Welcome to our Eco News section... Environmental, green, ethical and sustainable news from our listed companies, plus topical national & international articles from around the globe - promoting and discussing all that's eco........ February 2008
Created to take a stand against the greatest threat our planet has ever faced, Earth Hour uses the simple action of turning off the lights for one hour to deliver a powerful message about the need for action on global warming.
Cities from across Europe, North America, Asia and Asia Pacific, including Chicago, Copenhagen, Manila, Melbourne, Sydney, Tel Aviv and Toronto are named as the flagship participants in the WWF-led event on March 29, 2008, with more cities expected to join in the days ahead.
“On behalf of the WWF International network, I want to commend and thank the mayors and officials in our flagship cities for playing a leadership role in supporting this unique global event and demonstrating their commitment to fighting climate change,” said WWF Director General James Leape.
“During Earth Hour, governments, businesses, community leaders and individuals will be turning out their lights and switching on their support for actions that can help make a difference in the most significant challenge facing the world today.
WWF’s inaugural Earth Hour took place in Sydney Australia in March last year with more than 2.2 million people participating in an effort that darkened icons such as the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge and resulted in a ten per cent drop in energy usage – double what had been predicted.
To find out more information, and how to sign up visit www.earthhour.org
Tunbridge Wells Farmers Market has been voted one of the top three farmers markets in Kent in the 2007 Taste of Kent Awards. The market, organised by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, has been short listed and stands a good chance of winning the Kent Farmers Market 2007 Award, which will be presented to the winner on Wednesday 27 February 2008.
The Taste of Kent Awards recognise the best products and producers in Kent through a variety of categories and is Promoted by Produced in Kent.
The market takes place on Civic Way, outside the Town Hall in the centre of Royal Tunbridge Wells on the second and fourth Saturday of the month, 9am – 2pm. The market abides by the ‘FARMA’ national association rules of membership for selecting stallholders, which sets a standard to ensure that the stallholders are legitimate and that the produce they bring along to the market is their own.
And on Saturday 23 February Tunbridge Wells Farmers’ Market will be joined by guest organisations to help its customers go green at home.
The first ‘Ecover’ refill station in the borough will be launched at the market. This range of environmentally friendly products will be available for refill to reduce customer’s plastic waste. Customers should bring along empty containers for refilling. There will be many products available including washing up liquid, fabric softener, laundry liquid, floor wash, shower gel and toilet cleaner.
Friends of the Earth will attend to share ways of protecting and improving the conditions for life on Earth, now and for the future. They will also be advising market customers about Freecycle, the easy way to gain or dispose of items for free. Sunpowered Kent will be displaying solar products for solar heating, electric, water heating and boilers, as well as other Eco services.
The Farmers’ Market hessian shopping bags will be available for only £1 and all the proceeds will go to the Hospice in the Weald.
Fairtrade is an organized social movement and market based model of International Trade (Wikipedia).
Fairtrade works by paying producers a fair price for crops plus a little extra to help community development projects. It also helps to promote social and environmental standards. Price is agreed according to local or regional context, is reached via discussion with all parties and covers not only the cost of production but enables socially just and environmentally sound production. It pays fairly and without gender bias so that women are properly rewarded for their work. It is suggested that many more farmers could benefit from Fairtrade if it were not for unfair trade rules that make it very difficult for poor countries to trade their way out of the poverty trap. For example tariffs which are a type of import tax are levied by many countries.
Campaigns for trade justice aim to influence governments and International bodies to rewrite unjust trade rules. Rules need to be advantageous to people in poor countries rather than making it impossible for them to compete. Of course the Fairtrade movement does have its detractors. It has been suggested that it is a misguided attempt to make up for market failures encouraging inefficiencies and over production. This argument seems a little rich to me when you consider the European Union surfeits of crops which have been well documented in the press. Fairtrade supporters argue that current market prices do not reflect the true costs associated with production and that only a well managed and stable minimum price system is able to cover environmental and social production expenditure. There are also concerns about the impact of Fairtrade on long term economic growth. However Fairtrade organisations contradict this argument claiming that Fairtrade is a market responsive model of trade and producers are encouraged to diversify and invest in specialty crop programmes.
