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Wednesday, 29 May 2013
Sunday, 5 May 2013
The world needs you to stop being boring.
"You've got a heartbeat... that means it's time to do something"
Wednesday, 27 February 2013
GreenWash // GreenWin : Alpro Soya
Maybe it’s just me, but soya seems to be getting a big push at the minute. I received some vouchers for Alpro Soya recently, so decided to try it out. I purchased a few items and noticed a lot of green talk on the containers, so decided to check out the company for my first Greenwash Vs Greenwin.
Soya itself can be
a tricky subject among hardcore environmentalists. It’s gotten bad press for
links with widespread deforestation and GM use. On the flip side, it’s vegan -
this means dramatically less land, water and energy was required to make it
than dairy milk.
I’ll put it out
there – I’m not vegan, or vegetarian, I don’t even do Meat Free Monday. I don’t
eat a ton of meat and I’m not adverse to Quorn but it’s not something I’ve put
my heart and soul into. I've been thinking of blogging a few veggie recipes
though, if that would interest you. The way I see it, I usually have meat or
animal products in the meals just because it’s always been that way, it’s easy
and habitual. The beauty of something like soya milk is, you don’t need a whole
new habit – just a quick swap of product on your breakfast cereal.
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I’m going to shimmy
away from the big general soya debate and focus in on Alpo today. Alpro Soya
brands itself as an earth-friendly product, which I’ve generally assumed was mostly
greenwash (call me cynical). On closer inspection I’ve been happily surprised.
I was surprised to
learn in their Sustainable Development Report 2010 that the original aim of the
company was to help fight famine in Africa through soya technology. Whilst they
have since moved into the consumer goods industry, they've earnt some kudos
supporting a range of projects, ranging from Project Waterfall in partnership
with WaterAid and Caffe Nero (1),
to funding to local Wildlife Trusts (2)
to local community projects in Brazil (3).
All Alpro Soya
beans are non-GM, and obtained directly from farmers, to ensure sustainable methods
of production. The majority (85%) of their packaging is 100% recyclable, the
remainder is partially recyclable (4).
Could this be soya
production with all the environmental pro’s and none of the con’s? Admittedly,
due to some lack of sources, much of this info is from their own reports, which
claim pretty high standards, and could be questioned for it’s reliability. Despite
much scouring, no contradiction of the strong efforts they appear to be making
for human rights and the environment could be found.
Perhaps more
convincing is the fact that Alpro is a signatory on the United Nations
Global Compact Initiative, adhering to its 10 principles which include policies
on human rights and the environment. These are adapted into the company’s
ethical charter, which was signed by 78% of their suppliers as of 2010. Alpro were also the first European food company accepted onto
WWF Climate Savers, a commitment to lower CO₂ emissions (5). So far the track record looks good, with a 24%, 23%,
and 40% reduction in CO₂ emissions in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Their overall aim is to be carbon
neutral by 2020 (6). In the meantime, they certainly hold up to their environmental
benefits over dairy. An Ecofys Life Cycle Assessment of Alpro products
in 2009 found that 5 times less CO2 is emitted, 3 times less land is used and
2.5 times less water is required when producing a litre of soya compared to a
litre of cow’s milk (7).
The Alpro site (8) also
goes into detail about the human health benefits of dairy alternatives, if you’re
interested in that side of things.
And taste
satisfaction? I purchased Alpro ‘yoghurts’ and Almond Milk. The yoghurts were
tasty – not quite as creamy a texture as you’d get from dairy, but no sacrifice
in flavour. The Almond Milk was not impressive when drank straight – but perfectly good on cereal (and, I am reliably
informed, in pancake batter also!). The yoghurts were pretty standard price (£1.75/4pk),
with the milk a little dearer than dairy (£1.49/l).
Are you convinced?
(8) http://www.alpro.com/uk
Thursday, 10 January 2013
Climate Change: 2013 vs. 2012
The idea of man-made
climate change has been on the cards since the early-mid 20th
Century, but remains a slippery subject still now in 2013.Certainly, the
weather of 2012 fought a hard case for it. In brief, the UK saw the second
wettest year on record[1], whilst the US
experienced both heat waves, (some breaking temperature records)[2] and a recent snow storm[3]. Hurricane
Sandy and Typhoon Bopha affected the US, Caribbean and Philippines. Floods hit
China, Pakistan, and western Africa[4], whilst
droughts in the US and Europe led to hunger warnings being issued by the World
Bank. Whilst these extremes of weather obviously cannot be taken alone as a guarantee
on the existence of man-made climate change (for further details, see here),
it can surely be described as extreme and unpredictable – whack in a Jake
Gyllenhall and a touching father-son back story and there’s almost a Hollywood drama
in the making. The World Meteorological Organisation Arctic Report Card 2012
also significantly highlighted various record breaking melting events,
including sea ice extent and terrestrial snow extent[5].
2013 will also see the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) release a new report in
September. Recent leaks suggest that the upcoming report will argue more
strongly the evidence that human greenhouse gas emissions are the cause of
climate change[6].
December 2012 saw the Kyoto Protocol amended
following a Conference of the Parties in Doha, meaning extended commitments on
reducing greenhouse gas emissions. On a positive note, this represents some
form of progress... or at least absence of setback. Previous Kyoto talks have
been generally viewed pessimistically and renowned for their lack of
significant impact. However, there is hope that Kyoto 2 could benefit from a
more environmentally aware public and a realisation of the need for genuine
action (see here).
A new EPA administrator will be confirmed by Obama in
2013 following Lisa Jackson’s resignment early this year. Her legacy involves
moves to improve air and water quality, as well as strong leadership regarding
climate change. Her successor is as yet unknown but will be a strong influence
on America’s stance on greenhouse gas emissions[7].
2013 seems to be shaping
up to be a year of opportunity. Stay tuned!
[1] http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/jan/03/2012-uk-second-wettest-year
[2] http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/09/heatwave-easing-us-temperatures-normal; http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jul/02/us-heatwave-temperature-records
[3] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12339494
[4] http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2012/dec/18/weekly-review-2012-weather-environment?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487
[5] http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/reportcard/exec_summary.html
[6] http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/dec/14/global-warming-sun-leaked-ipcc-report
[7] http://theenergycollective.com/francesbeinecke/165961/epa-administrator-lisa-jackson-leaves-legacy-cleaner-air-safer-water-and-more
Welcome
Welcome to Beyond Tree Hugging, a new blog covering sustainability and ethical issues. Expect blogs on current news issues, reviews on shops/products, general discussion - and whatever else comes our way! You can follow BTH on twitter @BeyondTreeHuggn, and subscribe via email or blogger. Thanks for visiting!
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