Offset your nappy usage

I was Green before the term even became mainstream. I was a tofu-munching, car-eschewing recycler years before climate change hit the news. So I assumed - and held on to this belief all the way through pregnancy - that we would be using cloth nappies. Out of our plans for a home water-birth, breast-feeding, and cloth nappies, we achieved one out of the three. Yep, if you want to make a baby laugh, tell her your plans.

A washing machine that broke down repeatedly was our downfall when it came to the nappies. But believe me, I still feel guilt about it to this day, especially when I see the tell-tale bulky bottoms of my more successful friends' children. So that puts me squarely in the market for Carbon Clear's nappy offset package. Like other carbon-neutral deals, it allows you to assuage your guilt by paying for your damage to be made good with tree-planting and sustainable agriculture projects elsewhere.

My biggest surprise was that the offset for two and a half years of 'sposies costs only £5.85. Meanwhile, there's a comparable package for reusables, and that's £5.13. I feel traitorous for even saying this, but was all this guilt just for 72p? Spread over 30 months? 2.4p a month?? Yes, I know it all adds up when you think of the world's population. But I might just concentrate on the good our no-car family is doing, rather than the bad we're doing with our garbage, in the future.

Meanwhile, the good news is that it's eminently affordable, so, really, what's stopping you?