But the momentum seems to have slowed since then. Iceland (the supermarket, not the country), which bravely declared that it was going palm oil free in its products, has been slated by some of the press because products with palm oil are still found on its shelves. The CEO's argument that it was existing stock was seen as a sort of skulduggery in a press that can only be described as designed to discredit Iceland's efforts. Don't get me wrong, I understand completely that Iceland's move has an economic motivation as well as environmental, but it seems to me that we, as a society, are quite happy to shoot down any action that questions the status quo.
Take the recent children's environment protests. `What good can it do?' was a comment I most frequently heard. Well, surely the point is that people are taking action. Children are stepping up and effectively saying `not in my name'. Which is a good starting point, but we need to keep following through. As adults, we need to put our money where our mouths are and not blindly buy into products and movements which we know are going to harm us. Will we be able to magically change everything? No. But maybe we can change some things and gradually the change in thought will change the world. We know this - we have seen it before, throughout our history.
Any-way, my own efforts are predictably scrappy, but I do try to make conscious decisions about what I use and how `green' I am. I recycle with a psychotic zeal, regularly berating my family on throwing away items that are recyclable. (And yes, I can hear the nay-sayers saying that it all ends up in a dump any-way, but I have to TRY) and I conserve where I can in terms of resources and growing my own.(The latter with, admittedly, limited success).
Cleaning products are a bug-bear (don't get me started on bathroom products - those are a nightmare!) Despite the impressions I might give to my nearest and dearest, I do, in fact , appreciate a clean-ish house. My sister went through a phase where she only used vinegar and lemon juice to clean. A really good approach, but not suitable to all surfaces and the smell of vinegar doesn't appeal to everyone!
I have tried to winnow down the items I keep at home, the idea being that I have a clearer idea of what chemicals I am using and am retaining some sort of greenish control. Where possible, I try to use products that are touted as eco-friendly. In my kitchen and laundry, I use Ecover products. This Belgian company has a long list of environmental credentials and their dishwashing liquid comes in a bottle made from 100% recycled plastic - a big plus. I do, however, have an axe to grind with Ecover in terms of refills. You can buy most of their products in bulk and I have looked into buying their laundry detergent in bulk (secretly hoarding loads of detergent bottles to facilitate this) only to find that the unit cost of bulk buying is too close to the unit cost of smaller buying to make it worth while! In fact, I went to a `green' store in Bishops Stortford to refill my Ecover laundry liquid to find that I paid more for a refill than I would for a new bottle of detergent! How does that make any sense? Needless to say, Ecover, I think some work is necessary....
My hero product at the moment is Waitrose ECO-logical multi-purpose cleaner. I use it to clean everything, including the carpet that my old dog has the odd accident on. Really like this one!
But if we are to go really, really green, I have to mention olive oil (although I suppose any natural oil would do). After an unfortunate accident involving nail polish remover on our wooden table, I accidentally discovered what a great wood polish olive oil is. Applied liberally, left to sink in and then buffed a bit later to take off any residue - it is brilliant! And then I discovered that it works well on leather too. Our leather sofa is looking a little worse for wear with dogs, child and sun. A quick once-over with olive oil seems to do the trick and moisturise the leather. Very impressive!
None of which makes me a Martha Stewart dressed in flax - but I like to think that I making conscious decisions about the sort of world I live in and want to leave to my children.
I'd really like to hear your views and secret green hacks. We live in a wonderful world, lets keep working at it!
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