200 acre working organic sheep farm, with a flock of two hundred ewes and a herd of twenty cows, on Bodmin Moor between the villages of Blisland and St Breward. The small campsite (May-Oct, £3-£6 pppn) is intended to have a low impact on the surroundings with modern solar / rainwater showers. The four yurts are well spaced in their own field on the campsite, with stunning views across the moors. Short breaks June and Sept. Local village shop and pub will provide all your daily needs. The farm is rich in archaeological remains and wildlife. A demonstration farm for the SA and West Country Rivers Trust, the farm walk takes in diverse wildlife habitats, 1400m of beautiful river bank and a Bronze Age hut settlement.

Organic Holidays is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Clothing to keep; a new collection to treasure

Charming hand crafted garments will be treasured for ever.
Designer, Eloise Grey, has produced a new collection
of beautifully cut and made garments, all woven with stories
to be passed on from generation to generation. These clothes
hark back to a time when clothing was made to keep.

Best known for her tailored tweeds, Eloise’s latest work,
The Garden Collection, introduces fine Belgian eco linen,
Romanian hemp, hand woven Indian hand-block printed
cotton with exquisite florals. All her work features fine
dressmaking details such as French and bound seams, bound
buttonholes and carefully sourced trimmings such as ceramic
and tagua nut buttons.

Perfect for the British summer, this romantic and individual
collection pays homage to mid-20th century writer, Vita
Sackville-West. It is also a gentle nod to costume drama, India
and Persephone books with garments named after other
authors such as Katherine Mansfield and Noel Streatfield.
Eloise Grey, based in the picturesque market town of Farnham
founded her label with a trademark collection of ladies’coats and
jackets made from the finest organic Scottish tweeds woven by
Isle of Mull Weavers.

Showing great respect for traditional craftsmanship, Eloise’s work
embodies a uniquely British tradition of style. She produces in the
UK and sources materials from sustainable sources. Her fondness
for mid 20th century writers influence her designs

Collection highlights
1/ Vita Garden Coat
• For an understated and individual look
• Finely finished seams and feature pockets
• Made from undyed Romanian hemp
• An exquisite piece for a special occasion
• Hand fired ceramic button

2/ Mansfield Blouse
• Romantic feel floral print in muted tones of blue, pink, brown and heather
• Ruched for flattering silhouette
• A choice of fine Belgian eco linen or hand-loom and block printed cottons.
• Multi-seasonal

3/ Winker Shoes
• Perfect for summer evenings
• Made from fine ethical tweed sourced from the Isle of Mull
• I ntroducing a partnership with artisan shoe makers CarréDucker
• For both ladies and gentlemen
• Comfortable and hardwearing

The summer collection launches at the
Hepsibah Gallery, 112 Brackenbury Road,
London W6 on 7th May and runs until 12th
May (excluding Sunday) from 10-6pm.

The collection is available online at www.
eloisegrey.com and at the showroom: Upstairs
at Purity, 20 Downing Street, Farnham GU9
7PB.

For further information and images,
please email: contact@eloisegrey.com or
call 07910 963737

About Eloise Grey

Eloise Grey, based in the picturesque market town of Farnham
founded her label with a trademark collection of ladies’coats and
jackets made from the finest organic Scottish tweeds woven by
Isle of Mull Weavers.

Showing great respect for traditional craftsmanship, Eloise’s work
embodies a uniquely British tradition of style. She produces in the
UK and sources materials from sustainable sources. Her fondness
for mid 20th century writers influence her designs

Eloise Grey is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Prof harold Goodwin has been leading the campaign for responsible travel for some 15 years. The following is from his blog

The Experience of a Lifetime? The V Word – caveat emptor by Harold Goodwin on Wed 21 Apr 2010 21:12 BST  |  Volunteering should be the experience of a life time, deeply fulfilling, fun. It should be rewarding, a chance to discover yourself, to test yourself and to get to know people and places.

