There is a huge long list of possible pledges - some small and easy, some harder - and an equally long list of prizes to win.  Go on, you know you want to….

There’s bound to be something you can do and bound to be a prize you’d like to win. There are books, bags, soapnuts and vouchers and so much more, there’s got to be something in there for you!

If everyone we know does one small thing that will all add up to make such a huge difference.

What will you do?

I’m not aiming for that, I’m not convinced I’d be able to do it. But I’ll be watching them closely for tips to seriously reduce what I chuck out.

So, this week we decided to try to limit what we buy in the big out of town supermarket (I refuse to name them as they get plenty of publicity). We collected up our bags, planned which shops we needed, after the bank, and set off. Yes, in the car - it actually works out cheaper then public transport for three of us, sorry.

We went to the butchers, Meadow Fresh, for sausages. I love this shop, it’s clean, busy, the staff are friendly and the meat is just lovely. I love this on their site:

We sell quality matured beef, lamb and pork from our own farm and other local Derbyshire producers.

The farm is just up the road here, how much better can you get? So, we came out with sausages, pork chops and 2lbs of beef mince…… and a free reusable bag because they like the kids. They always ask, “Do you have a bag?” Not *Do you want a plastic carrier?*, Do you have a bag? Because they’d rather you used your own. They chat about cuts of meat and cooking with anyone who wants to. Some of the mince is in a cottage pie in the oven right now and smells delicious!

Also in the pie are carrots that we got from the fruit and veg stall on the market (they don’t seem to have a website I can show you, sorry) There we got strawberries, apples, broccoli and at the lad’s request, a bag of salad. Oh and an extra cucumber because I wanted to make Tzatsiki using the highly technical recipe given to me by my Mum.

Some cucumber

Some garlic

Some plain yoghurt (greek is best)

Some olive oil

A little squidge of lemon juice

Pinch of salt

Peel and grate the cucumber, put in a tea towel and SQUEEZE until it stops dripping. Chop, press or otherwise pulverize the garlic (I used home grown, very nice), add oil, salt, lemon juice and yoghurt and mix a bit. Give the cucumber in the teatowel a squeeze for luck and add that in - but not the tea towel, only the cucumber. Mix well and taste to be sure it’s right. Put in a pot with a lid and put in the fridge. Eat when you feel the need!

We used our own cloth bags, and the new one from the butcher, for all the shopping and on the way back to the car we decided that maybe we could do with one of those trolley things for round the market?

The Greens at MyZeroWaste.com are truly inspirational and when you’ve done here I urge you to go and have a read over there.

For me it means running my business as openly and honestly as possible.  It means refusing to stock products that cause harm to the earth or it’s peoples in their use or production.  It means recycling packaging and being as eco friendly as possible.

But, while being green is part of being ethical, it goes far beyond that and into a global perspective. For me it means transferring some of my personal ethics into my business practices and policies. So, it means I will not associate my business with any other business that has links with human trafficking or the porn industry. It means I prefer to use UK based suppliers where I can so the goods aren’t being flown around the world and I prefer suppliers that can claim fair trade status or have a fair trade policy in place.

Ethics are personal and mean something slightly different to each individual and each business. What do they mean to you?

A free read for you from Sarah Barnard, a PDF, electronic copy of her debut novel, The Portal Between but only until the end of June.

Sam has been missing for two long years. Kate struggles on with her own children and Sam’s after Jack left her but she continues to believe that one day Sam will be back. It’s Hallowe’en, Samhain and it’s a dark moon. Abruptly in a flurry of mystery and magic, Sam is back and Kate’s already insecure world is torn apart as forces beyond her experience and understanding flood into her life.

The download can be found on Sarah’s site on the Free Read page: http://sarahbarnard.co.uk/freeread.html until June 30th.

The Paperback edition of The Portal Between can be ordered through Sarah’s site, Amazon, The Book Depository, Waterstones, WHSmiths and most good book shops as well as through your library.

Happy Reading!

Sarah

Here we plan to write about things we’ve done, things we’ve found to buy or use, ways to shop and ways to live. But all with one theme running through it all - We strive to trade as ethically as possible, both as business owners and as consumers.

If you want to join us, offer an idea or an article for publication on this site, then please do get in touch.