Earlier this year the Government announced that bottled water would no longer be served in Cabinet sessions. In addition to saving a fair chunk of taxpayers pounds (an estimated quarter of a million bottles are purchased by government departments each year) there are significant savings to the environment by choosing the tap option.

Every year 1.5 million tons of plastic is used to package water. That's an awful lot of years to breakdown in landfill or if the plastic makes it to a recycling plant the amount of energy used to convert it into a reuseable product adds far more CO2 to our atmosphere that if we'd chosen to hydrate via the tap.

Bottled water is über expensive. In fact it's twice as much as petrol and 10,000 times the cost of tap water. Most companies pay absolutely nothing for the water they extract from the earth - packaging, machinery to extract it with and transportation are where their expenses lie.

Some argue bottled water tastes better but this doesn't mean it's healthier or safer as many believe. Studies have found the same minerals in tap water, and the big water brands use 'the health benefit' as a major selling point. But a Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC) report found that 40% of bottled water was in fact tap water.

For those who aren't so keen on the tap water in their local area, reverse osmosis water filtering systems may be a worthwhile investment.

Fashion has a huge impact not only on the environment but also our health. A huge amount of pesticides, insecticides and synthetic dyes are used to make most of the items in our wardrobe. To produce a single cotton top,  a third of a pound of pesticide is used. Residues of these toxins remain on garments and wehn in constant close contact to the body can cause skin irritations like rashes and itching. The fashion industry is cottoning on in a big way to the benefits of natural, organically grown fibres. Brands from all segments of the market (Stella McCartney, Victoria's Secret and H&M to name a few) are designing their garments with a contemporary environmentally conscious mentality.

Organic Cotton is grown by farmers who do not use nasty chemicals on their crops. Clothes made form organic cotton are free from chlorine bleaches and synthetic dyes. Instead pigments derived from nature's plants, vegetables and roots are used to make colourfast dyes to add differing tones to organic clothes and textiles.

Though organic cotton equates to only 1% of total cotton grown across the world there is a trend amongst fashion labels to use this fiber as a more central fabric in their creations. Hats, underwear, baby toys, cotton wool buds, bedding - if it's made from fabric it's likely you'll be able to find an organic cotton version of it on the high street very soon.

These days bakers, or rather bread manufacturers, add all sorts of ‘healthy' additives to bread. Which is probably why so many of us are turning our noses (or stomachs) up and saying no to the over manipulated buns baked in British bakeries as wheat intolerances and Candida-related illnesses flourish. Our nations bread is hurting us more than ever and the primary reasons for this are the process of making bread has changed significantly in the last fifty years with recipes becoming ever more complex.

The vast majority of bread manufacturers no longer allow dough to ferment during processing. It is this crucial step which allows the nutrients in the dough to transform and become more digestible for our bodies to absorb. Instead, more yeast is added to quicken the rising action.

Also enzymes are added to bread acting as processing aids to ensure it stays fresh for one week as oppose to a couple of days without additives. The bad news is enzymes are not classed as ingredients and they do not have to be listed on the label. Also fertilisers, pesticides and fungicides used to grow the wheat are unlikely to ever be seen on a packaged good.

It is the old style bread, made simply with flour, water and yeast and crafted by gentle kneading and long fermentation that would make up the unrefined carbohydrate portion of a good diet. So blame those bloated tummies on the processed stuff and start making your own. It can be really easy - try the organic, yeast-free bread on our recipe page.

Plastic bags are bad. They clog drains and waterways, contribute to landfill (taking between 20 to 1000 years to break down), and intoxicate sea life (turtles mistake them for jellyfish, a main food source). Fortunately awareness of the harm plastic bags can cause to our natural environment is increasing.

Some supermarkets and retailers use biodegradable plastic bags, which are a good start. Planet Organic go a step further providing compostable cornstarch carrier bags which are GM-free and carbon neutral. But there is no doubt the best option is to reuse bags.

Companies dedicated to making trendy eco-bag accessories are providing the eco-fashion conscious with a greater incentive to remember their own bags when visiting the supermarket. They come in all varieties - recycled parachute (Onya), organic hemp cotton, organic water-based ink prints - the choice to become an eco-friendly ethical bag lady has never been more appealing.

Bags of Change has recently expanded their range to include a very stylish (albeit not stylish sounding) up market wild treetap rubber bag. Not only have they given us another gorgeous carry bag but they have teamed up with a bunch of retailers like SoOrganic who provide a 5% discount on all products to ethical shoppers using Bags of Change in store.

Plastic bags are now an endangered species in Ireland were there was a 90% fall in the amount given away by shops following a tax being placed on them. Earlier in the year the British Government proposed to enforce a legislation to reduce the number of plastic bags by 12 million.

We are told fluoride is added to water supply in parts of England because it helps prevent tooth decay. The long-term medical consequences are unknown and studies have shown links between fluoride and the increase of bone fractures and cancers. Chemical oxides like chlorine are added to our public water supply in the UK for the purpose of disinfecting it. The US Council of Environmental Quality believe there is a 93% higher risk of cancer amongst people drinking chlorinated water than those who drink un-chlorinated water.

Traces of Cryptosporidium, a naturally occurring bacteria which can cause gastroenteritis in people, was found in the water supply of over 100,000 properties in Northamptonshire recently. And then, there's the report earlier in the year by the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI), that traces of pharmaceuticals like cancer therapy drugs have been found in some UK tap water.

Whilst not all tap water everywhere is filled with additives and unintentional substances, it is unlikely any of us are sipping H2O piped straight from the sacred spring of the Water God. Reports like these are enough to sway people to purchase home filtering systems or sadly reach for another bottle of plastic encased Evian.

Our advice - invest in a filter. The cost in the long run will be worth it. It doesn't have to be expensive either. You can get subscriptions where you pay a flat rate each month (we pay £17.99/month for ours) with service and parts replacement included.

Best of all you can rest assured you're drinking cleaner water, without contributing to the plastic waste of our landfills.