UN puts a figure on Global Warming costs
by Alan Harten
In the past the United Nations has said that in order to pay for sea defences, damage to infrastructure, and deaths from global warming that will occur by 2030 it would cost anywhere from £25b to £105b. The news appears to be more grim however as a study released by the Gratham Institute for Climate Change at Imperial College London and International Institute for Environment and Development now estimates ...
Climate Campers swoop on Black Heath
by David Masters
More than 1,000 climate activists have set up camp in London for a week of education on the environment and direct action protest. The Climate Camp's location was kept a secret until Wednesday, when text messages were sent out to protesters telling them to swoop on Black Heath in south east London. Black Heath has no connection to climate change, but was the site of a peasants' revolt in the fourteenth century. "It ...
First UK eco-village wins planning permission
by David Masters
A proposed eco-development in south Wales was awarded planning permission Thursday following a two-year battle. The Pembrokeshire eco-village will feature nine eco-smallholdings, a community hub building, and a seasonal campsite. Houses in the village will be built with local, natural materials, including earth, timber, turf, and straw, and will incorporate sustainable technologies such as passive solar heating, rainwater harvesting, and renewable electricity generation. The village will be fully independent of all mains services. ...
Low key climate protests planned
by Alan Harten
Yesterday Climate Group protestors arrived in London as part of the largest environmental protest that is held annually. About 1,000 activists showed up near the corners of Blackheath at about 1:40pm either on bike, via the bus or train routes, or on foot bringing along with them a healthy supply of tents, food, and guitars. The protestors plan to stay camped in south east London though Tuesday and is decidedly ...
Samsung sees “green” as money grubbing opportunity
by David Masters
Samsung is looking to take advantage of eco-conscious phone users by charging a premium for green handsets. A survey by the handset maker found 52% of American consumers would pay more for green products. Over one in five (22%) Americans would pay up to 20% more to salve their conscience of environmental guilt. Environmental concerns now make up almost a third of the most important reasons to buy a new product, the research ...
New, Old, Scottish green town to be built
by Alan HartenSoon a new town will be built in Scotland to honour the memory of Robert Owen who had a mill in New Lanark from the time period of 1800 to 1835. The town will be called Owenstown and will be home to about 20,000 people. Owen helped his factory workers by installing a coop shop in the small village surrounding the mill and using the profits from the shop to ...
Anti-litter campaign collects 50,000 bags of rubbish
by David Masters
Over 50,000 bags of rubbish have been picked up from Britain's streets in the last 12 months following the launch of the Big Tidy Up campaign. Since the campaign was set up in September last year, nearly 15,000 groups have signed up to carry out a Big Tidy Up. The waste they've collected is enough to fill 714 skips, and would stretch 31 miles if the bags were laid out end-to-end. Natalie Forrester, ...
Europe’s lightbulb phase-out begins
by David Masters
Energy saving lightbulbs are set to become the norm across Europe as a continent-wide phase-out of traditional bulbs begins next month. From 1 September, 100w and frosted lightbulbs will be phased out from shops across Europe. Shops will be able to sell-off current stock, but it will be illegal for them to place new orders for the banned lightbulbs. The move will save an estimated 1 million tonnes of CO2 emissions ...
Scotland aims to be “zero waste” society
by David Masters
The Scottish government has outlined proposals to ban recyclable materials such as glass, paper, metals and textiles from being sent to landfill. Other plans for a 'zero waste' Scotland include extending the ban on sending hazardous waste to landfill and providing incentives for businesses to increase recycling rates. An estimated 2,000 new jobs will be created if the legislation is passed. Richard Lochhead, environment secretary, said the proposals are a "positive step" towards ...
Community gardeners evicted from meadow
by David Masters
Two guerrilla gardeners who transformed a derelict site into a wild meadow and vegetable plot have been taken to court by Glasgow City Council. A community group led by Douglas Peacock and Karen Chung planted allotments and raised flower beds at North Kelvin Meadow, formerly Clousten Street playing fields. Peacock and Chung were summoned to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court for failing to vacate the council-owned waste ground, which had lain derelict ...
