As a long-term veggie and seasoned believer in animal welfare, it came as no surprise to me to see the carnage and mayhem in a shed of intensively farmed chickens last night on Hugh fearnley-whittingstall's Chicken Run on Channel 4. And what's the betting that Hugh's mock-up barn was practically the Ritz compared with the far larger real sheds that don't get shown on TV?
But that familiarity didn't stop me from feeling a sense of sadness and resignation at the fact that some people I've talked to afterwards (even one of those taking part in the show) will continue to buy intensively-farmed chicken because it's so much cheaper -- as much as one third of the cost -- of free range. With this in mind, how has the show affected your choices? Fill out our poll, and be honest!
Last week, we gave you five alternatives to central heating during the colder months. Do you have any better suggestions? If so, we want to know them, so we can compile an ultimate guide to avoiding the thermostat; a guide you can print out and stick underneath the switch.
In the meantime, I'm battling with my own housemates to keep the heating off. By November, I've usually succumbed, but I'm going to see how long I can hold out this year. Living in an upstairs flat, I find that it's rarely necessary to keep the heating switched on, but it's hard to get out of the habit.
So, being entirely honest: at what point in the year do you normally fire up your central heating?
If you've seen our natural skincare roundup, you'll probably be aware that a group of chemical preservatives called parabens are the latest 'controversial' ingredients in cosmetics.
For those who haven't heard, the lowdown is that some people are beginning to avoid using these additives, having read that there is a link between parabens and cancer, while others argue that there is no real evidence to suggest this is the case. But where do you stand on this issue? Are you checking labels on your shower gel and looking out for more natural products?
When Al Gore's grand plans for Live Earth were announced earlier in the year, I remember a lot of green types rolling their eyes and muttering about the current speed of the green bandwagon. And when Madonna was confirmed as a performer, singing her own specially-written Live Earth song, the muttering got even louder and it looked like the whole thing could be a bit of a damp squib. 'Do we really need celebrity endorsement to make us take action?' people asked.
Maybe we don't. Maybe you and I don't, but what about those less educated on the seriousness of global warming? There's something to be said for bringing these issues to the masses, and what better way to do so than by getting a bunch of rock stars to hammer the message home with music. And the Live Earth pledge; a simple set of rules to cut down on energy consumption, are all actions we should be taking, so why not take this opportunity to ensure everyone knows it's better to use energy efficient lightbulbs and not leave gadgets on standby?
The floods we've seen this week in the UK are on nothing like the scale of disasters like Hurricane Katrina and other catastrophic weather events that are happening more often worldwide, but being used to a mild climate, it's shaken many people into asking some serious questions about climate change.
Last night between 9 and 10pm, Lights out London saw several landmarks, institutions and individuals switch out their lights and other non-essential appliances for an hour, in a symbolic stance against climate change. Iconic London landmarks like the Houses of Parliament and Piccadilly Circus's huge advertising hoardings were plunged into an eerie darkness, and even the Queen joined in, ensuring that Buckingham Palace was as darks is it was during the blitz.
The campaign appears to have been a big success, as an estimated 2 million light bulbs went out around the capital, saving roughly 750 MWh of electricity in just one hour – enough to run 3,000 televisions for a year. Many others, around the country and worldwide also showed solidarity by taking part, despite a warning from the National Grid not to try and stage nationwide blackouts for fear of causing a power outage with the surge resulting from too many appliances being switched back on at once. But did Hippyshoppers let the side down? Let me know if you swtitched off last night in our poll!
Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth went head-to-head with the UK's pilots this week, with the result for most of us being a great deal of confusion about whether or not we can help the environment by choosing not to fly where possible.
As someone who's just booked a train journey to Spain - a journey I intend to document here - this is a subject very close to my heart. I was shocked by the difference in cost, finding that rail travel is many times more expensive than the flying option than one would imagine. It seems to me that without a financial incentive to travel by train, and now a lot of counter arguments that confuse the argument further, not many travellers are likely to make the switch. So in the midst of all the disagreement, I'd really like to know what you think:
Imagine for a moment you're in your local store in the fruit aisle, and wanting to buy a bunch of bananas. There are two options: fairtrade or organic. They are the same price. Which are you most inclined to go for? It's a hypothetical question that rarely happens in reality, but the results could reveal some interesting truths about our shopping habits.
Carbon offsetting has received a lot of criticism recently as a convenient excuse for jet-setters to go on polluting the planet, but a sizeable contingent still swear by it as a realistic means of making our lifestyles greener. It really seems the jury's out on this one, so what do you think?
As a long-term veggie and seasoned believer in animal welfare, it came as no surprise to me to see the carnage and mayhem in a shed of intensively farmed chickens last night on Hugh fearnley-whittingstall's Chicken Run on Channel 4. And what's the betting that Hugh's mock-up barn was practically the Ritz compared with the far larger real sheds that don't get shown on TV? 
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Last week, we gave you 
If you've seen our 
When Al Gore's grand plans for Live Earth were announced earlier in the year, I remember a lot of green types rolling their eyes and muttering about the current speed of the green bandwagon. And when Madonna was confirmed as a performer, singing her own 
Last night between 9 and 10pm, 
Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth went head-to-head with the UK's pilots this week, with the result for most of us being a great deal of confusion about whether or not we can help the environment by choosing not to fly where possible. 
