All posts filed under: Lifestyle

earth day 2020

The Good Earth: Climate Change, Public Health and Corporate Social Responsibility

Our Earth is the only home we have ever known. It is the only home we will ever know. For far too long, it was all too easy to take this good Earth for granted. Nowadays, however, it seems that the issue of climate change is on everyone’s lips. It saturates old and new media. But when we speak of climate change, the first things that spring to most people’s minds are melting glaciers, raging wildfires, and emaciated polar bears desperately scavenging for food. What is little recognized in all the rightful furore over climate change is the profound public health threat that climate change poses. And, as usual, it is the world’s poorest and most vulnerable who are affected first and who are affected worst.

boden ethical clothing

11 ethical clothing brands giving fast fashion the flick

It’s easy to do when you’re clothes shopping. You see the ideal outfit, you know it would suit you perfectly, and – bonus – it’s cheap as chips. But when you stop to think for a moment you realise if it’s ridiculously cheap for you to buy, the person making the garment must be getting paid peanuts. The excitement of the buy wears off when you put some thought into the ethics behind the clothes. We now know that fast fashion is one of the most destructive industries on earth, filling our landfills with masses of garments born of unethical working conditions. Here are some quick facts: Nearly 70 million barrels of oil are needed to make polyester fibre, a main component of fast fashion Polyester takes around 200 years to decompose Globally we are consuming 80 billion pieces of clothes a year, an increase of 400% compared to 20 years ago 20,000 litres of water are needed to make 1kg of cotton, equal to about a tshirt and jeans. Thankfully, as our knowledge of …

simple living

Simple living: how to simplify your life in 8 easy steps

It’s so easy to get carried away with the business of life. When you’re not at work or rushing from one appointment to another, you may be ferrying the kids to and from school, then after school activities, and maybe have a gym (or wine) session somewhere in between. It’s often hard to find time for yourself or your home. Simple living is something you’ve heard of the fairy tale lives of others. If that all sounds very familiar to you, it’s time to take stock, slow down and simplify your life. Of course, it’s not always easy to change down a few gears on command. When you’re living life at a billion miles an hour the very idea of leading a more simple life – while tempting – just seems so unattainable. Here we share a few pointers to help you on your way to a more relaxed pace of living.