Right to Repair is good – my E-waste poem in the style of Dr Seuss (Mar21)
I wrote a slightly different version of this poem in 2012 when I was campaigning to change what happens to e-waste. Sadly, it’s still just as relevant today. However there is some good news. The EU are bringing in ‘Right to Repair’ legislation, which means that it should be much easier to get spare parts […]
Is the EU’s Single-Use Plastics (SUP) Directive better for the environment (Feb21)
No. I don’t think it is – at least not all of it. Mid 2021 the EU is planning to introduce the Single-Use Plastics Directive. The key objective appears to be moving business and consumers away from single-use plastics and towards re-usable solutions. On the surface of it, this sounds like a good environmental move. After all, using […]
2007 Video of Julia talking about how we can all make a difference
The New Green Consumer Guide, written by me, was published in 2007, nearly 20 years on from the original Green Consumer Guide, which I co-wrote with John Elkington. This video shows me talking about how and why I started my green career – and why green consumerism is a powerful force for change.
ECOPOD COFFINS ARE NOT QUITE DEAD (Dec20)
But pretty nearly. What a pity. These beautiful paper mâché, seed-shaped coffins are gorgeous. They’re also a pretty good eco-option, as they’re made from recycled newspapers and magazines. I’ve been planning on having one for years – I particularly like the gold ones. This month I decided to bite the bullet and get one. […]
Green Consumer Compilation – TV Clips with Julia Hailes from 1988-90
Many people will be surprised to know how much interest there was about green consumerism in the late 80s and early 1990s. It was kicked off by the publication of The Green Consumer Guide, co-authored by myself and John Elkington, in 1988. The book had 11 print runs in the first month, shot to the […]
TV Clips of Julia Hailes – Green Consumer Compilation from 1988/1989/1990 (posted Nov20)
Many people will be surprised to know how much interest there was about green consumerism in the late 80s and early 1990s. It was kicked off by the publication of The Green Consumer Guide, co-authored by myself and John Elkington, in 1988. The book had 11 print runs in the first month, shot to the […]
TV Clips compilation of Julia Hailes talking about waste and packaging – 1988-1990.
Recycling was probably the most popular green consumer issue because people could really understand what they could do. Quite often it was the only environmental thing they were prepared to do! Here I’m talking about recycled loo paper, overloaded landfill sites, saving energy, recycled materials, Mcdonalds cartons, egg boxes etc… “As we fill more and […]
Simply switching from plastics to other materials could actually increase carbon emissions. (Mar20)
This is the conclusion of a new report from the Green Alliance: Fixing the System – Why the circular economy for all materials is the only way to solve the plastic problem. One of the rather intriguing insights in this report is that plastics were invented to prevent the extinction of elephants! How so? At […]
Getting beds (Sep19)
I received an email last week giving me some shocking information about the number of mattresses that are discarded in the UK every year.
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 […]