The Green Parent
Raising kids with conscience
Blog
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Nov 11 2008
Buy Nothing Day: 10
It’s day ten of Buy Nothing Month and we ate soup for lunch (again). Trying to remain calm and optimistic in face of depleting food stocks – at least we have a gazillion squashes in all shapes and sizes that can be put to many different uses – bread, soups, stews, cakes etc, etc.
I have looked through the waste that we have accrued and discovered that it is all plastic packaging – bags for lentils, muesli, pasta etc. I am going to email each of the manufacturers and ask them if they have any advice on what I can do with it. I’ll let you know how I get on!
All our lovely subscribers will have received the latest copy of The Green Parent magazine in the last couple of days and it goes on sale in shops later in the week. I’m really pleased with all the juicy editorial in this issue from how to make edible Christmas pressies to a fabulous article on celebrating ageing, rather than trying to hide behind expensive creams. It’s certainly helped me be kinder to my reflection in the mornings!
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Nov 11 2008
Vegan Celebration: 3
Well at number three it has to be Yaoh, home of a large range of hemp goodies, organisers of the world’s biggest vegan event and now publishers of new funky vegan magazine, Off the Hoof. The Bristol Vegan Fayre which Yaoh organise takes place next year on May 30th – 31st, complete with musical entertainment, workshops, demos and lots of yummy vegan goodies to sample. And next year will see the start of a Brighton event in March too. Expect to find juice bars, an eco boutique, showcasing the latest in ethical vegan fashion and a dedicated kids area. This vibrant vegan vessel is expertly captained by Timbo, who I’m sure has many other cunning plans up his animal-friendly sleeves. Send us a copy of your exciting new magazine Tim and we’ll write a proper review! Also check out the Oct/Nov 08 edition of The Green Parent for your chance to win a set of luscious products from Yaoh.
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Nov 10 2008
Vegan Celebration: 4
Bourgeois Boheme have a fabulous range of vegan shoes and accessories. In their new eco range, made from hemp and fairtrade cotton, I love the BoBo Rhea Oat in hemp. I know it sounds like a large feathered flightless health snack but look (pictured right) it’s really very pretty, dainty and just ideal for an Earth Goddess stepping out. I know that I can’t have a pair of these, especially not right now, but I just like to look. Anyway back to BBoheme’s sterling ethics… They aim to provide quality footwear and products that last and last. They are not into throwaway fashion so they actively want you to wear last summer’s sandals next year, and the year after and so on. They are trademarked with the Vegan Society logo and always use organic and natural materials to create their shoes.
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Nov 09 2008
Buy Nothing Day: 8
Hey, we have completed the first week or buy nothing month and all is going well. I expect the real challenges to come in a couple of weeks time. I am carefully rationing food items and it is making me more creative in the kitchen. We are going to a party tonight and I am planning what to take with me as a gift – will probably make some edible treats and maybe something from the garden, like a bunch of carrots, in place of flowers!
One pleasing aspect is the reduction in the amount of waste that we have created over the last week. So far we have accumulated half a carrier bag of rubbish in just over a week. I know that we have further to go on waste reduction so I am aiming to cut this as we progress.
I haven’t travelled further than we can cycle over the last week so have enjoyed more time spent with close neighbours and people in the local community, which has been another added benefit. Next week we have a couple of home ed trips planned and I haven’t yet worked out how we are going to travel and pay for these, if we go. I am sure that there is some creative trading that could be possible. I’ll keep you posted.
Meanwhile, off to make something to rival a box of organic chocs…
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Nov 05 2008
Vegan celebration: 2
Yay – today in our vegan spotlight we have another yummy food company. This time we are focusing on the lovely Natural Balance Foods (NBF), who are a small company dedicated to increasing world happiness. NBF produce a range of scrumptious raw bars called Nakd and Trek from their base in Wales. I found some of their products in a health food store in Wales and was hooked.
Nakd bars come in a range of flavours including Berry Cheeky, Apple Tart and Cocoa Loco. They don’t contain any artificial ingredients or added sugar and are 100% raw and v tasty. Their website contains things to make you laugh, get more health aware and plenty of great competitions to enter – fancy a big box of raw bars?
Although they do not carry the Vegan Society label, there is no animal-based products inside these healthy bites and each product does display the Animal Aid symbol on the packaging.
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Welcome to the new blog from the Green Parent office. Here we'll talk about what's going on in the small and quite leafy headquarters of the UK's leading green lifestyle magazine. We'll share news that interests us and talk about green issues and natural parenting. We'll share advice and information from our own experiences of living a green lifestyle. And we'll even tell you what we are reading, eating, drinking and thinking. Hope you get plenty of food for thought here.
The Green Parent is the UK's leading green lifestyle and natural parenting magazine. A truly inspiring read, TGP is like nothing else on the newsstand, with insightful intelligent journalism covering topics from babywearing and attachment parenting to home-education and alternative medicine. Each issue features regular columns on Organic Gardening, Seasonal Food and Drink, Green Travel, Ethical Fashion and lots more.