Too often it isn’t.

Do something about it.

For examples of what goes wrong see www.irresponsibletourism.info

There are plenty of complaints about volunteering companies – look on the web. Many of the organisations offering volunteering abroad are for profit companies, but even if they’re not, they still owe you a duty of care – you’ve paid them for a service. Demand delivery of what you’ve paid for. It is time to raise the bar on volunteering companies.

1.    As a volunteer travelling abroad you should expect the UK organisation that is organising your volunteering experience to treat you at least as well as any tour operator would: if things go wrong, you must complain and assert your consumer rights – you’ve bought an experience and they must deliver.  If the operator is in ABTA consider using the complaints procedure. If not, think about complaining to your local Trading Standards office.

2. Ask yourself how much local communities are gaining from your volunteering. How much of what you are spending will end up in the local economy? I hear of cases where locals are sacked to make space for a volunteer. You should check that you will be adding to the resources in a school – you need to be additional, not replacing local labour. Do not assume that all not-for-profits or charities will offer a quality opportunity – ask questions – check the answers. Expect to speak with returned volunteers and check out the web. I have suggested below some sites to check on.

3.    Demand a worthwhile experience: ask some hard questions of the organisation which you are handing a good deal of money to provide you with an amazing and fulfilling experiences. These questions will help – and you should demand answers. There are answers which suggest the kind of reply you many want to hear at

peopleandplaces suggest that you ask the following questions and think about the answers – if you’re not sure, then don’t spend the money. You are buying an experience.

1. How can I be sure that what you’re telling me is true and not just marketing hype?

2. How and where is my money spent?

3. How will my skills be used effectively?

4. I’m only going to be there for a few weeks – how can my input be of any real use?

5. Who decides what my role will be?

6. Who knows about me before I arrive and what do they know?

7. Whose idea was the project and who runs it?

8. Can I talk to previous volunteers? They will be able to tell you how much they enjoyed it, what they got out of it, whether the experience was what they had hoped and paid for.

9.  Can I talk to local people before I travel?

10. Will I be safe?

11. What’s all this I hear about adequate insurance?

12. Is there any continuity?

13. What kind of support is there for me?

 If you are not happy with the answers go with someone else.

Volunteering was something we used to do at home, in our community. In the UK many of us still do, an estimated 20 million people volunteer in Britain every year and it appears from research to be increasing. Colin Rochester  undertook a review of volunteering in 2006 for Volunteering England and identified three kinds of volunteering: unpaid work, activism and as leisure. As Colin Rochester points out these categories overlap.

Academics and commentators have shied away from leisure volunteering because of the association of leisure with amateurism and hobbyism, and particularly overseas volunteering, with frivolity and fun.

Increasing numbers of people are volunteering abroad, some for months others for a week or so, some for a day or a few hours. Some of the latter are tokenistic, little more than feel-good-photo-opportunities.

There are probably three main motivations for volunteering abroad, they all have altruistic elements, but in many cases one suspects that the altruism is pretty limited

1. To build a cv and get experience – particularly relevant to gappers

2. To learn more about what life is like in another society – a deeper form of experiential travel which is increasing rapidly in importance

3. To put something back – to make a contribution in someone else’s place where the needs appear simpler and more worthy; and the impact which one volunteer can make is large.

So remember – it’s your money, your time, your dream.  Caveat emptor – you deserve a worthwhile experience

Check out the project you are thinking about, you may find these sites useful
www.abroadreviews.com
www.thestudentroom.co.uk

www.voluntourism.org

planeta.wikispaces.com/volunteer

people and places is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

A great alternative to natural slate, these house numbers are made in the UK from recycled vending machine cups.

Tough, weather resistant and UV protected. Each house number will save around 250 coffee cups from landfill.

Traditional Times Roman font, size 70mm.

Plaque size approx 100mm x 150mm (4″ x 6″)

Numbers 1 – 999 are available, please choose the relevant price band below and make a note in the comments box at checkout of what number you require. The plaques are made to order and should be with you within 7-10 days.

