By Sophie Morris

I love free stuff, so what better than the two-for-one bargain of this gorgeous photography book, Yasuni Green Gold - you get a lovely book and help protect the rainforest at the same time.

The Yasuni UNESCO Reserve in the Ecuadorian Amazon is one of the last untouched areas of the world and home to 26 endangered species and indigenous tribal groups. But as well as a wealth of biodiversity the region suffers from the resource curse - its ancient woodland and rich soils hide precious oil reserves - green gold - and the Ecuadorian government is keen to exploit their value.

By Sophie Morris

If you’ve got an excellent sustainable energy project on the go but the credit crisis is putting the crunch on your funding, get your skates on and apply for an Ashden Award.

Ashden gives out lump sums (in generous thousands) to kickstart clever plans for green energy solutions, but you've got to be in it to win it, and the deadline is next Tuesday, 28 October, or 2 December for schools.

By Sophie Morris

You might not be able to see me blushing via this clever web disguise, but Ethics Girl is feeling a little shame-faced today. It has been pointed out to me that the Ten Best Diaries article I wrote for today's paper included one by Smythson, Sam Cameron's fashionable stationer and accessories shop. Smythson sell products made of snakeskin, which is legal but ethically stomach-churning. Snakes killed for fashion are generally butchered in a very cruel way, as explained by Martin Hickman in this piece from July this year.

The Mulberry planner featured was also made of snakeskin, which animal rights campaigners say have no place in the wardrobe of any ethical fashionista - though Mulberry assure me that all their snakeskin is ethically sourced. This PETA ad campaign is bold and to the point.

So, you learn something new every day, as they say.

By Sophie Morris

If you have a wedding to plan imminently, no doubt you'll have reached for our special marriage magazine, free with today's paper. If you've got to the frustrating stage of list-making and and adding up how much it all may cost, you might be already having a re-think.

All too often weddings go hand in hand with wild excess. You want to have the best day and best party of your life, and the obvious way to do this is to throw money at the problem. If such bridezilla behaviour has you Googling cheap flights to Vegas, planning a green-tinged wedding will excuse you from much of the frills and frippery associated with traditional white weddings.

By Sophie Morris

A child of the Jaws generation, I have always thought of sharks as terrifying predators who prowl shallow waters in search of a fresh human to munch on for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I expect many of you think the same. One of my friend's sharkophobia is so overblown she even gets a little panicked in swimming pools, and keeps one eye out for a grey shadow and its telltale fin at all times.

So imagine my surprise on watching Sharkwater, to discover that hunting humans is the last thing on a shark's mind. Surviving the day without being caught on one of the long-lines used by fishing boats, being hauled aboard to have its fin hacked off and thrown back into the water to perish slowly is of far greater concern. They're as cuddly as pandas but, though endangered, don't enjoy the same protection.

By Sophie Morris

If there is anything less likely to wean us off our addiction to fast fashion it is a group  of bewigged men such as those who sit in the House of Lords.

Peers on the Science and Technology Committee (who are currently all men) issued a report yesterday urging consumers to make do and mend rather than dashing to the high street every time a button falls off a shirt or a zip breaks (which, let's be honest, is a not infrequent occurrence given the poor quality of most cheap clothes).

So, how long exactly does it take these guys to catch on?

By Sophie Morris

Greenpeace are unhappy the EU has delayed a vote on a new forestry law, and is looking for a provocative way to demonstrate its displeasure.

If you think you can do better than this, send in your efforts to their Forest Love campaign.

By Sophie Morris

I know from previous posts that ethical fashion is a subject close to your hearts, if not your wallets.

There is no escaping the fact that you do have to pay more for quality, ethically-produced clothes to get a look you can often buy on the high street for a fraction of the price.

By Sophie Morris

There is very little Ethics Girl likes better than lazing around, so she's going to embrace the coming "Resurgence Slow Sunday" and advises you to do the same.

The idea comes from Resurgence magazine, the original eco mag, before it was in vogue. You can read a little more about Resurgence and other eco mags here.

So: the plan is to do as little as possible: reclaim Sunday for a day of, if not abject laziness, then at least chilled out reflection. I plan to have a lie-in, then maybe laze about a bit, relax over a slow brunch, maybe with papers and other people (strictly speaking, reflection should take place alone), then perhaps a bit more lazing (in a sunny park, hopefully), followed by some sitting down and general non-exertion.

By Sophie Morris

My article earlier this week on Chinese food got lots of your stomachs rumbling. It revealed the secrets of a new book, Why The Chinese Don't Count Calories by Lorraine Clissold, who claims that a balanced Chinese diet is the key to a healthy body and a long life.

The main thrust of the book is that Chinese people eat three rice-based meals a day and they eat until they are full - no fad dieting or meal skipping - and that nourishing their bodies keeps them healthy and slim. It didn't have you all rushing out for dim sum though.