UK retailers trading fairer

UK estimated retail sales of Fairtrade products reach half a billion pounds as the Fairtrade Foundation calls on business and the public to step up pace of change. Ethical retailers received a boost with the announcement that sales of Fairtrade products have gone up by 81% in the last 12 months. Released to coincide with the start of Fairtrade Fortnight, the figures also revealed that sales have increased to nearly half a billion pounds in 2007 (up from from £273m in 2006).

• Fairtrade bananas are the best selling Fairtrade product with sales topping £150m, an increase of 130%. 1 in 4 bananas sold are now Fairtrade and we eat 3m Fairtrade bananas a day
• Fairtrade coffee sales rose 24% to over £117m
• Items made with Fairtrade certified cotton increased from over half a million to just under 9.5m units
• Fairtrade tea rose 24% to just over £30m. And recent commercial developments mean Fairtrade tea should account for a tenth of tea sold in the UK by the end of 2008

Harriet Lamb, the foundation’s executive director, said that with three in five adults in the UK now able to recognise the Fairtrade mark, knowing how goods are sourced is becoming an essential part of many people’s shopping habits: “The public have a huge and growing appetite for Fairtrade, and increasing numbers of people are buying Fairtrade goods as a practical action to help tackle poverty in the developing world. That’s good news for the seven million people around the world who benefit from the Fairtrade system, as well as those who have been campaigning since the early 1990s to make trade fairer".

Unfair Trade?

The Adam Smith Institute has just published Unfair Trade, a report which argues that for all its good intentions, Fairtrade is not fair. It sets out a number of arguments explaining this thesis and argues in conclusion that "free trade is the most effective poverty reduction strategy the world has ever seen. If we really want to aid international development we should abolish barriers to trade in the rich world, and persuade the developing world to do the same. The evidence is clear: fair trade is unfair, but free trade makes you rich".

The Fairtrade Foundation has responded to the report:
"The Fairtrade Foundation finds it extremely sad that the Adam Smith Institute has chosen Fairtrade Fortnight to publish an inaccurate report, claiming that Fairtrade does 'more harm than good'. This completely contradicts our experience of working with farmers and workers in developing countries as part of a coalition that includes all the major development agencies in the UK. Releasing this report when thousands of people are trying to make a difference to global poverty by promoting Fairtrade products, is an insult to the effort and commitment of Fairtrade producers and their supporters in the UK."

Lift the label - ethical clothing

If you are considering other Fairtrade aspects of life during Fairtrade fortnight, then you may be interested in a resource from TearFund. Lift the label - ethical fashion lists shops which stock "ethical clothing" - another way to use your consumer choices to bring about positive change in the lives of the poor. Just Fairtrade in Leicester stocks quite a large range of ethically-sourced clothes.

Leicester Book News on Facebook

Are you a member of the social network Facebook? If so you can now find out about everything to do with books and reading in the city on the Leicester Book News Facebook group. The group is a great way to get involved with the latest live reading events, chat with other people who enjoy books and even join in with great book promotions, like Leicester favourite book. Go to Leicester Book News on Facebook.

deovox

Deovox: the Word in your ear is a download designed for anyone with a desire to draw closer to God through a study of the Bible. It’s an audio devotional aimed at helping people get back into regular Bible study. Working sequentially through a book of the Bible, deovox will help listeners understand what the original authors intended, and then apply those truths to their lives. It incorporates examples from popular culture to flesh out the contemporary significance of eternal themes found in Scripture. Each listening experience includes music, commentary, the Bible passage read out and clips from movies, where possible.

To try one of the sample episodes, click here or explore the further study resources, including links to books, articles and online sermons. Developed by Damaris, deovox will launch in March 2008 with two episodes per week.

Fairtrade communion wine

In the run-up to Fairtrade Fortnight it seems appropriate to mention that Fairtrade communion wine is now available (information courtesy of Dave Walker's blog). He quite rightly asks some questions about this: "is it better to ship Fairtrade wine half the way around the world rather than buying something produced more locally? And why not just use ordinary Fairtrade wine?"

