Wrap raged of the world unite
by David MastersIn the US, six thousand people a year end up in accident and emergency with packaging related injuries. The worst culprit is plastic clamshell packaging - the hard, sealed plastic packaging that's impossible to tear or cut open with scissors. Injuries are caused both by the jagged edges of semi-opened packaging, and when sharp tools such as knives, scissors, or wire cutters - often grasped in a fit of anger - glance ...
Anti-Airport Celebs buy Heathrow land
by David Masters
A football pitch-sized plot of land on the proposed site for Heathrow's third runway has been bought by an unlikely coalition of celebrities, MPs, scientists, and eco-campaigners. The four owners on the legal deeds are actress Emma Thompson, impressionist Alistair McGowan, Conservative Party green advisor Zac Goldsmith, and Greenpeace director John Sauven. An additional 10,000 people have signed up to be 'beneficial owners', including MPs Justine Greening, Susan Kramer and John McDonnell. With ...
No Air Pollution Just As Bad As Heavy Pollution
by Alan Harten
Like many people growing up in the 50s and 60s I can clearly remember having to walk home from school many times in what were known as “pea soup” fog conditions. These blankets of incredibly heavy smog would often cover the U.K.'s and Europe's major cities. These days school kids can walk home without ever encountering conditions where you can see no more than two or three yards while walking, and ...
Spaniards abandon planes for high-speed trains
by David Masters
A new fleet of high speed trains in Spain has stolen hundreds of thousands of passengers from the airlines, slashing the country's carbon emissions. Passenger numbers on domestic flights fell 20% in the twelve months to November, as passengers shunned cramped airline seats in favour of spacious, convenient, and fast trains. Over the same period, high speed rail travel grew 28%, boosted by a 220mph line that zooms from Barcelona to Madrid ...
Farmers Could Cool The Planet Down
by Alan Harten
In the mid-late eighteenth century the city of Salford became the world’s first industrialised city sparking the industrial revolution that changed the world forever. Since then global temperatures have risen by an average of 0.7 degrees, a small but incredibly significant figure. This figure will continue to rise causing ever more serious problems for the planet Now scientists working at Bristol University believe that they may have a natural solution that could ...
EU to ban big plasma TVs
by David MastersNew EU legislation to be passed later this year will ban many power-hungry plasma televisions. Giant flatscreen TV's have been dubbed the '4x4s' of the living room because they consume up to four times as much electricity as traditional CRT television sets. The proposed legislation would mean that inefficient televisions would be phased out, and the rest labelled with energy ratings. A Defra spokesperson confirmed that a ban on plasma TVs is likely, ...
Shoppers call for fair trade watchdog
by David Masters
Eight in ten UK shoppers want a watchdog appointed to ensure that supermarkets treat suppliers fairly, and to penalise those which don't, a new survey has revealed. In the YouGov poll, commissioned by Traidcraft, 81% of shoppers branded supermarket tactics, such as paying suppliers less than agreed, 'unacceptable'. Most shoppers (59%) said they would consider switching supermarkets if they found out that these tactics were used by their main supermarket. Seventy eight ...
Bacteria That Makes Hydrogen Fuel
by Alan Harten
A boffin at the illustrious Oxford University claims that he has discovered a way to make use of a bacterial enzyme that naturally releases the hydrogen stored in water. Research chemist Erwin Reisner says that this could be a way to make use of the enzymes known as hydrogenases that are used by minute organisms in the conversion of basic hydrogen ions into usable hydrogen gas. The use of hydrogen has ...
Is wireless electricity eco-friendly?
by David Masters
Wireless electricity will allow homes and businesses to power all appliances from a single source. Eric Giler, president and CEO of WiTricity, says wireless power will give businesses and consumers increased freedom and efficiency. At the International Consumer Electronics Show, wireless gadgets on display included lights, audio speakers and digital photo frames. Steve Anderson, senior vice president for Texas Instruments power management group, believes wireless electricity will transform the market. "This is going to ...
Traditional lightbulb switch-off begins
by David MastersConsumers across the UK have been panic buying 100-watt lightbulbs as a nationwide phase-out begins. Under new EU legislation, it will be illegal for shops to sell traditional incandescent bulbs from 2012. Many big name stores, including Sainsbury's, Asda, and Homebase, have already started phasing out 100-watt bulbs in preparation for the legislation. Tesco has warned that all its 100w and 75w lightbulbs will be gone within the next fortnight. Sixty watt bulbs will ...
