http://www.articletrader.com/ Articles at ArticleTrader en-us http://www.articletrader.com/business/branding/are-the-big-companies-green-washing.html http://www.articletrader.com/business/branding/are-the-big-companies-green-washing.html Sun, 02 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0600
Going back to products, the majority of consumers dont seem to care whether its from a green company or a household brand with an eco friendly version. An example is people are buying Nestle Fairtrade coffee even though the Nestle brand is subject to boycotts around the world. Nestle is targeted with the boycotts because monitoring conducted by the International Baby Food Action Network finds it to be responsible for more violations of the World Health Assembly marketing requirements for baby foods than any other company (see http://www.babymilkaction.org/pages/boycott.html).

As household brands have marketing budgets to keep them there many people will switch to the green version of there favorite brand as opposed to buying Ecover or another green brand for a 1st time that may be untested to them. In this regard Ecover and other green brands will struggle without the advertising budget as other other non ethical household brands green themselves and begin to gain market share at the expense of those brands that started the greening of everyday products. As awareness grows of environmental issues and ethical companies people will research and switch to companies and brands that fit into their green lifestyle, until that time they face an uphill battle to maintain market share and may even be bought out by a household brand to gain immediate green credentials like the Lo real and Body shop deal 2 years ago and Cadburys buying the luxury organic brand Green & Blacks.
Switching to organic, this weeks debate in the media is about whether food that is imported should be labeled as organic or whether it should just be local UK food. I wrote an article about this a year called Fairtrade, Local or Organic saying that people will have to choose what is important to them. Fairtrade alleviates poverty, organic is pesticide, healthy food and local food saves on food miles. Are any UK grown or made products certified Fairtrade? If so we then have the possibility of organic, fairtrade and local food combined into one. Until that date we have to make decisions and choose what is important to us. I for one dont think that overseas organic food should be banned on the simple basis that impoverished organic farmers in Africa that have spent valuable time and money to gain the UK organic certification could be told that there market has disappeared overnight. If this was to happen its only fair that they are compensated by the Soil Association in terms of money and also helping them to access new markets. After all, many organic consumer support Trade not Aid and I for one would be hugely disappointed to see struggling third world farmers lose out again so that my food has traveled a shorter distance. Just because it hasnt been flown into the UK can the Soil Association guarantee that the organic food we buy from any retailer has not travelled from an organic farm in the South of England to a distribution depot in Wales them to a supermarket in Scotland. I feel the answer is no unless the Soil Association wants to let us know any different?


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Davinos Greeno works for the green companies and fairtrade shopping directory that lists 100s of Organic and Ethical Companies

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/sports/extreme/what-is-paint-balling.html http://www.articletrader.com/sports/extreme/what-is-paint-balling.html Sun, 02 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0600 Paint balling is basically a sport where you run around like mad men trying to shoot others and prevent yourself from getting shot by your opponents who are carrying guns that shoot balls of paint. The guns are powered by compressed gas and are not very heavy. They are more like machine guns than pistol types.  
Is it Safe?
The answer is yes! There is a predicted 10 million people in the USA playing tennis and half a million in the UK. Paint balling is quoted as being more safe then tennis. You wear workman overalls, goggles and a mask all provided by the paint ball company on the day. There are strict safety rules about never removing your mask whilst playing a game and never shooting an opponent from point blank range. Does it hurt I hear you ask? The answer is unfortunately yes, but it depends on the distance from which you are shot. If you don’t want to experience a bit of pain when getting shot, then try lazer quest where an electronic target is strapped to your body which makes a noise when you are shot. With paint balling you carry round a bruise or a stinging injury for a few minutes if shot at close range!

The adrenalin rush is amazing, the paint ball centres are normally located in or around wooded area so you can imagine 30 people, 15 on each team, running round the woods hiding behind wooden tanks, in churches, in ditches shooting and getting shot at. 

