the wastelands

"one bag of rubbish per week"

2007-10-06T10:56:00.000+01:00

A council in Hertfordshire are piloting a 6 month scheme to encourage residents to throw out only one bin bag of rubbish a week. Story here.
In some respects I favour this but all these schemes are dependent on the facilities being available to recycle the waste instead of bin it. I know that the majority of my waste now consists of plastic and our council have very limited resources to collect and recycle plastic waste. I also worry that councils who are better at recycling plastic are actually just contributing to landfill by the back door (see this story about plastic that gets shipped to China and then land filled)

Waste Policies

2007-09-14T08:29:00.000+01:00

It's been too long and for that I apologise. This doesn't mean there has been nothing to report in the green world just that I have been too busy to track it.

I have tried to draw up some guidelines for YMCA Norfolk as a step towards a zero waste policy. This is about two individuals who are passionate about being green and so if there are any things we may have missed, please point them out.

Oh and BTW, I've always been led to believe that paper recycling can't take envelopes due to the adhesive. Is this correct because I recycle them separately?

We can recycle:

Glass bottles or jars
Paper
Cardboard
Envelopes
Used stamps
Plastic magazine film
Plastic bottles
Aluminium tins
Steel cans
Organic waste (tea bags, salad, apple cores)
Tetra packs
Plastic carrier bags
Printer cartridges

Please help us to reduce our waste and save precious resources

Ethical Man

2007-03-05T12:25:00.000Z

I have been following irregularly the reports of Ethical Man, a journalist who undertook to live a green lisfestyle for a year. On Panorama this evening there is a programme reporting on this green year. The link above however has his main findings in case you miss the programme.

Cling Film Revisited

2007-02-24T07:55:00.000Z

In November, I reported that I started a new roll of cling film saying that I wanted to note how long the roll would last. It lasted until Thursday this week. This means the roll lasted 112 days. This also means I use approximately 3 rolls a year. I'm not sure if that's as much as I thought.

Padded/jiffy envelopes?

2007-02-17T11:41:00.000Z

I have hundreds (almost!) of predominantly A4 padded envelopes and I wondered if anyone knew how to recycle them/want them/know of someone who might want them?
Answers on a postcard please...

Green consultation

2007-02-16T09:06:00.000Z

Tony Blair has lost a High Court battle against Greenpeace about developing a new generation of nuclear power stations.

The court found the decision to back a new generation of power stations was unlawful, because of a "seriously flawed" public consultation process. Ministers plan to re-consult, but say nuclear power is the best way to tackle climate change and energy security.

Mr Blair told the BBC: "This won't affect the policy at all".

BBC news story here So the plans are rejected because of the lack of robust consultation but this won't deter the policy at all because Mr Blair is determined to carry on with the plans? Unbelievable!

And yet to be fair, an online petition that has generated one million signatures about road charging has resulted in Douglas Alexander, the transport secretary "pledging to listen to" opponents of UK road charging. (story)

Consultation therefore is really only any good when it results in an outcome that I want: therefore no to nuclear generators and yes to road charging. I know which of these results WON'T be forthcoming on consulting with the general public.

Flowers

2007-02-13T13:22:00.000Z

An interesting discussion is taking place between government minister Hilary Benn and the European Federation of Professional Florist Associations' Toine Zwitserlood about flowers. Mr Benn has said:

"People want to buy ethically and do their bit for climate change, but often don't realise that they can support developing countries and reduce carbon emissions.
"Recent research shows that flowers flown from Africa can use less energy overall than those produced in Europe because they're not grown in heated greenhouses.
"So, this Valentine's day, you can be a romantic, reduce your environmental impact and help make poverty history.
"This is about social justice and making it easier, not harder, for African people to make a decent living."

Of course Zwitserlood (hmm, does that name sound Dutch?) says otherwise.

"What he [Mr Benn] is not doing is looking at the big picture.
"The big picture is not only energy; it's other things like child labour and how employees are treated on farms.
"Our employment standards in Europe are high."
He added: "There is also the question of what is done with waste.
"I think we could make a case for moving many industries to Africa and stop all our agriculture because it's cheaper to produce elsewhere, but where do you stop?
"It's a very strange argument Mr Benn is using."

It's an interesting debate which can be found here. Personally, I won't be giving or receiving any flowers this Valentine's day so it doesn't affect me!

Some important stuff from Carl...

2007-01-24T21:49:00.000Z

Carl has blogged recently on some points of interest:

an article on The Independent's campaign for less packaging
and an article on a food critic who will mark down restaurants offering mineral water before they offer tap water

There seems to be a real awareness in the media that things need to change. I hope this isn't just a gimmick.

