November 2012

Zara, the world’s largest clothing retailer, today announced a commitment to go toxic-free following nine days of intense public pressure. This win belongs to the fashion-lovers, activists, bloggers and denizens of social media. This is people power in action.

Phil Lockley is a small-scale, artisanal fisherman from Cornwall. He works from one of the most beautiful ‘rivers’ of Cornwall, the Helford River, as part of a small fleet of 18 vessels, each measuring under 10m in length.

Rarely do I need an alarm clock. My winter day begins without prompting at 05.00hrs GMT; a routine shared by countless other European artisanal fishermen who prepare for their day of work.

I willingly and lovingly hunt for fish and shellfish. It’s not just a job. To many it is a way of life.

"Environmental protection is the top priority for Volkswagen". So says the blurb for VW’s latest PR initiative. But according to a story in yesterday’s Guardian newspaper it seems no one told their lobbyists…

The story reveals that the VDA, the lobby group that represents VW along with fellow German carmakers BMW and Daimler, wants to make a big hole in a proposed EU law to control CO2 emissions from even bigger cars.

This summer, after six years of planning to drill in the Alaskan Arctic, Shell finally moved into the region in a failed first attempt at drilling for oil. To date, Shell has spent $4.5 billion on Alaskan Arctic offshore drilling. This includes the cost of licenses and permits to drill off the coast of Alaska.

Friday was a brave day for Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls to hug a solar panel. Britain had awoken to the - albeit sensationalist and misleading - headline news that households could be paying £170 a year by 2020 to fund renewable energy projects. (The reality being nearly half that cost and overall savings if we get our act together on energy efficiency). But Ed Balls, MP for Morley and Outwood, pulled up to renewable installation company Eclipse Energy in Leeds enthusiastic, engaged and ready to – literally - embrace clean energy.

If a year is a long time in politics, then 2016 is a lifetime away. Yet the government has decided not to commit the UK to clean electricity until after the next election.

This morning, as the Energy Bill was making headlines, ten people were setting up a non-violent blockade of Hinkley Point nuclear power station. It's a sure sign that building new reactors will be an uphill struggle.

What are you wearing today? Touch it. Go on. What does it feel like? Yes, you're touching a piece of clothing. You're touching a type of fabric. You're touching a fashion choice. And yet, there's more to it: You're also touching a story. Because every piece of clothing – in your wardrobe, in my wardrobe, in everyone's wardrobe – has a story.