The bald truth from buyOrganics

When we hear about toxins in personal care products, we usually think of makeup and skincare products rather than hair care – after all, aren’t our crowning glories simply “dead” strands of protein?   And although we slather on the shampoos, conditioners and styling products, we don’t think of the connection between them entering our bloodstream or remaining on our skin in the same way as other lotions and potions.

However, of course, shampoos and conditioners get washed all over
our bodies in the bath or shower, and our scalp has just as many pores
as the rest of our skin – a close look (if you can get near enough!) to
any man’s bald head is evidence enough of that!  So, it’s just as easy
to absorb nasty chemicals through our hair products but surely, shampoo
and conditioner don’t need synthetic substances in just to clean and
smooth our hair?

In fact, many regular shampoos contain petro-chemicals, which have been
implicated in causing cancer and other illnesses.  The chemical
1.4-dioxane, for example, is often used in shampoo, and has even been
found in household named baby hair care products!  1.4-dioxane is a
by-product of a petrochemical process called ethyoxylation which uses
known breast carcinogen ethylene oxide to process other chemicals to
make them less harsh and more palatable for the consumer to use.

The answer is, of course, to pick products which do not contain any
synthetically manufactured chemicals at all and, preferably, do contain
organic ingredients for added safety and purity.

One thing to remember when switching from regular hair care products to
natural, organic ones is that for the first couple of washes, the hair
can feel dull and lifeless – this is actually a result of the hair
going through a natural detoxifying process, where it loses the gunk
caused by plasticizers and other synthetic ingredients contained in
many regular hair products, which actually work by coating the hair
with artificial substances to create gloss and shine.  Once this layer
of trash is stripped away, the hair returns to its natural soft shine,
which is then enhanced by the continued use of organic hair care
products.

www.buyorganics.co.uk have researched, tried and tested the best
natural and organic hair care products which are safe enough for the
whole family, and selected a variety of items suitable for different
types of hair for any occasion.

For daily use, we recommend Green People’s No Scent or Aloe Vera
Organic Shampoos – cost-effective for everyday washing, and so gentle
even newborn babies will be safe.  Not only this but your hair will
feel really soft and silky, plus we find that it rinses out perfectly,
without the nasty gunky build-up you often get with regular products
which seem to stick to the hair shafts rather than clean the dirt
away.  We recommend the Essential Care Tea Tree & Herb shampoo for
itchy, flaky scalps, again a budget buy but wonderfully effective, even
on cradle cap and dandruff.

For a weekly dip into luxury, look no further than the John Masters
range of hair care products – sheer indulgence but even better than a
trip to the salon, the whole range is pure heaven, leaving your hair
beautifully clean, conditioned and styled with absolutely no risk of
chemical nasties!    The John Masters Zinc & Sage shampoo not only
does wonders for your hair, but treats the scalp to a pamper as well. 
The scalp really is the key to healthy hair because although hair
itself is dead protein, from the hair follicle downwards into the scalp
is alive and well and in need of some regular nutrition!  This shampoo
will satisfy the thirstiest follicles to give extra body and shine.

We also love the Honey & Hibiscus shampoo, a good reconstructive
shampoo for a once-a-week hair Detox – and boy does it smell good too! 
The John Masters luxurious conditioners are also a treat for your
hair.  Have daily reminders of the beach with the Sea Salt Sea Mist
Spray, a leave-in deep conditioning protective formula for daily use. 
We also highly recommend the beautiful smelling Lavender and Avocado
Intensive Conditioner for deep penetration and lasting condition.

Even styling can be safe and healthy, for you and the environment. 
Many eco-friendly gels, waxes and serums really don’t come up to
scratch in terms of performance, but you can’t go wrong with the John
Masters organic Hair Pomade, great for smoothing frizzy hair, sculpting
a style and even doubles up as a wonderful hand cream and cuticle
softener!

So take the plunge today and give you and your hair the treat you both deserve!

All products are available at top organic lifestyle online store buyOrganics: www.buyorganics.co.uk

Oromo Coffee Enterprise goes Direct Trade!

