Info, news & debate

Low-impact shopping




Low-impact & the city 7: our experience of a local fishbox / community-supported fish scheme

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You may remember that we blogged an interview last summer with Guy Dorrell, who set up a ‘fishbox’, or ‘community-supported fish’ project, called ‘Faircatch‘. After interviewing him, my partner and I signed up to his scheme to try it out. I’m now reporting on how the idea worked for us

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Fairphone - designed to open

Companies like Fairphone, Ecotricity etc. are doing great things, but could easily be picked off by the corporate sector; why aren’t they co-ops?

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Body Shop, Green & Blacks, Ben & Jerry’s and Innocent Drinks represented a Brave New World when it came to doing business – Fair Trade, sustainable, (slightly) less hierarchical, informal, friendly.

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Plastic bags can prove lethal to turtles and other marine animals

New report: number of plastic bags on UK beaches falls by almost half – so charging 5p for plastic bags works?

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The number of plastic carrier bags found on UK beaches in surveys carried out by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has dropped by almost half between 2015 and 2016. This is the lowest number reported in over a decade, and fantastic news for marine wildlife.

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A Jumble Trail in action

Jumble Trail: stroll around your neighbourhood, meet local people, grab a bargain, grab some food and sell unwanted stuff

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I’d like to bring to people’s attention a community event I’m championing in my neck of the woods called a Jumble Trail. I’m in Wandsworth, London, but Jumble Trails are happening all over the country, and you can join in.

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tat2

3 shopping days to Christmas – a plea not to buy any more tat

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Last minute Christmas shopping? Well, this is our last-minute plea for you not to do it. I was recently invited to a party with a ‘secret Santa’ that invited people to buy presents for less than £5. It’s a nice thought, but it inevitably resulted in a barrage of plastic trinkets that won’t last until

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which

‘Why?’ does consumer organisation ‘Which?’ support TTIP? (and what you can do about it)

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Although the UK consumer organisation ‘Which?’ expresses some concerns about TTIP (the US/EU free trade agreement)  the organisation’s main message is that TTIP is likely to be good for consumers as it may possibly mean some lower prices.

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wedding-featured

The price of the average wedding is now over £20k; how to do it for much less and give the finger to ‘Brides’ magazine

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Flanked by an advert for the Ocean Club honeymoon resort in the Bahamas, with young bride and groom toasting a glass of champagne, Brides – “the UK’s number 1 bridal magazine” announces to its readers that “Planning your wedding starts here”

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cycle-lanes-blog

Cycle lanes bring more revenue to local businesses than car parking spaces – so why do so many businesses think they don’t?

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Here’s the story – Enfield borough has received £30 million in funding from Transport for London to install dedicated cycle lanes on some of its main roads, removing on-street parking, adding zebra crossings and trees.

Read more about Cycle lanes bring more revenue to local businesses than car parking spaces – so why do so many businesses think they don’t?