what is an organic baby? Do we need one of them now as well? Of course, it’s up to you to decide. But if your little bundle of joy is wrapped up tight in your arms, or even pitter-pattering bare naked across the bathroom floor, then I’m sure you’ll want to know.
The Organic Baby Company is an online and wholesale outfit, supplying everything from nappies to nappy cream, summer bags to cotton baby blankets, even organic hampers to celebrate a new arrival. There is really so much on offer for mothers and fathers to be. But, you may ask, does it really need to be organic? Well, again, that is up to you to decide. However, a wise man once said that the best decision is an informed one:

The term “organic” has been a white-wash for manufacturers and retailers looking to give their products a new image. Even so much so as to call the need for another title: “Certified Organic” is a term that is awarded to products that meet and act within stringent guidelines laid out by The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). Consumer demand for organic products have reached such heights that corporations are being forced to make the switch to a more measured manufacturing process. And why is this new consumer demand so high? It’s simple: health.
We are a nation of health fanatics. As more and more information becomes available about what we eat, drink, wear, and how we live, a culture of awareness begins to demand a new quality in the products we are using everyday. We want to know the effects of our actions before we take the steps. This is a very modern way of living. We are in an age of measuring, considering and concluding on outcomes for the smallest of details; like, say, where and how that cucumber was grown; that paint, does it have a high VOC count; or that jumper, were there pesticides used to make it? Our decisions on the smallest of scales have domestic, national and global significance. And this is a practise that the next generation of civilians will find at once commonplace and natural: the valuing of choice. But whilst this future generation is still crawling around on all fours and wrestling with the palatable words Mama and Papa, then it rests with us to do as we see fit, with what is out there for us to decide on.

The Organic Baby Company are specialists in baby products for those who see the benefits of using organic products. It may at times seem lavish and indulgent to be splashing cash in the higher ends of the consumer market. However, the core line of products are actually very sensible: clothes, nappies, blankets, skincare, bath-time and grooming, nursery furniture etc. All these areas require some attention when considering how important those early stages of development can be.

Take, for instance, the Organic Lavender Nappy Cream: priced at £5.45, it is not remarkably different for a like-buy product, but, instead, you can be assured that it is not tested on animals, contains no animal products, and is free from paraben preservatives – which can cause skin irritation and contact dermatitis.

And this is the way the Organic Baby Company works; offering organic alternatives for your baby’s needs, to help rid those stresses one at a time. There is an extensive range of products to be found on their website (www.theorganicbabycompany.co.uk) where you can find details of their wholesale and trading information. This is definately a great alternative provider; one that will ensure your baby’s first step is a Green one.

Posted under Lifestyle & Fashion

When discussing the average ‘environmentalist’ the traditional caricature was something not unlike the eccentric middle class farmer; crazy, unkempt hair, tweed jackets, woollen scarves. As the general environmental movement has widened, so to has this conception, and that caricature has come to represent exactly that: an unrealistic – albeit humorous – representation.

Now, being into the environment is hip. Celebrities and politicians alike are all quick to add their support to environmental causes. These days, it pays to be green.

What Terra Madre Brings to the World of Green Fashion

Now, it’s not so hard to be into the environment and look like a sane and approachable member of society at the same time. Take Terra Madre as an example. With their distinctive butterfly logo, they provide clothing that is both stylish and ethical. Their website and mission statement reads:

“The Terra Madre collection is a unique selection of limited edition, organic and fairly traded Art T-Shirts by internationally renowned artists. Terra Madre means Mother earth. We have chosen the name ‘Mother Earth’ to reflect our philosophy behind our Organic T-Shirt Art. For us, the Butterfly symbolises the beauty and delicate nature of our world, which needs to be preserved with the utmost care.

British butterflies are individuals through and through; varied in so many ways, they are endlessly fascinating, poetical, gorgeous free spirits. Through the Terra Madre collection we aim to encourage others to care for the world and protect it, securing its future as a safe haven for the earth’s creatures“.

