Fair Trade Phil's Blog

If you love your stuff .. set it free!

Fair Trade Phil — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 15:29:53 +0000

Ecomodo is a “rather a cool idea” according to Stephen Fry. Who are we to disagree? From humble beginnings in Guernsey, the new marketplace of good returns is picking up new members across the British Isles. Ecomodo is a website which lets people lend and borrow everyday objects, e.g. tents, tools, portable hobs; skills, e.g. mending bikes, IT, gardening; and spaces e.g. greenhouse, storage space, community hall. Lenders can choose to lend for free, to earn some money or to fundraise for a good cause. They can control who can request their items by setting up or joining circles around real world communities such as workplaces, school PTAs, environmental groups and clubs, and they can get extra peace of mind by asking for deposits and insurance cover. Borrowers come to the site to save money, get something they need quickly and easily, or simply to reduce the amount of stuff they buy for irregular needs such as parties, visitors and DIY jobs.

It’s free to join and add items to lend – and by joining you will be notified of things to borrow and stuff people want locally.

The founders’ goal is to reduce consumption in a positive way. They want to reduce communities collective effect on the environment whilst creating new opportunities for people to follow their dreams, pursue their interests and do the boring jobs quicker and for less money.

Ecomodo has the makings of a social, environmental and consumer revolution. Help them build critical mass. Join up at http://www.ecomodo.com

Mon Petit Monde Update

Fair Trade Phil — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 13:00:44 +0000

We’ve made some more progress – furniture has arrived, rugs, some terrific art work. We still have some locally made pottery due and some more furniture to come, but the gallery upstairs is now definitely worth a look – check out its Facebook page for latest news.

New Shop Opens

Fair Trade Phil — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 14:12:40 +0000

After an intense week’s work, Mon Petit Monde is ready to open its doors! The former Little Green Island shop has been redecorated, refurbished, refitted and filled with stock. Alongside our popular fair trade and eco friendly products, we have added a range of Guernsey products and souvenirs. Located at Sausmarez Manor opposite the excellent Hearts Tea Room, the premises receive a steady stream of visitors both local and tourists.

On Saturday, the popular farmers market brings a real buzz to the area and an eager crowd to Mon Petit Monde.

Battery Recycling

Fair Trade Phil — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:38:08 +0000

Mondomundi’s Battery recycling scheme saved 1.3 tonnes of batteries from entering into Guernsey landfill in 2009. For 2010 the scheme is being expanded with the support of the States of Guernsey and collection points will become more widespread shortly.

New Year’s Resolutions

Fair Trade Phil — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 12:06:16 +0000

This time of year we all make lots of resolutions to improve ourselves, or to make the world a better place, most of which don’t last to the end of January! Here are my suggestions for sustainable resolutions that will really make a difference:-

Local shops: Shopping at local and independent outlets is a positive way to support our Guernsey community. Local shops often provide a more personal service; if it’s not affordable to buy locally, why not try any of the excellent ethical shopping websites.
Fair trade: Looking out for the Fairtrade Foundation marked products and Fair Trade shops is another way to ensure being ethically aware; recently the quality of these products has risen to a great standard.
Products not tested on animals: Purchasing products from cruelty free outlets and companies will make present giving a much more worry-free and enjoyable experience for everyone.
Battery free products: Wind-up and solar powered products should be used whenever and wherever needed as an alternative to the battery powered variety.
Organic and free range products: The availability and popularity of organic food continues to grow giving consumers’ greater choice. With so much organic food availble there is no reason why the entire Christmas lunch cannot be organic or free range. Look out for the Soil Association symbol for a guarantee.
Non-genetically altered food: GM food is one of the most mistrusted areas of science and the ethics of genetic modification remains to be proven. Look out for GM-free labels.
Recycling: If recycling is to work, recycled products must also be bought. Recycled items save precious resources and reduce pressure on landfill sites. Common items available are glass and paper products, although increasingly, plastics are being recycled into stationary items. Guernsey’s waste issues have been under the spotlight for some time making islanders very aware how important it is that we do recycle as much as possible.
Forest Stewardship Council logo: Many timber products reach the UK having originated from unsustainable managed forests, frequently rainforests which have not yet been exploited. The Forest Stewardship Council operates an independent verification of sustainable timer and paper products. Look out for the FSC logo on products.
Biodegradables: If it is necessary to buy disposable products then look out for biodegradables that decompose completely in as short a time as possible.
Re-useable shopping bags: Many of Guernsey’s shops and consumers have chosen to adopt a ‘bring your own bag’ policy to reduce the amount of supermarket plastic bags that end up littering streets or in the sea. It is recommended to have reusable bags on hand when shopping.
Fair Trade Phil

What will go Fairtrade Next?