In my opinion having read and considered the arguments put forward Fairtrade although not perfect is the best model we have at present to try to help poorer disadvantaged countries. Discussion and exchange of ideas is a healthy way forward to continue improving systems currently in place. With ethical and religious agencies such as Oxfam, Christian Aid and Amnesty International to name but a few involved in these discussions “Trade not Aid” may have real meaning for a better future.
Greenpeace has launched a fun Sim City-type application on its website which aims to showcase how solutions to climate change can be applied to every British town.
Developed in collaboration with Biro Creative, "EfficienCity" is an interactive virtual city which boasts a wide range of renewable energy solutions that aren't coming from centralised sources.
You can click around the different zones of the town and visit various buildings to find out how they are replacing energy generated from fossil fuels with renewable solutions like wave, wind and tidal power, and how waste can be turned into energy through anaerobic digestion, biomass and combined heat and power (CHP) plants.
The site uses videos, animations, slideshows and sounds to guide the user through the low-energy town and demonstrates how the heating, cooling and electricity processes work.
Greenpeace is asking visitors to the virtual town to "reclaim the power" from central government and instead engage with their local councils, encouraging them to implement their own local energy schemes based on efficiency, renewables and combined heat and power.
Through interacting with virtual football stadiums, supermarkets, hospitals and breweries based on real world examples, visitors can see how their own communities can join the fight against climate change by generating their own energy, Greenpeace says.
Greenpeace says it developed the project in response to the official energy policy of the UK government, which currently favours large, centralised power generation and nuclear reactors as the solution to keeping the lights on and tackling climate change.
Greenpeace energy advisor, Darren Shirley, said: "With EfficienCity we're trying to demonstrate virtually how the real solutions to climate change can work in practice. We're hoping that visitors to the city will see that these technologies aren't science fiction - they're already available today.
"There's absolutely no reason why this kind of integrated, low-carbon system couldn't work in every town in Britain. That's why we want people to get active, contact their local politicians and demand real change."
Our world is changing and many ancient stories & prophecies have offered tantalising insights in to these extraordinary times. Message cards have long since been used as tools to help with change.
The new Crystal Skull Message Cards are a unique and inspiring deck of 39 cards which beautifully capture the magic & mystery of the Crystal Skulls - which are perhaps the most enigmatic symbols of this ancient wisdom. Aimed at anyone who is interested in further exploring their own spiritual pathway, each one of these stunningly illustrated cards brings a message of guidance based on the wisdom of the Crystal Skulls. The Om card featured above gives the message:
''Draw from the strength of the planet; from deep
inside. Allow yourself to become one with the intense
power within the planet'.
The set comes complete with an information-packed 64 page booklet. You can find out more at www.crystalskull-cards.com
To celebrate the launch of the Crystal Skull Message Cards a beautifully illustrated e-book has been created and is yours for FREE! Discover more about the Crystal Skulls, along with insights from the people who work with them, in ‘The Little Book of Crystal Skulls’.
With an intriguing look at the effect of Crystal Skulls on the human energy field, and also find beautiful new artwork from the Cards illustrator, you can obtain your free copy from www.ebook.crystalskull-cards.com.
Divine Choclate
Divine introduces instant ‘six appeal’ for the chocolate lover or Valentine in your life – a range of six gorgeous flavours in the sleek 100g bars that look fantastic and taste even better. This is the chance to discover smooth, melt–in-the-mouth Divine Milk chocolate, and then try it in perfect combinations with chopped roasted hazelnuts, tangy orange, or dark rich coffee.
Then for something a little different, unwrap the creamy paleness of Divine White chocolate with natural cocoa butter and vanilla, and when in the mood, allow Divine Dark chocolate, with 70% cocoa, to unfold its hidden depths.
The original smooth & creamy milk chocolate is made from cocao grown ny Kuapa Kokoo in Ghana. Comfort Kwaasibea states:
'Through Fairtrade and Kuapa we now have a lot of progress. We have good drinking water, toilet facilities and schools. Kuapa pay the farmers on time and there is no cheating. We meet every two weeks to share our problems and we are all involved in decided how our trade premium is spent. Kuapa have assisted women, they ensure that women have a voice and that we are heard.'
