… there’s suddenly a burning tyre smell and black smoke. The tyre of our car is not only flat – it’s disintegrated! Amazing we didn’t come off the road and somersault off the raised road into the rice fields!

I will be on You and Yours on Radio 4 this coming Monday at 12pm with George Monbiot, asking WIll Day the new Head of the Sustainable Development Commision to rise to the challenge.
Listen live if you can or afterwards on the Radio 4 website – you could even download it as a podcast!

The Observer Ethical Awards were held at the Kensington Roof Gardens yesterday night hosted by Lucy Siegel, Observer Columnist and Colin Firth. Colin spoke really well – sounded more like an activist or a new economist than an actor.

I woke last Monday morning to a little face at my hotel window (I was three storeys up!). I reached for my glasses quickly – to see a fawn coloured monkey. That’s how my first day at the World Fair Trade Organisaion annual global meeting in Kathmandu, Nepal, started . . .

Photos – (c) Chika Okazumi (A.K.A.) / People Tree

It is seven years since I initiated World Fair Trade Day – we needed a day to celebrate Fair Trade, the diversity of the movement and advocate for Fair Trade in different countries.
This years theme ‘Beat Poverty’ was celebrated on Saturday 9th May with Gocoo, the Japanese drumming performers, one of our team is a drummer in her spare time!
800 People came to celebrate World fair Trade Day, watched our fashion show, listened to producer partners from India about the Social Impact of Fair Trade and how it protects the environment. I also launched my book ‘By Hand’ in Japanese and had a chat with ex Marie Claire Editor, Yoshiko Ikomo on the future of luxury fashion and it’s relationship with Fair Trade fashion.
Whether you attended a World Fair Trade Day event or not the biggest support you can give is buying Fair Trade and telling your friends about it.

Safia talks to Mr Amin, Director of National Garment Workers Federation, who represents garment workers and campaigns for their rights about the grim realities of the real costs of fast fashion.

Safia meets Dale Vince, Founder of Ecotricity.

The tasks ahead for the People Tree Foundation are huge.
Fashion has a dirty side, yet many low-price, fast fashion brands are seeing sales growth, in the face of economic down turn.

Out of a crisis this Christmas, there is the chance for real change to emerge*. And it’s seeing more signs of that, that has filled me with hope this Christmas, despite the economic downturn. Jobs are critical to the health of society, whether they are in the developed world or the so-called developing world.

Why are London Underground staff not cheering through the Tannoy? Black and white, do we feel like we are walking taller? (I certainly feel 5cm taller, and it’s not my heeled winter boots). Why is there not a sense of Christmas and spontaneous, happy chatter amongst passengers on the commute into work? It is because we realize that, however good a leader, change has to come from us too? A sobering thought on a grey morning in London.