From £24.50

The Green Apple is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Some great exclusive offers to had on natural beauty products throughout May on BigGreenSmile.

1 – 4 for 3 on Avalon Organics.  Buy any four selected Avalon Organics products and get the cheapest absolutely free. (offer ends 30th June).

2 – 4 for 3 on JASON Topical Nutrition – Buy any four selected Jason Ester-C or the best selling Vitamin K creme and the cheapest item absolutely free. (offer ends 31st May).

3 – 20% of JASON Sunbrellas Sun Cream – Offer available while stocks last.

4-  25% off Bentley Organic – 25% off the entire Bentley Organic range until 24th May.

5 – 10% off Ecover Laundry Tablets – Offer available until stocks last.

Big Green Smile is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Two women – Marianne Bols and Teresa Owen, with support from Katie Melua (international singer) – are fighting to bring justice and ethical responsibility to the Christmas tree market. Both Teresa and Marianne are raising young families and managing their own businesses whilst running a campaign to make all Nordmann Fir Christmas trees fair trade (Fair Trees®).

This press release tells how the Fair Trees® movement began and how these women have dealt with corruption, industrial espionage and intimidation in a male dominated industry in order to provide hope and welfare for thousands of impoverished people in Georgia.

As World Fair Trade Day approaches (8^th May 2010), 20 tonnes of Nordmann Fir Christmas tree seeds are being planted in nurseries across Europe. Most of these seeds will have been sourced from the natural forests of Georgia by a corrupt and dangerous industry where the weakest in the chain suffer the most. The Fair Trees® project aims to change all of this and to educate the retailers and consumers of Europe about the ethical issues surrounding a popular Christmas tradition.

The Nordmann Fir seed industry

About 5 million Nordmann Fir Christmas trees are sold in the UK each year. Nordmann Fir Christmas trees have historically been imported into the UK from Denmark, but more and more are being grown here in the UK by UK nurseries. Denmark and the UK are now the main suppliers of Nordmann Fir trees for Europe and countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Australia.

The seeds for 90% of these trees come from the natural forests of Georgia as they can’t be farmed. The cone pickers of Georgia are paid a pittance to risk their lives picking cones from which the seeds are extracted and every year many Georgians are badly injured, or even killed. Until Fair Trees® was set up.

Fair Trees®

Marianne Bols is the driving force behind the Fair Trees® project. She has run her Danish Christmas tree nursery, Bols Planteskole, since 1989 with her husband Lars. Their first business trip was to Georgia, in 1989, to buy 8 tons of Nordmann Fir seeds. As Georgia was then still part of the USSR, it was a long, tough battle to get the seeds and have them shipped to Denmark. Marianne and Lars were moved by the generosity and warmth shown to them by the Georgian farmers: “Even though they were poor, they invited us in and many of them remain close friends. They were also one of the main reasons why we continue to collect seeds from Georgia.”

But the more Marianne learned about the industry the more dissatisfied she became. The corruption, disdain for the local Georgian people and the natural environment was breath-taking and she decided to do something about it. She started giving the Georgian cone pickers modern safety equipment, provided training and support and, of course, paid them fairly. Soon cone pickers were queuing up to work for her.

In 2007 Marianne set up the The Bols Xmas Tree Fund and shortly afterwards the Fair Trees® brand was certified by Fair Trade Danmark. The Fund aims to create awareness about and improve the terrible conditions under which the Georgian cone pickers live and work. The Fund provides the cone pickers with Danish-made safety equipment and ensures that the workers are instructed on safety. In addition, the Fund works towards creating proper conditions for workers and their families through financial support for schools, books and health care. And of course the workers are paid a fair price for their work.

Collusion on a grand scale

To source seeds from Georgia it is necessary to buy a licence from the Georgian government. Until 2009 this was pretty much a “closed shop” where licences were awarded annually to “favoured” companies, e.g. in 2008 the Georgian government awarded a monopoly licence to one Danish company for the entire harvest for that year.

