A thank you from Greenpeace 2019

Carhop eco-friendly valet system

Carhop is a complete eco-friendly mobile valet system. Carhop is innovative, waterless and eco-friendly and the best bit is its super convenient as they come to you, whether you are at home or the office. Carhop take pride in offering the highest quality service, every time. At present Carhop covers East and West Sussex. All their friendly Carhop Hoppers are referenced and DBS-checked. www.carhopuk.com

Baxter’s Naturals

Baxter’s Naturals offers a range of non-toxic, chemical-free and natural laundry products, bug and pest repellents. Baxter’s Naturals provides natural, organic and environmentally friendly solutions for people with allergies or who just need to find good, hypoallergenic laundry, pest or bug sprays. Baxter’s Naturals believe in a chemical-free, non-toxic world. Visit https://baxtersnaturals.com

Shoot the messenger – the scandal of the Amazonian rainforest killings

In 2005, a 73-year-old US-born Catholic nun and activist named Dorothy Stang was murdered in Brazil. Dorothy had been campaigning to protect the Amazonian rainforest for four decades. https://www.green-providers.co.uk/amazonian-rainforest/

Rising sea levels – when denialists face reality?

Rising sea levels – when denialists face reality? Rising sea levels due to global warming will displace 300 million people globally and reshape entire coastlines and cities. https://www.green-providers.co.uk/rising-sea-levels/

Feelgood Eco Beds

Feelgood eco beds is a small business based just outside of Exeter. They make a range of wooden beds from certified, sustainably sourced timber. All the finishes they use are water based, zero odour non toxic and low in VOC content. They deliver to all parts of the UK and delivery is free to mainland England and Wales. The beds are designed to make assembly very easy and they supply the tools (only 2!) to do the job. They also supply luxury pocket spring mattresses which use local Dartmoor sheeps wool that has been organically washed. www.feelgoodecobeds.co.uk

Is your coffee fair trade and eco friendly?

Dr Gary Robertshaw

Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world after oil. Coffee is everywhere, cafes, sandwich shops, restaurants, bars, supermarkets and specialist outlets. Millions of us drink coffee everyday but few stop to wonder what environmental impact it has, how it was made and if any of the huge profits from coffee sales filter down to the people actually growing the beans.

Did you know, for example, that according to a report in the Guardian third world coffee farmers typically receive just 10 per cent of the eventual retail price? Or that most coffee growing regions exist alongside some of the most vulnerable ecosystems on earth?

The main source of environmental damage caused by coffee consumption is in growing the actual coffee beans. As demand for coffee has grown, more economically efficient but environmentally damaging agricultural methods have sprung up. The more recent sun grown coffee method in particular involves growing coffee beans on plantations with fertilisers. An estimated 2.5 million acres of forest in Central America alone has been cleared to make way for such coffee growing plantations. There is thus a strong connection between traditionally grown coffee beans and deforestation.

Then there is the connection between coffee growing and water consumption. Otherwise known as embedded water. That is, the total amount of water needed to grow the ingredients and operate all the processes necessary to create the cup of coffee. It actually takes a staggering 246 pints of embedded water to make one cup of coffee.

But it is not all bad news. Fair trade coffee is becoming more popular with millions of cups now being consumed every day according to the Fair Trade Foundation. Though still in a minority, newer ethical brands are gaining ground.

Fair trade coffee helps to reduce poverty through trade by offering a structured minimum price and premium guarantee for producers. Fair trade also cuts out the middleman, which gives farmer cooperatives the chance to deal directly with the retailers and ensure that coffee is bought at a price commensurate with the cost of production. The extra proceeds received by farmers then go towards investment in social and business development projects such as scholarship programmes, healthcare services and quality improvement training.

However, whilst fair trade coffee is ethically produced with respect to remunerating the producers it does not necessarily mean that it is eco friendly. For this reason, the Rainforest Alliance focuses more heavily on environmental concerns with the aim of conserving biodiversity and ensuring sustainability. For example, it forbids deforestation and will not certify farms where there is evidence of such deforestation.

Sadly, there are still some well know coffee brands who have not signed up to fair trade or eco friendly methods of production. Next time you put the kettle on or call into a coffee shop, look out for the labels telling you how green your cup of coffee really is.

Shoot the messenger – the scandal of the Amazonian rainforest killings

Dr Gary Robertshaw

In 2005, a 73-year-old US-born Catholic nun and activist named Dorothy Stang was murdered in Brazil. Dorothy had been campaigning to protect the Amazonian rainforest for four decades. The murderers were killers hired by local landowners. Those responsible for clearing the rainforests can’t win the moral argument as their actions are based on greed and personal gain at any cost. So, instead, they resort to killing those who try to stop them.

The killing of Dorothy Stang was high profile but it certainly wasn’t an isolated incident. In May 2011, José Cláudio Ribeiro da Silva and Maria do Espírito Santo, a husband and wife team of activists who dedicated many years fighting against illegal deforestation, paid the ultimate price when they were shot dead following numerous death threats.

This situation is not recent either. As far back as April 1996 there was the "massacre of Eldorado de Carajás", in which 19 rural protesters were killed when Brazilian police opened fire on a crowd of peasant farmers who were holding a peaceful demonstration against illegal logging.
The Catholic Church's Pastoral Land Commission (CPT), which has documented rural violence in Brazil since the 1980s, has counted hundreds of such killings. There is a long history of intimidation, kidnappings and death threats against people trying to protect the rainforests. Many are murdered without anyone ever hearing about it.

