Our January Charity is Tommy’s

Each month we select a charity to donate 1% of our months turnover and for January we have picked Tommy’s. Tommy’s saves babies lives by funding research and providing information on the causes and prevention of Miscarriage, premature birth and still birth. Tommy’s aim is to give every baby the best chance to be born healthy.

Some of the recent research funded by Tommy’s has allowed  the development of MRI techniques for studying the placenta,  identified factors that affect placental blood flow, identified why preterm birth is increasing in Scotland, found that risk of preterm labour can be inherited and developed a simple saliva test for predicting preterm labour. They have also set up the UK’s first placenta clinic to treat women with placental complications allow scientists to further study placental function.

Tommy’s also runs a pregnancy information service for mums to be, there partners, family members and friends. The telephone line is staffed by midwives who are available to give advice and answer questions on weekdays. They also provide free pregnancy and pre pregnancy guides (pictured above).

Animal Welfare and the Wool Industry

The term wool can be used to describe the hair taken from sheep, Tibetan antelope and goats and includes cashmere, pashmina, mohair and merino. Taking wool from any of these animals causes harm to them in some way.

In Australia, there are particular issues of animal welfare surrounding the farming of merino sheep. The sheep have wrinkly skin giving more wool per animal. Australia produces 30 percent of all wool used worldwide with a large proportion of it coming from merino sheep. The wrinkled skin of the sheep can cause them to overheat and die and also collects moisture and urine attracting flies. The flies lay eggs in the folds and the resulting maggots eat the sheep alive. To prevent this happening the farmers use a barbaric practice called Mulesing which involves cutting away the folds of skin around their tail area with no pain relief. Lambs also have their tails chopped off and are castrated without anaesthetics. many sheep die each year from disease, lack of shelter and neglect.

This video details just some of the horror of practices in the Australian wool industry.

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Other abuses in the wool industry include killing of 50 - 80% of cashmere goats because of defects in their coats, keeping angora rabbits in cages that damage their feet and painful shearing, the killing of Tibetan antelope to make shahtoosh shawls and the neglect of alpaca as a result of the wool industry.

Further information can be found on:

http://www.peta.org/index.asp

http://www.savethesheep.com

Forever Angels - Our Charity for December

For December, Bamboo Baby decided to donate 1% of their turnover to the charity Forever Angels UK. The charity promotes and raises awareness of orphaned and abandoned children in Tanzania and supports initiatives to alleviate these problems. The problem of orphaned and abandoned children in Africa is huge due to the high level of poverty, social and economic disadvantage and the number of HIV positive families. The orphanages that are there are usually overflowing with children and struggling to cope with the expense of caring for young children and babies.

The Forever Angels baby home in Mwanza on the shores of Lake Victoria in Tanzania provides a stable, loving home for up to 40 orphaned and abandoned babies and infants who are severely disadvantaged. It provides for the physical and emotional requirements for the children until they are returned to their parents, adopted or fostered. There are countless success stories of children whose lives have been touched by Forever Angels. This positive impact in Tanzania has only been made possible by the support and help of donors.

The benefits of line drying clothes

In recent years, the use of the humble washing line has decreased in favour of tumble dryers. But line drying clothes is by far the best option in many ways. Here are some great reasons to get out in your garden and peg out those clothes.

Clothing Care - tumble dryers are not the best option to look after your clothes. Many clothes will shrink in a tumble dryer and it can also cause damage and wear as clothes are repeatedly spun around at high temperatures.

Saving money - a tumbke dryer uses a significant amount of electricity. If you are trying to save money, hanging clothes to dry outside is a much more cost effective option.

Better for the environment - drying clothes in a tumble dryer uses energy and unsustainable resources. Drying clothes on the line doesn’t use any electricity so is much better for the environment.

Stain Removal - believe it or not hanging clothes out in the sun can help to fade or remove those stubborn stains not removed by washing. The sun acts as a natural bleach.

Less Ironing - clothes can get quite creased in a tumble dryer. Hanging clothes on a washing line will reduce the amount of ironing required.

Fresh Air - hanging clothes out on the line is a great opportunity to gte outside in the fresh air for 15 minutes. If yo have children, they will be glad of the excuse to get outside and may even enjoy helping you hang the washing out.

Children’s Allergies - Synthetic Clothes

It seems that allergies in children are increasing and whilst scientists are unable to put an exact reason on why, it is likely that environmental factors are at least in part to blame. Synthetic fibres including polyester, nylon and acrylic are widely believed to be common causes of skin allergies including eczema, itchy skin and rashes. So many pieces of clothing that you will find in the high street shops contain these fibres. You will often find that older children take a particular dislike to a certain piece of itchy clothing and refuse to wear it. These clothes will often contain synthetic fibres (although wool and even cotton can irritate very sensitive skin).

