As lifestyle editor, Extinction Rebellion tells me something very important about our readers

Whatever your views surrounding the climate change activist group Extinction Rebellion, who have brought London to a standstill this week, you can’t deny that their message has hit home.

As 2019 Earth Day approaches on Monday, there’s no greater time to celebrate our world and do our bit for the environment – whether that’s as simple as turning down a plastic straw in the pub or lobbying your local MP to reduce traffic emissions.

For someone who edits a section of a newspaper largely aligned with consumerism: fashion, beauty, food and drink; environmentalism can seem at odds with our coverage. But, quite the contrary. Consumers have more power than anyone else to direct this conversation. When we spend our hard-earned cash, we decide whether or not we are going to prioritise our own comfort and convenience or support the brands seeking to do good.

That’s why we celebrate and promote the brands that are making an effort to change: in the past few weeks, we’ve covered H&M’s Conscious collection, beauty brand Lush choosing to abandon Instagram as well as how to embrace festival fashion in a socially conscious manner.

It’s also why we track global businesses’ efforts to change their practices, whether that’s Aldi aiming to reduce packaging by 50 per cent by 2025, Iceland’s plans to bring back the traditional greengrocer with packaging-free fruit and vegetables as part of its efforts to eliminate plastic by 2023, or Pret A Manger and Costa Coffee offering discounts when customers bring disposable cups into store.

From writing about our experiences of going vegan to celebrating the brands that champion diversity – and challenging the ones that promote fur and unsustainable practices – we will always strive to think of the environment before we press publish.

That’s why, even if your journey around London may be disrupted due to activism, at least it is a sign of the times and of our increased awareness of the lifestyle issues that matter.

Yours,

Harriet Hall

Lifestyle editor