Yorkshire Rainforest Project...

Welcome to the Yorkshire Rainforest Project...

The Green Planet presents...





We’re the tea and coffee company that loves trees.



Twenty years ago we launched our Trees for Life appeal with a pledge to plant one million trees. With the help of our customers and staff we reached that milestone in 1999 – but didn’t stop there. Two million trees came and went, and in 2007 we planted our 3 millionth tree on Blue Peter, the children’s TV programme.



Of course there are still more trees to plant, but for now, with an acre of rainforest destroyed every second and half of the world’s rainforest already lost, there’s a new commitment. We’re asking our customers and the whole of the Yorkshire community to help us save an area of rainforest the size of Yorkshire … welcome to the Yorkshire Rainforest Project.



To start our campaign we’ve joined forces with the Rainforest Foundation UK to save an area the size of the Yorkshire Dales in Peru’s Amazon rainforest – one of the most threatened rainforests on the planet.

Yorkshire Rainforest Project


http://ecospree.com/

http://mylikes.com/signup?token=huttriver

Planet Green Bikes in India...

Image via CrunchBase



Let’s save our planet by exploring the magic of Cycling...

Cycling is a highly efficient mode of transportation and optimal for short to moderate distances. Compared to motor vehicles, cycles have numerous benefits including the provision of exercise, generating renewable energy and thus no air pollution, reducing traffic congestion, minimizing noise pollution (nearly silent operation), easier and less costly parking, much lower likelihood of causing a fatality, high maneuverability, ability to travel on roads or special paths, and lower user cost as well as societal costs (negligible damage to roads, and less pavement required).

Planet Green Bikes intends to encourage people to use cycles, in order to develop an eco-friendly environment near Metro Station and at the BRT Corridor in Delhi by discouraging petrol/diesel driven vehicles on roads.

Planet Green Bikes also intends to launch Cycle Shelters along with Sub Shelters forming a network all over Delhi that allows you to hire and return a bicycle from different places in Delhi. It is proposed to provide eco friendly and economical alternative travel solutions to the commuters of Delhi

planetgreenbikes.in

http://ecospree.com.

Related articles

• Back to Delhi - Delhi, India (travelpod.com)
• Delhi - Delhi, India (travelpod.com)
• Train to Delhi - Delhi, India (travelpod.com)
• Introduction to Delhi--traffic! - New Delhi, India (travelpod.com)
• Discovery Plans to Revamp Planet Green (seattlepi.com)
• Regularization of Unauthorized Colonies in Delhi and Government Orders (ecopackindia.wordpress.com)
• Delhi in the Daytime - New Delhi, India (travelpod.com)
• Budget hotel in Delhi (hotelchachalblog.wordpress.com)

Planet Green @Green Global - ecoimagination - climate community...

Image via WikipediaPlanet Green.com


@ Planet Green Global


Planet Green .com  offers practical everyday tips on how to live a greener lifestyle. We offer actionable advice across a variety of topics: green made real http://planetgreen.com

http://planetgreen.com/videos/boomtown


ecoimagination


@ecoimagination is GE's commitment to imagine and build innovative solutions to today's environmental challenges while driving economic growth http://ge.ecoimagination.com/


The Climate Community


@Climate Tweet  Los Angeles. CA

Climate education, discussion, and Awards http://theclimatecommunity.com


http://ecospree.com

Related articles

• A Second Season Of 'The Fabulous Beekman Boys' Is Ready To Bloom This March On Planet Green (tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com)
• Get your Green on w/ A Green Wardrobe (thegreengirls.com)
• Planet Green Serves Up A Second Season Of 'Conviction Kitchen' (tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com)
• Is Green Too Green? (greenmarketingblog.com)
• Ex-Cons Return to the Kitchen as Planet Green Serves Up a Second Season of CONVICTION KITCHEN (prnewswire.com)
• Planters Launches Green Groves, Biodiesel Planters Nutmobile (shoppingblog.com)
• Swap and Save (the Planet) Product Guide (treehugger.com)
• Going Green is Easy When We Don't Have To Pay More For It (gizmodo.com.au)
• Penguins That Look Like Planets and Pancakes (dreamingville.wordpress.com)

We need clean water rules now in New Zealand...

