Green Dishwashing (Feb10)
When people buy a dishwasher, they still hand wash many of their dishwashers – in fact they only reduce their use of washing up liquid by 25%. So when you’re thinking about green dishwashing, it’s not so much a question of whether you do it by hand or by machine, it’s how you do it. […]
How Green is Scarlet – Eco-hotel in Cornwall (Jan10)
My first impression of the building was horrendous. It was sitting on the cliff top surrounded by bungalows and modern seaside houses. Looking at the website for the Scarlet Hotel near Bedruthan Steps in Cornwall, I had thought that it stood on its own in a beautiful bay. The picture of the distinctive red hot […]
Is Rick Stein’s fish sustainably sourced? (Sep09)
Last weekend I went to Padstow. This fishing port is best known for its association with Rick Stein, who appears to own half of the businesses in the town from his eponymous restaurant, fish & chip shop and deli to a local pub, bistro and patisserie. Predictably there was no space for a last minute […]
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 […]
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 […]
Off to Kenya and street lights closer to home (Mar09)
Denuded landscape near Mombasa Sustainable agriculture training plot near Mombasa The offending street light on Coker Hill Rural view from my house 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 […]
Plugs, insurance, credit crunch, beetles and lunch (Jan09)
Last week was busy. I flew from meeting to meeting. Not literally I hasten to add – they were mostly in London. I started with a meeting about insurance – I’m not a great fan of the industry. They’re so inefficient and bureaucratic. Talk about excessive paper production. I was talking to Adam Clutterbuck. […]
Christmas tree alternative! (Dec08)
I got an email asking me whether I thought an artificial Christmas tree or a natural one would be the greenest option. I said that I thought an artificial one – made from plastic – would be better environmentally, if you re-used it year after year. But I’ve never gone that route. (I’ve now […]
Yo Sushi is Wasteful (Dec08)
It’s a shame there’s not a Yo Sushi at Waterloo because that’s my regular train station and I’m a fan. If I’m going through Paddington I often perch on one of their stools and help myself to something exciting from the conveyor belt – and at airports too. If you’re interested, it’s not too difficult […]
Reckitt Benckiser Sustainability Conference (Jul08)
“Julia had a great impact at our sustainability conference. As well as highlighting potential focus areas in her talk, she got stuck in with the brand teams in the afternoon to think about how we could innovate to change our products and consumer behaviours.” Joss Langford, Reckitt Benckiser, July 2008
Easter Holidays (Apr08)
Snow fights and snow men are unusual activities for an Easter holidays. We’ve managed to fit them in around camping – it wasn’t that cold – Easter egg hunts, a rope assault course, dens, bike rides and a trip to London. Went to see Mamma Mia in the West End. With adaptations of Abba […]
Shell (Feb08)
In February 2008 I made a presentation to Shell communication executives on sustainability energy issues. They were looking to be challenged and provoked in an intense session lasting over an hour, which included time for a lengthy Q&A. In 2005 Shell commissioned me to write one of a series of Guidance Notes, on social performance in […]