The winning team is the team who have completed the objectives of the game. This can include getting the flag from the middle of battle zone back to your base or over-running the oppositions defences until there is nobody left in the game. When you are shot you put your hand in the air and walk outside of the game zone to the safe area. Hopefully some cheeky sniper will not shoot you as you are leaving the game area with your hand in the air. 

Would I recommend this to others as im sat here typing this with a bruise on my neck from not just a shot, but a shot sustained in the neck at close range! Do I accept responsibility for anyone reading this article who then goes and plays paint ball and sustains an injury – NEVER!

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Davinos Greeno works for the green companies and fairtrade shopping directory that lists 100s of Organic and Ethical Companies

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/sports/why-outdoor-camping-can-be-fun.html http://www.articletrader.com/sports/why-outdoor-camping-can-be-fun.html Sun, 02 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0600
You can comfortably fit a large family into the bigger style tents in separate 'rooms'. In some hotels the family sometimes have to split up and sleep in other rooms. That’s hardly a family holiday is it! Then again some parents idea of a holiday is to get away from the kids!
 You can make as much noise as you like when camping, although some camping sites are now banning children and loud noise. Each to their own I suppose!

Camping is its own amusement park. Camp sites are usually set in or near the woods, near lakes or streams. Campers can hike, fish, bird-watch or simply run around and play tag. Such activities are not possible inside. We will live in a culture where we are afraid to let the kids outside unsupervised. Camping is a great way for the kids to let off steam.
You don’t always have to use a sleeping bag either, sometimes I use a blow up air bed with a nice sheet on the bottom and thick blanket on top. This is normally a better option for those who have to keep going to the toilet - especially the young kids!

If there is one thing I hate, its wet boots or shoes. A solution to this is to push sticks into the ground and place your boots over the top of the stick. It has the added bonus of keeping them insect free as well!

I always find that other campers are really friendly. There is always a couples and families drinking beer, some get the BBQ out and others pretend to have walked miles when really they have just walked from the local pub!

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Davinos Greeno works for the green companies and fairtrade shopping directory that lists 100s of Organic and Ethical Companies

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/the-right-to-buy-housing-scheme-in-the-uk.html http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/the-right-to-buy-housing-scheme-in-the-uk.html Sat, 17 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0600
Who has the right to buy? 
In order to exercise the right to buy, a tenant must:
be a secure tenant of a right to buy landlord, or an assured tenant who has the preserved right to buy as a result of a stock transfer; and
rent a house or flat as a separate dwelling which s/he must occupy as her/his only or main home (although there are certain exceptions). A spouse can occupy on behalf of the tenant; and
have spent a total of at least two years (or in some cases, five) as a tenant of her/his present landlord, or of another public sector landlord, or in armed forces accommodation. This is known as the qualifying period.
Tenants who may not have the right to buy   

Bankruptcy - You cannot exercise the right to buy if s/he is an undischarged bankrupt, or if a bankruptcy hearing is pending.

Rent arrears - If you are in rent arrears, a local authority is not bound to complete a sale until the outstanding arrears are paid.

Possession orders - You cannot exercise the right to buy if the landlord has obtained a possession order from the court, under which you are obliged to leave on a definite date. If the landlord has obtained a postponed possession order, you can proceed with the application to buy as long as you comply with the conditions of the order. If a landlord commences possession proceedings against a tenant who is attempting to exercise the right to buy, the court hearing the possession case may decide not to grant possession, and allow the tenant to proceed with her/his right to buy application.

In one case, a tenant who had succeeded to a tenancy had submitted a right to buy application (which was acknowledged by the local authority). The landlord later commenced possession proceedings on the ground that the property was under-occupied. The High Court decided that the right to buy application should be allowed to proceed, and that no possession order should be made.