Marks and Spencer

2007-01-16T20:59:00.000Z

M&S announced yesterday their 5 year plan to become

a carbon neutral, zero-waste-to-landfill, ethical-trading, sustainable-sourcing, health-promoting business

This takes the form of 100 points that can be readily monitored. The initiatives will cost £200m over five years not including any advertising costs when the campaign is launched in March.
It's called Plan A because there is no Plan B. These are the endorsements that accompany the press release:

Jonathon Porritt, Founder Director of Forum for the Future, who has advised M&S on "Plan A", said:

"This plan sets a new benchmark in the way businesses should be tackling critical sustainability challenges like waste, fairtrade and climate change. It raises the bar for everyone else - not just retailers, but businesses in every sector. We all know that even at the end of these 5 years there will still be a huge amount for M&S to do but we warmly welcome the scale of the ambition of this plan in particular the commitment to include customers and suppliers."

Blake Lee-Harwood, Campaign Director, Greenpeace UK said:

"We're glad a company like M&S has proposals that begin to match the scale of the challenge of climate change and protecting our oceans and forests. If every retailer in Britain followed Marks & Spencer's lead it would be a major step forward in meeting the challenge of creating a sustainable society."

Robert Napier, Chief Executive, WWF-UK said:

"Research clearly shows us that agricultural activities and other food production and distribution have some of the greatest impacts upon our environment. It is vital that we all find ways to achieve a One Planet lifestyle. Such bold aspirations as outlined by Marks & Spencer can only help drive other supermarkets and the retail sector towards supplying products in a way that protects our planet and sustains the natural resources we depend upon."

Plan A includes many commitments based around 5 areas:

climate change
waste
raw materials
fair partner
healthy eating

It all looks very promising and I'm sure we'll be hearing more about this. I could be tempted to send some custom their way...

"Green" magazine cat fight

2007-01-15T08:32:00.000Z

I have a magazine called Triangle that gets delivered to my home every month which professes to be "the only environmentally friendly magazine" in the region. In this month's edition someone takes them to task on that claim by drawing our attention to Echo Eco which has been around for considerably longer than Triangle. It started to get a bit ugly as one accuses the other of lying and the other discredits the inks and printing processes of the former.

In my mind however, anything that results in an end product cannot really be called "green". Even if the inks are vegetable based, even if the paper is recycled, it is still a product that requires energy and resources to produce.

Stop your bickering Triangle and realise that nothing you're saying or producing is ground breaking. Get off your moral high horse and reconsider whether the 10,000 homes and businesses that you deliver to NEED the information that you give. It strikes me that you are just another form of junk mail: unrequested and unsolicited. You ultimately end up in the (recycling) bin.

What do you think?

Ethical Consumerism

2006-11-27T14:44:00.000Z

I'm very annoyed at myself for missing Buy Nothing Day on the 25th but this doesn't mean that I can't nominate another random day in which to buy nothing! From the website, it is aiming to encourage us to:

"...make a commitment to consuming less, recycling more and challenging corporations to clean up and be fair. Modern consumerism might offer great choice, but this shouldn't be at the cost of the environment or developing countries."

BND is the brainchild of Adbusters who I know nothing about but I shall be perusing their website some more ove rthe coming days. I think next year I will try and be organised and publicise this and celebrate properly!

We have Adili- "the best in ethical fashion". They say:

Adili is the Swahili word for 'ethical and just'. As a company Adili believes that it is possible for fashion to be both stylish and made in an ethical and just way; in a way that gives rather than takes from people and the planet; in a way that upholds the dignity of those along the supply chain.

There are organisations, initiatives and companies showing that trade can be done differently, that working in fashion can have dignity, can respect the world around us and can be a way for individuals and communities to trade their way out of poverty, to save fast-disappearing skills, to gain new ones and to have the resources to educate their children... Some brands trade fairly and directly with producers while others have a focus on the environmental cost of growing and producing fibre and fabric. Some brands achieve both these objectives and many aspire to.

There is also People Tree who have a Fairtrade logo on their site.

Fairtrade Media whose stock includes cards and calendars, t-shirts, cotton wool and music.

Cred Jewellery.

" Cred is commited to providing a positive fair trade alternative that pays special attention to human rights, labour standards and care for the environment. Our pursuit of this has led to unique partnerships with small-scale mining communities (Oro Verde), cutting and polishing co-operative workshops, master jewellers and stone setters. All of whom are dedicated to the idea of fair trade jewellery.

Each piece of jewellery we create comes with its own social and environmental certification issued by IIAP and the Cred makers mark."

That's all for now. Will blog some more on this...

Look what's available at B&Q

2006-11-11T07:35:00.000Z

It costs £1498 and here is the product information:

The Windsave wind turbine delivers up to 1KW of supplementary energy synchronised and adjusted to supply directly into your household power circuits, using Windsaves unique technology the appliances in the house will absorb all the energy from the turbine before using grid voltage. This will contribute to the average home a saving of approximately 30% (based on average wind speeds and suitable locations) of the average electricity bill whilst reducing the household CO2 emissions

Eco Label?

