Much as though the so-called 'mile high club' might be attractive to some people, joining it does involve getting on an aeroplane, which some of us do not want to do.... So I have joined the No Miles High Club, a pioneering initiative to reward people for not flying.
Based in York, this launched on 27th January at the Pivo Bar in the centre of the city, and to join you simply have to pledge to not fly for the next 12 months. Members who have not flown during the last year were offered a free drink (I had a lovely bottle of Suffolk Cider!) and the benefits include a 5% discount at Alligator Wholefoods, a well-known organic/local/fairtrade goods shop in York, a 'buy one get one free' for drinks at Millers Yard Healthy Living Centre, and discounts ot ONE Ethical Boutique.... a place I know nothing about, yet! Members will also get invited to various events and promotions during the year.
This is being funded by the Pollution Tax Association, a voluntary group based in York. Members pay a tax for pollution they cause, and the money is used to help combat the effects of climate change, mainly in developing countries, but also with things which will benefit the whole planet, such as flying less.
I think that this type of scheme is very worthy and helps individuals make ethical choices. I understand the criticisms of those who say that it's big businesses which cause the most pollution.... but who are their customers? We as individuals can make a difference and it's grass-roots campaigns and small steps in the right direction that I'm most interested in. In a few years, incentives like this will be commonplace and will be written in to corporations' business plans.
For example, today( 28/1/08), Oxfam and Marks and Spencer have launched an initiative to help reduce the million tonnes of clothing which we put in landfill every year. If someone takes a piece of M+S clothing to an Oxfam shop, they will get a £5 voucher to spend in an M+S store on purchases over £35. This will help Oxfam get more quality resaleable clothes and help M+S get people through their doors. And reduce landfill... where clothes rot to produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas. The clothes Oxfam gets are either resold in their high-street shops, or taken to festivals for resale as 'funky fashion', or taken to developing countries for use there, or finally, if not usable, are recycled as fibre for new clothes or for making into matress stuffing materials.
Clothing is the subject for my next column in Community Care magazine, and I am researching ideas to write about. Now clothing is a subject I know very little about, as I just chuck on a tee-shirt and jeans most days, but if anyone has any 'green clothes' info, I'd be glad to have it. Please send it to this website (info, not the clothes!!), thank you.