Buy organic items online
A quick mouse click on the groceries you need, a brief wait and all the products you choose in the cyber-shop are delivered directly to your home. You’ll have no parking problems, no standing in checkout lines, no back pains from carrying heavy shopping bags. This scenario may not sound particularly futuristic, nonetheless, it is still unusual in Germany, where online shopping does not yet possess a sufficient infrastructure for providing customers with satisfying service. It is, therefore, even more surprising that one of the first international online shopping Web sites was launched by an industry thought to be earthy, not “techie”—Bavarian organic farming! Ammersee’s Franz Josef Grenzebach, former farmer and long a champion of ecological concerns, and his company, United Nature Group, now post their offerings at www.unitednature.net. More than 4,000 products, ranging from organic foods—meat, bread, wine, cheese, tea, coffee—to cosmetics, household items and books, can be ordered via the Internet in Germany as well as in 18 other countries. In addition, a user-friendly catalogue boasts detailed descriptions and images of each product and features customer opinions. Though mainly an online shop, the United Nature Group site also covers all aspects of the ecological marketplace, such as information on buying organic vitamins and ecology-related computer programs. The fact that sales went up 500 percent between November 2000 and January 2001 demonstrates impressively that increasing numbers of customers subscribe to the company’s philosophy that organic food and products not only improve your health and spirits, but also contribute to environmental preservation as well as to improving living and working conditions in many countries around the world. As the British version of the www.unitednature.net is similar to the German original version, it is advisable for English-speakers in Germany to look first at the UK offer and then order on the German site. For more information call United Nature representatives Monday through Friday at (01805) 25 62 46. Who would have thought that just a few minutes of relaxed Web surfing a day could contribute to environmental awareness?