June 28th, 2010
Freedom of speech and freewill was the agenda of the 1,000 plus protesters who marched through the streets of Toronto to protest the gathering of the G20 summit.
The 2010 Toronto summit is the fourth meeting of the G20 talks, where heads of government discuss global, environmental, financial and economical issues. The theme of the Toronto summit was Recovery and New Beginnings, which refers to the state the world is in financially, the recession and ways to tackle the economic financial crisis.
Some reports have shown that the protests were mostly peaceful with not one person being seriously injured. However there are several other reports that have the protester numbers exceeding 5,000 with many getting extremely violent and leading to the arrests of over 500 protesters.
Before marches were due to start, protesters met in a near by park, but were disturbed by the police who searched and handed out warnings. It has been said that the police also raided a university building, rounding up more protesters in, it was said, an effort to suppress any further violence.
Tags: financial crisis, G20 summit, peaceful protests, Protest Marches, protesting in Canada, recession | Posted in News, Politics, Protest Marches
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June 24th, 2010
Team Green Britain is the organisation that has been put together to bring awareness and education to everyone in Britain to inspire further moves towards doing everything possible to reduce Britain’s carbon footprint.
All of this week from Saturday 19th June to Sunday 27th June is Team Green Britain Bike Week. Team Green Britain Bike Week has been brought to the nation to provide awareness of how cycling can be a part of everyone’s lives and will benefit everyone physically for health benefits and environmentally by cutting down on the carbon footprint. Cycling is a healthy, practical and convenient lifestyle choice which can help to look after Britain and eveone individually.
Team Green Britain’s ongoing support has alreadybenefitted many across the nation by providing and funding 13 workshops and publishing cycling guides. You can visit www.bikeweek.org.uk
Team Green Britain have not only produced Bike Week and Green Britain Day but are constantly working towards combining a team that will work together to reduce the carbon footprint, use less energy, live healthier lives, save money and have fun doing it. Everyone has the opportunity to join the team and make a difference.
Join Team Green Britain now by clicking HERE!
Tags: bike week, carbon emissions, Carbon Footprint, cycling, healthy living, Team Green Britain, Team Green Britain Bike Week | Posted in Carbon Footprint, Events, Transport, carbon emissions
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June 21st, 2010
There has been a lot of press recently concerning the UK wind farms and the need for more wind turbines in the aim to tackle global warming and to increase the use of green energy.
Harnessing the winds power can and does ganerate a huge amount of useable energy. However, it has now been reported that there could be an overload of energy onto the National Grid if it gets too windy.
Too windy? Surely, this would be a good condition considering how unstable and infrequent the weather can be. To store up lots of wind-generate electricity cant harm us can it? Apparently, according to those at the National grid, too much wind and too much wind-generated electricity is not a good thing.
Owners of wind farms are now going to be awarded a payment to switch off thier turbines if it does become ‘too windy’. This seems all well and good in the grand scheme of helping the country to use more sustainable energy sources but this payment to the wind farm owners is going to come from the tax payers.
The National Grid is constantly working to match the need for electricity with supply and this can often be determined by weather predictions and TV schedules. Plant failures and erratic weather changes are also a factor when the National Grid juggles electricity use across the nation. They feel that the balance between using the wind famrs and deciding to turn them off in adverse weather conditions will prevent the network from being overloaded.
Tags: Global Warming, green energy, national grid, renewable energy, Sustainable Energy, wind farms, wind power, Wind Turbines | Posted in Energy Efficient, News, Sustainable Energy, renewable energy
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June 17th, 2010
With the disaster that is currently happening in the gulf coast to the waters, fish, sealife and beaches, it is a great move forward in the protection of the world’s seas and oceans with the new initiative Green Blue.
The Green Blue is the joint environment initiative created by the British Marine Federation(BMF) and Royal Yachting Association(RYA) for anyone whose livlihoods depends on the oceans or for anyone who loves to be out, on or in the water. Boat users, boating businesses, sailing clubs and training centres are given information and help to reduce their impact on coastal and inland waters.
The Green Blue projects aims are to raises awareness, conduct scientific research, identify environmentally friendly products and offer the best practice advice to anyone keeen to make boating in the UK as sustainable as possible. The project will cover a wide variety of topics from waste management, fuel efficiency and marine paints to effects on wildlife and efficiency resources on board boats.
Projects withing the Green Blue programme are taking place across the country and are already making a difference to the nations surrounding seas. For full information on the Green Blue project visit http://www.thegreenblue.org.uk/
Tags: BMF, British Marine Federation, environmentally friendly products, fuel efficiency, Green Blue, rescource efficiency, Royal Yachting Association, RYA, waste management | Posted in News, Self sufficiency
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June 14th, 2010
It was been said in a recent set of talks, that Britain could be adding a further 2,500 wind turbines to those that are already planned for the UK.
