How Much Does Double Glazing and Insulation Save?
by Alan Harten
As fuel costs continue to spiral ever upwards, recent news stories have pointed out the plight of increasing numbers of consumers who are struggling to pay the bills. More significantly, vastly increased numbers are getting themselves into genuine financial problems solely because of fuel payments. The costs simply keep on climbing. Just three years ago in 2005 the average bill was £676, by next year that will have made its way ...
Harry Hill’s fairtrade salted nuts
by David Masters
British TV star Harry Hill launched his own brand of products this week, and it’s not a new perfume fragrance, but fair-trade salted nuts. The 43 year comedian, who hosts the hit show TV Burp, will not make any money from the nuts, which will be sold for 59p per packet. Speaking at the launch of the nuts in London Zoo’s rainforest zone, Hill said he was inspired by Hollywood star Paul ...
Irish smart meter trial begins
by David Masters
Thousands of homes across Ireland are set to take part in a trial of smart meters. The scheme will see smart electricity meters installed in the homes of 21,000 ESB customers, potentially saving each customer €500 per year on their energy bills. In total, €1 billion will be spent by Irish energy companies, ensuring that all households and businesses in Ireland are connected to a smart meter by 2012. Smart meters monitor ...
Palin letter sets off eco-fury
by David Masters
Furious environmental campaigners have hit out at vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, after it was discovered that she tried to block air-pollution cutting legislation in California. Palin, Governor of Alaska, wrote to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of California, asking him to veto the Ports Investment Bill, which would see a pollution tax put on container ships arriving in Californian ports. Money raised from the tax – an estimated $400 million per year – ...
Nokia tops eco-friendly chart
by David Masters
Mobile phone maker Nokia has been awarded the accolade of the most eco-friendly electronics manufacturer in the world. Ranked first out of 18 companies by Greenpeace, Nokia scored a total of seven out of ten, with scoring based on the company’s policy regarding use of chemicals, waste disposal, and energy use. Japan-based games console company Nintendo came last in the rankings, with a score of 0.8, whilst world renowned software-maker Microsoft was ...
Secret eco-community wins legal battle
by David Masters
A secret eco-community hidden in the heart of the Welsh countryside has won the right to exist following a ten year legal battle. The Brithdir Mawr community, in north Pembrokeshire, has won retrospective planning permission for its ‘hobbit style’ roundhouse village in the national park. Permission for a total of eight roundhouses in the village has been granted, to house six permanent residents, five long-term visitors, and ten campers and day visitors. ...
Norway Offer Brazil $1 Billion to Save the Amazon
by Alan Harten
The prime minister of Norway, Jens Stoltenberg, has announced a donation of $1 Billion by 2015 to the International Fund for the preservation of the Amazon, created in August by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The Norwegian government has decided to contribute $1 Billion to the Amazon Fund, over the next few years, and payments will begin this year, explained the Norwegian prime minister. Successive contributions to supplement ...
Google’s plans to surf the internet (literally)
by David Masters
Power-hungry data centres could be shipped out onto the high seas under new plans by Google to make the internet more eco-friendly. The company has filed a patent for offshore data centres. Data centres house the supercomputers that enable the internet to run. They require huge amounts of electricity to operate as they must constantly be kept cool. In 2005, data centres consumed one percent of the world’s electricity – ...
Traffic fumes linked to heart attacks
by David Masters
Researchers in the US have discovered an additional link between air pollution and heart disease. A report by scientists from Harvard University in Boston reveals that exposure to micro pollution particles can prevent the heart from conducting electrical signals. Fumes from traffic were found to be particularly potent. Forty eight patients with coronary artery disease were analysed in the research, in the weeks following their discharge from hospital. No patient’s average exposure to pollutants ...
Eco-building projects awarded research grants
by David Masters
Thirteen green building research projects in North America are to receive grants totaling $2 million from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The aim of the research grants, which are handed out on an annual basis, is to further sustainable and environmentally friendly building practices. Over 200 research proposals were originally submitted to the Council, each vying for a share of the funding. Out of 38 finalists, 13 projects were award ...