Image via Wikipedia
We need clean water rules now in New Zealand...


During the summer of 2010, NZ Green Party Co-leader Russel Norman rafted and kayaked down some of our most polluted lowland rivers as a fun and unusual way to draw attention to the water pollution problems in our own backyard.

In 2011, Russel is again touring the country, rafting some of our most polluted and threatened rivers to highlight why we need clean water rules now.

There is no room for delay. Good clean water rules are ready to go in the form of a National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management. All they need is Environment Minister Nick Smith's signature, but he is sitting on his hands. Many of our rivers and lakes are in a dire state right now. By visiting these places, Russel is highlighting why we can't afford to delay any longer.

Every river and lake is different, but good clean water rules will help everywhere. Russel is meeting locals to hear about their specific water issues, and how national clean water rules would make a difference in their area.

Below are Russel's stories, photos and videos from the tour as he documents unfenced streams, cows in rivers, overgrown willows, and industrial discharges, and non-pollution threats like dams and irrigation projects. Join him as he imagines a future in which our rivers are once more full of birds and fish, and are safe for our kids to swim in.

Russel's tour highlights some of the worst practices of industrial dairying, but there are plenty of examples of great farmers doing fantastic work for the environment. You can read about some of these in our Good Farm Stories feature.

www.greens.org.nz/dirtyrivers

http://ecospree.com

Related articles

• Dirty rivers and streams - time for a change (robynmmoore.wordpress.com)
• Clean water act would charge fee on stormwater pollution (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• 1 reviews of Clean Water Act (rateitall.com)
• does a sedimwtary rock clean water (greenanswers.com)
• Popular swimming spots prove unsafe for bathing (nzherald.co.nz)

Green Planet Ethics - Another point of view...

Image via WikipediaGreen Planet Ethics says be Eco Friendly: What is that?

They say: Home energy audits are important, especially if you are eco - conscious, which also means that you are concerned about your impact on the earth and the environment. That can also be extended to your own personal home energy use. Therefore as an eco - conscious home owner, its a good idea to have a home energy audit...

So readers, what do you make of these comments? Would you like to read some more?

http://greenplanetethics.com

http://ecospree.com

Related articles

• Is Discovery's Planet Green Headed For The Recycle Bin? (ecorazzi.com)
• New Planet Green Series 'Dean of Invention' Uncovers the Future of Innovation (geteconow.com)
• All Things Eco Blog Carnival Volume 122 (focusorganic.com)
• 15 Superfoods For Under $20: Stocking Your Pantry on the Cheap - Planet Green (planetgreen.discovery.com)
• An eco-friendly, "green", beauty pageant? (ecoadventuretravel.wordpress.com)
• Planet Green Serves Up A Second Season Of 'Conviction Kitchen' (tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com)
• Ex-Cons Return to the Kitchen as Planet Green Serves Up a Second Season of CONVICTION KITCHEN (prnewswire.com)
• 7 Ways to Precycle, Upcycle, and DIY Your Way to (Almost) Never Recycling Again - Planet Green (f33dyourhead.wordpress.com)
• imabonehead: Bugs, It's What's For Dinner: Insect Eating Goes Mainstream - Planet Green (planetgreen.discovery.com)

Ten years to solve nature crisis, UN meeting hears

Image via Wikipedia 'Ten years' to solve nature crisis, UN meeting hears...


Environment correspondent, BBC News, Nagoya, Japan





Delegates will consider adopting new set of targets for 2020 that aim to tackle biodiversity loss The UN biodiversity convention meeting has opened with warnings that the ongoing loss of nature is hurting human societies as well as the natural world.



