Oh for the good old days, when Gordon Brown’s trickiest problem was his image. I always thought his PR team should hold him up as a modern-day Mr Darcy, in contrast to the slick Wickhams of the media-savvy political world. This leaves Mr Brown free to be as grumpy as he likes, while we all imagine the fair, kind-hearted gent smouldering beneath the gruff exterior (though not, perhaps, in a clingy wet shirt.) [Right, Colin Firth in Pride and Prejudice, ©BBC]

 

As things stand, Mr Brown has more urgent issues on his plate. The terrorist threat is a real and present danger, but it shouldn’t put the real and present danger of climate change on the back burner.

June’s floods have brought the issue into sharp relief.

 

The month of June was one of the wettest on record for the UK: 

12 June 2007: Severe flooding across Northern Ireland 

15 June 2007: Flooding in North Yorkshire and The Midlands

25 June 2007: Severe flooding in Yorkshire, The Midlands, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.

 

Everyone seems to be surprised by the floods, but not Guardian readers. In the 12th of June issue, Matthew Weaver reported that the government's chief scientific advisor, Sir David King had warned that global warming was already altering the climate, and that the country will have to prepare for extreme weather such as heat waves and torrential downpours. Sir David commissioned a report on flooding, and the group of 60 experts estimates that the number of people at high risk from flooding will rise from 1.6 million today to 3.6 million.

 

An Ipsos Mori poll (released today) shows that 56% of us believe scientists are still questioning climate change. In fact, we put climate change well down our list of concerns, after terrorism, graffiti, crime and even dog mess.

 

Granted, this poll was taken just before the latest floods, but would the results be different today? Perhaps not. The science is admittedly very complex, but I suspect the public clings to doubt as it enables them to preserve the status quo. I call it the Dubya Principle: The jury’s still out on climate change. Even if it happens, don't worry your pretty little head; scientists and inventors will sort it out. No need to sacrifice your luxury lifestyle – whatever you do, do not stop shopping!

 

Alas the effects of global warming are here for all to see, and it’s time to wake up and smell the carbon. So what can you do? Why not start by planting a tree. See The Native Tree Shop for, err, native trees, which have environmental advantages. All proceeds go to the Woodland Trust.

 

Not only do trees ‘inhale’ carbon dioxide and ‘exhale’ oxygen, they can reduce the amount of rainfall reaching the ground by as much as 45%. Take a closer look at the Forestry Commission’s research on forests as flood control.

 

Or you could transform a paved front garden into a proper garden again. As we continue to pave paradise, there's less natural land to soak up rainfall, and water runoff overwhelms drainage systems, exacerbating flooding.

 

Of course, we’d need to turn the whole of London into a ‘rain forest’ to cope with the downpours we’ve had this month, so greening up your patch won’t fix the two big problems humans face in the future, floods and droughts – too much water and not enough (potable) water. We have to cut carbon emissions. Today.

Back to Mr Brown. What can he do? 

*Immediately stop plans for new coal-fired power stations.

*Immediately stop plans for airport expansion. 

*Toughen the Climate Change Bill to enforce more stringent annual cuts in carbon emissions. (We will not meet targets for 2010 – partly because Mr Brown as Chancellor didn’t want to get tough on businesses and risk an economic downturn.)

*Ensure that Hilary Benn, the new Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has climate change at the heart of all policies, and also works to strengthen the Climate Change Bill.

*Ensure that Transport Minister Ruth Kelly creates strong transport policies that reflect climate concerns.

*Ensure that Chancellor Alistair Darling doesn’t create economic policies in a vacuum but with a view to environmental issues. New eco-friendly technologies can bring new economic growth, so incentives for investment and development seem a logical place to start. 

 

Climate chaos is not just a terrible legacy we will leave to our grandchildren. It is affecting the planet now. The 'Inconvenient Truth' must become 'A Truth Universally Acknowledged'.  

 

Cycling is fantastic and Bike Week is the time to join in (see this week's Website of the Week page). Oh yes, I talk the 'On yer bike' talk, but do I ride the ride? It's confession time again. That's not me in the photo on the left. I sing the praises of cycling, but I don’t actually cycle myself. I used to, in fact I spent around 80% of my childhood on a bike, but cycle in London? I politely decline. [Left, ©iStockphoto.com/Andrzej Burak].

