Now that the sun is starting to peek through the clouds and thoughts turn to the summer ahead, it’s time to enjoy the best bit of organic living – cooking up a few tasty recipes for the family to enjoy! Here are three simple, healthy dishes that should leave everyone [...]
When it comes to 'puppy love', your pet may be a much-loved part of the family - but are you doing your best to make sure that their carbon paw-prints are properly under control? Pets can be surprisingly eco-unfriendly when you stop to consider just how many planetary resources they [...]
If back in the nineties you'd have dared suggest that in the future 'green' would mean 'glamorous', most fashionistas would have laughed you out of the room. However, style (just like attitudes) change, and it seems that the fashion world is gradually waking up to the idea that it pays [...]
If the hippies and back-to-the-land campaigners who first pioneered the movement back in the sixties and seventies could see just how trendy organic food is considered today - it's likely they'd choke on their mung bean stew in surprise. Once seen as faintly cranky fare for health food obsessives, organic [...]
When the economists of the future get together to discuss the trends that marked the global financial boom of the late nineties and early noughties, the chances are that organic food will loom large. The global love affair with organic food, textiles and beauty products really started in the years [...]
Organic experts and environmental campaigners have repeatedly proved that going organic means treating yourself to a happier, healthier lifestyle that's far kinder to the environment. So why stop when you’ve introduced your family and friends to the fruits of an organic life? By spreading the word beyond your home and [...]
Shoppers who are increasingly frustrated at the sometimes inflated prices of organic fruit and vegetables are increasingly choosing to rent out an allotment, or make space in the back garden, to ‘grow their own’. But once you’ve decided to get planting – where is the best place to get seeds [...]
These days it's easy to get lost in the world of labelling when you're looking for fairly-traded, organic food. The sheer popularity of food that has proven environmental benefits means that organisations across Europe and the US now offer their own version of organic standards - each with its own [...]
Marcus Wright visited an organic vegetable farm in East Cambridgeshire last November. "I have been trying to eat mainly organic produce for the last year or two"' said Marcus when asked why he had decided to visit a farm. " I get a weekly organic fruit and vegetable delivery from [...]
There is a very fine and sometimes very subtle connection between the human world of organics, and the natural world of wildlife and nature. The more the human world becomes aware of the benefits of growing food through organic methods, and not harming or polluting the earth, then wildlife and [...]
There are many benefits of eating organic meat and fish, both to oneself, and to the environment. Organic food and organic farming really are the best options for a happy and healthy future. With organic food in general, food that has not been grown or produced with the aid of [...]
Many people believe that organic food and organic products are good for one’s diet, nutrition, and health, as well as being good for the planet. On a basic level, organic food and anything that is by nature ‘organic’, has been grown or produced without harmful chemicals and fertilisers. Evidence is [...]
Organic fair trade chocolate is good for you, the environment and the third world too! How many more reasons do you need to eat it? What is organic chocolate? Does it taste better? Does organic in the name mean it's Fair Trade chocolate? Here we're hoping to answer some of [...]
Eating organic bread, be it made from white or brown flour and wheat, made from purely organically produced ingredients, using a variety of available recipes, is a healthy and delicious experience. Baking the bread and following a recipe (or doing it from memory) is especially a truly satisfying experience. Many [...]
Making the decision to lead an organic lifestyle, by choosing to eat mainly organically produced food and use products that are made of organic materials, is a healthy one, which can be gradually applied to everything and everyone in your life. Choosing that your baby eats only or mainly organic [...]
Organic cotton is the material in its purest form, that is cotton grown without pesticides, herbicides and fungicides; then spun into its finished form without the addition of any preservatives, enhancing chemicals or any harmful dyes. Organic cotton can still be dyed or coloured, but these must also be made [...]
For those of us who choose to live an organic lifestyle at home, by eating mainly organically produced food, and using organic products in our home and for work, this choice is a lifestyle choice, which we want to continue wherever we are, including when we travel abroad either for [...]
