bemoreeco

Sara at Bemoreeco has 5 minutes with Marianne Tregoning from the award winning Beyond Organic Skincare.

Tell us about your business?

Based in Cornwall in a heart-breakingly beautiful part of the Lizard Peninsula, we hand make all our products in our workshop overlooking St. Anthony’s and ‘beyond’ to St Mawes and Falmouth.
We call ourselves ‘Beyond’ organic as we go further than just being organic and take a holistic, biodynamic, ethical approach to our production techniques.

In our workshops we have used Organic paints, so that no chemicals seep into the atmosphere.  We recycle (almost a full-time job sometimes!), source locally as much as possible, use products that are Fair Trade and community based and have a low carbon footprint.

We are certified organic with BDAA, (The Biodynamic Agricultural Association) giving us both UK6 and European 2092/91 certification.  They take a more holistic and biodynamic approach to natural farming and production.  They are also a worldwide organisation and highly respected.

“Motivated by Rudolf Steiner’s Spiritual Foundations for the Renewal of Agriculture and Goethe’s Conception of Nature, Biodynamic farmers view their farms as individually unique living organisms.”

We have many favourite charities, but currently the Cornish Shelter Box scheme is our local hero.  They do wonderful work worldwide and are one of the few Aid Agencies that were allowed into Burma right from the beginning

What makes the company a great place to work?
We all share the same passions – organic, natural, green, recycling and a philosophy that work should be fun.  Individuals do the work that they enjoy most (and you are good at what you enjoy!). We also value our freedom and our families and friends, and so operate a flexi-time system.  We believe in honest exchanges of ideas and lots of giggles!

Who do you most admire in the green industry?

They are so many people out there doing incredible work – but I think as one of the first ‘green warriors’ Anita Roddick deserves special mention.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

All of it!  Doing the work I love in an industry I love – with the confidence of offering people an excellent, natural alternative to products containing chemicals.  Networking with other like-minded people. I find people in the ‘green’ industry are usually so friendly and helpful.

If you could change one thing in the green retail industry what would it be?
I don’t like the ‘green-washing’ that goes on in some of the larger companies – people who are not genuinely committed to the green movement but are just trying to jump on the band-wagon.

What advice would you give to someone starting out in the industry today?
Simply do what you are good at – do it from the heart and do it honestly.

What is your vision for an ‘eco Britain’? 
All the obvious things I suppose – no GM crops anywhere – no testing of cosmetic products on animals – no battery farms – no chemicals used on the land – more awareness of biodynamics as well as organics. Humanity is currently alienated from Nature – think of the Demeter myth and that is in essence what Biodynamics is about. Britain should be world leaders in the current ecological crises. As a small island with a history of agriculture and fishing we are ideally placed to show the world that the answers lie in Nature’s abundance that has always been around us – we just need the courage to act and the ability to recognise that Nature has always been superior to the chemicals and genetic engineering of mankind.  One of the biggest things we need to do is stop relying on a few favourite crops to sustain us, and to start again growing a diversity of crops grown by our ancestors.

These ancestors had knowledge of local soil conditions and climate – this would be a first major step to averting hunger and famine.  We need to have the humility to start thinking simply again – thinking locally.  Free Trade should actually mean that those who produce should be able to trade their products freely with others in their local community. The World Trade Organisation prevents Free Trade while calling it Free Trade. People are being forced too buy from globally powerful organisations that are capable of straight jacketing local competitors.

What is your number one Eco Christmas Idea? Tell your friends that instead of giving you a present you would rather they gave that amount to their (or your) favorite charity.

What is the most important piece of information you have ever been told?

I can’t answer this one – I have learnt so much – but still have so much to learn! 

If you were prime minister for the day, what one thing would you do?
Ha ha!  A day would not be long enough – I would re-vamp our Educational system so that our children learnt skills for life.  I would totally re-organise our archaic legal system so that ‘Law’ became ‘Justice’.  I would do away with about three quarters of our current unnecessary legislation and let people and businesses be responsible for themselves.  

Please could you also tell me your top five gifts for Christmas