Hi folks,
We?ve just heard that due to unforseen cirmcumstances Sheherazade Goldsmith is unable to come on for a live web chat this afternoon. We do apologise to those of you who were looking forward to taking part. Sheherazade has answered many of your questions however and her answers are posted below.
Best
MNHQ
Is organic life about saving the planet or about feeling good and living the dream?
It?s about neither. Organic life is a way of looking after yourself and your children. Ensuring that what they are eating, playing with and living around is as safe as it can possibly be. As a mother, the fact that it also helps to look after a planet they will one day inherit is a bonus.
By zippitippitoes on Fri 13-Jun-08 13:18:10 in your view what would be the most eco way to spend a week on holiday?
Some of my favorite holidays are spent by the sea in the south west of England (which I will often travel to by train). Many people associate holidays with traveling half way across the globe, but with small kids it can turn out to be more hassle than it?s worth. It is true to say that children love the seaside, but they generally tend to be much more tolerant of bad or cold weather than us??..Their enjoyment comes from being outdoors and feeling unrestricted ? they don?t mind if the beach has white sand or pebbles in the same way that they don?t care if the sea is grey or turquoise.
By Anchovy on Fri 13-Jun-08 13:42:08
Have you calculated your carbon footprint? How does it compare to, say, a similar-sized family living in an urban area? (Would be genuinely interested in that - I have a sneaky suspicion that living responsibly in an urban area is probably a more "eco" approach, where a lot of journeys can be done on foot or by public transport, etc)._
I have to admit that I haven?t calculated my carbon footprint. My approach to living an environmentally friendly lifestyle has always been a practical one. I do as much as I can, because I believe in all the benefits it brings, and try not too get too bogged down with guilt about the things I don?t do. For me being environmentally aware, simply means changing the things you can change, such as using energy efficient products, be it light bulbs, washing machines or solar panels, eating seasonally and sourcing locally grown food were possible, travelling responsibly and trying to recycle whatever you can. All of these things tend to have a double benefit ? economically and environmentally
By Anchovy on Fri 13-Jun-08 14:44:31
How many flights do you take a year? Assuming you do fly, what criteria do you use for deciding whether the flight is necessary?__What are your best "eco" tips (I am unfeasibly proud of my blackberry being charged by solar power ) and what are areas in your life that you acknowledge still need work on?
I will probably fly once a year. If I can get to a destination within 24 hours by train (which includes a vast majority of areas around Europe), than I will take a train. But I don?t tend to travel that much, as I am fortunate enough to have a second home in Devon.
My best eco tips are generally about considering the way you consume ? in other words, just considering a few simple questions before making a purchase ie thinking about where something has come from; how it was made ? what sort of chemicals might have been used; who made it and were they treated fairly; how long will it last for; can you recycle it or will it just end up in a landfill site?
Many of these questions can be answered simply by using common sense ? it is clear that one product claiming that ?it can kill everything dead? and carries a health hazard warning is going to have some pretty nasty stuff in it, likewise a packet of ready-made chicken nuggets that only actually have 20% meat in them is not going to be great.
My weakest area is definitely clothes ? I have as yet to get as excited about an organic label as I am about something from Topshop?.having said that organic cotton clothing essentials such as T-shirts, pants and socks are as good as any.
By BeauLocks on Fri 13-Jun-08 15:18:58
What is an "eco mum"?How do you become an "eco mum"?Who decides if you're an "eco mum"?Do you wake up one morning and think "I know, I think I'll become an eco mum"?Is there a register of "eco mums"?
?Eco mum? is a label other people have given me not one I have given myself. When you start to consider the options, being an environmentally friendly mother, sort of comes naturally. Out of choice, no one would choose to feed their child food which may potentially have been sprayed with chemicals, nor would they give their children a Christmas present that has been made using child labour. Saving energy in your house, just makes economic sense and recycling is just about reforming a habit. Being an ?eco mum? is not about completely changing your lifestyle or giving up those things that make life easier and pleasurable, it is simply about considering the wider impact of the way you live and reconsidering the habits we have.