Fighting global warming will be expensive
by David Masters
Reducing carbon emissions to combat climate change will cost money for years to come, a top environmental scientist has revealed. Paul Elkins, professor of energy and environment policy at King's College London, said the idea that environmentally friendly technologies will save governments and businesses money is the most 'optimistic scenario'. A more likely scenario for the majority of countries is that combating climate change will cost between 0% and 3% of GDP. Speaking ...
Tap water trendy from a carafe
by David Masters
Anti-bottled water campaign, London on Tap, has announced the winner of its carafe design competition. Neil Barron's winning design - chosen from over 100 entries - will be used to serve tap water in bars, cafes, and restaurants across the UK capital from April this year. Industrial designer Barron wins £5,000 from the competition, sponsored by Thames Water. Barron's carafe, called the 'Tap Top', is shaped like a stylised tap with ...
Chocolate is good for you, and the world
by David Masters
Forget your New Year's resolution to burn off the Christmas pounds for a minute, and listen to this: chocolate is good for you. Cacao, the fruit used to make chocolate, contains antioxidants and minerals with well known health benefits. Cacao has more antioxidants that green tea or blue berries. Antioxidants reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. Useful minerals in cacao include copper, magnesium, phosphorus, and calcium. Magnesium is one ...
Fast Food Giants Litter British Streets
by Alan Harten
Litter in Great Britain is growing at an unprecedented rate, according to a survey just released by Keep Britain Tidy. The chief culprits are McDonalds, KFC, and other big fast-food restaurant chains. The survey found that 58 percent of the rubbish which litters Liverpool city centre, is comprised of wrappings from fish and chips or kebabs. In Birmingham, McDonalds is the primary offender, accounting for 41 percent of litter. In London, ...
Toyota to launch 10 hybrids by 2015
by David Masters
Toyota has announced plans to launch up to 10 hybrid cars by 2015, starting with the third generation Prius and the new HS250h Lexus Hybrid, both unveiled this week at the North American International Motor Show in Detroit. The 3G Prius is the first ever 'plug in' model, and is being launched a year early. Toyota has also confirmed plans to release a battery powered urban commuting vehicle by 2012. The FT-EV battery ...
How many Googles make a cup of tea?
by David Masters
What's worse for the environment: searching Google, or making a cup of tea? Alex Wissner-Gross, physics boffin from Harvard University, made it his mission to find out. The answer? Two Google searches emit as much carbon dioxide as making a cup of tea. According to Wissner-Gross, a typical Google search generates 7g of CO2, whilst boiling the kettle for a cuppa generates 15g. "A Google search has a definite environmental impact," he ...
Peru plants 512,820 trees per day
by David Masters
Across the Atlantic, on the vast continent of America, one country is taking climate change seriously. Unfortunately it's not the US (not yet, anyway), but Peru. Peru's Ministry of Agriculture has decided to single handedly attempt to mitigate the effects of climate change using a nation-wide tree planting project. The campaign began on 13th December, and aims to have 40 million trees planted by 20th February. Forty million trees in three months. That's ...
Canada’s Forests Put Out More CO2 Than Oxygen
by Alan Harten
Canada is a huge and sparsely populated country famous for its stunning scenery, wide open plains, and huge stretches of unspoilt forests as big as some countries. Altogether the country boasts in excess of 1.2 million square miles of forests that are considered to be the “lungs of North America” Some recent studies now have scientists very concerned about the overall health of Canada's giant forest tracts. Studies show that the country's ...
Bacteria May Be Added To Petrol
by Alan Harten
Those nasty tummy bugs caused by the presence of a common bacteria E.coli, may turn out to have a good side, because this diarrhoea causing bug may become the fuel of the future. According to American scientists working at the University of California (UCLA) E.coli can be used to make alcohol that is as much as 300% more efficient than the ethanol additives currently in use. The scientists have managed to ...
Green energy revolution could pass US by
by David Masters
John Doerr, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist whose investments helped launch Google and Amazon, has warned US Congress that America is falling behind the rest of the world in developing renewable energy technology. Speaking to the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee, Doerr said that just six of the world's top thirty solar, wind and advanced battery companies are based in the US. Two of Doerr's biggest investments in renewable energy are ...