Green Stream Blog

When I first heard about Jeremy Clarkson’s comments about the public sector strikers, I noticed two things; one that I wasn’t enraged by what he said and two, that I was surprised at the way so many people were.

Described as one of the biggest strikes of our generations, images of public sector workers protesting against changes to their pensions have somehow become overshadowed by one opinion.

Since the broadcast, there have been various tweets and reports suggesting that it was a pre-planned stunt in order to help promote his Christmas DVD, but when it boils down to it, there’s a bigger issue I’ve noticed that leaves me at a loss for words.

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The last time I was on a plane I remember it being the best seven hours I had to myself in a long time. I lost myself in a book, poured my thoughts out on paper and unwound in a way I can only do at 35,000ft high.

At the time, I didn’t really think about what my serene state was doing to the environment - the air pollution being caused, ocean acidification, acceleration of global warming, aircraft noise and the type of fuel being used.

This is a problem we all come up against. Our likes are usually at the expense of the world around us and no matter what, we always opt for the more convenient option and that needs to change. For me, I’m glad to know there is work being done to make air travel more environmentally friendly.

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Who looks out for our oceans? It’s probably not a question that you reflect on so early in the morning, but as I make my way into the office, l can’t help but realize that protection is in place for so many things around us. If someone harms us, we have the Police. If people destroy public places, like parks, we have Councils to intervene. If there are acts of cruelty against animals, we have the RSPCA. But who do we call when there are injustices taking place away from our shores?

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If you haven’t already heard of them, then you’re late to the party. People Tree are pioneers of the “Fashion meets Fair Trade” takeover we are currently experiencing. They work tirelessly to ensure their clothes use ecologically sound methods of production.

Most of their cotton is certified organic and fair trade, all their clothes are dyed using safe and natural dyes, their products are sourced locally and they choose natural and recycled products over toxic, synthetic and non-biodegradable materials.

It started in Tokyo 20 years ago by Safia Minney, when she realised there was a market in Japan for eco-friendly goods. Her company ethos, vision and bullish determination have kept them up and running where other ethical fashion brands have crashed and burned. Granted, the worldwide financial downturn and natural disasters have consistently conspired against them and company profits for the past years have been below standard for a fashion brand, but they refuse to throw in the towel.

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“A beautiful shoe that pushes the boundaries, but is always elegant and wearable and that makes use of what is already here…” - ninadolcetti.com

Described as a luxury ‘upcycled’ collection Elisalex De Castro Peake launched her shoe collection in 2008 after graduating from Cordwainers.

The shoes were designed with line and form in mind to create daring, architectural pieces, using perfect lines formed by nature.

With the amount of waste in the fashion industry becoming more of a concern, one would have thought that Nina Dolcetti shoes would have been accepted whole-heartedly, unfortunately not.

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