Fair Trade Phil — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:26:16 +0000

Good to see Kit Kat Joining Cadbury’s Dairy Milk on the Fairtrade shelves, it shows that consumers do have power and manufacturers will, however reluctantly, respond to customer demands for more ethical products. The really good news is that these two volume products will have a huge impact on the Fairtrade cocoa market place, bringing scale and benefits to significant numbers of farmers and helping to reduce child slavery which is endemic in the cocoa industry. The big test for these two giant corporations is whether they will go on and extend Fairtrade across the range of other goods they produce. The effect on end user price and corporate profits would be negligible but the difference it would make in the world would be vast! Lets hope it is more than just cynical marketing which in the long run damages the image of Fairtrade in the eyes of the consumer.

EU Climate Funding a Cop Out?

Fair Trade Phil — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:45:07 +0000

The EU announces a deal on helping nations fight climate change. But – there are some unanswered questions. While they agree that they need to spend 100 billion Euros per year, it is not clear that they have actually agreed to spend that money or how the cost would be divided. In fact it even seems at present that contributions will be voluntary!
At least it opens up a faint possibility that Copenhagen won’t be a complete waste of time, but all countries need to recognise that there is not much time left to waste.

A Billion Go Hungry?

Fair Trade Phil — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:48:15 +0000

A billion – that’s a 1 with 9 zeroes after it, or put another almost 17 times the entire population of UK are officially not getting enough food, undernourished, in the 21st century of an alledgedly civilised society. This is a figure that is getting worse, not better, as the international crisis leads to unempoyment and falling incomes combine with higher domestic food prices resulting in increasing numbers of people who simply cannot buythe food they need to survive. More info from the UN here.

Both the Rome Summit on food in 1996 and the Millennium development Goals (2000) promised commitment to HALVING the number of undernourished in the world by 2015. How is it that by 2009 the figure has actually gone UP by almost 200 million since 1996 and 150 million since the beginning of the new millennium?

Soaring food prices have put this issue back in the forefront of urgent issues. With food commodity prices in world markets starting to fall, and the global economic crisis, we must work harder to highlight the plight of poorer countries struggling to feed themselves. The international community must not forget its commitments to the one billion people suffering from hunger, simply because of the economic cycle.

We can expect declines in public investment in agriculture, which will have devastating effects on those least able to cope, already poor, malnourished, desperate. Common sense tells us that support to agriculture needs to be increased, not be reduced. Only a healthy agricultural industry, together with international trade support leading to growing economies can begin to tackle this immense problem and work towards a sustainable future for everyone.

Arctic Summers to be Ice Free in a Decade?

Fair Trade Phil — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:17:20 +0000

The clearest evidence yet is emerging that climate change is real and is having potentially enormous impact. An explorer trekking across the ice cap taking over 1500 readings discovered an average thickness of only 1.8m, typical of ice frozen in the current year, rather than the thicker depths of multi year permafrost. This means that come summer we have the real prospect of an arctic free from ice within 10 years. Read more here . This survey ties in closely with the WWF view of the arctic being ice free in 20 years but with the larger part of that development happening in the next 10 years. As always, there are people quick to jump up an find contrary evidence, and it is important to weigh up all the facts and ensure we are not conned into a knee jerk reaction to one piece of news, but in general the news flow indicates that we are reaching the point of no return, the time for action is now. All countries have the ooportunity to do something about this – but who among them has the political will to drive this forward? Lets hope the UN Summit is a call to real action, and not just a shop of hollow promises.

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Fair Trade Phil — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:12:52 +0000

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