The Cajun Army: how a community fought the Louisiana floods – video
Torrential downpours in Louisiana led to catastrophic flooding in August 2016, submerging entire communities and displacing thousands of residents. Volunteers did whatever they could to help – rescuing stranded people, organising food and shelter and providing security. In their own words, members of the self-styled ‘Cajun army’ tell the inspirational story of how a natural […]
Blackout parties: how solar and storage made WA farmers the most popular in town
Once considered an eco-warrior’s pipe dream, renewable energy is rapidly gaining ground in the traditional mining state of Western Australia Along the remote southern coastline of Western Australia, the locals have cottoned on to a new, surefire way to keep their beer cold. The energy grid around Esperance and Ravensthorpe is unreliable at the best […]
Britons throw away 1.4m edible bananas each day, figures show
Government study says £80m worth is discarded every year – sometimes simply because of a minor bruise or black mark Britons routinely bin 1.4m edible bananas every day at a cost of £80m a year, figures reveal. A third of consumers (30%) admit to discarding a banana if it has even a minor bruise or […]
Gorse badly damaged by harsh winter: Country diary 100 years ago
Originally published in the Manchester Guardian on 17 May 1917 Our Cornish driver said today that here they had had “two winters in one, and that a bad one.” Certainly one does not remember ever to have seen gorse so badly damaged. One thinks of gorse and ling as the hardiest of hardy shrubs, yet […]
Secrets of the shiny yellow buttercup
When it comes to attracting pollinators, buttercup petals hold all the aces. They even provide their guests with heating Do you like butter? Hold a buttercup under your chin and folklore says if there is a yellow reflection on your skin it means you do. But the real reason the flowers seem to shine with […]
April cold weather could cause a shortage of British fruit, say farmers
National Farmers’ Union warns of ‘waiting game’ on apples, pears and plums after last month’s Arctic blast Cold weather in April could lead to a shortage of British apples, pears and plums, farmers have warned. Alison Capper, chairman of the National Farmers’ Union horticulture board, said she feared her own apple harvest, which includes varieties […]
Trump is deleting climate change, one site at a time
The administration has taken a hatchet to climate change language across government websites. Here are several of the more egregious examples During inauguration day on 20 January, as Donald Trump was adding “American carnage” to the presidential lexicon, the new administration also took a hammer to official recognition that climate change exists and poses a […]
We wouldn’t need price caps if the Tories hadn’t cut energy-saving schemes
Restricting charges, no matter how desirable, is a temporary measure. The lost opportunities for insulation and renewal would have been permanent How much should people pay for the essential service of heating and powering their homes? Last week, politicians tried to outbid one another with how much they would save you. Up to £100 off […]
The eco guide to green lawns
Manicured grass comes at a heavy cost in terms of pollution from pesticides. We need better legislation, and wildflowers happily mixed with the turf As contenders for the 12th Britain’s Best Lawn competition will know, with a great lawn comes great responsibility. Despite the fact that the winner receives a lithium-ion-battery, self-propelled lawnmower (far more […]
Peril of the deep – the killer poison that lingers unseen in British waters
The discovery of alarming levels of PCBs, a type of chemical banned 40 years ago, has led scientists to call for an urgent clean-up The body of Lulu the killer whale was found on jagged rocks on the Isle of Tiree in the Inner Hebrides last year. A member of the only pod found in […]