Organic Vending Machines
November 2, 2007
YoZone by YoNaturals is a vending machine dedicated to organic products. Based in San Diego, USA, YoNaturals offers an alternative to vending machines that are typically stocked with food that isn’t particularly good for you.
YoNaturals offers a wide range of items, from fresh fruit to products by apparently well-known brands like Tazo (tea), Clif Bar (energy bars), Vitamin (beverages) and Horizon Organic (dairy). Operators and location managers can choose from more than 150 natural and organic foods and beverages, order through an online ordering system, and have the products delivered in less than three days. YoNaturals is actively seeking locations such as schools, shopping centres, offices, hospitals and fitness centres for placement of YoZone machines, seeking to cater to consumers on the go who are interested in healthier food options.
According to the USDA, sales of organic foods in the U.S. have been increasing 20-25% annually since 1990. Mark Trotter of YoNaturals explains: “We’ve studied the business models of Whole Foods, Wild Oats and many other healthy retailers, which have demonstrated that consumers are willing to pay two or three times for brands that they want, and believes that a similar healthy foods program can be developed for the automated vending space.”
[Via: The excellent Springwise]
Wake Up Gordon
September 12, 2007
We’re now in the second week of the Soil Association Organic Fortnight, and they have launched an online game called Wake Up Gordon.
“Play our online game to help Gordon Brown eat an organic, planet-friendly breakfast.
During we’re asking everyone to help Gordon Brown ‘Wake Up!’ to the benefits of organic food and farming, by feeding him an organic breakfast. Typically organic farming uses 30% less energy, so organic food is ‘planet-friendly’ food.
The Government knows this fact, but despite telling everyone to save the planet from climate change by switching to low-energy light bulbs or using their car less, it isn’t encouraging people to take the simple, everyday action of choosing organic food.
Come on Gordon, you know organic is better for people and better for the planet - so why don’t you tell everyone else? Are you just running scared of agribusiness, GM and pesticide companies?
In our new online game, you can feed Gordon an organic breakfast - it will cheer him up, give him the courage to stand up to agribusiness, and help save the planet!
The Soil Association will use the final tally of breakfasts fed to Gordon to put pressure on the Government to get behind organic.”
Is Organic Food Better For Your Heart?
August 27, 2007
According to the BBC and researchers in the USA, organic fruit and vegetables may be better for you than conventionally grown crops.
“A ten-year study comparing organic tomatoes with standard produce found almost double the level of flavonoids - a type of antioxidant. Flavonoids have been shown to reduce high blood pressure, lowering the risk of heart disease and stroke.”
Read more at the BBC.
Latest Green News
July 18, 2007
There hasn’t been a latest green news for a while, so here’s an extra long one for you to enjoy.
Marks & Spencer is to ban petrol-fuelled company cars, recycle more coat hangers and give its chickens more room to roam, according to new eco-pledges to be announced today. The 33-page report, contained in its annual corporate social responsibility review published alongside its annual report and accounts, makes 100 commitments to tackle climate change, cut waste, increase sustainability, encourage healthier lifestyles and make M&S a ‘fair partner’ to do business with.
Ikea is switching its entire UK company-car fleet to hybrid vehicles as a prelude to a possible company-wide shift to greener vehicles. The company said it would trade in its Skoda company cars for Honda Civic hybrids by next year in a pilot programme that it is considering extending to other countries.
The cost of organic fruit and vegetables could fall after the discovery of a new technique which extends the shelf life of fresh produce. Scientists have found that treating apples with short bursts of oxygen allows them to be kept in cold storage for as long as eight months without them developing any blemishes.
B&Q will this week pledge to abandon the sale of the endangered hardwood merbau at its Chinese stores amid criticism of China’s timber trade and mounting concern about the contribution of illegal logging to global warming. Executives from the company will hold a joint press conference with Greenpeace in Beijing on Tuesday at which they will outline plans to
abandon the wood which is currently used in flooring and furniture.
The Daily Express reported that Superfoods are not only enjoying a popularity boom, they are fuelling a multimillion-pound industry. Blueberries have enjoyed the biggest sales surge of all, up 132% in two years, with Britons spending 95m on them in the year to last month. Other foods renowned for their health benefits, such as broccoli, salmon and spinach, have also been selling strongly. The Evening Standard also reports that demand for organic and Fairtrade produce has soared. A poll has shown that the proportion of people agreeing that it is worth paying more for organic food has risen from 24.3% in 2002 to 33.4% this year.
