If you're fighting the flab and didn't already feel enough pressure to be thin, you might be interested in the news that obese people are being blamed for climate change and the global food crisis.

The theory, put forward by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, is that because of their extra bulk, overweight people 'consume more calories' driving up food production. They are also being held responsible for using more fuel than their thinner counterparts (heavier load on transport leading to higher fuel consumption), leading to more pollution in the air.

Now, I happen to think this theory is nonsense for a number of reasons...

Almost everyone's got a bottle of cheap vinegar lurking at the back of the cupboard somewhere, one that only sees the light of day on those rare (or not so rare) occasion that we treat ourselves to chips...but aceitic acid aspires to much more than being a humble flavouring. It was hard work to limit its uses to only ten, but read on to find out my top uses for vinegar as an abundant and natural household product.

1. Removing stubborn coffee stained cups and pots.
Rubbing your crockery with a dab of neat vinegar will banish those unsightly brown marks.

2. Storing cheese
A weird and wonderful factoid that will make people think you're a domestic god(dess); cheese keeps much longer when wrapped in a vinegar-soaked cloth

Follow the jump for more tips

Related: Top 10 eco-friendly uses for lemons | Top 10 eco-friendly uses for salt

Brit designer extraordinaire Luella Bartley has designed an exclusive range of printed t-shirts for Tonic Generation, an online fashion spot with a social conscience.

There are four designs in the range: a sun, stag, robin and 'scary douglas', each available in men's and women's styles. Each design supports a different cause, and the t-shirts themselves are made from an eco-friendly bamboo and cotton blend. £23 at Tonic Generation.

[Via Popsugar]

Most compost bins I've seen are dull-coloured, plasticky affairs, but not this one: the far more genteel 'compost pail' won't cramp your kitchen's contemporary style, and what's more, it has integrated carbon filters inside the lid to keep your kitchen odour free.

Made from high quality stainless steel, the composter will tolerate everything from vegetable cuttings and tea bags to egg shells and other organic scraps. £29.95 at Natural Collection

Related: Hippyshopper guide to composting

I'm a big fan of acrylic jewellery, but this is the first time I've seen it sold with the fairtrade label.

The necklace I've picked out here is part of a larger collection of jewellery and accessories by design duo Cassandro and Dong of Dialog, who advised their lady shoppers in a recent press release that "this season it's the jewellery that's acrylic not your nails". That's us told, then!

Each piece in their collection is made under fairtrade conditions and a percentage of sales go towards training and welfare in Borneo and Hong Kong. Available online.

I'm going to write this post through gritted teeth, since DHL are in my bad books right now having failed to get a long-awaited parcel to me twice already this week. But let's set personal grudges aside and look at the positive things the company is doing for the environment.

First, DHL has replaced all of its old delivery bags with eco-friendly ones. The new delivery bags are reusable, recyclable and will only take two years to degrade compared to normal bags that take 1,000 years. (I have to wonder here what's happened to the de-commissioned pouches -- perhaps will see them reinvented as dresses or umbrellas somewhere before too long.) But DHL isn't stopping there: other initiatives include the introduction of CNG powered vehicles and the use of bicycles for deliveries.

There are so many beautiful, ethically made dresses to choose from at the moment I personally don't know where to start. And today, a further spanner was thrown into the works when i discovered yet another new label doing amazing things with old fabrics: Amoosi.

Amoosi make unique, stylish and very trend-aware garments from reclaimed, vintage fabric. The classic range features highly wearable yet distinctive everyday items like halter neck blouses and wrap around shirts, all customisable with different fabrics and at surprisingly affordable prices. The dress I've picked out here is from the more exclusive couture range, but is still reasonably priced at £120. All items are hand-made in London. This is slow fashion with fast appeal!

Related: Eco glam at Equa by Annie Greenabelle

Yes that's right; it's another device that alleges to give you the power to switch off climate change using a hand-held remote control. But let's hear out the claims...