French to tax the pique-nique
by Alan Harten
Cul-De-Sac! Bonjour! Champs-Elysées! As Del Boy would say, those despicable French types have slapped a tax on their other national pastime, the pique-nique. The "tax picnic" is to be placed on disposable plates and cutlery and will amount to 90 euro cents per kilo (71p), announced the Minister of Ecology and Sustainable Development Jean-Louis Borloo. There is already a tax on highly polluting products: oils, detergents and pesticides, and people can ...
Vietnam Launches its Own Bio-fuel
by Alan Harten
On Monday Vietnam launched its first venture into fuel based on ethanol, with the aim of ensuring national energy security and reducing its economy's dependence on petroleum products, according to national energy supplier PetroVietnam. The fuel is made of up to 5% ethanol, and was produced by a factory in the province of Phu Tho, in the north of the country, that cost $80 million US to construct. It is ...
Peugeot Roll Out Hybrid Race Car
by Alan Harten
This weekend at Silverstone saw the last round of the championship Le Mans Series. The championship was won by the Audi LMP1, but Peugeot are the ones that seemed to grab the headlines, first by dragging the 908 HDi on the 2nd step of the podium, but especially for revealing the Peugeot 908 HY, a new race vehicle with hybrid technology. After the diesel, hybridization is a logical step for ...
Credit crunch hits ethical investment
by David Masters
Boom times are over for ethical funds, with the credit crunch and economic instability hitting ethical investments particularly hard. The last year has seen a reversal of fortune for ethical funds, which until 12 months ago had been strongly outperforming non-ethicals. Research by Investment Life & Pensions Moneyfacts found that in the year ending 1st September 2008 the average ethical investment portfolio fell 9.1%. This is compared to a much smaller ...
Learner drivers tested for fuel-efficiency
by David Masters
Learner drivers in the UK are to be assessed on the environmental impact of their driving. As part of new measures launched this week to keep in line with European Union legislation, driving examiners will give feedback to driving test candidates on the fuel-efficiency of their driving. After being told whether they passed or failed their driving test, would-be drivers are informed of ‘eco-safe’ driving techniques to reduce fuel consumption and help ...
Tropical Philippines at Great Risk From Melting Ice
by Alan Harten
Climate change threatens the entire planet, but some areas are under a greater threat of ecological disaster than others. According to NASA scientist, Josefino Comiso, one country that stands out as a possible climate change hotspot is The Philippines. Continued ice cap melting will push up sea levels by as much as 20 feet or more. Even as these changes only begin to take effect, it would have devastating effects ...
UK fashion sweatshop workers severely underpaid
by David Masters
Not a single fashion store on the UK high street pays its sweatshop workers a living wage. Anti-sweatshop campaigners have warned that progress towards ensuring that clothes-makers overseas are paid a living wage is moving at the pace of a 'glacier'. A new report by campaign group 'Labour Behind the Label' says that the high street fashion industry – worth £36 billion per year – is only ‘dabbling’ with the idea of ...
Irish fishermen protest Shell’s gas pipe
by David Masters
Irish fishermen and other locals, concerned that a new offshore gas pipe could destroy their livelihoods, are protesting against the pipe being laid. Energy giant Shell wants to lay the pipe through Broadhaven Bay on the north west coast of Ireland to connect up its Corrib gas refinery. Crab fishermen and environmentalists in the area are anxious that the pipe could leak, polluting the bay and killing off the crab population. On Wednesday ...
EU Starting to U-Turn on Biofuels
by Alan Harten
The European Parliament has voted in favour of a revision of the Community objectives regarding the use of biofuels. The proposal adopted by the commission, which was supported by the three main political groups, provides for greater use of renewable energy sources, using second-generation sources to the detriment of the first generation, whose ecological balance is being widely challenged. They claim that the goal of using 10% of fuels from ...
Solar panels: inefficient and expensive?
by David Masters
Householders in the UK have been told that the cost of insulating their homes will be recouped through energy savings within four years, whilst solar panels could take two centuries to pay for themselves. A price guide published by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) estimates that installing wall cavity insulation for £400-£500 will slash up to £145 per year off the average energy bill. Meanwhile, installing solar panels at a ...