Tesco axes ClubCard points for recycling
by David MastersTesco has reduced the loyalty points it gives for recycling after customers were found to be abusing the system. The supermarket giant said some customers had broken up plastic bottles into tiny scraps so they got more ClubCard points for recycling. Points were given for individual items recycled at the reverse vending machines, meaning that broken bottles were awarded as many points as the number of pieces they'd been broken into. A Tesco ...
Only one-in-thirty dads read to their children
by David MastersOnly three percent of dads read their children bedtime stories, according to a recent study. That leaves twenty nine out of thirty dads who never read to their children. Fathers blame late nights at the office and feeling tired when they get home from work for their lack of literary enthusiasm. One in ten mothers never read to their children, with cleaning and cooking blamed as the main distraction for women. Two thousand UK ...
Green toys made from recycled milk bottles
by David MastersAn eco-conscious company is California is selling Green Toys - including a toy recycling truck, indoor gardening kit, toy tool set, and toy tea set.
All products at greentoys.com use recycled plastic milk bottles as their main ingredient.
The energy saved by using recycled plastic in each toy is equivalent to 3,000 AA batteries.
The toys are made in California and sold locally to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation.
Packaging is minimal, ...
Philips pledges to recycling used electronics
by David Masters
Consumer electronics manufacturer Philips has announced plans to incorporate the cost of recycling into its product price. This means the burden of recycling now lies with Philips rather than its customers. Customers who buy Philips electronics will no longer have to pay the cost of recycling once the product expires, but will pay this as part of the overall new product price. Once a product becomes obsolete, customers can return it to Philips ...
White House kitchen goes organic
by David MastersPresident Obama is determined to practice what he preaches, with kitchens in the White House now cooking healthy, environmentally sustainable food. The Obamas brought their personal chef, Sam Kass, with them when they moved to the White House. Kass specialises in local, seasonal, and healthy eating. There's even talk of a White House garden to grow the Presdient's vegetables.
Wrap ragers target Easter eggs-cess
by David MastersConsumers are fed up with excessive packaging on Easter eggs, and the confectionary sector has finally taken notice. With nearly six in ten (59%) of people in the UK suffering wrap rage at Easter egg packaging, the industry has taken drastic action. According to the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), confectioners have reduced Easter egg packaging by up to 50%. Marks and Spencer has reduced its Easter egg packaging by nearly ...
Jamie Oliver opens unique food and cookery shop
by David MastersJamie Oliver's first local food and kitchen supply shop opened yesterday in London, the first in a UK-wide chain of Recipease http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipease/index.html stores. The shops are part of Jamie's latest drive to promote healthy, eco-conscious cooking and eating. Both novice cooks and experienced chefs will be able to use Recipease as a one stop shop to create healthy meals. Gourmet groceries, prepped ingredients and cookery lessons are all on offer in the store. The ...
Captain Planet returns to save the earth
by David Masters
Children's eco-cartoon Captain Planet is making a comeback - not on TV, but on the Mother Nature Network (MNN) website. Cult classic Captain Planet was first released in 1990 by cartoon creator Ted Turner, who decided that children around the world needed an eco-hero to look up to. Six series were produced, and the show ran until 1992, but re-runs have been rare since it was taken off air in ...
Brits want free plastic bags banned
by David Masters
Nine out of ten Brits are concerned about the environmental impact of single use carrier bags, a new survey has revealed. A Reusabags survey of 2,000 UK adults found that 91% of people worry that plastic bags are bad for the environment, whilst 82% said a 10-15p charge for plastic bags would encourage them to switch to reusable carriers. Nearly 70% of those polled said retailers' voluntary 50% reduction in carrier bag ...
Green news reading: online or in print?
by David MastersAccording to a little known 2007 study, reading news online has about the same environmental impact as reading a print newspaper. The Sweden-based research team measured the environmental impact of online and print news. For print, they measured the carbon emissions from editorial work, producing the newsprint, transporting paper to printer, recycling the paper, and disposing of papers that don't get recycled. For online, they measured emissions from editorial work, online ...
