I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how being busy everyday can affect how green you live. If I’m strapped for time then I take short cuts I wouldn’t take if I could be a bit more leisurely and those short cuts are not always eco friendly.

I guess they key is to work green habits into your daily routines. I’m not talking about grand gestures like buying a hybrid car or holidaying in an expensive eco-retreat, that’s not realistic for most of us. I’m talking about those things that we can do all the time in our own home and garden.

Here’s a quick run down of 10 of the things we do in our house. I’d love to learn more so do share your everyday eco habits with us.

1. Benevolent Brands?
I’ve put this one first because I think its the most important here and I’ve been doing this since I could spend my own pocket money. Get to know which brands are lacking in positive eco & ethical credentials and show them that you don’t approve by avoiding their products in your weekly shop. I’m a great believer in consumer power and there’s nothing easier than not doing something, not buying something. Online ethical shopping tool Gooshing can help you know the score.

2. Keep it Fresh
Instead of buying foil, cling film or plastic sandwich bags which will just get thrown away, wash out and save a couple of ice cream and margarine tubs to keep food fresh in your fridge.

3. White Vinegar is Your Friend
I have always been a bit dubious about eco cleaning products but one that is a definite winner and as cheap as chips (tastes good on chips too!) is vinegar. There’s nothing like white vinegar to get rid of grease and make surfaces lovely and shiny. I use it on stainless steel, windows and mirrors and I don’t have to worry about breathing in nasty chemicals when I’m using it.

4. Nature’s Bodyguards
Instead of using pesticides to keep aphids from munching on your beloved tomatoes and cucumbers, let nature do the work for you. For some reason a lot of creepy crawlies that like your veggie plants hate marigolds so plant them alongside and let them protect the fruits of your labours.

5. Home Made Labels
Whilst we’re talking gardens, here are a few ways you can recycle bits and bobs from indoors to use outdoors – Keep bottle tops to put on the end of garden canes to protect yourself (especially your eyes) from the sharp edges. Cut yoghurt pots into strips and use them as washable plant labels. Keep a tub or container handy in your kitchen to chuck in tea bags and veg peelings, ready to take out to the compost bin.

6. Old Fashioned Washing
I love hanging washing on the line – I think it’s because it’s one of those jobs that tells us the fine weather is finally here. Although, as us UK based folks know, fine weather is elusive here. So rather than heading to the tumble dryer (we don’t own one), get yourself a clothes horse to dry your washing indoors when it’s rainy outdoors.

7. Sweet Scent
There are so many air fresheners on the market right now I couldn’t possibly name them all. They’re so sophisticated too, spraying out a smell on a timer or whenever you walk in the room, but they’re just unnecessary. Goodness knows what chemicals they’re spurting at you and the amount of plastic that must go into making them makes my head spin. We keep a pretty wooden box (recycled from a wine case) near the front door with a handful of potpourri in it. When the smell fades, just sprinkle a little of your favourite essential oil in there. You could even get some lemon juice or sprigs of lovely smelling herbs like Rosemary. Hmmmmm…

8. Cut Down on the Meat
Until I met Sophie from Food For Change I thought I knew the implications of agriculture, especially farming for meat. I knew nothing. The amount of resources that go into feeding and keeping animals for food is mind blowing. It’s a devastating industry, not only for the animals but for the environment and humans too. Cutting down or cutting out animal products from your diet truly can help relieve this. Read my interview with Sophie or visit www.foodforchange.org.uk to find out more.

9. Make Second Hand First
This is my favourite tip because its about shopping – shopping and feeling good about it. OK, let me just spit it out. If you have hang-ups about second hand get over it! Antiques are second hand and no-one has issues with that. Whether looking for large items like furniture or small things like tea cups or clothes I always go for second hand first. Lots of the furniture in our house is second hand, was very cheap or free and, after a little restoration, beautiful. Buying second hand means you are not using more of the world’s resources to get something that’s new for you. Charity shops are the best because they are full of hidden gems and buying them contributes to something really worthwhile. Why line greedy companies’ pockets only to buy the same old beige, uniform items? Get creative, mix and match and have fun.

