This week sees the annual fair trade fest that is Fairtrade Fortnight 2010!
The theme of this year’s fairtrade fortnight is The Big Swap, in which we’re all encouraged to swap as many of our usual products for fairtrade ones.
Even comedian Harry Hill has got in the act, launching a range of fair trade nuts.
And if you’re in need of a quick reminder of why it makes sense to buy fair trade, then check out this recent Guardian article.
A really busy start to 2010 has meant we’ve been neglecting the Jungle Berry blog.
But fear not! We’re back with our usual eclectic mix of news, views, interesting features and downright silliness.
Our latest news is that the hosting of the Jungle Berry website is now 100% powered by wind power.
And come back soon for more information on Fair Trade Fortnight!
Just a word on delivery options and Christmas post for your Jungle Berry orders:
Orders placed before 12pm (noon) will be dispatched the same day by Royal Mail First Class Recorded post.
Orders placed after 12pm (noon) will be dispatched the next day by Royal Mail First Class Recorded post.
Our delivery charge within the UK remains at £3.50.
For delivery in Europe it is £6.00. And for the rest of the World it is £10.00.
Christmas Post:
For items that need to arrive before 25 December, our last posting date for deliveries to the UK and Channel Islands is 21 December 2009.
Strikes:
In the event of postal strikes before Christmas, Jungle Berry will use other delivery providers to ensure your order arrives as promptly as possible.
And finally:
Read our full terms and conditions here. Or just start shopping for fair trade jewellery or giftware.
We hope all Jungle Berry’s UK customers and friends were able to enjoy some fireworks this week.
After Fireworks Night, the stores gear up for Christmas shopping. At Jungle Berry, we’ll be launching more new original and ethically-sourced gifts and fair trade jewellery in the coming days.
If you’re doing Christmas shopping in London, check out the new desire lines installed at Oxford Circus to help pedestrians feel a little less like sardines in what is one of the most congested areas in the world.
Alternatively, if you’re looking for more ethical suppliers, we recommend a visit to the fair trade and ethical listings directory Ethical Junction.
We recently spotted this brilliant little cartoon in Private Eye.
Needless to say, there are no complete bastards here at Jungle Berry!
Manaus, the city in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest where Jungle Berry’s ethical jewellery is made, has hit the headlines recently.
Unfortunately, it’s for the wrong reasons, as the outrageous tale of Wallace Souza unfolds. This is the television presenter who is accused of ordering a series of murders to boost the ratings of his daily crime show.
Manaus can be edgy, but it has a vibrant culture and a beautiful riverfront setting.
Aside from stranger-than-fiction tales, the temperature in Manaus is HOT. It even reached 45c last week, with humidity at something ridiculous like 99%.
Here’s Jungle Berry’s Yanara taking a break from another busy session with Jungle Berry’s cooperative, sipping on some chilled coconut water.
Jungle Berry will be exhibiting at Top Drawer Autumn 2009, at London’s Olympia on 13-15 September.
Whether you’re the owner of an independent boutique, a buyer for a chain or department store, online or on the high street, we’ll be delighted to meet you at STAND H49.
For the exclusive launch of Jungle Berry’s Autumn/Winter ethical jewellery ranges, come and see us!
The sky over the Amazon stretches into space and merges into water.
Sky over the Amazon River
Inspired by the endless and beautiful skies above the rainforest, Suzanne Campbell has created the Sky Collection for Jungle Berry, one of the new ethical jewellery ranges that we’re launching this September.
Sky Earrings for Jungle Berry, featuring sustainably-sourced Acai.
Watch this space for all the new ethical jewellery inspired by the Amazon Rainforest and designed by Suzanne Campbell exclusively for Jungle Berry!
Loads of you sent in emails and comments after our last post on eco-dilemmas, so we thought we’d re-visit the thorny old issue of ethical and eco-dilemmas.
We live in confusing times. If, like us, you try to do your bit for the environment by buying locally-sourced food when it’s in season, the news that tomatoes and strawberries grown in the UK may actually leave a bigger carbon footprint than those shipped to the UK from Spain comes as a bit of a surprise!!
Are you in a muddle when it comes to deciphering the benefits of organic versus local, natural cosmetics or ethical fashion? This article from the Guardian gives a good introduction to the reasons why ethical fashion came about and some of the benefits of ethically-sourced fashion.
Here at Jungle Berry, we aim to provide you with real transparency about our ethical jewellery, our principles and our producers. The difference that a purchase of a Jungle Berry product represents is real and tangible to our producers in the Amazon Rainforest.
Working with communities in the Amazon using sustainably-sourced forest materials helps to create commercial value in the standing forest and its sustainable riches.
That means less deforestation and the development of a sustainable forest-based economy. Because right now, 17% of the world’s carbon emissions are caused by forest clearing.
Of course, a lot of eco-dilemmas are difficult to answer, and being ‘green’ isn’t always straightforward. As much as anything, it’s about making informed decisions about what and how we consume. So it’s great there’s all this debate out there, led by the likes of these 10 Green Royals.
Here at Jungle Berry we try to keep things as straightforward and honest to their origins as possible. We support artisan craftsmanship, sustainable production methods and design that’s unique. Because there shouldn’t be any dilemma about people and planet.