If you go into any High Street throughout Europe, you will be hard-pressed to identify where you are. All the Big Names are there - you know who they are!

Small, specialist traders are going out of business through pressure from competition from multi-national corporations, with the help of cheap labour in remote parts of the world, cheap raw materials because of bulk-purchase agreements, and tax breaks for foreign businesses to set up in Ireland.

We can all help prevent this happening further, by doing a few things when going on our shopping trips.

Everyday fruit and vegetables

Try to buy as directly from the producer as possible - Farmers Markets are springing up all over the place now. By buying here you will get a fresher, tastier product, with more vitamins than the same one that has probably travelled a couple of hundred miles to get into a supermarket, having built-in extra energy as refrigeration, transport, packaging and 'preservation' is added en-route.

Organic growing causes significantly less damage to the environment than non-organic crops. The added fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides have to be manufactured (which requires raw materials and energy), storage, transport and then they pollute the land, food and waterways, as well as reducing biodiversity. There are even doorstep deliveries of boxes of organic vegetables in some regions.

Dairy

Try to buy as locally as possible - Farm Shops and local stores on your way home from work. Organic, free range taste considerably better, and they're ethically produced.

Meat

Organic is far nicer tasting, like meat used to taste! You know that it will have been raised ethically, without force-feeding in battery stalls. There are still specialist butchers in towns and villages, so make use of their friendly, knowledgeable services and keep them in business. 

Fish

We have a wonderful selection of fish species in our waterways and off our coastlines. Try something different, but watch out for endangered species. Don't buy 'foreign' fish if you can help it - we have enough here, and our fishermen need all the help they can get! There are quotas of many vulnerable species, including Sea Bass (limited to a season, and size), and 'tagging' systems for fish such as salmon. Shellfish are particularly sensitive to water quality, as they are filter feeders, so be careful of your sources.  

Exotic fruit, coffee, tea  

Things that can't be grown on your doorstep, and must originate from distant climes anyway - try Fairtrade as a source. This organisation guarantees a fair price to the producers, normally in poorer communities. Fairtrade also offers assistance with education and health as part of the package, and encourages shaded coffee plantations and organic growing to reduce dessertification of the land.

Eggs

There are many people nowadays who keep a few chickens, for their own use, and some generate more eggs than they can use themselves, and have roadside sales. Use them whenever you can, and return empty egg boxes to save them money too. Most are free range at least, if not organic.

Drinks

Plastic bottles of water are very convenient, but use petro-chemicals in their manufacture, fuel to transport them, and energy to refrigerate them. After you've used them, you may (or may not) recycle them. If you're at home, get a filter jug, or get a filter system fitted to your kitchen tap. Fill a previously bought bottle and store it in the fridge, so when you go out you can take it with you - then bring it home! Just think of the waste you will be preventing, as well as not having to buy bottled water ever again. Try Irish apple juice, and cider (in moderation)!

Clothing

Fashions come and go, but the 'little black dress' never goes out of style. Try to buy classic, well-made clothing made from natural materials - organic cotton, wool, silk, even hemp and bamboo! A quality woollen jumper, lambswool is really soft and luxurious, can be sourced in Ireland and will last many years if treated gently. An Irish made shirt can be just as good, if not better, than one made elsewhere. Look at the label before you buy, or even order online, research the origin of your clothing. School uniforms can be handed down to younger siblings, and friends and relatives in the area.

Babies

It's best to breastfeed if you can - milk powders have not got the amount of nutrients that the natural product has  (and as has been seen recently, may even be causing harm) - and the constituents change with your baby's needs without you having to make a concerted effort to do anything. And it's much cheaper, and more convenient - although you may feel uncomfortable in some areas - this needs to change (in my opinion). Disposable nappies are a great invention, and especially useful for today's fast-paced life, with working mums and trips to out-of-town shopping centres. By all means use them for these, but consider using towelling nappies for normal days - a dozen will probably last a baby from birth to potty-training, and save a mountain of landfill-destined waste (biodegradable, but methane producing - another intense greenhouse gas, actually more potent than the famous carbon dioxide). Feed your baby with the same foods as you - puree, no salt or sugar, and organic if possible. This will keep chemicals out of your baby's delicate digestive systems, and probably reduce the likelihood of allergies developing (avoid curries though!).