From the Press Release: Ehrmanns, the UK importer of Los Robles Fairtrade wines, in partnership with the Fairtrade Foundation and Whitebridge wines is delighted to announce the launch of the first Fairtrade communion wine in the UK. ‘Poterion’, a Communion Wine made from Fairtrade Certified Wine grapes, and produced by Vinos Los Robles from Chile, will be available from Whitebridge Wines from the 4th February in time for Fairtrade Fortnight (25th Feb – 9th March).

Ordnance Survey Outdoors Show

The Ordnance Survey Outdoors Show is taking place again from 14-16 March at the NEC Birmingham. It is aimed at all explorers, adventurers, cyclists, kayakers, canoers, runners, skiers, boarders, climbers, base jumpers, bmx-ers, ramblers, off road drivers, scuba divers and…walkers. Entry is £12 if booked in advance or £16 on the door.

On the Show website I was alerted to a YHA competition: My Favourite YHA. You simply visit the My Favourites section of the website and upload a picture of your favourite YHA and a few words explaining why it's your favourite; there are five weekend breaks for two at the YHA of your choice available as prizes. You may also win a pair of free tickets to the Outdoors Show if your image is chosen to go on the Show home page.

£2m study prays for answer

An article in The Times, Why do we believe in God? £2m study prays for answer reports that researchers at the University of Oxford will spend £1.9 million investigating why people believe in God. The purpose of the grant is to try to find out whether belief in a deity is a matter of nature or nurture. Therefore the academics have will not attempt to solve the question of whether God exists but they will examine evidence to try to prove whether belief in God conferred an evolutionary advantage to mankind. They will also consider the possibility that faith developed as a byproduct of other human characteristics, such as sociability.

The Landfill Prize Top 10

The Landfill Prize Top 10 is a list of Britain’s cleverest rubbish – unnecessarily convoluted consumer inventions that help to increase the teetering junkpile of refuse we Britons produce every year". Nominations were made by thousands of visitors to the Landfill Prize website - check it out to see the list of top-ten nominees in the Landfill Hall of Shame "luridly exposed in all their guilty, planet-draining detail".

The winner is a £179 electric toothbrush which is described as "the most resource-wasting, overcomplex piece of gadgetry that’s been witnessed by Internet voters in the past 12 months". Apparently it performed only as well as a £4 electric brush.

Lent is the new Ramadan?

Libby Purves writes that Dutch Catholics have re-branded Lent as the "Christian Ramadan" because young people in the Netherlands are more likely to know about Islam (as the younger, noisier religion) than they are about Christianity.

She also notes that some young American Christians are having a Facebook Fast during Lent.

Fairtrade Fortnight Challenge

It's just over a week until Fairtrade Fortnight (February 25th - March 9th 2008) begins. During Fairtrade Fortnight we are asked not to "shop quietly" but instead to put pressure on stores to help make Fairtrade products more available! It is suggested that if we can't find Fairtrade products in a shop perhaps we could ask the staff why they don't have any and if they are thinking of getting any in. "Stock it" postcards and other resources can be ordered from the Fairtrade Foundation.

The Fairtrade Fortnight Challenge is a challenge to eat only Fairtrade food and drink (and ethically sourced when Fairtrade is not available e.g. local and organic) during the Fortnight. To help, check out the guide to Fairtrade retailers. The dual purpose of this challenge is to raise awareness of the variety of Fairtrade food available and explore the sources of the food we eat. There are three suggested levels to the Challenge:

• Gold - Challenge yourself to only eat Fairtrade and ethically sourced products for the whole of Fairtrade Fortnight (and hopefully beyond)
• Silver - Try a week, or a set number of days
• Bronze - Make a decision to try one new Fairtrade product or switch something you'd normally buy to a Fairtrade or locally sourced brand

Drinking Fairtrade more important than ever

Cafédirect, the UK's largest and longest running Fairtrade hot drinks company, is in Uganda this week meeting with its 17 African tea and coffee growing partners, who represent 162,000 farmers. The farmers are shareholders in the company, and are meeting to discuss the company's strategic direction and actions to be taken following the consequences of Kenyan unrest. Cafédirect has issued a press release asking Fairtrade drinkers not to turn your back on Africa's smallholder growers.