James Purnell, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, launched the latest Lorna Young Foundation venture, saying “This is a unique initiative that could make fair trade even fairer – and the coffee tastes great too!” Backed also by the Bishop of Manchester, the former Lord Mayor of Manchester, Afzal Khan, and Muslim and Christian faith groups, we are working with recently settled refugees from the Oromo region in Ethiopia who contacted the LYF for ideas on how to set up a self-help project, rather than rely on benefits.

With our support, the Oromo community (who have legal residential
status) have now created a direct trading ‘community to community’
social enterprise – ‘The Oromo Coffee Company’.  As the birthplace of
coffee, the Oromo region of Ethiopia provides some of the finest
quality beans in the world. This direct trade initiative will cut out
middlemen and ensure an even greater level of profit for smallholder farmers  than would be possible
just through Fairtrade.

James Purnell was aware that we have come this
far with no funding — just a lot of good will — and backed our appeal
for sponsors.  He added: “The Oromo Coffee Company has been set up by a
group of people who have said quite clearly that they want to
contribute to society and to help smallholders back home at the same time.  And this
is an outstanding example of what can be achieved when people work
together to develop their different skills in an innovative way…I will
certainly be asking whether this coffee could be stocked at the House
of Commons in future.”

This exciting new venture is being assisted by Bolling Coffee, a
Yorkshire based family-owned roaster, which has generously agreed to
support the OCC with roasting and packaging of the coffee. There has
been a huge amount of interest from retailers and the public, and the
new Fairtrade certified range of coffees will be available in May 2009.

Garedew Yadessa, one of the Oromo community leaders, emphasised the
importance of this self-help initiative: “You can already see what a
difference this project is making to the morale of our community. We have been living here with very little, with very low spirits.  It
has been really excellent to be able to work with the LYF and Bolling
Coffee, and to get advice from Tameside Council. We believe that we
can teach British people a lot about coffee heritage as well as working
hard ourselves – and in doing so, we are helping the smallholders back
home.”

How Can YOU Help? Get Practical!

• Contact the LYF to place an order for the OCC’s coffee for your business/ community group/ workplace/yourself
• Provide some ‘in kind’ support – individuals with skills such as
  business mentoring, PR/ Marketing and financial expertise are very much
  needed by the enterprise
• Make a donation to the LYF in order to support the project/ sponsor the OCC

Contact us now on 07538 690072 or 07944 979721

What is so different about the LYF?
We will work with any smallholder farmers in developing countries who
need help with business and marketing support and learning. We are a
registered UK education charity that seeks to level the playing field
for smallholder producers, so that they can compete fairly in the
marketplace. We are all about empowerment in action – we aim to assist
producers to make the transition from being providers of raw product to
becoming managers of their own businesses, building their
commercial/marketing skills and helping them to develop local brands
and add value to their products.

Who Was Lorna Young?
The Lorna Young Foundation (LYF) is named in memory of Lorna Young, a
marketing specialist seconded from Equal Exchange to be the first Sales
and Marketing Manager for Cafédirect. She was a driven and dynamic
Scotswoman who secured the first supermarket listings for Cafédirect
products, and almost single-handedly took Fairtrade coffee from the
margin to the mainstream. She saw the need for smallholder farmers to
be able to gain the skills and confidence to break into their own local
and regional markets, as well as internationally. Lorna died in 1996 at the age of 44; but her name, and her fierce
commitment to championing the cause of producers, live on through the
LYF.

Rescheduled for 5  March 2009

The Association for Sustainability Practitioners (ASP) are pleased to announce a new collaboration with University of West England (UWE) in Bristol.

The relationship will be between ASP’s “Learning Events” activities and UWE’s “Bristol Centre for Leadership and Organisational Ethics” a new initiative in the Business School, led by Prof. Peter Case, Dr Peter Simpson and Dr Robert French of the Department of Organisation Studies.

ASP Learning Events are highly interactive workshops and enquiries, based on collaboration, sharing and learning, on topics aimed at business leaders and sustainability practitioners.

These events will provide UWE with opportunities to exchange ideas
and knowledge between their faculty members, management and students
and ASP associates and the sustainability practitioners and business
leaders who attend the events. UWE will host and actively participate
in the Bristol-based ASP events.

The first event in this relationship will be the second in a series of
enquiries ASP is running called “Creating Futures, Beyond Profit” on
3rd February at UWE.

