Kill Standby Drainage With this Handy Device

I've discovered a great new store called Nigel's Eco Store - www.nigelsecostore.com

Direct link to the product is: http://nigelsecostore.com/acatalog/OneClick_IntelliPlug.html

On it I discovered this lovely little device. Granted its not sexy but what it does is quite exciting! You can get it elsewhere but here they explain what it is, how it works and, perhaps most importantly, that is recommended by the Energy Saving Trust. I've already recommended this organisation so I trust that this device does what it says it does. Also it was a good deal cheaper than some other similar devices I've seen out there.



Here's the description:

Plug your desktop computer into the master socket on the IntelliPlug, and your peripheral devices (printer, monitor, scanner, etc) into the other sockets and when you turn your computer on (or off), the IntelliPlug detects this and turns everything else on (or off) - saving you the hassle, and most importantly, stopping you from leaving them on standby.

• Leaving appliances on standby wastes a huge amount of energy, making the IntelliPlug a great tool for helping you to live a more eco-friendly life.
• It will also work with your hi-fi amplifier and separates (CD player, tuner etc).
• Recommended by the Energy Saving Trust, it has received a number of excellent reviews.
• Specification:
  • - this unit will automatically determine the on and off power level of any desktop computer or hi-fi audio visual amplifier to automatically power peripheral equipment, only when in use.
  • Lowest standby power of 0.4 of a watt saving an average 35 watts per hour depending on the number of connected peripherals.
  • Reaction time 5 seconds.
  • Maximum Power 13 amps.
• This product can pay for itself in less than a year of use.
• PLEASE NOTE: NOT SUITABLE FOR LAPTOPS

Ethiscore

www.ethiscore.org

A friend of mine advised me to avoid overuse of the term "ethical" on this blog if I wanted to reach more than just those who had already converted to the environmental cause. The environmental cynic would supposedly be turned off by talking about ethical companies as shopping ethically is, I assume, so hard to do. After all most companies out source to third world nations for labour, engage in harmful pollution, and put the bottom line ahead of everything else.

I used to agree, however, I'm finding out there's a lot of great changes going on out there and a lot of opportunity to use companies that are more ethical and environmentally friendly. The more consumers change their spending habits the more companies will change their ways.

Which brings me to Ethiscore.

Here's a great organisation that researches and ranks companies based on their ethical conduct. It researches companies practices in the following areas.

Environment (Environmental Reporting, Nuclear Power, Climate Change, Pollution & Toxics, Habitats & Resources)

People (Human Rights, Workers' Rights, Supply Chain Policy, Irresponsible Marketing, Armaments)

Animals (Animal Testing, Factory Farming, Other Animal Rights)

Politics (Political Activity, Boycott Call, Genetic Engineering, Anti-Social Finance, Company Ethos)

Product Sustainability (Organic, Fairtrade, Positive Environmental Features, Other Sustainability)

So now you can find out which companies are the most ethical and take it from there. My plan is to look at companies ethical and environmental policies and then look at price and service. If the price is way too high then I just won't use them. If there service is not good then I won't use it either. I'm certain I'll end up using a company that has better ethical and environmental practices than if I hadn't looked into it though.

As mentioned earlier on this blog I signed up for a Smile bank account based on the fact they have a great ethical policy, great rates, lower fees and great customer service. According to Ethiscore.org they rate a 7 out of 20 which is surprisingly low. The highest bank was Norwich & Peterborough internet banking and they rated just 13.5 out of 20. I could hang my head and give up or I could note that Lloyds TSB (my former bank) ranks a shocking 2.5 out of 20. In fact most of the big banks rank 4.5 or under. Go to http://www.ethiscore.org/ to see the rankings.

Ethiscore is a consumer funded organisation so there is a fee to join. 15 pounds gets you a years subscription.

Abel and Cole

http://www.abel-cole.co.uk

Organic produce delivered to your door. This highly ethical company also has unbelievable customer service.




They have a large selection of items beyond fruit and vegetables. They also have organic meat, beer, wine, environmentally safe cleaning products, recipes, and a plethora of other great stuff.

They have a mandate to source as much as they can locally and even plan their delivery routes based on the most efficient routes so as to reduce CO2.

They've won customer service awards and have scored 14th on the list of best companies to work for in the UK.

The Farmers Choice Initiative
They also have a charitable initiative wherein they generate funding for schools and support local farmers. Here's some info from their site. I hope to set this up with my school shortly.

• The Farmer's Choice has been designed to raise maximum funds for minimum effort (sounds "effortless" to me)
  
  
• Selling just 50 bags per week will raise around £3,000 per year for your school and takes just one person under an hour per week
  
  
• 25% of what parents and teachers spend on their fresh organic produce goes straight to the school
  
  
• Not only are you helping your school, you are also helping local British growers, as we give them 40% of the bag price

Great company, great services, helps the environment, helps education... did I mention great company? I like them.

Ethical Superstore

An online store with a HUGE range of products. One of the best things I noticed as I was surfing the site was a solar powered charger for electronic devices like phones and ipods. Great idea on so many levels.

