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I've always been a bit 'crunchy' (I think the term is) - eco, green, environmentally friendly.... Ever since I was a kid, my mum encouraged us to recycle, reuse and make-do. Without me realising it, I took my first 10 steps towards Zero Waste, long before Contented Earth was even a seed of an idea. Eco-Step One A major part of my childhood was either walking down to the High Street laden up with bags of glass jars and bottles, and tin cans, or driving to Sainsbury's (other supermarkets available) with similar bags in the boot, and stopping at the...

(First published on The Contented Calf website on Tuesday 7th September 2010.) Before I had my daughter, friends with babies extolled the virtues of joining the NCT.  They were right – through my NCT classes I met a wonderful group of friends.  We’ve supported each other through our ups and downs and general experiences of Mummydom.  However, most of what we talked about in our classes themselves has long drifted out of my mind (along with a worrying amount of other stuff!)…   But two things our teacher said stuck firmly in my mind: “Cascade of medical intervention” – this phrase...

A zero-waste lifestyle... It seems like an almost impossible goal doesn't it? In my own efforts to move closer to zero waste, I often feel like Sisyphus - who was fated to roll an immense boulder up a hill only for it to roll down when he neared the top, repeating this for eternity.  The enormity of what we have to achieve is at times overwhelming. And it is.  Well... it can be. But it doesn't have to be... The easiest way you can start your own eco journey to zero waste is to just pick one thing. One thing. That's all....

(First published on The Contented Calf Website on Monday 23rd August 2010.) They say it takes around nine months after giving birth for your body to return to how it was before – nine months to grow the baby, and nine months to return to how you were before you were pregnant. But to be honest, with sleepless nights, breast feeding, long walks with the pram and general rushing around, I was very lucky, the weight just dropped off – after 6 weeks I was back in my non-maternity jeans (although a fair bit tighter than before! ;-) ) However, for...