Imagine giving all that in one fantastic Divine Experience to someone special, plus knowing that it is a truely, ethically, fairtrade experience – and that you’ll be Divine in their eyes for evermore!
Owners of gas-guzzling cars could be paying 25 pounds a day for the privilege of driving them in central London from October if, as expected, mayor Ken Livingstone decides next week to go ahead with the plan.
Livingstone, who floated the idea over a year ago, is expected to announce his decision on Tuesday.
It is part of a package of measures that Livingstone, who has made the environment a central plank of his tenure and who is facing a tough re-election battle in May, is bringing in to cut London's carbon emissions by 60 percent within 17 years.
"This package is very significant in global terms because the rest of the world is watching to see if we can deliver on this incredibly ambitious target of a 60 percent reduction by 2025," Mark Watts, Livingstone's climate chief, told Reuters.
London, which generates some seven percent of Britain's climate-warming carbon emissions, is in a vanguard of a group of 40 major cities worldwide pooling their knowledge to play their part in fighting climate change.
The city's plan is far more ambitious than legislation going through parliament to cut national emissions of the main greenhouse gas carbon dioxide by 60 percent by 2050.
The 25 pounds daily tax on vehicles in central London's Congestion Charge zone emitting 225 grammes of carbon dioxide per kilometre would apply in the same way as the normal eight pounds daily charge does to all but the cleanest cars.
But to force home the environmental point of a congestion scheme that initially had no green goal, the exemption granted to residents in the zone will be removed from drivers of the polluting four wheel drive and top end luxury cars.
That means that the owner of a gas-guzzler who chooses to drive in the zone every day will end up paying £6,500 a year for the privilege.
Bourgeois Boheme has launched its very own range of footwear for men and women. Alicia Lai, founder of the London-based company says, “We saw there was a gap in the market for footwear that is not only animal-friendly but also stylish and affordable. It’s something we’ve looked for without success for years, so we finally made our own.”
Handmade and ethically produced in Portugal and India, Bourgeois Boheme’s Espiritual and Jiva ranges offers both men and women an alternative in the world of mainstream fashion, where shoe production is often linked not only with animal suffering but also with workforce exploitation and environmental destruction.
The range is made of microfibre, the highest quality and most eco-friendly leather alternative, and is 100% animal-friendly. Even the glue used is water-based.
Each of the designers and factories has been handpicked for their ethical work conditions and kinder-to-life sensibilities: it is important to Bourgeois Boheme that from design to finished item they know exactly how their shoes have been made.
Espiritual ‘Full of Spirit’ is a range of men’s shoes handcrafted in Portugal and presents eight shoe styles.
Inspired by the ancient Indian philosophy of ‘ahimsa’ or non-violence, the women’s range Jiva or ‘Soul’ has been produced in partnership with a vegan-run factory in India. The partnership has resulted in a smart range of women’s every-wear shoes.
“We created Jiva and Espiritual to spread the message of ‘fashion with compassion’ to the mainstream market so that not only vegetarians and vegans, but all fashionistas will start making consumer choices that are kinder to the wider environment and support small ethical businesses like our own” , says Alicia Lai.
The range is a rare find in the ethical shopper’s world where organic and ethical often means either high-priced or low-style. “Footwear for the ethically conscious” embossed on the sole of each shoe, says it all.
The year 2007 marked massive growth and development at The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) in Mid Wales.
CAT was founded in 1973 on a disused quarry site. It started as an experimental, low-impact community and quickly became Europe’s leading test-bed for alternative technologies to fight climate change.
A working example of green lifestyles and technologies in action, CAT aims to inspire and enable others by providing information and showing positive change in practice. In addition to its online shopping facility, CAT regularly publishes books on every subject within the area of sustainability.
More than 60,000 people come to CAT’s Visitor Centre every year. Interactive displays teach everything from energy efficiency to water treatment, from eco building to renewable energy. CAT’s 35 years of experience in sustainable technology is taught in approximately 70 short courses throughout the year which range from one-day courses on forest eco-systems to week-long courses on subjects such as the sustainable home.
