This week, 30th September to 8th October, is Red Squirrels Week run by the Wildlife Trust. Once our only native squirrel, red squirrels are easily and quickly displaced by the arrival of the grey squirrel, originally imported from America to this country in the 1800s. It is now estimated that there are only 160,000 red squirrels left in the UK.
The majority of the remaining red squirrels are thought to be in the North of England including Lancashire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Northumberland, the south of Scotland and border areas, some parts of Wales especially around Anglesey, and the Isle of Wight. In these areas, the Wildlife Trust are asking members of the public to keep a special eye out this week and report sightings in order to get a better idea of their numbers and spread.
There are also events to attend in red squirrel areas such as talks, squirrel safaris and family days. For more information about how you can help conserve this adorable native mammal, including adoption, campaigning and practical help, see the Save our Squirrels campaign.
Hair removal products may be convenient, but most wax strips and dissolving hair lotions are chemical hothouses, causing skin irritations (especially if you have coarse hair) and unnecessary pollution.
But don’t let that tie you to landfill clogging disposable razors. Parissa - an award winning hair removal brand - like to do things a bit differently. All their products are made from natural ingredients and do not contain any preservatives, parabens, or anything synthetic or chemical. Nor are any of their products, ingredients or formulations tested on animals.
Parissa also take a stance again environmental waste, fuel their factories with green energy and are committed to buying locally.
And to use? Parissa couldn’t be simpler, cleaner or kinder. All I need now is a cute bikini and a sunny beach...
Japanese embassies were targeted yesterday in a protest by over 60 environmental groups who want to put a stop to porpoise and dolphin hunting. Protesters dressed in red and wearing red flowers descended upon the embassies in 31 cities including London, Rio and Washington to deliver a message to Prime Minster Shinzo Abi to stop the slaughter of around 20,000 of the mammals each year.
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Two films, both from Austrian directors, are to reveal some of the global food industry's guiltiest secrets to UK audiences next month. Our Daily Bread (Dir Nikolaus Geyrhalter) and We Feed the World (Dir. Erwin Wagenhofer) will be screened by the Soil Association and Guild of Food Writers, to celebrate World Food Day on 16th October.
One thing I can be fairly sure of is that you won't want to watch either film while you're eating. In Our Daily Bread, Be prepared for images of the least appetising corners of the process that forms much of our food chain, as Geyrhalter gets underneath the skin of the industry, exploring “zones and areas people normally don't see” - including slaughterhouses.
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When it comes to quality food - I can’t get enough of The Ethical Food Company. Fortunately, it really is as ethical as the name implies. Not only are all their products (from fresh fish, meat and artisan bread to seasonal fruits and vegetables) top-notch, every product comes with an ethical label or two (think: organic, fair trade, GM free, environmental/energy saving practices, seasonal, high animal welfare and so on…) so you know exactly what you are buying.
And the guys at EFC don’t just stop there. They only use 100% biodegradable corn starch bags for packing; insist on paying a fair price for all supplies and have a no air miles policy. Plus, their business is fuelled by green, renewable energy; all office paper is recycled (and only used when absolutely necessary) and they have recently launched a Carbon Neutral Delivery service.
With Foot and Mouth restrictions still in place in Surrey after a new case was confirmed over the weekend, a new disease has just been found in a British cow for the first time, it was reported in the Guardian. Bluetongue, which can affect cattle, sheep, goats and deer but not humans, is often fatal in sheep and can reduce milk yield in cows. As bluetongue is not prevalent in Britain, it is feared that an outbreak could cause many deaths as immunity to the disease is not widespread amongst British cattle.
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Further to our story back in June about the devastation caused by bank holiday floods to our most threatened bird - the bittern - it appears it's not all doom and gloom for this little bird. Detailed annual monitoring has revealed that the bittern is present in more sites than in any other year since 1990. Most significantly is the discovery they have set up nests in the East Anglian Fens for the first time since before the second World War. Three different breeding females were found to have nested in a single, privately-owned, site in Cambridgeshire. It is also the first case of bittern nesting in a newly made reedbed, which has been created especially for them as part of a habitat recreation programme being carried out by the RSPB.
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This week, 30th September to 8th October, is Red Squirrels Week run by the Wildlife Trust. Once our only native squirrel, red squirrels are easily and quickly displaced by the arrival of the grey squirrel, originally imported from America to this country in the 1800s. It is now estimated that there are only 160,000 red squirrels left in the UK.
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