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I was at a holiday park in Cumbria on Saturday as part of Haven’s Big Green Weekend, and got chance to speak with environmental campaigner David Bellamy, who was there to host a wildlife ramble for kids.

Bellamy has come under lots of criticism for his controversial views on climate change – he’s said previously that he doesn’t believe in man-made global warming, and that glaciers are actually advancing, not retreating.

I certainly don’t agree with him on this, but the Green… Continue reading

My first box of fresh produce from Farm Direct arrived yesterday which was hugely exciting.

Joining a ‘veg box’ scheme has been on my list of green things I really ought to do for a couple of years but when I checked it out it seemed extremely restrictive – having to commit to the same thing every week, prohibitively expensive, or limited in what they offer.

But at the Camden Green Fair a few weeks back I visited the Farm… Continue reading

I went for a lovely lunch with a Peruvian hotel group called Inkaterra today, at a restaurant called Bumpkin in South Kensington.

Inkaterra has some of the most exciting, sustainable hotels in Peru. It all started in the 1970s with Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica right in the Amazon jungle. Next were La Casona in Cusco, part of the super-luxury Relais & Chateaux collection, and Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel right by Machu Picchu. Inkaterra has now launched another sister brand… Continue reading

[This blog first appeared on greentraveller]

Scottish railway company ScotRail has teamed up with a local wildlife organisation to help passengers appreciate the wildlife along the River Tay and its estuary.

Holidaymakers and other customers on its Perth to Dundee and Montrose routes can now download a “Travelling along the Tay” leaflet from ScotRail’s website, which describes the different habitats that the railway passes through.

The River Tay and its estuary are rich in… Continue reading

[This article first appeared in TTG]

Despite a thorough explanation from instructor Derek on how to hold my paddle and how to slow down and change direction, I was still concerned about losing control and smashing up my kayak on the rocks. But Derek assured me the kayaks were practically indestructible. “You might hit into each other, though – the kayaks have got magnets in them,” he warned us.

I’d have thought magnets would make the… Continue reading

[this feature first appeared in TTG]

The small island of Guernsey has inspired more than its fair share of creative types. Philippa Jacks explores the island’s literary links – and finds cycling an uphill struggle

Of all the ways you can cook a potato, a pie made of discarded, soggy peelings would not be my first choice. The particular pie in Mary Ann Shaffer’s The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society may be… Continue reading

I went to Chelsea Flower Show for the first time last week and, considering how little I know about plants and flowers (see earlier failed attempts to cultivate herbs on my balcony), I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I was a guest of the Malaysia Tourist Board, which won Gold for its rainforest-inspired garden, designed by James Wong (off the Grow Your Own Drugs programme on TV).

The garden was really beautiful… Continue reading

I enjoyed this piece on Mother Nature Network which listed 10 animals that are bad for the environment…

I knew about the impact elephants can have, tearing down vegetation.

I’ve read about the impact of cattle and invasive species like cane toads and crown-of-thorns starfish too.

But it was news to me that the common carp is also a bad guy! Apparently they uproot vegetation and can majorly affect their environment. They… Continue reading

[this blog first appeared on greentraveller]

Survey results released this week as part of National Ferry Fortnight (organised by the Passenger Shipping Association) reveal why passengers choose to travel by ferry instead of flying.

The convenience of taking their own car came out top, with 55% saying this was an important factor. The lack of luggage restrictions (i.e. the convenience of piling your car high… Continue reading

It’s not often I shell out £18.99 on a brand new hardback. I much prefer browsing through the second-hand book stores near my flat. It saves trees, saves money, and the lady at the cat sanctuary bookshop will even put specific books to one side and call you to let you know they’ve come in.

But a novel on global warming, by one of my all-time favourite authors, was too exciting to wait for in softback.

I was… Continue reading