An article in the Guardian today tells of a Cambridge academic who says that Disney cartoon stars are the “unsung heroes of the green lobby”.  English professor David Whitley cites Bambi, The Lion King, The Jungle Book and Finding Nemo as films that have taught generations of children about conservation with a message of “fundamental respect for nature” and have “laid the emotional groundwork for environmental activism”.   So next time you need an hour and a half of uninterrupted me-time, don’t feel guilty about sitting your brood in front of the television with a Disney DVD, you’re just helping to train the next generation of eco-warriors.

Patagonia have long been recognised for their efforts to use recycled materials in their outdoor gear, and their Finn hiking shoes are no exception.

These sturdy lightweight walking shoes have a durable, breathable mesh upper with an outsole made of 30% recycled rubber, an EVA foam midsole with 15% recycled content, and a synthetic-cork footbed that is 70% recycled and has antimicrobial qualities.

If you’re concerned about the effect of pesticides on your body and buy organic milk and vegetables at the supermarket, here’s something that you may not have thought about. Wine is big business, and in the industrial wine farming sector, pesticide use is commonplace as one of the methods used to increase yields. And then there are the additives. Do you check to see if you recognise the names of what’s added to the food you eat? Then you may have noticed that wine makers don’t afford you the same courtesy of telling you what they put in the wine that you drink.  Many wines include isinglass (made from fish bladders, making the wine unsuitable for vegetarians), sulphur (as preservative) and glucose (to increase the natural alcohol levels).

So, how do you find wine that doesn’t have a detrimental effect on the environment where the wines are grown, and on your body (apart from the hangover of course, I don’t have the answer to that conundrum)?  Simple, check out the range of organic wines from Vintage Roots that support sustainable farming.

I love bringing a little treat along for my hosts when I’m out visiting people, especially when they’re going to be putting me up overnight. This weekend is no different, and what better gift as a treat than some lovely organic chocolate. Booja-Booja organic truffles are the pick of the bunch. They are handmade in Norfolk, and as much as I’m not a big fan of packaging, Booja-Booja packaging is absolutely gorgeous.

In the words of Mr Booja-Booja himself: “Everybody needs a little Booja-Booja now and then.”

When we think of air pollution we usually think of outdoors and indoor air quality is overlooked. We’ve been sealed inside our homes all winter with air pollutants like tobacco smoke, cat dander, dust, dust mite droppings and pollen, not even opening a window to let some of these allergens escape. And we’re not into warm enough weather to be throwing open our doors and windows just yet, so getting your hands on a good vacuum cleaner and vacuuming regularly is the best answer to improving your indoor air quality at this time of year.

My personal favourite is the Dyson Animal (pictured). It comes with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter which traps 99.97 percent of particles down to 0.3 microns in size, seriously reducing allergens and it’s bagless, so less waste to landfill. Because my carpets are 100% wool, all of my vacuum cleaner “dust” goes straight into the composter. I’ve had mine for 4 years, and every time I use it I’m impressed at the amount of gunk that it sucks out of what appears to be a clean carpet. It also has an animal hair attachment for very effectively getting pet hair off sofas and curtains.

Regardless of which vacuum cleaner you decide to go for, look out for the HEPA filter for maximum allergen reduction and go bagless to reduce waste.

How much thought do you put into which toothpaste you buy? My guess is that for most people the considerations don’t go much further than which flavour they prefer or which advertisement they saw on television last night. Did you know that many of the toothpastes on our supermarket shelves are packed full of potentially poisonous substances? And we’re putting this stuff in our mouths, twice a day.

Here are just a few common toothpaste ingredients that we should be avoiding:

Sorbitol is a sweetener that has been shown to cause bloating and intestinal cramping in high doses and has a laxative effect. Gel toothpastes can contain up to 70 per cent sorbitol.

Sodium Fluoride is added to toothpaste to strengthen tooth enamel. What we aren’t told here in the UK is that ingested fluoride can contribute to osteoporosis and it is poisonous. In fact, there is enough flouride in one tube of “family” toothpaste to kill a small child. They don’t put that on the tube! In the US, the Food and Drug Administration requires all toothpaste packaging to include health warnings and information on contacting local poisons control officers in the event of ingestion.

Triclosan is an antibacterial agent that reduces plaque. It also causes premature cell death in gum tissues and has been linked to liver damage in animals. Even it’s manufacture is harmful and releases dioxins (hormone disruptors) into the environment.

To avoid all these ingredients by choosing a more natural toothpaste isn’t difficult. There are some great products available that you can be sure don’t include any of these contested ingredients. Here are some I’ve tried and liked.

Green People make toothpastes for adults and children that are 100% natural, don’t contain SLS or any other foaming agents, fluoride, artificial sweeteners, flavours or any other unnecessary synthetic ingredients.

Kingfisher natural toothpaste contains no artificial colourings, flavourings, sweeteners or preservatives, and you can choose between varieties that contain fluoride and those that don’t.