Fujitsu unveils world’s first zero watt PC
by David MastersFujitsu Siemens has unveiled a new PC that reduces energy use by consuming zero power when in standby mode. The PC follows Fujitsu Siemens zero watt monitor, launched last year, that consumes no power when on standby. Other displays consume up to five watts even when in standby mode. The Esprimo Green PC range works by switching off completely when in power saving mode, and when the computer is shut down. Most PCs never ...
UKs First Zero Carbon Rated House
by Alan HartenIn Staplehurst, Kent, a house has been built which has been rated as zero carbon. Richard Hawkes, the architect, followed the design of a timbrel vaulted house originally found in Catalonia, Spain in the 14th century. The house, called Crossways, has triple glazing, adapted newspaper insulation and is roofed with plants and soil. Solar panels provide warmth and cooling and it can also get heat from a boiler rated at 11kw and ...
Could the credit crunch put an end to food waste?
by David Masters
Wasted food is a huge environmental issue. In the EU, millions of tonnes of food is thrown away every year before it even reaches supermarket shelves. Supermarkets then throw away millions of tonnes of food because it is past its 'best before' date - although as all freegans know, this is relatively meaningless. UK households throw away 4.1 million tonnes of food after they have bought it from the supermarket. The credit ...
Government Determined To Lower Home Carbon Emissions
by Alan HartenThe government intends to bring down energy bills and carbon emissions by 2030. Carbon emissions may be reduced by one third as soon as 2020 as a result of this plan and the government is aiming for an 80% drop in emissions by 2050. At present 27% of the country’s carbon emissions are caused by power and heating for homes. The aim is for 7 million homes to be improved by ...
Zumbox to bring snail mail online
by David Masters
An American website has given every postal address in the US a virtual online mailbox, potentially eliminating the need for traditional paper mail. Zumbox - the world's first all-digital alternative to snail mail - is completely secure, and every postal address in the US has automatically been signed up. The technology will allow businesses, charities, government departments and other organisations to send correspondence direct to anyone's digital mailbox - potentially saving millions ...
Is trashing the fridge eco-friendly?
by David Masters
A small but growing number of eco-conscious Americans are choosing to go fridge-free.
Although the carbon savings of ditching a single fridge aren't huge, those taking the action believe that the combined number of fridges across the world have a significant and unnecessary environmental impact.
Rachel Muston has lived without a fridge for the past two years.
"It ...
Recompute: A Cardboard PC
by David MastersA computer made with cardboard casing is set to be unveiled at the Greener Gadgets Conference later this year. Recompute, designed by Brenden Macaluso, is a fully sustainable desktop computer. It uses fully recycled materials - including the cardboard outer case - that are easily disassembled at the end of its life to be recycled again. Manufacturing the Recompute is a four stage low impact process: die cutting, non-toxic gluing, printing, and electronic ...
Panasonic unveils self-dimming lamp
by David MastersIf, like me, you frequently forget to turn of the lights when leaving the house, Panasonic's latest eco-lamp could be just what you need. Panasonic's Twin Pa lamp, a self-dimming eco-light, was unveiled this week. It senses ambient light and dims its own light level accordingly -saving energy that would be needlessly wasted. "This is the industry's first home-use lighting equipment whose brightness is automatically adjusted by a sensor," Panasonic said. Many households keep ...
Super Bowl XLII winners celebrate in organic tees
by David MastersSuper Bowl XLIII winners the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrated their victory over the Arizona Cardinals last night in organic cotton t-shirts. It is the first time sportswear maker Reebok has used organic cotton. John McMahon, Reebok's director of marketing, said: "These Championship Tees are produced each year for the Super Bowl and are typically a best-seller. "By incorporating an eco-friendly element to them, the Reebok brand and the NFL are using the global platform ...
Think whilst you drink
by David Masters
A drinking glass created by Ukrainian-born designer Inna Alesina forces users to think about the different between needs and wants, and to act upon the wastage created by excess want.
The bottom half of the glass is labelled 'need', and the top half, 'want'.
A hole in the top half allows water to escape - demonstrating the unnecessary waste of an overconsuming society based ...