The Greens

Lying in bed last night perusing the Taste Magazine, chocolate Steri Stumpie in hand, I stumbled upon a little blurb about Woolies opening its first eco-friendly store within the Palmyra Shopping Centre in Claremont, Cape Town. I can't find more detail online, but the article detailed how the retailer has used green building practices, energy recycling techniques, grey-water systems and the use of natural air and light to conserve energy. The new eco-friendly store opens on October 28th. I agree that Woolies has some work to do on improving the carbon footprint of its packaging, but I think this is a pioneering move in terms of retail and I hope Pick n' Pay, SPAR and Checkers follow suit. Now if only I could convince the gyms in South Africa to power their facilities with the energy generated from bicycles and treadmills.

I've got my new eco-friendly reusable ceramic mug from vida e caffe. Do you?

brandslut xoxo

Woolworths Living Wall

Click here to plant a free virtual seedling in aid of World Food Day on October 16th and uniting against hunger. For every virtual seedling planted,  Woolworths will plant a real plant at a school in South Africa with a permaculture food garden. Do it NOW, you've got no excuse!

brandslut xoxo

Talking Trash

DDB Berlin have pushed the boundary for client VW with their new ambient campaign to let Germany know that the new Polo is made from 95% recycled materials. Recycling is big in Germany [and Japan] and DDB decided to use recycling bins, a previously underutilised space, to get their point across. Whilst I feel the execution is eye-catching and [kinda] gets the point across, I also feel the campaign is a dangerous one that  renders the product disposable or compares the car to trash. Or is it just me?

Der new Polo, made from 95% recycled materials

"Two Martinis, bitte."

"Dry?"

"Nein, I said TWO!"

brandslut xoxo

The Reel Deal

I seem to have inherited The Salty C Dog's green fingers which at this stage is proving to be more of a curse than a talent. Clothing shopping has got nothin' on garden shopping. Fact. Jozi's climate is perfect to grow just about anything and you'd be silly not to. The bushy Bad Boys in the tub on the right are Heinz tomatoes and I planted them as seedlings three weeks ago. Holy crap! They pretty much grow like weeds and soon I'll be able to have an entire salad from the garden. Note to self: must buy goat. 

 I've now managed to add artichokes, basil, mint, parsley, coriander, lettuce, tomatoes, chilli, avocado, nectarines, figs, raspberries, tree-tomatoes, carrots, spinach, green-beans, butternut and edible flowers to my Garden of Death. Yes, Mr. Carrot, you will be murdered at some point, sorry about that. 

Claire Reid is my hero and also the hot young South African mastermind behind Reel Gardening:

"Reel Gardening is a simple, cost-effective and convenient means for people to grow vegetables, herbs, and flowers from seed. Reel Gardening is a biodegradable paper strip that encases seeds with fertiliser at the correct distance apart.  The strip is planted vertically and indicates the correct depth that it must be buried below the soil.  The depth varies according to the variety and is indicated by a colour-coded strip. 

Reel Gardening is aimed at a health conscious consumer as well as individuals who do not have the ability to carry out the often complicated tasks encountered when trying to sow seeds. Reel Gardening produces ten vegetables, nine herbs and three flowers"

Bang. How awesome is that? 

She invented the Reel Gardening concept at 16 and has since gone on to win a compost heap of awards, including the Stockholm Junior Water Prize. Claire's seed-strips make growing fruit, vegetables and flowers fool-proof and can be purchased here or online. Get your company to get involved in CSI through the Garden in a Box concept which enables and empowers communities to implement their own  sustainable food projects throughout South Africa through a user-friendly and educational medium with which Reel Gardening hopes to alleviate food shortages and promote self-sustaining communities.

 Now you've got no excuse. 

 brandslut xoxo