 

Luckily, others aren't so lily-livered. The number of cyclists in London is booming (up 83 per cent since 2000, with 480,000 journeys a day) but we still trail hopelessly behind most European cities in coaxing people out of cars and onto bikes.

Paris is about to sprint ahead with the new Vélib' bike service. Starting on 15 July, there will be 10,000 cycles on the streets at 1,000 stations, increasing to over 20,000 by the end of the year. The mayor wants to encourage locals – and tourists – to get around by bike. With cycles dotted around the city, riders will be able to mix transport methods throughout the day. The first half-hour is free, then it's just €1 for an extra half hour, rising for additional time; or simply pay €29 (£20) a year, €5 a week or €1 a day.

 

I wonder if Ken is considering a similar scheme for London. Before you harrumph about higher taxes, you should know that Paris expects to profit from the scheme, with projected returns of €34 million over 10 years.

 

Closer to home, my husband cycles to work (and the shops) and even did a charity bike ride for Wateraid, the 50km White Horse Challenge. So why do my feet remain firmly on the ground?

 

Excuses, excuses: 

a) I'm terrified. A friend of mine fell off her bicycle in France and despite her helmet, she was in a coma for weeks. Luckily she’s recovering, but accidents are a valid concern. In 2006, 2,420 cyclists were killed or seriously injured in Britain. Are cycling paths designed by psychopaths? How else to explain the fits and starts of lanes that end abruptly, leaving you to merge into dense traffic. I am just too jittery to share a lane with a gigantic London bus, not to mention supersized Chelsea tractors, complete with bull bars, which in the urban environment are essentially 'cyclist bars' and 'pedestrian bars'.

 

That said, the number and quality of cycle lanes are improving and the Department for Transport claims that mile per mile, cycling today is actually safer than walking. I would feel more secure with cycle lanes that are completely separate from the traffic so cyclists can’t get pinched in, especially on left-hand turns.

c) I wear dresses and skirts and want to maintain a modicum of dignity. It's the London Cycling Campaign again to the rescue. They suggest wearing shorts or cycling shorts under a skirt, so mine is not an insurmountable problem – though I think an old-fashioned lady's bike with a low bar will be more graceful to mount and dismount than a racer. Oh and I'd need a chain guard, so skirts won't catch in the chain. I've just found a perfect specimen, the quintessentially English Princess Sovereign bike (right) from Pashley (hand-built in Stratford-upon-Avon for extra eco cred).

 

d) I don't commute. With a home office and a two-block school run, I don't really have that many opportunities to cycle. Ahh, here I may just wriggle off the green guilt hook. We deliberately live near good public transport links and don't own a car, so I walk, Tube or bus it. Still, cycling is more eco-friendly than public transport, and a cycle certainly means more pleasure and independence. Not to mention that panniers (and the Princess's lovely wicker basket) could solve my shopping trolley dilemma.

 

I might just consider it. I could certainly use the exercise. I'll start by using my husband's bike (and helmet!) on quieter routes along back roads during these long summer evenings and see how confident I feel.

I certainly wouldn't feel confident cycling Lady Godiva-style, but on June 8th and 9th, around 1,500 UK cyclists and skaters in five cities did just that. The World Naked Bike Ride UK is part of a worldwide naked protest against oil dependency. I celebrate their aim of drawing attention to safer streets for cyclists, but perhaps I'll stick to emailing my MP and the London Mayor's office just at the moment. 

 

Today’s kids, apparently, not to mention creepy-crawlies, slimy slugs and nature in general. It seems to be a consequence of rarely being allowed outdoors to play.

 

 

I grew up in the days when children played outdoors from dawn till dusk, so feel some guilt about my own children's quite urban existence. I consider a stroll along the south bank of the Thames a chance to get closer to nature, so it's no shock that my offspring are ant phobic, scared of spiders and have bumblebee issues. “It’s just a bit of nature, sweetheart, don’t worry,” I say.

