Guest guest Posted March 13, 2003 Report Share Posted March 13, 2003 Chris W : > Picking up the gauntlet which was laid down yesterday about starting > discussion threads, one thing I've wondered about is how far other > vegans are ethical in every day life? > For example, have you signed up with a green electricity company? No, but I've considered it. My main problem is that " green " electricity is mainly hydro, which isn't all that good either... how can we complain about other countries building dams whilst promoting it as good at home ? > Do you actively boycott any particular companies and, if so, on what grounds? Well, I avoid Nestle as much as possible, but that's not too difficult for vegans... and I actively try to support the Co-Op and Sam Smith's on the basis of their vegan labelling (not actually a Co-Op member yet though...). > Do you go out of your way to buy organic and/or fairtrade products? Well... Veggies are mainly from a box scheme (organic and no flown produce). I try to avoid things that have come from too far away on the basis of them being likely to be flown, but can be quite flexible about this if I'm feeling bored with the available veg. We also dabble with growing bits of veg (managed some greens, rocket, onions, jerusalem artichokes, potatoes, sage, thyme, started an asparagus bed, lost lots of lettuce, carrots, herbs to the slugs), with an aim of doing " interesting " bits to supplement the box. Coffee is fair-trade, as it's easy to get - beans from Whittards, instant from where-ever. I guess bread is the main thing that we get that's non-organic, and dried beans, as nowhere seems to do big bags of organic beans at anything less than extortionate prices. So my answer is, I aim in that direction, but don't exactly go far out of my way. > For some at least, I guess it comes down to a question of convenience > and time against how strongly we feel about something. Indeed it does, but for me in London, it's generally possible to get things organically without too much effort. Some things just aren't available in organic form though... I do think health-food shops find it a bit weird that I use them as a grocers and regularly buy lots of stuff there. > I've bought the Ethical Consumer (http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/) > publication " The Good Shopping Guide " and have d to their magazine. Ethical Consumer is great. I really must re :-) > There are certainly a few eye-openers in there, but in some cases you have > to go seriously out of your way to obtain the most ethical goods or > services. Paint is the one I always find difficult... when Crown was vegan it was easy :-( > So, how far do you go in pursuit of an ethical lifestyle and how often > do you find yourself wondering if it's far enough? To go further would involve major changes in lifestyle etc, which I'm not prepared to make at the moment... but I things get tweaked into more ethically sound directions whenever the choice arises, so things are still improving. Steve W Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 13, 2003 Report Share Posted March 13, 2003 I do boycotts -invariably to do with vivisection and sometimes get fairtrade products but sadly not bananas as we eat such a lot and it would be expensive (not available anyway at my green grocers). I don't buy organic veg but am beginning to think I should join a box scheme --I think my local HFS does one Never heard of a green electricity Co.. I've considered getting the ethical consumer . Do you recommend it ? --- Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.449 / Virus Database: 251 - Release 27/01/2003 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 14, 2003 Report Share Posted March 14, 2003 On Thu, 13 Mar 2003 23:34:12 -0000, " Angie Wright " <angiewright wrote: >Never heard of a green electricity Co. Have a look at: http://www.foe.org.uk/campaigns/climate/press_for_change/choose_green_energy/ >I've considered getting the ethical consumer . Do you recommend it ? Some might find it a little expensive at £3 per bi-monthly issue of 40 pages but I think it's worth it. If you want to dip your toes in without making an ongoing commitment at this stage, then I think " The Good Shopping Guide " is excellent value at £10. Be prepared for some surprises though - the guide suggests that some companies might not be as ethically sound as you might think (e.g. Ecover). As the Ethical Consumer Research Association doesn't seem to be constantly in court defending lawsuits, you have to assume that the information they print is accurate and carefully researched. Chris W Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 14, 2003 Report Share Posted March 14, 2003 On Thu, 13 Mar 2003 19:57:26 -0000, " Steve Welburn " < wrote: >My main problem is that " green " electricity is >mainly hydro, which isn't all that good either... how can we complain about >other countries building dams whilst promoting it as good at home ? I haven't signed up with a green electricity company yet, but I will when I've decided which one to go with. FYI, according to FoE, Ecotricity only use wind farms. >> Do you actively boycott any particular companies and, if so, on what >>grounds? >Well, I avoid Nestle as much as possible, but that's not too difficult for >vegans... and I