'Ethical Consumerism'-[MERGED] With - Green Board for environmentally friendly stuff.

one-non-blonde

Not sure where this should be posted but I was wondering if anyone else would be interested in a thread (or board) consisting of advice, info and tips about money-saving on products and services which fulfil certain sustainable criteria, such as:

• Organic
• Recycled
• Ethical (eg. companies to avoid!)
• Fair trade
• GM free
• etc, etc

I know some people might think this goes against the grain of real money-saving but I'm sure there are other people out there who want to get the best value for money they can, while trying to adhere to certain principles.

For example I'd love to hear that recycled loo rolls were on a 3 for 2, that a certain supermarket's canned tomatoes were guaranteed GM free or that there was a cheap provider of green energy in my area but it's not the sort of info that normally gets posted.

What d'you think?

tomek_2

I think it would be a great idea!

Personally I try to buy Fair Trade more than organic (although most Fair Trade products are organic).

It would be good to know what are currently the best deals on products that not only save money for us but also save the environment, or treat the producers with more respect.

rag_doll

one-non-blonde wrote:

Not sure where this should be posted but I was wondering if anyone else would be interested in a thread (or board) consisting of advice, info and tips about money-saving on products and services which fulfil certain sustainable criteria, such as:

• Organic
• Recycled
• Ethical (eg. companies to avoid!)
• Fair trade
• GM free
• etc, etc

I know some people might think this goes against the grain of real money-saving but I'm sure there are other people out there who want to get the best value for money they can, while trying to adhere to certain principles.

For example I'd love to hear that recycled loo rolls were on a 3 for 2, that a certain supermarket's canned tomatoes were guaranteed GM free or that there was a cheap provider of green energy in my area but it's not the sort of info that normally gets posted.

What d'you think?

I think this is a great idea one-non-blonde & would definitely support it. I always buy Fairtrade & recycled products aswell as organic & non-G.M. as much as I can, avoiding companies such as Nestle, Procter & Gamble, etc, etc & like eveyone else I'm always on the lookout for bargains! It's hard to be ethical if you buy from supermarkets as they are, by nature, so unethical. A book I definitely recommend is 'The Good Shopping Guide', it has a massive amount of information that's proved invaluable time after time.

woj101

I'll fourth that. A great suggestion!

nearlyrich

I agree that would be a good board, I try to buy food that has been treated well, I don't buy veal and always get free range eggs, not very money saving from the supermarket but from the market I buy them cheaper and much fresher than even the value eggs.

I know I could do better and I have picked up lots of good advice and info from this site so go for it,I will read and possibly contribute occaisionally.

safc_2

I'd be interested in an ethical consumer type forum as well.

divadee

I thought if i moved this to the this site questions the higher powers might be more likely to read it.

HTH

one-non-blonde

Thanks Divadee

Thinking about it, I would quite like to see this as a board rather than a thread as there are such a diverse range of potential issues to discuss - from politics, banking and pensions to corporate issues, utilities and (obviously!) shopping. There could also be advice on energy-saving, growing food, minimising use of chemicals in the home, recycling, etc. all of which also save money! I know a lot of this info already exists or could exist under other headings, but it would be very handy to have it all in one place for those interested in these specific issues.

I'd also be very interested to hear what other people do to try and live sustainably with a view to incorporating their suggestions into my own lifestyle.

rag_doll wrote:

I think this is a great idea one-non-blonde & would definitely support it. I always buy Fairtrade & recycled products aswell as organic & non-G.M. as much as I can, avoiding companies such as Nestle, Procter & Gamble, etc, etc & like eveyone else I'm always on the lookout for bargains! It's hard to be ethical if you buy from supermarkets as they are, by nature, so unethical. A book I definitely recommend is 'The Good Shopping Guide', it has a massive amount of information that's proved invaluable time after time.

I deliberately didn't mention N*stle (or D*l M*nte) as I'm not sure about the legal position in terms of what can be said! I've spent years at work trying to persuade someone in my office not to buy a certain brand of instant coffee... think I've just about managed it but it's been a painful process (there's no excuse when you live next to a Co-op!) :rolleyes:

competitionscafe

I think it's a great idea one-non-blonde!

There is a discussion on ethical shopping here which has some good links and suggestions:
http://forum.rivercottage.net/viewtopic.php?t=7778&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

As you say 'ethical consumerism' covers a wide area - from shopping to personal finance, so I think it's well worthy of it's own board.

ROBDOLPHIN66

Hints and tips on recycling and conservation of resources would be very useful

advantage_card

i was really interested in the postings on the rivercottage.net forum, so ive now joined that, so thanks for the link, id never heard of this before.