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Davinos Greeno works for the green companies and fairtrade shopping directory that lists 100s of Organic and Ethical Companies

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/housing-repairs-and-the-landlords-responsibility-under-section-11.html http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/housing-repairs-and-the-landlords-responsibility-under-section-11.html Sat, 17 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0600
When does section 11 apply   

Section 11 will apply to most tenancies, whether in the private or public sector. It applies to all periodic tenancies and fixed term leases of less than seven years which began after 24 October 1961. The main exceptions are the following:-
lettings for less than seven years will not be covered if there is a stated option to renew the tenancy for a further term, which would result in the tenancy lasting for more than seven years in total
agricultural tenancies covered by the Agricultural Holdings Act 1948
most business tenancies
crown tenancies, that is, most tenants of government departments.
Tenants who do not come under the scope of section 11 may be able to have a repair carried out under one or more of the landlords other responsibilities, including the terms implied by common law.

The landlord's obligations under section 11    

The landlord must:-
keep in repair (see below) the structure and exterior of the building or part of a building which is let to the tenant (including drains, gutters and external pipes)
keep in repair and proper working order the installations for the supply of water, gas and electricity, and for sanitation (including basins, sinks, baths, toilets)
keep in repair and proper working order the installations for space heating and heating water.
Keep in repair This is a continuing obligation to keep up the standard of repair throughout the tenancy. It also means that the landlord has to put into repair the structure and exterior of the property, even if it was not in good repair at the beginning of the tenancy.

Repair The landlords obligation to repair only comes into operation when there has been damage to the structure and/or exterior which requires it is made good. The landlord is therefore obliged to put right something that has gone wrong, or which does not work in the way it was intended to work. The landlords obligation under section 11 can also cover putting right a defect that results from an inherent or design fault, for example, replacing a damproof course which had been laid in such a way as to cause dampness; providing a WC cistern; replacing missing expansion joints; or underpinning where there is subsidence. Whether the landlord has to provide a different thing from that which was originally contracted for will depend upon the individual circumstances of the case. Relevant factors may include what proportion of the premises are affected, the cost of the works and the age of the property.

Structure and exterior There is no precise legal definition of this. The structure includes outside walls and windows, frames, ceilings, roof and foundations. It can be argued that it also includes external doors and windows, including the glass. If the landlord disputes that this is the case, specialist advice may be needed. It does not include internal wall plaster or decorations as such, but if these are affected by disrepair to something for which the landlord is responsible under this section, for example, disrepair to an external wall leading to penetrating damp, the tenant may be able to use section 11. The exterior of the building means the outside or external parts of the dwelling.

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Davinos Greeno works for the green companies and fairtrade shopping directory that lists 100s of Organic and Ethical Companies

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/housing-disrepair-and-legal-action.html http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/housing-disrepair-and-legal-action.html Sat, 17 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0600
If you have a written agreement, check it to see who it says has responsibility for the repair. Remember that the tenancy agreement cannot take away statutory rights and obligations.

Notify the landlord   

If the landlord is responsible for doing the repairs, you must first make sure that you give the landlord reasonable notice that the repair is needed. You should put this request in writing and keep a copy.

Collect evidence of the disrepair   

You should make a written description of the disrepair and collect the following evidence:-

proof of when the landlord was notified of the problem, for example, a copy of a letter

photographs

expert evidence, for example, from surveyors or environmental health officers
medical reports, if the disrepair is affecting the health (including stress) of the tenant

details of any costs incurred as a result of the disrepair.

You will need detailed evidence.

Consider the options for action   

Negotiating with the landlord If possible, you should first negotiate with the landlord to try to get her/him to undertake the repair in accordance with her/his responsibilities.

Alternatively, you could pay for and undertake the work yourself, if the landlord agrees. Protected tenants and local authority and registered social landlords tenants have the right to carry out improvements themselves, with their landlords written consent. Local authority tenants have a right to compensation for improvements they carry out themselves. Assured and assured shorthold tenants have a right to make disability-related improvements with their landlords consent.

If the local authority is the landlord, it may be worth checking whether the authority has included the work within its planned maintenance programme and intends to carry it out in the near future.