More and more people are selecting organic products than ever before. There are two reasons for this the first being that in general the public have more knowledge of the ingredients and additives that are found in 'normal' products and also because people are more concerned about the environmental effects [...]
Growing fruits and vegetables is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding activities there is. As well as providing the grower and their family and friends with year-round food and nutrition, gardening is great exercise for the body and the mind. Working outside throughout the year, becoming aware of the [...]
Many people use herbs when they are cooking to add flavour and colour to their dishes but in doing so don’t stop to consider just how much pesticide and other chemicals are used in their growing. Herbs that are sold in supermarkets are normally grown to such proportions that pesticides [...]
Organic banking is a relatively new term, and applies to both banks, building societies and other financial lending schemes such as Credit Unions, and a range of banking services offered by all these. It means that money is lent by the Institution and borrowed by the borrower and used organically; [...]
Visiting an organic farm in the UK is important because it allows and encourages the consumer to directly experience life on the farm. Society is disconnected from the land, and there is no better way of changing that than seeing how land is worked on a working farm. Farming in [...]
The term FairTrade means that producers of produce and products are getting a fair and equitable price for their product. This means that the consumer is paying a decent price for the product, and then the middleman and supplier is passing that cost down the line to the producer, who [...]
Across the UK, in big cities and small towns, regular farmers markets take place, where consumers can buy food direct from the farmers and growers who produce it. In all of these markets, a range of food can be bought, and sometimes tasted there and then. From vegetables and fruit, [...]
Once an allotment (or window box) is prepared and ready for planting,how does the first time gardener know what to grow? In getting the ground or planter ready, the gardener will have an idea of the type of soil at the site: is it a peaty soil, with good drainage, [...]
There is a vast range of organic goods on sale these days for the organically minded consumer, but knowing where to buy such products can often be confusing. There are opportunities to buy organic produce direct from the farmer who grows it, and rears the animals that become organic meat; [...]
Shoes are such an important part of our daily lives that most of us simply take them for granted. From the extremes of the former first lady Imelda Marcos and her vast shoe collection, to a few pairs of comfortable shoes we pad around in, or the funky trainers we [...]
When we refer to the organic marketplace, this means everywhere that organic produce and products are sold. This ranges from weekly farmers markets in most towns and cities in the UK – where consumers can see, touch and taste the vibrant organic produce of the UK, and meet the people [...]
A box scheme is a delivery of a box of organic vegetables and fruit, organised by either a farm or a specialist company, and either delivered direct to the householder or to a group of friends and neighbours. It is a very effect way of making sure a family or [...]
One of the first differences consumers notice when they start cooking with organic food is the freshness and real taste of the food. Organically grown vegetables can sometimes be smaller than conventionally grown vegetables, but they are certainly packed with pure goodness.They are grown without the aid of pesticides and [...]
Men now spend (almost) as much time grooming themselves as women, and they can now use exclusively organic grooming products. Spending hours in front of the mirror, from plucking to shaving,or relaxing for hours in a sensuous bath or taking a wake up and revitalise power shower, the world of [...]
The once small world of organically produced beauty products is now one of the biggest growth markets for consumer products in the UK. In 2006 there were just 73 beauty products made out of natural ingredients on the UK market; just a year later approximately 200 natural beauty products have [...]
It is now possible to live a completely organic lifestyle from the food an individual or family eats, through to the clothes they wear and the furnishings with which they decorate their homes and living spaces. Using organically produced materials, like cotton and wool, soft furnishings like sheets, towels, cushion [...]
Clothing made from organic materials is very popular at the moment. They are highly regarded and are at the high end of the fashion market. Being made from organically produced materials, namely cotton or wool, gives clothing a certain cachet, or prestige, and this is clearly an area of the [...]
