Choices

Clothes can now be made from rubbish, such as recycled polyester (from used plastic bottles) and recycled cotton.

There are some signs that organic clothing is beginning to come of age.

Non-meat eaters help the planet through "climate mitigation", according to a politician.

Paradoxically, our growing freedom to make an ever greater number of choices in our lives can create extreme anxiety, and feelings of inadequacy and guilt.

Clay Shirky, in Edge and at Demos talk about our surplus, unused brainpower, and what we might be able to do with it if we turn off our TVs.

"Humans have many more options before them than they currently believe, but what to do with too much information is a great riddle of our time", says Theodore Zeldin.

The concept of nudging has been in vogue recently, with its notions of "choice architecture" and gently pushing people towards pro-social behaviours, including ideas as prosaic as painting a fly onto urinals to help men take better aim! (Persuasive technology and captology cover similar themes.)

...if we so chose, however random and seemingly highly improbable events around us may seem, especially as it is almost never too late to embrace change in our lives.

Innovative uses for local community hubs such as pubs are increasing individuals' choices.