Quite an environmental focus this month

From The Guardian: ‘Yes, Lego car!’: why small electric cars could be about to break the grip of SUVs

Even the Mini has outgrown its name. Perhaps Britain’s best-known car, it was conceived at a time when postwar fuel rationing made efficiency attractive. The original was 3.05 metres long. Then, at a 2011 relaunch, it grew to 3.7 metres. One of the latest versions, the steroidal electric Mini Countryman (“the biggest Mini ever”) has more in common with a Land Rover, at 4.4 metres

From Women’s Running: Is your love of running ruining the planet?

A clean-up operation where you collect litter (otherwise known as plogging) will help ensure you leave the trail in a better state than when you found it.

I hadn’t come across the term plogging before.

Every year, around 30 per cent of our unwanted clothing still goes to landfills according to British charity Clothes Aid. This equates to around £140 million worth of used but still wearable clothing.

From Green Runners: The Ultimate Guide: When to replace your runningshoes:

Give your midsole the Squish Test: If you press the side of a brand new shoe, the midsole should feel firm and bounce back quickly. In a worn midsole, you will see crease marks, and the midsole will feel hard and rebound less when you press it.

Top tip: Before you buy a new pair of shoes, run in your own to a running store, try on a new pair of the same (or similar) shoe, and see how big a difference it makes. It might be yours still feel perfectly comfortable! Also, replacing your insoles (the insert your foot actually sits on) might make a huge difference.

outsoles can be repaired. In the UK, we love these shops for repairs:
* Kendal Key Cobbler
* Cheshire Shoe Repairs
* Lancashire Sports Repairs

Ultimately, you shouldn’t trust a general number as a guiding principle on when to replace your running shoes. Instead, get used to looking at your shoes and spotting wear and tear before it becomes a problem. Look after them and get used to how they feel, because you might get a lot more out of them and save some money!

I have 3 pairs of trainers on the go at the moment. The original pair I bought when I started running (again) 2 years ago are now mostly used for walking in. The pair I bought last year are still in decent shape and are my main running shoes. They’ve covered at least 500 miles now. And then I bought a cheaper pair a month or so ago for GoodGym and for running to the gym in. I bought these to extend the life of my main running pair (GoodGym tends to be a bit harsh on trainers) and so that I could officially retire the first pair and use them for walking.