Green Choices – The Uk Guide to Greener Living. GreenChoices is about the choices we can make in our everyday lives to protect our environment, for the benefit of all. We aim to empower you with simple, direct information on green alternatives which make a real, lasting difference.

Ethical Consumer information for the green and ethical shopper

Earth Watch to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment.

Directories of Green and Ethical products and Services

Ethical Junction links the public through to ethical and sustainable products and services

Guide Me Green – a growing green website for people and companies who are environmentally conscious and are increasingly aware about the effects of climate change. These green companies, brands and services can help you discover a greener way of living that leads to a healthier and happier future.

Green England – online directory of all things green.

Green and Ethical Energy

Ecotricity – A third of all carbon emissions in the UK come from burning fossil fuels to generate electricity. So the biggest difference you can make to fight climate change is to switch to a genuinely green supplier.

Good Energy – the 100% renewable electricity supplier – committed to supporting independent renewable generators

Green energy UK – greener, cleaner electricy.

Green and Ethical Shopping

www.daisychainbaby.co.uk – eco-friendly online store specialising in organic and ethically sourced clothing, skincare and accessories for children under two.

GOOSHING makes it easy to buy brands from the most responsible companies at the cheapest price… and boycott those corporates that don’t care about animal welfare, human rights or the environment.

Green Shopping Catalogue Ecological books, tools and eco-products chosen to help you live a greener more environmentally friendly, healthy and sustainable lifestyle.

Bags of Change – Support your local shops and say no to plastic bags forever.

Ecotopia supplies a great range of eco friendly, ethical, sustainable and natural products

green and easy – simple steps to greener living.

Green People – Green People offers handmade health and beauty products that are 100% natural and certified organic.

Seasalt Organic Cotton Clothing – Bright, fashionable, and fun ORGANIC COTTON CLOTHING. We are the first brand in the UK to have cotton clothing certified to Soil Association standards.

Evengreener – Evengreener is the UK’s leading manufacturer of water butts and home compost bins. A genuinely ‘green’ company dedicated to providing useful products to help re-use, recycle and conserve resources.

Arena Flowers – They sell everything from roses to orchids, and are the first UK company to offer bouquets certified by the Fair Flowers Fair Plants organisation which guarantees that the flowers have been produced using sustainable, environmentally friendly techniques.

Get Ethical finds the best ethical, Fair Trade and environmentally friendly products and services and brings them together in one easy-to-access online shop.

Essential Care is a pioneering range of truly organic body care, hand-made with pure plant oils and biodynamic herbs

Green and Ethical Careers

www.ethicalcareers.org – dozens of ethical jobs and employers

www.environmentjobs.co.uk – Environmentjobs.co.uk specialises in environmental jobs such as Ecology, Conservation, Energy, Biodiversity, Recycling, Climate Change, Renewables, Carbon, Organics, Sustainability and Transport.

www.organicjobs.co.uk – organic jobs in food, cosmetics, farming, research and much more.

Green and Ethical Transport

Environmental Transport Association – the only motoring organisation to campaign for a sustainable transport system.

Green and Ethical Website for Children

www.ecomiki4kids.com – environmental website for children

Green and Ethical Show

www.the-green-show.com – for the whole family, where you can find learn about sustainable living – and really go green!

Green and Ethical Holidays – EcoTourism for Eco Holidays

responsibletravel.com – A hand picked directory of 1000s of stunning eco holidays run by 265 specialist tour operators and 100′s of accommodations

What is Ecotourism

The International Ecotourism Society

Ecotourism at Conservation International – Ecotourisim: Responsible travel to natural areas which conserves the environment and improves the welfare of local people.

Mesoamerican Ecotourism Alliance operating safe, organized ecotours for families, groups and individuals since 2000 throughout central America.

Ecotour – your source for planning an eco holiday.

Ethical Traveler – for everyone who loves to travel, and sees travel as a positive force in the world.

The Good Travel Co – supporting sustainable travel.

Tourism Concern fights exploitation in tourism. We are an independent, non-industry based, UK charity. We have a membership of almost 900 and we work with partners in over 20 destination countries to ensure that tourism always benefits local people.

The Ethical Travel Guide by Polly Patullo

 

The New Green Consumer Guide by Julia Hailes

 

The Rough Guide to Ethical Shopping by Duncan Clark

 

The Rough Guide to Ethical Living by Duncan Clark

 

The Ethical Careers Guide by ethicalcareers.org

Carbon Counter by Mark Lynas

How to Live a Low-carbon Life: The Individual’s Guide to Stopping Climate Change by Chris Goodall

 

Green Parenting: The Best for You, Your Children and the Environment by Melissa CorkhillHaving

 

Kids Can Turn You Green

A recent survey from UK organic children’s clothes company, Arabella Miller, found that 62% of parents said that they made greener choices after having children and 80% now defined themselves as a “green parent.”

The most popular “green options” were: eating more organic food (59%) and recycling more (59%). Others made healthy lifestyle changes such as cutting down on alcohol (50%), stopping smoking (24%), and eating more vegetarian meals (32%). Others have become more “green-fingered” with 53% starting to grow their own fruit and vegetables. One parent commented I’ve “more conscious awareness of everything I buy – asking questions, buying locally, seasonally and avoiding products that exploit either the environment or people as much as I can.”

Another said “we have stopped using anything containing PVC and got rid of all the plastic-containing toys we had for our firstborn. We also began making a lot more things ourselves, toys and clothes and similar. And we started keeping chickens. And got rid of the car.”

But it’s not easy being green when Junior arrives, particularly travel.

35% of parents rated using public transport “difficult” and a further 12.5% rated it as “very difficult” – 28% of parents said they used public transport less. One parent commented “why take public transport and wait forever in the rain with a crying child when I could just drive?” and another “I can’t use public transport as I wouldn’t get to work in time with school runs as there is no bus that can get the kids to school on time and then me to work.”

Although 27% of respondents tumble-dried less than before, the idea of washing at 30% was greeted with some scepticism from respondents: “washing at 30 often doesn’t remove stains and the ‘eco’ washing powders and liquids just make you use twice as much and still don’t remove stains, so you end up needing more clothes or having your child wear stained things” and “since having children I need higher washing temperatures to deal with the muck !”

A whopping 55% also confessed to “sometimes” finding clothes their child had outgrown but never worn!

Ron Oultram, from Arabella Miller commented “Parenthood is a time of change and it would appear that parents are taking the opportunity to switch to a greener lifestyle when their children arrive.

“However, there are still some obvious barriers to a greener lifestyle including the practicalities of using public transport with a small child in tow.”

Arabella Miller sends out a free monthly email packed full of green tips for parents. You can receive their newsletter by signing up here.