2006-11-08T14:57:00.000Z

I was reading the pack of my Waitrose recycled paper kitchen towels to see the claim:

"Waitrose Recycled Kitchen Towels have been independently judged and awarded the eco label by the European Union. It is a sign that throughout its manufacture the impacts on the environment have been minimised."

On investigation I found the symbol opposite and a website dedicated to how to obtain it

The Stern Report

2006-11-05T07:33:00.000Z

Sir Nicholas Stern, a former chief economist at the World Bank has released his report on climate change this week and it bears no surprises but carries massive weight that we are at a crossroads, teetering on the brink of no return. The time for action is now otherwise we will suffer the consequences. We all knew that anyway but maybe the "people that count" will start to notice because an economist and not an environmentalist has put concrete figures about how the changes affect economies.
We have the expected nightmarish vision of displaced populations in this report but he's got out his calculator and worked out how this will affect our economies (and personal wealth). Mortage repayments will suddenly become irrelevant when what used to be your home is under 7 feet of water.
Here are some stats for you:
Inaction will cost a permanent loss of 20% of global output (£3.68 trillion)
To act now will cost us £184 billion per year. This is 1% of world GDP
The level in the atmosphere of CO2 before the Industrial Revolution stood at 280 parts per million. The level of CO2 in the atmosphere today stands at 382 ppm.
200 million people are at risk of being driven from their homes by flood or drought by 2050
World temperatures are likely to rise by 2C by 2050 or sooner, and could rise by 5C
4 billion people could suffer from water shortage if temperatures rise by 2C
A temperature rise of 2C would threaten 40% of species with extinction
35,000 Europeans died in the 2003 heatwave, an event likely to become commonplace

"Another absolutely vital conclusion is that dealing with climate change, even though very costly, need not derail worldwide economic growth. The report stresses that the two are compatible...
out goes the sackcloth and ashes, in comes having your cake and eating it (as long as you take the problem seriously now)"
Michael McCarthy, Environment Editor, The Independent

Cling Film

2006-11-02T07:33:00.000Z

I use cling film every morning to wrap the girls sandwiches. This really isn't good for a number of reasons but it does keep the sandwiches really fresh, more so I've found than when wrapped with greaseproof paper. I have started a new roll today- I wonder how long it will last? I intend to find out! I'm putting the date on the packet and will blog when the packet is finished. I use it for at least 2 sandwiches a day (on at least 2 days, 3 sandwiches) and I always use barely enough to cover. I also use it for covering jugs/recepticles heating things in the microwave. It lasts a long time. But I need to find out how much oil it takes to make the roll. I also need to investigate good alternatives.
I'll keep you posted...

Cycle update

2006-10-31T15:53:00.000Z

Apologies for the lackage of postage. Thank you for all your positive remarks about the blog btw! I do enjoy researching and posting all my findings so do email me at helsalata@hotmail.com with anything you think I might have missed.

The cycling has been going well. Not much done over the last couple of weeks but I now have lights and feel good going on shorter journeys.

2006-09-23T22:51:00.000+01:00

For some the journey to living responsibly requires fewer strides but for others great changes need to be in place to make just a minor adjustment.

For some, cycling is a natural way of life: not so for me! I have never had my own bike and never wanted to ride when I lived in London because of the traffic and the reliability of Londaon Transport. Even when I got a bike a few years ago, breaking the pattern of using the car was a hard one to break. The bike sat in the garage, going to pot slowly as things do without due care and attention.

So-I have a "green" blog! So- I recycle my toilet roll tubes! What of it? I am still surgically attached to my car!. I have for many weeks been monitoring how much I use my car, with the intention of limiting my weekly mileage. I felt that 20 miles per day was adequate and on the odd day where I do go over that amount, there are days where I do significantly less which makes it balance. I was aiming for driving no more than 150 miles per week.

Trouble is, I use the car less and less for none essential journeys but it doesn't seem to have much impact. It was time to reconsider a greener option than that: it was time for the bike!

The bike got it's overhaul and the time had come to justify the money spent. This week was the week...
Monday: I went to a friend's house. Probably less than a mile each way but it was a good test run, away from heavy traffic just to get myself used to it
Tuesday: A bigger step- cycled to work and back home, about 1.5 miles each way. Again, pleasant roads with a fairly mild hill
Friday: This was the biggest test of all! I didn't want to park in the city and I knew I needed to get from the city quickly to work. The bike seemed ideal, but was I up for

going the distance
coping with big roundabouts
hills
getting wet
lugging work stuff with me?

The answer is: yes! I cycled from my house to the railway station, met my mum there and we walked to Kings Church. I then went from there to Parkside School on College Rd and then back to the Forum. Then the final leg of the journey was from the city back home. I did it! I probably did 8-9 miles that day, which isn't huge but it's a big deal for me. I saved myself the hassle and expense of parking and the cost of petrol.