CAT’s Eco Cabins are self-contained bunk-houses with their own energy and water systems. They are available for educational groups to experience living with sustainable technologies first hand.
Now running Britain’s fastest-growing programme of masters courses, CAT has responded to this growing demand by building the Wales Institute for Sustainable Education (WISE), open 2008. An environmentally-friendly building project from its limecrete foundations to its hemp-lime walls and solar-panelled roofs, the most striking feature of WISE will be its 200-seat lecture theatre encased in circular, 7.2m-high rammed earth walls.
Since the first masters course began in 2000, CAT has become a creative think-tank for issues and policies on climate change. In 2007, CAT published a ground-breaking report, Zero Carbon Britain. The energy strategy, with its targets of reducing emissions to zero within 20 years, grabbed the attention of politicians and campaigners.
For more information on the Centre of Alternative Technology please go to:
As the UK's national press increases its coverage of sustainable living, John-Paul Flintoff of The Times contacted Permaculture Magazine(www.permaculture.co.uk) for their opinion as to the best eco songs ever.
The office was given ten minutes to come up with something, and off the top of their heads they came up with a short list, which you can view online at timesonline.typepad.com.
"We figured Joni Mitchell's 1970 Big Yellow Taxi hit was probably the first ever eco song that millions of people heard" says Permaculture Magazine's Tony Rollinson . "The lyrics do strike a chord with people"
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got 'til its gone.
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
"We included songs that people would generally have heard of, songs by Sting and The Clash, but we also included two new songs by current bands, to illustrate the current artistic response to climate change."
"The UK's foremost eco band, Seize The Day, have recorded the remarkable Flying, which appears on their latest album The Tide Is Turning. They really should have been invited to play last year's Live Earth concert." The Times put the video for the song up on their site so as that people can hear and see it for themselves.
There are lots of bands and singers now spreading the word about the need to be sustainable and Permaculture Magazine featured one of them on a free DVD they gave away to subscribers with one of their issues last year. Climate Change - It's In Your Hands was a collection of eco-films and activist shorts from around the world that contained inspiring 'can-do' examples of what people are doing around the globe!
Undercurrents played a major role in putting the footage together and Permaculture Magazine called on its readers to start film clubs, show the footage and inspire others to become more engaged and active in climate awareness. The response has been astounding and you can buy an increasing range of inspiring environmental films from their Green Shopping Catalogue (www.green-shopping.co.uk)
The closing credits to the DVD's collection featured a beautiful collection of images of eco-dwellings from all the world's continents and these were backed by a song called Maybe by a band called Autons, provided the stunning, inspiring and question asking music that accompanies these examples of successful habitats.
In 2008 the Fairtrade Foundation will be launching
Fairtrade Fortnight in style with a Fairtrade Fairground
in central London.
The Choose Fairtrade Bus is a double decker
bus to be unveiled at the Fairtade Fairground will be travelling to various parts of
the UK to spread the word about Fairtrade during
Fairtrade Fortnight 2008. On the bus will be a
variety of activities to appeal to lots of different
people and help them learn more about Fairtrade
and the benefits it brings to farmers in developing
countries. A Fairtrade producer will also be
travelling around with the bus and speaking
to people about their experiences of Fairtrade.
In Fairtrade Fortnight 2007, the Fairtrade Foundation
along, with the publisher Dorling Kindersley, held a
competition to find the best Fairtrade recipes in the
country for inclusion in The Fairtrade Everyday
Cookbook.
Hundreds of entries were received and the best ones
were chosen and included in the Cookbook along with
recipes from Fairtrade producers and celebrities. The book
will be available just before Fairtrade Fortnight on 7 February 2008, at £16.99. Order it online via
the link on the Fairtrade Foundation website to receive
20% off.
To find out more details, and ideas on how to become involved visit:
Imogen Stone is an exclusive online florist and luxury gift store committed to providing the finest Fairtrade Flowers. They also have accompanying Fairtrade items including candles, soaps, hand & body creams, and gift packs plus a range of natural and organic bath-time products.