10. Take Your Time
I have to confess, I’m working on this one. Rushing around causes me to take short cuts and make decisions that aren’t good for the environment, like driving to the shops because its quicker than walking and grabbing a take-away rather than cooking a home made meal.

I’m far from perfect on the green front but I’d like to learn more. Share your ‘everyday eco’ and let’s make a habit of it.

How much do you know about the food on your plate? How does it impact on you and the world around you?

After quitting meat at 12 years of age I thought I knew my fair share about farming. Well I knew a lot about animal welfare issues but as it turns out not so much about the social and environmental impacts of agriculture.

So what do we know? Carnivores and vegetarians alike can save the environment by switching to organic and local right? Wrong. It’s just not that straightforward.

Food is one of the few things we can’t opt-out of. We can stop taking long haul flights, we can stop using plastic bags but we can’t stop eating, so we have to get smart about it.

Food for Change is refreshing. At Food for Change you will find an intelligent, non-emotive perspective on food. In fact this isn’t just a perspective it tackles the issues head on and addresses how our eating habits could make a fairer, healthier society which truly respects the natural world.

So here at GGG we are very lucky to have some time to pick the brains of the Food for Change founder Sophie Pritchard. Prepare to have your food view turned upside down…..

Q. Sophie, welcome to GGG. Food for Change really is different to other websites, books and resources about food and the environment. How did it begin and what are your motivations?

Hello! Thank you for the opportunity to be featured on your brilliant website!

My relationship with food reached a turning point when I became vegetarian at the age of 11. In the beginning my choice not to eat meat was solely due to animal welfare issues; I lived opposite a farm and loved to watch the calves being born and one day I made the connection and then there was no turning back.

It wasn’t for another ten years that I started learning more about the other impacts of meat. While studying for a master’s degree in International Environmental Management I gained a much greater understanding of the environment and all the aspects of everyday life that affect it; one of those being livestock.

The initial idea for Food for Change was born around a year ago whilst I was working for an environmental and social justice organisation. Through my work, I discovered much more about the social impacts of environmental destruction and also the urgent need for us to live more sustainably to ensure our choices do not impact the lives of future generations. Meat and dairy are undeniably unsustainable, requiring far more land, water and energy than plant-based foods.

I became frustrated that environmental organisations continued to turn a blind eye to the environmental impact of livestock, particularly when both environmental and humanitarian organisations strongly and publicly oppose biofuels because of their environmental and social impacts when I knew that they caused only a fraction of the problems that the livestock industry does. I asked all these organisations about why they focused on biofuels, considering their impacts are the same as meat, but lower in scale. They all told me that the issue with biofuels was that they were making matters worse, whereas the devastation caused by livestock is long-standing. That didn’t seem like a good enough reason to ignore the issue to me.

Q. We all understand the issues of animal welfare in the livestock industry but you also address social, health and environmental factors. Can you briefly tell us how current farming and agriculture affects these areas and ultimately human life?

Briefly will be difficult since the list is a long one! I’ll try to keep to the main points.

Perhaps the greatest injustice is the amount of food we feed to animals. When I first heard that the vast majority of the crops we grow – a third of the world’s cereals and 90% of soy – are fed to animals, I was shocked. Today I still can’t quite believe we feed 754 million tonnes of cereals (1) and over 200 million tonnes of soy (2) to animals every year when there are over 950 million starving people in the world (3).

Much of the environmental and social impacts of the livestock industry come from the intensively farmed crops we grow to feed animals. Beautiful and biodiversity rich forests, such as the Amazon, are destroyed to make way for grazing cattle or growing soy to feed to animals. Intensive soy plantations use massive amounts of fertilisers and pesticides which poison the ground and waterways. Most soy is also genetically modified, particularly in the US, Argentina and Paraguay. The dairy industry in particular is keen to promote an image of cows grazing in lush fields in the English countryside, but the truth is that they are fed a diet high in soy and grains, as are other farmed animals.

