Clip from TV-AM with Anne Diamond 1989 – Julia Hailes interviewed about green supermarket products

Anne Diamond was very enthusiastic about green consumerism. On her programme again, I’m talking about the sort of ‘green products’ people could look out for. Actually, there weren’t that many and some of the discussion is out of date! Researchers had managed to find organic crisps which contributed to saving the hedgehogs and even organic […]
How Covid-19 is Changing the world (Apr20)

The Covid Crisis is sowing the seeds of division – young vs old, local vs incomers, poor vs rich etc. People are worried that we’ll never get ‘back to normal’ whilst others are wondering if that’s actually desirable. And, there’s also concern that the impacts of crashing the economy may even outweigh the terrible toll of the virus. However, there are positive initiatives too. I thought it would be interesting to look at some examples of what different organisations are thinking and doing…..
McDonalds are wrong to switch to paper straws (Aug19)

I can’t count the number of times when I’ve said I don’t want a straw and the response has been – it’s OK because it’s paper…. It’s not. First, we have to challenge why straws are so commonly used. I suppose I have to acknowledge that there are some situations where it makes sense […]
I’m feeding my dog insects! (Apr19)

The brilliant thing about this is that it’s better for the planet – and apparently good nutritionally too. And, Rex loves them. The main insect ingredient comes from soldier fly grubs, which are reared in high tech vertical farms and fed on vegetable matter – and they grow to full size in just 14 days. […]
Watching ‘Blue’ made people angry (Dec18)

It was difficult to decide which part of the film made me more angry. High on the the list were the scenes cutting the fins from living sharks and throwing them back into the sea. I think the film said that 60 million sharks are killed for their fins each year – but looking it […]
Converting people to Sodastream (Nov18)

Many of us remember having a Sodastream in our childhood. Then it seemed to disappear from consciousness. Now it’s back. It’s only been 10 years since I started liking sparkling water. Before then, I couldn’t understand why people weren’t happy with tap water. Now, I’ve quite keen on having a cool glass of fizz with […]
Speaking on Plastics at Trill Farm (SEP18)

“A quick but very heartfelt thank you for giving Trill such a good talk last Friday. It was a great evening with a really thoughtful and illuminating talk ( as well as good fun) and very much appreciated by everybody.” Romy Fraser, Trill Farm
Packaging & Organic Event – Soil Association(Sep18)

“Thank you so much for coming today to the packaging and organic event and for the great presentations and insight you gave. It was really well received from the feedback I’ve had and hopefully you enjoyed it as well.” Clare McDermott, Business Development Director, Soil Association See details of event, supported by Ecotricity. It […]
Moshi Moshi support sustainable fishing (Jun18)

I first came across Moshi Moshi over a decade ago. A Japanese restaurant run by Caroline Bennett, they’re at the forefront of restaurants supporting sustainable fish. My husband, Jamie Macdonald, has recently co-invested in an artisan fishing trawler with Nick Fisher, who co-wrote the Fish Cook Book with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. One of their first commercial […]
How good is my re-usable bamboo cup? (Jun18)

I’ve found a re-usable cup I really like. It’s made from bamboo, is quite colourful and has a really good lid that stops the liquid from spilling. My previous versions had lids that fell off, which made them pretty useless for coffee on the move. Bamboo has become a bit of a thing. When I […]