News and Advice from the NGS team

25th June 10

Recycling Campaign

Recycling, Re-using, Reducing have always been keywords with us here at The Natural Grocery Store where we try to keep our environmental footprint as small as possible.

That’s why we recycle absolutely everything we can.  Sometimes, it’s almost in spite of ourselves – if you try to get through the corridor at the back of the store you can’t move for stacked cardboard ready to be recycled.  Look in the loo (no – really) – we’ve got a hippo bag to minimise the water we use, and you can wash your hands in biodegradable detergent.  You won’t find a standard lightbulb in the place – they’re all low-energy.  We use Ecotricity for all our power as well.

Rather than installing air conditioning, we’ve covered the front windows of the store with solar film to keep temperatures down.

Nearly all our staff cycle to work – and we make sure there are plenty of places they can leave their bikes safely.  With some places, you either get the feeling they’re using their environmental credentials as a marketing tool.  With others, it’s all so hair-shirted it hurts.  For us, it’s simple.  We believe the smaller our footprint, the better for the world.  That's why we recycle and re-use absolutely everything we can. 

When our chums at Suma carried out their repackaging exercise in April we were delighted that their own branded pre-packed range are now all in a revolutionary rPET (recycled PET) film bags. Well done Suma!

As exciting as this is however, it has highlighted the difficulty in finding sufficient places to recycle PET material when not in the more commonly known rigid PET bottle format.. Many councils find it difficult to deal with a PET film because it is likely to blow about – therefore Suma suggest that you roll up empty rPET bags and poke them into a PET bottle for easy recycling. Great thinking!

In their investigations into various waste handling operators whilst developing their new packaging, Suma soon realized just how ill equipped the UK is to meet its recycling targets and just how much more needs to be done to achieve this. Sadly PET recycling plants are few and far between but in order to put pressure on Local Councils to look at their current recycling facilities, Suma have composed the letter below that we invite you to use to voice your concerns over these issues:

Copy this and send it / email it directly to your local authority department responsible for rubbish, waste and recycling and copy to: info@lga.gov.uk (You may need to search your councils website for the right email address to send it to)

LETTER:
To whom it may concern,

 We feel that the UK is seriously lagging behind in the effort  to increase the amount of waste we, as a nation, divert from landfill into recycling.

In particular, the amount of plastic waste generated annually in the UK is estimated to be in excess of  3 million tonnes, of which approximately 56% starts its life as packaging. 

In 2006, the UK Government published national packaging recycling and recovery targets requiring 25.5% recovery of plastics waste by 2010.

Although facilities exist for easy-to-collect, profitable-to-process PET containers, other plastic packaging, including recycled PET film, is rejected.

The wholly unimpressive result of this lamentable state of affairs is that less than 10% of total plastic waste arisings are currently being recycled: plastic consigned to landfill can take 500 years to decompose.

We demand that government at both local and national level:

• put pressure on packaging manufacturers to use recycled and recyclable materials
• increase investment in appropriate recycling facilities
• incentivise the wider use of recycled plastics
• meet and then exceed its stated targets for recycling.

Yours faithfully,
[YOUR NAME]

6th Nov 09

Winter illness and the Swine Flu ~ How to build up your defences naturally.

If the projections turn out to be correct we could well be entering a winter when many will succumb to a greater or lesser degree to whatever colds and viruses are around us. Taking measures now to strengthen our immune systems is of paramount importance so that our defences are at an optimum level when greatest resistance is required. A strong immune system cannot be created overnight but is developed over time by ensuring optimal nutrition and supplementation on an ongoing basis. Therefore it is critical that we all look closely at what we can do to help ourselves, naturally.

Those of you who would much prefer to avoid the questionable approach of vaccinations and prescriptions should take particular note. There is a lot that you can do, read on..

Here at The Natural Grocery Store we are all too aware that offering you our wonderful range of truly natural foods, we’re helping people with their health as well as their enjoyment of life but as early winter approaches, our bodies are struggling to adjust to shorter daylight hours and colder temperatures with the result being that immune systems take a knock and we run the risk of becoming more susceptible to viruses such as winter colds and flu.

