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 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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May 24th, 2010
Who doesn’t love to go shopping? I for one am a closet shopping fan and love the excitement of getting home with some new treats, but my thoughts do go to shocking amount of plastic bags, wrapping and packaging I am also carrying around that is just going to get thrown away.
Going deeper than just the plastic bags and packaging are the embedded emissions which is the carbon that goes into producing, making, transporting the product. These embedded emissions are within a large majority of products, invisible to the eye at the till paying for them but something you cant change. However…….
There are many ways I, and many other shopping lovers can be carbon conscious when out buying something nice. 10:10 the group working towards reducing carbon emissions by 10% in 2010 and who have got the backing of the new government have produced a helpful hints and tips guide for those wanting to reduce their carbon-shopping-footprint.
10:10 have five simple rules for energy efficient shopping starting with; 1) Dont Be Cheap, if you buy something cheap you normally end up having to replace it or buy another one. The old adage of ‘you get what you pay for’ applies here too, so choose quality over quantity. 2) 2nd Hand Treasures, a form of recycling, bought and used by someone else can be re-used and loved by another. 3) Buy Efficient, check the energy efficiency label on all products to check it wont drain you dry when plugging it in at home. 4) Think About Wood, when having to buy any wood think of reclaimed wood, as it is carbon-emission friendly and can be better quality than the new stuff. And finally 5) Sit Back and Relax, home delivery options when buying online are the best bet as the overall emissions of the delivery truck and all it is transporting is spread out out among several people while you in your car collecting the new bed is all down to you.
For those of you who would like to know more about their shopping and how far things have to go to get in your basket have a read of How Bad Are Bananas: The Carbon Footprint of Everything written by Mike Berners-Lee. For all up to date news and info on 10:10 and their on-going project go to www.1010global.org
Tags: 10:10, carbon conscious, carbon emissions, Carbon Footprint, embedded emissions, shopping | Posted in Carbon Footprint, Recycling, carbon emissions
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May 10th, 2010
We all know that the Weymouth Relief Road which is currently tearing through the Dorset heaths, coastal areas of outstanding natural beauty, sites of special scientific interest and irreplaceable ancient woodland once owned by the Woodland Trust, is no relief at all and is in truth a terrible idea.
So is there any hope that when we finally get a new government in place, they will learn from this nasty mistake and remember party promises to slash road budgets?
The message coming from national campaigns such as Campaign for Better Transport is loud and clear: “ignore the pet projects and outdated road schemes, and spend what little money we have fixing the roads we’ve already got.”
Whilst the maintenance Verses expansion argument is a compelling one, it appears it doesn’t win elections. Especially when faced with the prospect of an effective lobbying backlash from motoring lobby groups like the AA and the freight industry together with business interests such as the CBI and Regional Development Authorities, it’s not surprising that most politicians turn and run for the hills on this issue.
Obviously with the prospect of the 2012 Olympics tipping the scale, Weymouth’s areas of outstanding natural beauty didn’t stand a chance, but given the fractious economic climate any new government will inherit, then surely it makes sense to spend money on jobs and manpower to fix existing roads rather than machines and faceless contractors to build new ones people don’t want?
Tags: 2012 Olympics, Campaign for Better Transport, government, Weymouth Relief Road | Posted in 2012, New Road Protests, Transport, carbon emissions
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May 3rd, 2010
Well the results are in from the Plane Stupid subvertise event held 22nd/23rd April and the national response to the event, especially given the volcano crisis only days before, was surprisingly reassuring. People all over the country got behind the event, from Brighton, Turo, London, Reading, Bristol, to name but a few. You can view all the brilliant entries on the Plane Stupid flicker site.
The overall winner went to Team Kamikaze, who dressed as workmen, took on the giant Cathay Pacific billboard opposite Algate East station. They stuck up their addition of Huge Emmissions In front of the traffic at the A11 traffic lights in the early hours of the morning before cycling away with a ladder under their arms – brilliant!
Plane Stupid have been very active and interesting campaigners recently and I have to applaud their imagination, humour and impressive dedication. However, the seriousness behind their campaigning cannot be ignored, this is very serious stuff and their new YouTube clip is a powerful reminder of this.
