What is Ethical Shopping?

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But you can by shopping in an Ethical way. Put simply, this is buying things that are made ethically by companies that act ethically. Buying ethically means buying a brand or from a company which doesn’t exploit labour, animals or the environment. The way in which you can act as an 'ethical consumer' can also take on a different form and that is avoiding products (also known as boycotting) you disapprove of such as battery eggs.

GuideMeGreen acts as a unique internet guide, showing you which brands and companies are classed as ethical. For more indepth information see the Good Shopping Guide or the Ethical Consumer magazine.

Why buy ethically?

Everyone needs to go shopping in one way or another. As an ethical consumer, every time you buy something you can make a difference by choosing an ethical product or by buying from an ethical business.

For example, when you buy from a company that doesn’t exploit its workers and provides them with decent working conditions, you are giving the company the funds to continue its ethical behaviour. At the same time, you are no longer buying from a company that exploits its labour with poor pay and often a dangerous working environment. That company then loses business, which may encourage it to change its ways and to look after its workers.

Marks and Spencers the huge retail chain in the UK recently ran an ethical products campaign and said that this was its most successful ever. Many of the big retail companies are now seeing the benefits of offering a range of ethical goods for sale including ethical trainers, ethical shoes and t-shirts.

How do I know it’s ethical?

In general consumers must have confidence that any ‘ethical’ claims that a brand may make conform to certain standards which are independently accredited. Organisations such as the Good Shopping Guide and Ethical Consumer provide an ethical analysis of everyday brands and the companies behind them. The Ethical Marketing group publishes the Good Shopping Guide, updated annually, grading hundreds of companies according to their policies on 15 ethical issues.

Working to promote ethical shopping, The Ethical Company Organisation enables consumers to easily compare the Corporate Social Responsibility records of hundreds of companies and brands.

The Ethical Company Organisation's Research Department monitors the ethical records of hundreds of different companies across 15 criteria including environmental records, human rights, animal welfare and involvement in the arms trade. This involves working with hundreds of ethical consumers, progressive companies and NGOs on a range of research and publishing programmes.

For example, next time you are buying clothes, the good shopping guide recommends that you buy from HUG and avoid Nike.

Find Ethical products via GuideMeGreen’s ethical directory


Davinos Greeno works for the organic directory This green directory lists 100s of Organic Food and Drink Companies and Eco Jobs and Ethical Companies

Air Pollution is Killing Millions of Americans

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It is now a fact, Air Pollution is now killing millions of Americans, this year alone over 200,000 will die from various diseases linked to air pollution impact on health issues. The situation in Canada is not better, according to the Canadian Medical Association. An estimated figure is that over 21,000 Canadians will also die from Air Pollution. The situation will get worse in the years to come.

Nobody is immune and no community is safe from Air Pollution effects. There is no doubt now about the devastating effect of Air Pollution on American’s health. Moreover, from now on till 2031, 7,000,000 Americans will die from long term chronic exposure, year after year, to Air Pollution. People will die mostly from cardio-vascular and respiratory illnesses, 42% and 11% respectively.

People over 65 years old are the ones mostly affected. This year alone this population segment will count for 80% of premature deaths. Considering the aging trend of the population, it means that there will be an important increase in the future of health damages from Air Pollution. There will be an increase also for children and babies with fragile health exposed to Air Pollution.

MAJOR CONSEQUENCES OF AIR POLLUTION

The Midwest population, where heavy industries are located, and population of Big Cities like New-York, will have the biggest share of premature and serious deaths caused by Air Pollution. Rural Regions are also affected because Air Pollution is dumped in those areas by the wind. Over this death rate increases, other deplorable consequences can be forecast. For example, it is estimated that 180,000 people suffering from Air Pollution shall be admitted to hospitals, this is an increase of 62% in the last 20 years and, for the same period, the increase for the people over 65 years old will reach102%.

