I wouldn’t make a very good diplomat. The veiled dance and coded signals of international political negotiation would drive me crazy.

There are two months before world leaders gather in Copenhagen, Denmark for a United Nations Summit to hammer out a successor to the Kyoto Protocol. This could possibly the most important international meeting in the history of the world and yet, like Nero and Rome, we seem to be fiddling as the world burns.

I read the news every day and try to stay informed – The Guardian is probably doing the best and most consistent coverage of the mainstream media outlets and on the new media side I love TckTckTck. Yet I honestly can’t tell whether the negotiations are in a big mess or this is just the normal political process and it will deliver results in the end.

We’ve got the United States, and now Europe, saying that the new agreement should NOT be based on the Kyoto Protocol, even though legally it has to be for the countries that previously signed on to Kyoto. We’ve got poor countries saying that rich countries should take the lead and, by the way, you need to cough up if you want us not to chop down our forests – never mind that experts are saying the forest protection payments will just fuel corruption and organised crime. Check out the plain English guide to the negotiating text.

All the while, the environmental news is worsening. Just last week, I read that the Arctic seas are acidifying at such a rate, the seawater around the North Pole could be corrosive within a decade. So corrosive, it could dissolve the shells of live shellfish, with devastating consequences for the food chain.

We need strong action on greenhouse emissions now. All the countries in the world are going to have to make sacrifices to prevent the bigger calamity. We need to stop the blame game and come up with imaginative and fair solutions about how we can solve this crisis together. We must not let other problems like the economy or health care get in the way.

As citizens of the world we won’t be sitting around that table come December and any individual action will only be small. But that doesn’t mean we should do nothing. Sure, it’s great to take cloth bags to the supermarket (or better still, farmers’ market) and use long-life light bulbs. But for the next two months we need to be political activists. If you never write a letter to politicians in your life but you believe in the environmental cause, now is the time.

Many world leaders, including US President Barack Obama, haven’t even committed to attend Copenhagen in person. Action point – if you live in a democracy, write to your elected leaders and tell them that you want them there and what kind of deal you want.

Right now, preliminary talks are going on in Bangkok, Thailand. You can adopt a negotiator to lobby on your behalf, via international development charity Oxfam and TckTckTck.

Add your name to the global pledge, declaring your readiness for a strong deal. Join the world’s biggest climate event on 24 October. Act and act now.

Your world needs you.

Image: Amir K.

We already know that we should eat less meat for the sake of the planet – the United Nations has said reduced meat consumption would help curb greenhouse emissions. While many ardent environmentalists are vegetarian, initiatives like Meatless Monday are trying to encourage all of us to do our part, as well.

So meat production helps cause global warming. But did you know that climate change might also affect the quality of meat? According to New Scientist: “Pork chops will become soggier and paler as the world warms, while steaks could be dark and smelly”.

It’s all to do with the effects of heat on the animal’s energy, or glycogen, reserves. The flesh from pigs that become heat-stressed on the way to the slaughterhouse will acidify more quickly, so the meat resembles “soggy white blotting paper”. While heat-stressed cows run out of glycogen before slaughter, darkening their meat.

It all adds up to less “mmm” and more “hmm”.

Millions of cattle and sheep make long sea journeys every year in cramped, over-heated conditions as part of the livestock trade. So far the best solution scientists have been able to come up with has been to spike the drinking water with sports energy drinks. But if we are to keep eating meat in a climate-changed world, we are going to have to come up with a better solution.

We could start by scaling back meat consumption – most of us could handle more plant foods in our diet anyway – and focusing on quality over quantity. Then we could decentralise the meat industry, rear livestock in natural conditions on farms, transport them to a local abbatoirs only a few miles away and eat them close to where they were raised. Doesn’t it just make sense?

Image: The Busy Brain

Anthropologist Margaret Mead once said: “A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

If you’ve ever doubted this, look no further than Cadbury chocolate.

Last month we reported that Cadbury decided to add palm oil to its chocolate in Australia and New Zealand. The company insisted it was doing so not to save money but to “improve” its chocolate as the palm oil produced a “softer” product than chocolate made with real cocoa butter.

The reaction of the Australian and Kiwi public to such obvious spin was scathing. Furious chocolate lovers organised anti-Cadbury campaigns on Facebook and Twitter and the issue hit the national news on both sides of the Tasman Sea.

