Supermarkets report drop in plastic bag use
Plastic bag sales by supermarkets have dropped by 90% since 2015, when the 5p charge was introduced, and halved in the last year.
Waitrose, Marks and Spencer, Tesco, Asda, the Co-op, Morrisons and Sainsbury's sold 549 million plastic bags in 2018-19, compared to one billion the previous year.
The reassuring move began in 2015, when the 5p charge was introduced to tackle plastic pollution and plastic-avoidance has accelerated since then. The move away from single-use bags has been partly attributed to the Blue-Planet II television series, which highlighted the scale of plastic pollution in the world's oceans. The compelling series attracted more than 14 million viewers.
The statistics are ‘a powerful demonstration that we are collectively calling time on being a throwaway society,’ according to Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers.
The Prince of Wales' very British guide to country life
The Prince’s Countryside Fund has pulled together local knowledge to compile a practical guide to living in rural areas
To mark the official first day of National Countryside Week, the Prince’s Countryside Fund has launched The Village Survival Guide, a publication all about how to build a strong community in a rural setting.
The book is an extension of the work done by the Fund’s 2018 research, which saw over 3,000 people share the challenges they faced living in rural communities, and ways they found to pull together.
Getting to grips with Lyme Disease
Getting bitten by a tick isn't just irritating and slightly icky – it also brings with it understandable fears about Lyme disease. Charlotte Peters explains what you need to know.
Basking sharks need our help
The Scottish Government has proposed a new protected area for basking sharks in UK waters - it would be the first of its kind in the world and conservationists are asking the public for help to make it happen.
Conservationists are asking the public to support a proposal to create a protected area off the coast of Scotland where basking sharks can thrive. The Sea of the Hebrides Marine Protected Area (MPA) is one of four new locations suggested by the Scottish Government – the proposals are currently at the public consultation stage.
The Sea of Hebrides MPA would be created between the Western Isles and the coasts of Skye, Mull and the Ardnamurchan Peninsula; it is one of the most popular gathering areas for basking sharks when they visit the UK between May and October.
Cows lick the bowl too
One of the dairy herd, a resourceful cow named May at The Home Farmer (a small dairy farm in the Yorkshire Dales) proves cows lick the bowl of their cow cake, just like we do.
Jousting gallops into the 21st century
In an interesting turn of events, Britain's most ancient sport is employing the most modern of methods to keep the game fair.
The ancient sport of jousting is being shaken up by the use of VAR technology to score competitions at English Heritage venues this summer.
Jousting, England’s first national sport, is being brought into the 21st century as English Heritage introduces Video Assisted Referee, or VAR, sports technology to its jousts across the country this summer.
Today at Pendennis Castle in Cornwall, English Heritage’s jousters are being subjected to the scrutiny of the same vision processing technology used in tennis, football and rugby for the first time, as sports specialists Hawk-Eye track and use video replay to accurately score the competitors’ moves.
Just how much water do hanging baskets need?
Hanging baskets are an integral part of gardens, parks and villages across the country, and this summer the RHS is determined to find out the best ways to keep them watered without going over the top, as it were.
People are keen for an answer, it seems, since a recent survey of 3,447 gardeners found that that as many as 75% respondents were keen to know more about watering hanging baskets and containers, while 80% were concerned about water use in their gardens, the RHS said.
On this day...
On 1 August 1774 Joseph Priestley (1733-1804) happened to discover oxygen. A Unitarian minister, teacher, author, and natural philosopher, he was also the Earl of Shelburne's librarian and tutor to his sons.
Using a a 12-inch-wide glass 'burning lens' aimed at a lump of mercuric oxide placed in an upside down glass container in a pool of mercury, he managed to capture a gas which he announced as 'five or six times as good as common air.'
Priestley called this air 'dephlogisticated air' and his findings enabled French chemist Antoine Lavoisier to discover its role in combustion and name it oxygen in 1778.
And finally...
Seagulls are once again hitting the headlines for their bad behaviour.
Following last week’s nasty incident involving a chihuahua, the birds are now causing havoc elsewhere.
Customers at Imperial Wetherspoon pub in Exeter have reportedly been terrorised by the hungry gulls, who have been landing on tables and stealing food.
The pub plans to introduce a ‘bird of prey deterrent programme’ to tackle the problem.
Full story (DevonLive)
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Why don't we know how long the UK coastline is?Welcome to the Coastline Paradox, where trying to find an accurate answer is more of a hindrance than a help.
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The Country Life guide to Somerset: What to do, where to stay and how to eatSomerset is rich in natural beauty and history, but it is its wealth of small-scale food and drink producers, farmers and makers that really set it apart from the competition. Find out how to make the most of it all with our indispensable guide.
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The brilliant tractor tribute to the NHS from a group of Warwickshire farmersPeople around Britain have been paying tribute to the efforts of our NHS workers at the time of the coronavirus pandemic — but few have been as creative and clever as this one.
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London's iconic red bus at risk and 6,000 year old chewing gum gives clues into our DNA historyCuts to industry subsidies and an increase in fares has left bus use at its lowest point ever, while DNA extracted from ancient 'chewing gum' allows scientists to decipher the genetic code of a Stone Age woman.
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90-million-year-old 'swimming dinosaur' skeleton found by dogs out walking in Somerset, and the nonchalant moths who don't bother fleeing enemiesA superbly intact dinosaur skeleton — described as being 'museum quality' — has been discovered on a beach in Somerset.
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Battle to ban 4x4s from the idyllic Lake District spot bequeathed by Beatrix Potter, eagle fights octopus and the 'snail's pace' climate talksThis morning we look at Little Langdale's fight for peace, reflect on the climate change talks in Madrid and discover the soundtrack for Brexit.
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Country Life Today: How Greta Thunberg shifted the dial on climate change — and the backlash shows just how muchThis morning we ponder whether Greta Thunberg is the Joan of Arc for the environmental movement, look at a key election — one from 19 years ago — and ponder the marvel of 'dad tidying'.
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Country Life Today: Great news for those who love our great country pubs — the years of decline are overThere is a great sign of health in the pub industry, we look back at Edward VIII's abdication message and fret about Greenland's melting ice.
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Country Life Today: Spain accused of being 'a deplorable choice' for UN climate conferenceA no-holds-barred assault on the Spanish fishing industry, Banksy raising awareness of the homeless and the woes of the Christmas jumper are in today's news round-up.
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Country Life Today: 'This is perhaps the ultimate wake-up call from the uncontrolled experiment humanity is unleashing on the world’s oceans'In today's round up, we examine why oxygen loss is putting oceans at risk, discover that action to cut air pollution brings almost immediate benefits to human health and find out which bird's arrival marks the start of winter in Gloucestershire.