But in 2009 Marianne decided to enter the auction for seed collection licences. To make sure she stood some chance of getting at least one licence, Marianne placed bids for all of the available lots and, in accordance with the auction rules, paid the upfront advance fee of €125,000. She then discovered that her competitors had managed to avoid paying this fee and that the Ministry had leaked confidential information about her decision to bid for all of the lots.

She faced organised resistance from fellow Danish tree growers and nurseries who collaborated to exclude Marianne from the auction as much as possible. And when it came to bidding for the lots Marianne had only one opponent on 26 out of the 28 lots; one large Georgian seed company. Where were all the others?

But the collusion didn’t end there. Marianne’s opponents put in enormous bids to try to price her out of the auction; the Georgian government estimated that the auction would generate about €631,000 for all 28 lots but in the end the bidding process raised the overall prices to €26.3 million!

Despite their efforts, Marianne managed to secure 3 good quality lots. Just as she was about to pay the licence fees that were due she received a letter from the Georgian government stating that the payment terms had been increased from 45 days to 18 months. The competition was clearly having problems coming up with the money!

Industrial espionage

Three days after the auction, Marianne’s offices were broken into. The alarm system was over-ridden, the keys to the office and her home were stolen and telephone and computer records were deleted. Nothing else was broken or stolen and although there were obvious clues pointing towards the culprits, the police took no action in the end due to “insufficient evidence”.

And Nordmann Fir seeds are being traded illegally in Europe using seed stolen from Marianne. She discovered seed being sold at €86 per kilo to a well respected forestry business in the Belgian Ardennes. This price was clearly far too low (Marianne charges €107 per kilo which includes a €10 donation to The Bols Xmas Tree Fund). Marianne managed to trace the seed back to her own lot, where at least 1 tonne of seed had recently been stolen! And interestingly, the Belgians claimed that their Georgian supplier could provide proof of provenance!

Bringing Fair Trees® to the UK

In summer 2009, Marianne contacted Teresa Owen in London to ask for help in bringing the Fair Trees project to the UK. Until then Teresa, along with almost everyone else in the UK, had no idea about the ethical issues surrounding Christmas trees.

Teresa had been running her own fair trade gift and accessory business, Fairwind, for almost 9 years and so had lots of experience and contacts in the fair trade market in the UK. She agreed to help and started a marketing and PR exercise in September. She also imported and successfully sold some of Marianne’s trees through her shop and website that Christmas, thus becoming the first ever retailer of fair trade Christmas trees in the UK. Coverage in The Observer, on the radio and in magazines and newspapers all over the country helped to start raising the awareness of this issue immediately.

Teresa is now working on persuading the UK Christmas tree industry to change its ways. She has been talking to growers and retailers across the UK, including B&Q, Homebase and other the garden centres, to inform them of the ethical issues and to persuade them to convert to supplying Fair Trees®. Marianne and Teresa have developed a Fair Trees® licensing programme that all UK growers can join provided they meet the necessary ethical criteria. Teresa is obviously meeting some resistance in an industry where change is slow to come. Concerns about cost, consumer awareness and general inertia are challenges that Teresa is fighting against but is determined to overcome.

Teresa managed to persuade Katie Melua to lend her support to the Fair Trees® project. The multi-platinum selling singer was born and raised in Georgia until she was 8 and so is passionate about helping the Georgian cone pickers.

“I am absolutely thrilled that fair trade has reached the poor cone pickers of Georgia. Fair Trees® is a wonderful project that helps improve the lives of many people in remote areas of Georgia, the country where I was born. I urge anyone who loves a real Christmas tree to buy a fair trade one this year”.

Katie’s support is ongoing and invaluable to the Fair Trees® project. 

For more information please contact Teresa Owen at Fairwind

Fairwind is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more