Cafédirect also announce their newest product, Teadirect Gold (see above), the first premium Fairtrade tea available in major retailers. This high grade tea demonstrates Cafédirect 's commitment to product innovation and improving quality: the luxurious, rich flavour of this delicious, aromatic blend of teas comes from expert grower partners in Kenya, Rwanda, and India.

Welcome to England. Fancy a cuppa?

Somewhat belatedly I have discovered a news item from last month in which a British MP is calling for a traditional tea trolley to be introduced at British airports. Acting on a suggestion by the managing director of Waitrose, MP Michael Fabricant has tabled a Early Day Motion in the House of Commons which states: "That this House supports a proposal initiated, funded and operated by Waitrose, to trial the introduction of tea trolleys with biscuits into arrival halls at UK international airports to provide a warm welcome to weary returning UK nationals and visitors from overseas queuing up for passport inspection."

Discussing this in an article in the Times, "Welcome to England, ducks. Fancy a cuppa?", the columnist describes the "psychological maelstrom" of modern air travel and asks "who would not be instantly soothed and cheered by the sight of a gleaming, steaming tea urn in the arrivals hall?"

Cheep and cheerful - the new radio hit

Apparently an old recording of birdsong played on a loop on the old Oneword channel is causing a stir with tens of thousands of listeners flocking to it! In "cheep and cheerful" Elisabeth Mahoney writes in The Guardian:

"When digital radio station Oneword closed last month, it seemed that things couldn't get any worse for the broadcaster. But indeed they could. Gallingly, the temporary replacement on the old Oneword channel - a 1992 recording of birdsong, played on a loop - is causing more of a stir than its predecessor ever managed, with tens of thousands of listeners flocking to it.

"The warbling and tweeting is proving an unlikely hit with urbanites apparently hankering for the soundtrack of a rural idyll. Online radio and bird-watching forums are full of chirrupy comments. 'It is a lot more enjoyable than some of the rubbish on air these days,' trills one happy listener, 'and definitely better than phone-in shows full of 'oiks' shouting at each other.'"

Green podcast series

The Stop Climate Chaos coalition has launched a series of 20-minute podcasts to reach out to new audiences as part of its I Count campaign. The podcasts are available on the I Count website, and on the websites of the 60 organisations that make up the coalition'; they will also be available on iTunes.

The first podcast, produced by performer and writer Chris Pavlo, features a panel discussion about policy and campaign highlights of 2007 and what to expect in 2008. It also contains news and events from the coalition, eco-gadget reviews, green words of wisdom, a Q&A with eco-friendly musician Just Jack, finishing off the show with an original ‘green’ tune from singer-songwriter Gavin Osborne.

The Strange Parallel World of Christian Pop

Earlier this week Paul Bayley investigated The Strange Parallel World of Christian Pop on Radio 4, which talks about the emergence of Christian pop music back in the 60 when "a few of the faithful were dabbling with the devil's music". Although they never got much airplay, "some of the music was surprisingly good - and now it's being rediscovered by fans of 60s psychedelia". In fact some rare recordings made by Christian pop groups from Britain during the 1960s and 70s have become collectors' items. You can use Radio 4's Listen Again feature to catch it until a week after transmission.

Narnia in the news

If you are thinking about re-reading old favourites during the the Year of Reading, you may be interested in a blog post from Sam Allberry who says that the correct order for reading the Chronicles of Narnia is the order in which they were published: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; Prince Caspian; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; The Silver Chair; The Horse and His Boy; The Magician's Nephew; and The Last Battle.

You may also be interested in publicity for Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis by Michael Ward, to be published next month. There's a blog post about it here.

