A day on the farm

Have you ever wondered what goes on at an organic farm? Are you curious to know where your fresh food comes from? Want a pleasant and educational day out for the children? With summer here, I’m sure you are looking for fun days out in the country, especially those of you with young children. You could just do the usual picnic in the country or visit a quaint village, or sit in a country pub, but believe me, visiting an organic farm is far more interesting.

There are many organic farms located around the country open to visitors, each with its own character. Some farms offer guided tours, others have farm trails you can walk or you can just browse around a working organic farm. Most of these farms have a farm café and a farm shop where you can buy the produce at its freshest. If you think a day is too short, some farms offer residential stays.

The countryside is our connection to the Earth and we should all spend at least some time in a more natural environment. This sounds like an idyllic way to spend a sunny Sunday enjoying nature and learning more about the food we eat.

Ethical diamonds are a girl’s best friend

Marilyn Monroe once sang ‘Diamonds are a girls best friend’ and I think most women would agree. Nothing says ‘I love you’ more than a glistening diamond, or so I’m told by countless magazine and television adverts. So if you want to impress your loved one, you could always pop into your local high-street jewellers and pick up a little something. Chances are though, the ‘little something’ will have come from a mine that exploits the workforce and damages the environment. Not too impressive is it? To really impress your loved one, buy from Brilliant Earth, the leading supplier of conflict free diamond jewellery, so they say.
Brilliant Earth source all of their diamonds from conflict free mines that work to the highest ethical standards to protect both the workers and the local environment. The ethos of sustainability and ethical practises extends to the gold and platinum used throughout their range too, by only using recycled jewellery and industrial metals.
They even give 5% of their profits to Diamonds For Africa, a charity that helps local communities harmed by the diamond industry. Now bling comes with added eco-credibility, you can splash out on as much jewellery as you want.

The All New Green Consumer Guide

The New Green Consumer Guide by Julia Hailes was published on 21st May 2007. This really is a must have book for anyone wanting to live a greener life. Written by the author of the original andvery successful Green Consumer Guide, which was released way back in 1988, this is much more than an updated version. This new book has sections on home and garden, food and drink, electrical goods and the office, plus travel, transport, fashion and cosmetics. Each section gives advice, and information about which companies and which products are truly ‘green’ and which are not. The book is well written and makes going green possible for anyone.

There is a companion website http://www.newgreenconsumer.com/, which will update the information from the book. As things change and develop, the website will keep you updated. I think this book together with the website will be an invaluable resource for all of us in today’s world. It takes much of the effort out of going green. Hopefully more companies will see the commercial value of producing eco-friendly products and services as more of us buy green alternatives.