Eco News from our listed companies, plus green/ethical news & views from around the globe - Sept 08
Throughout September Passion for the Planet Radio will be broadcasting a series of interviews looking at the pro’s and con’s of biofuels. Plus they have created a poll where people can vote on what they think of biofuels. Allthingseco readers can now also take part helping debate about biofuels and how they may impact our lives in the future.
Good Energy, the UK’s only electricity supplier to source and supply 100% renewable energy, is launching its online store The Good Energy Shop this September.
The Good Energy Shop will provide customers with everything they need to embark on a low carbon lifestyle at home and work. These include energy saving tips, advice, and products ranging from light bulbs and energy monitors, to carbon neutral hot tubs and microgeneration products such as solar thermal systems for hot water, solar PV panels, wind turbines, biomass generators, and lake and ground source heat pumps.
To celebrate the launch, Good Energy will give away a state of the art solar thermal installation worth £3,750 in a competition draw. To enter, or to view information on any of the products mentioned, visit the shop today at www.goodenergyshop.co.uk
Juliet Davenport, CEO and founder of Good Energy said: “As our customer base has grown we have seen increasing demand for more than just renewable energy tariffs. Our customers want to take steps to actively reduce their environmental impact and need a trusted source for the products which will help them achieve that.”
Customers will not only be able to purchase technologies such as solar thermal panels or wind turbines from the Good Energy Shop, they can also generate their own electricity and sell it back to Good Energy via its Home Generation scheme.
Leading UK eco-architect Alex Michaelis uses solar PV panels to generate electricity for his home and car. Michaelis said: “I selected Good Energy as it is the only company to offer a 100% renewable energy tariff to customers and provide a payback for renewable energy home generation.”
It’s now a fact of life – for every decision we make about our homes we almost always
consider the effect it will have on the environment. Until recently such decisions would mean
making a compromise on style but thanks to a new wave of designers, passionate about
sustainability and energy efficiency, it is possible to have a stylish home that supports the
environment.
Renowned eco-style guru Oliver Heath believes in the importance of achieving a balance
between function and style and reducing one’s environmental impact. In his timely new book
Urban Eco Chic, he shows how we can incorpotate eco-friendly design into our homes
combining chic aesthetic ideas with functional eco know-how.
In this book the reader will find ways to incorporate eco-friendly technologies into their home
and lifestyle changes into their routine, reduce their homes carbon footprint, learn about
sustainable building materials for walls, floors and other surfaces, and be able to follow a
room-by-room guide to applying Urban Eco Chic to their environment, from floors to
furnishings.
Urban Eco Chic can now be purchased www.ecocentric.co.uk - plus during September spend over £10 and be entered into a prize draw to win £100 worth of eco home accessories and gifts. Just remember to tell them how you heard of ecocentric during the checkout process!
A secret ecovillage that was only discovered during an aerial survey of a Welsh national park will not be demolished after it was finally approved. After a 10-year planning row, authorities at Brithdir Mawr, in Pembrokeshire, ruled that the settlement - made up of timber-framed, turf-roofed roundhouses resembling Bilbo Baggins' home in the Lord of the Rings - could stay.
The inhabitants secretly built the sustainable village and lived there unnoticed until the aerial survey was carried out in 1998. The villagers were threatened with eviction and the authorities said the roundhouses, built of straw, timber, recycled glass, clay and manure, must be torn down.
However, the villagers fought back and, after a decade of hearings, court cases and inquiries, the settlement has been saved from destruction.
The village relies on solar power and a wind turbine for electricity, and has compost toilets, reed beds, a workshop and a hay barn. Water is collected locally, and the villagers survive by working the land and carrying out craft industries such as woodcarving.
The Pembrokeshire coast national park authority gave the village the green light after it adopted a new policy on sustainable, low-impact developments. The national park authority will review the decision in three years.
Ever wanted to run your own award winning tourism business?
Deepdale Backpackers and Camping, the highly successful award winning eco friendly backpackers hostel and campsite on the north Norfolk coast, is available for lease. Alister Borthwick, the managing partner of Deepdale, has decided to retire after yet another record breaking Summer season.
Alister Borthwick, the managing partner, has decided to reduce his workload and step back from what was an incredibly busy work-life. Alister said, “I’ve enjoyed almost every aspect of running the tourism side of Deepdale Farm. I’ve met some amazing people, both customers and staff from all over the world. However it’s time to pass on the reins to someone new.”
Jason Borthwick, Alister’s son and business partner said, “We are immensely proud of what we’ve achieved at Deepdale. We’ve won many awards and have a fantastic team. Dad has been running Deepdale day to day for the last two years, hopefully now, he and my Mum can enjoy some time together without the pressures of the business.”
Not only have Alister and Jason built a success story, they’ve also considered the environment along the way and been recognised for their work with many awards. “The most stylish backpackers hostel you'll ever see” The Times, is one of the many accolades.
The facilities that make up Deepdale Tourism include a 51 bed backpackers hostel with private ensuite rooms and dorms, 80 pitch campsite for tents and campervans, 4 tipis, an 18 bed group hostel and a visitor information centre.
The Lonely Planet (the bible for many world travellers) says, “Burnham Deepdale is home to one of the country’s best backpacker hostels, around which activities pool.”
It’s business as usual while the search for a tenant is on going. Those interested in leasing Deepdale Tourism are asked to register their interest on the Deepdale Farm website – www.deepdalefarm.co.uk
New Green Party Leader, Caroline Lucas, took to the stage for her first speech to the party's annual conference to call for a windfall tax on energy profits to kickstart a "Green New Deal" to help people deal with the credit crunch and rising fuel prices.