The Guardian reported on a campaign to encourage shoppers and retailers to support the first ever national plastic bag-free Christmas. We Are What We Do has announced it plans this week to build on heightened public awareness about the issue to end the wasteful use of plastic bags and excessive packaging over Christmas. It hopes to persuade retailers to
tell shoppers that they will not automatically get a plastic bag, and to display a colourful logo saying “Plastic Ain’t My Bag”.
The government’s chief scientist Sir David King has advised that all food products should carry a carbon emissions label to enable shoppers to buy greener goods. He also called excessive packaging “a consumer tragedy”.
The Financial Times today reports that Europe’s agricultural ministers have agreed on a compulsory logo for organic food as new figures have revealed that an increasing number of farmers are switching to the production method in response to consumer demand. The logo will be used from 2009, however some producers have stated that standards have been set too low as they permit genetically modified material that accidentally enters the food chain.
Royal Mail, the UK postal services company, is to conduct trials of electric vehicles after awarding a contract to Tanfield. Royal Mail, which boasts a fleet of over 33,000 vehicles, has taken a single 7.5-tonne Newton electric truck and a single 3.5-tonne Edison van on trial. A successful trial could see Royal Mail place an order for more electric vans in a deal
that could potentially be the largest signed by Tanfield.
The Sunday Mirror today reports that sales of organic food have reached over £1b-a-year for the first time, increasing by 9.3% in the year to March 2007. A new report has revealed that the food has grown so popular that it is leading to new supply shortages. Dairy goods and fresh produce were the biggest sellers, with milk accounting for 19% of organic sales growth. Sales of organic poultry, fish and meat also rose by 11.5%.
The Evening Standard City Spy claims that Marks & Spencer’s new plastic bags, made with 20% recycled material, do not work. The article claims they are thinner and flimsier than the old bags, meaning that customers are forced to ‘double-up’.
The price of organic food could increase because of new rules about GM labelling, campaigners warn today. The Soil Association and Organic Farmers and Growers have pledged to keep their criteria of accidental GM contamination at 0.1%, despite EU agricultural ministers agreeing that 0.9 per cent should be the cut-off point for GM-free labelling. Maintaining this standard could incur extra costs to farmers and growers which would in turn push prices up.
Waitrose has started selling milk in plastic pouches after campaigners complained that the sale of millions of plastic milk bottles was threatening the environment. The pouches will be sold alongside special jugs to use them with.
All news is copyright of it’s original owner and reproduced for information only.
How To Trace The Origin Of What You Buy
July 16, 2007
There are a few websites out there that provide ways to trace the origin of the food products you buy. Nature & More is a company that evaluates the quality of organic food to any company that signs up. Each product gets a code that you can then enter on their website to get the full history of the product.
Wheresyoursfrom and MyFreshEgg are sites that provide the traceability of eggs, whilst Lloyd Maunder provides it for their lamb, Borges for their olive oil and Dole for their organic fruit.
[Via: Trendwatching]
UK Zero Emission Home Launched
July 4, 2007
A two bedroom house that apparently loses 60% less heat than a normal house, has been unveiled in the UK. The Kingspan Lighthouse generates all it’s own energy, estimating an average annual energy bill of just £31 ($60).
It does this using a biomass boiler than can run on organic material, with a waste separation unit that can provide more fuel, and solar panels on the back of the house.
However currently building costs are 40% higher than standard, though they will be exempt from Stamp Duty.
[Via BBC]
Take A Green Holiday in England
June 20, 2007
Enjoy England, the official tourist board for England, have launched their Rural Escapes campaign. Included in this are Green Escapes with information and inspiration on sustainable and organic hotels, stunning countryside walks, farmland retreats, regional food, farmer’s markets and much more.
“Stay in a teepee or castle, shop for organic food at a local market, get close to animals on a farm, take a vineyard tour, stroll along an empty beach at sunset, or try your hand at navigating a canal boat. All this and more is possible in England’s spectacular coast and countryside, and our brand new Rural Escapes campaign offers plenty of inspirational ideas and top tips for your next break, whether you’re travelling on your own, as a group, as a couple, or a family.”
Take a look and be inspired this summer for Rural Escapes.
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