In February 2011 Natracare became the first disposable feminine hygiene range to be approved by the Vegetarian Society. The Natracare range of tampons, sanitary pads, panty liners and wipes already boasts strong ethical values offering an organic and natural alternative to women however this new logo will offer extra reassurance for women buying their monthly products.

Checking labels, asking questions and contacting companies is an everyday part of a vegetarian and vegan lifestyle. It can be an uphill struggle getting information about animal testing from brands and yet vegetarian societies have been around since the early 1900s. The UK based Vegetarian Society takes away the hard work by doing the research behind the labels. Only companies that can prove no animal testing is used in any part of product ingredients are awarded the prestigious green logo to reassure customers that what they are buying conforms to vegan standards.

This new approval will come as a welcome piece of news especially for mums seeking animal-friendly wipes for their children. Notoriously, the cosmetics industry often uses unnecessary ingredients requiring animal testing and baby wipes contain many such chemicals unknown to the everyday shopper. Natracare’s Organic Cotton Baby Wipes and Intimate Wipes are made from certified organic cotton, drenched with gentle, organic essential oils and 100% natural plant-based ingredients to cleanse and moisturise delicate skin. Free from formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, SLS, petrochemicals, alcohol and other skin-irritating ingredients, all ingredients have been carefully chosen to be kind to the skin, to animals and safe to the environment. Natracare also holds the 2010 TIPS Best Organic Baby Wipes award.

In the UK, Natracare is available at Waitrose, independent natural product stores, selected independent pharmacies and now also at OXFAM stores so you can also contribute to a charitable cause each time you buy!

www.natracare.com

Natracare – Bodywise (UK) Ltd is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

To mark our Healthy Eating Fortnight (1) from October 18-31, 2010, Essential Trading commissioned further research into healthy home cooking ingredients. 

This revealed some interesting trends in nuts, rice and baked beans…. 

Organic and ethical foods continue to find favour

Food industry specialist Helen Lewis (2) was commissioned by Essential to research further key trends in healthy, home cooking ingredients.  Despite economic difficulties, Helen discovered sales of organic food are still three times higher than in 1999 and over 50% higher than five years ago with 88.3% of households buying some organic food.  Fairtrade sales achieved 12% growth in 2009 compared to 2008 (source: Fairtrade Foundation) showing people are also still keen to make ethical purchases.

We’re Going Nuts!

From her research, Helen forecasts that UK nut sales will rise from £270.5m in 2005 to £473.4m in 2010 – and she predicts they could reach £847.4m in 2015.  “I believe we will see a continued and marked growth in nut sales,” says Helen.  “People clearly have a greater interest in nuts as a healthy snack and they are also using them in more home cooked, authentic Asian recipes,” she explains.

Highly Rated Rice

Rice is a ‘healthy carb’ so it’s no surprise it also enjoys healthy sales.  “But what is interesting is the range of rice being consumed,” says Helen.  “Wild, Arborio and Basmati are all examples of more adventurous varieties being enjoyed.”  Helen believes rice sales overall will increase from £205.2m in 2005 to £368.0m in 2010 – and she predicts they could reach £553.3m in 2015.

Baked Beans a Firm Favourite

Baked beans remain one of the nation’s favourite foods with 81% of Britons buying them (Source: Mintel).  “Finding baked beans in eight out of ten homes is no great surprise,” admits Helen.  “However, what is interesting to see are the lower sugar, lower salt varieties like Essential’s fun, ‘pop art’  baked beans making their mark and enjoying increased sales as people select a healthier version of this firm family favourite,” says Helen.

Viva the Vegetarians!

“Vegetarian and vegan diets continue to prove popular and this trend is further fuelled by the growing number of ‘meat avoiders’ or people who have one or more vegetarian or vegan meals each week,’” explains Helen who predicts that sales are likely to rise from £698.5m in 2005 to £820.9m in 2010 and possibly as high as £1250.5m by 2015. 

1)         During Healthy Eating Fortnight, Essential is inviting people to enjoy a 20% discount across over 100 of its products at its participating high street retailers and www.ethicallyessential.coop.

2)         Helen Lewis is a professionally trained and highly experienced journalist who has written and researched food and drink trends and categories since 2001. Helen’s time as Head of Publishing at leading market research company Reuters Business Insight (owned by Datamonitor) provided the experience and expertise required to write reports for numerous other research agencies during her time as a freelance analyst (2004 to date). As the managing editor and founder of www.foodanddrinktowers.com, Helen has access to numerous secondary resources as well as direct access to food and drink companies. Helen’s experience and contacts have helped her to value and forecast key food categories for Essential Trading.