Every foodie knows that palm oil is a cheap and inferior substitute for cocoa butter, but the real concern for environmentalists was the fact that palm oil production is linked to deforestation and habitat destruction in South-East Asia and Africa. Cadbury insisted it would buy only sustainably-produced palm oil but this claim was dubious at best, something our original post explains in far more detail.

Thankfully, Cadbury has bowed to public pressure and the Australian press is reporting that the company has decided to remove palm oil from the chocolate recipe. A victory for people power!

What does Cadbury have to say about this? Both the main Cadbury Australia and New Zealand sites are curiously silent but have deleted the sections on why palm oil is so wonderful from the frequently asked questions.

However, Cadbury has responded to the criticism on its Choclovers.com website – not to be confused with the Choclovers.org protest site. The Choclovers.com site carries a press release quoting Cadbury New Zealand managing director Matthew Oldham, said the decision to go back to using only cocoa butter in Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate was in direct response to consumer feedback.

“At the time, we genuinely believed we were making the right decision, for the right reasons. But we got it wrong. Now we’re putting things right as soon as we possibly can, and hope Kiwis will forgive us. Cadbury Dairy Milk’s quality is what’s made it one of New Zealand’s most trusted brands for many years. Changing the recipe put that trust at risk and I am really sorry.”

Cadbury cited “passionate comments via social media environments” and confirmed the decision covered Australia as well. There is no sign that Cadbury intends to reverse its decision to downsize from 250g to 200g – but the company maintains that it has decreased its wholesale price accordingly.

It is probably no coincidence that the company has also joined Twitter since the furor broke – tweeting as @cadbury_aunz since August 13. Via the Twitter account, the company has acknowledged it was “wrong” and had gone back to its original recipe after strong feedback from consumers. The company also mentioned the UK business was Fair Trade-certified and other businesses would follow.

Social media gives consumers more power than ever, making it easier for that “small group of thoughtful people” to change the world. Cadbury has learned this the hard way – but good on them for doing the right thing in the end.

Image: Vlad the Impala

There is something about berries that screams summer to me. Where I live in England it’s the height of strawberry season right now and the berries are cheap and plentiful. They are also succulent and sweet with the summer sun -  unlike the watery tart versions you get from supermarkets out of season. For the next few months we will have a berry bonanza with raspberries, gooseberries, blueberries, red currants, white currants, black currants, and finally in the autumn, blackberries.

For my fifth birthday I begged my mother to make a strawberry shortcake – I think I must have been inspired by the saccharine Strawberry Shortcake doll that was popular with the under-seven set at the time. The only problem? We lived in Bathurst, a small inland city a few hours west of Sydney, and my birthday was in midwinter. There was snow on the ground and fresh strawberries were non-existent. My mother ended up making the strawberry shortcake with tinned strawberries. She was horrified but my five-year-old self was perfectly delighted with the result.

These days, you can buy imported berries at any time of year. In winter, in London the supermarkets are filled with cheap blueberries that have been air-freighted from Peru. EcoSalon readers are almost certainly aware of the terrible environmental impact of such a luxury but never mind the food miles, the fruit is inevitably disappointing as well.

Fortunately, there are better ways to extend the taste of summer fruit into the cold months – and now is the time to think about it. If you grow berries yourself, unless you have a large family, you probably cannot keep pace with the berry eating and need to think about preserving the harvest. If not, you can still join in the fun by visiting a pick-your-own farm (preferably an organic one, since conventionally-grown strawberries are one of the most pesticide-ridden fruits and vegetables) or taking advantage of discounts at the farmers’ markets.

The simplest way to preserve berries is to freeze them. The trick is to lay the berries out on a baking tray and freeze them individually before bagging them up – otherwise, the berries will stick together.

Or you can go for the time-honoured route and try your hand at jam-making. I tried it for the first time with my aunt in Scotland two years ago and it was actually far easier than I thought. It was also quite fast – it took longer to pick the berries than to make the jam. At the simplest level, it is simply cooking up fruit and sugar.

The standard rule is to have equal quantities of fruit and sugar – a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit (or a kilogram of sugar to a kilogram of fruit). You can play around with this a little if you like – for example, 16oz of raspberries to 14oz of sugar will make a jam that is slightly less sweet. Be aware that the sugar is necessary to preserve the fruit so if you cut back, it will not last as long. Some people use apple juice or honey instead, but I have never tried this.