Confirmed contributors for Bristol:

Jenny Wardle – MD ChangeForum Ltd.

Dr. Martin Blake – Director CSR Royal Mail, Trustee Findhorn

David Bent – Head of Business Strategies, Forum For The Future

Prof. Richard Owen – University of Westminster

Jamie Walton – Independent Financial systems Researcher

Ian Chambers – Programme Director, Orange

Jim Roberts – Independent Consultant in Financial Services and Investment

Prof. Richard Owen – University of Westminster

Details for Bristol 5th March: programme

Register: registration

James Purnell, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, to Launch a New Coffee Social Enterprise on 16th January 2009

The Lorna Young Foundation is hosting an event to launch a new social enterprise – a new brand of directly traded coffee by resident Oromo Ethiopians in Greater Manchester with smallholder coffee growers in Ethiopia.

With the support of the Lorna Young Foundation, Tameside Council and Bolling Coffee, this exciting social enterprise will assist the Oromo community into meaningful employment with all profits going to the community in Greater Manchester and ensuring an excellent price for the coffee growers in Ethiopia

On Friday 16th January in Stalybridge, James Purnell, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions will launch this exciting new business venture. The Bishop of Manchester and Afzal Khan, former Lord Mayor of the City of Manchester will also be attending and backing the initiative.

The Lorna Young Foundation has initiated this new ‘Beyond Fairtrade – community to community’ social enterprise, named ‘The Oromo Coffee Company’ which will cut out the middlemen in purchasing, importing, branding and selling a new Ethiopian coffee within the UK. The new company is owned by the Oromo community who are now in the process of creating and selling their own brand of roast and ground coffee, sourced directly from smallholders in Ethiopia. By shortening the supply chain involved in the sales and marketing of coffee, a greater level of profit – even than achieved by Fair Trade – will be generated for both the social enterprise in Greater Manchester and the coffee growers in Ethiopia.

The venture is being backed by Tameside Council, with commercial support coming from Bolling Coffee, West Yorkshire based coffee company who are experts in importing and roasting coffee from around the world; Bolling will assist the enterprise in importing and processing the new product.

Ian Agnew, Director of the Lorna Young Foundation said “This is a totally unique project. Fair Trade is a brilliant development and is now quite rightly, entering the mainstream. But Fair Trade prices are still limited for most growers. The Lorna Young Foundation wants to go beyond this and It’s excellent to see that the Government here recognise that this kind of initiative needs to be supported. We are so pleased that Bolling Coffee are lending us their assistance and we would like to invite other businesses to come forward to offer support, sponsorship or mentoring to help the enterprise to become a big success when we come to marketing the new coffee”.

The Rev Ian Stubbs, vicar of St George’s church, Stalybridge which has been instrumental in supporting the project idea said “Its been a real privilege to meet members of the Oromo community who came to Tameside as refugees and to see how they are willing to work together on this venture. By supporting this exciting initiative churches and faith groups will build even further on their excellent record in promoting Fairtrade. We hope that by producing a smashing cup of ‘Beyond Fairtrade’ coffee we can also educate people about the exploitation that all too often occurs in the supply chain of commodities that we buy from abroad”

Garedew Yadessa, one of the Oromo community members involved in setting up the enterprise said “It is very encouraging that local people are supporting us to set up this business. It’s important to us to be independent and it’s even better if we can help the coffee growers in Ethiopia to get a better deal because sadly, the coffee market has been famous for its exploitation of smallholder farmers in the past”.

Ian Bamforth, Managing Director of Bolling Coffee said; “Bolling Coffee were really impressed by this initiative. We take the issue of ethical trading very seriously and believe that we have a corporate responsibility to assist marginalised groups. This is an excellent way of doing both – helping out the communities here in the UK and also abroad – whilst providing a high quality cup of coffee”

About the Launch
Friday 16th January at 3pm at Stalybridge Civic Hall, Trinity St, Stalybridge, SK15 2BN. Food and drink will be available.

About the Oromo Ethiopians
The Oromo Ethiopians are a group of around 250 households living primarily in Manchester, Ashton under Lyne, Stalybridge, Bury, Bolton, Oldham, Sheffield, Stockport and Salford as legal refugees with full residential status. They were resettled in the UK during 2006/07 following persecution in Ethiopia.

