Waste not

Humans despise hypocrites. Family-values campaigners found to have wild sexual proclivities; politicians who complain about extravagant spending and then get done for dodgy expenses; priests who pray for the weak — and then prey on them; environmental crusaders who own airlines. I am one of those hypocrites (but none of those specific hypocrites). I have faith in the scientific method and in scientific consensus and believe it’s very clear that human activity is negatively impacting the health of the planet. But I am also a man with four daughters who finds it difficult to give up many of the comforts and conveniences of the modern world. As an old hippie friend from university semi-jokingly said to me recently when I saw him for the first time in about 15 years: “Way to overpopulate, planet killer.”

I love being part of a big family. Our children are magical creatures who bring