Summer is the prefect time for picnics, pretty much anywhere! On roof tops, in Central Park, at the beach, open air cinemas or the zoo, a good picnic is special. But how often do you make the effort and unleash your creativity to put together a delicious lunch or dinner in a box or basket?

All images via www.methodlaundry.co.uk

Along with the great news that Method Laundry Detergent has just recently been launched in the UK (yes our clothes are already cleaner) we hear that Method's innovative pump action laundry detergent bottle has won the

Image: DBA

When you realize how amazing it is when little things add up, look no further than your pen. Conventional pens are often mass produced with non-recyclable, petroleum-based materials, filled with inks that contain toxic chemicals and blister-packed in non-recyclable PVC packaging. It's a recipe that means these small but major candidates are seriously plugging up our landfills when you multiply these factors millions of times over.

Image Source: Jason Tester

Dear Pablo: Our café uses dishes by Ecoproducts. Each plate has "Compostable" and "Tree Free" embossed on the surface. Does this plate need to go into a compost? Or can it be thrown into a recycling bin?

Image by Studio Formafantasma

For a real touch of Italy, go and visit the installation "Autarchy" by Studio Formafantasma at this week's Furniture Fair in Milan. The project celebrates an autonomous way of producing goods, using bio-materials.

Our seas and oceans are badly contaminated, especially with plastic waste, which affects animals and plants in the waters. Jeremy wrote in The Great Pacific Garbage Patch: Out of Sight, Out of Mind that "the floating expanse of waste and debris in the Pacific Ocean is now covering an area twice the size of the continental U.S.