Green family go Soap Nuts

4:56pm Thursday 4th September 2008

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THE WEST Wiltshire family who are taking part in our How Green Can You Go? challenge to lead a 'greener' lifestyle for the next six months visited a shop specialising in ethical, Fairtrade, organic and eco-friendly goods.

Carolyn Gregory, 43, and her 12-year-old daughter Eloise visited Cottage Wholefoods/ Who Cares in Silver Street, Bradford on Avon, which is run by Christine Giles.

The shop sells all sorts of food, including organic fruit and vegetables, eco-friendly cleaning products, household goods and clothes.

Ms Giles took them round the store and talked them through how they can make more ethical choices when they are doing their weekly shop.

She said: "The main thing I talked to them about was our refills. We sell washing up liquid and all sorts of other goods and then let you refill the bottle for half the price when you run out.

"I also talked to them about buying paper products that are made from recycled paper produced in the UK and buying food that has fewer food miles so there has been less pollution in transporting it to the shops.

"People don't usually thing that Fairtrade products mean they will be more environmentally-friendly but to be Faitrade they often have to meet strict criteria about caring for their environment as well as paying their workers a fair wage.

"Buying organic also means that you are buying from farms that are caring for their environment.

"For example, organic chicken farmers now have to buy feed from within a very small radius of their farm."

Mrs Gregory and her daughter found the visit an interesting experience and said she learnt a lot.

She said: "It was quite an eye-opener.

"I bought a packet of soap nuts - you put five or six in a washbag and put them into the washing machine and they are meant to leave your clothes just as clean as normal powder.

"I was quite sceptical about them, but they are really good. The powder can sometimes take the colour out a bit but these didn't and the towels felt just as soft.

"Plus they are cheaper because you can reuse them - a box costs £2.50 and does 30 washes.

"I'm definitely going to go back there and try some other things."

The soap nuts come from trees in Africa and are less polluting to the water system because they are a natural products.

Rowena Quantrill of Climate Friendly Bradford also accompanied Mrs Gregory on her visit.

She said: "I really enjoyed the visit too and learnt some new things such as the fact that liquid soda crystals are a much more environmentally friendly alternative to bleach for getting rid of strains on clothes."

The next thing the Gregory family will be doing is visiting Hills Recycling Centre to find out what happens to the mountains of rubbish the district throws away every week.