If negotiation fails If negotiation fails, you could take one or more of the following courses of action:-

use the rent to pay for repairs. Remember that this is a risky course of action, unless the correct procedure is carefully followed. You must not simply withhold rent
take court action yourself against your landlord get the local authority to take action if you are a tenant of a local authority or of a registered social landlord, you can claim compensation under the right to repair scheme contact an ombudsman
if the problem relates to electricity, gas or fire safety, contact the appropriate body consider eligibility for a housing grant, loan or other type of assistance for repairs or improvements.

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Davinos Greeno works for the green companies and fairtrade shopping directory that lists 100s of Organic and Ethical Companies

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/what-is-a-pre-housing-tenancy-determination.html http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/what-is-a-pre-housing-tenancy-determination.html Sat, 17 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0600
This pre-tenancy determination must be applied for before the tenancy starts or is renewed, and before the client makes or renews a housing benefit claim, and must have the landlords consent. The application, which must be made on a special form, can be delivered in person, posted or faxed. The local authority will send it to the rent officer (known as a valuation officer in N. Ireland) for the pre-tenancy determination and must do so within two days of receiving the application.

The rent officer will make a determination and send a copy to the applicant, the landlord and the local authority. This should be done within five days of the rent officer receiving the application. The determination will show the rent officers assessment of the local reference rent and the relevant rent for housing benefit purposes. It will be valid for twelve months from the date it is made.

If an application for a pre-tenancy determination has previously been made in respect of a housing benefit claim for the same property by a past tenant, the local authority must inform the applicant, enclosing a copy of that determination, within four days of her/his application. If a previous referral to the rent officer is used, it must be for a tenancy on the same or similar terms and for the same household composition, and must have been made within the last twelve months.

If people are relying on housing benefit to pay their rent, then they must inform the local council regarding any changes to their circumstances. This includes people moving in or out of the property or increasing or decreasing the number of paid hours in employment. Failure to inform the local council could mean that housing benefit is overpaid which will mean the local council will ask for it back if and when they find out.



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Davinos Greeno works for the green companies and fairtrade shopping directory that lists 100s of Organic and Ethical Companies

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/science/environment/bio-fuels-take-food-off-my-plate.html http://www.articletrader.com/science/environment/bio-fuels-take-food-off-my-plate.html Sat, 17 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0600
Maize used to be used for food aid or cattle feed but is now being used as fuel to save the enviroment and reduce the dependncy on oil for Western governments at a time when most oil producing countires seem to be disagreeing with the West. There could be a time when these oil producing countries start to starve the West of oil due to their actions in the international arena.

What about my pennies? This increased use of food for fuel is leading to record prices for maize, as the demand increases so does the cost. Warburtons my favorite bread in the whole world will have to pay more for wheat which will then passed onto good old me! Could the days of a 20 pence supermarket own branded loaves that I ate as a student be over? And its not just bread that is effected, my bacon butties will get more expenssive as pigs are fed mainly on grain.

The UNs World Food Organisation predicts that demand for biofuels will grow by 170% in the next three years. The global population is rising by 87 million people a year; developing countries such as China and India are switching to meat-based diets that need more land and water. As the West turns vegetarian, the East turns to meat. Its like a game of opposites.

The immediate best bet is that countries that are new to the EU such as Poland and the Ukraine will grow more food for export as they have a bigger market with more demand.

This at least will lead to my bacon butties remaining affordable and keep a smile on my face.

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Davinos Greeno works for the green companies and fairtrade shopping directory that lists 100s of Organic and Ethical Companies

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/science/environment/pay-as-you-throw-rubbish-collection-system-is-just-plain-daft.html http://www.articletrader.com/science/environment/pay-as-you-throw-rubbish-collection-system-is-just-plain-daft.html Sat, 17 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0600
There is the danger that people would try to side-step the system by burning their rubbish and fly-tipping. How easy would it be to open your neighbours bin and put your bags in there after removing all incriminating evidence of course! Would we all have to lock our bin lids to prevent this? This would mean councils replacing the existing bins with lockable bins unless they can add a lock to the existing ones which I doubt they can.