The two-week gathering aims to set new targets for conserving life on Earth.



Japan's Environment Minister Ryo Matsumoto said biodiversity loss would become irreversible unless curbed soon.



Much hope is being pinned on economic analyses showing the loss of species and ecosystems is costing the global economy trillions of dollars each year.



Ahmed Djoghlaf, executive secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), described the meeting in Nagoya, Japan, as a "defining moment" in the history of mankind.



Is wildlife being eaten to extinction?

"[Buddhist scholar] Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki said 'the problem of nature is the problem of human life'. Today, unfortunately, human life is a problem for nature," he told delegates in his opening speech.



Referring to the target set at the UN World Summit in 2002, he said:



"Let's have the courage to look in the eyes of our children and admit that we have failed, individually and collectively, to fulfil the Johannesburg promise made by 110 heads of state to substantially reduce the rate of loss of biodiversity by 2010.


Read more here:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11563513



http://ecospree.com/

Related articles

• What are the prospects for the Nagoya biodiversity summit? | George Monbiot (guardian.co.uk)
• 'Key time' to solve nature crisis (bbc.co.uk)
• Live web chat with Ahmed Djoghlaf, UN biodiversity chief (guardian.co.uk)
• U.N. summit sends S.O.S. on biodiversity (cnn.com)
• Conference tackles loss of biodiversity (independent.co.uk)

Cut priced eco bulbs to be axed in the UK - govt to pull the plug on subsidies...

Image via Wikipedia

From the UK this week:  Eco bulb subsidies to be scrapped.


Cut-price eco bulbs axed: Cost will soar as ministers pull the plug on subsidies



Eco bulbs will not be subsidised because energy firms will be forced to plough cash into other environmentally-friendly projects



Energy-saving lightbulbs could treble in price as ministers order energy suppliers to stop subsidising them.

At the moment, power companies discount compact fluorescent bulbs as part of measures to meet greenhouse gas targets.

But Chris Huhne, minister for climate change, has told electricity and gas firms to stop the promotions in supermarkets and DIY chains - and invest more money in home insulation instead.

Some industry experts have welcomed the change. But others warn that these rules will lead to price rises.

Energy-saving bulbs are sold for as little as 33p each in supermarkets. The end of subsidises means they could cost £1 or more.



Under the Government's Carbon Emissions Reduction Target, the biggest energy supplies must help customers cut their fuel bills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The companies have met their targets by promoting energy-saving bulbs - and have given away around 230million in the last few years.

At the start of last year, ministers banned light bulb mail-outs. But power companies have continued subsidise the cost of bulbs in supermarkets and DIY stores.

In the last three months alone, eight million of the bulbs were sold by chain stores under the subsidy scheme.

But these subsidises will be scrapped when the CERT scheme is extended from March 2011 to the end of 2012, Mr Huhne explained.

Suppliers will be forced to spend the money promoting loft, cavity wall and solid wall insulation instead.

Most householders could save around £550 a year by insulating their homes, the minister added.





Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1290934/Cost-eco-lightbulbs-treble-energy-suppliers-ordered-scrap-subsidies.html#ixzz11v5faedP

Related articles

• Government's Green Deal will help home owners cut energy bills (money.marksandspencer.com)
• Liberal Democrat Conference: Chris Huhne says 'green jobs' will offset drag from budget cuts (telegraph.co.uk)
• "Chris Huhne's comforting words on renewable heat" and related posts (alexfoster.me.uk)
• New Mobile App Helps Households Switch to Energy-Efficient Lighting (prweb.com)
• Environment adviser warns against green funding cuts (guardian.co.uk)
• UK retailers in talks to join government's 'green deal' (businessgreen.com)
• Open letter to Chris Huhne on feed-in tariffs (guardian.co.uk)
• Energy secretary Chris Huhne agrees funding cuts settlement (guardian.co.uk)

Climate change inaction will hurt the economy...

