A Man of Many Principles - Kevin McCloud

Reprint of part of an article from the West Wilts magazine Nov 2010

"When you buy a jar of fairtrade organic coffee you already know a certain amount about the product just by an understanding of those two words, fairtrade and organic. There is a certified process going on that guarantees those two things.  Nothing exists like this for a table lamp, a sofa or a car even.  I think it is important that governments and institutions establish guidelines for buying ethically within those spheres in the first instance and then, quite simply, we should try harder as consumers. If you buy a vase that has been made by local craftsman or woman down the road in a workshop that you can go and visit then even if it costs twice as much as the one you may get from the high street then your relationship with that object will last the rest of your life, you will want to keep it for the rest of your life. It is that simple. You by a vase for £2.00 you are treating it as a throwaway item and that's exactly what you do with it. And of course there is no 'away', that's the fallacy, it's just thrown somewhere else. "

His new book is available from Hunting Raven on Cheap St