A truthful evidence that the situation is aggravating is that around 6.000,000 visits to the doctors in 2008 are associated to the exposure of Air Pollution. This number should go over 9,000,000 by the year 2031 if the quality of air remains the same during this period of time, this is without mentioning the increase in the Emergency Rooms.


ECONOMIC COSTS

For 2008, the economic costs are estimated to 100 billions and this amount should go up to 3,000 billions by the year 2031, according to the model used by ICAP (Illness Costs and Air Pollution). It is clear now that the climatic changes have a direct impact on the public health and that Air Pollution should be addressed with adequate public policies.

AVAILABLE HEALTH SOLUTIONS

According to Dr Becky Natrajan, a well known American Gastroenterologist, the only suitable way to alleviate this disastrous impact of Air Pollution on our Health is through Nutritional Cleansing. Body cleansing at an internal level is a hot topic, and for good reasons. Body cleansing is more necessary now than ever because we live in a very toxic world: air pollution, herbicides, petrochemicals, hydrocarbons, heavy metals, food additives, synthetic drugs etc…Body cleansing is much more necessary because those toxins can have an adverse effect on our cells, internal organs and state of health. Last year alone, over 20 millions pounds of antibiotics were injected into our farm animals.

Body cleansing is also more than necessary because many insecticides and pesticides have become part of our food pyramid and these noxious chemicals are mixed with our fruits and vegetables. We are chronically exposed to harmful substances. Finally, body cleansing is necessary because our soils are poisoned with chemicals and air pollution and foods are continually stripped of their nutrients-primarily minerals-to perform optimally. The nutritionally bankrupt body is an invitation to illness and disease. A Nutritional Cleansing program has been prepared by Isagenix and it really works. Bowtrol Natural Cleansing is also very effective.Take action, your health is the first priority. Press on the links below and learn more about it.


Gilles Coulombe B.A. B.LL D.S.A. is a University Graduate in Law and Business Administration and a member of the Canadian Health Institute. After holding senior executive positions in the Public Service as well as in the Private Sector, he has developed an expertise in natural health. Mr Coulombe is a consumer health advocate and a natural health counselor and author of articles pertaining to natural health. He is an Ezine's Author Expert. His website, www.NewHealthFrontier.com, is dedicated to improve health naturally without expensive and potentially dangerous prescription drugs for babyboomer's and others wishing to live longer, healthier and happier.

Sustainable Energy

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Sustainable energy is the renewable energy which is not expected to be exhausted in a timeframe and its sources are not supposed to be consumed ever. The sources of the sustainable energy are natural like solar power hydro power wind power bio fuel biomass geothermal power and so on. Sustainable energy is also the alternative of the fossil energy. The sources of the renewable energy are inexhaustible.

Increasing the use of sustainable or renewable energy decrease the use of fossil fuel resources and increase the contribution of world energy security. When the fossil energy resources are consumed the emission from these are causing the pollution. In this current scenario one of the biggest social problems is pollution. To prevent the alarming growth of the environment pollution it becomes very necessary to use the sustainable energies instead of the fossil energy. And how is that you are using the energy as much as you require and that doesn’t create any pollution. Keeping the earth a healthy clean and clear!

Solar panels are now vastly used for the domestic pas well as commercial purpose. If we use the wood pellet stoves or boilers instead of other means of stoves or boilers, we can save the environment, storage of bio fuels as well as our money also. Wood pellets are exhausted completely. The percentage of waste in the wood pellet stoves is around 1–2% only. That means it saves your money. These are not only bio friendly but very economical also. Sustainable energy is consisting of renewable energy and energy efficiency. These energies can be used in household, automotive and every commercial field.