Dr Lucas, who became the Greens' first ever leader in a landslide result announced on the first day of the conference, began the calls for a windfall tax months ago; more recently, MPs, anti-poverty campaigners and environmentalists have joined the campaign.
The "Green New Deal" report calls for public investment in green-collar jobs in areas including renewable energy. Lucas also backed a programme of free insulation for every home in Britian to create jobs, cut fuel poverty and reduce carbon emissions.
Proposing a Green New Deal in response, Dr Lucas said:
"When the world faced economic depression back in the early 1930s, it was President Roosevelt's New Deal that got people back to work with a massive investment in infrastructure.Today we stand on the brink of a triple crisis – a combination of a credit-fuelled financial meltdown, accelerating climate change, and soaring energy prices.
"We need a Green New Deal in response. The core would be a 21st century project to make the nation's buildings truly energy efficient, with local authority bonds being issued to raise the necessary funds for a major investment in insulation, efficiency and renewables, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs in the process."
What is an organic toy and why consider one? Almost everyone asks this when they first hear about organic toys! An organic toy is a soft toy, made either entirely or partly from organic fabrics, such as organic cotton or organic wool. Organic toys are still a relatively new concept here in the UK, with many parents not realising that this organic option exists, offering the following benefits.
Purity: Ideal for delicate, sensitive or allergy-prone skin, making organic fabric an ideal choice for babies, children and anyone suffering with eczema or similar skin conditions. Children love to cuddle up to their toys, with the fabric often being in immediate contact with their skin, especially at night-time. As certified organic cotton is grown without the use of any harmful chemicals, the risk of chemical residues remaining in the fabric is eliminated.
Environmentally-friendly: Conventional cotton is one of the most environmentally devastating crops on the planet. To show how disproportionate non-organic cotton’s use is of pesticides, conventional cotton accounts for about 3% of the world’s farming industry, yet it uses approximately 25% of all pesticides used in global agriculture because cotton crops are exceptionally prone to pests. In turn, use of these dangerous chemicals, along with poor crop rotation, render the soil barren, therefore needing synthetic fertilisers which further compound the destructive environmental impact caused.
Ethical: Approximately 20,000 conventional cotton farmers and workers die every year from pesticide poisoning, as a direct result of working with these toxic chemicals. Additionally, huge numbers of inhabitants in areas surrounding the vast cotton farms, suffer serious health problems from environmental contamination caused by this method of farming.
These are statistics which can’t be ignored. For more detailed eco-information and our unrivalled choice of organic toys, please visit us at www.otoys.co.uk.
The Natural Choice
The prevailing myth about washable (cloth or reusable) nappies is that they are difficult to use, smelly and unpleasant to wash. This is far from the truth. The design of modern cloth nappies is such that they are easy to put on and easy to wash.
Would you choose chemically treated paper pants over Cotton ones? Made from a variety of different materials such as Bamboo, Cotton and Hemp, cloth nappies provide a real alternative to disposables and depending on the style of cloth nappy you choose, from birth to potty, you could save as much as £500 compared to the costs of disposables (this includes the washing costs!). The benefits of using cloth nappies are…
Reduces the waste from nearly 8 million nappies a day going to landfill
Could cut the cost to local tax payers for collection and disposal of nappies
Uses fewer raw materials
Prevents waste at source
Helps reduce production of landfill gases such as methane by using the sewage system for faecal waste
To encourage more families to use cloth nappies in Wiltshire, the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust has a scheme which provides a co-ordinator to give free and independent information, trial kits for parents to borrow and a money back voucher to assist with initial costs - up to £30 refund.
To find out more about cloth nappies & the incentive scheme Gary Lamont, Real Nappy Network Co-ordinator via www.wiltshirewildlife.org.
amba nature is an importer, retailer and supplier of fairly and ethically traded products including beautiful and stylish fair trade homeware, jewellery and fashion accessories from the Philippines.
Accredited as a fair trade supplier to the British Association For Fair Trade Shops (BAFTS) since 2004, they work directly with producers in the micro cottage industries including not for profit and voluntary cooperatives, foundations and ngos, and livelihood communities and community based enterprises and families.
As well as being able to order easily and securely online, they also offer trade terms to high street and internet retail outlets.
The products are made from environmentally friendly indigenous natural raw material sources that are in abundance or under reforestation projects, and are renewable and sustainable and not endangered, which has less impact on the environment.
All products offer the amba nature guarantee, are beautiful, contemporary and stylish,
are handcrafted by skilful and expert artisans and are quality products for you and offer a better quality of life for their artisans.
Mayor Boris Johnson has unveiled a plan to help London tackle the challenge of climate change with less carbon dioxide, more trees, better drainage and increased water efficiency.
Some 15 percent of London is deemed at high risk from flooding due to global warming -- an area including 1.25 million people, 480,000 properties, 441 schools, 75 underground and rail stations, 10 hospitals and one airport.
"We need to concentrate efforts to slash carbon emissions and become more energy efficient in order to prevent dangerous climate change," Johnson told reporters at the iconic Thames Barrier flood defence system.
"The strategy I am launching outlines in detail the range of weather conditions facing London, which could both seriously threaten our quality of life -- particularly that of the most vulnerable people -- and endanger our pre-eminence as one of the world's leading cities."
The plan, which builds on Johnson's predecessor Ken Livingstone's aim to cut London's carbon emissions by 60 percent by 2025, is to help the city prevent climate change, prepare for its consequences and recover from its effects.
He wants more trees to be planted around the city both to absorb excess rainwater and offer more shade from heat waves. Plus areas of the city at high risk of flooding must be identified and protected and the Victorian-era drainage system that cannot cope with torrential downpours, must be extended & improved.
