Lucy Siegle (born 8 November 1974) is a British journalist and writer on
environmental issues
Environmental issues are effects of human activity on the biophysical environment, most often of which are harmful effects that cause environmental degradation. Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment on t ...
. She is a reporter on ''
The One Show
''The One Show'' is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weeknights at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Jermaine Jenas, and Ronan K ...
''.
Career
Writing
After working for a textile company in South London, Siegle joined ''The Observer Magazine'' (then ''Life'' magazine) as an administrator in 2000. She has said she had no ambitions to write at the time but that the editorial team nurtured her ability and were enthused by her interest in environmental issues. She wrote her first feature in 2001 on London's new Civil Partnerships and then has gone on to write articles, features and op-ed pieces for ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' group, among other publications on themes of environmental and social justice.
In 2004, Siegle went freelance, editing a section for ''Marie Claire'' UK magazine and became a columnist on ethical living for ''
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...
.'' In the same year, Siegle founded and launched the Observer Ethical Awards which celebrated their tenth anniversary in an awards ceremony at the V&A Museum in London.
Her books include ''Green Living in the Urban Jungle'' (Green Books 2001), ''A Good Life'' (Guardian books, contributing author) and ''To Die For: is fashion wearing out the world?'' (Fourth Estate 2011). ''To Die For'' was nominated for the
Orwell Prize
The Orwell Prize, based at University College London, is a British prize for political writing. The Prize is awarded by The Orwell Foundation, an independent charity (Registered Charity No 1161563, formerly "The Orwell Prize") governed by a boa ...
2012. It forms the basis of the 2015 documentary ''The True Cost'', by director Andrew Morgan. Siegle appears in the movie and was one of the executive producers.
Television
Siegle is a reporter on the nightly
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
programme ''
The One Show
''The One Show'' is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weeknights at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Jermaine Jenas, and Ronan K ...
,'' having joined in 2007. In 2009 and 2012, she stood in as co-presenter of ''The One Show'' on several occasions.
She speaks on environmental issues on ''
Sky News'' and ''
Good Morning Britain''. She was a contestant on the BBC's ''
Pointless Celebrities
''Pointless'' is a British television quiz show produced by Banijay subsidiary Remarkable Television for the BBC. It is hosted by Alexander Armstrong. In each episode four teams of two contestants attempt to find correct but obscure answers t ...
''.
Siegle has chaired several debates on the fashion industry in the House of Commons and House of Lords taken part in main stage debates at the Royal Society and in 2016 interviewed both Dame
Vivienne Westwood
Dame Vivienne Isabel Westwood (née Swire; born 8 April 1941) is an English fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream.
Westwood came to public notice when she m ...
and
Stella McCartney
Stella Nina McCartney (born 13 September 1971) is an English fashion designer. She is a daughter of British singer-songwriter Paul McCartney and the late American photographer and animals rights activist Linda McCartney. Like her parents, McCa ...
live on stage, the latter as part of the Kering sustainability Awards in London In December 2016, she hosted the APSE in Blackpool.
Fashion
Siegle is critical of large
fast fashion brands pretending to be ethical. She has said the whole UK movement is in danger of being co-opted and bought up by big brands and has been particularly critical of
clothes recycling initiatives.
Siegle is credited by friend and colleague Livia Firth with devising the Green Carpet Challenge (now run by Firth and her Eco Age brand). Together Firth and Siegle attended the 2011 Oscars to promote sustainable fashion and have worked on other events such as the Met Ball and the Golden Globes and BAFTAs.
Siegle has also directed a short film, ''Green Cut'', on sustainable fashion that was screened at the 2012 London Film Festival.
In 2014, Siegle travelled to the Brazilian Amazon and on her return, established a project with Firth and Gucci to produce zero deforestation handbags.
Personal life
Siegle was born near Chester in the UK to an Irish father and Liverpudlian mother. She attended 15 schools, moving between the UK mainly the North West and the Republic of Ireland before her family settled in Devon.
At the age of 17, she moved to London to study English and Drama at
Queen Mary and Westfield
Queen Mary University of London (QMUL, or informally QM, and previously Queen Mary and Westfield College) is a public university, public research university in Mile End, East London, England. It is a member institution of the federal University of ...
and
Central School of Speech and Drama
The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama was founded by Elsie Fogerty in 1906, as The Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students. It became a ...
, London graduating in 1995.
Siegle married Ben Siegle in 2000 in an eco wedding at Hazelwood House in South Devon.
She divides her time between London and Devon where her family now lives, near
Newton Abbot
Newton Abbot is a market town and civil parish on the River Teign in the Teignbridge District of Devon, England. Its 2011 population of 24,029 was estimated to reach 26,655 in 2019. It grew rapidly in the Victorian era as the home of the So ...
.
Publications
*''Green Living in the Urban Jungle''. Green Books Ltd, 2001.
*''A Good Life''. Co-author. London:
Transworld /
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
, 2005.
*''To Die For''. Fourth Estate, HarperCollins, 2010.
*''Turning the Tide on Plastic''. Trapeze, 2018.
References
External links
BBC's ''The One Show'' presenter profileLucy Siegle's articles written for ''The Guardian''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Siegle, Lucy
Living people
British journalists
1974 births