Toys

The ideology that goods from China are cheap, but of equal quality to those from other more affluent countries of origin has to be disputed, with several examples surfacing recently. There have been recalls of millions of toys with high levels of lead in their paint (Mattel), tiny magnets that have been swallowed by children, causing one death, and seriously injuring four other children (Magnetix). Unfortunately, developing countries have a tendency to have ineffective environmental laws, and the laws that are in operation may not be enforced sufficiently well. Recalls of toys available in Ireland since May 2007 began in August, and are still ongoing in November. 

Soft furnishings

Try to buy organic cotton, hemp or bamboo, for bedlinen and towels. These do the least damage to the environment, and last forever, incidentally. Or you could make your own if you're talented enough (not for me I'm afraid, but I know there are exceptional Irish craftsmen and women out there).

Furniture

There are many quality Irish manufacturers, some making bespoke fitments from sustainable local timber. Try a garden bench, or a kennel, rather than a mass-manufactured, self-assembly unit from a superstore. There are so many alternatives to having stuff transported from other countries or even continents. Do a bit of research before you make major purchases. Buy the best you can afford so it will last.

Wooden purchases

There is still much illegal logging being carried out. If you pretend it's not happening, then there will be no tropical hardwood or ancient temperate forest left to worry about. There are sustainable wooden 'stamps' so you can see that the wood is from a reputable source. Merbau is the latest species of wood that may not be around much longer. It is illegally logged in New Guinea (which is governed half by Indonesia, half by Papua New Guinea) the only place on the planet where these trees exist in large numbers. It is shipped via Indonesia (even though banned in Jakarta) and Malaysia, to China where it is made into saleable goods, such as wooden flooring, furniture and musical instruments, for our market. The tree takes up to 80 years to mature, but at their current rate of plunder will be wiped out in less than 35 years.

Paints

Standard paints contain lots of solvents and volatile organic chemicals (VOCs). As these vapourise, they can irritate the eyes, nose, throat and skin, and have been proven to increase the incidence of allergies, childhood asthma, as well as 'sick building syndrome' - the vapour can last years in extreme cases. As well as the health issues, for every ton of this paint produced, 30 tonnes of waste are generated, some toxic and persistent. There are many alternatives, which contain turpentine instead of white spirit, and linseed oil instead of plastic binders, and chalk and clay instead of titanium dioxide (which makes brilliant white).

Entertaining

Try not to buy paper plates and plastic cutlery (even if they are recycled) - hire in the real thing and wash them up and return them rather than adding to landfill (plates and cups will be too contaminated to be recycled). Use cloth napkins too - far more 'sophisticated'.

Gadgets

Yes, they save time and effort, but not all are 'essential'. They use precious raw materials and energy. Mobile phones seem to have become 'disposable', even a fashion accessory. My advice is to use it until it becomes unusable, then recycle it to a charity, where they will re-use the components, and reclaim the materials.

Recycled goods

Buying these increases the likelihood of a bigger market for the contents of recycling bins, encouraging more manufacturers to use recycled materials. For example, dustbin sacks, kitchen towel, toilet rolls, wrapping paper, greetings cards.

Gifts 

Whether giving or receiving, try to be thoughtful and buy (or request) gifts that are useful and/or responsible. Ornaments and clutter just need dusting/storing - try to buy from ethical sources, Fairtrade or local tradesmen/craft workers/artists. Or what about sponsoring a child, a tree, or an animal at a rescue centre. Lots of other possibilities - send in your ideas. Re-use the wrapping paper if you can (not always feasible, but do your best!).

Banking

With online banking and cash machines, there's no need to go to the High Street to do your budgeting. Set up standing orders and pay household bills online (saves you postage too) and when you draw out cash, opt to not have a receipt generated (protect your PIN when keying it in though). Pay other bills by Laser or Visa, so you don't need to post cheques. You can even get statements online too (saves cluttering up your filing drawer).

Investments 

There is a huge choice here (but declining daily as financial institutions are going out of business, becoming state-owned), and it is very difficult to make an informed choice. Some companies advertise 'ethical'  investments, so they won't give money to companies that pollute, employ child labour, or encourage bribery. Instead, you actually may be safer with these ethical investments, as the corrupt, polluting companies will eventually have to improve their processes or close, taking your savings with them. Of course, you have to remember that your investments can go down as well as up (told you so!!), no matter where your money is - so don't put all your eggs in one basket!!

 

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