The Big Plastic Count: Why Recycling Isn’t Enough

Introduction: Even When We Try, Plastic Wins As a UK household, we do what we can to keep single-use plastic out of our home. We order a weekly veg box delivery to support local growers and reduce our food miles, we opt for loose produce whenever it’s available, we favour product because of their choice …

photograph of low tech magazine

What Happens When a Website Goes Dark on Purpose?

We’re used to treating the internet like an infinite resource. Pages load in milliseconds, high-definition videos auto-play, and servers sit in sprawling, climate-controlled data centers guzzling massive amounts of grid electricity 24/7/365. Low-tech Magazine turned that model upside down. Instead of hosting their publication on cloud servers powered by invisible fossil fuels, they built a …

What Are Dry Cleaners Doing to Our Environment? (Updated Edition)

Editor’s Note: This article updates EcoStreet’s original 2013 coverage, “What Are Dry Cleaners Doing to Our Environment?” While the original piece correctly identified the health and environmental hazards of traditional dry cleaning chemicals, the regulatory and technological landscape has advanced significantly since its publication. Dry cleaning is the process of cleaning garments and textiles using …

image of earth on a laptop screen, on a desk with other tech and lots of plants

The Invisible Waste: How to Shrink Your Digital Carbon Footprint

When we talk about living sustainably, our minds usually jump to canvas tote bags, recycling bins, or skipping plastic straws. We rarely think about our overflowing photo libraries, thousands of unread emails, or late-night video marathons. Because digital data lives in the “cloud,” it feels weightless. In reality, that cloud relies on massive, physical data …

Sunlit kitchen with a pot, fresh produce, plants, and laundry

The Myth of Perfect Sustainability: Why the 1% Eco-Shift is How We Win

If your cotton shopping bags are currently sitting forgotten under a mountain of plastic grocery bags, take a breath: you haven’t failed the planet. Somewhere along the line, sustainable living got quietly hijacked by an image of flawless perfection. Depicting a world of pristine mason jars, zero-waste trash cans, and hyper-curated minimalist kitchens. But striving …

Join in The Big Plastic Count

Sign up to take part in The Big Plastic Count between 22-26 May 2022. Greenpeace and Everyday Plastic have joined forces in the UK to co-ordinate the biggest survey of plastic to date. Are we recycling household plastic or simply just throwing it away? Let’s gather evidence to show our government what’s really going on. …

Free trees with Ecologi

Happy Earth Day 2022

Why not grow a forest for Earth Day? You can join Ecologi today and get 100 free trees to add to your forest. Ecologi has planted nearly 40 million trees on behalf of their members and by supporting worthwhile climate projects around the world, have reduced a massive 1.7million tonnes of CO2 emissions. Sign up …

The true cost of Christmas

The UK’s Christmas Carbon Footprint (and how you can reduce it)

Andy at Business Waste.trade has shared an insightful infographic with us. He says: “This year it’s expected that the average family will spend, on average, £800 on presents, food, decorations and travel. After all, it is the time of the year where we visit distant loved ones, reconnect with lost friends, and gorge ourselves silly on …

The Road in Iceland: Environmental disaster or economic progress?

Katie Wise and Ashley Moradipour need your help to make a documentary that tells the story of a group of dedicated Icelanders vs. a big road constuction project. Iceland is a nation well-known for its breathtaking natural landscapes and formations, which Icelanders hold dear to their hearts. This is why a recent road construction project …