Is there anything that we can do to combat these viruses? We believe so!

Eat Better ~ Naturally!

As we all know, colds and flu are caused by us succumbing to viral infections and so anti-viral agents will help strengthen our immune defences and will to help our recovery. We have a huge range of potent anti-viral foods and supplements to help support and boost your immune system naturally.

Coconut oil ~ virgin coconut oil contains a powerful antimicrobial called Lauric acid which when used in your diet, can help kill germs in your body. Masses of research shows this to be one of the most potent antiviral foods. Furthermore it has one of the highest smoke points of all cooking oils. We can offer Biona Organic Virgin Coconut Oil in either 200g or 400g jars.

Omega rich fish or supplements ~ These contain the immune boosting and anti-inflammatory Omega 3 fats DHA and EPA. They also contain Vitamin D which is a key immune regulator and a vitamin that we absorb less of in the winter months. Top up on Omega 3 fats with our Fish 4 Ever range of sardines, mackerel or tuna ethically fished to maintain fish stocks or alternatively try our Omega rich oil supplements such as OmegaWise Cod Liver Oil 300ml, Eicosanoil Hemp Seed Oil, GranoVita Organic Flax Oil or GranoVita Speciality Omega Blend, newly relaunched Biona Linseed Oil, Clearspring Omega Oil and not forgetting the highly acclaimed Dr Udo’s Oil and capsules.

Garlic ~ Natural antiviral and antibiotic properties make garlic great at fighting winter coughs and sniffles. Garlic has been shown to reduce levels of cholesterol and also contains good levels of B6. Garlic should be added with reckless abandon to your meals but for best effect, do try to eat crushed and raw!  We have not only the fresh organic garlic but also Nature's Own Organic Garlic Food Supplement Capsules for those who enjoy the effect without the taste and the Blue Dragon Minced Garlic in a jar option being ideal for the lazy chef!

Pau D’Arco Tea. ~ is a natural grown herb derived from the inner bark of the Tabebuia Avellanedae or Tabebuia Impetiginosa (Taheebo) tree native to South America. It has been used for many centuries by the indigenous tribes of South America and over 20 active chemicals have been found in the tea which effectively combat bacterial & viral infections.

Cranberries ~ Studies have shown that cranberry juice has both anti-bacterial benefits as well as anti-viral. We have a huge array of cranberries in store whether you would like Pure Cranberry Juice by Biona, Organic Cranberries in Agave Syrup also by Biona, dried Organic Cranberries by Crazy Jack and Suma or even frozen cranberries by Ardo.

Incan Berries ~ The Incan berry is also known as Cape gooseberry and Goldenberry. It's flavour is a mixture of sweet and tart and the berries are full of tiny edible seeds. They are sun-dried, wild-crafted and delicious. They are a good source of bioflavonoids, which possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antiviral properties. They are high in phosphorus and vitamins A, C, B1, B2, B6, and B12. For a fruit, they are a good source of protein and rich in Pectin. Suma provide us with a 125g pack for you to boost your system.

Turmeric ~ Curcumin, a compound found in turmeric, has antiviral activity and has also been used in Asia for centuries as an anti-inflammatory agent so can also be of benefit for joint and muscle pain. Turmeric also a powerful antioxidant as well as being  a source of Vitamin B6, manganese and iron.. all in all a great superfood and a great excuse for a curry!

Star Anise ~ In China, Star Anise has been used traditionally as a powerful remedy for cough- cold and other viral diseases as well as being considered anti-bacterial and used as a diuretic. It contains a compound called Linalool which has been shown to be an anti-viral. Like all spices, star it also has strong antioxidant activity. In particular it protects against the oxidation of fatty acids thereby helping to contain the deposition of cholesterol deposits in the arterial walls. Limonene is another important phytonutrient found in star anise that demonstrates strong anticancer activity.

Overall there are a great number of foods that we provide that are great for boosting the immune system from chilli peppers to citrus fruit, broccoli to mangoes.. Eating these foods won’t guarantee perfect health, but they will definitely help. And don’t forget your Vitamin C, Zinc and Vitamin D3!