Part of the appeal of organic cosmetics is that along with the ethos of using organically produced materials the product will usually be made without any cruelty to animals. This has been a big issue for many consumers for many years, and the sheer insanity of testing cosmetic products on [...]
As with the world of non-organic food and drink the organic drinks market is booming, with new tastes and flavours continually being developed and introduced. Within the organic drinks market, the emphasis is on natural tastes and flavours, making the drink taste great as well as being healthy for the [...]
The range of organic treats available is only as limited or as vast as a consumers desire – almost anything is available that is grown or produced organically. The only bar to not getting these products is either cost or availability. From luscious melt in your mouth chocolates, grown organically [...]
A recent report revealed the danger of chemicals called phthalates which exist in plastic. Children’s toys made from plastic are particularly dangerous as the phthalates are released from the plastic if children puts the toy in their mouth. The chemical is known to be so dangerous, linked to cancer and [...]
As with B & B’s the world of organics now includes organic places to stay, organic places to eat, and organic-based activities for all the family. Taking the term organic to broadly encompass products, places and activities that are ecologically minded, environmentally and ethically friendly, including fair trade products and [...]
Due to the rise of the organic movement in the UK and worldwide Organics have spread into every area of life, replacing the ordinary world of products and services, and replacing it with organic goods and services, that help to make life that little bit more special, tastier, and healthier. [...]
Compost is actually nature’s demonstration of the organic process of decomposition and renewal. While it cannot be said that compost is itself always organic – because everything that goes into its composition would need to be checked and verified as such; the process of the breakdown of the raw ingredients [...]
What are Fertilisers? The role of any fertiliser is to nourish and enrich soil replenishing the nutrients that plants take out from it, which they use to help them grow. There are various types of fertiliser, many of which are based upon natural nutrients – potash, nitrates and nitrogen, bonemeal, [...]
One of the main issues held by the organic movement is that it is important to reconnect people to food grown and produced in their local area. This belief is held for several reasons; the first is that around 44% of all organic food in the UK is actually imported [...]
When a consumer decides to look for and buy organic food products the range of available products can be bewildering. It is true that the range of organic products available is nearly the same as that of non-organic products – the range of food available to consumers at the moment [...]
We can adopt an organic lifestyle by buying organic food and products but how about growing organic food as well? Growing fruit and vegetables, either at home in the garden or even in window boxes, or at a community neighbourhood allotment, has long been one of the favourite hobbies of [...]
Organics meaning organic food and products and adopting an organic lifestyle, is just one part of the way that philosophers and activists have devised and recommended over several decades to heal the ills inherent within human society, and the negative effect humans have been having on the environment. No one [...]
A recent study of organic food was carried out at Newcastle University and the interim findings (the final report will be published within a year) have received much media attention. The study, which has taken 4 years and is funded by the European Union (EU) to the current total of [...]
An Organic Success Story According to a recent report published by The Soil Association which is the UK’s leading advocate for organic agriculture, and the main Certifying Body for organic farming; the market within the UK for organic food and drink has now reached 2 billion pounds per year. This [...]
A Lifestyle Shift: Going Organic Once an individual makes up their mind to shift to an organic lifestyle. The rest will follow. Making that decision though takes a lot of research and careful thought. No one should be swayed in his or her thinking by scare stories in the media, [...]
The Organic Revolution There truly is an organic revolution happening at the moment in the UK. Consumers across the Country are insisting on buying organic food: meat fish, fruit and vegetables, and a range of other products ranging from sanitary towels to paint. People are changing their lifestyles to one [...]
The Definition of ‘Organic’ Organic is a term many consumers are familiar with these days as it is now widely used both in the media and in shops and supermarkets, but not all understand exactly what it means. The essence of the word ‘organic’ means that something is produced without [...]
At this relatively early stage in the rise and development of the organic food and goods marketplace the cost of them is likely to be higher than that of foods and products produced non-organically. This is largely due to a ‘real’ pricing in the organic marketplace that includes all the [...]
