Bags of them

If there was a time for a grassroots political campaign to become legislation then that time has arrived for abolishing disposable plastic carrier bags. Let's face it we don't really need another when we've gone through a couple of dozen this month. Lots of mixed messages this week that skirt around the edges. The Prime Minister announces something is going to be done, M&S are going to charge 5p for a bag, The Co-operative have fairtrade long life cotton bags on special offer.

Now....
"The Co-operative is to run a six-week trial of home-compostable carrier bags in a bid to encourage shoppers to cut down on free, throwaway plastic bags. The scheme will run at 11 stores in Northampton."
Talking Retail

However, it's not just the issue of landfill it's the waste of resources of oil and energy to make something that''s going to be used for a couple of minutes. Customers are price sensitive, 5p is too cheap and voluntary action hasn't had enough take up, so maybe a tax of 20p per bag would change things.

Fair Trade Online Discussion

Missed taking part in the online discussion hosted by The Co-operative today. The topic was Fairtrade Campaigning. But I've read the questions and answers and some interesting ideas came up. A focus on fairtrade cotton for Manchester next year, given our historic links with this textile. Live video link-ups between schools in Garstang and Ghana, and having a Ubuntu fairtrade cola v. Pepsi / Coke challenge.
If you are a member of The Co-operative, and can find your membership number on you card, then you can log in and read.
P.S. One of our own members Cllr. Sue Murphy was in the panel. There is another online discussion on fairtrade on March 5th.

El Alto Tough But Fair

This week we'll be mainly blogging about fairtrade. El Alto produces outdoor clothing and equipment which has been ethically sourced and manufactured in Bolivia. Personally I never go near a mountain but I've bought some of their thermals and fleeces - just the job for a watching a winter football fixture. Not bulky, just fashionable, British designed and Bolivian made. You can read about it on their website.
For locals you can nip to Arkadash in Chorlton (also in Leeds) the shop that stocks fairtrade or organic clothing. 20% discounts on offer in Fairtrade Fortnight. P.S. I don't get paid to plug this stuff.

Successful Fairtrade Showing

Over 100 people came out to see the showing of "Black Gold", which in these of many distractions is a good muster. As a bonus we got to meet Christiana and Comfort from the Kuapa Kokoo cocoa co-operative in Ghana over in the UK to promote fairtrade. What a contrast. You meet people who talk about the schools, health care and clean water that's come from having a sustainable price for their commodities. Then you watch a film of Ethiopia, a country that grows quality coffee but receives starvation wages for it.
Picture is : myself (Co-op Party), John Hacking (Chorltonparklabour), Comfort (Kuapa Kokoo), Paul Murphy (Co-op Party), Cllr Sue Murphy (Chair of the Fairtrade Manchester steering group). Little movie of the event to follow....

After Black Gold

Now showing at the cafe at the Whitworth Art Gallery, Wilmslow Road, Manchester is a selection of photographs documenting the impact of Fairtrade on coffee farming communities. Throughout Fairtrade Fortnight, 25th February to 9th March 2008. Details.
The cafe is pretty good as well. Opening Times.

Breakfast, Dinner & Wine

No use banging on about fairtrade if you don't buy into it. So here we have:

a) Fairtrade breakfast that's OJ, some of the muesli, banana, but not the soya milk.

b) 100% Fairtrade dinner.
Red quinoa, Nut Koftas (brazils and cashews, ground and fried), fried banana (the unripest ones I could find in the Co-op), Mango relish (re-hydrated sun dried mango coated in mango chutney). Apart from the mango it all has a co-op connection, either Suma or The Co-operative.

c) Sauvignon Blanc Western Cape which I've not tried yet but as it won "The Best Vegan Fairly Traded Product" award for 2008 thought I'd pop it in the basket, or was the 20% off attraction.

Visitors from Ghana

It's more than a rumour but coming to the showing of Black Gold on Wednesday there might be two visitors from Kuapa Kokoo the co-operative in Ghana that grows cocoa beans that go into Divine Chocolate.

Hopefully we'll hear first hand of this fairtrade success story.

Fairtrade Woman

For Fairtrade Fortnight I'll be seeking out local fairtrade activity - don't have to wait long as we're showing Black Gold this Wednesday 27th February in Chorlton.

If you're on Facebook you might want to check out Fairtrade Woman who'll be surviving on nothing but Fairtrade food for two weeks. There are some competitions with prizes you can enter by designing a 100% or a 50% fairtrade meal. As a dab hand at home cooking I'll be publishing my entry this week. If you don't know what quinoa is you'd better Google it now.

Nuts & Bolts Online

The Conservative Co-operative Movement have made the booklet "Nuts & Bolts : How to Start a Food Co-operative" available online. You can download the 90+ pages here. You are supposed to sign up to the free email newsletter, which I have done, as I want to kept up to date. I've read some of it already and it looks like a practical guide.

The only thing that is still puzzling me is the Conservative Co-op Movement is at an arms length distance from the Conservative Party. If you visit the Conservative Party website you'd never know that David Cameron and the new look Tories were now pro-Co-operative. Well we'll see in the coming months.

Co-op Cons Move More

There is me checking the Conservatives website all week for the Conservative Co-op Movement. Nothing - it's been hived off to a separate site Conservativecoops.com (not a dot org or even a .coop).

So let's try and find the book. Amazon have it out of stock at present. "Nuts & Bolts: How to Start a Food Co-op (Paperback)- by Amy Coyle (Author), Jesse Norman (Introduction)" 5 quid plus 1.99 sourcing fee whatever that is. 98 pages.

So meanwhile it's worth reading the Politics for People comment on the book launch - here. Best quote "They are aboard and we're glad to have them. Labour's links with the cooperative movement goes back to the 1800s. We are sure this will last as long."