Creating Tomorrow: filling the needs void
We are bored with big business. Our trust in politicians must surely be at an all-time low. Global corporations need to work harder and harder to persuade us that they’ll do no harm in their relentless bid for expansion. And those in positions of power have less and less time to help.
But where there’s a void, there is also opportunity.
In the past week I’ve been inspired by three women who have stepped in to provide solutions where those in positions of power haven’t.
The first is Alice Pelton, who – disillusioned with the scant advice available to women concerning their contraceptive options – has set up what’s being billed as the ‘Tripadvisor for the pill’. Theldown.com is essentially an amazing platform for women to share how they’ve reacted to the various contraceptives they’ve been prescribed by well-meaning but time-poor medical professionals.
The platform is self-funded and Alice is currently personally responding to every email she gets, which led to a back-and-forth between the two of us on whether, as a trend forecaster, I agree with her that recent questioning of the virtues of the pill is part of the ‘trough of disillusionment’ that follows the Gartner Hype Cycle peak of any technology.
Go follow @Gettheldown for more. Readers of every gender will be better informed as a consequence.
In a similar vein, but perhaps more high-profile, Emma Barnett – she of Newsnight fame in the UK – has just published It’s About Bloody Time. Period. about her experiences of endometriosis.
I know Emma from way back, when she’d sometimes invite me onto her LBC radio show to talk politics and the like. Now heralded by The Sunday Times as “the BBC’s new rottweiler”, fame hasn’t stopped her getting frank about an issue that affects millions of women, yet goes undiagnosed for so many, and writing frankly about menstruation in all its bloody gory – breaking many, many taboos as she goes.
On a totally different note, but timely as our newsfeeds fill with images of the Amazon burning, Beth Noy’s Plastic Freedom website is a brilliant way to discover small brands you should be buying from if you give two jots about our planet’s future. Every purchase includes a tree planted in the Amazon, and you can add another two or three to your basket when you check out at just 77p each.
We are talking a good game on single-use plastics, and token efforts are happening in businesses across the world, but when leading environmentalists say we might already have lost the battle, everyone now needs to do much, much more if the planet stands a chance.
Thinking about the products you personally buy is a good place to start.
Product of the Week
Shampoo bars are an easy way to cut your plastic consumption.
I’ve been testing Rescue My. Hair Pollution Patrol Shampoo Bar on the advice of WGSN’s Beauty Editor, and can confirm it’s great for everyday hair washing, especially for those of us stuck in the city with daily smog and pollution to deal with.
Destination of the Week
In a week when I’m writing about doing our bit for the planet, I’m recommending an old favourite of mine which, if you live in the UK, won’t require a flight to visit. Glamping destinations are two-a-penny these days, but having visited many, Loose Reins is the one I return to time and again. There are just a handful of beautiful safari tents for families and gorgeous shepherds’ huts for couples.
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