With bonfire night around the corner peoples household rubbish could be the new scrap wood, not only is it fuel but it would save you money as well under this new proposal, or are the councils going to hire bonfire inspectors to check on the contents of the bonfire to check that you are not burning waste and hence potential revenue for the council?

I really cant see it working – how much are they going to reduce our council tax bill by? I see a scenario like this – the council reduces your tax bill by say £10 a month if you recycle more. They then increase your council tax bill by a minimum of 5% per year in most places but then have to hire more workers and vans to ensure that everyone has access to a good roadside recycling service with a weekly food waste collection. This of course costs money so mmmmm we are putting bills up by 5% which adds up to more than £10 per month I don’t seem to be better off financially yet they told me I would be and yet I am doing more work some people will say. Is this just selfish?

To look at the bigger picture - The UK produces more waste per head of population than many of its European counterparts and has one of the worst recycling rates.

There are three potential schemes for cutting the amount of waste going into landfill:

1)a sack-based system in which householders buy different sized pre-paid sacks for general household waste – my question is do we buy these with our weekly shopping and how much are they going to cost? Surely this would mean paying up front for waste? We have a high enough shopping bill as at is!

2)A weight-based system is also suggested where wheelie bins are fitted with chips to allow the bins to be weighed when they are loaded on to the vehicle; this would be mean expensive modifications to bins and vehicles and more labour time for the dustbin men. Surely people would then just take heavy waste to the tip and put the lighter, smaller items in the bin?

3)The final idea is a volume-based system in which households choose from a range of wheelie bin sizes, and are charged accordingly. I can just imagine my little old neighbour who might produce a lot of rubbish dragging a huge bin up and down the garden path.

Saying this - similar schemes elsewhere in Europe had allegedly been successful, leading to much higher recycling rates.

I am a strong supporter as many of you are to schemes that reward people for recycling as this is the way forward to get the average joe recycling more. What we are all against is extra taxes disguised as helping the environment such as congestion charges to name just one!

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Davinos Greeno works for the green companies and fairtrade shopping directory that lists 100s of Organic and Ethical Companies

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/finance/debt/housing-demand-and-the-resulting-debt-crisis.html http://www.articletrader.com/finance/debt/housing-demand-and-the-resulting-debt-crisis.html Sat, 17 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0600
What people have failed to realise is, is that this remortgage or loan has to be paid back and that interest rates have been historically low so that when they started to increase people found that they couldn’t afford to repay the loans and repossessions have rocketed!!

Tut tut. Debt advice workers are now especially busy trying to sort this mess out! Even some banks are struggling as people are defaulting on these loans. I have heard that some mortgage advisers are encouraging people to inflate their own wages so that they can buy bigger houses and they can get bigger commissions from the sales. A few years down the line all this goes wrong as interest rates and repayments increase at a faster rate then our wages that seem to increase at a much lower rate than inflation on a yearly basis. With more increases in petrol prices my money is having to stretch further and further every week!

Whats needed is a housing price correction so that people can afford to get on the housing ladder without spending 6+ times their yearly earnings which is the most recent figure for the wages/cost of houses ratio. This is the highest figure in decades. House builders should also hang their heads in shame at the landbanks which they have in their possession. Many house builders own land for building hundreds of thousands of houses on (im not exaggerating here) which they are saving for a rainy day. As demand for houses and land increases this land becomes more and more valuable so they buy more for the landbank which leads again to an increase in prices and so on. What is needed is for the governments to force these builders to build after a certain number of years if it is ex-government land which it normally is.

Until then prices will keep on increasing until a bigger debt crisis throughout Europe and North America leads to an uneatable level of repossessions and a debt crunch which effects everyone and could pull our countries into a recession not seen for decades.


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Davinos Greeno works for the green companies and fairtrade shopping directory that lists 100s of Organic and Ethical Companies

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]>