The best option is to buy special preserving sugar, though if you can not find this, the closest match is granulated or raw sugar. You can buy preserving sugar with or without added pectin – the natural agent that makes the jam set. Some fruit, such as black currant, is naturally high in pectin anyway – you can tell from the stickiness of the raw fruit. Strawberries on the other hand are low in pectin and traditionally you would add lemon juice as the setting agent.

Before you start, wash the jars and lids in hot soapy water and then put them in the oven at about 100C (210F) (but don’t put the lids in for too long if they have plastic on the inside). This will sterilise the jars and also make them hot so they don’t crack when you put the jam in.

Stew the fruit in a pot, with just a splash of water to stop it sticking to the pot. Stir and wait for the fruit to start to fall apart – when you don’t want it to fall apart any longer, add the sugar. Stir and cook the fruit mixture for 10 to 20 minutes – it depends on the fruit but you can tell it is done when the mixture develops a gloss. Keep a saucer in the fridge and when you think the jam is done, you can test it by dropping a teaspoonful on to the cold plate – it is done if it sets. (Take the jam off the heat while you do the test and put it back if needed).

When it’s ready, spoon the jam into the jars and twist on the lids immediately to seal it in – you might hear a lovely pop as the seals go upwards. Apparently if you are using cellophane and wax you need to wait until the jam is cold, but I’ve never tried this. It should keep for about a year in the cupboard – refrigerate once open and use within a month or two. If you get good at it, it makes a wonderful gift for friends and family.

If your first attempt does not work out, don’t worry. There’s another name for over-cooked jam – toffee. You might not be able to spread it on toast, but it is perfectly delicious in its own right.

Image: abbybatchelder

As the recession cuts deeper into the profits of big food companies, many brands are downsizing their portions in a bid to cut costs. In some cases, they are also downgrading their ingredients. But as chocolate giant Cadbury is discovering – you mess with your iconic brands at your peril.

Cadbury’s current advertising campaign involves eyebrow gymnastics from two children. Meanwhile, it has made some eyebrow-raising changes to the formulation of its popular Dairy Milk block in Australia and New Zealand. The new chocolate block is smaller, contains fewer cocoa solids (you know, the part that actually makes it chocolate) and it contains environmentally destructive palm oil. It now finds itself at the centre of a PR storm, having incurred the wrath of shoppers, foodies and environmentalists alike. Whittakers, a rival chocolate brand in New Zealand, is taking advantage of the furore with this comparative shopping ad.

The first change is simple – the 250g block now weighs just 200g. The packaging has been redesigned and the squares of chocolate shrunken so the block actually appears to be the same size. Chocolate lovers are furious at the resizing and the fact that the price has not dropped accordingly and have formed a protest site, at choclovers.org, and have been spreading the message via Twitter and a Facebook protest group. Cadbury says in the FAQ on its website (Australia and New Zealand) that it has actually reduced the wholesale price but it’s up to retailers whether to pass it on.

Product resizing is annoying for consumers but nothing new – and given that people eat more when the serving sizes are bigger, it might not be such a bad thing for the public health. It’s the second change that is more concerning from an environmentalist’s point of view.

Cadbury has reduced the amount of cocoa solids from 26% to 21% and added nasty vegetable fats – specifically palm oil – to compensate. The company claims that it’s done this, not to save costs as you might think, but to improve the customer experience.

We have done this for a number of reasons. Primarily it is because our consumers have been telling us that we could improve their enjoyment of our chocolate by making it slightly softer to bite. Vegetable fat helps deliver this softness whilst at the same time maintaining our chocolate’s great taste.

As a chocolate lover myself, I’m not so credulous that I believe that Cadbury has done this for my benefit. I know a bit about food and chocolate and there is no doubt that palm oil is a poor substitute for the real thing. I am pretty sure most chocolate fans would feel the same way – despite what Cadbury’s “independent research” might show. I’m probably not their market, though – I tend to go for more quality brands such as Green & Black’s, the organic brand now owned by Cadbury, and Lindt.

