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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

The Independent has a story today about the amount of packaging that supermarkets produce – local authorities say it adds £1.8 billion to tax payers’ bills, and undermines recycling efforts.

The LGA has called for them to have to publicly disclose every three months how much packaging they’re producing.

They’re obliged to report to WRAP, the Government’s waste reduction body, but only Morrisons, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer have gone public.

Just last night we were looking at exactly how much stuff we… Continue reading

Today was officially Green Britain Day – part of a Team Green Britain campaign to make the country greener before the Olympics in 2012.

Energy giant EDF Energy is behind the campaign, and there’s been major controversy because the green Union Jack logo they’ve used is very similar to the one of Ecotricity, a renewable energy supplier. Ecotricity is trying to sue EDF for what it claims is a misleading of consumers.

EDF describes itself as Europe’s “lowest carbon-producing energy company”… Continue reading

I thought it was about time I calculated my carbon footprint. I have some factors which work in my favour. I don’t have a car, and I take the bus or even jog to work. I also try to be careful with turning appliances off, and our TV is so old-school I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s powered by some kind of dynamo instead of electricity.

There’s a massive range of carbon calculating websites and companies - some are in it for the money and some are not-for-proft… Continue reading

I’ve been fascinated by a feature on fridge and freezer efficiency in the latest issue of Ethical Consumer magazine. Apparently they’ve generally become much more efficient over the last 15 years, but this is pretty much negated by the fact that

A) we’re all now buying giant super-fridges which could chill enough fish for the feeding of the 5,000 and…..

B) we now keep our homes so overly warm inside that fridge-freezers have to work doubly hard… Continue reading

It’s National Recycling Week this week so I’m going to make a special effort. I do try to recycle wherever possible but some stuff does slip through the net.

These are the recycling facilities provided outside my block of flats – nice and handy.

As you can see, there’s a fair bit you can recycle here, but there’s also lots you can’t. Excluded are: yoghurt pots, cling film, margerine tubs, broken glass, food packaging, window glass, Pyrex, lightbulbs, Tetra Paks, and… Continue reading