Flash mobs clean up River Thames
by David Masters
Flash mobs of eco-volunteers will descend on the banks of the Thames this weekend to clean up litter from the river and surrounding areas. The volunteers, organised by London waterways charity Thames 21, will clean up rubbish that gathers due to the tidal flow of the fiver. Thames 21 organises over 100 projects every year to clean up London's waterways. Programme co-ordinator Judith Ressler said the events reduce pollution in the river, and ...
Could Scotland go 100% renewable
by Alan Harten
A new European Green Energy Centre opened in Aberdeen earlier in the week that the WWF Scotland claims could help make the county of Scotland 100% renewable. The WWF Scotland claims that with the new centre the country may be able to create power solely from energy that is produced by the renewable. With the location in Aberdeen, the WWF also stated that this could mark the change from Scotland’s ...
Ireland’s Climate Camp highlights peat bog destruction
by David Masters
Around 100 environmental activists have gathered for Ireland's first Climate Camp outside West Offaly Power peat-fuelled power station in Shannonbridge. Solar-powered caravans and a vegan kitchen have been set up in the shadow of the power plant in a campaign to highlight the destruction of local peat bogs and the contribution of peat burning to global warming. "It is the largest peat burning station in the world," said Climate Camp spokesperson Molly ...
Students give-a-dog-a-duvet
by David Masters
A campaign encouraging students in Manchester to recycle unwanted household goods when they leave university has proved a huge success, with over 10 tonnes of waste recycled or given to charity. Six van loads of old duvets and blankets were donated to dog rescue homes. Boxes of cutlery, crockery and kitchen utensils were given to charities including Oxfam, the Mustard Tree, and Wesley Community Furniture. Waste paper, card and glass were sent for ...
Green traffic lights across London
by David Masters
Transport for London has announced plans to install energy saving LEDs in 3,500 of the capital's traffic lights. The £2.4 million move will cut energy consumption by around 60%, saving TfL an estimated £200,000 per year in fuel bills. The LEDs will replace 3,500 lamps at 300 junctions in the capital. As well as reducing its fuel bills, TfL said it aims to encourage businesses and homes across the UK to adopt LED ...
Christian Aid: Biofuels are eco-scandal
by David Masters
Biofuels, once hailed as an environmental saviour, are driving deforestation and exacerbating global poverty, a report by social justice charity Christian Aid claimed this week. Billions of dollars invested in biofuels as subsidies from the US and the EU have proved "disastrous", the charity said in its new report, 'Growing Pains'. This support for biofuels has prompted drastic increases in global "hunger, severe human rights abuses and environmental destruction," Christian Aid said. Biofuels ...
Antarctic glacier melting 500 years too soon
by Alan Harten
Satellite records found that a large glacier in Antarctica is thinning faster than initially thought it would when estimated ten years ago. According to the records, if the Pine Island Glacier continues to melt at the accelerated rates, the main section of it will disappear in just 100 years which is about 500 years sooner than initially it was predicted to disappear. Research shows that the ice surface of the glacier is ...
Vestas factory officially closed
by David Masters
Vestas's wind turbine blade factory on the Isle of White has been officially closed down with the loss of 425 jobs. The factory was occupied for 19 days by Vestas employees until they were peacefully evicted by bailiffs last week. The site was the only significantly large producer of wind turbines in the UK. Protests have been held across the UK in support of Vestas employees and to demand that the government steps ...
New build homes too small for recycling
by David Masters
Nearly three-quarters of new build homes in the UK aren't big enough for their occupants to properly recycle waste, research by CABE has discovered. The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment polled 2,500 private owners of new build homes, of whom 72% said their home does "not have enough space for the three small bins required to recycle properly". Richard Simmons, CABE chief executive, said: "This research brings into question the ...
Beachside recycling at Brighton’s seafront
by David Masters
Holidaymakers in Brighton will find it easier to be eco-friendly this summer due to new seafront recycling bins in the popular resort. Glass, cardboard, paper, tins, cans and plastic bottles can all be disposed of in the new bins. Four metre high flags next to the bins make them easy to locate. Brighton and Hove City Council installed the five sets of recycling bins across the busiest stretch of the seafront in ...