However, there are millions of people who do buy Cadbury chocolate so the formulation of their products is part of a bigger problem. The forests of southeast Asia have been ravaged by deforestation, spelling disaster for wildlife such as orangutans and tigers and for the climate. Palm oil production is one of the leading causes of this – both historically and currently.

The main customers of palm oil are food manufacturers looking for cheap fats – though demand is also rising because of its utility as a biofuel. The rainforest of the Congo could be next, with China set to establish a giant palm oil plantation in the African country. It is ironic that Cadbury’s last big advertising campaign involved a gorilla.

Cadbury claims:

We are Board members of the RSPO [Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil] and purchase Green Palm certificates that independently certify the fact that the palm oil we purchase has come from sustainable sources.

The RSPO has a set of standards, its Principles & Criteria, that define practices for sustainable palm oil production. These include the use of appropriate best practices by growers and millers, the responsible development of new plantings and environmental responsibility and the conservation of natural resources and biodiversity.

All well and good, except that the RSPO is widely regarded as greenwash – members have to do little more than pay a membership fee. Even the bible for big business, the Wall Street Journal reports that it’s a problem. The Green Palm Certificates, meanwhile, allow backers to invest in sustainable production without necessarily using the product. Even if Cadbury could be certain that it is buying palm oil from sustainable sources, which is dubious, it is still creating new demand for palm oil. Replacing existing palm oil for a ’sustainable’ alternative is one thing, but it does not help matters if it is additional consumption.

No one seems convinced – and the backlash is huge. In most recent news, the Auckland Zoo has stopped stocking Cadbury, in the name of the orangutans.

Image via Treehugger

It is often said that “it’s not the destination, but the journey that counts.” I have never fully subscribed to this theory, at least when it comes to travel. In my experience, there are some destinations that involve a long and unrewarding journey but make up for it in the end.

On the other hand, there is a valid point to the expression. From an environmental standpoint, the way you travel is much more important than where you are going. There are also some trips where the journey itself is far more than a way to get from A to B.

Rail fits the bill on both counts. It is an environmentally-friendly way to travel, while the world’s best train journeys are breathtaking in their own right. The Trans-Mongolian railway is not the fastest way to get from Beijing to Moscow, but thousands of people do it every year. The Rocky Mountaineer in Canada even has a glass-domed roof in the dining car, the better to admire the stunning mountain views as the train takes you from Vancouver to the ski resort town of Jasper.

Yet, according to Wanderlust, the best rail journey in the world is in Scotland. The magazine included a rail journey category in its travel awards for the first time this year. The stretch of railway from Glasgow to Mallaig – where you can get a ferry to the famously beautiful Isle of Skye – won by a wide margin of votes. It got the gong for the stunning scenery, beating rail trips to Lake Titicaca or Machu Picchu in Peru, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway in India, The Ghan from Darwin to Adelaide in Australia and others.

I took part of this trip in reverse recently, from Mallaig to Crianlarich, the junction in the Highlands where you can transfer to the Glasgow-Oban train. My, oh my. I can see why it won.

I spent most of the first half of the journey dashing from one side of the train to the other, marvelling at the sheer rocky hills rising to my left and the silvery lochs (lakes) surrounded by greenery. At this time of year the foxgloves are in bloom, providing a flash of purple along the train tracks. As we went deeper into the Highlands, we passed through peat bog scattered with white fluffy flowers waving in the wind, known aptly as bog cotton, framed by the blue of distant mountain peaks.

At Glenfinnan we passed over a giant viaduct, well known to Harry Potter fans. In summer you can actually go on the Jacobite steam train transformed into Hogwarts Express for the movies. It does a once-daily trip from Fort William, at the foot of snow-capped Ben Nevis, to Mallaig and back, but you need to buy a special ticket and book in advance.

There is no fuss about the West Highlands Railway – for ticketing purposes it’s just a normal part of the ScotRail network. My ticket to Crianlarich cost £23.60 on the day of purchase – it’s often cheaper when you buy in advance.

Rail is a fantastic way to see Scotland. The train journey from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh is also extremely scenic, though not a patch on the West Highlands Railway. Major cities such as Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen are well-connected with each other and with England. It is only a five-hour journey from Glasgow to London and there are sleeper services from London to most major Scottish cities.

Sometimes it definitely is the journey that counts.

