Earth Day - Green By Name Green By Nature
Today is Earth Day when more than a billion people celebrate Earth Day to protect the planet from pollution and deforestation. Here at Green & Jenks we will be giving away compostable seed pots with sun flower seeds in to mark the day.
In store, we are increasing our range of sustainable products here's a few:
As a responsible business owner, I am increasingly concerned about the impact my business has and at the same time aware of the good I can do to raise awareness of causes that I want to support and promote. Together we can start to stop the corrosive actions and ignorance that have a negative impact on the environment.
Whilst green washing is common by some organisations, as the CEO of Green and Jenks I have been an active person caring for the environment in several ways for decades either through volunteering, supporting environmental organisations or setting up my own plant business to promote British growers and reduce imported plants. My passion and beliefs are based on reducing our negative impact on the planet and educating people to make the world better for future generations to enjoy and appreciate.
This week I attended a meeting with Friends of the Earth in Abergavenny to listen to talk by Angela Jones and Kim Walters who are campaigning to save the River Usk which flows from the mountains of mid Wales, through Brecon, Crickhowell, Abergavenny where it meets the Bristol Channel at Newport.
SAVE THE RIVER USK
The River Usk holds a special place in my heart as it runs through the village where my father was born and our ancestors lived and farmed for centuries. He knew every nook and cranny in Pencelli and Talybont. He brought me up to understand nature, to listen and watch the birds, bats, spot holes in trees that were home to barn owls, and knew all the native flowers. He could even make a whistle from a blade of grass and loved nothing more than taking us to the pebble beaches of the River Usk and bounce pebbles across the clear fast flowing waters. He used to fish for brown trout on the River Usk, he loved it pan with butter and almonds.
Fast forward and the beautiful river he knew is no more. The River Usk is dying due to huge amounts of releases of sewerage and this is across all rivers in Wales. In fact Dwr Cymru is at the top of the Poo List which is published by Surfers Against Sewerage. Not something Wales should be proud of.
So at the talk this week we were shown scary statistics on the level of phosphates leaking into the rivers and the true state of the River Usk.
Angela Jones has been all over the press in recent years for her work to save the River Wye. She is a wild swimmer and in the last few years was noticing more pollutants in the river and decided to do something about it. So she set up volunteer groups on the Wye and now the Usk to start taking samples to measure phosphorus which is created by sewerage and from the over use of nitrates in farms.
Kim Waters has set up an action group called Welsh Rivers Union to encourage communities to take action and improve their Rivers.
Angela and Kim and have pledged to take action and raise awareness of the issues.
ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE
April 26th 7pm The Sessions House, Maryport Street, Usk NP15 1AD
May 26th 12pm - Brecon Canal Basin "Save the River Usk Protest " community action awareness
For more information www.savetheriversk.org or Facebook Save The River Usk
There have been some good tv programmes about this issue too with Paul Whitehouse and Fergal Sharkey to name just too.
Here are some useful links
Angela Jones Swim Wild - www.angelajonesswimwild.co.uk
Welsh Rivers Union - www.wru.org.uk
Surfers against Sewerage - www.sas.org.uk
Friends of the Earth - www.friendsoftheearth.org
River Action Group - www.riveractionuk.com
In store, we are increasing our range of sustainable products here's a few:
- Recycled glass vases
- Jewellery made from recycled sarees.
- Eco Pots made from recycled plastics - a beautiful range of light weight pots for large and small displays in your garden.
- Compostable Seedling pots are designed so you can avoid transplanting into the ground and the pot composts down in the soil.
- Reused preloved quality clothes store The Clothes Circle - slowfashion
As a responsible business owner, I am increasingly concerned about the impact my business has and at the same time aware of the good I can do to raise awareness of causes that I want to support and promote. Together we can start to stop the corrosive actions and ignorance that have a negative impact on the environment.
Whilst green washing is common by some organisations, as the CEO of Green and Jenks I have been an active person caring for the environment in several ways for decades either through volunteering, supporting environmental organisations or setting up my own plant business to promote British growers and reduce imported plants. My passion and beliefs are based on reducing our negative impact on the planet and educating people to make the world better for future generations to enjoy and appreciate.
This week I attended a meeting with Friends of the Earth in Abergavenny to listen to talk by Angela Jones and Kim Walters who are campaigning to save the River Usk which flows from the mountains of mid Wales, through Brecon, Crickhowell, Abergavenny where it meets the Bristol Channel at Newport.
SAVE THE RIVER USK
The River Usk holds a special place in my heart as it runs through the village where my father was born and our ancestors lived and farmed for centuries. He knew every nook and cranny in Pencelli and Talybont. He brought me up to understand nature, to listen and watch the birds, bats, spot holes in trees that were home to barn owls, and knew all the native flowers. He could even make a whistle from a blade of grass and loved nothing more than taking us to the pebble beaches of the River Usk and bounce pebbles across the clear fast flowing waters. He used to fish for brown trout on the River Usk, he loved it pan with butter and almonds.
Fast forward and the beautiful river he knew is no more. The River Usk is dying due to huge amounts of releases of sewerage and this is across all rivers in Wales. In fact Dwr Cymru is at the top of the Poo List which is published by Surfers Against Sewerage. Not something Wales should be proud of.
So at the talk this week we were shown scary statistics on the level of phosphates leaking into the rivers and the true state of the River Usk.
Angela Jones has been all over the press in recent years for her work to save the River Wye. She is a wild swimmer and in the last few years was noticing more pollutants in the river and decided to do something about it. So she set up volunteer groups on the Wye and now the Usk to start taking samples to measure phosphorus which is created by sewerage and from the over use of nitrates in farms.
Kim Waters has set up an action group called Welsh Rivers Union to encourage communities to take action and improve their Rivers.
Angela and Kim and have pledged to take action and raise awareness of the issues.
ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE
April 26th 7pm The Sessions House, Maryport Street, Usk NP15 1AD
May 26th 12pm - Brecon Canal Basin "Save the River Usk Protest " community action awareness
For more information www.savetheriversk.org or Facebook Save The River Usk
There have been some good tv programmes about this issue too with Paul Whitehouse and Fergal Sharkey to name just too.
Here are some useful links
Angela Jones Swim Wild - www.angelajonesswimwild.co.uk
Welsh Rivers Union - www.wru.org.uk
Surfers against Sewerage - www.sas.org.uk
Friends of the Earth - www.friendsoftheearth.org
River Action Group - www.riveractionuk.com