Climate change campaigner canoes to shops for Lent

A campaigner from Tearfund has thrown away his car keys, is sleeping in a tent and will canoe to the shops as part of the charity's Lent carbon fast. The initiative has been launched to encourage people to take a simple energy saving action, such as refusing to use plastic bags or giving the tumble dryer the day off, each day during the 40 days of Lent. But Tearfund campaigner Ben Clowney wanted to take the challenge to extremes and become ‘low carbon man’ during February, by cutting his emissions by as much as 95 per cent. He has therefore moved out of his house and pitched his tent in his parking space outside the Tearfund office in Teddington, Middlesex. Read the story here (Tearfund press release) and here (charity press including photo).

Free Day in Leicestershire Libraries

Have the blog posts about the Year of Reading inspired you to return to your local library? If not, will tomorrow's Free Day in Leicestershire Libraries encourage you? Basically, everything is free at your local public library tomorrow, including DVD hire, CD hire, Talking Books, requests, broadband internet access, free printing and free book loans. Best of all: no charges on overdue items tomorrow.

There is some small print (1 DVD/CD per person, subject to availability and a max 6 prints per person). However, the good news is that it is always free to join and borrow books.

Round-up: faith in print and statistics

Following on from Zoe Williams' positive Guardian piece on the church and the environment, I discover that The New Statesman has published a special God Issue. The articles includesAndrew Marr on "the roots of Britain's deep-seated distrust of fanaticism". Browsing online I discovered that the NS includes The Faith Column - a a weekly feature in which a different believer gives the inside track on their religion or philosophy.

I can remember a time when The New Statesman and The Guardian would have been unlikely to include such coverage. I wonder if this is a result of the New Labour effect - even if the previous PM didn't "do God" while in office.

Meanwhile the C of E publishes the latest figures on changing trends in church-going. There is a one per cent fall in overall attendance, but "a positive spirit of growth developing around the Church with more than half the dioceses seeing aspects of church attendance increasing". The figures also show that attendance at church services outside Sundays continues to add a significant number to local congregations.

Natural World

If you've not given up watching TV for Lent, I can thoroughly recommend the current series of The Natural World on BBC Two. It is the BBC Natural History Unit's longest running series. It is internationally renowned for bringing exotic wildlife, stunning scenery and breathtaking insights into the world we share. If you miss the programmes, and have broadband, you can watch the most recent episode on iPlayer. The next two episodes are:

• Saved by dolphins Since ancient times there have been stories of dolphins rescuing humans at sea. But is there any truth behind them, or are they just myths and legends? Set against the stunning backdrops of the Red Sea and New Zealand's North Island, the film dramatises two events where dolphins apparently saved humans from shark attacks. [BBC Two Fri 8 Feb 8.00pm and Sat 9 Feb 6.05pm]
• Badgers: secrets of the sett Deep in a picturesque Devon valley lives the best loved wild animal in Britain. Yet while the badger is easily recognised, remarkably few people have ever seen one alive. For a creature never far from controversy and blamed for all manner of destruction and disease, surprisingly little is known about the badger's private family life. Using the latest research and hidden cameras this film exposes the secrets of life in the sett. [BBC Two Fri 15 Feb 8.00pm and Sat 16 Feb 5.40pm]

That hairshirt! I must have it

Libby Purves in The Times suggests that the Love Life Live Lent campaign, in "trying to play down the austerity and associate the 40 days of wilderness with upbeat acts of kindness and wacky new Facebook applications", may actually be "missing the Zeitgeist".

In a the context of a discussion on economic woes, she suggests that "after the spending boom we need the calming influence of Lent to see some sense" and that "the architects of the liturgical year got it right: after Christmas comes Lent with fasting and repentance". Its a thought-provoking piece - do read it.

Sermon for a carbon fast

Zoe Williams in today's Guardian, gives a "sermon for a carbon fast" suggesting that "the church should keep up its climate preaching. It is taken more seriously than politicians or media".

