Good—simple choices for a better life

Good start

4 Editorial

No body's perfect

6 The Goodies

Peter Malcouronne, Abby Lynne, Su Yin Khoo

8 Letters

Bad nappies, good neighbours and enthusiastic vegans

10 News

Mostly good news from around the globe

13 Good times

Neighbour's Day, International Day of Climate Action and more

15 Leather vs vinyl

Good choice: Handbags and heels put a spring in your step, but does the planet prefer leather or vinyl?

15 Cotton

Convenient truths about: We love the feel of cotton on skin - but cotton is one of the most chemical-intensive crops in the world. Learn more suprising facts about this common cloth...

16 Good reads

Good reads: The Last American Man, Wildflower, Food Inc, Organic Vegetable Gardening

18 The price of organic milk

Good question: Why is organic food so darn expensive? Plus: Can I keep chickens in the suburbs?

20 Good stuff

Good stuff: Win lots of nice stuff

22 Sonia Gray

My green journey: Television presenter Sonia Gray and her partner Simon are parents to twin girls Inez and Thandie. Sonia talks to Good about trying to be green when you literally have both hands full

24 Storytellers

Power of two: Barnaby and Dick Weir

Features

28 Pimp your street

Even buying the worst house on the best street is beyond reach for most of us these days. But just like homes, streets can be do-ups too—all it takes is a little time and a lot of creative thinking. From fruit trees to guerilla gardening, here are 21 ways to pimp your street.

36 Why don't we just burn it all?

As community recyclers and big Australian exporters fight for control of our waste, Peter Malcouronne meets the people in charge of our recycling system and discovers what we're throwing away—and who's paying. Is there a better way?

44 Eco mamas and papas

A newborn baby is one of life's greatest miracles, but along with the joy comes the extra weight of responsibility, to the future as well as your little 'un. Sarah Heeringa shares some smart tips for eco-parenting

50 Babies' bums

Amie Richardson experiments on her newborn with modern cloth nappies

82 Your early summer garden action plan

The garden's starting to wake up, so it's time for gardeners to get busy. Good's spring and early summer garden action plan will take your weatherbeaten plot from barren to bursting

The goods

56 Love shack

Home: Between shifts as an Auckland tattoo artist, Keiran Sipes built this Northland home for a woman he'd just met. Mayana and Keiran—who now have two daughters—tell Hana Miller why their labour of love is also their perfect abode

58 A good eight hours

Style: We want our home to be a sanctuary from a hectic, polluted world—and at the end of busy and stressful days we especially need our bedroom to be a place of rest. Follow these six steps to create a healthier haven for a sound night's sleep

62 Hidden gems for campers

Travel: Four secret campsites for you to discover this summer

66 Trans fatty acids

Health: Should I be worried about trans fatty acids?

68 A bunch of bankers

Consumer guide: We're all ethical consumers these days—but where we keep our ethical pocket money is a common blind spot. Plus: How does your bank stack up?

72 Bringin' in the rain

Technology: Fresh water is a precious resource, so it's handy that so much of it falls out of the sky in New Zealand. All we need to do is collect it

74 Diesel vs hybrid

Transport: The fight for the most sustainable engine isn't over. Plus: The latest Prius, reviewed

76 High time for tea

Grow + eat: Pressed napkins, old roses, granny's best tea set, fresh scones, fancy cakes and the perfect club sandwich—as a retro glam get-together with girlfriends or a languid afternoon's home entertaining, the vintage high tea's time has come again. Take a trip back to cake tins of old with these baked treats, sweet with nostalgia

81 Make your own mayonnaise

Grow + eat: Just because it's French doesn't mean it's difficult to make. Try one of these two super-simple recipes ...

Good bits

87 Their future, or yours?

Business: Rod Oram doesn't like the ETS

88 Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme

Good housekeeping: Barbara Good sings Simon and Garfunkel

89 Hope is other people

Eco-worrier: Emily Perkins eats some pastries

90 What lies beneath

Gaia and brimstone: Dave Hansford on Gerry Brownlee

92 How should you talk to people about climate change?

The green room: Rachel Brown, CEO of the Sustainable Business Network, shares her lessons from Al Gore

103 Be a better recycler

Action: Condoms for all

104 Xanthe White

The good life: Acclaimed landscape gardener

Plus

93 The Good Guide

carboNZero: Organisations and products