The flower industry is one of the fastest growing sectors of the Kenyan economy and is the second largest source of foreign exchange after tea. Imogen Stone will be promoting Fairtrade Flowers during Fairtrade Fortnight
This Valentines they have a range of Fairtrade & Freedom Red Roses which use the freshest high quality seasonal flowers and foliages and can be delivered to your loved one via Royal Mail.
A dozen red Kenyan Fairtrade roses costs only £19.50.
“The 11th Hour” is the last moment when change is possible. The film, produced and narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio explores how we’ve arrived at this moment -- how we live, how we impact the earth’s ecosystems, and what we can do to change our course.
Featuring ongoing dialogues of experts from all over the world, including former Soviet Prime Minister Mikhail Gorbachev, renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, in addition to over 50 leading scientists, thinkers and leaders who discuss the most important issues that face our planet and people.
The film is due for release in the UK on 15th February - to find out details on the film and worldwide action groups go to:
A great gift idea for the love in your life is a delicious box of Green & Black's organic choccies.
All of their products are organic & certified by the Soil Association, the leading organic certifier in the UK, giving consumers of organic products a guarantee that the product is from a trusted source and matches the high standards of production.
Their Maya Gold range was also the first UK product to be awarded the Fairtrade Mark by the Fairtrade Foundation.
The first batch of Maya Gold, & every batch since, has been made with cocoa sourced directly from the farmers, giving them a fair price for their crop.
"No" to Plastic, "Yes" to Fairtrade Jute and Cotton
With the start to New Year now fading to a distant memory, you may feel that your New Year’s resolutions are heading the same way. According to a recent survey by Sky Real Lives, green issues feature highly in people’s resolutions but 70% of those, expected failure on their part.
So why does this failure happen and why do people expect it? "People look at New Year’s resolutions as the chance to do something they keep meaning to do or something that they see as being beneficial to them. The problem arises when people try to take on too much at any one time and realise they can’t juggle all of their commitments. Those that they feel to be of less importance go out the window", says Kate, Founder of Only Fair.
With this in mind, Kate says "I recommend not calling or thinking of them as resolutions – it guarantees failure in my books and those of many people I know! Instead, make a small change here and there and it’ll soon become second nature."
For 2008, Only Fair is urging everyone to reduce their plastic bag usage.
Searching the Internet with the words "plastic bags", will inundate you with pages of facts and figures. In the UK alone, shoppers are issued with over 13 billion bags every year – that’s 220 per person. With only 1 in every 200 plastic bags being recycled, the majority end up in landfill sites, taking hundreds of years to break down.
With people being more eco conscious, now is the time to become fairtrade conscious too. Only Fair have a range of fairtrade cotton bags which fold down perfectly to fit into your handbag so you never need to get caught short for those unplanned purchases. Alternatively, they have jute bags, which are ideal for the weekly food shop. Either way, there’s no excuse to be caught short and accepting a plastic bag again! Consumers can rest assured that not only are they reducing their impact on the environment but the producers that make the bags receive a fair price and safe working conditions.
The patio heaters warming drinkers and diners on the pavements of northern Europe are also warming the planet's climate and should be banned, according to a European Parliament report that could be adopted on Thursday.
Environmentalists argue that heaters not only pump heat directly into the atmosphere but also climate-damaging CO2, while owners of pubs and bars say they need them to help retain customers driven outside by smoking bans.
"Patio heaters are scandalous because they are burning fossil fuels in the open sky, so producing vast quantities of CO2 with very little heat benefit," said European parliamentarian Fiona Hall, who wrote the report criticising the pace of energy reforms in Europe.
"We urge the Commission to set a timetable for completely taking off the market some appliances that are intrinsically inefficient, such as patio heaters," she added.
The report will not lead directly to legislation, but it seeks to guide the European Commission on parliamentarians' priorities.
Any ban would be fiercely opposed by UK pub owners, whose businesses suffered after a smoking ban last year and are now struggling with weakening consumer spending and rising costs.
The heaters are also popular in many other European countries.
Friends of the Earth's Director Tony Juniper said: "If the UK government is committed to reducing carbon dioxide emissions, it must be prepared to back EU proposals to improve energy efficiency, which include banning these carbon-belching monstrosities."