 

Things are getting better. 'Minibeasts' are part of the national curriculum, and now my daughter is more fascinated than fearful. If you want your little ones to be more at home with nature, start gently with the butterfly (butterfly-conservation.org) or the ladybird. Lately we've taken to ladybird-napping. We pop a few into a bag or hat and bring them to their new home, our rosebush (complete with aphid buffet).

 

Children are also fascinated by snails, and apparently our patio is a prime place for snail spotting. (I'm not a constant gardener, more an accidental one.) Yesterday some neighbourhood children gathered up a rout of snails and created a 'snail soft play' for them. As with the kiddie version, plastic featured prominently. Is this something the RSPCA could get concerned about? The snails seemed to enjoy themselves, but how can one really be sure.

 

For a broader range of creatures, look beyond your back yard to the Wildweb. Mayor Ken Livingstone wants to encourage Londoners to get out and explore ‘wild London’ this summer, so have a virtual visit before you go in person. Today he's announced 460 new green spaces on the site.

 

"From the endangered water vole to butterflies, birds and rare orchids, London’ s wild spaces support an incredible array of wildlife," says Carlo Laurenzi OBE, Chief Executive  London Wildlife Trust . "Nature really is on our doorstep and free for all Londoners to enjoy. Wildweb is a fantastic starting place for Londoners to find out about the capital’s amazing wildlife." For more ideas, visit Buglife,  Woodland Trust's Nature Detectives, froglife.org, and the BBC's Breathing Places and Springwatch.

  

It was the Camden Green Fair on Sunday – of course, you knew that, having read my Green Diary Dates page, right? The day wasn't billed as your typical funfair, but a kinder, gentler festival. Instead of noisy, fume-spewing generators, thumping bass music and scream-inducing rides, there promised to be a calm, philosophical air to the proceedings.

 

Kind of a hard sell for two under-fives. In an attempt to persuade my children to swap the cool of the paddling pool for a hot bus, I announced we were heading to a funfair.

 

"Don't get their hopes up; it's not a funfair," said my husband. "Well, it'll be a fun fair," I said, crossing my fingers there would be a ride or two, but presuming a bouncy castle would be out of the question. I can't find exact stats on a bouncy castle's carbon footprint, but it's surely not Cinderella-sized, more ugly stepsister.

 

 

Did you catch Daphne du Maurier’s ‘The Birds’ on Radio 4? I did and had a serious re-think about the birdhouse and feeder I’ve just ordered for our patio (visions of Trafalgar Square condensed into a 7x10-foot space – not a pretty picture).

 

We take for granted the fragile balance of nature, but too many – or too few – of a particular species and nature turns nasty. A plague of locusts devouring fields of crops is a terrifying sight, but even cute-n-cuddly creatures would be a menace if their numbers mushroomed. Billions of bunnies or hordes of hedgehogs would quickly lose their charm.

 

I've never seen the Hitchcock film, but when The Swarm hit the cinemas, I practically broke out in hives. Like most folks cowering in their seats, I was convinced an overabundance of bees would bring about the collapse of civilisation. Ironically it may be a bee shortage that does the trick.

 

Bees are disappearing around the globe, and scientists, beekeepers and farmers are getting antsy. Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) or Vanishing Bee Syndrome (VBS) is rife – many beekeepers have lost 50-90% of their colonies, billions of bees in total. The adult bees simply disappear. We could imagine they’ve all simply retired to sunny Spain where they lounge by the pool and reminisce about the good old days, but it's not a strike, it’s an epidemic. The jury's still out on the cause, but suspects include: environmental and climate changes confusing the bees; malnutrition; mites or disease; lack of genetic diversity (apparently many bees are inbred due to mail-order queens); falling fertility, pesticides or GM crops.

 

Most scientists agree that bees are definitely ‘stressed’. Stress? Honeybees? Talk about living in clover. I thought bees were immune from the anxieties of our age, no fretting about fine lines and wrinkles, orange-peel thighs, terrorism or a mortgage ten times your salary. Just buzzing about without a care in the world, nuzzling up the nectar of sweet-smelling flowers. So long as a human doesn’t come along with a rolled-up newspaper, it’s all good, right? Apparently not.

