by Andrew Williams |
December 01, 2015
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It's officially the first day of winter today, though you'd be forgiven for thinking we'd been frozen over for a few weeks now! We've had ice and frost, wind and rain, and today the River Wye was close to its all time high water mark. Not great shopping weather, but at least we get to listen to our Christmas playlist - and yes we do have a PRS and PPL licence :)
It's also the perfect time of year to think about warming up your wardrobe. We have some lovely new winter fashion from Bolivia, created by a fair trade project that also invests directly back into the community for every item sold. So one hat buys 5 meals for a child supported by the project. All of the items are individually signed by the person who made them!
Rad Surfer Beanie
Alpaca Heabands (also in grey)
Grey Cosmos Beanie
Brown Snow Beanie
Tagged:
christmas,
eighteen rabbit,
fairtrade,
hay on wye,
winter fashion
by Andrew Williams |
November 22, 2015
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Tagged:
christmas,
eighteen rabbit,
fair trade,
fairtrade,
hay on wye
by Andrew Williams |
November 01, 2015
|
It's World Vegan Day - 1st November. There are lots of cliches around eating a vegan diet, principally that it involves eating boring, tasteless food. Having done a bit of practical field studies thanks to some vegan friends I can tell you this definitely not true! If you think of any food you love - from curries to stir frys, pizzas to roast dinners, it is usually easy to prepare a vegan alternative which is just as tasty.
It's also an "inconvenient truth" that our huge consumption of meat has a massive knock on effect for the planet, in terms of crops being diverted from the food chain to go to feed livestock instead. And that's beside the obvious moral quandary of eating living creatures. We're not here to preach - but even switching to a vegan or veggie option once a week would be a great first step.
Here at Eighteen Rabbit we like to do all we can to support our vegan pals. We've even been experimenting with a sister site called the Vegan Gift Guide - check it out if you get a chance! And we have a dedicated vegan section on our website for you to peruse.
If you're still not convinced, perhaps you should read Jonathan Safran Foer's "Eating Animals" - you may never look at your chicken and chips in the same light...
Tagged:
eighteen rabbit,
fairtrade,
world vegan day
by Andrew Williams |
October 14, 2015
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We love being based here in Hay on Wye, internationally famous as the "Town of Books." This year alone we've had two official visits from South Korea to see how the town works, as well as international press coverage in the Chicago Tribune and Conde Nast Traveller. Our literary heritage is a huge inspiration to everyone who lives here, and helps keep the town special for our visitors.
Times are tough in the book trade and it's fair to say the number of bookshops is no longer expanding at the rate it once did. We still have more bookshops per head than anywhere else in the UK though, that much is certain. We also have an opportunity to keep the "Town of Books" ideal alive in shops such as ours. We have a small but growing selection of books which we hope will appeal to locals and tourists alike. Here's a peek at some of our current bestsellers...
Owen Jones - "The Establishment." Darling of the left Jones takes us on a guided tour through the hidden hands which pull the strings behind British life. If nothing else you'll learn about the Overton Window which is an essential concept in understanding UK political life today.
Naomi Klein - "This Changes Everything." Klein's take on the capitalism vs climate change crisis. If we're to face up to climate change it's not enough to change our light bulbs - we have to change our entire economic system. This sounds tricky until you accept that the economy is a subset of the environment - it's no use having stocks and shares if you're ten feet under water.
Julia Cameron - "The Artist's Way." A longtime bestseller, the Artist's Way is a chance to (re)discover the creativity which all of us hold within us. Start each day by writing three sheets of A4. Then see where this simple discipline takes you...
We have loads more books to discover on line and in store. More on the way too!
Tagged:
books,
eighteen rabbit,
fairtrade,
hay on wye,
naomi klein,
owen jones
by Andrew Williams |
September 25, 2015
|
Here's a teaser for you. What do One Direction, Liverpool FC and Professor Stephen Hawking have in common?
The answer is that they, and many other high profile names, are supporting the new Global Goals for Sustainable Development which are being launched today. In a landmark summit being held today, 193 world leaders are signing up to the Goals. There are 17 goals, which aim to do three things over fifteen years. With me? The three outcomes are:
- End extreme poverty.
- Fight inequality and injustice.
- Fix climate change.
Sounds good, right? There are loads of ways to get involved, from copying Gareth Bale and doing a "dizzy goal" to listening to a global pop up radio station. Your best bet is to head over to the website where you can find out all about it and hear more about some of the global superstars involved in this groundbreaking campaign.
Our favourite goals? We'd have to pick number 8, decent work and economic growth, along with number 10, reduced inequalities. But we don't have any quibbles with the other fifteen. Get involved!
Tagged:
fairtrade,
global goals,
hay on wye,
poverty
Alpaca Heabands (also in grey)
