Way back in 1983 Katharine Hamlet  launched her first protest t-shirts; 'CHOOSE LIFE', 'WORLDWIDE NUCLEAR BAN NOW', 'PRESERVE THE RAINFORESTS', 'SAVE THE WORLD', 'SAVE THE WHALES', 'EDUCATION NOT MISSILES' - designed to be copied, with the objective of effecting change by being seminal, using the excess media coverage that the label was receiving.   

For more than 20 years she?s been campaigning on loads of environmental issues including for a worldwide nuclear ban.  The British Government  now wants to build a new generation of nuclear power stations and the results of this would affect Britain for the next million years. 

Katherine provides a detailed explanation, on her Worldwide Nuclear Ban Now website, about why the nuclear power solution to our energy needs is not very advisable; how it is not the solution to global warming (even the UK government's own advisory body on sustainable energy development say its not the answer to climate change), and what you can do if you want to stop the government going down the nuclear energy path (you can also check out those fantastic design classic t-shirts - now all 100% organic cotton and nuclear free).

Uncork a nice bottle of wine this month and help relieve poverty in the UK and abroad. As part of Comic Relief , Ten of the top UK wine retailers are supporting Wine Relief and will donate 10% of the sales on individual bottles and pre-mixed case (available online) between now and 16th March. Wine Relief was started in 1999 as part of Comic Relief by wine writer Jancis Robinson MW and her husband Nick Lander. ?We wanted a simple idea that would allow the wine trade and wine consumers to get involved in what is a terrific and extremely worthwhile campaign?, said Jancis. So far the campaign has brought in ?2 million and the hopes are high for the forthcoming weeks.

Whether you like your tipple red, white, ros?, sweet or dry, choose a Wine Relief bottle and a corking amount of cash will go towards the Red Nose Day total. You can support Wine Relief by purchasing selected wines from the following retailers:

Co-op, Majestic, Marks & Spencer , Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Somerfield, Tesco, Threshers, Waitrose , Caf? Rouge ? just look out for the Comic Relief and Wine Relief logo.

All T-shirts in The Fairganic range are organic, the cotton is independently certified by Control Union. The T-shirts are also currently being audited against the new Global Organic Standard which is recognised by both the Institute for Marketecology and the Soil Association. Organic farming improves soil stability through crop rotation and improves natural biodiversity. It prevents pollution of the water table and the risk of pesticide poisoning. Fairganic T-shirts are GM free and coloured with dyes which contain no heavy metals.

Fairganic organic cotton is grown in Northern India by a farmers co-operative. The growers are paid a premium price for their cotton and there are ongoing positive projects to strengthen the infrastructure of their community. The supply chain is being formally audited against the new 'Global Organic Standard' in which various checks are carried out to ensure that the following criteria are fully met; No child labour is used, working conditions are safe and hygenic, working hours are not excessive, regular employment is provided and no discrimination takes place. Faiganic never buy our T-shirts from any source where we think the workers are being exploited or treated unethically. Fair enough?

The UK?s The Independent broadsheet newspaper?s ?Campaign Against Waste? reflects the hypocrisy of the mainstream media?s attitude towards the environment; 

The Independent headlines with ?Made in Britain, Dumped in China ? How our waste causes death and disease 6,000 miles from home?  draws to the public?s attention to how the UK?s waste plastic packaging is shipped halfway around the world to China to cause suffering amongst the workers, some as young as four years old, that scrape a living from processing it.  The Independent further supports this problem with its ?Campaign Against Waste ?.   The campaign actively encourages you to email them with examples of absurd packaging, or if you have been infuriated by the waste with something that you have bought.  No-one can disagree with a campaign to highlight the issues of excessive packaging on goods. 

It?s honourable that a newspaper is filling its front three pages with detail of the horror that toxic smoke and pollution that the West has created in China because of our obsession with unnecessary plastic packaging.    

Here?s the hypocrisy;  browse further in to the printed version of the newspaper and you find a quarter page advertisement for a week long offer; ?Detox Your Body - a free bottle of Vittel water when you buy The Independent newspaper from WHSmith? (one of the UK?s largest newsagent chains).    Not only does Vittel mineral water have to be shipped from France to the UK (just think of the carbon miles that takes), the plastic bottles are made from non-degradable plastic.  Water packaged in plastic bottles is a fine example of un-necessary, over packaging - Britain has very high quality drinking water straight out of the tap!  So just where does The Independent newspaper think that the thousands of empty plastic bottles from this promotion will end-up?  I?d bet my money that a good proportion will be dumped in China ? well done The Independent ? Waste Wally of the year!

If you want to email The Independent newspaper because you have been infuriated by the waste associated with any product that you have bought (or water given away with a newspaper promotion) please email The Independent?s Campaign Against Waste at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it   with your thoughts.