Keep Saving the Bees!

Unfortunately, this is a very serious issue that is being casually overlooked or grossly misunderstood by the vast majority of people!

Here is a good article that helps to explain why we need to save the bees: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2008/nov/21/wildlife-endangeredspecies and an older post from this blog: http://365days2changetheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/save-bees.html

To buy gorgeous beauty products that support saving the bees, go to NYR Organics' Bee Lovely range, mentioned here in the 10 best pollen-inspired beauty products.

Sign a petition to help save the bees- read about who is involved and why in this email that I received from SumofUs.org:

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Ronell,

Bees are dying off around the world in record numbers -- but big retailers are still selling the poison that is killing them.

Last season, 37 million bees (!) died on a Canadian farm. Scientists now know why – study after study shows that deadly pesticides called "neonics", manufactured by Bayer, are killing them. 

Giant retail stores around the world like Home Depot, Bunnings, and Lowe's are still selling the deadly pesticides, but pressure is mounting. If one of the stores commits to stop carrying the pesticides, it could start a snowball effect that sees other stores drop the bee-killing chemicals too.

In just two weeks, SumOfUs' activist beekeepers will travel to deliver our petition on the corporations' home turf. Can you add your name now, so the retailers see the tide of public opinion and commit to stop selling bee-killing pesticides?

Tell giant retail stores to stop selling bee-killing pesticides.

Earlier this year, SumOfUs supporters called on these retail giants to stop selling neonics, with thousands flooding their phone lines and speaking out in store. Now, we've learnt that North American based Home Depot could be on the cusp of doing the right thing and taking the bee-killing chemicals off its shelves. We need to send a message to tip Home Depot over the edge, and pressure other stores to act as well.

The dangerous chemical Bayer makes is a neonicotinoid, or neonic. Neonics are soaked into seeds, spreading through the plant and killing insects stopping by for a snack -- and sold in garden stores around the world, too. These pesticides can easily be replaced by other chemicals which don’t have such a devastating effect on the food chain. But companies like Bayer and Syngenta make a fortune from selling neonics -- so they’ll do everything they can to protect their profits. 

History shows that consumer pressure on retailers works. Europe's partial ban on neonics was caused by a huge movement that pushed some of the biggest retailers in the EU to voluntarily remove neonics from their shelves. But there is not a moment to lose. Please take action now to keep the pressure on the big retail giants so we can protect our bees and our planet's future

Call on retail giants to get rid of the bee-killing neonics.

SumOfUs has been right at the front of the global campaign to save our bees. We came together to fight Bayer at a huge independent garden store show in Chicago, where the German chemical maker was out in force. We're taking legal action in Europe to defend the EU's ban against Bayer, and just last week spoke out at Bayer's annual shareholder meeting in Germany. But to win this fight, we need to push the retailers to drop these bee-killing pesticides now.

Thank you for being one of us,

Taren, Paul, Angus and the team at SumOfUs.org

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More information:

CNBC: Bee activists swarm Home Depot and Lowe's, 14 February 2014

Mother Jones: 3 New Studies Link Bee Decline to Bayer Pesticide, 29 March, 2013

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Blessings!

Ronell x

{photo credit: https://www.facebook.com/NYRORonell}

Lent: Day 11 // Go Green for St Patrick's Day

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{Lent} Day 11:

40 acts // One green thing // Most of us aren’t eco-warriors all of the time, but we can take time to educate ourselves on the best ways to preserve God’s creation, and we can commit to doing one green thing. Change something simple, like switching from plastic bags to reusable ones, or walking to work a few days per week instead of using the car. Today is St Patrick’s Day and green is everywhere, so use that as a reminder! And if you’ve got any other simple green ideas, feel free to post them on the Facebook page.

{photo credit: http://www.abelandcole.co.uk/news/shoes}

I am very much pro living an eco-friendly, green lifestyle, so was thrilled with this challenge! I took the opportunity today to use my reach at the school where I work to send out a letter to parents about this initiative by Abel & Cole in association with Starfish Malawi. From 17th - 28th March, Abel & Cole will be collecting pre-loved (or new) children's shoes at the same time as delivering their local, ethically sourced, organic produce. My Abel & Cole delivery day is a Wednesday, so I have two Wednesdays to collect as many pairs of shoes as possible! Last year, they managed to send 5,000 pairs of shoes to African orphanages and this year, I want to be involved in making that number even more impressive! 

So a few more tips for living green (by no means exhaustive, but just throwing out ideas):

1) Eat as local and as organic as you can: I get an Abel & Cole delivery, which is amazing and very reasonably priced! They even schedule your delivery day in a way that makes it as eco-friendly as possible :) 

2) Use eco-friendly cleaning products: I currently use a lot of Method and Ecover products (also available through Abel & Cole), but there are even more eco-friendly products out there! I also have an amazing cleaning service called Bright & Beautiful that comes in to clean my flat some weeks that only uses eco- friendly products.

3) Use organic beauty products: In my quest to discover new organic, natural beauty products, I came across two brands I love: Dr Organic at Holland and Barrett (I can highly recommend their organic cotton wool), and, my absolute favourite, Neal's Yard Organics. I loved Neal's Yard Organics so much that even became an Independent Consultant for them and now sell their products! 

4) Using reusable bags made of natural fibres, rather than plastic bags is a must!

5) Buying ethically: ignorance is not an excuse! You can now easily identify products that are Fairtrade or through the Rainforest Alliance for example. But everything, including clothing, has the example of making you a part of the slave trade (which is far bigger now than it has ever been!) if you don't do your homework and make wise, ethical choices!

6) Using re-usable packaging: rather than buying a new water bottle daily, get one (preferably glass or BPA free plastic if you must have plastic) that you can wash and reuse. Same goes for lunch boxes, cutlery, etc - reusable, not disposable! The small effort of having to wash something up is far outweighed by the good that you are doing for the environment or so many levels! You can get some great bkr bottles from one of my absolute favourite organisations, Sevenly, which is not only good for the environment, but also donates to the cause of the week! (Also, check out their clothing, etc for point 5 above).

7) Passing on what you know to others: I blog and post through social media a lot, but recently I have also started using my role as a teacher to get people (my class in particular) to be passionate about making a difference in the world that we live in and, I tell you what, it has been incredible to see the ripple effect! I teach 4-5 year olds and people  might think they are too small to do anything, but if you can inspire a child that age to have a heart for changing the world, you are going to end up with a pretty incredible, world-changing adult! Can't wait to see how that turns out! :)

Live Free // Go through your possessions and give the stuff you no longer need to your local charity shop. Furniture, gadgets, DVDs, and books; give those things you’re never going to use again #BeFree #LiveFree.

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Hope your Lent efforts are still going strong!

Blessings!

Ronell x

"Around me when I look, His handiwork I see; This world 
is a picture book to teach His love to me"

{Jane E. Leeson}