Pollinators such as bees affect 35 per cent of the world’s crop production. If bees disappear, obesity may no longer be the problem it is today. You can pollinate crops by hand, but it’s an expensive, time-consuming process (basically a person wielding a paintbrush – not practical for hectares of rolling fields).

Last week’s Chelsea Flower Show created a buzz with several bee-themed gardens. Unfortunately, at the last minute organisers banned live bees, citing health and safety.  The British Beekeepers Association display promoted urban beekeeping. If you want to do you bit to save the bees, but you're wary of hosting an entire hive, help solitary bees such as Masons or Leafcutters onto the property ladder with this bee house (£15.99, Monarch Gardens). With the UK's housing shortage, they may not get sole occupancy – ladybirds like it too.

 

Maybe the Chelsea ban got the world's bees in a pique – last week a swarm brought down a flight from Bournemouth to Portugal. Kamikaze bees filled the engines and the plane had to make an emergency landing. It seems bees aren’t the only critters with chips on their shoulders. A pair of nesting Eagle Owls in Lancashire have tired of the twitchers and they’re not going to take it anymore. They’re swooping aggressively, attacking people and dogs. Maybe they heard 'The Birds' too and now have fantasies of world domination, Lex Luthor style. If it takes more than a couple of divebombing owls to intimidate you, encourage wildlife with a colourful nesting box from Monarch Gardens (right).

 

Like 40 % of UK households we own a tumble dryer. Yep, and it’s not even A-rated, but then no dryer is. Well, a new dryer claims to be, but it’s really class C unless you use the A-rated programme – which takes eight hours! 

 

Tumble dryers are one of the biggest energy guzzlers in the home. The average dryer uses 875 kilowatt hours of power a year, so cutting down will save energy, money and carbon (between 300-900 kg per year).

 

Over a month ago, I made a vow to cut back on tumble drying. So have lots of people, you say. Big deal. Well, to me it really is. I grew up in a house with no clothesline, and I didn’t even know what an airing cupboard was until I moved to the UK in 1991. With five children in our house, the washer and dryer worked overtime. We used towels once, then popped them in the hamper for laundering. That’s a lot of towels, especially in a beach town, where everyone spends the summer in a swimming pool or the ocean.

 

My best friend did have a drying line (and a tumble dryer in the basement for cold or rainy days). I remember thinking ‘How quaint’, as I helped her with the pegging out, but after a few minutes of enjoying the Laura Ingalls Wilder lifestyle, it just seemed a bit too medieval. In those glossy, golden days of the early 1970s, American technology – and advertising – promised a happier future free from such drudgery. 

 

Now that I haven’t used our dryer in over a month, I’m trying to embrace my inner housewife, but she's not the cuddly type. I'm pegging out the clothes, but I can’t say I'm enjoying it (and yes, my mother thinks I'm mad). I suppose if we had a big garden, I could tuck a clothesline away in a corner, but our little patio is quickly overwhelmed – it's awkward inviting friends round for a teatime tipple at our outdoor table when our unmentionables would be wafting in the breeze just inches above their heads.

 

Also, I don't relish the idea of my clean clothes communing with nature, rubbing up against plants as insects buzz about and crawl all over them. (Hey, just because I’m trying to go greener does not mean I’m a nature lover!) So more often I simply hang the clothes on an indoor drying rack. Drying indoors means if I forget them, as I often do, they won’t get drenched in a shower (not that rain was an issue until last week).

I just found a website for eco-friendly washing lines so took a closer look. One of them costs over £200, and they’re made in Australia. Doesn't sound very ecological to me – and surely not economical. Instead, try this overhead dryer from Natural Collection (right, from £65). It’s made from unvarnished FSC-certified pine and keeps your clothes safe from summer showers.

 

Perhaps I’ll use the dryer a bit when winter comes, but hopefully I’ll stick to my ban. If I don’t use the dryer for six months, I reckon I’ll Freecycle it and put some much-needed shelves in its place.

 

If you must use your dryer, try these tips to reduce energy use:

Place the dryer in a warm location so less energy is required to heat the air inside.