actively try to support the Co-Op and Sam Smith's on the >basis of their vegan labelling (not actually a Co-Op member yet though...). I've also been avoiding buying Friskies products for some time. Ethical Consumer generally makes quite it easy to decide who to steer clear of, except when most companies in a particular service/product group score low marks in many categories (e.g. petrol and supermarkets). There's a major campaign against Esso at the moment, so I've joined in that by not buying anything from them anymore. >Veggies are mainly from a box scheme (organic and no flown produce). I try >to avoid things that have come from too far away on the basis of them being >likely to be flown, but can be quite flexible about this if I'm feeling >bored with the available veg. Do people on here recommend box schemes? Are you able to reject stuff that you don't like the look of, or are you committed to having the whole box? How far can you control what's in the box - do you have to have a selection from what's available when the box is made up, or can you define exactly what you want? >> So, how far do you go in pursuit of an ethical lifestyle and how often >> do you find yourself wondering if it's far enough? >To go further would involve major changes in lifestyle etc, which I'm not >prepared to make at the moment... but I things get tweaked into more >ethically sound directions whenever the choice arises, so things are still >improving. That's largely the case for me too at present but, as was the case when organic products took off, we as consumers can only change things by doing as much as we can to support those who are producing/providing the products that we'd like to see more of. Chris W Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 14, 2003 Report Share Posted March 14, 2003 > On Thu, 13 Mar 2003 23:34:12 -0000, " Angie Wright " > <angiewright wrote: > > >Never heard of a green electricity Co. > > Have a look at: > > http://www.foe.org.uk/campaigns/climate/press_for_change/choose_green_energy / unite is the only consumer one I'd already heard of - and that was from Ethical Consumer. I noticed that the Co-Op Bank now get all their electricity from (I think it was...) Scottish Power though. >I've considered getting the ethical consumer . Do you recommend it ? I think it's great, as they cover a huuuge range of things. Chris W re. Ethical Consumer : > Some might find it a little expensive at £3 per bi-monthly issue of 40 > pages but I think it's worth it. If you want to dip your toes in without > making an ongoing commitment at this stage, then I think " The Good > Shopping Guide " is excellent value at £10. Sounds it, and I've been contemplating buying it, > Be prepared for some > surprises though - the guide suggests that some companies might not be > as ethically sound as you might think (e.g. Ecover). Sometimes you get pleasant rather than unpleasant surprises with it too :-) > As the Ethical Consumer Research Association doesn't seem to be > constantly in court defending lawsuits, you have to assume that the > information they print is accurate and carefully researched. Plus they publish details of their research as well as the magazine. The research supplement makes pretty interesting reading and gives more info on why they rated companies as they did... 'though it does make it all more expensive. Steve W Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 14, 2003 Report Share Posted March 14, 2003 >Chris W <chrisw >one thing I've wondered about is how far other vegans are ethical in >every >day life? For example, have you signed up >with a green electricity company? Not at the moment but i do intend to in the future. Once i can afford it i think its a really worthwhile thing to do. I get leaflets with my vegetarian society magazine about companies so i'll probably go with one in my new house. >Do you actively boycott any particular companies and, if so, on what > >grounds? I try to boycott nestle at the moment but i live with my partner and he often buys stuff without thinking. He's a real go into the store and grab it kinda guy so he finds it really frustrating when i have to read too many labels! I don't boycott anymore at the moment but i admit thats through lack of awareness. The way i see it i'll tackle one thing at a time, eg i've only just gone vegan so it'll take a while for me to change other things... or my head may explode! >Do you go out of your way to buy organic and/or fairtrade products? etc. >etc. Not organic at the moment due to money probs but do buy fair trade tea and coffee. Also try to buy fair trade tea and coffee for work but people keep bringing in PJ. >For some at least, I guess it comes down to a question of convenience >and time against how strongly we feel about something. I really do believe in buying ethically and think we have so much power as a consumer. The difficulty for me is money and time. The shops are shut when i go to work and most are only open for an hour when i finish and i don't drive. For this reson i am ending up at the supermarket which is always open so i can go later when my partner gets in from work. >So, how far do you go in pursuit of an ethical lifestyle and how often >do you find yourself wondering if it's far enough? Not far enough and often. Laura _______________ Stay in touch with absent friends - get MSN Messenger http://messenger.msn.co.