Independent UK: Back to nature: the cheeky new way to save the planet

Back to nature: the cheeky new way to save the planet
Want to help the environment? Then get your kit off, say the 'eco-nudists'

By Michael Hewitt
Thursday, 14 August 2008



The link between playing nude volleyball and stopping the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf melting to the size of an ice cube may seem a bit tenuous. But a growing number of naturists contend that, not only are they in the vanguard of the environmentalist movement, but their lifestyle might even help to reverse anthropogenic global warming. Econudes.org was founded two years ago by naturists dissatisfied with the passive, Health & Efficiency, beach ball-bopping image of nudism. Clothes, and all the ancillary industries involved in their manufacture, transportation and upkeep, are a major cause of climate change, they say. Eliminate them, and you eliminate a significant threat to mankind. "Get your kit off and save the planet" is the message.

But are they talking out of their evenly tanned backsides? Is this simply a case of nudists jumping on the green bandwagon, alongside low-carbon sex toys, biodegradable landmines and David Cameron's wind turbine? Suzanne Piper, editor of Naturist Life magazine, says it's nothing of the sort. "If anything, we predate the green movement, so you could argue that the greens are actually jumping on our bandwagon. Back in the early Seventies, for example, naturism was defined as 'a way of life in harmony with nature, characterised by self-respect, respect for others and for the environment'. Even before then, in the 19th century, naturists always stressed their eco-credentials."

Last week, protesters from the Camp for Climate Action staged a naked protest at the Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform in London. Earlier this summer, a thousand nude cyclists crossed the capital to protest against oil dependency and the car culture. And nude hiker Steve Gough, in a trek punctuated by arrests for indecent exposure, walked from Land's End to John O'Groats to highlight both climate change and public perceptions of nudity.

So, what is it with naturists and climate change? Perhaps they regard themselves as the canary in the coalmine. If global temperatures are rising and the ozone layer is being depleted by a mixture of fluorocarbons and astronauts' hairspray, naturists will notice the adverse effects of solar radiation far sooner than "textiles", as they call the clothed. Conversely, if we're headed for another ice age, naturists will also presage this when their bits get frostbite and start dropping off. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/back-to-nature-the-cheeky-new-way-to-save-the-planet-894198.html