OK, it didn't save the world but I'm guessing this may well change a few of the habits I am so comfortable with...watch this space!

Another website

2006-09-21T09:19:00.000+01:00

I heard via a forum of this organisation who hand out Eco-congregation awards to churches.

The Award is given to churches that have:

undertaken an environmental check-up/audit
and activities/initiatives in each of the following three areas:

1. spiritual – linking environmental issues with the Christian faith e.g. through worship
2. practical – practising what is preached e.g. an energy, churchyard or recycling project
3. community – worked with or through their local community on environmental issues
e.g. a litter pick, project with a school or other community group, gaining positive publicity.

I think this sounds like a positive start to an eco friendly church

An Inconvenient Truth

2006-09-16T07:46:00.000+01:00

Al Gore has released his climate change film "An Inconvenient Truth" and it's great to see that someone who may well appeal to the American "market" focus on the way the planet is being destroyed and heading for destruction. It has had positive reviews in the US where it has been released for 4 months although some say it focuses heavily on the worst case scenario and doesn't spend enough time on solutions.

Plastic recycling, estate agent style!

2006-09-09T09:23:00.000+01:00

Gerry McAfee who is principal partner of a Northern Ireland estate agency McAfee Properties, was left with the firm's For Sale signs after his company decided to rebrand. With no way to recycle the boards in Ireland and with people telling him to just dump them as waste, he decided to find an alternative use for them. Through his involvement with the Feed the Hungry charity working in a township in the South African city of Port Alfred, he discovered that they could use the boards as roofing slates.

BBC story here

I'm not a big fan of the Daily Mail but

2006-09-06T10:35:00.000+01:00

I was directed by Joolian to this article. It seems to tie up with the article from the Evening News about the plastic bottles we recycle going to China. It would appear that we have stricter and stricter targets for recycling in our country so we use poorer parts of the world as our dustbin, either dumping waste there or for them to suffer the consequences of melting down the plastics.

Is packaging poisoning your food?

2006-09-06T10:32:00.000+01:00

Daily Mail story here...

"I'm not really sure why...

2006-09-02T14:21:00.000+01:00

but I do." These could be the words of someone who exhibits brand loyalty. It could be to Coca-Cola, Heinz, Reebok or Mercedes. Branded goods are worth billions and in an average day, we see 3000 advertising messages. Kevin Roberts, worldwide CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi says...

"For great brands to survive, they must create loyalty beyond reason. The secret is the use of mystery, sensuality and intimacy... the power to create long term emotional connections with consumers."

I know that I was mysteriously "attached" to Sainsburys which I tracked down to a feeling of nostalgia (my dad shopped there and there were no Sainsbury stores "Up North"), a perception of quality and feeling comfortable with the brand.

I now shop at Waitrose which isn't through loyalty but more convenience as it is across the road but we have to be wary of the power of brands. Neil Boorman realised that he was living a branded life and has sworn to burn it all in order to return to a simpler, more "true" way of living. Although I applaud ignoring brands, I (as many other on the BBC website have verbalised) would rather he donate the items to charity. He also mentions a Habitat sofa- now would you describe that as a branded item? The other thing that makes me questions his motives are the fact that I followed from the BBC link to his blog and found, surprise, suprise, that he has a book deal. Even so, with brand conscious teenagers around me for a lot of time, it is interesting to take stock of the pull that branding and advertising has on you.

Mooncup

2006-08-30T09:01:00.000+01:00

Some time ago, Heather blogged on a device called a Mooncup . I had heard of it before and had only thought about it vaguely without coming to any firm conclusion about it. It sounded a little complicated and perhaps a bit messy and using normal sanitary protection is a no-brainer at my age!
With my new found look at environmental concerns and waste, I decided to revist Mooncup and investigate a little more thoroughly. I concluded that there was no real reason why I shouldn't give it a go. And the thing that swung it was that although they cost £20, they are on 3 for 2 at Boots. Having 3 daughters, I reasoned that I really ought to be doing the "mother-daughter thing" and telling them about Mooncup young in order to "save the planet"!
I went to Boots, got three and am now currently using mine. Although it has been only a day, it's working well and I recommend buying them. It isn't disgusting, it is a trifle fiddly but then if you are used to using applicator-less tampons then you should be ok.

Organic box schemes

2006-08-28T07:49:00.000+01:00

Many farms (here is a local one) have bypassed the middle man of supermarkets to sell their produce and have come up with a popular service delivering boxed seasonal organic vegetables. This was an inventive way to bypass the stranglehold that supermarkets have over their suppliers and a good way for customers who are wary of supermarket ethics to support a local business. Listening to Radio 4 this morning drew my attention to the fact that both Sainsbury's and Tesco are developing their own schemes. The words "muscling in" spring to mind. What is alarming too is that there is no sign of this as a news item on the BBC website; it's a non-story.