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 14, 2003 Report Share Posted March 14, 2003 On Fri, 14 Mar 2003 10:58:22 +0000, " Laura Moore " <child_of_the_80s wrote: >>For example, have you signed up with a green electricity company? >Not at the moment but i do intend to in the future. Once i can afford it i >think its a really worthwhile thing to do. Their website isn't really very informative IMO, but Ecotricity say they'll charge the same as your existing electricity supplier does: http://www.ecotricity.co.uk/ >He's a real go into the store and grab >it kinda guy so he finds it really frustrating when i have to read too many >labels! Tell him that you find it really frustrating that he doesn't! >I don't boycott anymore at the moment but i admit thats through lack of >awareness. The way i see it i'll tackle one thing at a time, eg i've only >just gone vegan so it'll take a while for me to change other things... or my >head may explode! I can understand that. >>For some at least, I guess it comes down to a question of convenience >>and time against how strongly we feel about something. > >I really do believe in buying ethically and think we have so much power as a >consumer. The difficulty for me is money and time. You're quite right. I should have included money as a factor as well. >>So, how far do you go in pursuit of an ethical lifestyle and how often >>do you find yourself wondering if it's far enough? >Not far enough and often. Without wishing to sound too patronising, be pleased with yourself that you're going in the right direction! Chris W Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 14, 2003 Report Share Posted March 14, 2003 Thanks Chris. I do appreciate someone else acknowledging that as i don't get much support here, apart from my boyfriend, who despite his approach to shopping has been really great about me going vegan and about buying fair trade etc. Also the label thing etc was before i was a vegan and i haven't been shopping with him since because of my bad back. I've just given him lists, but if i'm quite specific, he'll get exactly what i ask him too so i can use that to my advantage! As for the green electric i will definitely do it but as i'm moving soon and it takes a while to swap i'll instead set it up for the new house. Thank you for the info etc, i really appreciate it >Chris W <chrisw > > >Re: How far do you take your ethics? >Fri, 14 Mar 2003 11:13:40 +0000 > >On Fri, 14 Mar 2003 10:58:22 +0000, " Laura Moore " ><child_of_the_80s wrote: > > >>For example, have you signed up with a green electricity company? > > >Not at the moment but i do intend to in the future. Once i can afford it >i > >think its a really worthwhile thing to do. > >Their website isn't really very informative IMO, but Ecotricity say >they'll charge the same as your existing electricity supplier does: > >http://www.ecotricity.co.uk/ > > >He's a real go into the store and grab > >it kinda guy so he finds it really frustrating when i have to read too >many > >labels! > >Tell him that you find it really frustrating that he doesn't! > > >I don't boycott anymore at the moment but i admit thats through lack of > >awareness. The way i see it i'll tackle one thing at a time, eg i've >only > >just gone vegan so it'll take a while for me to change other things... or >my > >head may explode! > >I can understand that. > > >>For some at least, I guess it comes down to a question of convenience > >>and time against how strongly we feel about something. > > > >I really do believe in buying ethically and think we have so much power >as a > >consumer. The difficulty for me is money and time. > >You're quite right. I should have included money as a factor as well. > > >>So, how far do you go in pursuit of an ethical lifestyle and how often > >>do you find yourself wondering if it's far enough? > > >Not far enough and often. > >Without wishing to sound too patronising, be pleased with yourself that >you're going in the right direction! > >Chris W _______________ Express yourself with cool emoticons http://messenger.msn.co.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 14, 2003 Report Share Posted March 14, 2003 >>For example, have you signed up with a green electricity company? well, I was with npower and their 'Juice' option, which is electricity from windfarms, from Wales I believe, anyway, they haven't sent me a bill in nearly a year so I'm going to move to Scottish Power which I think is hydro - >>Do you go out of your way to buy organic and/or fairtrade products? etc. etc. yes - but then I'm extremely lucky to have an organic farm shop about 5 miles from me and they stock a mega vegan selection aswell - and this is in rural Fife in scotland!