Top 6 Fair Trade Companies

FAIR TRADE: (Definition) - is an organised social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as higher social and environmental standards. It focuses in particular on exports from developing countries to developed countries, most notably handicrafts, coffee, cocoa, sugar, tea, bananas, honey, cotton, wine, fresh fruit, chocolate, flowers and gold. (Source: Wikipedia)  

In a nutshell: fair payment for small farmers


You see, a lot of the third world countries are experiencing booming economies at the moment (Brazil Russia India China) but if you look outside the 'cities' towards the rural areas, you will not see the same wealth increase for the local farmers and growers. 


Fair Trade organisation ensures and checks that these local farmers and growers are receiving their fair share. Through the cooperation of corporations and businesses around the world, there is more equality and less discrimination with doing business. 


Over the past few years, Fair Trade recognition have increased to 70% of the population.


Fair Trade doesn't always mean more expensive as the case for 'organic foods'. Sometimes, they could be a tad bit more expensive but based on my observation, there are always foods in the same category that carry a higher cost (and are not fair traded). In the case of coffee, this has meant producers receive $1.26 per lb for coffee beans, compared to an average world price of 70 cents for the past few years - so producers earn around double under Fairtrade, while British consumers pay around 10-15% more.


Next time you purchase a product, take a look to see if there are Fair Trade options.


Top 6 Fair Trade Companies:
1. Cadbury Chocolate
2. Green and Black's
3. ASOS
4. Clipper Tea
5. Bulldog Cosmetics
6. Lush


The Official Fair Trade Foundation http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/what_is_fairtrade/default.aspx

Natural fertiliser for soil and plants - coffee and tea! And beer?

For many of us, a cup of coffee is a must in our daily morning ritual; others, prefer a fresh cup of brewed tea. Mmmm. What gives us a perk is not so different for plants!

Plants also like coffee and tea but served as fertilizer :)

Tip 1: Sprinkle used leftover coffee ground on the soil of your plants. Throw in the filter bag if you want as well because they are biodegradable. Do this sparingly! Or if your heart desires and you have the space and place, you can start a compost with leftover veggie waste mixed with soil and used coffee grounds. You should throw in a few worms to help create a rich compost. Tomatoe plants love coffee. Another bonus is that snails get turned off by the coffee. Now that's a perk!

Tip 2: Give your plants a boost with tea leaves! Used tea leaves can also be sprinkled over your plants as a natural fertiliser. However, take note that some tea bags are not biodegradable so do not throw in the bag. Rose plants particularly love tea. The tannic acid is what gets them going.

Tip 3: Instead of pouring near-empty beer cans down the drain, you can now pour it on the soil of your plants. I have not tried this yet because I'm worried of the smell for indoor plants but hey, if you've got a garden, then this will be a real monthly treat for your plants! Please do not drown your plants, simply use as you would with water.  Grass loves beer, you can mix it with your compost or mix it with water in a sprayer and spray your lawn every few weeks.

Boy, your plants are in for a real treat with all the options they have in beverage fertiliser!! Try it out and let me know what you think. I haven't discovered which brands of coffee, tea, or beer the plants prefer but if you have, please share. The rule of thumb for all is use sparingly, once every two months (exclude winter months) will be enough for your plants.


So, are you a Tomatoe, Rose plant or a Lawn of grass?

Storing dried Spring/Green Onions in the Freezer

I want to share with you an interesting way of saving and storing your green onions, or spring onions - depending where you are from. If you are like me, you usually buy green onions when you need it for a recipe; however, they usually come in batches of 6-8 stalks and you never end up using the whole batch before they go limp and yellow.

A great and easy way of keeping your green onions is by storing them in the freezer in an empty water bottle. It's a great way to re-use your water bottles!

Rinse your green onions with water and let them dry thoroughly. Once dried, chop into little pieces and put into the water bottle. Stick into freezer. Easy! They should be used within the next few weeks to ensure that they are still good.

Keeping it in a bottle makes it ideal for pouring out into soups or other dishes.

What do you think of the idea?

Spring is near, keep those tin cans!

Three weeks ago, I decided to plant my own herbs in hopes that I will have a flourishing healthy herb garden so I can stop paying excessively for grocery store fresh herbs.

Best way to raise your little herblings is by planting the seeds in fresh potting soil in a tin can. I'm sure you go through at least 1-2 tin cans a month, from soups to tin veggies to tin meat (no judging here).

