What to do if ... you want to live off-grid
Posted on January 14, 2010
Michael Rea, 64, and his wife Dot retired to the Shetland island of Unst in 2001 and now live in a zero-carbon house. In the past year, the couple have lived near off-grid, with heating costs of just 50p a day for their 180sq m home in the most northerly part of the British Isles.
  • Hilary Benn: household slop bins on the way
    Posted on January 14, 2010
    Hilary Benn, the environment secretary, has signalled that ministers want to press ahead with plans to ban food waste from dumps and other landfill sites. Instead, local councils would have to try to extract energy from food thrown away by families, either composting it or processing it in anaerobic digestion plants
    Britain must grow more sustainable food, says Benn
    Posted on January 6, 2010
    Proposals for national food strategy calls for UK farming 'revolution' in response to climate change and food security
    My free and easy life
    Posted on January 5, 2010
    When Katharine Hibbert lost her job and her flat she didn't just downsize – she decided to dispense with money altogether, living on the stuff the rest of us throw away.
    Is it green to re-gift?
    Posted on December 30, 2009
    Freecycle, upcycle and refashion anything unwanted into something irresistible… As Lucy Siegle reveals, any re-use is good news
    The ethics of unwanted presents
    Posted on December 30, 2009
    Many shoppers are taking the chance to return unappreciated Christmas gifts. Should they feel guilty about it?
    Urban foraging: 'It's day two and I'm going to die'
    Posted on December 14, 2009
    Is it possible to feed yourself for a week simply with food you find growing wild – in London? Bella Bathurst takes up the urban foraging challenge
    Sue Perkins's food waste tips for the fridge and freezer
    Posted on December 14, 2009
    When comedian and broadcaster Sue Perkins joined the Love Food Hate Waste campaign, she agreed to clean up her fridge and freezer. Ethical and green living expert Lucy Siegle pays her a visit to see how she is getting on
    For a DIY Christmas that's fun as well as frugal, get crafty
    Posted on December 14, 2009
    Whether it's to cut down costs or to enjoy being creative, making your own gifts is a satisfying approach to the festive season
    The ultimate Christmas gift? Buy nothing
    Posted on December 14, 2009
    Buy Nothing day is a protest against the environmental 'shopocalypse' that is the Christmas shopping rush