Sainsbury's SO organic box will initially go on trial at the end of August 2006, available to approximately 500,000 customers in the East Midlands and Anglia

whereas Tesco is

Launching in early September the box scheme will initially be trialled in the south London area.

From the dating of the web pages, Sainbury's just managed to get their announcement in first. Tesco however were probably already in the process of cooking up the scheme because of course, they wouldn't want any other organisation to be making money that rightfully belongs to them.

"Pay as You Throw"

2006-08-27T07:24:00.000+01:00

A government think tank is recommending that councils should be given the power to charge households for the non-recyclable waste they get rid of. The Institute for Public Policy Research says this is the only way to improve the UK's poor recycling record (18% of waste in 2003-04). Only Greece and Portugal have worse recycling rates in Europe. IPPR director Nick Pearce said that for the new system to be fair, rubbish collection would have to be removed from the council tax.
It seems the variance in council success rate is quite dramatic: St Edmundsbury, in West Suffolk, recycles 50.64% of its waste. Newham, in London, recycling only 6.23% of waste. A difference of 44% is extreme to say the least.
In Germany where some local areas charge around 18 pence per kilo for waste not recycled pay as you throw has boosted collection of recyclable materials to more than 65 per cent.

England's top five recycling councils
St Edmundsbury: 50.64%
Forest Heath: 48.59%
South Cambs: 46.80%
Lichfield: 46.35%
Harborough: 46%

England's bottom five recycling councils
Newham: 6.23%
Tower Hamlets: 7.35%
Liverpool: 7.63%
High Peak: 9.82%
Wirral: 9.93%

The East as a region tops the recycling percentage chart with 29.4% of waste recycled (2004/5) (The North East percentage was at the bottom with 15.3%)

IPPR report and BBC news story

Commuting with a twist

2006-08-23T10:57:00.000+01:00

"By 2016, there will be 1.5 million people working in the United Kingdom but living overseas, using Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted as commuter terminals - predicts a report from the Future Forum, set up by travel firm Thomson."
Carrie Frais, a television news presenter in London says that other euro-commuters shuttling between Barcelona and London include lawyers, designers and people working in internet-based jobs.
The report includes a list of hotspots likely to be in this international commuter belt - Barcelona, Palma, Marrakech, Dubrovnik, Faro, Alicante, Verona, Tallinn, Pula and Valencia. These are all based on the availabilty of cheap flights and with the premise that experts indicate that house prices are set to rise by 50%.

BBC article here

Morning

2006-08-23T09:57:00.000+01:00

I realised that just going about my usual morning ablutions, I have used 10 preparations.

shampoo
conditioner
shower gel
toothpaste
mouthwash
saline solution
contact lens solution
deodorant
moisturiser
soap

I have yet to put on make-up (eyeliner and mascara) and haven't used perfume.

Hygiene is a huge industry. My equivalent 200 years ago would not have used all those items. Socially I need them all but environmentally, what is the impact of me consuming in this way at least every other day?

Triangle- a positive magazine for positive people

2006-08-07T07:35:00.000+01:00

This is a new magazine that is delivered to "over 10,000 homes and businesses in your area every month". It is very proud of the fact that it is printed on 100% recycled paper using biodegradable vegetable oil based inks, so much so that it declares it on the cover and then again in the editor's piece at the front of the magazine. I'm unclear why this magazine exsists apart from being a green (and seemingly new age) lifestyle read.
One article from The Green Grocers talks about company ethics.
Ecover is owned by the Sorensen group who own Group 4, "the world's second biggest security business". It is poor on environmental reporting and their are concerns with human rights abuses. As alternatives to Ecover products, Bio-D Toilet Cleaner and Earth Friendly are recommended.
Green and Blacks is owned by Cadbury's so that's now a no-go and if you thought that you'd be safe with Divine chocolate then think again as it is part owned by Nestle and L'Oreal. The best ethical choclate now is Plamil.
The Body Shop is owned by L'Oreal which has poor records in human rights and animal testing.
The piece finishes with the tough choices we all make when spending our money. If something is ethical but not fairtrade, travels thousands of air miles or isn't organic, where do our consuming priorities lie?
Some interesting websites include ethiscore and this blog from someone who rejected a consumerist lifestyle for a month.

Update on carriers

2006-08-05T16:54:00.000+01:00

I have re-used 2 of the carriers and one broke and is beyond repair.
So:
1st carrier= 2 shopping uses= dead and disposed of
2nd carrier= 2 shopping uses= still going strong
3rd carrier= 1 shopping use

Also an interesting article today in the Independent about Tesco offering Clubcard incentives in bringing their own bags to shop.

Britain's biggest supermarket chain said yesterday that from 14 August anyone reusing old carrier bags would receive extra points in its Clubcard loyalty scheme. Tesco - regularly damned for its record on the environment - aims to reduce the number of bags it gives away annually from four billion to three billion by 2008. But environmental campaigners described the move as "PR spin".

