A Guide to Buying Ethical Chocolates
Published January 29, 2010
Chocolate has always been something of a guilty pleasure but the devil has always been in the calorie count. Now however we understand the origins of our chocolate and there’s a new guilt based on the ethics behind its manufacturer and transportation. Can there be a ‘green’ way to buy chocolate? Well, fairtrade organic chocolates are your best bet (and a great gift) so here’s a quick guide on how to choose your treats.
How ‘green’ is chocolate?
For most of the world’s population chocolate can never be truly local because cacao beans can only be grown in tropical and equatorial climates. Ultimately this means that chocolate manufacture is going to involve shipping at some point and that increases carbon emissions. That’s the downside, the upside is that cacao beans, like coffee beans, are produced within infrastructures that allow fair trade bodies to oversee the agricultural process and so ensure that communities receive a fair price.
Top Recycled Gifts for 2010
Published January 25, 2010
What do we mean by recycled gifts? Well, we’re not talking about those gifts you received for Christmas and now want to pass on to someone else – that’s re-gifting (and not something that should be condoned!). Recycled gifts are presents you can buy which are produced using recycled materials.
As you head into the new year, it’s a great opportunity to evaluate just how eco-friendly you are and make changes to maximise your green potential. Recycling is something we can all be part of with very little effort, and that goes for giving gifts too.
Find Sunshine and Cheap Hotels Out of Season on Holiday
Published January 13, 2010
Relaxing on a sun drenched beach is a top holiday pastime, but it’s often confined to the tourist heavy peak seasons. For those seeking some winter sunshine, or perhaps looking to get away from the crowds and save a bit of cash at the same time, out of season holidaying is the answer. It doesn’t have to involve travelling half way across the globe either. There’s a good variety of year-round destinations waiting to be discovered closer to home, where warm weather and some great cheap hotels can be found.
Posted in Family, Finance, Travel | 
cheap hotels, Cyprus hotels, hotels in Tenerife, Sharm el Sheikh hotelsThe Benefits of Written Ads
Published January 3, 2010For any of us to communicate with another person, we must get our message across through one of their five senses. Advertisers, of course, know this. At times the sense of smell is used. You walk by a bakery and decide to stop in and find out what smells so good. The taste test is used for soda drinks or pizza ads. Pictures of food appeal to previous memories of its good taste. Touch is the main seller when people are buying a mattress. Consumers want to lie on it to find out if lying on it would be restful for eight straight hours.
Of the five senses, sight takes first place as most important. Researches discovered that 80% of what we learn is received through our eyes. Most of the rest comes through our ears. This means that radio ads must get the consumer to recall a vision, smell, feeling, or taste of the product through audio alone.