>> So, how far do you go in pursuit of an ethical lifestyle and how oftendo you find yourself wondering if it's far enough? I do wonder quite a lot whether its enough - I have tried to cut down on buying any packaged foods, because packaging factories will have pest control systems in place - Same obviously goes for harvesting of crops, how many creatures killed for that - but, yeah, when I start thinking of packaged goods and all the insects, rodents etc killed just so's they are packaged hygenically then I'd rather not use them - but then again I dont want to come accross a mouse-head in my pasta either! - but if you want organic fairtrade pasta, you have to buy it in a bag - hmm, dunno - maybe thats going too far - I suppose raw-food diet is the only way to go to avoid that - - anyway, its an absolutely wonderful day here in Scotland, and I hope you are all enjoying the spring sunshine wherever you are JoeannWith Mail you can get a bigger mailbox -- choose a size that fits your needs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 14, 2003 Report Share Posted March 14, 2003 Hi Chris, That's a really interesting point. I try to go as far as I can and live as simply as possible, recycling, composting, not buying from multinationals or chain stores but smaller, independent firms. I try to cut as much stress out of my life as possible as well. I think stress is a big pollutant threatening our nervous systems and our relationships with each other, animals and our environment. I think waste is immoral and have furnished my entire flat with discarded stuff and it's a lovely space if you don't mind me saying so. I find a lot of stuff including clothes which come out fine in the wash; I think it's disgusting to see the waste of resources, creativity, production, technology and practicality just lying there at the side of the road. My cats aren't vegan but my dog is. I only feed my cats fishy stuff because I perceive that fish have had a freer life unlike farm animals which were born into oppression and agony. I wish I could get my cats to go vegan because my fish theory is pretty 'fishy' isn't it?! I always think I can go further in terms of an ethical lifestyle. I think keeping fit and healthy is essential as that also takes a lot of impact out of the NHS, the pharmaceutical industry and therefore the whole animal abuse industry and saves the body a lot of hassle in the long run. I try not to buy books or mags but use the library. Surprisingly fewer and fewer people are going to the library. I try not to eat out too much as restaurants waste a lot of food and very rarely ever compost it. I work on voluntary projects as I feel we all need to put back into our community and we all have skills to offer each other. I help facilitate a space in which kids can make fun stuff out of scrap and we also teach recycling. I collect recycling once a week as well as part of a regeneration project on an estate. I really think it's 'monkey see monkey do' and the more people living ethically, the more will become ethical consumers. BTW, magazine and organisations like Ethical Consumer restore my faith in ourselves as a species. That doesn't happen very often. Thank you for bring it to this group. Chris W <chrisw wrote: Picking up the gauntlet which was laid down yesterday about startingdiscussion threads, one thing I've wondered about is how far othervegans are ethical in every day life? For example, have you signed upwith a green electricity company? Do you actively boycott any particularcompanies and, if so, on what grounds? Do you go out of your way to buyorganic and/or fairtrade products? etc. etc.For some at least, I guess it comes down to a question of convenienceand time against how strongly we feel about something. I've bought theEthical Consumer (http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/) publication "The GoodShopping Guide" and have d to their magazine. There arecertainly a few eye-openers in there, but in some cases you have to goseriously out of your way to obtain the most ethical goods or services.So, how far do you go in pursuit of an ethical lifestyle and how oftendo you find yourself wondering if it's far enough?Chris W~~ info ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Please remember that the above is only the opinion of the author, there may be another side to the story you have not heard.---------------------------Was this message Off Topic? Did you know? Was it snipped?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Guidelines: visit <site temporarily offline>Un: send a blank message to - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 14, 2003 Report Share Posted March 14, 2003 Packaging is criminal really! I'm so glad to hear it's gorgeous weather in Scotland as well!! joeann cantillon <goosy_gander wrote: >>For example, have you signed up with a green electricity company? well, I was with npower and their 'Juice' option, which is electricity from windfarms, from Wales I believe, anyway, they haven't sent me a bill in nearly a year so I'm going to move to Scottish Power which I think is hydro - >>Do you go out of your way to buy organic and/or fairtrade products? etc. etc. yes - but then I'm extremely lucky to have an organic farm shop about 5 miles from me and they stock a mega vegan selection aswell - and this is in rural Fife in scotland!