Most of the progressive countries are now taking positive steps to promote the renewable energy. The Governments provide the grants to their respective countries. Various NGOs and environmentalists are working to make popular the sustainable energy. Now this is not only used for bio friendly reasons but this is also used for profit maximizing for the commercial houses also. You can have a look on the hyperlinks mentioned below where you can get the SEI Grant scheme available in Ireland. This list is very much useful to avail the full benefit of installing the solar panels. Now a day it has been noticed that the use of the sustainable energy sources are increasing in the suburban areas rather than the towns and villages. And where the blessings of electricity have not reached yet, the growth of renewable energy is greatly noticeable. As per the surveys it has been noticed that the cost of energy generation is much lesser to the other means of energy generation.

Renewable energies are crucial contributors to the energy supply as they contribute to the world energy supply security, reducing dependency on fossil fuel resources and provide opportunities for extenuating greenhouse gases. Renewable energy is the third largest contributor to the global electricity production. They accounted for almost 18% of the production in 2004, just after coal (40%) and natural gas (close to 20%), but ahead of nuclear (16%), oil (7%) and other nonrenewable waste.

According to Helmut Kaiser Consultancy of Zurich the yield and storage of renewable energy will be the fastest growing sector in the energy market over the next 20 years. The market of renewable energy is vast as well as open and growing very fast.


Abir Roychowdhury is a professional Internet Marketer. For fireplaces Galway Ireland, Gas Fires Solid Fuel Stoves & Gas Stoves Galway Ireland or Wood Pellet Stoves Ireland Wood Pellet Boilers Galway Solar Panels Galway Sustainable energy Ireland please visit the above links

Understanding Your Carbon Footprint

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What is your carbon footprint?
In basic terms it is a measure of all the greenhouse gases we produce as individuals, businesses and societies.

What are greenhouse gases?
Greenhouse gases are present in the atmosphere and help to retain the earth’s heat. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most well known and significant greenhouse gas. Others include methane, nitrous oxide, HFCs, PFCs. Some are naturally occuring, while others are man made.

What is the significance?
Without greenhouse gases the heat from the sun would be re-radiated back into space and the earth would be too cold to live on. However, too high a concentration of greenhouse gas results in a trapping of the heat and an increase in the Earth’s surface temperature. This increase in turn creates climate change – sea level increases, rain patterns and increased storm severity, etc.

What is required is a stabilisation in the level of greenhouse gases so that energy re-radiated back into space equals the energy coming from the sun, at present rates greenhouse gases output are increasing at alarming rates.

What can we do about this?
We as individuals, businesses, regions and countries can all take action to manage and reduce our carbon footprint. In order to do this it is important to understand how to measure this output. There are some useful resources for calculating your carbon footprint available on the internet.

However these calculators are by nature simplistic and cannot respond to individual nuances or circumstances. What this calculator (and others) does not reflect is the emissions as a result of our choices as consumers – the ‘hidden’ consumption element. What is our energy producer doing to reduce their emissions? How environmentally responsible are the companies you buy products from? How many food miles are required to supply your meals on a weekly basis? Are the products we purchase contained in unnecessary moulded plastic packaging?

I aim to address some of these issues in further articles.


Steven Coutts has a keen interest in Environmental issues. His blog can be found at YourEnviro.com

Top 5 Reasons to Recycle Your Cell Phone

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Technology is constantly evolving, especially in the realm of cellar devices. You can’t turn on your TV without being bombarded by the newest, fastest, sleekest cell phone model. Each one comes with more capabilities and bells and whistles. So the time comes in every cell phone’s life to say goodbye. Change is good, but what happens to your old friend? Does it end up in a junk drawer? In an old box somewhere? If you’re like millions of Americans, it ends up in the trash….and this can be a serious problem. Recycling cell phones is an easy process which has many benefits. Below are 5 reasons why recycling your cell should be a priority.

Cell Phones Contain Toxic Materials

That sweet gun metal finish, back lit LCD screen, and QWERTY keypad come at a price, and that price is toxic materials. Most all cell phones these days contain lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic. Yeah, arsenic. When you toss it in the trash, it ends up in an incinerator or landfill, where those materials can combust causing some major environmental issues. These materials often times sweep into the soil or drinking water which ends up affecting a lot more than just the landfill they get dumped in. Many of these materials like cadmium and lead are known to cause liver and lung cancer in humans. With the average shelf life of a cell phone peaking out at 18 months, it’s easy to see how these little devices can result in a much larger problem.