Use the washer’s spin cycle to reduce moisture before drying.

Clean the lint filter after every cycle to keep the hot air moving efficiently.

Dry full loads, but be sure enough air can circulate around the clothing.

Use dryer balls to reduce drying time by 25% with no need for fabric softener sheets.

 

And if you’re getting sniffy about my daughter’s Hello Kitty towel, can I emphasise once again that I never claimed to be a green goddess. Anyway it’s surely more eco-friendly to keep the towels we have, rather than binning them to buy bamboo. What if I told you I recently turned down an all-expenses-paid trip to a 'luxurious yet eco-friendly' resort in Africa as I can’t justify the airmiles (or recommend such a faraway place as a green destination)? I could be basking on a hot beach right now instead of sploshing through puddles to get to the bus stop, so don't push me.

 

…and putting up a parking lot. Don't think '70s folksy protest song', think 'prescient 70s folksy protest song that's threatening to become a reality in central London' (if the Vice-Chair of the London Assembly Brian Coleman gets his way). Just as the newly restored park at Potters Fields (on the south bank of the Thames in the shadow of Tower Bridge) is due to be re-opened, Mr Coleman has said “‘I think a multi-storey car park [on the site] would be an excellent idea.”

 

Has this man ever walked along the South Bank? The area is really coming into its own as a lovely (if often crowded) destination for Londoners and tourists alike. We love it – it's a lively, vibrant part of the cityscape now. Maybe you think 'paradise' is stretching it, but reserve judgment until you've seen the park's £2.7 million redesign, part of the Mayor's 100 Public Spaces programme. To suggest that some of the only green space along the central London riverside be paved and privatised is astonishing. The South Bank is easily accessible by tube and bus (and taxis, big but usually black instead of yellow), so why encourage more people to drive into the area? And why waste a gorgeous riverside location on a car park for 1000 cars? It's the same philosophy that has pedestrians climbing down into tunnels under the Elephant & Castle while the cars whizz by overhead. Put the cars underground and let the pedestrians get some fresh air, I say. Let's hope that's part of the regeneration plan. Of course an underground car park on the Potters Fields site would be under threat of flooding, so that's not an option. Insisting visitors use public transport is.

 

Luckily, a few politicians are standing up to Mr Coleman. “London needs more green spaces, not [fewer]," says Ken Livingstone. "The London Assembly's Vice-Chair has got it so wrong... Most Londoners want London government to take the environment seriously, but Brian Coleman is out of step with this green agenda.” Deputy Mayor Nicky Gavron and Simon Hughes (MP for North Southwark and Bermondsey) have also criticised Mr Coleman’s comments.

 

Maybe if the plans progress further, someone could persuade Ms Mitchell to do a 'Sunday in the Park with Joni' benefit concert. In the meantime, check out the park's three-day re-opening festival from 17-19 May. Then register your views by emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Or simply buy your tickets now for the tree museum. "You don't know what you've got till it's gone."

 

I might have to temper yesterday’s denunciation of white parasols. Last night we saw Satyagraha , the Improbable/ENO production of Philip Glass’s opera about Gandhi. At one point a Mrs Alexander wields an elegant white parasol like a mighty sword to save Gandhi from the angry mob. She’s like Wonder Woman, only not quite so butch – a parasol is after all the ultimate girly accessory.

 

So I humbly acknowledge that a parasol could prove useful this summer, for fending off baddies – or the sun. As I’ve just been referred to a dermatologist to check out some sun damage, prudence seems wise.

 

That doesn’t mean I want to look like a prude. Is there a precedent for feminists to take up the parasol? In ancient Greece, the priestess of the goddess Athena carried a white parasol at the festival of Skiraphoria. Sounds promising, but how about a 21^st century example? Let me introduce you to Nintendo’s Princess Peach. She uses her parasol to fly through the air with the greatest of ease – and to kick some serious bad-guy backside. A Wii-fi heroine who’s not a bikini babe with an over-zealous plastic surgeon? Perfect.