Images: piglicker, paradiseconnections, brianholsclaw, ipoh

Like many of us, I rely on the computer and internet for work and, increasingly, for pleasure. Switching it off is not really an option.

Yet, I am also concerned by the fact that the IT industry is a growing contributor to the world’s greenhouse emissions. I am trying to do my part – cutting back my usage (curbing my addiction) and not indulging my love of gadgets by upgrading to the shiniest new toys as soon as they become available.

Now I have found another solution. Click 4 Carbon is a for-profit business based in the UK that aims to raise money for forestation projects in Asia. The site includes an online community and information about how to green your lifestyle. That’s all well and good but I’m sure you readers are pretty clued up about that already. What really excites me is the search tool.

Nearly anyone who uses the internet uses search. There’s no need to feel guilty about that, despite what you may have read. (The claim that two Google searches uses as much energy as boiling the kettle for a cup of tea is a myth, based on some sketchy physics guesswork and a misquote). Yet you can do better.

What I like about Click 4 Carbon is that it is not asking me to change behaviour – it is simply asking me to be smart about it. If whenever I need to do a search, I do it through Click 4 Carbon instead of Google or Yahoo. This way, I am helping a green business survive and fund forestation projects in Asia at the same time. It is still powered by Google so I know the search results will be good and the site also pledges to offset the carbon used to run the business, including its servers.

Now this is what I have been searching for.

Image: DeclanMT

Back in March, I was trying to organise a wedding for 110 guests from the other side of the world and slim down to look great in my bridal dress, as well as doing my day job. I was one stressed-out bunny!

At the time I wrote about the steps I was taking to manage stress and why. When we are busy, looking after our mind and body can get sidelined – right at the point where it’s more crucial than ever. I believe that the stress we put on our body is a metaphor for the stress we put on the planet. For me it’s a practical mirror as well – I’m far more likely to look for the easy, not-so-green solution when I’m stressed.

As well as using my common sense and listening to what my body needed, I went to a workshop on understanding stress at Neal’s Yard Remedies in London to try to learn more about it. In this post, I’ll share with you the highlights of what I learned – and how effective it was when I put it into practice.

At the workshop we were told that 90% of illnesses today are caused by stress, from headaches and backaches to insomnia and irritable bowel syndrome. Stress is cumulative an one major stressful event is enough to tip you over the edge. If you reach 300 on the Holmes-Rahe scale, it leads to ill health, and divorce is worth 73 points just on its own. So it’s important to manage stress well in your daily life – if your underlying stress levels are low, then you are physically, emotionally and mentally equipped to deal with the ups and downs of life.

Understanding stress is a personal journey – your stress triggers and how it manifests itself in your body will be different to mine. We were advised to keep a diary to track our stress levels, rating it from number 10 as maximum stress and number one as the least stressed. The diary should record what we’ve eaten, how we were feeling emotionally and physically, whether we had slept much the night before and what had been going on during the day, while women should also note their menstrual cycle. We were told to keep the diary for two to three weeks to give it enough time for patterns to emerge.

As I thought, a healthy diet is extremely important. However, dietary changes should be gentle and aimed at nurturing rather than punishing the body. Interestingly, we were told never to do a detox in the cold months – if we want to detox, then it should be in spring and for a maximum of three or four days. Otherwise, we were told the odd glass of wine was fine when managing stress – and even helpful because it can help with relaxation. Treats, such as wine, chocolate, or a treatment such as massage and acupuncture, are highly effective in alleviating stress. Yay!

I learned that Vitamin B – found in brown rice, eggs, some red meat, bran, sesame seeds and brewer’s yeast – is crucial in the fight against stress. Vitamin C – found in citrus, kiwi, strawberries and other fruit and vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage – is also important. As well as the dietary sources, both Vitamin B and C can be taken as a supplement. If the digestive system is not working properly, then fibre is especially useful, while warm water with a slice of lemon can help get things moving again.

Exercise is great because it burns up adrenaline and cortisol and produces endorphins to help you deal with stress. Again, it’s important not to overdo it, especially if you are not already physically fit, instead aiming to do a little every day, including cardiovascular exercise such as walking or jogging but also activities such as yoga and pilates, with a focus on breath. Meditation can also be useful in calming the mind and promoting overall well being.