All Those Phones Add Up!

When was the last time you met someone without a cell phone? Nowadays kids take notes via text message and surf myspace on their iPhones. Just about everyone has a cell, and they all want the newer, better version coming out next year. If the average cell phone user is only holding on to a phone for 18 months, that creates a LOT of waste. The EPA predicts that more than 150 MILLION cell phones are thrown away each year. That’s 75,000 tons of toxic material waste every single year. There is no sign of those numbers slowing or decreasing in the future. By recycling your phone, you are helping to cut down on this growing problem.

Just Because It’s Not New, Doesn’t Mean It Can’t Work

Wait, you’re telling me that my phone only has a 7 mega pixel camera, but this super new phone has a 16 mega pixel camera?? I’m ready to upgrade. But that doesn’t mean that Mr. 7 mega pixel no longer works. In fact 80% of the 150 million cells that are thrown out each year are in perfect, or close to perfect working order. When you recycle your phone, it is thoroughly inspected for its quality and whenever possible, it is refurbished and resold. But how does this benefit you? You’ve moved on to higher quality pictures and unlimited texts. By recycling your phone, you’ve helped keep production costs down, and in turn it keeps product costs down as well. That’ll come in handy next time you upgrade.

Even If Your Phone Is Dead, It Can Still Be Recycled

You spilled coffee on your phone, your dog chewed it up, and the screen is dead? It can still be recycled even if it can’t be reused. Many times broken phones still have many working parts which are reused in the production of new phones. Even in the event your old faithful phone is truly dead, all the metals and materials used to make it can be broken down and reused to make new cell phones. By recirculating the materials, it can significantly cut back on the need for new metal mining. All this is done in a completely environmentally safe process.

Recycle and Get Involved

November 15th is “America Recycles Day”. This national holiday is in its 11th year and going stronger than ever. Through the countless efforts of many local and national recycling and environmental facilities millions of Americans will learn what they can do to help. According to the EPA, if only 1 million cell phones were recycled, they could produce enough energy to power 1,940 homes with electricity for a full year! If 150 million phones got recycled that’d mean electricity for 291,000 homes. What better way to be a part of ARD than by starting off with recycling your old cell phone.

If you’d like more information on cell phone recycling, or if you’d like to find out what you can do to help, contact GRC Recycling, http://www.grcrecycling.com/

What is a Carbon Footprint? Why is it Important to Offset Your Carbon Footprint?

Our carbon footprint is the direct effect our actions and lifestyle have on the environment in terms of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. CO2 increases greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. We all contribute to global warming every day.

Carbon Footprints are made up of two parts, the direct or primary footprint and the indirect or secondary footprint. The primary footprint is a measure of our direct emissions of CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels. These are probably the biggest contributors to your Carbon Footprint; they include electricity consumption and transportation. The secondary footprint is a measure of indirect CO2 emissions from the entire lifecycle of products we use - from their manufacture to their eventual breakdown in the ecosystem.

The greenhouse effect is the increase in Earth’s temperature caused by the growing amount of certain gasses in the atmosphere – nitrous oxide, methane and carbon dioxide. These “Greenhouse gases” have the same effect on Earth as a greenhouse; letting sunlight in and keeping heat from escaping. The greenhouse effect is important to human life; otherwise, it would be too cold to live on the Earth.

By burning fossil fuels, we have tremendously increased the amount of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Earth is now heating up excessively, a process called “global warming.”

You can reduce your carbon footprint by changing things that you do in your daily life. These are a few things you can do to reduce your personal carbon footprint:

· Walk to your destination if possible instead of driving.

· Recycle glass, metals, plastics and paper.