Alas it turns out she’s also histrionic. In fact the entire game hinges on her moods – her rage literally sets her on fire. She’s often the stereotypical damsel in distress waiting to be rescued by Prince Charming (or in her case the chubby, moustachioed plumber Mario). So she’s more Cinderella with a bad case of PMT than paragon of girl power.

 

I’ll stick with Mrs Alexander as my parasol-packing pin-up. The opera was impressive, especially the visuals by Improbable, the twisted geniuses behind Shockheaded Peter. Newspapers are a recurring theme, ultimately as giant papier mâché puppets. At one point, I admit my mind did wander to the theatre’s recycling bin, which must be absolutely heaving. And after watching the performers unspool dozens of rolls of sticky tape to decorate the stage, I’ll never again chastise my daughter for her (relatively minor) overindulgence with the stuff.

 

I’ve been overindulging in sunscreen. Age spots I can do nothing about, but perhaps I might halt the rising tide of sunspots. Just glad I’m not a tanorexic – I’m happy to hide from the blazing sun. A predicted side-effect of climate change is a rising rate of skin cancers, so maybe everyone should do the same. The best advice is to cover up, but if you don’t want to sweat through summer in a polo neck, just pick up a parasol. You may even get lucky and find that the talking heads declare the pale and interesting look is ‘Going Up’ in this summer's ‘What’s Hot’ lists.

I just read in a weekend supplement (yes, it takes me a week to trawl through them all) that white paper parasols are the new ESA – “Essential Summer Accessory” (a la the new film of The Painted Veil, below). This new ‘trend’ is surely just for single women – or mums with nannies. You simply cannot sit elegantly holding a parasol in one hand and a G&T in the other whilst wiping chocolate ice cream dribbles from a toddler’s chin or rubbing sun cream on a wee nose. And don’t even contemplate the nappy conundrum.

 

Just as well ‘What’s Hot/What’s Not’ lists seem so far removed from my life at this point. Anyway, only women seem to notice trends, so I take comfort in the fact that 50% of the population won’t slate me if I’m sporting last summer’s skirt.

 

Fashion trends – in clothing or homewares – rely on change, updates, keeping fresh, which means buying more stuff. So is ‘Conscientious Consumer’ an oxymoron? Surely the point is that we should all consume less, but ‘mend and make do’ doesn’t really sell magazines, especially not when there are fabulous finds for a fiver on every high street.

 

On the one hand, it’s great that fashion is no longer the privilege of the rich. Now, instead of hiding their thrift under a barrel, penny-pinchers hold their heads high. “This dress? Just £10!” we squeal with delight. Unfortunately, our glee masks the truth behind the labels. Today’s prices don’t reflect a product’s true costs – human, in sweatshops, or ecological, in airmiles or unsustainable or polluting production processes.

 

Now there’s pressure on high-street retailers to improve labelling. As of 14 March, M&S food labels will start to note when there's air freight, as part of the company's Plan A, which includes a commitment for M&S to become carbon neutral within five years. Carbon Trust (carbontrust.co.uk) is now working with businesses on a new carbon reduction label to show companies are committed to reducing the carbon footprint of their products. The scheme is being tested with Innocent, Walkers and Boots on board. A ‘reduce it or lose it’ clause means if a company fails to reduce the product's carbon footprint over a two-year period, Carbon Trust will withdraw the label.

 

 

There’s a new report out claiming that 77% of Brits feel guilty about not being more environmentally friendly. The survey by Continental/KNOTS Research shows that 88% of us switch off unused lights, 86% recycle waste, 72% use energy-efficient light bulbs and 67% don't leave electrical appliances on standby. That sounds pretty good, but still, most of the respondents felt guilty.

 

Maybe they felt guilty because they were telling porkies. Call me a cynic, but I'm sceptical about this level of eco-action on a daily basis. Maybe they weren't intentionally lying, just subconsciously exaggerating the truth.

 

We're all guilty of that at times. Who hasn't walked into a room to find the lights blazing away, despite one's best intentions and vows to get switched on and switch off? Forgetfulness, the fast pace of modern life or plain old laziness can keep us from reaising our green goals.

