A Letter from the House of Commons

Remember I sent emails to Gordon Brown and my local MP, David Borrow, about climate change?
Well today I received a letter from David Borrow at the House of Commons!
He firstly thanked me for getting in touch and apologised for not responding sooner. He stated that he supports the Draft Climate Change Bill and enclosed a summary of the proposed Bill.

I have to say that I am impressed!

Week 13: Get Moving on GM...

This week the task is to lobby against genetically modified (GM) foods. There has been a lot of media coverage of the dangers of GM foods and I must admit it is scary playing with nature.
As we shop at the local farm shop and seek out organic produce I think I am safe in saying that we don't purchase any, but can I be so sure? I understand that GM foods may have the ability to cross-breed, meaning that non-GM crops will no longer be an option - whether GM proves a problem or not!

What 52 weeks suggests we -

* Write to the PM at the House of Commons and send a copy to the head of DEFRA
* Lobby for subsidies and tax incentives for organic farming, or for 'set aside' to be use for native meadow plants or coppice planting
* Ask your local councillors to make your community GM free, like Totnes
* Don't buy GM foods and tell your shopkeeper why, ask your local supermarket to stop selling meat reared on GM feed

Like all good marketers I believe the power is with the customer - if we avoid GM and seek out the alternatives, producers will be given a clear message. So, do like I do and vote with your feet and marketers capitalise on the fact that your products are GM free.

Great Balls and Great Boobs!

Well, the eco balls are a great success - very easy to use, the washing smells lovely and no need for conditioner.

But in contrast let me tell you about a great boob!...

Do you remember that I tried to purchase these balls from another supplier and the payment process wasn't working?
I received two emails last week from this site saying that they had my order, that I should call to pay and so get my goods. I ignored the first one - as most people would - and responded to the second by saying thank you for the messages but as I experienced problems I sought my products elsewhere.
I kid you not, this is their reply - it was the banks fault not ours!
No apology or assurance that the problems with the bank had been rectified and to try them again, no pursuasion or conciliatory tactics used.
I really don't think I will be beating a path to their website any time soon!
But I am sending them my blog address and may I recommend 'Successful Customer Care on a Shoestring' by Gordon Jones available for just £6.25 from www.successfulmarketing.co.uk

Week 12: It's holiday time - take a break with a difference...

It's week 12 and you may think I am failing... this week I am supposed to book a habitat conservation holiday: from working on coastal management and marine biodiversity in The Gambia, to turning a disused canal in Nottinghamshire into a safe haven for water voles.

My take on this is that I shouldn't be polluting the air travelling to these far flung, or not-so-far-flung, places to have an impact, but I can do something on my doorstep.

As you may guess, Tony and I have very busy jobs, so keeping on top of the garden is about our heavy and that is what we are committed to do. We are very lucky where were live that there are lots of wild birds in the area - and most of them live in our conifers at the bottom of our garden! It's like a block of flats and a wide variety of birds get along quite nicely as neighbours - most of the time!

This weekend we bought some feed for the birds. I got told off by Tony because I didn't put them on the right branches of our cherry tree, but once re-positioned they have gone down well with the tenants. I am also leaving fluff from our dryer in the garden for the birds to use in their nests.

So, it's not quite the challenge I was set but at least I am doing something and if you want to take a break with a difference check out www.btcv.org

So, this weekend we bought

Week 11: Detergent free dirty linen...

I did want to say that I have been a very busy girl this morning and eco-shopped before you woke up, but I can't.
This weeks task is to switch to eco-friendly detergent for my clothes. It is fascinating - 'eco-balls' as they are called, produce ionised oxygen that allows water molecules to penetrate deep into clothing fibres to lift dirt away without any harmful phosphates. All good stuff but I didn't want to spend a fortune testing them out to find that my clothes were still dirty - the sceptic in me!

I visited all three websites that were recommended –

www.cat.org.uk

www.ecozone.co.uk

www.21stcenturyhealth.co.uk

and was impressed by them all, though I did find the prices quite steep for a test run and although they were clear and inviting, I must admit some of the text was difficult to read (odd combination of colours and teeny tiny fonts).
The only problem was the payment process on my chosen site didn't work, so after three goes I have given up with them.

So, now that the world is awake, I thought I would try somewhere else. It is amazing how many sites there are that do eco balls, and as it has happened I have got exactly what I wanted from
www.natureswisdom.co.uk

for even less than I was going to pay!

Week 10: Find out what it's like to live on a Pacific island...

This sounds idyllic, but it's not.

I understand from this entry that, due to climate change, these islands are disappearing.
For example the fisherman of TebuaTarawa and Abanuear (whch ironically means the beach that is long lasting) who have now lost these two islands to the sea.

Or what about closer to home - the 5 million people who are at danger of severe flooding in the UK.

To find out more go to www.uk.yahoo.com
type in warming, flooding and islands
When I did this 267,000 records came back.
Surely with all this knowledge available at our fingertips we can no longer ignor the situation?

Week 9: Recycle, recycle, recycle...

This week I have to add to my recycling regime.
Currently, with the help of West Lancashire Council we recycle garden waste in a green wheelie bin, plastic and glass bottles in a blue and yellow box and newspapers in a blue plastic bag. They have recently introduced textiles in a clear plastic bag and cardboard - as long as it is folded and tied up for collection.
All good stuff - and our ordinary bin is not overflowing like it used to be so we don't mind that they have cut the collections down to once a fortnight.

So what else can we recycle?

The book gave me these links -
www.rebat.com
Rebat stands for REcycling BAtteries. REBAT is an initiative managed by the British Battery Manufacturers Association to encourage collection of nickel cadmium batteries in the UK, as required under European legislation.
Good site, it just worries me when you see on the homepage that the site was last updated 1.7.01

www.re-cycle.org
This is for recycling bicycles.
It is very disappointing when this just says the site is being updated.

www.actionaid.org
www.oxfam.org.uk
Both of which are excellent sites and through which you can donate you old mobile phones for recycling.