Conventional perfumes are cocktails of synthetic chemicals, many of which have been linked to cancers, birth defects and central nervous system disorders. Time to try something more natural
Overrun with shower gels that claim to firm and tone, cream baths that turn back the clock and body scrubs that detox and purify, the shelves of the average supermarket and pharmacy could be mistaken for those of a specialist spa or beauty parlour. Modern marketing contrives to make us believe that taking a bath or shower is an ‘experience’ rather than a personal hygiene fundamental, and that bath-time products are indulgent treats with emotional benefits. More often than not we believe it.
You do if… you live in an area where healthy food is either non-existent or too expensive. This is likely to be the case if your only ‘local’ food shopping option is a supermarket, and you have no good small independent local shops, farmers’ markets or box schemes serving your area.
A staggering 30-40 per cent of the water we use in our homes is for flushing the loo. That works out at two baths worth of water per day for the average family. Yet by taking a few simple steps or swapping your old toilet for an ‘eco-loo’, you can minimise your water usage, and save money too.
Katharine Hamnett is one of the UK’s leading fashion designers. In 1984 she famously wore a T-shirt opposing the purchase of US Pershing missiles at a reception attended by Margaret Thatcher. Since then she has campaigned on nuclear power, Third World debt, human rights, HIV and environmental issues.
We interrupt our regular programming for a moral advisory…
‘Endangerment of life is ignored when it is real, but sold in bulk when it’s a good enough apocalypse for a movie’
According to a Mori poll in March 2004, the fairtrade mark is now recognised by 39 per cent of the British public, up from 11 per cent five years ago. But what difference does fairtrade actually make to the lives of the producers? John Atkin looks at the Nicaraguan community of La Pita who sell half of their coffee on the fairtrade market
In intensive farming animals are viewed as units of production to be ground relentlessly through the system. Nothing could be more different at Kite’s Nest in the Cotswolds, where the livestock is actively engaged in deciding how the farm is managed.
After more than 20 years work, Mike Hands, a British tropical ecologist has come up with a groundbreaking way to stop vast areas of rainforest destroyed
Imagine you could turn 30 per cent of your household waste, at no cost, into high-quality compost for your plants, while also reducing toxic emissions from incinerator plants...
Do you want the best for your baby, but don’t want to harm the environment? Then use reusable nappies. Contrary to popular belief, modern reusables are cheaper and more hygienic than disposables, and you won't have to spend hours cleaning them.
