One of my biggest eco-sins has got to be my attachment to facial cleansing wipes. I've never been much of a cleanse, tone and moisturise kind of girl, and prefer to get the whole tiresome procedure over with in one wipe.
But it was pointed out to me recently that this isn't very green of me, and I should really consider other options. And I adimt that my first thought was of just how unlikly I was to start getting out bottles of organic cleanser and freshly laundered flannels after a big night out. Call me lazy (I am) but remembering to open the bag and rub the wipes across my face a couple of times after a few drinks already feels like enough of a struggle. Fortunately, I've found a solution! Read on to find out more.
Related: The greener alternative to cotton wool
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Zara Rabinowicz Writes...
As a writer for tech site Shiny Shinyit seems like almost every day I have an email pop into my inbox with a header screaming ‘ECO FRIENDLY’ or ‘GREEN GADGET’ and if I’m really unlucky it will say both in Comic Sans. The thing is whilst I applaud this green save our planet initiative I have to wonder at whether half these gadgets actually help. I mean rechargeable batteries and wind up radios are all very well, but when you think about how much it costs to design, create, and mass produce, oh, and package too, you start to worry about just how eco you are being.
A recent press event recently lauded a new gadget as ‘the greatest alternative to paper ever!’ declaring that this sat nav like system would mean you could store all your holiday info and maps on one little device, getting rid of the need for piste maps forever. Sounds laudable- what’s the price of this creation? A whopping £1500.
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As the world's favourite eco-bogeyman declares himself the saviour of the planet, Gareth Kane asks if we can take the new Green George Bush seriously.
In a speech last Friday that must have sent all green-thinking people into paroxysms of rage, US President George Bush gave the world an elementary explanation of the science of global warming. Speaking to the assembled representatives of the 16 biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, he refused mandatory limits and put his faith in technology to deliver targets.
Now it would be easy for me to launch into a withering critique of the POUSA, accusing him of rank hypocrisy and gall, but there are a few things to take into consider. When Bush speaks, he's never speaking to the global environmentally literate citizen, or to other world leaders. Rather he's talking to a particular section of the American electorate and he knows what they like to hear. They want him to keep it simple, sound as if he is in control, and reassure them it won't hit them in the pocket. Of course he also has to cover his backside after 15 years of US denial and make it sound as if the science of climate change has only just come to maturity, but I suspect this is a secondary consideration.
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As cities, towns and islands across the UK phase out plastic bags, Gareth Kane asks if this is the start of something bigger.
Today is recycling day chez Kane, but when I went to the big box of carrier bags under the sink to protect the newspapers from the rain, the cupboard was bare. Cue mad dash around the house trying to prise bags from all their favourite illicit hidey-holes before the big blue truck arrived (there are few more depressing feelings than having to bring your recycling back in again). Maybe, I thought as I pounded the stairs for the fifth time, the plastic bag is truly an endangered species.
The refusal of the UK Government to put an Irish-style tax on single use carrier bags has long been a complaint of the environmental movement, but, according to the Guardian, citizens across the country are taking matters into their own hands. The Devonshire town of Modbury was famously the first to phase out carriers with a voluntary agreement among shopkeepers, followed by the 'bag ladies' of Hebden Bridge. Now everyone from London to the smallest hamlet seem to be getting in on the act. Mull, Arran and Guernsey are racing to be the first plastic bag-free island in the world.
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We first mentioned it back in February, but the debate on whether a ban should be placed on imported organic food hit the headlines again yesterday with Trade Minister - Gareth Thomas - saying it would be "disastrous" for thousands of farmers. He was speaking at a London seminar organised to discuss the proposed removal of Soil Association certification on organic food which was been flown in. This follows growing concern from consumers about the impact it has on climate change. The options up for discussion are no action, labelling, or the phasing in of a ban. The idea of an outright ban has also been criticised by the International Trade Centre - a UN and WTO agency- as it would financially affect farmers and exporters in third world countries.
[via The Guardian]
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Given that stand-by switches and plastic bags are responsible for a very small part of our carbon footprint, Gareth Kane considers whether eco-living hints are worth the paper they're written on.
There's been an interesting debate in the Guardian this week about all the little hints and tips the media gives out whenever climate change is discussed. George Marshall, director of projects at the Climate Outreach and Information Network, derides the hints and tips brigade for understating the scale of change required ("unplug your phone charger and save the planet"). The Grauniad's own Bibi van Der Zee reposts that "these actions don't acheive [sic - it is the Guardian after all] much themselves: isn't the effect of taking them what we should be after?"
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With the Lib Dems and Tories publishing radical green policies, Gareth Kane wonders whether Gordon might pull something out of the bag.
If you're a political trainspotter, then September is your month with all three main political parties holding their annual jamborees around the country. This year has added frisson with continuing speculation on whether Gordon Brown will call a snap General Election this autumn, maybe even as Dave Cameron is addressing the Tory party faithful.
From an eco- point of view this year is going to be more interesting than most with the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives slugging it out for the green-ish vote. The Lib Dems will be debating their proposals to go carbon neutral by 2050 and the Tories publishing plans to ban standby switches and cutting stamp duty on energy efficient homes. This is do-or-die stuff - the Tories need beat the Lib Dems in the South to beat Labour across the country. The green agenda is a traditional Lib Dem fortress, so they'll be determined to beat off the blue/green threat.
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One of my biggest eco-sins has got to be my attachment to facial cleansing wipes. I've never been much of a cleanse, tone and moisturise kind of girl, and prefer to get the whole tiresome procedure over with in one wipe.
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