Go naked: save the planet

Could nudity save the world from eco disaster?

Naturists are urging us to shed our clothes and save the world from eco disaster.

'Go naked: save the planet' is the message from groups like Econudes.org, who claim living a naturist lifestyle could be the best way to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle.

In an interview with The Independent, Naturist Life magazine editor, Suzanne Piper, says: '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.'

Certainly, given the energy needed to manufacture garments, if we all stopped wearing clothing, far less energy would be emitted creating the clothes in the first place.

But what about the energy needed to keep naturists in the northern hemisphere warm in their chilly houses?

Indeed, there's a renegade group of naturists - Nudists Opposing Winter - who actually welcome global warming (explicitly on their website, www.weloveglobalwarming.org) and hope the world continues to get hotter.

Back to the pros, and even if northern-living naturists do need to fly to warmer climes to enjoy a naked holiday, the mere fact they pack so few clothes helps lower their carbon footprint.

'Nudist holidays turn natural laws on their head,' says British naturist and writer, Liz Egger. 'The scramble to cover every eventuality clotheswise is replaced by a disdain for apparel bordering on the obsessive. The immediate effect of this textile trimming is that my luggage, normally equal in volume to a medium-sized car, consists of just a small case.'

Could you be persuaded to leave your clothes at home for your next foreign holiday? Leave your comments on the form below…