Essential Trading Co-operative Ltd is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

We
all know we need Omega 3, but what is it? Why do we need it? And
where can we get it from? Well if you are a Vegetarian or Vegan,
VeggieOmega3.co.uk has all the answers.

Developed
by the GOOD
OIL
Team, VeggieOmega3.co.uk is designed to explain all about Omega 3,
and includes delicious Omega 3 recipes designed especially for
Vegetarians and Vegans. The team at GOOD
OIL
will also regularly update their Veggie Blog, and plan to build a
network of handy and interesting links to other Veggie organisations,
groups, products and events.

Made
from 100% cold pressed hemp seed oil, GOOD
OIL
is a perfect example of a great Veggie source of Omega 3. It has the
highest Omega content amongst all everyday culinary oils (20 times as
much as Olive Oil!) and provides an easy, versatile and delicious way
to ensure the body is supplied with Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)
everyday. It also contains Stearidonic acid (SDA) a more potent form
of Omega 3 than other seed oils contain, which the body can convert
into the very long EFAs more efficiently. The site also includes the
GOOD
OIL
story and information about hemp

Henry
Braham, founder of GOOD
OIL
says, “We decided to set up VeggieOmega3.co.uk because we felt that
there was not enough good information about EFAs for Veggies out
there. A few of the very informed understand about the different
types of Omega 3, but many are unaware, so we wanted to spread the
word. We included some recipes because we believe that getting your
Omega 3 doesn’t need to be a chore – we like to think that GOOD
OIL
tastes so good it should be really enjoyable and it doesn’t need to
cost the earth either – we use 100% of our sustainable hemp crop,
so it is very economical compared to many Omega supplements.”

If
you would like a link to your Veggie friendly website or blog added
to the site, please let GOOD
OIL
know via the VeggieOmega3.co.uk contact page.

Appearing
this month on the shelves in WH Smith and Borders nationwide, new eco-living
directory BOOK OF GREEN is the most comprehensive guide for everybody to
genuinely and easily green their lifestyles.

With
the general public currently becoming more receptive to living a more
eco-friendly life, this completely free guide points the consumer in the right
direction – it includes hundreds of approved ethical providers in a wide range
of sectors including business services, health and beauty, home and garden,
green energy, travel, parenting and food & drink.  All the companies
in the directory are in some way mostly or completely environmentally friendly,
sustainable, fair trade, organic,  ethical and socially responsible.

Book
of Green is intended to show everybody how to easily reduce their carbon
footprint, live a healthy lifestyle and make  a personal positive 
impact on the environment by integrating truly ethical products and services
into their daily home and family lives.

With
an initial print run of 30,000, the guide comes in a handy A5 format and is
printed in vegetable inks on 100% recycled paper.  An online flip magazine
version is also available at www.bookofgreen.com 
 Book of Green will be available in WH Smiths this July, attached to the
front of Permaculture Magazine as well as distributed across the UK in high
street eco stores, online eco stores, and at events during the summer as well
as at the Eden Project and the Kent Eco Village, the Kent Show by The
Ecologist, July 17-19.

Book
of Green is co-founded by Sue Jueno (founder of Allthingseco) and Katie Keegan
(founder of One Green Earth),
 whose combined experience of 6 years in the eco/ethical business arena
has given them the experience, knowledge and contacts to create a guide for
green living which everybody can trust.

“Being
green is more than reducing the threat of climate change, it’s also about
ethical trading and personal health.  The companies found within Book of
Green provide solutions across all sectors through their products &
services to help build a positive foundation for your family’s future
generations,”  says Katie Keegan.

“With
credit crunch in mind and a passion for promoting green shoot businesses we
have made Book of Green extremely affordable to advertisers and free to the
public to show off exceptional companies that are solving environmental
problems and that will be leading us into the future,” says Sue Jueno.

Tabitha Potts, a local home business owner, from London has entered The Remote Worker Awards, in association with BT Business, and hopes to achieve national recognition if she wins so she can inspire Mums to run their own business from home.

When Tabitha came across the Awards, she couldn’t resist the opportunity to win the fantastic line up of business support prizes for her home business, which sells eco-friendly children’s clothes, toys and furniture.

Tabitha and Mimimyne (Me Me Mine Ltd) now join the other entrants in a national search in The BT Home Business Award to find the most innovative business that demonstrates how remote working and home working has made a beneficial impact on their business and home life.

The BT Home Business Award appealed to Tabitha because it is
supported by so many sponsors and has been organized by a company
(Remote Employment) dealing specifically with home or remote workers.
Tabitha feels that the Awards will help to raise her profile to attract
potential customers as well as upgrade her small home office space to
work more efficiently.

