Loving this site:

MoreEco is an Eco Shopping Cash Back website.

They  list over 100 organic, green and ethical online retailers and have negotiated with them a Cash Back % which is passed on to you.

Once you have chosen your shop, click through, start shopping and in 30 days you will receive % of what you spent in your MoreEco account. It's simple!

Check out their trend area too. The JosyFlo Hip Shaker was featured this January.

www.moreeco.co.uk

The producers of JosyFlo accessories are based in Bhopal, an industrial city in Central India. An ancient city surrounded by beautiful lakes, Bhopal made history in the 19th and 20th Centuary with a hundred years of rule by a lineage of queens or begums.  The succession of the ‘Begums’ gave the city such innovations as waterworks, railways and a postal system

This large thriving city was devestated in the 80's by  one of the great horrors of our time.

The Bhopal disaster was an industrial catastrophe that took place at a pesticide plant owned and operated by Union Carbide (UCIL) in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. Around midnight on the intervening night of December 2–3, 1984, the plant released methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas and other toxins, resulting in the exposure of over 500,000 people. Estimates vary on the death toll. The official immediate death toll was 2,259 and the government of Madhya Pradesh has confirmed a total of 3,787 deaths related to the gas release. Other government agencies estimate 15,000 deaths. Others estimate that 8,000 died within the first weeks and that another 8,000 have since died from gas-related diseases.

Some 25 years after the gas leak, 390 tonnes of toxic chemicals abandoned at the UCIL plant continue to leak and pollute the groundwater in the region and affect thousands of Bhopal residents who depend on it, though there is some dispute as to whether the chemicals still stored at the site pose any continuing health hazard. There are currently civil and criminal cases related to the disaster ongoing in the United States District Court, Manhattan and the District Court of Bhopal, India against Union Carbide, now owned by Dow Chemical Company, with an Indian arrest warrant pending against Warren Anderson, CEO of Union Carbide at the time of the disaster. No one has yet been prosecuted.

Below are some videos detailing the effects of this devastating incident. Some content may be upsetting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0csW97x8d24

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmtN8NkMcmowatch?v=rmtN8NkMcmo

BHOPAL REHABILITATION (BR) was established in 1985 with the aim of assisting and rehabilitating the victims of this tragedy, especially those who had lost their family members. The basic objectives of BR were to help families in economic rehabilitation by  providing them -
1. Skills in production techniques;
2. Opportunities of self employment;
3. Help in marketing to ensure a steady flow of demand and  supply.

This small independent not for profit organisation provides much needed sustainable employment in a city where abject poverty is rife. Situated within 1 mile of the Union Carbide factory, an area where fresh water is only dispensed for 1 hour every 2 days, the factory provides a beacon of hope for an area devestated by the effects of the chemical fallout.

BR employs approximately 30 full time staff who benefit from a year round competative salary. All of their children attend the local school. Other graduates of the training scheme are employed  at busy times and are given the tools to set up their own small businesses. All of the workers have received free training, healthcare and have access to money through a co-opperative bank account.

We are thrilled to be listed by www.thetravelingsouk.com

JosyFlo will also be attending the Traveling Souks stylish shopping events. The first one is at Leeds Castle in May.

Check out this eco chica! What a gorgeous gal. 

This lovely lady is the youngest fan of fair trade belt brand JosyFlo. She loves borrowing her mums JosyFlo belt and certainly wears it well. Paris catwalks here she comes!

Thanks for the picture Jen!

This weekend JosyFlo took a trip to Farnham in Surrey for the monthly craft market at The  Maltings. Over 100 exhibitors of craft, antiques, food and clothes turned this beautiful venue into a shoppers paradise. There was a great response to the belts and many people were pleased to hear about the story of Fair trade production Bhopal Rehabilitation. We very much enjoyed our visit to Surrey and hope to return next month. Catch us again at the Farnham Maltings on 3rd April 2010.

The Maltings is a live music and theatre venue with a vast array of acts and performances. For further information check out http://www.farnhammaltings.com/

I am very excited that JosyFlo products will now be stocked in The Runway Showroom in  Camden. This fantastic store in London's camden market showcases and promotes young and independent designers. The shop stocks samples, one of pieces and collections of an exciting range of upcoming designers. A limited range of JosyFlo belts went on display this weekend. If your in Camden check out http://www.therunwayshowroom.com/

A cold rainy weekend in Febuary was my first introduction to Camden market as a trader. I was very excited to have a stall at this increadibly diverse market and was very interested to see the response to JosyFlo belts. My expectations that Camden would be a fantastic outlet for JosyFlo products were justified as for our first outing this was an extremely successful day. The response was phenomenal and it was a wonderful experience to meet and work along so many creative people, each with their own wonderful ideas, products and business approaches. I hope that we are able to make Camden market a regular outlet for JosyFlo products. There are so many people interested in new fair trade and ethical products and the wonderful energy there means its a great day out all round.

Im very excited to be starting a JosyFlo blog to update all our customers and followers with the development of this small but exciting brand of belts.
The range for spring/ summer 2010 is the one currently being sold on the website however I am very excited to be introducing some new designs and styles for the Autumn. In early Febuary I once again made a visit to Bhopal to discuss new designs with JosyFlo's fair trade registered producers. As always the team made me feel very welcome and we made steps to introduce some exciting new styles of belts and bags. Meanwhile  the main focus is on improving awareness of this unique new ethical brand through as many avenues as possible.