Little is heard of these killings in the mass media and larger corporations who are indirectly linked to rainforest destruction are conspicuously quiet on the subject. Such is media apathy that campaigners are often derided as ‘tree huggers’ with headlines instead dedicated to footballers’ affairs, ‘reality’ TV shows and celebrity gossip.

The latest candidate for execution is Raimundo Francisco Belmiro dos Santos, a campaigner for protecting the Amazonian rainforest. His only crime is speaking out against the illegal loggers and those trying to destroy the rainforests. Apparently, landowners in the northern state of Pará have offered a 50,000 dollar contract for his death. He has already received numerous death threats against him and his family.

Clearly, large corporations are not directly involved in violence and intimidation of this nature. However, the lead up to deforestation often begins with groups of illegal ‘land grabbers’ known as ‘grileiros’ who invade and seize land belonging to others often with forged documents. This is backed up with intimidation and violence. This illegally obtained land is then sold to large landowners. And that is how much of the large-scale deforestation occurs.

Environmentalists have stressed the need to draw attention to the dreadful situation occurring in the Amazon and to highlight the plight of both campaigners and innocent people caught up in the violence and intimidation. For this to happen there needs to be much greater global awareness through the media of what is really going on, genuine commitment from the large corporations to disassociate themselves from rainforest destruction coupled with concerted efforts by Brazilian and international governments to tackle the problem. Those responsible for the threats, shootings and killings need to be brought to justice. The price of failure is no less than the destruction of the Amazon rainforest.

Air Pollution: The Causes, Issues and Solutions

Dr. Gary Robertshaw

According to a study by the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) into UK air pollution ‘chronic exposure to PM (air pollution particles) contributes to the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer’. As well as this it can ‘either have a cooling or a warming effect on climate’ and it ‘also has a key role in the ecosystem impacts of air pollution.’
While this study also points out that there has ‘been a long term decrease in the emissions of all the pollutants covered by this statistical release’, the unfortunate reality is there are still significant amounts of pollutants within the UK’s air. Furthermore, the worldwide situation according to the World Health Organisation is particularly shocking with estimates revealing that one in eight of total global deaths were as a result of air pollution exposure.

It almost goes without saying really but something needs to be done to help improve the quality of the world’s air and indeed the quality of life for those affected. In this post we examine just what air pollution is, what the common causes of it are and look at any potential ecologically-friendly solutions to this global problem.

Air Pollution Explained

Air pollution is essentially when the atmosphere is contaminated by different agents, be it from a physical, chemical or perhaps biological alteration. These contaminants then make the otherwise clean air dangerous to breathe and harmful to plants, humans and animals alike. The causes of these agents can be both because of human action but also from natural causes.
A few examples of pollutants are carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, lead and organic compounds.

The Effects of Air Pollution

As aforementioned in the Defra study, the negative effects are the damaging impacts on human health, plant and animal life and the increase in the rate in global warming. Other problems that this can cause includes damage to the planet’s protective ozone layer, which we need to stop UV rays. What’s more when these contaminants get into the atmosphere they can mix with water droplets and fall as acid rain; again causing damage.

Common Causes

Some of the common causes of air pollution really should come as no surprise, these include:

• The burning of fossil fuels in industry, fuels for transportation and the creation of gas and electricity
• Chemical emissions from other industries

Other causes which might not be as widely-known include:

• Using everyday items like deodorants and other household goods like cleaning products, paints and also smoke from fireplaces.
• Pesticides and other chemicals used by farmers to protect crops

Potential Solutions?

Some of the straightforward, and ultimately environmentally-friendly, ways you can help limit the amount of air pollution created involve:

• Using your vehicle less and reducing the amount of gas and electricity you use at home
• Involving yourself in recycling programmes

Aside from simply doing your part to cut back your personal consumption of fossil fuels, other solutions to air pollution can be found on a larger, and arguably more significant level. Both you and businesses alike could choose alternative renewable energy sources such as solar power or investing in wind turbines. Along with this, businesses with high consumption or contaminant output can invest in new, greener machinery or upgrade their systems with emissions controlling technologies.
Whatever your choice what’s important is you act now to help improve the situation not just for you personally, but for the longevity of the planet and for the current and future generations of the human race.

Welcome to Milam mattress! The highest quality 100% pure organic latex mattress.

At Milam mattress they make completely natural and green, amazingly designed, high quality bedding products that are certified to the strictest environmental criteria. Their main product is a premium category latex mattress and they also have alpaca wool duvets, pillows and organic cotton bed linen in their portfolio www.milammattress.co.uk

Contact: hello@milammattress.co.uk

Telephone: 020 3488 4106

Mama Nature

Mama Nature an are an award winning eco-friendly, organic skin care company that freshly prepares all products by hand. They just can’t help their mothering instinct to nurture, help and protect. Because their diverse range of products are innovative, revolutionary and life changing they are recommended by Dermatologists, Mid-wives and Health Visitors.

Vegan. They care about your well-being and that’s why they refuse to fill their products full of synthetic ingredients. They are leading the way in the use of natural and organic ingredients in skin care. Everyone needs a Mama LOL.www.mama-nature.co.uk

Re-wrapped, designer led wrapping paper and other products, using 100% recycled unbleached paper and environmentally friendly vegetable inks

Re-wrapped produces designer led wrapping paper and other products, using 100% recycled unbleached paper and environmentally friendly vegetable inks. Their range includes wrapping paper, matching swing tags, greeting cards and notebooks. They also provide a customer print service, allowing customers to bring their own wrapping paper designs to market, as well as producing business cards, corporate notebooks, flyers and other marketing materials, all using post consumer waste that has not been bleached. www.re-wrapped.co.uk