Image via WikipediaClimate change inaction will hurt the  economy :


Russel Norman MP, New Zealand.



Subjects: Climate Change, Employment, Sustainable Development

14

Doing nothing about climate change will lead to more extreme weather events, events like the storm that lashed the country over the weekend, costing millions of dollars and hurting the economy and communities, the Green Party said today.



"This weekend we have seen the devastating impact that extreme and unseasonal storms can have, and our hearts go out to the affected communities like Invercargill," Green Party Co-leader Russel Norman said.



"Unfortunately, we know that one effect of climate change in New Zealand will be more extreme weather like this.



"There is no way to know whether this particular storm was related to climate change, but there is no doubt of the direction of the trend. As warmer air carries more water, there will be more extreme precipitation in the form of heavier rain, and - yes, weirdly - even more snow.



"Storms like this bring a huge economic and social cost. If we include these costs when we assess the problem of climate change, we can begin to see how wide-ranging its effects will be. Climate change has the potential to hurt not just our environment, but our economy and our communities as well."



Dr Norman said factoring in all the impacts of climate change could shed some light on the UMR poll result which showed climate change ranked below other issues like jobs and the economy as an issue of concern to 500 New Zealanders surveyed.



"Of course, at a time of high unemployment and economic uncertainty, jobs and the economy will be top of people's minds. But doing nothing about climate change will lead to more economic damage.



"This poll was commissioned by the lobby group for big polluters, the Greenhouse Policy Coalition. It is no surprise that they framed the questions to suggest that taking action on climate change will cost jobs and money while inaction will cost nothing.



"Nothing could be further from the truth. Doing nothing on climate change is very expensive and will damage our economy, due to these extreme weather events and other effects such as sea level rise."



Dr Norman said there were many ways for New Zealand to respond to the looming threat of climate change.



"We can invest in clean technologies and make the shift to a clean economy with lower emissions. Switching to sustainable technologies was supported by 66 percent of the UMR poll respondents.



"We can get ready for more extreme weather events and make sure that our communities are ready when they strike again. Improving our building codes to ensure our homes, businesses, and infrastructure can withstand more extreme events is one way to do this.



"And we can reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, something successive Labour and National Governments have consistently failed to do.



"The excuse of doing nothing to protect the economy doesn't wash. The best way to safeguard our economy for the future is to take action on climate change now," Dr Norman said.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Niwa court action reheats climate change debate. (tvnz.co.nz)
• Weather disasters mirror climate models - NOAA chief (newsinfo.inquirer.net)
• Climate change concern slips as cost of living worry grows. (nzherald.co.nz)
• Weather disasters mirror climate models: NOAA chief (alternet.org)
• John Kerry: Climate Change Threatens to Undermine Progress on Development (huffingtonpost.com)
• Attribution errors [Stoat] (scienceblogs.com)
• Wangari Maathai: Women Can Lead the Way in Tackling Development and Climate Challenges Together (huffingtonpost.com)
• Andrew Winston: The Competing Black Swans of Climate Change (huffingtonpost.com)
• 'UK must act' on climate impacts (bbc.co.uk)
• On Extreme Weather and Climate Change (washingtonindependent.com)
• Green buildings and climate change (mnn.com)
• 50 Scholarly Blogs for Climate Science Students (onlinecollege.org)

The ozone layer is no longer in danger - that has to be a great thing for Mother Earth...

Image via Wikipedia
The ozone layer is no longer in danger - that has to be a great thing for Mother Earth...

A new report suggests that international efforts to halt the destruction of the ozone layer have been successful. Launched on the UN International Day for Preservation of the Ozone Layer, the report by 300 scientists also provides new information about the net effects on Earth's climate, and also the effects of climate change on the ozone later moving forward.