I rarely have problems getting a good night’s sleep, but for some people stress manifests itself as insomnia, which can obviously compound the problem very quickly. The workshop advocated “sleep hygiene” – trying to leave the bedroom uncluttered, without televisions or computers that emit energy. I love to read before I go to sleep but if you have trouble sleeping, it’s apparently a good idea to restrict this to the living room to trick the brain into thinking that bed means sleep. We were told never to take work to bed and to keep a notepad next to the bed so we can jot down things that worry us to get it out of our head. Drops of lavender essential oil on your pillow or in an oil burner before you go to bed can also help you sleep.

We talked about complementary remedies for stress relief – herbal tinctures and teas, flower remedies, essential oils and homeopathy. This part of the workshop was a useful eye-opener into the range of treatment available, although it comes down to personal judgement what is useful for you. For example, I am sceptical about homeopathy since the scientific evidence consensus does not support it and I’ve never personally had success with the treatment, but I love the herbs, aromatherapy and flower remedies. Also, we were advised that anyone who is taking conventional medication needs to approach complementary medicine with care, since some herbs can interfere with some drugs. If in doubt, it’s best to check with a qualified herbalist first.

Since that didn’t apply to me, I decided to try a selection of treatment. I bought a herbal supplement called rhodiola rosea that is meant to be good for stress relief and emotional support. I also took home a herbal tea blend of chamomile, passiflora (passion flower), lemon balm and rose, which I drank two or three times a day. I felt immediately soothed when I drank the tea but apparently the effects also build up over time.

I found the flower remedies especially useful – I’m sure scientists would tell me it was a placebo effect, but I really felt like I could feel them working immediately. Bach flower remedies or Australian bush flower remedies both work int the same way – the flower essences are infused in an alcohol solution and you take drops directly under the tongue, or dilute it into a glass of water. Some have a strong immediate effect, while others are slower and cumulative, but we were told not to take them for longer than 12 weeks if they weren’t working.

I took the Focus blend – larch, elm, white chestnut, hornbeam, gentian and clematis – to help me concentrate on specific tasks during the day. I’m usually a big procrastinator but it really helped my productivity. Then when I needed to relax, I tried Unwind – vervain, impatiens, agrimony, rock water, walnut, aspen and white chestnut – which helped me let go of tension knots. I was so impressed with the results that I made sure I had some Rescue Remedy (also known as S.O.S. blend) on hand for my wedding day in case I had an attack of nerves.

I also tried the dual approach with aromatherapy – buying basil essential oil to help me concentrate during working hours and lavender to help me unwind at night. It’s best to invest in an oil burner but you can also get effective results by dropping oil in a bowl of boiling water or on tissue paper to sit on top of the radiator.

At the end of the workshop I bought a copy of the booklet Understanding Stress: Natural Solutions that Really Work by Susan Curtis for £2.50. It’s also on sale through Amazon Canada. It gives a clear, concise summary of stress, looking at why it happens, what the symptoms are and how to overcome it through supporting your body, emotional balance and spiritual health.

Through the workshop and my follow-up reading and experimentation I discovered a lot about complementary medicine and what works for me. I’m interested in continuing this journey further. I am grateful that I live in a world with modern medicine and that I personally have access to that. However, the health system is more about treating illness and I’m interested in going beyond that to promoting wellness.

Managing the symptoms of stress is important if you want to prevent it damaging your body, mental wellbeing and relationships. However, equally important is exploring the underlying causes. I believe chronic stress and environmental damage are both symptoms of our modern lifestyle. If we can get that back in balance, our health and the planet will both benefit.

Image: Vincent Boiteau

Many people in business are secretly hoping the recession will kill off the growing popularity of green issues. Some others are hoping not so secretly, among them the delightful (not) Michael O’Leary of Irish budget airline RyanAir, who had this to say in February last year:

In many ways we would welcome a chill or something even colder. We would welcome a good, deep, bloody recession in this country for 12 to 18 months. It would be bloody good for the industry. It would help see off the environmental nonsense that has become so popular among the chattering classes.

In reality though, environmental issues are not going to go away, and the recession is as much an opportunity for environmentalists as a threat.