First it's obviously portable so you can make sure your phone/ipod doesn't run out of juice.

Secondly why not use it at home and save on electricity? There's a huge issue coming up about products on standby and products that chargers that continue to suck electricity despite the battery being fully charged. In fact, California has just passed the "Vampire Slayer Act" (seriously!) to combat this kind of thing.

What's Standby?

Anything that displays a clock or any other information when you turn it off is still using electricity. Many TVs and computers don't fully power down when turned off.
Estimates of energy used from products on standby range from 10% - 30% of your energy bill!!!

The only knock I have on The Ethical Superstore is they seem to be expensive.

USwitch

Another price comparison site that's fantastic. The difference with this one is you can actually sort products by their "green" factor. I'm currently using it to switch my electricity and gas to the best and most economical green energy.

Which?

Which is a consumer organization which compares products and recommends BEST BUYS based on many factors. They include bang for the buck and they do all kinds of environmental assessments and battle for consumer rights.

They do all kinds of testing...I just wish I had the job of the guy on the left there.

They have no affiliation with any company and accept no advertising so there is a fee to be a member but it's well worth it as the support saves you money. They have campaigns which result in increased consumer and employee rights as well.

Great organization.

Give Or Take

I've discovered a company called Give or Take.com which is really great. I've been looking around and there are a whole bunch of sites offering cash back on purchases through their sites. Basically they take a percentage of the commission that they are paid and give it back to you as a cash back on your purchase. You can then claim the cash or put it towards other purchases.

Give or Take gives you the option to put some, none, or all of your cash back reward towards charities. They also give 100% of their commissions back and not just a percentage.

I've sent an enquiry asking them how they are funded if they give all their commissions away but they're recommended by The Gaurdian, have won some awards, and are getting some good press. I'll keep you posted on the reply to my question.

Ethical Mobile Companies

I was recently in the market for a mobile phone and I decided to do some research on which mobile companies were the most ethical. The companies I researched were: Virgin, Orange, O2, Vodaphone, and T-mobile - which are the biggest in the UK.

And the winner is: 02.
See www.http://www.02.com/cr/resource2006/energy_and_co2.asp

Here are the rankings:

1. 02
2. Virgin
3. Vodafone
4. Tie: Orange and T-mobile



Reasons for Rankings

The criteria I used was simple:

1. First and foremost the policy should be easy to find, clearly worded. I spent A LOT of time looking for these things. Most customers will not look at all unless it's clearly visible on the page.
2. The policy should be clearly worded and easy to understand for the average person.
4. The policy should be specific. ie. " "Will reduce carbon emissions by 40% by 2011" as Vodafone states and not something vague like "effectively manage natural resource impact." After all, what on earth does that mean?
5. I should believe the company is actually following through on it's commitments.

O2

1. No hiding their intentions here.
2. Their corporate responsibility is clearly visible on their main site at www.02.com - in fact it was the reason I started looking at the other companies and comparing them to 02.
3. Their ethical policy is front and centre on their page and appears to be front and centre in their business operations.
4. They are part of the Carbon Trust (www.carbontrust.co.uk) which is a private company set up by the government set to help companies reduce their carbon footprint.
5. They have actual reports on their carbon emissions and plans to reduce them.

VIRGIN

1. The policy was a bit more difficult to find but all you have to do is click on "about us" and you can download a pdf that is interactive, easy to understand and informative.
2. The believability factor is enhanced by Virgin's great publicity department. I've very aware that they're giving billions to aid in Africa. A quick search on the internet and I found this information:

- Pledged an estimated $3 billion for research to find eco-friendly fuels.
- Announced the development of Virgin Fuel, which is alleged to be clean-burning.
- In 2006 Branson pleged to invest all profit from his Virgin Group airline and train businesses over the next decade -- an estimated $3 billion -- to fight global warming and promote alternative energy.

Vodafone

1. Front and centre on www.vodafone.com is the corporate responsibility policy.
2. Clear goals set and good environmental policy.
3. The only drawback is the site tends to be overly wordy and a bit business speaky which might deter many customers from looking into it.
4. Vodafone is the the company that is most often found in the portfolios of ethical investors. They must know something!

Orange and T-mobile

1. Both have ethical policys but both were a bit more difficult to find.
2. T-mobile has specific goals that are immediately accessible and well laid out. Orange actually seems to be doing good things but they're vague and finding specifics required a lot of digging.
3. I have no idea how much either of these companies are actually following through on their commitments.

So which phone company did I sign up with. Just to prove that I am, in fact human, the sad truth is T-mobile. Being new to the UK I actually hadn't heard of them when I started researching. I walked into a store and they were SO far ahead in terms of pricing and the phone I would get I couldn't believe it. Since then their customer service has been OUTSTANDING. I've had a few problems and called them up to get fast service, friendly and helpful people and my issues resolved. I was going to go with 02 originally but the price of T-mobile blew them out of the water. They do seem to have a good ethical policy I just hope they're actually following through on it.