philippajacks.co.uk

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

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

I’ve blogged it before and I’ll blog it again: I love a good environmental iPhone app , so I was interested to read Adam Vaughan’s Top 10 list on the Guardian site last week.

There are several wildlife-identifying ones which might have come in handy on my Big Garden Birdwatch a few weeks back. There’s one called Pollution which tells you how badly the air around you right now is polluted. Adam also recommends GoodGuide – a buyer’s… Continue reading

I was out in the Caribbean last week at CHTA Marketplace, an annual trade expo for Caribbean tourism, and attended a press conference by Green Globe – one of a burgeoning number of eco-certifying bodies for the tourism sector.

CEO Guido Bauer revealed the difference that a Green Globe certificate can make to a hotel’s bottom line: having the certificate lets hotels increase their room rates by 3-7%, reduces their operating costs by 3-11%, and adds 1-3% to the property’s value.

It’s great that they have… Continue reading

I take biscuits very seriously. A good cup of tea and a biscuit can be the only thing which keeps me going at half past three in the afternoon. They are a great source of debate – how much chocolate coating can a biscuit have before it becomes an item of confectionery?  Is the Jaffa Cake a cake or a biscuit? And why do they still insist on putting Bourbons into Family Favourites tins when no-one likes them?

Something… Continue reading | 3 Comments

I have fallen well and truly in love with my new iPhone. There is an application for everything. Some, like the beer-drinking app, are just silly, but there are others which are a godsend. The public toilet locator, for example. Ingenious! So I thought I’d check out whether there are any useful eco-related applications on the market.

It seems that there are loads of good ones in the States already. An app like 3rdWhale, which… Continue reading

Love it or hate it, celebrity culture is here to stay, so it’s good that some of them are putting their fame and fortune to good use by coming out green. Here are my favourite eco-celebrities.

1. Leonardo Di Caprio

Yes he’s made some insufferable movies, but he’s one of the most active eco-warriors on the celeb circuit. He’s got his own foundation, and is on the board of various organisations like Global Green. He puts most of his time, effort… Continue reading

I’ve just commented on William Skidelsky’s column on guardian.co.uk about food waste.

I try to be careful with my shopping, and am pretty good at cooking big batches and freezing meals for later in the week. But all it takes is for my evening plans to change last minute, and I end up with a fridge full of manky vegetables by the weekend. There’s also all the peelings, tea bags and left-overs that end up in the bin.

Skidelsky’s column prompted me to look at how… Continue reading