My current private shame is in the butt area. True in every respect, but particularly the conspicuous absence of a water butt at my home. I had great intentions when I spied beautiful specimens crafted from old oak distillery barrels. Then I realised that if instead of a vast expanse of green and pleasant land one has only a titchy patio, perhaps 450 litres of water would be surplus to needs. Not to mention that a barrel would take up precious floor space (to make room for it, we'd be forced to deep-six either our small outdoor table or the children's sandbox).

 

So instead of a proper water collection device, I have an old bucket out back, and this child's sand bucket for our teeny front yard. A friend came round this morning and was in stitches at this meagre attempt at water conservation (hey, every little drop helps and it does collect just enough to water the window box). Now I'm shamed into action and on the hunt for a slimline butt (who isn't) that's more pretty patio than industrial chic. Let's face it, green plastic is not a great look, even if it is recycled.

 

Earth Week (earthday.net) is a good excuse to get back on track with green goals. Earth Day is officially the 22nd of April, but Earth Week now seems to mean most of April. Time to renew your personal pledges: to switch to eco bulbs, to drive less or to start saving water in anticipation of another summer hosepipe ban. To start your water saving, log on to waterwise.org.uk on Monday 23 April. The first 5000 people to do so will get a free shower timer from Waterwise and Water Group Promotions.

 

For the record, my bucket is neither half empty nor half full, it's completely and utterly bone dry. Will it ever rain again? I vow to buy the proper equipment pronto. The butt stops here.

 

A few weeks ago, I was a bit short on time and my daughter's school uniform was far too short on her. Instead of hitting the high street (or righteously purchasing a sewing pattern and a bolt of organic cotton), I ordered three school uniforms online. There, I've said it. Laziness prevailed, after my last uniform shopping fiasco when I trundled up to town on the bus and trawled up and down Oxford Street with a very heavy toddler in a pushchair only to find the shops had sold out of the needed size and colour. So this time, I thought I'd treat myself to the luxury of home delivery and try not to dwell on the delivery charge – or the carbon cost.

 

Easy-peasy, and a few days later, the uniforms arrived. Each one was individually wrapped in plastic, then all three packed into a heavy-duty polythene bag. Gulp! I thought the big corporations were trying to reduce excess packaging. They'd also thoughtfully sent me an unsolicited (and very heavy) Next Directory catalogue to inspire additional purchases.

 

I had a few hiccups when placing my order, so perhaps the third time through, I neglected to tick some box that says ‘Please do not send me five pounds of unnecessary paper'. I read recently that 2/3 of UK households now receive this catalogue, but with a Next store on every high street and a very comprehensive website, surely a personal copy of the catalogue is superfluous?

 

I kept meaning to complain, but as it was number 897 on my to-do list, I didn't get around to it. Imagine my surprise yesterday when I received a copy of the hefty summer catalogue. I emailed the company and got a friendly reply, saying no more catalogues – oh and they've kindly refunded the £3.75 charge for each directory.

 

This fiasco has helped me reach a decision. From here on out, it's hand-me-downs (everyone at the school passes on their outgrown uniforms) or more scrupulous suppliers. For a while I've been thinking I should buy organic cotton uniforms rather than the ubiquitous Teflon-coated cotton/poly blend. Yes, Teflon, the non-stick coating on your cookware. It's now used on children's clothing, and I have to admit, it sure is handy – food and fingerpaints don't stick and the clothes come out of the wash practically wrinkle-free. Unfortunately Teflon is made using Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), a potentially carcinogenic chemical. Though there's debate about whether the chemical survives the production process, why take the risk?

I've just found an interesting company:  cleanslateclothing.co.uk, which claims to be the UK's first Fair Trade and organic uniform supplier, with Fair Trade supply chains and SKAL and IMO certified organic cotton, free from chemical finishes or AZO dyes. Clean Slate can also arrange embroidery of a school's logo. As I missed the last meeting of our school's Environment Committee, maybe I can get out of the doghouse by tackling this as a new project.

 

In the meantime, I'm sure the organic cotton will be more comfy for my daughter, but allow me a moment to to collect myself as I contemplate the prospect of forming a more meaningful relationship with my iron.