Deforestation is responsible for 20% of greenhouse gas emissions (4), since trees release carbon dioxide when they are cut down and burned. Tropical forests are home to many thousands of species of plants, birds, mammals and reptiles. The forest also provides a home, food and livelihoods for indigenous people; all of which are brutally taken away when they are forced to flee the forest when it is cut down and converted to pasture or soy plantations. Many of them move to urban areas and struggle to adjust to a new way of life, resulting in poverty and hunger.

Ruminants like cows and sheep are also responsible for methane and nitrous oxide emissions which also contribute to climate change. In total, the livestock sector is accountable for 18% of the world’s greenhouse gases (5).  Climate change is already responsible for around 150,000 deaths per year (6) and an estimated 200 million people will be displaced because of droughts, floods and other weather conditions caused by climate change by 2050 (7). Those in developing countries, the most vulnerable, suffer the most despite the fact that they are least responsible for climate change.

Many studies have showed that animal products cause heart disease and cancer. The World Cancer Research Fund revealed that red meat, and in particular processed meats, are strongly linked to cancer – so much so that the recommended consumption level of sausages and bacon is none at all.

Saturated fats, which predominantly come from animal products, clog arteries and raise cholesterol levels and blood pressure putting people at risk of heart disease. What’s frightening is that fast food chains such as McDonald’s and Burger King are expanding around the world, even to developing countries, resulting in a rise in meat consumption in countries where it has always previously been very low. Many developing countries don’t have National Health Services like we do, as their health deteriorates, not only do they not understand the cause of their disease, but also, they have nowhere to go for help.

Q. For anyone wanting to move towards having a more positive diet in terms of how it affects the environment what would you suggest as the first and most valuable step?

People are becoming more aware of the benefits of organic and local food. However, evidence shows that, environmentally, a vegan diet is far better than local and organic. Therefore, the best first step is to cut down on your meat and dairy consumption. Once you start exploring dishes free of animal products you soon realise how easy it is and this allows you to increase your number of meat and dairy free meals until you don’t consume any at all. Of course, not everyone is prepared to become vegan, and although this is the ideal, every step you take towards veganism makes a real difference.

Q. Sometimes we can make food choices which on the face of it seem to be harmless but are in fact very damaging. How can we learn more about the background to what we’re eating?

I’d like to say that the information is easy to get hold of, but in terms of the environmental and social impacts of meat and dairy, it’s well hidden. Food for Change has an email subscription service to keep you up to date on the latest news about the livestock industry and it’s impacts. I set the website up because this information just wasn’t readily available. I also provide links to other sources of relevant information. Groups like Friends of the Earth have a food campaign, focusing on genetically modified crops, and are a good source of information on wider food issues.

Q. How do you see our food shopping and eating habits 10 years into the future? What are the best and worst case scenarios?

I do believe that food habits are changing. According to the World Cancer Research Fund, one in ten people are actively reducing their meat consumption for health reasons. More people are also becoming aware of the issues of intensive agriculture and food miles, both strongly related to meat, but it’s a slow process.

My fear is that powerful fast food giants will continue to spread across the globe, increasing global meat consumption over and above that related purely to a higher level of population. Whilst industrialised nations will hopefully move towards a more sustainable and environmentally responsible diet over the next 10 years, the higher consumption of meat in developing countries could completely counteract this.

The good news is that Friends of the Earth launched a livestock campaign a few months ago and Greenpeace have started developing a campaign as well. With these highly influential organisations challenging governments and corporations on their role in the destruction caused by livestock  I am optimistic that there will be some policy changes in the next ten years. But change also needs to happen on the ground. Individuals need to recognise the enormous power they have to change our world and not wait for governments to take action. This is where veganism is so powerful.

