Ethics Trading Blog

My Mum has Emphysema, I think I may have blogged about it before. It’s one illness in a group all under the umbrella term of COPD (Chronic, Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and it’s nasty, they all are. But typically, instead of sitting back and letting the illness rule her life, Mum has stepped up and taken control. She lives with Emphysema, it doesn’t rule her life and she does everything she can to raise both awareness and money for the British Lung Foundation through Breathe Easy groups - Her local one is the Neath Valley group.

In April they did a sponsored Abseil…..

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Our skin is the bit that people see and of us and our interface with the world. Skin complaints can’t be hidden apart from when they are covered with clothing or make-up and even then they are still there and often irritated. People will happily live with digestive problems for example but a skin problem is something that has people rushing to the doctor because it is visible and obvious and something that is there and in your face if not perhaps on their face.

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Guest article by Suzan St Maur.

Not only do weddings represent substantial expenditure (the average spend in the UK is around £19,000) but also they can involve huge amounts of waste that can have a crippling, rippling effect across the environment and into far-flung communities which are anything but “fair-trade.” Here Suzan St Maur, author of “How To Get Married In Green,” gives us her 12 top tips on how to make a wedding much greener – without compromising on style.

1. Rings. If buying a new diamond, ensure it was mined in Canada or other fairtrade location. Consider a man-made gemstone instead. For wedding rings, buy secondhand or have new ones made from recycled gold. You can even have wedding rings made from reclaimed wood!
2. Hen and stag celebrations. Organise your party as close to home as possible, and if you are travelling abroad choose overland transport rather than flying. Avoid activities that involve burning fuel or other forms of pollution.
3. Location. Choose a location that involves a minimum of travel for you and guests, and a reception venue that has a decent recycling policy. If you’re having a civil wedding, have the ceremony and reception in the same place.
4. Communications. Do as much communication as you can by email or via a wedding website, and ensure that what printed material you use is done by green printing techniques on recycled or sustainable- source paper.
5. Wedding dress. Don’t buy a brand new dress before checking out hire, buying secondhand, borrowing, etc. Ensure all wedding outfits, if bought, can be used again afterwards, and choose natural, washable fabrics to avoid the pollution of dry cleaning.
6. Wedding gifts. Ask for gifts made from recycled and/or ethical sources, and remember that money may not be PC but is actually quite green! If you don’t need gifts ask guests to make donations to a charity or eco-activity instead.
7. Flowers and floral decorations. Avoid commercial floristry that uses flowers from non-fairtrade countries, imported by air. Try to use organic, locally produced flowers and greenery. Consider potted plants, topiary, dried or fake arrangements instead of cut flowers.
8. Reception. Have yours in daylight hours to cut back on energy used for lighting. Avoid disposable crockery and cutlery – china and metal are greener. Make sure your wedding favours are “green” in nature – e.g. small potted plants – and ensure as much as possible afterwards is properly recycled.
9. Food and drinks. Choose organic and/or locally produced ingredients for your wedding food wherever possible, preferably using only fresh foods that are in season. Choose organic, fairtrade, sustainable, biodynamic and British-produced drinks. Ensure your tea and coffee are fair-trade, too.
10. Photography. Ensure your photographer uses digital systems as traditional film involves harsh chemicals. Do not offer guests disposable cameras at your reception. Keep prints to a minimum; choose online viewing of your pictures wherever possible.
11. Transport. Avoid gas-guzzling cars to transport the wedding party, and try to minimise motor vehicle use amongst guests. Consider horse drawn transport or pedal power, but don’t sacrifice clothes, hair makeup etc. just to save a few litres of fuel!
12. Honeymoon. Remember that the closer to home you honeymoon, in general the greener it will be. If you must go abroad, use a reputable carbon offset scheme and consider a location of eco-tourism. At all costs avoid cruise ships which normally are very “dirty.”

Excerpted from “How To Get Married In Green” by Suzan St Maur, published by How To Books, £8.99. Available from all good bookshops and on Amazon - link on right!

All great tips there, and I’m sure some are adaptable, it’s all about looking at things in a different way!
Huge thanks to Suzan, who has hinted that she may be back with more for us!

Yes, in green. Or rather in a greener way.

How to get Married in Green by Suzan St Maur landed through the letterbox about a week ago, just begging to be passed around some friends, drooled over and then reviewed.

As the whole “green” subject becomes more and more complex - combining environmental, ethical and organic issues, some of which can be conflicting - it’s getting progressively harder to work out how to make your wedding eco-friendly without ending up with a glorified mudbath. Yet, quite rightly, many couples now want their weddings designed to help keep our planet, environment, agriculture and employment ethics as healthy as possible …without compromising on style, glamour, quality and, of course, fun. A tall order? Not now, with “How to Get Married in Green.”

In this book, Suzan St Maur (also author of “Wedding Speeches For Women” and “The A to Z of Wedding Worries and how to put them right”) neatly unravels the increasingly tangled web of green issues relating to weddings; so that you can: choose from a range of options depending on how far you want to pursue your green approach; see how these options work across all key areas of your wedding; get some clever, effective ideas on transport, decorations, clothes, catering, entertainment and more; learn how to make those ideas work for you with style and panache; understand just what an appreciable difference these measures will make to our planet and wellbeing; and, enjoy your wedding (and its planning) even more, because you know you’re making a difference.

That’s the synopsis from Amazon.

Despite the emphasis on getting married, this book is just plain brilliant for organising any large gathering! From clothing to makeup, shoes to stationary, food and flowers - whatever you might need for your wedding, Suzan has found a greener alternative. But you can still have a white dress, you don’t actually have to get married in green …… However, you can get married (or do a civil ceremony, blessing, handfasting, or any other ceremony you prefer) in lots of style, with huge impact but with little harm done to the environment. You can have a fantastic day and feel even better at the end because of all the differences you made. It’s a shame I’m single really, but I’ll definitely be dipping into it for ideas when it comes to book launches and parties in the future.

I’d love to see a book in this series for general party planning, maybe eco-friendly kids parties? What do you think Suzan?