Weleda Children’s Tooth Gel is a fantastic all-natural fluoride-free children’s toothpaste. It is especially formulated to be kind to milk teeth and it’s bright yellow colour comes from golden calendula flowers. It’s a refreshing alternative to the chemical laden children’s toothpastes available in the supermarkets.

Mobile phones aren’t particularly good for the environment, they need large amounts of energy and raw materials to manufacture, and their disposal in many cases contributes to the growing problem of landfill. But they are very handy, and for many of us they’re an absolute essential. So, while nobody has yet created a biodegradable eco-phone, you can make your phone more planet friendly by hanging on to it for longer (most phones will last for 5 years or more), and you can make sure that it’s recycled at the end of its life, rather than just dropped into the nearest bin, where the cadmium from just one phone can pollute 600,000 litres of water. Here are two more choices that you can make to make your mobile phone habit just a little bit greener:

Save energy

Mobile phone chargers should be switched off when you’re not using them or they continue to use the same amount of electricity as when you are charging your phone.

Make a better choice

When you are replacing an old phone (reduce waste by recycling it - see above), put some thought into which new phone to buy. Not all phones are created equal, and to help us out, ethiscore.org have scored mobile phone manufacturers according to their environmental accountability. None of the manufacturers came out looking very green, but here are the top 3 to go for: HTC, Blackberry and BenQ.

Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) have had some bad press recently because they contains a small amount of mercury, a neurotoxin. There’s no problem with contamination from the bulbs while they are in use, but once they’re used up and are thrown into the rubbish, there’s a chance that they will get broken on the way to landfill causing the mercury that is contained in them to escape and cause contamination. This fact has alarmed some people and is turning them off the idea of switching to CFLs to save energy. To set the record straight, and hopefully to encourage you to continue using low-energy light bulbs, here’s what DEFRA has to say on the matter.

Will CFLs cause less mercury to be emitted to the environment than standard light bulbs?
Over the life time of both lamp types, energy efficient bulbs produce less mercury. This is due to the fact that mercury is emitted from power stations during electricity generation and energy saving bulbs are more energy efficient – therefore saving on the amount of electricity that needs to be generated.
Of course, we’ve done a lot to reduce mercury emissions in the UK in recent years. Total emissions have fallen by 80% since 1990 and stand at 7.6 tonnes a year (2005 NAEI figures); power generation accounts for about 31% of this total.

Does the mercury in a CFL pose a risk?
The mercury cannot escape from an intact lamp and, even if the lamp should be broken, the very small amount of mercury contained in a single, modern CFL is most unlikely to cause any harm.
But it makes sense to avoid unnecessary contact with mercury; and any light bulb – broken or intact – should be dealt with sensibly.

Is a bulb likely to break?
Like all household products energy efficient bulbs can break, but they are actually harder to break than traditional bulbs: they are often coated with plastic as a protector and as they’re of a smaller diameter than traditional bulbs they’d have higher stress limits. According to trade figures, breakage rates are less than 1%.

How should I deal with a broken CFL?
Although the accidental breakage of a lamp is most unlikely to cause any health problems, it’s good practice to minimise any unnecessary exposure to mercury, as well as risk of cuts from glass fragments.
Vacate the room and ventilate it for at least 15 minutes. Do not use a vacuum cleaner, but clean up using rubber gloves and aim to avoid creating and inhaling airborne dust. Sweep up all particles and glass fragments and place in a plastic bag. Wipe the area with a damp cloth, then add that to the bag and seal it. Mercury is hazardous and the bag should not be disposed of in the bin. All local councils have an obligation to make arrangements for the disposal of household hazardous waste at a civic amenity site or household waste recycling centre. The National Household Hazardous Waste Forum runs a website with details of these centres for chemicals, but which also applies to other hazardous wastes. Alternatively contact your local council direct.

How should I dispose of unwanted CFLs, e.g. at the end of their life?
From 1st July 2007, waste CFLs have been subject to the requirements of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations. Those who sell items such as energy efficient bulbs must provide information to the public about where they can take waste bulbs and other WEEE. Some retailers will also take them back in store. However, most retailers have funded Designated Collection Facilities, in the main at local authority civic amenity sites. From this point, producers of the equipment fund the transport, treatment and recycling, where most of the mercury can be recovered.

Good old Oliver Heath.  He’s right in there, getting enthused about recycling and recycled products.

See the beauty in recycled products and include them in your lifestyle too.

What crazy winter weather we’re having. The weather man says that we’re experiencing one of the deepest depressions to cross the UK for 18 years, which is bringing us severe gales, flooding, heavy rain and hill snow. Beat the weather and stay eco-friendly by turning your central heating thermostat down one degree, and getting yourself a cosy woollen jumper, knitted in Nepal. Small farmers in Nepal supplement their subsistence income by knitting when their daily work is finished or slow. They rely on people like you buying their knitwear to help them maintain a regular and reliable income.