My Garden (May09)
It’s such a wonderful time of year for getting into the garden. I’ve actually managed to mow the lawn – I’m afraid that I didn’t use a scythe. I’ve also been pruning the apples trees – and getting rid of the ivy that’s wrapping itself around them and planting vegetables. Home-grown food is a real […]
Regifting – eek (May09)
Photo: A rather well-wrapped present… I don’t just recycled my rubbish, I recycle presents too. I’ve recently discovered that this is called ‘regifting’. Apparently this is an American phrase and I learnt it from my sister-in-law, who comes from the state of Washington but is now living in Devon. If I get a present that […]
Haller transformation (May09)
Below is an article I wrote for Telegraph website about millipedes, hippos and Haller in Kenya. I’m a trustee of Haller – a charity, I co-founded that supports sustainable living in Kenya. In March I spent a week just North of Mombasa looking at how things have progressed since my last visit over four years […]
Business in the Community (May09)
“Julia has an infectious personality which makes her a mesmorising speaker. Her speech at BITC’s May day summit was compelling, yet told in a really engaging and humorous way. Julia’s passion and conviction really brought to life why we were all sitting there. As a communications specialist I know how difficult it can be for […]
Radio 2 – Jeremy Vine show (May09)
Fierce debate about food waste and the merits of ‘slop bins’ or garbage pages as I prefer to call them. I’m being challenged by a chap who didn’t impress me much with with his views on food waste, recycling and climate change.
Greening hotels (Apr09)
I stay in hotels all the time. And I quite often give feedback. Most hotels are incredibly wasteful. Common practices include: -Leaving lights on in bedrooms when they’re unoccupied-Double beds with lots of pillows for only one person (resulting in lots of unnecessary laundry)-Individually wrapped soaps, shampoos and other products-Over-heating or cooling rooms with no […]
Rant about disposable napkins (Apr09)
“Do you ever find it annoying when you’re given wads of napkins and bags you don’t need?”. I was amazed to find this statement on Pret a Manger’s website. The answer is ‘yes – very annoying’. The reason for my surprise was because I think that Pret is once of the worst culprits of napkin […]
P & G Earthday (Apr09)
“Let me thank you for a really great and inspirational presentation at P&G Earthday in Geneva. We keep getting positive feedback about you and in particular from the lunch session, which left an impression on many people! You created a buzz and talk within the organisation about sustainability and our lifestyles. You truly inspired us […]
P&G Speeches and Earthday events (Apr09 & Jun07)
I’ve spoken at a couple of P&G Earthday events aimed at promoting greater awareness amongst their staff. “Let me thank you for a really great and inspirational presentation at P&G Earthday in Geneva.” Apr09 – Sustainability and recession… In June 2007, I gave an internal presentation to P&G staff titled ‘What’s the future of green washing?’. When researching The […]
Off to Kenya and street lights closer to home (Mar09)
Another morning digging ourselves out of the drive. As I was heaving large mounds of snow into the bank I was thinking about where I’ll be in a couple of days time. I’m off to Kenya tomorrow. I’m heading straight to Mombasa, from where I only have a short drive North to my destination. […]
M&S Plan A (Mar09)
M&S launched their Plan A scheme in 2006. CEO, Stuart Rose heads the team and they have a very impressive list of actions and initiatives covering issues across the board from transport, packaging and re-usable hangers to food waste, refrigeration and laundry labels in their clothes. I’ve been to the progress reports for Plan since […]
Shopping Trauma (Feb09)
I don’t really like shopping – particularly when it entails actually going out of the house. I do most of my shopping on the internet. Earlier this week, I went into Yeovil for a few things. It made me even more committed to purchasing with my ‘mouse’. First on my list was an energy-efficient, decorative […]