· Select the most energy-efficient models when you replace your old appliances. Look for products that have earned the ENERGY STAR® label.

· Turn off and unplug stereos, radios, TVs, and DVDs when you leave home for a few days. These appliances have a stand-by function that uses energy even when they are turned off.

· Only run your dishwasher when full, and let dishes air dry.

There are many things you can do to offset your Carbon Footprint as well; one good choice is to plant a tree! An average tree absorbs more than 650 pounds of CO2 over its lifespan. Trees act as natural filters of our air; through the process of photosynthesis they absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and store it in their trunk, branches, leaves, and roots while releasing oxygen back out.


If you are interested in learning more about offsetting your Carbon Footprint, check out http://www.begreennow.com. There are simple tips to begin decreasing the energy you use each day, and offset the rest of your carbon-emitting energy use with their easy-to-use carbon calculator and BeGreensm carbon offset products. Be part of the solution to save the world from ourselves; we are all part of the problem.

Organic Pet Food

Organic? Organic refers to environment-friendly farming methods using no artificial pesticides, fertilizers or chemicals to produce the purest and most natural foods possible. Organic, earth-friendly farming practices promote the sustainable value of our natural resources and produce beneficial nourishing foods for our families and companion pets.

Since the advent of grocery store commercial dog food, there has been an explosion of pets dying from tumors, growths, cancers, and diseases that were unheard many years ago.

I truly believe this has been caused by the unhealthy chemicals, pesticides, hormones, fats and preservatives used to make this cereal based kibble palatable and long lived. Can you imagine eating a dry, cereal like, tasteless food every day, that in fact can sit on the shelf for years and not spoil. Obiously there are heavy duty chemicals and preservatives used to extend the shelf life. It's like eating sawdust with a chemical enhanced flavor, to cover up all the harmful additives.

Changing to organic dog food, whether it is home made organic, with the same all natural ingredients you eat for supper, or buying the premium high grade organic dog food that has become increasingly popular, is the best you can do for your four legged companion. An organic dog food marked 95% organic meets the same guidelines as organic food produced for humans. The food won't contain pesticides or antibiotics, and it's preserved with natural substances like Vitamins C and E. Organically certified pet food is more costly, just as our own organic food is more expensive, but the advantages of superior pet health and helping our environment is worth it to most of us.

Organic dog food will say it is using certified organic ingredients, and should say which agency has done the certification.

Foods with a lot of fillers are cheaper but less nutritious. Just as with human organic food, natural organic ingredients will go a long way toward giving your pet a long, healthy life.

Some of the benefits of switching to organic dog food are: Higher energy, more activity, stronger bones and teeth, and a beautiful healthy coat. - Helps prevent itching and irritating skin conditions, because organic dog food is free of artificial colors and flavor enhancers, chemical additives and toxic pesticides that could cause many of these skin allergies. In some cases completely eliminating these allergic skin reactions. - It is easier to maintain a healthier weight, because organic dog food is superior in nutritional value, and this prevents overeating in you dog as they are more satisfied eating smaller amounts. There are no bulk fillers in organic dog food. - Better overall health and a stronger immunity. Even if you dog seems healthy he/she can still benefit. An increased immune system will help prevent long term, costly illnesses and infections, that may require costly medical treatments. - Quality of life and longevity are increased by feeding organic dog food as opposed to the cereal filled cheap dog food.

Organic dog will be formulated with human grade meat, not ground bits and pieces of animals that are unfit for human consumption, or rancid road kill, as the cheaper store bought commercial food industry uses. Also you should find an organic dog food that boasts using no corn, wheat, soy, grain fractions, fillers or by-products.

Learn to decipher labels on commercial pet foods. They are purposefully deceiving us into buying low grade, unhealthy food all for profit, not for the health of our pet.

To buy organic dog food or to make home made organic dog food will guarantee what you pet is ingesting and give him/her a better chance at a healthy, longer, happier, more energetic life.