3 plastic bags

2006-08-04T14:34:00.000+01:00

We went to Wymondham Waitrose today on our way back from Old Buckenham and because I hadn't brought my normal collection of shopping bags, I got three flimsy plastic carrier bags. I thought it would be good to blog what happens to them here. In the meantime here are some related plastic bag facts:

Shoppers in Britain are estimated to use up to 20 billion plastic carrier bags a year.
Only one in every 200 is recycled
Each takes about 100 years to degrade.
Carrier bags make up 0.3% of household waste sent to landfill
35% of UK plastics consumption is represented by packaging
Plastics consumption is growing about 4% every year in western Europe.
One tonne of plastics is equivalent to 120,000 carrier bags.
A report on the production of carrier bags made from recycled rather than virgin polythene concluded that the use of recycled plastic resulted in the following environmental benefits:
* reduction of energy consumption by two-thirds
* production of only a third of the sulphur dioxide and half of the nitrous oxide
* reduction of water usage by nearly 90%
* reduction of carbon dioxide generation by two-and-a-half times
A different study concluded that 1.8 tonnes of oil are saved for every tonne of recycled polythene produced.
290 bags for every person in the UK are given away every year by supermarkets

Sources of information:
plastics recycling
defra
BBC

Food Waste

2006-08-01T07:54:00.000+01:00

This BBC article discusses the amount of food and packaging that is wasted by supermarkets, manufacturers and sandwich chains when it is thrown away, unopened and uneaten.

FareShare have a history of taking some of the surplus and distributing to the needy but "In the past, we might have been offered 100 pallets of some type of food by a manufacturer - but we could only take a quarter. So now we want to be able to take all of it - and offer them different ways of disposing it," says the charity's spokesman, Alex Green.
The idea is that if the food isn't eaten then it could be composted and the packaging recycled. There are also some plans to look into using food waste to generate energy.

Flying is a sin?

2006-07-31T08:06:00.000+01:00

The Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, has said in the Sunday Times "Sin is not just a restricted list of moral mistakes, it is living a life turned in on itself where people ignore the consequences of their actions." He has listed flying on holiday, driving a gas guzzling car and failing to use energy saving measures in the home are a symptom of sin. A booklet on environmental matters called Treasures on Earth is to be sent to every diocese for distribution.

Sunday Times story here.

letter sent

2006-07-22T12:14:00.000+01:00

Dear Charles Clarke,

I have been taking a lot of interest recently in green issues as I guess most of us are becoming aware that we consume far too much and our limited resources are rapidly depleting. It is with concern that I have read about the Energy Review especially with regard to the emphasis on not only maintaining but increasing our nuclear power systems.
There are several reasons for my concern:
a) safety- not only the day to day safety for workers and people living in the area but also safety from a potential terrorist strike
b) environmental impact- nuclear waste is radioactive for thousands of years and needs disposal. We cannot leave this legacy for future generations to deal with as this is cavalier and thoughtless
c) limited reserves of radioactive materials- I believe that there are only enough nuclear resources to sustain the level of power stations proposed by this review for about 40 years so this solution seems so temporary to be worthless
d) impact on CO2 emissions- without taking into consideration the environmental damage already impacting the environment by using nuclear fuel, producing toxic waste that is with us for thousands of years and building power stations that have a limited shelf life, the statistics seem to say that nuclear power will have little impact on reducing CO2 emissions. Greenpeace state that nuclear power provides 20% of our electricity but it only represents 3.6% of the UK's total energy use. In order to make a lasting impact on CO2 emissions, we need to have a more realistic total energy plan including a look at a decentralised system in order to use the currently wasted heat from power stations and to have a stronger policy on using renewable resources.

I am sure you are aware of all these factors and I wanted to know what your opinion is of a decentralised energy system? It would appear that by producing and using power locally using Combined Heat and Power stations, a staggering 61.5% of the energy currently lost could be reclaimed and used. This would have a significant impact on CO2 emissions and is obviously much less wasteful. What is your opinion and what is the recommendation of the Energy Review in regards to CHP stations?

I'm sure you will agree that this is probably our most pressing issue for this and future generations and I look forward to hearing your opinions.

Yours sincerely,

Helen Bouttell

The Energy Review

2006-07-22T10:47:00.000+01:00

In the quest to bridge the energy gap, there is a choice between two energy systems:
centralised or decentralised.

A centralised system is what we currently have with energy produced at a huge power station which is then transported across the country.Using this system, two thirds of all energy generated in our nuclear, coal and gas fuelled power stations is lost as waste heat.Of the total energy going into a power station, a staggering 61.5% is lost as waste heat at the power station itself, for example in the cooling tower. Another 3.5% is lost along the transmission lines. Finally, 13% is lost through inefficient use, for example in the home.

