I finally received an apology last week from the police for losing my bike, after my moan to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) made it all the way up to the Superintendent at Belgravia police station. I have to admit that as I made my way down to meet him, I felt like a bit of a pillock. After all, I did get my bike back in the end, and while I was angry with the way I was treated, I'm sure the police have bigger things to worry about than missing bikes. Still, if no one ever complained, perhaps things would never improve – and I do think it's wrong that the police can go round chopping up locks and confiscating bikes, even when there are no signs to let you know you can't park there.

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They might save your life (although this has been the subject of debate) but bike helmets also make you look stupid

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Thousands of containers of lethal nuclear waste are likely to fail before being safely sealed away underground, a devastating official report concludes.

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It looks as stylish as a Lotus, can outpace a Porsche 911 and is coveted by Hollywood A-listers such as Brad Pitt and George Clooney. But unlike the average super car, the Tesla Roadster is electric.

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"Thirteen" I muttered. "What did you say?" asked my mate, who had accompanied me by bicycle to Peckham farmers' market on Sunday for my weekly shop. I replied that I had just added up in my head the number of bags I'd saved by going to the farmers' market instead of the supermarket.

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A city council printed 720,000 copies of a leaflet praising its residents' recycling - but used the wrong picture on the cover.

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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.

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The Prince of Wales has warned the development of genetically modified crops risked creating "the biggest disaster environmentally of all time".

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The Anglo-Dutch energy giant Shell misled the public about the green credentials of a vastly polluting oil project in Canada, in an attempt to assure consumers of its good environmental record, a media watchdog will rule today.

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Britain's waterways are on the brink of an astonishing revival – and some of the UK's biggest trucking firms are leading the way. The UK's long-neglected latticework of canals and rivers, which once helped to jump-start the industrial revolution, are poised for a renaissance.

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What do you think would be the greatest menace to cyclists riding around the roads of a busy city? Lorries, motorbikes, bendy buses, perhaps? Not in my experience. For me, arguably the biggest danger – and without doubt, the biggest irritation – are pedestrians, who, since the proliferation of the iPod, are more likely than any other moving object inadvertently to place themselves directly in my path while I'm cycling, forcing me either to brake suddenly or to swerve out into the traffic – both of which could end up in a nasty accident.

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The fearsome roar of their engines is one of the first things to come to mind at the mention of Lotus, the stylish, lightweight British sports cars.

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People with wood burners are like squirrels, in that they plan ahead, building up stores for the coming winter. I started stocking up on wood as soon as the last heating season finished in early May. With last year being my first full winter with the wood burner, I now have a better idea of how much wood I need to keep the house cosy all winter. I need to double the amount of wood I gathered last winter, to avoid heat-rationing. I only use waste wood, ideally from within walking distance of the house, and I nearly always come back with some every morning after fetching my Independent.

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Barack Obama has laid out an ambitious energy plan under which US dependence on foreign oil would end within 10 years.

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Police made a number of arrests today during a second raid at a site where 400 eco-activists are gathering for a week-long environmental protest.

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Motorists who trade in their old gas-guzzlers for cars that do less damage to the environment should be given a cash prize by the Treasury, a committee of MPs is recommending.

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Dairy farmers are turning their backs on Britain's organic milk market as economic pessimism dents consumers' previously buoyant demand for organic produce. The organic goods market at large is being "credit crunched", particularly among new products like organic ready meals and home-delivery vegetable boxes.

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I've changed the route that I cycle to work over the past few weeks – first because after four years of riding the same way, I was ready for some new scenery, but also because I'm sure it helps make me a better cyclist. While you might think knowing your route back to front is the best way to stay safe, there's a school of thought which says the better you know your way, the more complacent you become. If you've been riding around the same blind corner in the backstreets of Stockwell for several years, and you've never once come across another vehicle, then you're less likely to be paying attention on the day when something does appear. I always try to remind myself that it only takes one bad collision with a car to put me in a wheelchair or worse.

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In central London there is a lawn of luscious green, in which insects merrily scurry. Feeding on them are birds, which can nest nearby in specially installed wooden boxes. They are observed by office workers eight storeys above ground level, where a view of Saint Paul's Cathedral matches any vista in the capital.

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If there was one change that symbolised David Cameron's mission to transform the Conservative Party, it was putting the environment at the top of his agenda. And if there is one abiding image of his leadership, it is his "hug a husky" moment during his visit to the Arctic two years ago to see the impact of climate change.

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