The construction industry is a horrific polluter. And I read recently that to make a simple gold ring requires five tons of water, consumes 40kg of CO2 and produces 20 tonnes of mine waste. But the food and drink industry is always top of mind when we think about the environment. Every plastic punnet of strawberries on a bed of plastic bubble wrap, with another plastic lid, is a reminder of the waste inherent in our consumerist society.

So it's no surprise to me that consumers think supermarkets still aren't doing enough to clean up their acts (see p4). Despite Plan A, and the millions being poured into green initiatives by the supermarkets and the manufacturers (see p5), there will always be room for improvement.

Equally, there will always be room for hypocrisy (by both supermarkets and consumers) as carrots are trucked 500 miles across the country and back to be cleaned and polished before being sold as "local" (I'd like to see how the Carbon Trust calculates that on its labels).

As interest rates start to bite, there is still no sign that this consumer concern with the environment is slowing. And this week Stuart Rose at M&S announced he was ditching his Bentley. What will he need to sacrifice next to bay the activist crowd (and his own conscience)?

It's clear that supermarket CEOs are the new politicians. Now that they are playing the environmental card, the pressure is on to practice what they preach. Where will it end? What will be the next lines of enquiry for consumer activists? Are all your lightbulbs at home long-life? Do you need that big a house? Is a second home necessary? Shouldn't you be cycling to work and holidaying in Margate?