A decentralised system is a system that captures that "waste" heat and distributes it to local buildings or city districts by producing electricity close to where it is used and using Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plants. Renewable technologies such as wind farms, solar power and energy from greener fuels such as biomass can also be used successfully in this system. It is also possible for consumers to become producers using this system by having solar panels or wind turbines. The idea is that people take more responsibility for the energy that they use.
The good news is that these decentralised systems are already in place and working well. The entire city of Rotterdam runs on decentralised energy, as does over 50% of Denmark. Across Europe major cities such as Malmö, Copenhagen and Helsinki have all adopted decentralised energy on a large scale. In fact, worldwide, decentralised energy systems are generating more energy than nuclear power stations.

Nuclear Power technically produces less CO2 emissions but it provides 20% of our electricity but this only represents 3.6% of the UK's energy use. A a new generation of power stations would only cut our CO2 emissions by 4%. This doesn't even take into account the cost, dnager and impact that the extremely toxic waste products have.

For those of you that want to take action click here to make your feelings known. There is also Write to Them.com. But please do express how you feel about it...

Happiness doesn't cost the earth

2006-07-12T17:36:00.000+01:00

It's official! People can lead long happy lives without consuming large amounts of the Earth's resources. The south Pacific island of Vanuatu as the happiest nation on the planet according to the "Happy Planet Index" which lists 178 nations and is based on consumption levels, life expectancy and happiness. The study was compiled by think-tank the New Economics Foundation (Nef).
Germany is ranked 81st
Japan is ranked 95th
UK is ranked 108th
US is ranked 150th
Richard Layard at the London School of Economics said the index "reminds us that it is not good enough to be happy today if we are impoverishing future generations through global warming.Over the last 50 years, living standards in the West have improved enormously but we have become no happier."

Nef is calling for the adoption of a "global manifesto for a happier planet" that will list ways nations can live within their environmental limits and increase people's quality of life. The recommendations include:

* Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger
* Recognising the contribution of individuals and unpaid work
* Ensuring economic policies stay within environmental limits

BBC story here

Tetra Pak cartons...

2006-07-04T14:04:00.000+01:00

... can be recycled in a 6 month trial scheme at Norwich, Thetford, King's Lynn, Caister and Wells Recycling Centres.

An interesting local site

2006-07-04T13:02:00.000+01:00

Norfolk Waste Partnership and EDP24 have teamed up to produce this site. Looks good...

It's a shame most of these facts seem to be from 2002

2006-07-02T08:58:00.000+01:00

• 360 million plastic bottles were recycled in 2002
• 3% of household plastic bottles are currently recycled
• 9.1 billion plastic bottles were disposed of in 2002
• plastic bottle recycling schemes currently operate in 238 local authority areas
• 1 tonne = 20,000 plastic bottles
• 18,000 tonnes of bottles recycled in the UK in 2002 saved approximately 18 million kWh of energy
• there are approx 500 bottles in a typical bale
• the majority of plastic bottles are made from PET or HDPE
• recycling a single plastic bottle can conserve enough energy to light a 60W lightbulb for up to 6 hours
• the average sales value of sorted baled bottles (PET & HDPE) over the last 5 year period has been £123/tonne
• 330,608 tonnes of plastics packaging waste were recycled in 2002 (DEFRA)
• 11% of household waste is plastic, 40% of which if plastic bottles
• during 2002 plastic bottles worth around £27 million were disposed of at a cost of £45 million
• reprocessor demand for plastics outstrips supply 3 times over
• high performing kerbside collection schemes typically generate 5-10kg plastic bottles per household per year
• 25 recycled PET bottles can be used to make an adult's fleece jacket
• up to 40% less fuel is used to transport drinks in plastic bottles compared to glass bottles
• plastic packaging uses only around 2% of all crude oil produced

Comment on article below

2006-07-01T17:41:00.000+01:00

Well this situation really makes me think. With the research that I've done, I know that there are plastic bottle recycling facilities in this country but I don't doubt for a minute that Norfolk bottles have been going to Hong Kong to get recycled. If this is the case, what is the principle here? Do we recycle the bottles (which in itself uses energy for transportation and processing, wherever it is done)? Or do we allow landfills to overflow because it is energy inefficient to send them across the globe? Should we be insisting that we have a local plant that can cope with the demand or is it that we should be looking at our buying habits a little more closely and only purchase glass bottles?

Although the volume of the bottles must be huge, this must be reduced by crushing and the weight will be relatively small. I don't think this method is either green or cost effective but seems to be the only option we have at the moment and I would rather the bottles were recycled and maybe even at a cost until a more permanent solution is found.

