Are tiny forests the answer to our dilemma to encourage more biodiversity into urban areas while maximising the little available space? Especially in the strange times we live in at the moment, I think it is important (and may even help?) to focus on positive changes (yes, even small steps). However at the same time not completely losing ourselves in detail and short term day to day topics. So in short I think it helps to challenge the brain with some bigger ideas. The concept of tiny forests is one of these that recently grabbed my attention. What are tiny forests? So what are tiny forests? W ..read more

‘Made with ocean plastic’, has anyone else noticed this creeping into more ads, product descriptions and the like? I guess it is appealing to our bad conscience, i.e. even if the product includes tons of plastic overall, we are still doing something for the environment. We contribute to re-appropriating those evil ghost nets in which all those poor turtles get trapped, right? Well, yes and no. Yes of course it’s laudable that recycled plastics are used. And when they are called ‘ocean plastics’ they even gain somewhat of an aura, somehow become sexy. Really, it doesn’t matter if the recycled p ..read more

A while ago when trying to plastic detox, I discovered that a lot of my plastic waste comes from dairy products. And as the goal is not recycling plastic but to avoid it in the first place, making my own yogurt has been high on the list of things to try out. It’s taken some time to get the set-up right and I was reluctant to buy new contraptions for this, certainly no more items to clutter my worktop space (and probably all made out of plastic themselves too). I think I’ve now found a workable solution, and I have to say I rather like my homemade yogurt. It tastes a lot ‘fresher’ even than the ..read more

An ecological novel as a way to relax and to provide some welcome escapism. What better way to while away the hours, be it on holidays, or during the long winter months or the strange times of the current pandemic. Maybe to help you sleep better? Reading a green themed novel will help us to travel elsewhere, feeding our imagination. Something to captivate us while getting new impulses, maybe rekindling our motivation to live more sustainably, in the wider sense of the word. This collection of novels are my favourite picks, not sponsored, not necessarily recent novels either and from a broad sp ..read more

Give your wardrobe and home a sustainable makeover with linen. The time of lockdown is also a time of rethinking, of new departures, and most of all a time to reflect on what is important. I don’t know about you, but I think a lot of the more ephemeral trends might fall away while other things, things that really matter, gain in importance. One of these topics (hopefully) is our throwaway economy, so much centred on convenience, of new stimuli. Aside from packaging, cosmetics, another area we may want to focus on is fast-fashion. Maybe even more so after we have patiently decluttered our wardr ..read more

‘The science of sleep’ is a French art house movie by Michel Gondry. Its strange dream sequences will suck you in with their poetic beauty despite the absence of a real plot. The strange times we live through at the moment reminded me of this film, and the strange tangents our minds come up with during these times of cocooning in our own (imaginary) worlds. And isn’t that really what we need now, something to occupy our minds and take thoughts of all that makes us anxious – but not by emotionally draining or further impacting us, e.g. by consuming apocalyptic or high tension type content that ..read more

Social distancing is hard. We are social creatures, some more some less, but ultimately we thrive on contact with others (and that isn’t virtual human contact). So the unprecedented development of the last weeks is forcing us very much into unchartered territory. As the understanding is slowly sinking in that we are in a serious situation, we really need to get to grips with social distancing. Let’s reach out to those we know or suspect are struggling, or in general to our circle of friends and acquaintances, let’s be a lighthouse to others. This is probably the most meaningful contribution w ..read more

I’m not a big fan of hand sanitizer and prefer soap and water but I appreciate that it does have good uses. For example for when travelling, or during the winter flu season, and more poignantly with the COVID-19 outbreak seemingly coming closer. If like me you want to be prepared and avoid the spread of any nasty viruses but don’t want the artificially coloured and scented stuff that can usually be bought in shops, have a go and make your own hand sanitizer. It’s simple and quite fun. (I say usually available as at least where I live pharmacies and supermarkets seem to have run out of c ..read more

Do you want to switch to more natural ways of cleaning, maybe also for health reasons while at the same time avoiding all this nasty plastic packaging that most cleaning products come in? (Oh and don’t even get me started on these cleaning wipes that have become popular more recently…) It’s not as difficult as you may think and the good news is that only a few ingredients can do most of the hard work, and it’s cheaper than buying a multitude of products too. The old reliables for more eco-friendly cleaning are Baking soda Vinegar Lemon Salt Essential oils to add (oran ..read more

How can we travel more sustainably, leading the way to more responsible tourism? Who hasn’t been disappointed (even though most of us wouldn’t admit) when visiting this beautiful holiday place and instead of the deserted beach finding a crowded beach, full of cheap sandwich and the like stalls? Or coming across vast numbers of tour groups which often destroys the enjoyment of this long-awaited trip? For years we’ve been swarming to the same spots, trying to snap the same pictures as so many before us. Probably partly to blame on social media/ Instagram also. And yes, it is wonderful to ..read more