I would have loved to have posted it here, but it’s a very hard hitting message and I wouldn’t want to upset users. If you’re interested, visit the Polar Bear film page on the Plane Stupid website. I highly recommend it; it’s surprisingly powerful.
We have a problem. We’re flying too much, and it’s changing the earth’s climate. – Plane Stupid
Posted in Airport Protests, Climate Change, Events, Transport, carbon emissions, environment
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April 30th, 2010
This month saw the launch of the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme. Formally known as The Carbon Reduction Commitment Scheme, it is the UK’s mandatory climate change and energy saving initiative.
This scheme has been specifically designed to hit the top senior levels of large organisations to educate and bring awareness to the growing improvements to reduce energy use and therefore cutting back on carbon emissions. These targeted carbon emissions are separate to those already covered by climate change agreements and the EU emissions trading scheme.
For those wanting to participate and join the CRC the scheme is going to be run as a ‘cap and trade’ directive and will provide financial incentives to reduce carbon emissions from energy use. Based on annual emissions, there will be allowances for each organisation which can be purchased, and on reducing the emission there funds get directly recycled back into the organisations.
Already in partnership with the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Department of Environment Northern Ireland, this newly named scheme is going to influence around 20,000 UK public and private sector organisations who are responsible for around 10% of the UK’s emissions.
As the scheme moves forward the registration for organisations to join is now open. Click HERE to find out what the scheme is going to achieve and how you can be part of it.
Tags: carbon emissions, carbon reduction commitment, Climate Change, CRC energy efficiency scheme, energy, energy efficiency | Posted in Energy Efficient, News, carbon emissions
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April 26th, 2010
There is a plan in the pipeline to change the UK clocks to allow for another hour of daylight throughout the year.
The initiative that has been put together by 10:10 has launched and already has the support of both the Labour and Conservative parties. 10:10 are working together with ROSPA (royal society for the prevention of accidents) and have created the Lighter Later campaign and it is believed that it will result in reduced energy consumption, fewer accidents and improved health.
By changing the clocks to GMT+2 in the summer and GMT+1 in the winter and gaining an extra hour of daylight will reduce the daily demand for electricity. This adds up to be ½ million tonnes of Co2 being prevented and moves the UK 10% closer to the reduction in carbon emissions.
However, this is not a new story as changing daylight hours has been planned and tested before but didn’t succeed. Whereas workforce productivity increased and energy was saved it is said that there was an increase in traffic accidents in Scotland. It will be felt that this is a detrimental prospect for Scotland as during the winter months it is very dark and would mean school children are getting to school in the dark mornings.
I feel it is a divided front on how the public feel in this matter. Would changing the clocks really guarantee an extra hour of daylight? Of course it wouldn’t. Just by changing the clocks does not come with a written promise of more sun. But the concept of helping to reduce energy used in homes and potentially reduce the risk of accidents is one to be considered.
Go to the website to sign your name on the list to speak out for “give me more sunshine”.
Tags: 10:10, clock change, GMT, government support, Lighter Later Campaign, ROSPA, time change | Posted in Life Change, Politics, carbon emissions
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April 23rd, 2010
Is now really the right time for Plane Stupid to be continuing with their Subvertising Campaign planned for this weekend? Given the disruptive events of the last week to both the aviation industry and to ordinary people, my first instinct it is a resounding No. Far better to wait until the volcanic dust has settled so to speak, than risk attracting negative press to what would ordinarily be a very healthy expression of very strongly felt beliefs.
However, having taken a cursory look at the impact of the grounding of all European flights, I am now beginning to think that action is needed now more than ever and perhaps striking while the iron is hot is exactly the right thing to do – any press is good press, right?
Reasons for this include:
The grounding of 63,000 flights over four days saved 1.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. That’s more than the annual emissions of many developing countries.
The carbon dioxide released by the volcanic eruption itself is dwarfed by the carbon savings generated by the grounding of all European flights.
The Environmental Transport Association estimated that by April 20th the flight ban had prevented the emission of some 2.8m tonnes of carbon dioxide since the first flights were grounded.