With solutions, there always arises a new set of problems. For example, if we switch all our bottles to glass, what environmental cost will there be in the rise of fuel expenditure due to the extra weight? *sigh!*

Local News Article

2006-07-01T10:35:00.000+01:00

Our plastic bottles sent to Hong Kong

Lewis Hannam

29 June 2006 08:50

Plastic bottles handed over for recycling in Norwich are being shipped 8,000 miles to Hong Kong - making a mockery of the supposedly eco-friendly practice.

City Hall's waste boss says bottle collections are so expensive and long-winded he does not think the authority should even be offering them.

Brian Morrey, the city council's executive member for development and sustainability, said: “All the plastic bottles that are put out for recycling in Norwich are currently going to Hong Kong. There are simply not the facilities in this country at the moment to be able to do this type of recycling.”

Plastic bottles collected in the city are taken to Norfolk Environmental Waste Services in Costessey.

All the bottles are then sent to RECOUP in Peterborough, where the quantity is split in half, with 50 per cent going to Magic Bright in Hong Kong, and 50 per cent going to Chinamerge Technology Ltd, also in Hong Kong.

Chinese firms are offering UK waste companies about £120 a tonne for plastic bottles, the materials are used to make things such as furnishings, clothes and even plastic bags - which are then sold back to the UK.

Greenpeace has criticised the practice of plastics being shipped to the Far East as environmentally damaging reprocessing, rather than the helpful recycling families taking their bottles to banks hope for.

Mr Morrey, who took up his post after Labour's largest party victory at the May local elections, said: “As it stands I would not even offer these plastic bottle collection services.

“Plastic recycling is not cost-effective until we get some of the correct procedures in this country.”

The city council pays £358 for every tonne of plastic bottles it has recycled. Since October last year the authority has spent more than £5,000 on this process.

Adrian Ramsay, leader of the city council's Green Party, said: “All recyclable materials should be reprocessed as locally as possible to minimise the pollution caused through their transportation.

“In the longer term we would like to see reprocessing plants established in Norfolk to create local jobs and ensure that Norfolk's recyclable waste is reprocessed in Norfolk.”

Article found here

That ad...

2006-07-01T08:36:00.000+01:00

I saw that ad again and the website was http://www.climatechallenge.gov.uk/.
It's a shame that after showing such an accessible advert, the website appears on first glance to be fairly dry. Although I read with interest on this page that there is funding available to promote climate change to groups. That may be worth thinking about...

Composters

2006-06-23T15:01:00.000+01:00

Today I took delivery of three new composters. Not only do we have one fully functioning (and only half full) composter but we have 3 new ones. One is for the mother-in-law but I'm unsure about the other two. Also at the weekend there was an interesting article that mentioned wormeries and a "bokashi" bin which sounds like it recycles everything which Julian wants to order. We won't be able to move for all the recycling devices around here soon!

Rubbish Taxes

2006-06-23T07:06:00.000+01:00

Carl blogs here on taxes on rubbish that are being proposed. I have mixed feelings about this. I guess that for people who persistantly and unrepentantly offend this will provide a good money based way of hitting them hard. Although I believe this will usually be working classes who perhaps don't buy into the concept. I also wonder how this conflicting message of "buy less, re-use more" marries up with a capitalist economy because surely if one is promoted, it is at the detriment of the other. I don't have a problem with falling sales but share holders (and the government) will.

From co2balance.com, I got this...

2006-06-21T13:53:00.000+01:00

Carbon Calculator Results for your Household
Emissions Analysis

The analysis of the CO2 production for your household is:-
Domestic 4,716.00kg per year
Car Travel 2,496.00kg per year
Bus Travel 838.00kg per year
Rail Travel 0.00kg per year
8,050.00kg per year

Giving a total of 8.0490 tonnes of CO2 per year.

To offset this you would need to plant 9 trees.

This would cost me £8 per tree if I used this organisation. Hmmm...

Climate Challenge

2006-06-21T13:46:00.000+01:00

Was blown away yesterday by this advert that was so big and glossy (and long!) that I mistook it for a trailer. Trying to find some cyber info on it and will report back when/if I do.

Plastic recycling

2006-06-01T13:28:00.000+01:00

Have just discovered this week that my local Waitrose has introduced plastic bottle recycling bins! This is great because it is my local shop and I don't have to drive to recycle and because my local council don't offer the opportunity to recycle plastics! Yay! On the downside, the bins (as all plastic recycling ones appear to be) are full to overflowing. If there is such an overwhelming need for people to recycle, why are they unable to? Still, I'm off upstairs now to salvage mouthwash, shampoo and conditioner bottles from the bathroom bin...

This is my journey through the Wastelands

2006-04-19T08:57:00.000+01:00

We use the earth's resourses as though they will last forever. They won't. We all know it and yet we act very little. This blog is to chart my progress as an individual (and family member and working person and church member) into the realms of zero waste. Is it a possibility? Yes but only through hard work and waiting for it to laid on a plate isn't acting soon enough or radically enough. The ball is in my court- I need to smash it with conviction over the net.