In combining interesting, creative designs with an ethical fair trade and environmental policy, Terra Madre are successfully showing that being interested in environmental issues does not have to mean wearing skirts made fromgrass and living in the isolated countryside. That caricature is coming firmly to an end.

Terra Madre in History

Born out of the Broomhill Art Hotel and Sculpture Gardens in North Devon, the Terra Madre t-shirt range first came on general sale in 2007.  Founded by Rinus Van de Sande as a way to showcase Broomhill Art Hotel associated artists, while providing clothing that meets ethical and environmental standards set out by the general environmental conciousness in place within the general cultural environmental movement.

With an emphasis on individuality of design, de Sande has created a range that marries the environment with the fashionista. The website stated that,

“Rinus and Aniet have selected the best quality T-shirts they could find to hand print these unique designs. This is essentially designer clothing for the socially conscious and culturally savvy individual. The fairly traded, organic T-shirts using SAF (Socially Accountable Fabrics) are available worldwide in limited editions only. In using organic cotton, farmers and communities benefit in many ways. The unique T-shirts are truly a pleasure to wear, especially considering the ethical and creative investment in each one. You can be a part of the art and catch the passion now.”

With more designs in the pipeline, Terra Madre looks set to become a tour de force in the environmentally conscious clothing industry.

For more information, visit Terra Madre T-Shirt Art.

Posted under Articles, Lifestyle & Fashion, Uncategorized

Tucked modestly away in two of London’s most enjoyable stop-offs, bringing an authentic mix of colour and vibrancy to the often greyed streets of the capital. Residing in Covent Garden and South Bank, respectively, the partnership, formed by Jo Lawbuary and Purnendu Roy, offer a delightful array of products. Anything from a vintage silk sari, or the much toted ultimate party plates (made form leaves, no less!), to a complete itemised wedding list can all be found through the store. The possibilities are endless! And what’s more, when you purchase a Ganesha product you can be happy in the knowledge that it has come under the eyes of former editor for BAFTS (British Association for Fair Trade Shops) – Jo Lawbuary herself.

Upon walking into the store it strikes you (and this is to be taken without pretension) that this is no ordinary high-street shop. The assortment and layering of colour is the first clue that sets Ganesha aside from the typical We Sell It, You Buy It stop-and-shop. With an outline and atmosphere typical to that of an Indian sari shop, the shelves and centre pieces are both charming and distinctly interesting in their clutter. And it is this authenticity which is again presented to us by the Fair Trade ambassador’s online-site (www.ganesha.co.uk).

It soon becomes apparent as you click-on that there is much more to simply sourcing, endorsing and selling for Ganesha. As you navigate your way through the photographs, press reports and news coverage; links to other fair trade suppliers, as well as their tailored fair trade and environmental policy, the products themselves almost disappear from sight. Instead, what is left is the impression that there is a true ’cause’ at work.

 It seems here that the time old truism prevention is better than cure is at play. Not only is the improvement of living standards and the increase of wages in India headed at the top of their fair trade policy, but there are more community-based initiatives also set up – such as microfinance schemes. Trade unions and member associations are also a concerned factor. There is really a lot going on behind the scenes of this London storefront. What is most impressive about Ganesha is their approach to alternative trading as a realistic and viable solution; to not only support suffering economies but to harvest ecological alternatives and supply them here in Britain.

In modern day business it is an easy act to promote an ‘ethical’ or ‘green’ business-policy, that, to the stakeholder’s utter innocence, has gathered in a much broader and loyal band of regulars than years before. And it’s just as easy to spot a fake. But, it is even easier to celebrate a case of the ‘real deal’. See for yourself: drop-in and speak with one of the on-hand staff, or instead log-on to Ganesha’s website for further details and product information – there’s is a guarantee you won’t be disappointed in.

Posted under Articles, Eco Reviews, Lifestyle & Fashion