Sustainable living

SPRING STATEMENT

Home insulation, solar panels and heat pumps will become cheaper to install after the chancellor abolished VAT for energy-saving products for the next five years.

SUSTAINABILITY

January was the month in which I, like many millions of other people, had grand visions of exercising. So I dug around in my cupboard to blow the dust off my “workout” trainers (yes, it had been that long) and realised that they had so many holes they were in no fit state to take me anywhere, let alone the damp streets of London. (We’re advised to change our running shoes between every 400 to 500 miles, but that doesn’t apply to me, because I haven’t run anywhere since school athletics.)

First there was cow leather, then plastic leather: now we are wearing pineapple leather.

First there was cow leather, then plastic leather: now we are wearing pineapple leather.

SUSTAINABILITY

My brother once rented a house in Cornwall for Christmas and did a lot of research to source a locally bred, free-range turkey. He even rang the farm from which he had reserved his prime poultry and asked politely if the bird was free-range. The response came in a thick Cornish accent: “Free-range? Your turkey has a sea view!”

body & soul

More of us than ever are giving up meat and turning to plant-based foods. Almost a quarter of Britons cut back on animal products last year, according to the Vegan Society. This is good for the planet and, nutrition experts say, it’s good for our health — but only if we follow certain rules.

GREEN PLAN

Countries are planning to produce more than double the amount of oil, coal and gas over the next decade than can be used if the world is to avoid dangerous climate change, a UN report says.

SUSTAINABILITY

All of us consume Earth’s resources – even those who are tiny and adorable. This is why having a baby is not sustainable. Each human requires food, water and space, and we all create emissions – particularly those lucky enough to be born in the developed world. According to the Global Footprint Network, the average UK resident produces 11 times more CO2 emissions a year than a person in Nigeria.

A “nappy tax” could be imposed to stem the tide of millions of disposable nappies contaminating thousands of tonnes of recycling in the UK.

The first few weeks of university are the swiftest adjustment towards adult life most young people will encounter. Away from home-cooked meals it is a case of sink, swim or break the bank on Deliveroo.