Local retailer champions organic cotton industry
June 27, 2007
Posted in Lifestyle
South Africans are definitely starting to get greener. You can see the evidence on the supermarket shelves: in the past six months, the number of organic or “green-branded†products in my local Pick ‘n Pay seems to have multiplied exponentially, and even Checkers has started marketing its organic vegetable line. This can only be in response to consumer demand, so let’s hope this trend continues to strengthen.
Of the major retailers, Woolworths was the first to start marketing to the eco-conscious, providing a selection of organic foods and clothing made from organically grown cotton. Its organic cotton range appears to be gaining in popularity. According to a story in the Business Report (June 25 2007), Woolworths’ organic cotton clothing range is expected to be worth R30-million for the past year, and the retailer has set a target of R400-million by 2012. That means it’s expecting the market to quadruple in the next five years.
However, at present the retailer has to source most of the supplies for its organic clothing range from India because there are no organic cotton farmers in South Africa. So to drive its 100%-cotton clothing range, Woolworths says it plans to help establish a local organic cotton farming sector by 2010, reports Business Report.
Food for thought
June 25, 2007
Posted in Food
If you haven’t yet seen Peter Menzel’s extraordinary photographs from the book “Hungry Planet: What the World Eatsâ€, now’s your chance. Time magazine online has created a photogallery using 15 of his images. They’re fascinating shots of ordinary families from around the world – from California to China to Chad – surrounded by the food they eat in a week. The captions tell how much each family spends a week on food: from the refugees in Chad’s $1.63 to the German family of four’s $500. These pictures say more about what’s happening to people’s diets in the modern world than any number of words could. Briefly, it would appear that the more “westernised†the family, the harder it is to spot a fresh fruit or vegetable among their weekly shopping – and the more the packaging mounts up. To see the pics go to Time’s website.
“Hungry Planet: What the World Eats” by Peter Menzel and Faith D’Aluisio, Ten Speed Press, 2005.
Cannes prize for billboard with powerful message
June 21, 2007
Posted in Business, Renewable energy
A solar billboard that generates electricity for a primary school in the Johannesburg township of Alexandra has won a Grand Prix award at this year’s Cannes International Advertising Festival.
Touted as the first billboard of its kind in the world, it has 10 solar panels which produce enough electricity to power the lights and fridges in the MC Weiler School’s kitchen. The school saves about R2,000 a month on electricity bills and the 1,100 pupils get one hot meal a day, according to a report in The Star newspaper. Designed for Nedbank by local ad agency Net#work BBDO the billboard reads “What if a bank really did give power to the people?â€.
The billboard is reportedly being patented for use in school sites all over South Africa. – Laura
Britons are developing a taste for organic foods
June 21, 2007
Posted in Food
British retail chain Asda, a unit of Wal-Mart, has tripled the number of organic lines it offers, from 325 to 1,000, in the past 18 month in response to a rising demand for organic foods in Britain, Reuters reports.
At the Reuters Consumer and Retail Summit held in London, Andrew Higginson, finance and strategy director for another British retailer, Tesco, said, “After years and years and years of just wanting to spend less on food to free up money for other things they [consumers] are actually reprioritising things and saying actually I want to buy better food.â€
The demand for organic food is outstripping the local supply in Britain and some retailers are having to import organic goods, the summit was told.
For the full Reuters story click here
South Africa to sell 30 tons of ivory
June 20, 2007
Posted in Green News
South Africa could earn R40-million from the sale of its elephant ivory, David Mabunda, the chief executive of South African National Parks (SANParks), told The Star newspaper in a report published on June 20 2007.
South Africa will be selling 30 tons of stockpiled tusks to Japan, Mabunda said. This follows last week’s decision by Cities in The Hague to allow a once-off ivory sale by South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana.
The sale of the tusks, which have reportedly been stockpiled since 1992, would be “one of the benefits of good managementâ€, Mabunda told the Star.
“We need money for conservation,†he added.
Fashionistas go on swapping spree in Knightsbridge
June 19, 2007
Posted in Lifestyle
London hosted a landmark fashion event this weekend. Five-hundred fashionistas, according to a Reuters report, descended on a second-hand clothes shop to feed their cravings for designer labels with a spot of “ethical swappingâ€.
This was no ordinary second-hand shop, though. Situated between Harvey Nichols and Harrods on the very upmarket Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, it was stocked with “designer and high-quality street clothes and accessoriesâ€, some which apparently once belonged to the likes of Kylie Minogue, Helena Bonham-Carter, Naomi Campbell, Sadie Frost, Thandie Newton, Rihanna, and Kelly Osbourne. Designer names such as Philip Treacy, the hat designer, Alice Temperley, Issa, Bella Freud, Giles Deacon and Gina shoes, were also tucked away among the fashionista must-haves.
Carrots not sticks will get consumers to buy ‘green’, report says
June 17, 2007
Posted in Lifestyle
The key to dealing with the growing waste problem lies in changing people’s buying habits and attitudes to consumption, according to a report by Britain’s Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). But, guilt messages are ineffective, the report says. “A focus on the benefits of a greener lifestyle has been shown to be a better way to encourage people to reduce their consumption.â€
Mom develops alternative to disposable nappies
June 16, 2007
Posted in Lifestyle
Rene Stegmann, a Cape Town mom, has developed a 100% cotton, shaped and padded nappy, called the Stegi EcoNappy, as an alternative for moms who don’t want to use disposables. It fits into a waterproof cover – which she also designed – that fastens with Velcro, so you don’t need to used safety pins or fasteners.
The nappy covers are made from a hydrophilic polyurethane fabric that is washable and allows a free flow of air to reach your baby’s skin, according to the Stegi EcoNappy website.
Cleaning products that won’t harm you or the planet
June 16, 2007
Posted in Lifestyle
Eight years ago, Capetonian Anthea Torr decided to start producing chemical-free household cleaning products to fill a gap in the local market. “I wanted to give people the option of living their lives free of chemicals,” she told Your Family magazine (July 2007 issue). The Enchantrix range of organic products was born.
Working with a microbiologist and a scientist, Enchantrix launched a range of household cleaning products in 2003. The range includes an all-purpose cleaner, dishwashing liquid, window cleaner, disinfectant and loo cleaner, fabric softener, laundry liquid and fruit and vegetable wash. Next followed a range of body products – shampoo, conditioner, hand wash, body lotions and face creams – and, more recently, a range of baby care products was added to the list.
“Our ranges are totally biodegradable and the formulations are in line with EcoCert and Soil, both international organic accreditation organisations,” Torr told Your Family magazine.
Enchantrix products “contain organically grown plant ingredients, essential oils and pure spring water and are completely biodegradable”, the company claims on its website.
Enchantrix products are reportedly available in Pick ‘n Pay supermarkets in the Western Cape and they have been seen in some stores in Gauteng. They are also available in pharmacies and health shops around South Africa. To find out more about stockists and to see the full product list, visit Enchantrix’s website. The company also offers a mail order delivery service in South Africa and overseas.
New role for Kofi Annan in African ‘green revolution’
June 14, 2007
Posted in Green News
Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary-general, has undertaken to work to reverse the trend of deteriorating food security in Africa in his capacity as the first chairman of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (Agra).
His appointment was announced at the World Economic Forum on Africa meeting in Cape Town today.
“Africa is the only region where overall food security and livelihoods are deteriorating. We will reverse this trend by working to create an environmentally sustainable, uniquely African Green Revolution,†said Annan in an Agra press release.
“When our poorest farmers finally prosper, all of Africa will benefit.â€
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