Given the huge amount of interest generated by our post of the 22nd July concerning the Ethical Spanking Paddle, we figured that interest in ‘paddling’ was high…

Wikipedia, that source of all knowledge, helps out with a definition of the ‘paddle’ as a good starting point:

“usually a wooden instrument with a long, flat face and narrow neck, so called because it is roughly shaped like the homonymous piece of sports equipment, but existing in more varied sizes and dimensions, (length, width and thickness)”

This much we had however already established.

You can find out more information and tips about ethical paddling after the jump…

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Well, there’s a title to grab your attention!

Image via Smartplanet.com.

A quick whip around the office for ideas of alternative uses for this handy device brought forth various suggestions, from a primitive rafting paddle or a table tennis bat, to a cheese board!

However, this genuinely is sold as a Spanking Paddle, much to our entertainment!

You may be wondering where we found such an item, but whilst immersing ourselves in researching ethical products for ethicalsuperstore.com we stumble across many ‘interesting’ products which grab our attention. This is undoubtedly the most amusing items we’ve discovered this week - we weren’t searching specifically - honest!

So Why oh Why is this considered ethical we hear you cry?!?

Primarily it is because it was handcrafted as part of a fair trade project in India using sustainable wood, making this piece of ‘equipment’ the ultimate in eco-friendly spanking technology.

So what are you waiting for?!? The producers of these sustainable spanking paddles, Coco de Mer (NB don’t click on this link at work!) wax lyrical about the endorphins released from a good spanking, but perhaps the less said here and now about the potential associated euphoric highs the better…

I think the most important lesson to be learnt here is that whatever your hobbies, and whatever your persuasions, you can do whatever on earth it is that you do in an eco-friendly manner! And the moral of this story is that your sex life certainly should not be excluded from this. Buying fair trade condoms is a good starting point, but whether you stop there is up to you!

Check out the Busycle!

Pretty awesome mode of transport.

Just think how much fun we’d have if we replaced all our public transport with these!

Perhaps Boris should replace his bendy buses with lots of Busycles! Cleaner, greener and the streets of London might be a lot less meaner too if everyone had to work together to get around!

http://www.busycle.com/

We’ve just got wind of a great research project being undertaken by Ryan Cunningham, an MSc media researcher at the LSE. It was posted on the New Consumer website; he’s looking into how people receive and respond to information about energy efficiency and their views on terms such as ‘ethical’, ‘green’, and ‘sustainability’. 

I’ve taken the survey myself and it really makes you think of how and where you find out about green issues and the researcher gives you a chance to receive a final copy of the report.

Take it yourself at http://www.questionpro.com/akira/TakeSurvey?id=988583and let us know what you think.

Now then, I’m new to the world of ‘blogging’ but an old hat at armchair activism!

By that I mean doing my bit to help make a difference, create change, influence friends, and ultimately feel better about my life and the way I live it.

I’m not going to start preaching to you because if you needed preaching to you wouldn’t be here, I merely want to pass on any hints, tips, and products I come across to help you in your quest for a more ethically minded, environmentally friendly lifestyle.

So, I’m going to start this series of posts with my Top 5 tips which can help you save money, and help save the planet!

1. Recycle rain water: I live in the north east of England. A pretty wet place. So, I have set up a water butt in my back garden to collect rain water ready to reuse on those odd occasions when the sun decides to shine and my plants need a watering! Still need convincing? Check out this article on the merits of saving water in the UK

2. Compost your food waste: composting is easy, fun, and beneficial to both the environment and your garden! Don’t throw your tea bags, banana skins and potato peelings away, chuck them in a composter and let the worms do the rest!

3. Switch off your appliances: I know this might sound like an obvious one but did you know that about 10% of your annual electricity bill is spent on standby electricity! So either switch off or invest in some standby busting devices now!

4. Keep an eye on your energy use: although this sounds complicated it couldn’t be easier! Ethical Superstore has a range of devices designed to monitor your energy use so you can always be aware of where your money goes. You’ll become obsessed with checking it every five minutes!

5. Grow your own: whether you only have enough room for one pot on your balcony or your garden in the size of a football pitch, there’s no excuse for doing a bit of organic gardening at home. Not only will this save you a bit of cash, but your produce will taste all the better having been lovingly tended to by you!

There you have it, 5 little things that can make a huge difference, see you don’t have to scheme to take down the major supermarkets . . . just do your bit

Any other suggestions or top tips? Send them in!

Thanks to Ned Trifle for the photo.