Telegraph Online
by Melanie Cable-Alexander
My nine-year-old son and I used to argue endlessly about the number of times he practised his trumpet: too close to zero for my liking. Then, a few days ago, a wiser mum explained the problem: "It is to do with the business of having to get it out of its case and set it up," she explained sympathetically. "He tinkers happily on the piano because it is there and in front of him." Since then, I have left the instrument out of its case and he now practises regularly.
I relate this tale because it sums up how many of us behave when it comes to decorating our homes in an eco-friendly way. The spirit is willing, but the body isn't. Like pulling out a brass instrument from its case, it needs effort, not to say expense, to research and source green materials, because eco products for interiors are not yet mainstream. So most of us abandon our good intentions and head to the local DIY superstore.