>> So, how far do you go in pursuit of an ethical lifestyle and how oftendo you find yourself wondering if it's far enough? I do wonder quite a lot whether its enough - I have tried to cut down on buying any packaged foods, because packaging factories will have pest control systems in place - Same obviously goes for harvesting of crops, how many creatures killed for that - but, yeah, when I start thinking of packaged goods and all the insects, rodents etc killed just so's they are packaged hygenically then I'd rather not use them - but then again I dont want to come accross a mouse-head in my pasta either! - but if you want organic fairtrade pasta, you have to buy it in a bag - hmm, dunno - maybe thats going too far - I suppose raw-food diet is the only way to go to avoid that - - anyway, its an absolutely wonderful day here in Scotland, and I hope you are all enjoying the spring sunshine wherever you are Joeann With Mail you can get a bigger mailbox -- choose a size that fits your needs~~ info ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Please remember that the above is only the opinion of the author, there may be another side to the story you have not heard.---------------------------Was this message Off Topic? Did you know? Was it snipped?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Guidelines: visit <site temporarily offline>Un: send a blank message to - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 14, 2003 Report Share Posted March 14, 2003 On Fri, 14 Mar 2003 07:46:56 -0800 (PST), Saoirse Soya <saoirse_soya wrote: >I think waste is immoral and have furnished my entire flat with discarded >stuff and it's a lovely space if you don't mind me saying so. I find a >lot of stuff including clothes which come out fine in the wash; I think >it's disgusting to see the waste of resources, creativity, production, >technology and practicality just lying there at the side of the road. I admire you greatly for all of that, but this amusing picture did spring into my mind of you sifting through the bags of rubbish at the local tip! >My cats aren't vegan but my dog is. I only feed my cats fishy stuff because >I perceive that fish have had a freer life unlike farm animals which were >born into oppression and agony. What cat food do you give your cats? I read somewhere (I can't remember where now) that giving cats fish all the time might not be good for them. I haven't found any cat food which has only fish and no meat in it that is complete rather than complementary. Our cats, sadly, turn their noses up at the organic Yarrah, which is a great shame. The only Yarrah cat food I've seen has chicken in it though. Everything else you listed is really excellent, and makes me feel wholly inadequate for the small things that I do! I should probably take the advice I gave to Laura myself!! :-) >I really think it's 'monkey see monkey do' and the more people living ethically, >the more will become ethical consumers. I'm sure you're right, but this one will be more of a long haul even then AR is, although things might alter quite quickly with regard to recycling and the environment if certain things are made mandatory. The main problem is that nothing is ever done about anything until it's too late, unless there's money to be made out of it, or it involves war. In both those cases, a headlong rush is always possible. Sorry, Saoirse, I didn't set out to put a downer on your inspiring email! Chris W Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 14, 2003 Report Share Posted March 14, 2003 Hi Chris, I admire you greatly for all of that, but this amusing picture didspring into my mind of you sifting through the bags of rubbish at thelocal tip! Ironically, what you pictured is how around half the people on this planet actually survive! No, I really do find clothes lying at the side of the road! However, I collect recycling from a big estate and we have to sift through all the bags and boxes which can be smelly and unappetising so your vision was pretty accurate! I used to squat and know people who simply lived off others waste: food, clothing, household items, etc, etc. In the frontroom was a huge mural of a very happy maggot, their mascot!>My cats aren't vegan but my dog is. I only feed my cats fishy stuff because >I perceive that fish have had a freer life unlike farm animals which were >born into oppression and agony.What cat food do you give your cats? I read somewhere (I can't rememberwhere now) that giving cats fish all the time might not be good forthem. I haven't found any cat food which has only fish and no meat in itthat is complete rather than complementary. Our cats, sadly, turn theirnoses up at the organic Yarrah, which is a great shame. The only Yarrahcat food I've seen has chicken in it though. I give them Felix and my cats won't eat much Yarrah either. Not sweet enough. I think it just says tuna or whatever on the tin but it's all meat derivatives. Like I said, my theory is pretty fishy. Themain problem is that nothing is ever done about anything until it's toolate, unless there's money to be made out of it, or it involves war. I know, I just kind of plod along in this little ethical bubble while everyone around me except for people like you :-) stomp by making total industries of themselves. Oh well. Chris W ~~ info ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Please remember that the above is only the opinion of the author, there may be another side to the story you have not heard.---------------------------Was this message Off Topic? Did you know? Was it snipped?