Tabitha said: “I would also love to be
recognised as a Mum who runs an eco-friendly business from home because
I hope it will inspire other women like myself who are hoping to make a
living working from home, start a successful business and raise their
children without compromising their family life.”

Tabitha’s Home
Business considers the environment at every step and implements green
business practices wherever possible. She supports a local charity, the
Spitalfields City Farm, and run a community playgroup, Paintbox in
Stepney, which has recently been given a grant to build an organic
garden for inner city children to learn about planting and growing
vegetables.

Everything she sells is either made from renewable
resources (FSC certified paper, for example), recycled, certified
organic (all the cotton garments sold are organic and many use organic
printing inks and are printed in the UK), hand-made in the UK or Fair
Trade.

Tabitha seeks out independent UK designers, particularly
the vibrant creative community of the East End, who work in sustainable
ways to create exciting, modern and funky designs for children.
Examples are Sam Morgan of Spinifex, whose recycled cardboard Splat
chair (incorporating postal tubes) is going to be exhibited  at the
V&A Museum of Childhood, and Kerri Sellens of Creative Charlie,
whose eco friendly kids craft kits are made in the UK of either
recycled or reusable materials.

Along with a trophy to honour
the home worker of the year, Tabitha stands the chance to win an array
of prizes to improve her ‘home business’ as well as the wonderful eco
garden office in the Vivid Green Award.

The big attraction for
Tabitha is the range of fantastic business support prizes on offer and
she can’t wait to get her hands on what she calls a ‘perfect package’
of IT, HR, PR, Legal and marketing advice.

Paula Wynne, founder
of Remote Employment, an online job site specialising in remote and
home working, and organise of The Remote Worker Awards, said, “We are
looking forward to changing lives when we give someone their own home
based franchise worth £15k, five others a business kit and three others
a brand new career with the Open University Skills Award! The Awards
comes at a time when the British public need uplifting. We want to
celebrate the inventive pioneers who champion home working and show the
UK why more enterprises should give it a go!”

There are other categories including The Remote Worker Award and The Remote Employer Award.

For your chance to win one of these fantastic awards, enter at www.remoteworkerawards.

Feelgoodhandbags has now been online since April 2008, providing ethical handbags, accessories and shoes for the discerning shopper. Feelgoodhandbags seek designers and suppliers who use only animal friendly materials in their products. For the Summer month of July there is a 15%
discount on all purchases, including some sales items. Just quote
the discount coupon at the checkout: ETHJU09

Fashion and ethics can be combined. We provide charming
alternatives to leather. All products available are 100% animal free,
for people who wish to make certain lifestyle choices in their
purchases. The products are carefully chosen for the benefit of the
ethical shopper, taking into account the utmost consideration for
animal welfare and ethical manufacturing which gives the customer more
choice when considering what to buy.

Feelgoodhandbags is
dedicated to bringing about an awareness of non-exploitative animal
products which can be readily available to everyone.

We offer
beautiful designer created animal friendly handbags with style and
quality. We use designers such as English Retreads, AmyKathryn, Susan
Nichole, Big Buddha and ESPE all of whom are very much in demand.

To compliment our handbags we also provide Californian Ragazzi shoes and ‘Jewels of the Feet’ created by the designer Rina Shah.

Fairtrade recycled bags are also part of the collection.

www.feelgoodhandbags.co.uk

 Don’t forget or the Summer month of July there is a 15%
discount on all purchases, including some sales items. Just quote
the discount coupon at the checkout: ETHJU09

The
Bristol Vegan Fayre May 30^th
and 31^st
2009

Now
in its 7^th
year, the Bristol Vegan Fayre continues to be the biggest vegan
gathering anywhere in the world, with record crowds expected for this
year’s event after the near sell out 2008 show which saw over
11,000 visitors over the 2 days

Organised
by Bristol based firm Yaoh, The BVF 09 is once again an eclectic mix
of all things vegan, with 100 stalls including 20 caterers with vegan
food from all over the globe, plus 40 talks and cookery demos over
the weekend, and an amazing line up of entertainment for the whole
family.

The
acoustic stage sees a variety of musical talent throughout the
weekend including acts such as Bristol jazz combo Kev & Mike’s
Groovy Thing and local legends Dub From Atlantis, plus headliners
SohoDolls on Saturday, right opposite the onsite licensed bar. There
is also a performance stage in the amphitheatre with Brazilian
Dancers and Sikh swordsmen amongst others, and the Kids Area is
rammed to the rafters with an assortment of magic shows and workshops
for the nippers

But
The Main Stage once again grabs the headlines with some truly
excellent acts on later in the day – The Saturday line up is
definitely party time with The King Blues on the Main Stage at 5pm,
with Ian Dury’s band The Blockheads headlining Saturday at 9pm.
Sunday sees reggae uberstar Horace Andy (famed for his work on the
Massive Attack albums) take the stage at 7pm along with his band Dub
Asante, with Macka B fresh from headlining last years St Pauls
carnival live on stage Sunday 5pm.