The UN International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer on 16th September is to commemorate the signature date in 1987 of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. This international treaty aimed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out use of harmful substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) believed to be responsible for ozone depletion and contributing to the greenhouse effect. The report reaffirms that the Montreal Protocol is working; "It has protected the stratospheric ozone layer from much higher levels of depletion by phasing out production and consumption of ozone depleting substances."



Given that many substances that deplete the ozone layer are also potent greenhouse gases the net benefits are two-fold; first the arrest of ozone-layer depletion; secondly, the reduction of greenhouse effect, both of which should impact climate change.


Read more here: http://gizmag.com/

Related articles by Zemanta

• Ozone layer 'is no longer disappearing and will return to full strength by 2048' | Mail Online (dailymail.co.uk)
• Remember the ozone layer? It's still there (energyrefuge.com)
• Antarctic Ozone Hole 2010 (spacefellowship.com)
• "New report highlights two-way link between ozone layer and climate change" and related posts (wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com)
• UN scientists say ozone layer depletion has stopped (newsinfo.inquirer.net)
• Ozone layer stable, on the way to recovery (worldchanging.com)
• UN scientists say ozone layer depletion has stopped. (terradaily.com)
• Ozone recovering but will take longer over poles: U.N. (reuters.com)
• Ozone layer depletion has stopped, scientists say (grist.org)
• UN scientists say ozone layer depletion has stopped (calgaryherald.com)
• UN scientists say ozone layer depletion has stopped (theprovince.com)

Let the developed world set an example and lead to the developing world in improving the environment of their waterways...

Let the developed world set an example and lead to the developing world...

 
Image via Wikipedia







In recent times we have read and heard all the rhetoric concerning climate change, global warming, emissions trading schemes carbon footprints ad nauseam.

But what I suggest is that countries throughtout the developed world look at their own backyards first, before preaching to  those in the developing world. We know of the environmental records of China, India and other asian countries in relation to the pollution of their waterways - the Mekong River that flows through a number of southeast asian countries is undoubtably one of the most polluted rivers in the world.

Be that as it may, many western countries have waterways not much better than the Mekong and other asian rivers. Waterways have been treated for a couple of centuries or more as convenient sewers to dispose of industrial waste and other effluent. Even down in New Zealand, with its internationalyl acclaimed 'clean and green' image has its own problems; much of it damaged by polluted dairy farm run-off effluent.

New Zealand has been unfairly criticised by overseas media such as the British Guardian newspaper because of its alleged double standards, but is well aware of its shortcomings and is making  and has made progress in the pollution stakes. Farmers have been criticised by government agencies because of their practices in not preventing polluted run-off into streams and rivers, such as the mighty Waikato River which is also the source of fresh water in the Waikato and Auckland.

I have also read about Maori tribal authorities in the central North Island who have implemented schemes to clean up the algae weed in their lakes. They need to be congratulated for making such  positive progress in this area - the algae is the result of decades of polluted run-off from dairy farms; a common occurence in many areas of New Zealand in both islands.

New Zealand doesn't need the hypocrisy of British media who might be better off identifying pollution in British waterways.  As they say a case of the pot calling the kettle black! Let the developed world set an example and a lead to the developing world who may improve the environmental record and standards in their own areas of the globe.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Crafer dairy farms sale hits a snag - Landcorp may still have opportunity to buy... (peter-petterson.blogspot.com)
• Chinese dairy farm bid hits snag (nzherald.co.nz)
• Dan Snow Visits New Zealand (audleytravel.com)
• Deborah Coddington : MP insults us while failing to grasp our bond with land (nzherald.co.nz)
• New Zealand Itinerary: North Island Stops (gogreentravelgreen.com)
• US announces climate change help for Mekong region (alternet.org)
• While Canada Gets Ready For Deep Freeze New Zealand Begins Warm Weather Fun (theglobeandmail.com)
• Lonely Planet's New NZ Guide Celebrates Kiwi Hospitality (lonelyplanet.com)
• Nature's fury - massive storm hit New Zealand yesterday... (peter-petterson.blogspot.com)

Russians criticised for its coming olympic construction program...