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Guidelines: visit <site temporarily offline>Un: send a blank message to - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 14, 2003 Report Share Posted March 14, 2003 The Ethical Consumer is well worth the dosh! To answer the initial query, Rat and i buy organic as much as possible, but we won't buy produce if it's from certain countries or from too far away. We buy post-consumer recycled products as much as is practical. If we know about it and can get it, we buy the most ethical, environmentally-sound option. Used to have a box scheme delivered, but the delivery person threatened to kill our neighbour's dog, so we discontinued that. Eeeeeh. Their scheme was good. It's a shame that it ended in tears. They were always very good about trying to accommodate our palates whilst remaining true to the season. Alas, 'twasn't to be. Having said all of this, we both drive...diesels...in the hope that bio-diesel will soon become viable. O, we try to buy most of our stuff from the co-op where i work and most of our veg from either an organic farm shop (where they don't raise animals) or one of our co-op's shops. Well, i'm sure that the preceeding was stimulating beyond measure for all of you. Yawn. Ta for perusing. k@ On Thursday, Mar 13, 2003, at 23:34 Europe/London, Angie Wright wrote: > I do boycotts -invariably to do with vivisection and sometimes get > fairtrade products but sadly not bananas as we eat such a lot and it > would be expensive (not available anyway at my green grocers). > > I don't buy organic veg but am beginning to think I should join a box > scheme --I think my local HFS does one > > Never heard of a green electricity Co.. I've considered getting the > ethical consumer . Do you recommend it ? > > Angie > > > --- > > Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). > Version: 6.0.449 / Virus Database: 251 - Release 27/01/2003 > > > > ~~ info ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Please remember that the above is only the opinion of the author, > there may be another side to the story you have not heard. > --------------------------- > Was this message Off Topic? Did you know? Was it snipped? > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Guidelines: visit <site temporarily offline> > Un: send a blank message to > - > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 14, 2003 Report Share Posted March 14, 2003 O, yea...green electricity: we're with Unit(e), as they got the best rating in Ethical Consumer. So far, it's been a bit more expensive, but i feel that, in the long run, it will prove to be a good decision. The co-op where i work also uses Unit(e) for two of our sites. We looked into Ecotricity, but Unit(e) won us over. k@ On Friday, Mar 14, 2003, at 09:00 Europe/London, Chris W wrote: > On Thu, 13 Mar 2003 19:57:26 -0000, " Steve Welburn " > < wrote: > > >My main problem is that " green " electricity is > >mainly hydro, which isn't all that good either... how can we complain > about > >other countries building dams whilst promoting it as good at home ? > > I haven't signed up with a green electricity company yet, but I will > when I've decided which one to go with. FYI, according to FoE, > Ecotricity only use wind farms. > > >> Do you actively boycott any particular companies and, if so, on what > >>grounds? > > >Well, I avoid Nestle as much as possible, but that's not too > difficult for > >vegans... and I actively try to support the Co-Op and Sam Smith's on > the > >basis of their vegan labelling (not actually a Co-Op member yet > though...). > > I've also been avoiding buying Friskies products for some time. Ethical > Consumer generally makes quite it easy to decide who to steer clear of, > except when most companies in a particular service/product group score > low marks in many categories (e.g. petrol and supermarkets). There's a > major campaign against Esso at the moment, so I've joined in that by > not > buying anything from them anymore. > > >Veggies are mainly from a box scheme (organic and no flown produce). > I try > >to avoid things that have come from too far away on the basis of them > being > >likely to be flown, but can be quite flexible about this if I'm > feeling > >bored with the available veg. > > Do people on here recommend box schemes? Are you able to reject stuff > that you don't like the look of, or are you committed to having the > whole box? How far can you control what's in the box - do you have to > have a selection from what's available when the box is made up, or can > you define exactly what you want? > > >> So, how far do you go in pursuit of an ethical lifestyle and how > often > >> do you find yourself wondering if it's far enough? > > >To go further would involve major changes in lifestyle etc, which I'm > not > >prepared to make at the moment... but I things get tweaked into more > >ethically sound directions whenever the choice arises, so things are > still > >improving. > > That's largely the case for me too at present but, as was the case when > organic products took off, we as consumers can only change things by > doing as much as we can to support those who are producing/providing > the > products that we'd like to see more of. > > Chris W > <image.tiff> > > > ~~ info ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Please remember that the above is only the opinion of the author, > there may be another side to the story you have not heard. > --------------------------- > Was