Greenhouse effects: Eco consultations

Tony Juniper

John Lewis stores are veritable temples of consumerism: all kinds of wonderful products, beautifully presented so as to catch eyes, touch hearts and unleash credit cards.
It might seem the last place you'd seek out a eco-friendly existence, but even here there is greenery on offer.
I shop at John Lewis now and again, and have noticed recently how items such as energy-efficient kettles, power-saving digital radios and certified wood products are appearing on the shelves. To back up this greener procurement, the firm is launching Eco-Home Consultations at nine stores around the country.
You can book an in-store appointment free of charge; or, for £200, an adviser will visit your home and make comprehensive suggestions on how to make it greener. The fee is redeemable against purchases you subsequently make.
Advice will be offered across product ranges, including heat-saving curtains, rugs, carpets and underlays made from natural fibres, efficient lighting, Marmoleum flooring, organic cotton sheets and home energy monitors.
Many of the products I was shown during a briefing on the new service certainly had ecological merit.
More important than the technical aspects of the products, however, is that this service might help to dispel the myth that going green somehow marks a shift back to the Dark Ages. We need to cut our consumption, but we still want and need to consume.
One or two pioneering companies have been at this for some time — including B-Neutral, at Woodbridge, in Suffolk (b-neutral.co.uk). This firm sells only eco-products, but reaches a relatively small number of green shoppers. The arrival of greener shopping on high streets will potentially reach many more, especially if it sparks competitive reactions from other stores.
John Lewis says that the new service is customer-led, and comes from an increase in demand for products that please the eye while lightening the load on the earth. If this emerging preference is coupled with more responsible consumption, then I think shoppers and stores, in partnership, can be a powerful positive force.
To book a John Lewis Eco-Home consultation, call 0845 604 9049.
Tony Juniper is an environmental campaigner and former director of Friends of the Earth; tonyjuniper.com