Whilst we don’t yet have the public transport system to allow us all to give up our cars, or cheap solar panels and other forms of renewable energy so we can all generate our own energy or the skills and planning infrastructure that allows us to build our own eco-homes; we can all switch to a plant-based diet right now, the world is already set up for it.

Visit Food for Change at www.foodforchange.org.uk

References
1. UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Crop Prospects and Food Situation.  2008.
2. Earth Policy Institute. Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization.  2008.
3. United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. High Level Conference of World Food Security. 2008.
4. UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Livestock’s Long Shadow. 2006.
5. UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Livestock’s Long Shadow. 2006.
6. World Health Organisation. 2000.
7. Myers, N. Environmental refugees: an emergent security issue. 2005.

Brrrr it’s getting very chilly out there. Thank goodness we have Eco Chic Weekly to keep us warm!

Here’s the latest round-up…..

Eco Chick
Eco Chick introduces us to Dr. Alkaitis Therapeutic Skin Food.

Fashion, Evolved.
Fashion, Evolved invites all eco-fashionistas to participate in our virtual fashion show!

Fig+Sage
60 Natural, Organic, Eco-Friendly Stocking Stuffers $6 And Under (LOTS of affordable eco-beauty buys!)

Green Cotton
‘From Somewhere’ Grabs Designer of the Year at RE: Fashion UK

Green Glam Girl
Green Glam Girl posted a vid recap of the 2008 Be Eco Chic New York fashion show!

GreenGirls.tv
GreenGirls.tv has the scoop on a fab internship with Summer Rayne Oaks-model, writer, and eco-fashion icon!

Green Grechen
How Eco-Friendly is Faux Fur?

Alternative Consumer
Neon Collective for vegan-only fashion

As you’ve probably noticed our weekly round-up was missing from GGG last week, making it ‘Eco Chic Two-Weekly’.

Apologies to those of you who missed the latest and greatest on eco fashion and if you’d like to contribute a green fashion post to Green Girls Global take a look at our Contribute page and get in touch!

Enjoy!…

Eco-Chick
Eco-Chick gets Eairth-y with some Fabulous Phillipino Eco-Fashion

Fashion, Evolved
Fashion, evolved interviews Sara Suemae, the founder and designer of the eco-fabulous line SPUN.

Green Cotton
Congrats to the D.C. Green Festivals for a terrific eco-fashion show and impressive recycling for 30,000+

Green Girls
The GreenGirls.tv tells us why knockoffs and fakes are a crime of fashion.

The Alternative Consumer
Natural Wrist Warmers- Tres chic and handmade, a yummy accessory for fall, winter and spring.

Green Grechen
No Leather Here! Chic Handbags for Vegans.

Victoria Everman
What Are You Tired Of? Tell the World and Make It Change! – An interview with I’m Tired Of co-founder Dan Hoffman

In London on Wednesday 3rd September, as a representative of the fantastic organisation Campaign Whale, I joined one of the 25 peaceful protests taking place outside Japanese Embassies around the world. Various animal welfare organisations joined forces and together united, protested against Japans continued slaughter of around 20,000 small cetaceans (dolphins, porpoises and small whales) each year.

The slaughter

One of the dolphin slaughters takes place in a small village called Taiji in Wakayama Prefecture. The process in which they kill the dolphins and whales is absolutely horrific (as is the killing of most animals). They herd them into killing coves, turning the water red with blood.

The Black and White Dall’s porpoises, known in Japanese as ‘‘ishi iruka,’’ are hunted and killed by hand-thrown harpoons. These killings in Japan are the largest massacre of cetaceans anywhere in the world.

japan defends the cull, arguing that strict quotas are set to prevent species becoming endangered and all killing is done in as humane a way as possible.

