Balance September 2017 - 6

September

GOOD
NEWS

Need a happier take on the wider world? James Gill
rounds up some of the more positive stories out there

Sport

SHIP HAPPENS
The best ideas are
often the most obvious.
And that seems to be
the case with news of a
growing trend: turning
shipping containers
into accommodation
for homeless people.
Independent movements
in Los Angeles, Bristol and
Ilford have all been trying to
house the homeless with the
specially converted vessels,
with the hope the idea will
catch on elsewhere. 'I've
been blessed more than
I should have been,' said
US Marine veteran Dale
Dollar of his new abode;
'It's wonderful.' Dale had
been sleeping rough for 14
years, before the creation of
the Potter's Lane structure
in LA. The Ilford project
came about after £10,000
was raised via the local
Salvation Army, who turned
to crowd-funding to reach
their target.

6

Food
GOOD FOOD GUIDE
Here's a stat to make
you spit out your coffee:
7.3 million tonnes of food
is thrown away by UK
households each year. Now
supermarkets are being
urged to simplify food
labels, saving consumers a
small fortune and cutting
down on waste. The draft
guidelines - drawn up by
sustainability charity Wrap,
Defra Labelling and the
Food Standards Agency
- say 'use-by' dates need
to be removed from food
unless there is a risk of food
poisoning. Andrew Parry
of Wrap says: 'There seems
to have been a movement
to shorten these dates in
recent years, some dates
used to be longer.'

TWO WHEELS GOOD
Encouraging men to speak
up about mental health
and finally offering them
support is vital for suicide
prevention. Thankfully,
cycling event Tour de
Test Valley - currently in
its fifth year - is raising
funds for Calm (Campaign
Against Living Miserably),
the award-winning charity
dedicated to preventing
male suicide. While the
course takes in stunning
40, 80 and 160km routes,
it's all in honour of prosnowboarder and keen
cyclist Nelson Pratt, who
tragically took his own life
in 2012. The event takes
place on 16 September at
Test Valley, Hampshire.
Visit britishcycling.org.uk
to sign up.

BA LA N CE September 2017

Fashion
A STELLA OUTLOOK
Credit where it's due.
Ever since a spotlight was
pointed towards the dark
world of 'fast fashion' and
its damaging impact on
the environment, it has
tried hard to clean up its
act. Now Stella McCartney
has joined forces with US
biotech company Bolt
Threads with an eye
on making future fashion
more environmentally
conscious - think specialist
sustainable fibres. The
potential ramifications
are huge: McCartney is
looking to revolutionise
the fashion industry by
embracing technology for
better sustainability, and it
is hoped more A-listers will
follow suit. And McCartney
says: 'The dots are being
connected between
fashion, sustainability
and tech innovation... it is a
truly modern and mindful
approach to fashion.'

IMAGES: SHUTTERSTOCK

Community
http://britishcycling.org.uk
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Balance September 2017
