Uninsulated floors can loose up to 15% of a rooms heat, ideally the solution is to add underfloor insulation but this isn't always easy, especially with wooden/laminate floors like we have so an area rug is a low-cost, quick-fix energy saving solution. Luckily for me rugs were included in the items available through the MSLH project, so after some 'debate' we decided on the
Randlev for the dining room and
Gaser for the living room.
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| I love the design and scale of this rug and being made of pure new wool it feels really nice too :) |
Hand-made in Uttar Pradesh, India it's reassuring to know that through the
IWAY programme IKEA have ensured that my new rug was made by an adult who was paid a fair wage, has safe working conditions and receives all the benefits they are due. So not only was is sustainably and responsibly produced but it's going to help me save energy and money too - winner!
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| Tea-picker Mary |
On the theme of Indian working conditions when I was in India last month I went to a tea plantation in the southern state of Kerala, it was really thought-provoking to hear about how the workers there work and live on the tea plantation. The plantation I visited had about 400 workers, they all lived in housing provided on the estate, they received free medical and dental care, all the children went to school, there was communal kitchen and dining facilities and the plantation had both christian churches and hindu temples. Although the wages sounded really low, the ladies who pick tea earn 10 rupees (about 10 pence) per kilo picking on average 20kg per day, six days a week, our guide assusred us that this is a decent living wage and many people travel from the neighbouring poorer state of Tamil Nadu to gain employment on the tea plantations. Their tea was pretty tasty too!
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| Tea pickers |
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| Tea factory |
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| Tea workers cottages |