Crease free and non iron clothes including school uniforms also have synthetic coatings which can irritate childrens skin. As with most allergies, the easiest way to stop of prevent them is to avoid the things that cause the. Try buying childrens clothes in natural fibres. For those with particulary sensitive skin organic cotton and bamboo are both great options. Bedding made from natural fibres is also a good option for children that suffer from allergies. It is worth considering which detergents you are using to wash the clothes and trying out some different options.

picture - Bamboo Baby natural pyjamas

A Lesson in Sustainability

As children grow, they are learning all of the time, absorbing information from their surroundings and copying the way that others behave. It is all part of growing up and preparing for life as an adult and they will take a large percentage of what they have learnt as a child into adult life. Learning about sustainability and preserving the environment that we live in and resources that we need to live is an important lesson. Without this understanding, then future generations will use up the earths valuable resources and destroy the environment in which they live.

The easiest way to teach children about sustainability is to lead by example, not only will you be having a positive impact right now but also making a difference for the future. Here are some ways that you can teach children about sustainability:

• Teach children to look after their own toys and how to play creatively with out the need for electronic toys.
• Let children get involved in recycling of rubbish, old clothes, old toys etc. Car Boot sales are a fun way of recycling useful items.
• Discuss decisions on what to buy with children and explain the possible environmental impacts of different consumer choices.
• Have a family policy to only replace household items if they are completely unrepairable. Having a new mobile phone or television each year or two, just because their is a new model available is not sustainable. If you must buy new, then make sure that old items are recycled.

picture - pink cable knit jumper - Bamboo Baby

Amoosi - Grown up glamour from reclaimed and vintage fabrics

If you are looking for gorgeous designer work wear, then you need look no further than Amoosi. The beautiful and innovative tailoring is not only very desirable but also very virtuous. It is made in the UK from reclaimed vintage and reclaimed fabrics.

The clothes are luxurious and ladylike and don’t look like they have been made from something old. They aim to inject grown-up glamour with a twist of the whimsical into the wardrobe of the busy modern working girl. Buying and wearing these clothes (which really isn’t much of a chore) helps to reduce the textile waste being disposed of in landfill aswell as reducing a number of the other environmental effects of producing new textiles.

The collections at Amoosi include tailored workwear, well cut day wear and evening wear, all in classic, feminine styles designed and made with close attention to detail.

Amoosi is begining to be recognised as a leader in eco fashion. In 2008, they were awarded Future 100 - The Next Generation of Young Ethical Entrepreneurs and they are now stocked in some very fashionable retailers including Koh Samui.

Fashion, Water Shortages and Pollution

Water is such a vital resource for human life and so many other living things. In the UK, we take water for granted, unless occasionally we have a major summer drought or floods where fresh water supplies are contaminated. In many areas of the world, clean water is not so easy to find. Water shortages and pollution caused by the fashion industry are a significant environmental issue.

The growth of cotton uses a great deal of water. For example in production a cotton T shirt uses 60kg of water and produces 45kg of waste water per kg of the final product. The Environmental Justice Foundation have prepared a report on an example of the effect of cotton irrigation on water. The Aral Sea  has now shrunk to 15% of its former volume partly due to the irrigation of cotton in Uzbekistan. The decrease in water has been accompanied by an increase in salinity and eradication of all native species of fish. The water crisis in Uzbekistan has far reaching environmental impacts with the eradication and fragmentation of Tugai forests and loss of the species that live in this habitat.

So what are the solutions? There is never an easy answer, but the following may help in some ways:

• Greater use of sustainable fibres like bamboo that do not need as much water/ irrigation to grow.
• Development of fabrics that do not need to be washed as often, decreasing the water and energy used in the lifecycle of each garment.

pictures - left Aral Sea in 1989, right Aral Sea 2003, from www.ejfoundation.org

EcoChic Geneva

This year looks like it may be the year that eco fashion really takes centre stage. As we move on from 2009, International year for natural fibres, to 2010, the International Year of Biodiversity, Green2greener is will collaborate with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on a series of activities that will highlight the importance of natural fibres and biodiversity in sustainable development strategies.

First up is is EcoChic in Geneva on 20-21st January, which will begin with a seminar that aims to redefine sustainability in the International Agenda from the perspective of the fashion and beauty industries. There will also be a gala evening, the launch of a sustainable fashion exhibition and a dramatic fashion show with ready to wear and couture collections of eco fashion from all over the world. The exhibition will also be open to the public until 4th February.

The organisers hope to make a difference in the arena of sustainable fashion by bringing together senior representatives from the private sector with key decision-makers from government, civil society and other public sector organisations.

Picture - fashion by Turkish designer Bora Aksu from Eco Fashion World.

The Fairwear Fashion Show 2010

The Fairwear Fashion Show which will take place in Bristol on 25th February, will be the biggest ever Fairtrade fashion show to take place in the UK. The scale of the fashion show is evidence that UK consumers are starting to take notice of the ethical issues surrounding the clothes that they wear.

All Fairwear Fashion houses use Certified Fairtrade Cotton or are members of the World Fairtrade association. Both Laura Ashley and Debenhams will present at the show and Debenhams will be showcasing its 5G range. Celebrities are also showing their support for ethical and Fairtrade fashion with Emma Watson showcasing her new collection designed in conjunction with established and well known Fairtrade brand People Tree. There will also be designs by Olympic gold medalist Steve Regrave using Fairtrade cotton from Mali.

There will also be a taster of the future of ethical fashion with fashion students from the nearby Filton College showing their ethical fashion collections and also advertisements that they have made on Fairtrade.

For further information visit www.fairwearfashionshow.org.uk