The aviation industry is already asking for a bail out to compensate for lost revenue (around £100 million so far). Given that the industry that has never paid fuel tax, most environmental campaigners understandably think this is a bit rich!
There is the hope that good lessons have been learnt from Mother Nature’s outburst. Firstly and most obviously, that she cannot and will not be messed with. Secondly, the world did not stop revolving because we couldn’t fly and people can and did find alternatives to air travel.
And so, the Plane Stupid Subvertising Blitz continues as planned – kicking the aviation industry whilst it’s down, but not without good reason. I shall leave you with some words of Subvertising encouragement and strong sentiments from the artist Banksy;
“F**k that. Any advert in a public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours. It’s yours to take, re-arrange and re-use. You can do whatever you like with it. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head.” Banksy
Tags: aviation industry, Banksy, carbon emissions, plane stupid, Subvertising Campaign | Posted in Airport Protests, Climate Change, Transport, carbon emissions, environment
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March 17th, 2010
- Tidal Turbine
This month saw David Kidney MP, Under secretary for energy and climate change speak at the Renewable UK Conference in Westminster. The topic of the talk was on the growing productivity of wave and tidal energy in the UK. He commented “Harnessing electricity from our wave and tidal resources not only plays a crucial part in meeting our climate change target; but also presents a significant economic opportunity for the UK.”
Wind power is now the top renewable source, due to the expansion of offshore wind farms and this is an encouraging move towards harnessing weather elements. David Kidney has pledged to support the wave and tidal power projects and it is now said that the UK are seen as the leaders in marine energy technology.
In April 2008, the world’s first commercial tidal current power system with a capacity of 1.2MW was put into action in Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland. With the tide flowing at over 7.4 knots it was an ideal location to place this world’s first.
The SeaGen tidal turbine was installed by MCT (Marine Current Turbines Ltd) and is the largest grid-connected marine renewable system in the world. Similar to the wind turbines it is a modular technology and works on generating low carbon energy.
Strangford Lough’s turbine has recently reached the milestone marker of 1000 operational hours, being the first and only tidal turbine to have done so. This world’s largest ever tidal current device generates clean and sustainable electricity for 1000 homes and has so far delivered over 800MW into the Northern Ireland grid. With expectations being exceeded for this system it is leading the way in technology of this type and will shape the future of tidal current power. Martin Wright MCT’s MD reflected “We will build on the success ofSeaGen to develop a commercial tidal farm of up to 10MW in UK waters within three years.”
After recently being granted the lease, MCT are going to deploy the award-winning SeaGenturbines off Brough Ness, on the southernmost tip of the Orkney Islands and north east of John O’Groats. By 2017, 66 SeaGen tidal turbines are going to be placed in three phases with a total generating capacity of 99MW. That’s enough power for almost 100,000 homes.
Tags: Climate Change, Marine Turbines, renewable energy, renewable resource, SeaGen, tidal power | Posted in Climate Change, Energy Efficient, Sustainable Energy, carbon emissions, environment, renewable energy
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March 12th, 2010
March 3rd, US President Barack Obama urged congress to consider his Homestar Program to promote greener homes in the US.
Now being nicknamed “Cash for Caulkers”, the Homestar program outlines plans for a government rebate to US businesses and homeowners who refit their homes to become more energy efficient. This includes replacing windows, doors, insulation and using other resourceful materials from an approved list.
Obama believes this initiative is going to revitalise the US construction industry, creating more jobs and lowering household energy bills. It could cost $6 billion to put into place but will pay back rebates to some 3 million homeowners direct from hardware stores or contractors. The incentives are attracting attention already with promised instant payouts of up to $1500 for an upgrade and up to $3000 for a home refit.
However, this is still being discussed by congress and has not yet been passed as law, but the Homestar Coalition have put in to place some strategies to help senators and congressional representatives to see the light.
Tags: Energy Efficient, government rebate, Homeowners, Homestar, lower energy | Posted in Energy Efficient, News, Politics, Sustainable Energy, carbon emissions, environment
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