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 ...
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, ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Techno-fixes are not climate’s Messiah
by David Masters
Governments must stop waiting for a technological Messiah to deliver the world from climate change, two leading environmental scientists warned this week. Gabriele Hegerl and Susan Soloman of the University of Edinburgh said attempts to combat global warming through climate engineering could prove disastrous. The growing interest in techno-fixes to fight climate change are detracting from the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions here and now, the scientists said. Techno-fix solutions include geo-engineering ...
Where have all the beavers gone?
by David Masters
Plans to introduce wild beavers to the Scottish Highlands have been put in jeopardy by the failure of a trial scheme. Scotland's last wild beaver was killed 400 years ago, and wildlife agencies had planned to introduce them to the banks of the country's rivers and lochs in a £1.8 million programme. However, of 11 beavers brought over from Norway earlier this year for a trial, one has been allegedly shot, another ...
Taxpayers to fund government’s carbon failure
by David Masters
Millions of pounds from the taxpayer's pocket will subsidise the failure of government departments to meet Westminster targets on reducing carbon emissions. The government has pledged to reduce carbon emissions from its own buildings and transport 12.5% by 2012 compared to 1999 levels. However, MPs from the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) are "unconvinced" that the government will meet its targets. If the government fails, it will be fined millions of pounds to offset ...
UK coins minted from unethical metals
by David Masters
The copper and nickel used to mint British coins is sourced from environmentally destructive mines, a MailOnline investigation has uncovered. Raw materials used by the government-owned Royal Mint have been linked to water shortages and hazardous pollution in Chile, and rainforest destruction in Madagascar. The revelation comes despite a commitment from the Mint to "only select suppliers that use environmentally balanced practices". The Royal Mint casts 20,000 tons of copper and nickel alloys ...
Can biodiversity create health and jobs
by Alan Harten
Bournemouth University professor Adrian Newton published research earlier in the week that proves restoring the ecological environment of an area can help the negative global biodiversity losses over the last few decades while also increasing ecosystem services and help the economy via new green jobs. Services that can be increased by ecological improvements include better water quality and carbon storage which will benefit the life spans of animals and humans in ...
Record year for Green Flag Awards
by David Masters
A record number of green spaces have been awarded Green Flag status this year. Over 1,000 green spaces in England and Wales bagged the prestigious award for 2009, including more than 200 brand new winners. Free, open, green spaces have acquired a "particular importance" as people look for a low-cost escape from the gloom of the recession, Green Flag said. "One of the most significant aspects of the Green Flag Award is that ...
HP shamed by Captain Kirk stunt
by David Masters
Employees at Hewlett-Packard arrived at work this week to find a voicemail from Captain Kirk of Star Trek fame on their answer machine. The stunt, organised by Greenpeace, was set up to highlight HP's broken promises on removing toxic plastics from its computers. A computerised dialling system ensured that every member of HP staff got the message. "This is William Shatner speaking," it said. "You, HP, promised me a toxic-free computer by 2009. ...
More trees to combat London climate change
by Alan Harten
Planting two million trees across the city of London may help reduce the effects of climate change caused temperatures in the coming years according to a new environmental plan. Studies predict that summer temperatures may rise by 3.9C by the year 2080 in London, but an increase in planted trees by 2025 and the addition of green space throughout London may help reduce the increase according to a recent mayor’s environment ...
Eco-festival choked into closing by police stranglehold
by David Masters
One of the UK's longest running eco-festivals is set to lose thousands of pounds after police forced organisers to cancel this year's festival at the last minute. Over 20,000 revellers were expected to turn up this week for the Big Green Gathering in Medip, Somerset. Organisers were forced to cancel the five day festival of arts, culture and music at the weekend after Mendip council and the police sought an injunction to ...