Welcome to the first edition of our new column Everyday Devotion. Each month Claire and I will be sharing ideas and tips for how we can worship God and look after Creation in our everyday choices. This week’s article is about shopping and next month Claire will share some homemade gift ideas. If you’d like us to cover anything specific or have any ideas you want to share please do get in touch at office@enc.uk.net and don't please forget to complete our survey for a chance of winning a hamper full of sustainable products.
When giving money away, we usually consider carefully where it is going. But do we give the same consideration when spending? The hidden injustices in our supply chains can be overwhelming but the good news is that alternatives exist and our day to day choices make a difference. First, if you buy less, you are responsible for less (carbon, plastic and supply chain injustice) so reducing wherever you can is a great start. Where you can't, plant based, plastic free, local and fairtrade can be found at:
Zero (Fore Street) - zero waste and fairtrade products.
Seasons (Well Street) - 100% vegan shop.
Real Food Store (Queens Street) - local and sustainable food/drink.
Nourish (Magdalen Road & Topsham) - packaging free grocery store.
FillFull (Ottery St Mary) - eco shopping and refills.
Exeter Farmers Market (Top of South Street, every Thursday Morning).
Second hand is also a great option particularly with clothing. Exeter has really good charity and vintage shops (Sobeys, Peachy Tipi, The Real McCoy, Parade Vintage, My Ex Wardrobe). For new items try Sanchos (Fore Street) or use Ethical Consumer Magazine to help you find ethical alternatives. Online you can avoid retail giants like Amazon and find items you’d like from:
Free cycle - give away and collect unwanted items for free.
Olio - an app for giving away and collecting unwanted items for free including food and drink.
Facebook marketplace, Shpock, Ebay and GumTree - sell and buy new and used items.
Ethical Superstore and Ethical Shop - both have a wide range of new items to purchase. Ethical Superstore do free delivery on orders over £50 and Ethical Shop are offering free delivery on orders over £40 before 15 November with code ESOCTPP.
Alice Corrie