HEADLINE GRABBING BAG BAN

Pinch me! Yesterday I woke up to breakfast TVs coverage of M&S's decision to charge for bags - fantastic publicity opportunity - I must admit the spokesperson for the company being grilled by Kirsty later on on Newsnight was squirmingly uncomfy when asked to deliver anything beyond a sound bite. Get it right guys - you want us to get the good news, find someone charismatic to deliver it.
Our very closest supermarket is the unusual and surprising Lidl where they have always charged for plastic bags. They don't have hand baskets, so people without bags grab any cardboard box they find to load small shopping and I have noticed that people who buy a lot of stuff fill a trolley then refill it at the checkout and take it to the car to unload without using a single plastic bag. It's probably because they're so European that nobody thinks to question why their bags cost money. It's never been headline news.
Whatever - its a good thing that big stores have found a way of making themselves look
good and green.
Today shock horror every daily paper apart from the Mail headlined with Prince Harry fighting the Taliban. The Mail chose BROWN: WE WILL BAN PLASTIC BAGS and reading online I discover that this and M&S's 5p-on-a-bag charge is all in support of the Mail's BANISH THE BAG campaign launched YESTERDAY! How effective and speedy was that?
Well if it saves one more turtle, keeps another bag out of a tree and makes one more person remember to carry-a-bag then I'm 100% behind it!
love and peace
Sally
x

Fairtrade Fortnight

It would be a wonderful thing if we all chose Fairtrade all the time and this specially designated fortnight gives us the opportunity to try because the shelves are stocked and the giant plastic banana's are pointing us in the right direction. The Co-op is the small, local supermarket with the biggest commitment to Fairtrade, so if you've not been there then I suggest you give it a try. Shopping locally often means that you're left out of the statistics when it comes to monitoring the effectiveness of campaigns like Fairtrade Fortnight and making sure that your local Co-op sells out of Fairtrade produce is a way of being counted.
So.... it's my duty to go and buy bananas,mangoes,coffee, chocolate and wine!
Happy ethical shopping.
(I'm not being sponsored by the Co-op by the way)