Eco Lives: Mark Philip-Sorensen

Maybe I was born eco! Since I was a child my family surrounded me by animals and nature which made me always aware of the impact I (and others) had on our environment. Despite my love for all things green, I went into a more conventional career, but after spending fourteen years in the corporate world I decided it was time to try something different. Years of driving around the UK in a suit was taking its toll on both family and home life and I wanted more for my wife, three children and myself. Both my wife, Lizzie and I agreed that we wanted to run a business which would enable people to become greener and give our children a future they could believe in.

For my family, the seeds of www.moreeco.com began with an interest in buying the best, nutritional and quality food, which, after research, we found to be local and organic produce - without the chemicals. After sourcing organic and natural cleansing products for our children, Lizzie quickly turned her attention to her own facial products and cosmetics and became a fan of brands such as Lavera and Beauty Without Cruelty. We also became more aware of the environmental issues associated with buying organic products and soon realised there were social factors too and wanted to consciously buy from smaller and independent retailers.

Both Lizzie and I wanted to get the children involved in a greener lifestyle too - not turning them into little green radicals, but being given an opportunity to educate them through practice so that it became second nature. Even now, whenever I go to the recycling centre I usually take my kids with me so they understand what I am doing. They take it all in their stride and think that it's a great afternoon out!

As we talked about what we were doing for the planet, such as switching our car insurance to a green supplier at no extra cost, a lot of our friends began to follow suit. Even Lizzie's sister who used to throw everything away is now separating her waste and recycling it. It's like school and peer pressure. Slowly and almost sub-consciously people change their choices. The key is for it not to be led by marketers who make money out of the being moreeco concept and then rapidly ditch it.

It was this point we thought we had the idea for www.moreeco.com. As a couple we were both avid online shoppers and keen to be rewarded for our loyalty but we realised that there was difficulty in finding decent online eco shops in one accessible place. Within a year and just before my 35th birthday, www.moreeco.com was born.

Our aim is to bring together and reward the conscious consumer and eco, organic, ethical and natural retailer. By shopping through www.moreeco.com you can save more money and be rewarded for your loyalty.

Our business is not purely about a guilty-free purchase through a simple carbon offsetting process from the typical high street shop. Instead moreeco offers a choice of true (often smaller and independent) companies with being moreeco at their core. Then we reward their members for their moreeco loyalty with some fantastic rewards.

I think it is never too late to change your shopping habits, and hope that moreeco shopping will become popular and an instinctive way of life for many. Small steps by a lot of people make a big collective difference.

Traveleco readers can get 700 free points instead of the standard 500 when they sign up to www.moreeco.com. Please enter travel09 in the promotional code box.
To find out how you can become greener and make small steps to a better life for you and the planet, why not visit our blog at www.bemoreeco.com