Brands that indulged in greenwash or sold a green veneer as a lifestyle gimmick are bound to suffer in these straitened economic times. I think (hope) that discriminating customers with money to spend will continue to seek out truly artisanal eco-friendly products. It’s the brands clambered on the bandwagon in an exploitative, non-genuine fashion that will suffer. I must admit I laughed at AA Gill’s scathing review of Daylesford Organic in London. On the face of things it sounds like a case in point, though I’ve never shopped or eaten there, so I reserve my judgment.

Right now it’s the value-for-money proposition that chimes with the general public. That’s probably why Rachel’s, an organic dairy brand in the UK, recently dropped the word “organic” from its brand name. Many customers regard organic produce as a luxury that they can’t currently afford. Rachel’s is still certified organic – it’s just no longer called Rachel’s Organic on its packaging.

In the battle for hearts and minds, environmentalists can also focus on selling a value-for-money proposition. Even in these tough financial times, people do still care about the environment and are paying attention to green issues. They are just looking for a way to do it without blowing the family budget. The good news is that frugality goes hand in hand with green living.

Environmentalism at its heart is not just about what you buy, though that’s important, but fundamentally about buying less. You don’t really need that new iPhone – and if you are tempted, you might want to check out this amazing photo gallery on Treehugger showing the shocking truth about where the raw materials came from.

It’s not all about deprivation, though. EcoSalon has loads of great ideas for how to save pennies and the planet without compromising on style.

Some simple ideas that will save you money and help the planet include:

Cutting down on your electricity and natural gas consumption. Turn off lights, switch appliances off at the wall, turn the central heating off completely for summer. Simple but effective.

Drive less and instead catch public transport, cycle or walk.

Use the library or book exchange websites rather than buying books.

Barter more generally, not just for books.

Can’t afford to go to the farmers’ market or buy organic brands in the supermarket? Don’t give up on organic food but instead sign up for a vegetable box scheme – you’ll get fresh, seasonal food at great prices. It’s actually often cheaper than the conventional produce in the supermarket. Or grow your own – whatever your space.

Reduce meat consumption and cook more vegetarian food – EcoSalon posts great vegetarian recipes if you need inspiration.

Practise good home economics and use up food. Remember that multi-buy deals in the supermarket are not such a great deal if you have to use it all up by the next day.

Mend your clothes or have a clothes swap. And skimp on dry cleaning.

Holiday close to home or take the train.

And, here are even more ideas. I’d love to hear from you so please share your best ideas for frugal green living in the comments.

Meanwhile, you might take a certain schadenfreude from knowing that RyanAir plummeted into the red after failing to hedge effectively on fuel prices last year. O’Leary’s latest plan to make money is to charge customers to use the toilet on board the aeroplane.

Image: AMagill

WWOOF! It might sound like a dog barking but it stands for “worldwide opportunities on organic farms”.

For travellers, the WWOOF organisation lets you travel the world and experience local culture on a budget. For hosts, the deal is you provide room and board in exchange for free labour.

You might be working on an organic mushroom farm in Brazil or a Buddhist community on the East Coast of Australia. This is not a jolly day out – you are expected to work hard. Yet many travellers find it very rewarding. For some, the allure is learning about organic gardening, while others are keen to experience local culture from within a family (or other household) environment and practise language skills.

But how do you get the most out of WWOOFING?

I asked my aunt Michele, who runs a permaculture design business called Edible Landscaping and has hosted WWOOFERs for the past five years to work in her permaculture garden and orchard near Cardiff in South Wales. Here are her tips.

For WWOOFERs:

She advises asking a lot of questions before you leave: how many hours you’re expected to work, how isolated the place is, whether you are expected to do housework. In general, she advocates that WWOOFERs should behave like a house guest and contribute a bit to running the house, even if it’s just to help clear up after dinner. Her number one piece of advice is to bring the right clothes – for South Wales that means waterproof outdoor gear like rain jackets and Wellington boots.

For Hosts:

She says it’s important to feed WWOOFERs well, particularly if they are doing hard, physical labour. She advises giving WWOOFERs a structure to work in - for her it’s five days on and two days off – giving them very clear instructions for what you want done and letting them know they can have breaks. Her best investment was buying a caravan for them to sleep in, rather than giving up her study with the sofa bed.

In five years, Michele says that the vast majority of WWOOFERs have been lovely. She finds the work they do in the garden very useful, while her children have had the opportunity to meet young people from all around the world and have benefited from the cultural exchange.

Image: kcbimal