The One For All Energy Saver works roughly on the same principles as Bye Bye standby and EcoElectricals' auto switch off lead, i.e. by appealing to the laziness of the user. It basically allows you to switch off a number of appliances from standby with a single button press, so you don't have to root around under the sofa or behind the TV turning off gadgets individually. So how does it compare?

Related: Hippyshopper's guide to saying goodbye to standby

New in at Ethical Superstore is this funky beach bag made from 100% rice grain sacks. It features a classic VW Beetle, which certainly appeals to the old fashioned hippy in me! The bags are made in Bangkok under fairtrade conditions and cost £17.95 at Ethical Superstore

Not content with using a self-heating bra to save the planet, those utter mentalists at Triumph have devised another 'sexy' solution to climate change: a solar powered 'eco bra' that stores up energy during the day.

Unveiled this week in Japan, the bra works like any other solar device and when fully charged will contain enough juice to power everyday appliances such as toasters or kettles. Of course, to collect up all that energy the wearer cannot be shy about flaunting their underwear in public, so once again I can't help detecting an ulterior motive in Triumph's strategy...

Related: The solar-powered bikini | Japan to save the world with self-heating bra

Launched in the States last week, Efuel 100's new 'Microfueler' is a handy device that allows motorists to address and effectively bypass the whole biofuels dilemma without even leaving the house.

Any vehicle that runs on petrol can run on ethanol, and the Microfueler lets you make gallons of your own out of water, sugar, and yeast. It's not cheap, at $9995, but its makers say it will pay for itself in about a year and a half. Shipping at the end of the year, the machine is available to pre order now. There's no word of when it'll be available outside the US, but it'll be interesting to see how many Americans choose to take the hotldy debated fuel issue into their own hands. [Via Gizmodo]

Ben & Jerry's has added another classic flavour to its family of fairtrade ice creams: Chunky Monkey has become the latest variety to be granted certification.

If you've not had the pleasure of sampling it, Chunky Monkey is a mix of cream and chocolatey bananas, with chunky walnuts thrown in too. Ben & Jerry's is now working with the El Guabo banana producers' assocation in Ecuador, whose Vice-President Silvia Arevalo said: 'thanks to this co-operative, lives have been changed. Our farmers have guaranteed European sales for their bananas at a stable price all year round. If you want a fairer world you can make it happen...by helping disadvantaged producers, buying their products and spreading the Fairtrade message.'

Great to know that my favourite aspect of summer indulgence can now be entered into with a clear(er) conscience; the only question I want to ask is where on earth are they going to fairtrade monkeys? ;-p

After the success of last year's event, the Sexy Green Car Show is to return to the Eden Project for a second year running.

Sponsored again by Co-operative Insurance, the show brings together the shiniest and sexiest low-emission vehicles currently on the market, with Citroen, Fiat, Ford, Honda, Peugeot, Saab and Volkswagen all showcasing their latest green machines. But the star of the show looks likely to be a brand new Lotus Exige sports car, which can be run on methanol; possibly the next substance of interest in the search for more sustainable fuels.

The Sexy Green Car Show runs from Friday 23 - Saturday 31 May 2008 at the Eden Project in Cornwall.

This has got to be one of the stranger publicity stunts I've seen recently, but I've also met quite a lot of women named 'Rachel' in my time and I guess it worked well enough for Dave Gorman...

The organic dairy brand is calling on anyone named Rachel (and there have been some blokes too, I recall) to "lead the nation in living a more naturally stylish life", as part of a social network of Rachels that aims to count everyone bearing that name among its members.

Don't let the txt spk name put you off: 4U2ReUSE bags are a great idea, and they look pretty funky, too. The bags, which are tiny and very portable, are designed to hold scrunched up plastic carrier bags easily and conveniently, encouraging you to re-use so you won't need to accept new ones. What's more, the bags are made from old sails, vintage clothing, and organic materials, meaning each is unique with a stylish, vintagey touch. Check out the site to see more of these cute little bags!

[Via Ecofabulous]