The
show starts at 11am both days and runs to 10.30 pm on Saturday and
8.30 pm Sunday. Tickets each day are £8 in advance, £10 on the gate
before 5pm and £12 after 5pm. Kids under 12 come in for £4 each
day, and babies under 12 months come in for free. For advance tickets
go to www.yaoh.co.uk/catalog
- also available from The Bristol Ticket Shop

The
event website is www.bristol.veganfayre.co.uk

Contact
Yaoh on 0117 9239053 or email info@yaoh.co.uk

Thanks
to all our sponsors including Bute Island, Beanie’s, The Vegan
Society, Off The Hoof, VitaMix, VeggieSnow, Mad Promotions,
VeggieVision, Foods For Life, Shakeaway, Community Foods, Kingfisher
Toothpaste and Excellart

A survey of over 900 responsibletravel.com
tour operators and accommodations has shown that over half (53%) of
respondents have seen an increase in business since the recession
started. A startling 80% believe Dubai will ‘lose out’ as a tourist
destination in the wake of the recession and 41% conclude that the UK
will benefit from travellers’ desire to save money, reduce their carbon
footprint and travel closer to home.

According to those surveyed the trend in responsible tourism -
which bucks that of the organic food movement – is here to stay as
people search out authentic, local travel experiences with almost all
respondents (94%) believing that more local and authentic travel will
be increasingly popular following the global recession. 

Justin Francis, managing director of responsibletravel.com said:
“I
am staggered but delighted by the positive growth our suppliers are
seeing at this difficult economic time, particularly when similar
sectors such as organic food are suffering. For some time we have seen
the beginnings of a changing mindset amongst consumers and the
recession has sped this up where travel is concerned. Responsible
tourism offers great value local and authentic travel experiences – in
fact it is often a cheaper holiday option.”

Destination ‘winners and ‘losers’

When asked about
Dubai’s future popularity, 80% felt it would ‘lose out’ from the
recession. 40% of those surveyed blamed its “lack of authentic,
distinctive travel experiences” and a further 38% believe it to simply
be an “environmental disaster”.

Over one third (35%) of respondents felt Euro zone countries are
now too expensive to attract holidaymakers and instead 41% predicted we
would turn to ’staycations’ closer to home in the UK instead. A further
10% believe Turkey will come out trumps as an affordable, alternative
to Europe.

Francis said:
“It’s fantastic to see UK holidaymakers
rediscovering their own backyard at a time when we face a double
incentive – the environment and our spending. I have no doubt those
destinations such as Dubai will suffer unless they clean up their act
and begin to switch towards providing more authentic, responsible
tourism options.”

Holiday ‘types’

All inclusive package holidays
will be the ‘losers’ of the recession according to well over half of
respondents (58%), whilst the winners, predicted by over a quarter of
those surveyed (26%), will be ‘back to basics’ holidays such as camping
and visits to national parks.

A further 18% believe self catering accommodation will have
flourished by the end of the recession and 16% say domestic holidays
will be the future.

With all the dodgy dealings and financial problems over the past year it’s difficult to know who you can trust with your money. The global banks are not your only option, why not switch your account to an ethical bank?

What is an ethical bank?
Ethical banks – including Triodos Bank, the Charity Bank and the Co-operative Bank – are breaking the financial mould, with a more progressive approach that values people and planet as well as profit. Ethical savers benefit from a ‘dual return’. As well as the interest they earn from their savings, they know that they’ve made an investment for good, and their money’s working in a way that they’re proud of.

The Break The Bank Campaign is an opportunity for you to do something to make a difference. it’s very simple.

1. Select an ethical bank (yes, they do exist) either by searching online or following this link to Ethical Junction’s ethical finance directory > > >

2. Close your existing bank account and open one with your chosen ethical bank.
    
3. Send an email to info@ethical-junction.org with the following words in the Subject line:

I broke the bank at [name of your old bank] and joined [name of your new bank]

We will then add up all the banks that have been left and all the banks joined and publish the results on 1 May 2009.

Enjoy making a difference today!

Join the campaign and spread the word. Break The Bank is on facebook >>> 

Click here to enter a prize draw for a £169 Samson 6-in-1 Juicer from Energise Your Life > > >

The Samson Juicer was recently voted “Best Buy”
Masticating Juicer by Which? magazine. It now also comes with an upgraded augur and strengthened juicing screen.

Energise Your Life supply quality products that help you live a healthier life. Visit their website to find our more > > >