I once saw a banner on a festive city centre street that read: 'When you stuff the turkey, you stuff Christmas'. It was a rather clunky message, but it made its point. It wasn't held by a vegan anti-meat protestor, but a church group. At the time I thought it was a bit overblown, but it resonates more with me now than it ever has. In the last few years, I've found that … [Read more...] about Minimalism at Christmas: Is it possible?
Natural parenting and why it is essential for the planet
Children are not our moral and intellectual inferiors. They deserve respect, just as much as adults do. And yet, so often they are verbally abused, denigrated, cursed at, chivvied, harassed and intimidated, usually by the very people who should be their greatest source of strength, encouragement and enlightenment – their parents, their carers and their teachers. Children are … [Read more...] about Natural parenting and why it is essential for the planet
Slow travel vs fast tourism: Fly less and see more
Getting the short-haul fix City breaks and fortnights in the sun are mainstays of our culture and treated more as a right than a privilege or a luxury. This is made all the more possible by cheap flights on budget, no frills airlines to common destinations. It now costs less to fly from the UK to many parts of Europe than it does to get a train across England, and in some … [Read more...] about Slow travel vs fast tourism: Fly less and see more
Declutter and live free: Things I no longer need
As I walk around the house in which I currently live, I am reminded how many items I have mentally (and usually physically) let go of and it is freeing to realise that I can do without them. Fifteen years ago, I lived out of a backpack for a year and that experience has shaped the person I have become, more so than I previously realised. I never feel more content than when I … [Read more...] about Declutter and live free: Things I no longer need
Why we are a one child family
We have made a conscious choice to be a one child family. There are many reasons for this, but before I had my son, I decided that having one child seemed a responsible thing to do for our planet. I would not judge others for having more. It's a very personal choice. Of course, I realised my views might change once I became a parent. I might feel an unbearable urge for … [Read more...] about Why we are a one child family