Image via WikipediaRussians criticised for coming Olympic construction program...






Environmental activists say that construction has irreversibly damaged the ecosystems.







Relations between environmental organisations and the authorities responsible for the massive Olympics building programme have deteriorated sharply in recent months.







The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) recently withdrew all co-operation.







It is warning that irreversible damage has already been done to the environment, including the pollution of important rivers and the felling of rare species of trees.







Now the United Nations Environment Programme has added its voice.







The U.N. group recommended a broader review of the impact of other projects. The government said it was aware of the concerns and that the activists were trying to sabotage the Games as a public relations stunt.

http://earthquake.tv/   WATCH IT NOW!

Related articles by Zemanta

• The environmentality of 'Earth Incorporated' (paper excerpt) (energybulletin.net)
• A sustainable way of learning: Exeter has set up an MBA with the World Wide Fund for Nature (independent.co.uk)
• UN exonerates Shell for oil pollution in Nigeria (americablog.com)
• Everglades in, Galapagos out: U.N. Group Changes Its Endangered Sites List (ecosalon.com)
• Superba™ Krill Oil: Phospholipid Form of Omega-3 (prweb.com)
• UN excuses corporate crime in the Niger Delta (truth-reason-liberty.blogspot.com)

Ethical and green living - going green could make you mean...

Image via Wikipedia
Ethical and green living - going green could make you green...


How going green may make you mean  - Ethical consumers less likely to be kind and more likely to steal, study finds



• You ask, they answer: Ethical Consumer magazine



A consumer of 'ethical' products such as organic food might be more inclined to cheat and steal, the study found. Photograph: David Sillitoe/Guardian



When Al Gore was caught running up huge energy bills at home at the same time as lecturing on the need to save electricity, it turns out that he was only reverting to "green" type.



According to a study, when people feel they have been morally virtuous by saving the planet through their purchases of organic baby food, for example, it leads to the "licensing [of] selfish and morally questionable behaviour", otherwise known as "moral balancing" or "compensatory ethics".



Do Green Products Make Us Better People is published in the latest edition of the journal Psychological Science. Its authors, Canadian psychologists Nina Mazar and Chen-Bo Zhong, argue that people who wear what they call the "halo of green consumerism" are less likely to be kind to others, and more likely to cheat and steal. "Virtuous acts can license subsequent asocial and unethical behaviours," they write. [See footnote

And more...http://www.guardian.co.nz/environment/2010/mar/15/green-consumers-more-likely-steal

Related articles by Zemanta

• The Situation of Being Green (thesituationist.wordpress.com)
• Ewwwwwwwww! (boston.com)
• Society Daily: 09.08.10 (guardian.co.uk)
• Roberts named Guardian national editor (guardian.co.uk)
• David Mitchell breaks ranks to question Guardian paywall stance (blogs.journalism.co.uk)
• The readers' room: what you thought of G2 this week (guardian.co.uk)
• Agencies defend work for foreign regimes following Guardian report (prweek.com)
• How A New Generation's Ethics Got Zapped (forbes.com)
• Do-Gooders give themselves license to cheat elsewhere (rebeccablood.net)

Earth Day Tips from RecycleBank...

Image via CrunchBase

Earth Day Tips from RecycleBank



RecycleBank is offering tips all month in celebration of the 40th annual Earth Day:



You'll be more likely to recycle consistently if you set up a recycling area

in your kitchen or utility room. Post a list nearby of the items that are

accepted for recycling in your local community.



Reuse or recycle as many of your empty health and beauty product containers

as you can. If you can’t reuse them at home, containers such as your empty

vitamin or supplement bottles can be recycled with your home recycling.

Other cosmetic and toiletry tubes, bottles, and jars (from any brand) can be

taken back to retail stores including Origins and MAC.



