Interviews
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| | WHAT'S ON | | | | |
| | GOING GREEN | | |
| | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR | | | | |
| | COMMENT AND ANALYSIS | | | | |
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Madeline Rogers, Mibo lighting and homewares
What is it you do?
We run
a small
design studio,
which
manufactures
lighting and
homeware
products
almost
entirely in
the UK,
with only one
product made
in Sweden.
The studio
is aiming
to use only
sustainable materials by the end of 2009.
Why did you pick that?
Increasingly we are faced with a barrage of
mass-produced goods from the Far East.
I want to look more carefully at how things
are made and help people consume better
but consume less. Of course, there is
a paradox there when our goal is clearly to
sell our products, but there is a need to give
people the option to be able to buy from a
source that puts ethics ahead of profits.
What makes you greener than
other organisations?
We are overhauling every aspect of the
business, from what our products are made
from, to reusing packaging, cycling to the
post office and keeping the distances the
products travel to a minimum by
manufacturing in the UK.
What is your latest green campaign?
We have just launched a range of products
made from organic cotton. The use of
pesticides in the production of cotton causes
huge health problems for cotton farmers, so
I think every retailer should be seriously
offering alternatives. Some seem to offer one
organic T-shirt, get a bit of press for it and
then only roll it out into a few stores - the
commitment doesn't seem to be there.
How hard is it to be truly
green in Sussex?
We are lucky in that it's easy to walk/
bus/cycle around the city. There does seem
to be good availability of locally-produced
food, but high living and housing costs
means there's less money in the pot for
people to always make the greenest choice.
What do you think of carbon-offsetting?
There do seem to be a fair number of
inherent problems with it, not least
because it does nothing to really encourage
a change in lifestyle.
What's your guiltiest green secret?
I'm afraid it's flying: My brother and
sister both live abroad so if I want to see
them I have to get on a plane.
Are you a climate worrier or are
you more optimistic?
I'm certainly not particularly optimistic -
but I do feel driven to do the best I can.
What is your skill for when the
oil runs out?
I'm quite a fast runner.
In a nutshell, what's your philosophy
on living a greener life?
Try to buy things to last, try to get that
printer fixed instead of sending it to
landfill, even if it seems easier/cheaper
just to buy a new one. And, next time
you're in somewhere like Primark,
question why a jacket only costs £12. Who's paying the price?
12:42pm Monday 28th April 2008
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