Within 2 weeks you will see little green pods pop through the soil and trust me, everyday you will get excited in the mornings to see how much they have grown!

All you have to do is wash the tin cans thoroughly. Use dish soap and rinse at least three times with warm water. Peel off the labels (optional). Dry it out.

Pierce two or three small holes on the bottom of the can using a the point of a sharp knife. PLEASE BE CAREFUL. Place the tip of the knife on the can (rest the can on a stable surface) and gently twist the tip of the knife between your hands until you start digging through the tin. The hole should be small enough so that excess water will drain but not big enough for soil to fall through.

Place the tin onto a small lid or a some type of water catcher so when the water drains it doesn't spill all over your counter.

Fill the tin with potting soil (3/4 to the top of the can). Place the seeds on top, add water and then cover with soil to the top of the can. It is important you don't place your seeds too deep. I learned the lesson that if you put the seeds too deep they will never come out. Probably because they cannot access the sun's energy. Once you've planted your seeds, place near a sunny spot (indoors or outdoors if warm). Water every 2-3 days to keep the soil moist but not soaking wet (it needs to air out).

Voila... 2 weeks later you should see a tiny green bud peaking through the soil. 6-8 weeks later you will have your herbs. You can maintain them easily and have them last you the spring and part of the summer :)

Enjoy!

p.s. be creative and decorate your tin cans before planting. It will help you remember what you've planted in the tin ;)

My new favourite earth friendly site!

Please visit this site and use frequently http://1800recycling.com/

It's a great step in organising a global process and standard of recycling through online attention. Go green. 1-800 Recycling organises the information on their site very well and it's simple and clear.

Too bad it's not a global site! Would be nice to know where I can recycle in my area - especially electronics, which I always feel horrible about throwing in the trash bins. I know it's going to get dumped in some landfill to build up. Images of Wall-E the movie enters my mind and the guilty feeling is so bad. Sometimes it even leads me to think about dying fish and whales....

What do you think? Is this site helpful for you? Would you like to see one for your country?

Returning Mobiles for Money

Is recycling your old cell phone helpful for reducing non-biodegradable waste on this planet? Watch Wall-E for a glimpse of where our world is heading at our rate of consumerism with non-biodegradable products.

Imagine beautiful lush green areas of this world replaced with old computer monitors, cell phones, iPods, cameras, and other plastic trash. It TERRORIZES me to think we're heading this way but it's true. In the past 4 centuries we've started creating non renewable items of energy on this planet. Slowly we are turning our planet into a non livable place.

It's difficult to change behaviours but with structure we can help play a small part which is huge when combined with actions of others!

Learn about Cell Phone Recycling here by clicking the below link. Places even offer you CASH for your junk; if being good to the planet is not enough of a motivator, maybe money is ?

For a full article on this topic, visit:

http://environment.about.com/od/recycling/a/cell_phones.htm

Live more but smaller

Have you heard of Nano Living Systems? If they really achieve what they claim, well it's gonna be good thing for the world. Here is an excerpt from their front page.

At Bridge Development we are aware of the unprecedented massive collision between civilization and the Earth. As a result we have created the Nano Living System (N.L.S.) to help resolve problems regarding space efficiency.
By creating the Nano Living System we reduce CO2 emissions by simply decreasing the size of the living space. However, in order to have the least amount of environmental impact we do much more than just reduce the size of a living space. We create efficient, intelligent, hybrid small living areas with flexible spaces that require lower amounts of energy to operate, therefore using fewer natural resources.
Since the first generation of baby boomers the population has skyrocketed and crossed the six billion mark. It is estimated that by 2050 there will be over nine billion people on the planet. That is a 70% increase in less than half a century. This is a clear example that space efficiency is one of the biggest priorities for the world.
The Nano Living System technology offers a solution to the inhabitants of our world, while working to resolve three fundamental problems:
1. The ever decreasing amount of sufficient living space in high density urban areas
2. The need for a solution to cope with continuing density growth
3. The need to create more efficient living quarters that have flexible spaces and are intelligently designed

And the website for your own browsing pleasure:

http://www.nanolivingsystem.com/

Do you really think anyone would live in a place like this? Is this home for the affluent or the middle class. Definitely for the working professional or young couple in mind. Will be difficult for a family to be raised in here. And the bed... such a chore to keep raising it and lowering it!?!