this message Off Topic? Did you know? Was it snipped? > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Guidelines: visit <site temporarily offline> > Un: send a blank message to > - > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 14, 2003 Report Share Posted March 14, 2003 I keep forgetting all of the angles and ramifications of this question, 'cause i neglected to mention that we recycle, compost, and feed our non-human companions an organic, vegan diet. It works out well, but i still wish that i were not so laissez-faire about certain things and would do MORE! I'll just keep going at me own pace, i guess... Saoirse, it sounds as though you're extremely committed. I could learn something from you. k@ On Friday, Mar 14, 2003, at 15:46 Europe/London, Saoirse Soya wrote: > Hi Chris, > > That's a really interesting point. I try to go as far as I can and > live as simply as possible, recycling, composting, not buying from > multinationals or chain stores but smaller, independent firms. > > I try to cut as much stress out of my life as possible as well. I > think stress is a big pollutant threatening our nervous systems and > our relationships with each other, animals and our environment. > > I think waste is immoral and have furnished my entire flat > with discarded stuff and it's a lovely space if you don't mind me > saying so. I find a lot of stuff including clothes which come out > fine in the wash; I think it's disgusting to see the waste of > resources, creativity, production, technology and practicality just > lying there at the side of the road. > > My cats aren't vegan but my dog is. I only feed my cats fishy stuff > because I perceive that fish have had a freer life unlike farm animals > which were born into oppression and agony. I wish I could get my cats > to go vegan because my fish theory is pretty 'fishy' isn't it?! > > I always think I can go further in terms of an ethical lifestyle. I > think keeping fit and healthy is essential as that also takes a lot > of impact out of the NHS, the pharmaceutical industry and therefore > the whole animal abuse industry and saves the body a lot of hassle in > the long run. > > I try not to buy books or mags but use the library. Surprisingly > fewer and fewer people are going to the library. > > I try not to eat out too much as restaurants waste a lot of food and > very rarely ever compost it. > > I work on voluntary projects as I feel we all need to put back into > our community and we all have skills to offer each other. I help > facilitate a space in which kids can make fun stuff out of scrap and > we also teach recycling. I collect recycling once a week as well as > part of a regeneration project on an estate. > > I really think it's 'monkey see monkey do' and the more people living > ethically, the more will become ethical consumers. > > BTW, magazine and organisations like Ethical Consumer restore my faith > in ourselves as a species. That doesn't happen very often. Thank you > for bring it to this group. > > Chris W <chrisw wrote: > > Picking up the gauntlet which was laid down yesterday about starting > discussion threads, one thing I've wondered about is how far other > vegans are ethical in every day life? For example, have you signed up > with a green electricity company? Do you actively boycott any > particular > companies and, if so, on what grounds? Do you go out of your way to buy > organic and/or fairtrade products? etc. etc. > > For some at least, I guess it comes down to a question of convenience > and time against how strongly we feel about something. I've bought the > Ethical Consumer (http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/) publication " The > Good > Shopping Guide " and have d to their magazine. There are > certainly a few eye-openers in there, but in some cases you have to go > seriously out of your way to obtain the most ethical goods or services. > So, how far do you go in pursuit of an ethical lifestyle and how often > do you find yourself wondering if it's far enough? > > Chris W > > > ~~ info ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Please remember that the above is only the opinion of the author, > there may be another side to the story you have not heard. > --------------------------- > Was this message Off Topic? Did you know? Was it snipped? > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Guidelines: visit <site temporarily offline> > Un: send a blank message to > - > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 15, 2003 Report Share Posted March 15, 2003 Thanks Kat. I have quite a bit of time on my hands to maintain this lifestyle (yawn...) which is something a lot of people are short of. I don't have green leckie though, I'm on a key metre and the provider wants to charge me a small fortune to leave it so one of these days... I'm really interested in what you're feeding your non-human companions. Are they cats? (Oh please, please what is the secret ingredient to add to recipe and vegecat...!?) My dog's on Happy Dog but I could be feeding a lot more of what I eat since he's always trying to slobber over what I'm eating anyway! Web Hosting - establish your business online Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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