Have You Considered a Sustainable Funeral?

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When you’re dealing with grief and loss, it’s hard to make decisions. Anyone who has undertaken the difficult task of trying to organise a funeral sustainably will know how stressful it is. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by catalogues of MDF coffins with plastic ‘brass-effect’ handles, imported flowers, catering choices, and more. Thankfully, sustainable funeral choices are becoming more common. Fellow blogger and Ethical Hour buddy Claire Lyons (from The Frugal Family) has written The … Read more

Ethical Gift Guide: Supporting Artists & Makers

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9 pictures of handmade gift ideas

Do you always seem to kid yourself that you don’t need to do any Christmas shopping until it’s nearly too late? It’s great to avoid the shopping frenzy and make homemade gifts instead. If you haven’t got time to make your own this year, why not support your friends with small businesses, or other local artists and makers? Just in case you are stuck for ideas, here are a few people who I know that … Read more

Stocking Fillers Without The Plastic

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The first thing that you need for a plastic-free christmas stocking is an extra large 100% wool sock. As a child, me and my brother would raid our dad’s sock drawer and pick out the biggest, longest sock we could find to hang at the bottom of our beds. These knee-high organic wool Fair-Isle socks from Cambridge Baby would work a treat! Buying locally from actual shops is always a preference for me, and I’m … Read more

Winning and Losing at Organic & Second Hand September

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The summer holidays are over! I’m welcoming September and the changes it brings. Time to reflect on the year so far, and time to get on with some more work, as my five year old started Year One earlier this week. September is the start of a new school year, and a great time to make some positive lifestyle changes. Perhaps you are trying #ZeroWasteWeek or joining #OrganicSeptember or #SecondHandSeptember? If you haven’t heard of … Read more

Are You An Armchair Rebel?

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Armchair with XR symbol

Twenty years ago I travelled to London for the Carnival Against Capital. I was a graphic design student trying to reject advertising. A young idealist who took inspiration from Adbusters magazine. I was too stoned to have any proper answers, but I knew that I didn’t want a career as a ‘creative’ trying to sell unnecessary ‘stuff’ to hungry consumers. Capitalism was the enemy. The sun shone. We marched. We danced. It was a riot. … Read more

The Green Loft Conversion

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loft conversion

Everyone told me that it would be stressful. I was hoping they would be wrong. But they weren’t. Having a loft conversion is a gigantic pain. But it was definitely worth it! I’ve decided to share some of the choices we made, to help to others who want to expand upwards and keep the process as green as possible. Bathroom Our loft room has an en-suite toilet and shower room. I probably looked at a … Read more

A Rubbish Idea?

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Do you know where things actually go when you throw them away? Until last year I didn’t have a clue what happened to my rubbish after it had left the wheelie bin. I assumed that everything that went into my bin was buried somewhere in a landfill site, so was surprised to find out that some waste from the UK (including mine) is incinerated abroad. In West Wiltshire, the contents of our black wheelie bins … Read more

Zero-Waste Birthday Parties

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It can feel like a struggle to celebrate your child’s birthday without damaging the environment. These tips will help you to host a guilt-free, low plastic birthday party! *Affiliate links are marked with an asterisk. If you buy anything after clicking on one of these, a teeny-tiny percentage goes to support the running costs of my website at no extra cost to your lovely selves.*   Food & Drink: It amazes me how much sweet food … Read more

Sweet Enough Already?

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It’s confession time for The Green Shopper: I’m a hypocrite. And I stole a cake from a child. I try to keep my four-year-old’s food free from refined sugar, but I’ve got a super sweet tooth. When he was given a low-grade cupcake with two centimetres of icing at a  birthday party, I snatched it away and gave him some crispy seaweed instead. Then I scoffed it while he wasn’t looking. Witnesses were horrified, but … Read more

Join the Washing-Up Revolution

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Zero Waste Washing Up

The best thing I’ve done for Plastic-Free July 2018 is switch my household to a zero-waste washing-up system. During the seven years that I lived on my own, I probably only changed my washing-up sponge about twice a year. I’d keep them going until they were stained and disintegrating, sitting dismally alongside my ancient, much-refilled bottle of Ecover washing-up liquid. Nowadays, with a partner and young son sharing the house, I try to keep the … Read more