How Can YOU Help?
The Lorna Young Foundation are looking for corporate sponsorship for the project, both prior to the coffee product being launched later on in 2009 and during its first year of operation. In particular we are seeking to work with businesses or community groups/ faith groups who can:
• Provide monetary donations to support the project
• Produce a design label in order to market the coffee
• Provide a premises or equipment to assist the initiative
• Consider placing an order with The Oromo Coffee Company
• Act as a sales point/ retail outlet for the coffee
• Provide business ‘mentoring’ for the company (i.e. marketing, sales, business planning, publicity etc)

If you feel that you can contribute in any way, please contact the Lorna Young Foundation (below)

—————————————————————————————————————————————-
About the Lorna Young Foundation (LYF)
The Lorna Young Foundation was set up in 2003 in memory of the late Lorna Young, a social entrepreneur and a pioneer of fair trade in the UK. As one of the founders of Cafédirect, Lorna was the first person to secure supermarket listing for their products thereby launching the brand from its niche market to the mainstream.

LYF is a UK registered education charity and NGO. Its aims are:
• To reduce poverty and assist sustainable livelihoods by providing business and marketing education for communities in the developing world
• To reduce supply chains and add value to products, enabling fairer competition for farmers in national and international markets places
• To work with communities in the UK and in developing countries in order to promote greater awareness of ethical trading and to empower groups to be able to carry out direct trading and ethical purchases

LYF currently carries out projects with smallholder farmers in Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Ethiopia and Palestine and with the Greater Manchester Ethiopian community. LYF’s ‘Entrepreneur’ programme matches successful businessmen and women with smallholder farming communities in order to share skills and to provide ongoing mentoring within developing countries. LYF is based in West Yorkshire.

—————————————————————————————————————–

The Lorna Young Foundation
47 Lea Lane, Netherton, Holmfirth, Hudds, HD4 7DP 

Christina Longden: 07951 362068 Ian Agnew: 07944 979721 Email – projectmanager@lyf.org.uk

Registered Charity No. 1112895 Registered Company No. 4788426 www.lyf.org.uk AND www.lyfe.ac

Image courtesy of nkzs 

Biofuels: They’ll save the planet. They’ll wreck the planet. You decide.

Biofuels are being suggested as a way to help us cut our carbon emissions and slow climate change. They have their detractors and their supporters. What do you think?

Throughout September Ethical Junction member Passion for the Planet radio will be broadcasting a series of interviews with experts from both camps to explore the pro’s and con’s.

You can listen to the interviews by visiting www.passionfortheplanet.com/biofuels.htm

Interviews include:

• Abi Bunker, agricultural policy officer at the RSPB explains why many environmental NGOs are seeing red, not green, over the growth of biofuels.

• Graham Hilton director of biofuel company Ultra Green Fuels will be answering the case for biofuels – and how some biofuels can be part of the answer when it comes to protecting our planet.

• Deepak Ragani from Biofuel Watch is concerned about the impact of biofuels on people and wants to see the Government’s policies regarding these fuels changed.

• Ian Swingland Emeritus professor of conservation biology at the Durrell Institute looks at how biofuels can make a positive contribution to our environment and biodiversity and even the lives of people of people in poorer countries.

Plus

• Whats actually involved in refining a biofuel

• Biofuels impact on food

• Europe’s position on biofuels

• A look at the recent Gallagher Review on biofuels

What do you think?
Visit www.passionfortheplanet.com/biofuels.htm – listen to the interviews on air or on-demand and then place your vote in the Passion for the Planet online survey.

Passion for the Planet is the UK’s only ethical radio station providing you with solutions for a green and healthy lifestyle. Playing music from around the world plus interviews and features focused on your health, environment and personal development. Passion for the Planet is a radio station for people who care. Listen on DAB radio across the south of England and nationwide via the Internet at www.passionfortheplanet.com

Damhead Organic Farm and Shop is celebrating Organic Food Fortnight by offering all visitors to the Organic Farm and Shop in Edinburgh a free cup of organic coffee and slice of organic cake until Sunday the 21st of September.

Damhead is also taking part in the Organic Food Festival in Glasgow’s Merchant City on the 20th and 21st of September.

For further information and instructions on how to get to Damhead log on to www.damhead.co.uk