My limited experience with toddlers has taught me that we all go through a period in which we discover the joys of ownership and possession and are incapable of sharing. For my niece, the focus was on a certain thirst-quencher and her oft-repeated mantra.

As the rag and bone man with his horse-drawn carriage fades to memory, a new breed of informal recyclers, looking for metals and things that other people have left behind, is on the increase. Leonie Butler reports

Cruise lines rely on pristine surroundings for their custom and claim to take good care of the environment, but are they sailing under false colours? Libby Peake investigates

Green and ethical lifestyles are becoming increasingly popular, but what of green and ethical end-of-lifestyles? Libby Peake learns that while ‘ashes to ashes’ might not be the norm, it is increasingly possible

Can you have infinite growth on a finite planet? Of course not. And while government and big business ignore this fact, a growing number of local, grassroots movements are rebuilding on a more human, sustainable scale.

‘Reduce’ may be the first of the 3Rs, but it’s also the most neglected and hardest to crack. Libby Peake journeys into the average consumer’s mind to find out why, and what can be done to help

Oil spills don’t just damage ecosystems, they also create great amounts of waste that need to be disposed of. Libby Peake investigates what happens to the mess that cleans up the mess

Wise business doctors that can diagnose and prescribe, or quacks that will take your money and run? With the consultancy market more competitive now than ever before, and budget restraints meaning people want to hold on to their money...

The packaging industry looks favourably on cartons for beverage storage, but there are significant challenges to ensure they are recycled. Leonie Butler examines UK collection efforts

We produce too much waste and consume too much energy. Gasification and pyrolysis won’t change this, but can they help us deal with both issues? In the final instalment of our renewable energy series, Libby Peake gets to grips with advanced thermal treatments