By buntinglicious on Fri 13-Jun-08 13:27:50 I am a part time working mum to a 1 year old. I live in a 1st floor flat with no garden (and no window sills). We are short on money, are desperately trying to budget our food shop, don't go on holiday, mostly buy second hand stuff (clothes, baby toys etc.), recycle where possible (plastic bottles, paper, card, glass, tins) don't have anywhere to put compost, living in rented accommodation in an old building(so fundamental house changes are impossible).__What realistic changes could I make in my life to become more eco friendly?
It sounds like your pretty eco friendly already. But there are a few things you could consider. Using energy efficient light bulbs in house will help save you money and will help save energy. I read somewhere that if every household in the UK used just 3 energy efficient light bulbs a year, it would save enough energy to light all the streets in the UK. Putting aluminium covered large pieces of cardboard behind your radiators, will help reflect any heat back into the room, saving you up to £10 per radiator per year or turning down your thermostat by 1% can help save as much as 10% on your gas bill.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall recently proved that buying organic, locally sourced (produced in the UK) loose ingredients were less expensive than a ready made frozen meal ? and cooking is often less time consuming than you would imagine. Being environmentally aware, which you clearly are, is already a step further than most. As individuals it?s easy to feel that our small token efforts are not enough, but the truth is that collectively they can make a massive difference.
By Issy on Fri 13-Jun-08 15:55:53
I'm sorry that I won't be here for Wednesday's chat, but questions that pop into my mind are:_1. What was the basis and extent of your research into the ecological effectiveness of each of your ideas?2. Based on 2. above, are the projects in your book ranked in terms of their ecological effectiveness? And what is the ecological effectiveness of those projects in your book which could actually be undertaken by the average flat-dwelling, time and/or cash poor urbanite (particularly when discounted against the ecological impact of the production and distribution of the book)?3. Without wishing to be intrusive upon your personal life, could you explain the duration and depth of your pesonal commitment to green issues, including around key areas such as cutting down airmiles?4. Is your book printed on recycled paper?_5. Setting aside the big stuff like the Kyoto protocol, what do you think is the single most ecologically effective project or change in behaviour the average UK citizen can undertake? Personally I think it may be stop flying, but, given my ice-cap melting business travel schedule, I hope I'm wrong.
What a lot of very serious questions, I will do my best to answer them, but have to say don?t think my book was as well thought out as your questions!
The projects in Slice of Organic Life, are projects that I have tried at home and enjoyed doing. Their ecological factor simply comes from not using chemicals, and letting nature get on with it.
The whole of the first part of the book is filled with ideas for flat dwellers, as well as advice on what to look out for as a consumer.
The ecological production costs of the book, I assume will be fairly high, but if it has helped to inspire a few people to rethink the way they approach their daily lives than it will have been worth it. I don?t believe that you have to be a purist to care about the environment, just be part of a collective effort for a more positive environmental impact. The whole point of the book was to show people how easy and accessible it is to make a positive impact without feeling guilty about the things you don?t do.
My commitment to the environment started nine years ago, when I became pregnant with my first child and will last for as long as I have children ? and I hope, one day grandchildren, so with any luck, a life time.
The book, like a lot of books today, was printed on partially recycled paper.
I think the most effective change people can make in the UK would be to consume less. Whether it be food, clothes, gadgets, toys, furnishings, traveling, we are all guilty of over consumption and the way we consume has a massive environmental impact.
By asking yourself a few simple questions before you purchase anything you can end up making your choice a positive one. Where has it come from and how was it made? Who made it? How long will it last and can it be recycled? Was it made using chemicals or did it have to travel long distances?
By johnso on Sun 15-Jun-08 12:03:24
I love organic food but can't afford it. How can we make it more affordable?
The only way organic food would become more affordable is if the demand increased. The perception is that organic food is the most expensive food you can buy but, as Hugh Fearnley-Witthingstall recently proved buying individual organic ingredients actually works out cheaper than buying a ready made meal.