Have you ver wondered about Tetra Pak cartons? They are becoming more and more common on our shop shelves - just how green a solution are they?

The environmental downsides to plastic bottles are mostly well known: they are expensive to recycle, recycling rates are low, there are limited options for the use of recycled plastic material, and plastic litter can wreak havoc with the environment. So, any person or business who are environmentally conscious, of course, would try to reduce and eliminate their plastic use.

Because of these considerations there has been an increase in metal and cardboard being used for drinks and liquid containers.

The rise in popularity of cardboard cartons, however, which are really complex composites of plastic-lined cardboard and aluminum, is a deeply imperfect solution.

Reducing plastic waste is only part of the problem: if plastic is replaced by containers that are not easy to recycle either then the replacements may not lead to an environmentally...

The benefits of having an electric vehicle

In late 2020 I took the plunge and decided to buy an electric vehicle (EV), why not? Imagine never having to pay for petrol again (what a plus), imagine saving money (another plus) while I am helping the environment (super plus).

I guess what I didn’t know at the time are the many challenges an EV owner in Ireland will have to encounter.

The challenges of having an electric vehicle 

To say the EV charging stations network is not fit for purpose is an understatement. There simply are not enough charging points to accommodate us all, and as car sales for EV continue to double every quarter, I often wonder where are we all going to charge our cars?

Story time 

Let me tell you a short story.

I am travelling from Cork to Dublin and with 16Km left on the battery I decide to stop at a gas station in Tipperary. As so often happens, there is only 1 EV charging station set up and available. To add to this, there is a car...

Guilt Free Sustainable Valentine’s Day

 

Whether you are spending the Valentine’s Day with your partner, celebrating Galentine’s day with friends or practicing some self-care for this time of year we have tips and ideas to stay sustainable this Valentine’s Day!! 

Gifts

Bring your love a potted house plant instead of flowers.

They will last so much longer and will be something beautiful to remind them of your thoughtfulness brightening up the home.

Choose Fairtrade Chocolates

Firstly these treats will be high quality and more delicious.

Secondly you will be supporting fair pay and safe and healthy working conditions for farmers and producers.

Organic and natural wine

Organic winemakers strive to use practices that promote biodiversity and minimize chemicals when making wine. So this wine is free of additives like sulphuric acid, refined sugars and clarification agents. Plus, since organic and natural wines use less...

ESG is currently a buzzword that people are either very familiar with or have simply heard about.

The fact is, that ESG is going to become an integral part of how we all do business, particularly on how we report on the sustainable practices of our company in a transparent way.

(For more on ESG - check out our October 2022 blog)

KALDEWEI is a company that we came across early last year and we were delighted to be able to interview one of their international project managers Paul MacSherry on the business itself and LUXSTAINABILTY®.

They also shared their recently published ESG sustainability report which we view as best practice standard and a shining example of how businesses should be reporting on all aspects of their business’ operations including Scopes 1, 2 and 3.

It touches on all 17 UN SD Goals and is presented in a clear and transparent way.

But who are KALDEWEI and who are their clients?

KALDEWEI is a 104 year old German family owned business, manufacturing...

“As the Climate Crisis deepens, the financial sector will play a key role.”

Without the financial sector's support, it will become increasingly difficult to bring the required awareness to environmental issues globally. Money talks and money propels action.

Investment is crucial to projects and businesses who are supporting and practising environmentally sustainable strategies and researching innovative energy solutions. What Is Sustainable Finance and Why Is It Important?

But what is Green Finance?

In layman’s terms and according to the World Economic Forum - it is any “structured financial activity that’s been created to ensure a better environmental outcome”.

Greater accountability is needed and this is where we see Green Finance playing a huge part.

There has been a significant increase in the availability of green finance to businesses to help make them greener but more importantly, the investment sector, both public and private, are...

Check out our Sustainable Christmas Guide  from FSG  with tips to get you through the festivities!

The days are getting shorter, and we are near the mid way mark of December. That means that the festive season is nearly upon us and as the weather turns frostier, we all can’t help but think about the list of things we need to complete before D-Day; presents for loved ones, Christmas dinner shopping plus all the other bits that end up in the trolley - “just in case”!

In the background of course, the energy crisis still looms large in our minds,  along with the cost of living so as we always say here at FSG - being resource efficient goes hand in hand with cost savings!

So there’s no harm giving it a go this Christmas 

You can reduce waste and costs this silly season, while not sacrificing on the fun and merriment - check out some of the tips you’ll find in the guide!

Shop Local for gifts!

Enjoy a zero food waste festive season!

Get...

What does “Net Zero” really mean? 

The United Nations set a global goal to limit global warming to 2 C (preferably 1.5C) above pre-industrial levels. To achieve such an important target, most of the companies need to be Net Zero in their emissions by 2050. 

To achieve Net Zero, an organisation needs to cut all GHG emissions (CO2, methane, NO2 and other hydrofluorocarbons) as close to zero as possible*. In other terms, greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere must be equivalent to the greenhouse gases being removed from the atmosphere. 

*You’ve may also have heard about carbon neutrality, it refers only to CO2 emissions, its kind of green washing!

The Net Zero Greenwashing: carbon credits and long-term goals

         Carbon credits 

How can the most emitter companies as Shell or BP be doing net zero pledges? Well, one of the main strategies of big corporations is to invest in carbon credits. In other words, they pay...

Every newspaper is talking about the climate summit that is happening from the 6th to the 18th of November in Egypt: the COP 27.  In this post, we will explain to you what is being discussed, and why it is so important. 

‍ What is COP? 

Since 1992, there have been 27 climate summits called “Conference of the Parties”. Almost every country on Earth is attending, to discuss how to tackle climate change. 

The conference brings together all levels of society: heads of state and ministers, along with climate activists, civil society representatives, NGOs and CEOs. Therefore, COPs are the perfect opportunity to: 

              Review the current steps nations are taking to face climate change 

              Establish new strategies to reduce emissions and achieve Net Zero worldwide 

              Define new...

Dane Barnard becomes the first qualified Green Manager in the UK 

Dane Barnard, executive chef at Humble Grape - Battersea, has become the first person in the UK to successfully complete a brand-new qualification for Environmental Sustainability Management in Hospitality.  

Fifty Shades Greener (FSG) and the Confederation of Tourism & Hospitality (CTH) joined forces in late 2021 to create the first Level 4 certificate in environmental sustainability management in hospitality. This is the first qualification of its kind to be regulated as an official qualification on the Ofqual framework of education. 

“Reducing carbon emissions should be something that becomes paramount in our daily routines if we really want to provoke a mind-set change. Environmental education is key to driving this transformation and the general education system has a responsibility to not only prepare learners for the world of work, but provide them with the skills to influence...

Today, 16th of October, is “World Food Day”. Food is rising in price, but in 2019, Ireland wasted 1.1 million tonnes of food waste, or 55 kg per head.  We are dedicating this post to showing you how to reduce your food waste, save money and buy more sustainable. 

Food waste 

Retain this sentence: 1/3 of the global food produced is lost or wasted 

Consumers, supermarkets, and retailers play an important role in this percentage. When we waste food, we are wasting other resources, such as the energy and the water that were required to be produced. If food loss and waste were a country, it would be the third-biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions.

Fruits and vegetables, plus roots and tubers have the highest wastage rates of any food (40-50%) compared to cereals (30%), fish (35%), oil seeds, meat, and dairy (20%) 

Some tips to reduce your food waste (and, at the same time, save money): 

Buy only what you...