What would happen if we all slowed down our buying? Buying of things - upgraded phone, latest ipods, new toaster, nicer rug. Most of us have given these purchases a second thought in the last credit tight year. But how many are simply putting it off for while until things turn around - then we'll go out an spend spend spend, consume, consume, consume again. Perhaps not.

We are becoming more aware of the impact our purchasing behaviours and lifestyles are having on the environment. The thing is how many of us realise it and those who do how often do we think about it? When we read the green pages of the newspaper or every time we visit the supermarket or drive the car?

'Unless we change the direction in which we are headed we might end up where we are going.' This Chinese proverb sums it up superbly.

To help heal our product addiction and create a more ecologically and economically sustainable society we can as individuals take control of our tendency to over consume by choosing to think about every purchase we make and ultimately buy less. Some questions to help you make a thorough assessment when shopping for ... well anything these days... are:

Why do I need this product? Will something else serve the same purpose - possible something I already own?
How is the product actually produced?
What are the impacts of producing this product on the environment, society, and the individuals you made it?
Is it a necessity or is it a luxury?
How ethical is the company behind the brand?
Is it well made and made to last?
Can I buy it second hand or borrow it?
Can I make, build, create it myself from ingredients/materials/resources I already have?
Does it use compostable materials?
Does it use a lot of energy?

Granted some of the answers may take a bit of time to dig up but once you get the hang of asking these questions you start to know where the reliable and easy places to look are.

'Knowing is not enough: we must apply.

Willing is not enough; we must do

Goethe

What goes on behind the scenes of a company, particularly when it comes to sourcing and production methods, is increasingly important with the consumers informed ethical-skeptic eye on the prowl. For the little-turned-huge environmentally friendly cleaning product company, Ecover, taking a ‘no-excuses' approach to working a sustainable business is a necessity. The Ecover brand is built on a reputation of, if anything, being environmentally responsible.

In 1980 Frans Bogaert set out to create a washing powder that worked well but didn't contain chemical phosphates for the simple reason - they are bad for nature. He succeeded and as the product range widened so did the amount of people using it.

The Ecover Factory in Malle, Belgium and was built using recyclable materials or those that respect the environment. Electricity to run the factory comes from a green supplier and it is designed to let in as much natural daylight as possible. It also has its own water purification system. In 2007 Ecover opened a second eco-factory in France. This ‘green' roof with its layer of flowering plants atop it provides thermal and acoustic insulation and also runs on green energy.

Ecover continues to expand its reach to provide great cleaning products with ingredients made from renewable plant extracts or sustainable materials. The new factory in France means less distance travelled to supply the growing UK market - that means less carbon emissions in each bottle of your favourite little clean green helpers!

Ecover have also just launched a new 5L laundry liquid box so we can now have our very own home refill service.

This Saturday 28 March at 8.30pm it's time to switch off for Earth Hour. The WWF (World Wide Fund for nature) are trying to get 1 billion people to power off for one hour. Already the campaign has enlisted companies, landmarks and individuals from over 900 cities across 80 countries.

The Eiffel Tower, London Eye, Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro and the Sydney Opera House are some of the famous landmarks going dark at Earth Hour. These big icons will certainly raise awareness for the cause but it's corporations like HSBC who are pledging to turn off all office lights in 33 countries that can save the most power.

Earth Hour started in one city - Sydney - but last year it swept the earth with an estimated 50 million people participating in places as barren as Antarctica. Watch this short film to watch countries across the world participating in the 2008 big switch off in an effort to raise awareness on climate change. WWF are running this global campaign to convince governments everywhere to ‘agree effective action' on climate change with particular focus on effecting decision made at the UN climate summit in Copenhagen this December.

You can participate by signing up on the Earth Hour website.

Vote with your light switch and tell the policy makers that we can all make a difference - especially if they help us!

In these times of economic downturn all enterprises - from corporation to freelancers, from small traders to charities - are trying to get their message/product/service in front of the consumers' eye. For many, especially the smaller businesses that means sending off flyers, catalogues and samples to promote themselves.

Sending post the eco-friendly way sounds somewhat of an oxymoron but needn't be. Some ways to green up your mail is to use a carbon neutral postal service, print letters, catalogues and the like on FSC recycled paper using a waterless offset printer and only send to loyal customers or those that have requested it. This last point should reduce wastage somewhat.

Where you may struggle is if you wish to mail out a catalogue completely naked i.e. no plastic wrap. Royal Mail regulations mean that in certain areas you have no choice but to wrap catalogues in a protective material.

You can get degradable polythene bags which many would assume are a better option than conventional poly plastic as they could break down in landfill more easily. But it appears this is not the best option after all. Biodegradable polythene bags cannot be recycled. They act as a pollutant in the recycling process. It's a shame indeed as all those bags will go direct to landfill and though biodegradable will still take many years to break down.

A company called Polyprint Mailing Films who provide recycled polythene bags. It's quite great - they turn them into refuse bags, fertiliser sacks, chairs, benches and tables. Polyprint are the only polythene producer that accepts waste polythene for recycling from the public or organisations.

You can recycle your polythene bags by posting them to Polyprint. For more information on how to do this, visit Polyprint's website. One tip - make sure you remove all labels before you send as they'll more likely survive the sorting process.

Ever fancied cycling from London to Paris? I don't suppose many of you have even thought about it unless you're a crazy cycling enthusiast like my partner who rode the length of Spain last year. Well, the Great Fashion Cycle may be his (and yours) chance to cycle the English/French countryside, burn a few organic sweets calories and raise money for the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF).

The EJF have set up this event in aid of their work addressing human rights and environmental abuses in the fashion industry. One EJF success stories has been bringing the issue of child exploitation in the cotton industry in Uzbekistan which is the world's 3rd largest exporter of cotton. A third of the population are forced to work in slave-like conditions for the state run cotton industry - that included children who's schools would shut down during harvest time so that they could work the fields. EJF has put the spotlight on this issue which has lead to dramatic changes in buying policies by the world's largest cotton buyers.

Before you shake the spider webs off your old bike here's a few more details. It's a 300-mile ride over 4 days. That's quite a hike if you're not use to riding so best start training now! The best bits of the journey include cycling the British countryside, crossing the channel by ferry on your bike, peddling through the small villages and medieval market towns of Northern France, finishing at the Eiffel Tower.

Registration costs £99 and you have to raise a minimum of £1250. What's included in this is the travel by ferry to France and a return ticket on the Eurostar, accommodation for 4 nights, all meals, bike mechanics, guides and medical support. If you're interested there's two dates to choose from - the 1-5 July or the 9-13 September 2009. To register visit EJF The Great Fashion Cycle.