Chris Huhne, Environment minister, has urged the EU to get tougher on the climate change targets that have been set. The newly appointed Liberal democrat minister, Mr.Huhne has called for a 30% cut in carbon emissions across Europe by the year 2020. This is an additional 10% on top of the already agreed target of 20% decrease in emission by the EU to tackle global warming.
Making the switch over from classic coal, oil and gas power stations would mean increased strain on the UK to change to ‘green’ power. The extra electricity needed to fulfil the new target would have to come primarily from offshore wind farms, adding to the already scheduled 7,000 turbines due to be placed in and around the UK in the next decade.
The extra 10% for Europe to achieve means considerably more for the UK. Britain has already committed to cutting carbon emissions by 34% over the next 10 years. Emissions in Britain are higher and so only 9% of electricity is currently coming from renewable. This means Britain has to do more to help Europe raise its target.
The 30% target would mean Britain cutting carbon emissions by up to 42%. These numbers may seems little and hardly effective but to achieve that new target would mean an extra 10 to 12 gigawatts of green energy or around 2,500 extra wind turbines.
This encouragement to increase targets to help in the battle against global warming is a step in the right direction with the promotion of the 30% increase. While the Friend’s of the Earth campaigners are looking for a bit more “a 40% target would show a real international leadership and fast track the creation of new green jobs and business opportunities” commented Mike Childs, Friend’s of the earth Head of Climate.
More efforts need to be made to look to renewable and sustainable sources of energy and it looks like there is someone speaking the right tunes. The new proposal for the increased carbon emissions target is being put into place; watch this space for further news.
Tags: carbon emissions, gloabl warming | Posted in Carbon Footprint, Climate Change, carbon emissions
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June 10th, 2010
This month is Recycling Week from 21st to 27th June. Recycling and composting are the aims of the week and getting as many people as possible involved in the nation-wide project.
The recycling awareness week is being backed by everyone’s favourite M&S, Innocent Smoothies, ASDA, Royal Mail, Tesco and the British Heart Foundation. We are not just talking about the bog-standard plastic, glass, paper and cardboard, this week is promoting the awareness of recycling and how much of your household items can be used again. Don’t forget those unwanted CD’s, light bulbs, printer cartridges, video tapes, bicycles and even beds that can be recycled. You can find out about many,many other items that can be recycled by going to RECYCLE NOW.
Schools and businessess across the nation are getting invovled and recycling as much as they can through the Recycle Now initiative. The Recycle Now website offers advice, tips, explains some of the jargon and recycling symbols and 4 easy steps to start recycling today!
Tags: composting, recycle, recycle now, recycle week, Recycling, recycling awareness | Posted in News, Recycling, education
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June 7th, 2010
There are several sites and petitions now being put in place to help aid and bring awareness to the magnitude of damage that is affecting the wildlife of the Gulf of Mexico.
Great efforts are going into helping prevent further wildlife deaths with some U.S petitions. Fishermens and their families are now facing further hardships as the fish they rely on are dying in their hundreds of thousands and soon they will be told they cannot fish at all.
Join Care2 in helping gain numbers to bring about increased awareness of the growing environmental hazards from the oil spill. You too can help by signing this and using your voice to speak out for those wounded and diasbled animals and birds that cant.
Tags: BP Oil Spill, Gulf of mexico, petitions, protest sites, Wildlife | Posted in Life Change, News, Wildlife, environment
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June 4th, 2010
Something must be done about this. Use this link to see more images: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/06/caught_in_the_oil.html
Does anyone know of any good links, charities, petitions, Anything that we can join here in the UK to make a difference to the horror that’s STILL taking place off the coast of Mexico?
Please get in touch if you do.
Tags: Green Momentum, Mexico, oil spill | Posted in Wildlife, environment
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June 3rd, 2010
It has been released in a new report that China have pushed their way to the top of the leader board for renewable energy, replacing the U. S as the number country investing the most towards renewable technology. Moving into the top spot, China is being named as a new clean tech superpower.
For the first time the United States have been replaced at the top spot and have moved down the table below the UK, Germany and France. The new report put together by the non-profit organisation The Pew Charitable Trusts was published recently and is a detailed league table of investments in low-carbon energy among the G-20.
The table, cataloging 2009 clean energy data, shows China investing almost twice as much as the U. S. However, the U. S are still leading the way in energy capacity, and dont rule out the UK! We, as a nation are right up there on podium, showing that we can contribute with the larger countries to really make a difference. The UK are 3rd in the overall results for clean energy investments, 4th in the 5 year clean energy investment growth rate and 5th in the percentage of total power it receives from clean energy sources ahead of France, China and the United States.
This report shows that not only the big guns are really trying to put something back and help towards finding some new and renewable solutions.
Tags: clean energy, energy, low carbon, renewable energy, renewable energy sources, renewable technology | Posted in News, Sustainable Energy, renewable energy
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