She writes that "the Church of England is ringing the changes this year, preaching a carbon fast instead of a chocolate one". While noting that the word 'carbon' affixed to almost anything makes it sound faddish, such a proposal is fairly modest and builds on the "history, tradition, ideology, sincerity and authenticity" of the church which has "a message of self-denial going back to the dawn of time. It has an awful lot to play with when it seeks to influence our behaviour in terms of carbon use. It has been into small economies since before the environment even existed".

She concludes by saying that "even we faithless can see how copper-bottomed this is, and it makes it very easy to take" and the status of the church "as environmental pioneer is really worth playing up".

Love Life Live Lent

Love Life Live Lent is based on a project developed by the Diocese of Birmingham and is now in its second year as a national project. Last year's campaign was a massive success with adults and children all across the UK getting involved! It gained a wide and positive range of media coverage.

This year it is anticipated that Love Life Live Lent 2 will be even bigger with Facebook and MySpace applications, church resources, and new full-colour booklets with the theme of being good neighbours are available. Love Life Live Lent 2 offers something exciting, different and refreshing to try during Lent - encouraging us again to take small actions that can have big effects. So why don't you take some time out to be a good neighbour... and have fun this Lent?

Do you speak Ikea?

An article in today's Guardian asks "Do you speak Ikea"? This points to The IKEA Game - a simple game that gives you a list of IKEA product names and you try to guess what the product is. Ten products are picked from the IKEA database at random, so every game is different!

Cal Henderson, who also created the internet photo-site Flickr, devised the game so people can spend "enjoy endless hours of amusement trying to guess what all those bizarre, wacky Ikea product names might actually refer to". Or perhaps not, if you intend trying to cut down on the time you spend surfing the Internet during Lent....

The Word of God - what does it mean?

If you are planning to spend Lent focusing on your Bible reading or prayer life, ReSource have published a new booklet which may be of interest. The Word of God - what does it mean?, by Alison Morgan, takes a careful look at what we mean by words and how we use them, and then asks whether our human understanding of words limits the way in which we think about the Word and words of God. Offering a mixture of theological reflection, testimony, poetry, and image, the booklet challenges our preconceptions and affirms the word of God as something intriguing, dynamic and life-changing. It is available (£3) from the ReSource website. You can see excerpts on the new prayer page on the ReSource website.

Dogs enjoy classical music

If you want your dog to behave then it seems the answer could be found in playing them a blast of classical music, one charity has found. Fascinating research from The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association reveals that Guide Dog Trainers have discovered that dogs love Classic FM. The discovery was made after the digital radio manufacturer, PURE, donated six radios to each of the four Guide Dogs' training schools. The Association was seeking to provide a more relaxed atmosphere within the Dog Care Department for the dogs while they were at rest, as part of an environmental enrichment project. The trainers tried a range of radio stations and Classic FM produced the best results: "leaving the dogs chilled out and ready for a new day’s training!"

How beautiful are the feet

Libby Purves yet again finds a kitsch product from the US: insoles called In-Souls (TM) inscribed with texts so you literally "walk in the word of the Lord". Each one provides a related scripture and affirmation, and they are worn in the right shoe.

24 Hour Tea and Coffee Break

A cuppa can make a world of difference! ActionAid are inviting you to participate in a 24 Hour Tea and Coffee Break on Friday 29 February 2008 and help give poor farmers a break – by taking one yourself! By holding a fair trade tea or coffee morning you can support ActionAid’s work with small-scale farmers in the developing world and take action against the global injustices that keep them poor.

Taking part in the 24 Hour Tea and Coffee Break couldn’t be easier - all you need is a kettle and someone to share a cuppa with you are almost there. There are plenty of fundraising ideas on the ActionAid website to help get started, including a fundraising pack with everything you’ll need to hold an event, and a free starter pack of fair trade tea and coffee courtesy of Cafe Direct and fair trade chocolate courtesy of Divine.

You can also check out the ActionAid Extreme Cuppa blog: photos of people having a cuppa in extreme and unlikely situations.