Profit versus planet

In the Japanese culture, dolphin, whale and porpoise meat are popular dishes. The meat is sold to the general public and even marketed as brain food for young children. The industry is very profitable for the fishermen and the Government which is why they are reluctant to stop hunting and killing these beautiful marine species.

Poisonous meat

However the meat, as is a lot of seafood these days, is contaminated with mercury, methyl-mercury and PCBs. Repeated chemical analyses have shown that the level of mercury in the meat from the slaughtered dolphins in Taiji is much higher than the maximum allowable level set by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan.

Human welfare

I believe that the government is aware of this and is knowingly allowing members of the public including young children and pregnant women to be put at health risk.

I have read that mercury damages the central nervous system, endocrine system, kidneys, and other organs, and adversely affects the mouth, gums, and teeth. Exposure over long periods of time or heavy exposure to mercury vapor can result in brain damage and ultimately death.

The Dolphin Day protests have been highlighting the human welfare side of the slaughter of dolphins too. Protestors believe that the Japanese public should be made aware of the health risks of eating contaminated seafood such as dolphin meat.

Racial issues

The protests on a number of occasions have been accused of being racist against Japanese and their culture. People who defend the cull and eating of cetaceans in Japan have said that the rest of the world is hypocritical.

Well, in a way this is correct….

Dolphin friendly tuna – I don’t think so

I hope that you are not one of those hypocrites and thinking it’s terrible that they are killing dolphins yet right now you are munching on a tuna sandwich. Yes, tuna might not be as cute as dolphins but they are important and are classified as Marine MegaFauna (large animals) like dolphins. Bluefin Tuna can grow up to two metres long and can weigh 500kg.

I read a statistic that Sainsbury’s alone sells 665,000 tins of tuna a week. You may think you were being ethical when you pick up a tin featuring the ‘Dolphin Friendly Tuna’ label however sorry to burst your bubble but there ain’t such a thing. Sorry but there isn’t ok.

Tuna are strong, amazing, fast swimming fish, so in order for fishermen to catch them they either use vast purse-seine nets to scoop them out of the sea or use trail lines of baited hooks many miles long.

Tuna bycatch

Such methods are undiscriminating against any other marine species. By fishing for tuna (so you can have that sarnie or tuna pasta bake) the fishermen end up also catching non-targeted species too, known as bycatch.

A range of species get caught up in the process, including the occasional cetacean but mainly a large shocking number of popular species such as turtles, albatrosses and that less popular yet hugely misunderstood species the shark.

I used to fear sharks because of the movie Jaws, it scared the hell out of me as a child and I would not go swimming in the sea. Now I really appreciate sharks and instead I am now scared of their survival becuase of how many are being killed for shark fin soup or as bycatch on long line fishing nets. I will write a more detailed post about sharks in the future, in the mean time back to the topic!

Ethics and the world’s diet

Whilst the Japanese government is committing crime by allowing the slaughter and its people to eat dolphin meat with high mercury levels in, I would like to highlight that it’s not the general publics fault in most cases as they do not know.

Like you may not know about the long line tuna nets getting other species, or as I have posted about before the Scottish salmon industry killing seals so you can enjoy your smoked salmon and egg breakfast.

What I am highlighting is that all over the world many people unknowingly eat foods that have ethical and also health implications. It can be hard to know what is good to eat and in this modern world, food is extremely political.

Food for thought

However if you love animals and want to protect the planet and to be part of the solution and not the problem then it is my personal belief that you should go vegan or at least vegetarian.

However even as a vegan or vegetarian, I know it is hard to be completely ethical. I’m vegan but then I get faced with dilemmas such as knowing what products may have palm oil in it (which is causing deforestation and loss of habitat for many species).

At the start of the year I pledged to eat more local food, however since I have moved to join my fiancé I regret to say I have sinned on this. However I have discovered an organic farm shop that I can cycle to, so will do that.

I hope that overall my article has given you some food for thought and if you want to get actively involved in protecting Whales and Dolphins then I highly recommend you support Campaign Whale.