Choose toilet paper made from 100% recycled fibers. According to the Natural

Resources Defense Council, if every household in the U.S. replaced one roll

of virgin fiber toilet paper with 100% recycled ones, we'd save 423,900

trees.



When decorating your home, choose items made from reclaimed materials - for

example, a recycled glass vase from RecycleBank rewards partner Uncommon

Goods, a rug made from old cotton t-shirts, or a basket made from telephone

wire. It saves resources and extends the useful life of the materials.



Find out how to recycle items that you can't place in your curbside bin like

batteries, compact fluorescent light bulbs, and plastic bags. When in doubt,

call your local solid waste management agency or go to earth911.org.



Leave grass clippings on the lawn after you mow rather than bagging and

throwing them away. This saves energy and landfill space and the grass will

decompose and return nutrients to the soil.



Got an old fur coat or hat in the attic that you inherited and never wear?

Donate it to the Humane Society of the United States' Coats for Cubs program

so wildlife rehabilitators can reuse it as bedding for injured or orphaned

wildlife.



After birthday and holiday celebrations, save gift bags and boxes, ribbons,

and tissue paper to reuse.



Recycle plastic packing peanuts by saving them for the next time you send a

package, taking them to any UPS Store location, or calling the Plastic Loose

Fill Council's 24-hour Peanut hotline (800-828-2214) to find other drop-off

sites near you.



Invest in a set of rechargeable batteries and a charger for powering your

digital camera, portable music player, remote control, and other gadgets.

You'll reduce waste, save resources like steel, and save money in the long run


Acknowledgements: Compliments of Barbara Mathieson -RecycleBank

Recycle tips 5 Ways to Get Paid for Being Green (abcnews.go.com)

Related articles by Zemanta

• Slop buckets should be installed in offices (telegraph.co.uk)
• Brabantia, Europe's Leading Steelware Designer & Manufacturer, Debuts New 100% Compostable Waste Bin Liners in the U.S. (prweb.com)
• A Guide to Recycling Nearly Anything [Recycling] (lifehacker.com)
• eBay and RecycleBank Align to Reward Consumers for Being Green (eon.businesswire.com)
• Arphid Watch: RecycleBank | Beyond The Beyond (currentbuzz.org)
• more tips from the recyclist... (modernest.com)
• Policy-makers take aim at new recycling frontier: solid waste, retailers and packaging (scienceblog.com)

Seaweek New Zealand - Fish for the future

Image by Sandy Austin via Flickr

NZAEE Seaweek 2010 - Fish for the Future! March 7-14, 2010

Seaweek: Fish for the Future - “Tiakina ngā tupuranga whakaheke”

Seaweek is an annual event run by the NZ Association for Environmental Education that allows New Zealanders to come together and, celebrate the sea. It provides a wide range of opportunities for people to learn about our fantastic marine environment and share their experiences of the sea.

Seaweek is about exciting and inspiring all New Zealanders to renew their connection with the sea. It’s not just for children or those involved with formal education – it’s a time for all of us to get to know our ocean, its habits, characteristics and inhabitants.

A series of themes has been developed for Seaweek over the next five years, starting with 2010 – Fish for the Future! Watch this website for updates on national, regional and local activities around this theme happening before, during and after Seaweek.

Listen out for NZ singer song-writer Nick Hohepa's music and his new single, "Mollusc Hunter" as part of Seaweek.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Deep Sea Fish Eat Plants as they Sink (treehugger.com)

Seaweek in New Zealand

British Airways agrees to UK jet biofuel plant...

Image via Wikipedia

British Airways agrees to a deal for a UK jet biofuel plant...




BA says the plant will reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill
British Airways has struck a deal to build the first plant in Europe to produce jet fuel from waste matter.

Some 500,000 tonnes of waste will be used by the UK facility each year to produce 16 million gallons of fuel.

Construction of the plant in east London will start within two years. It is set to produce fuel from 2014, creating up to 1,200 jobs.

BA said the plant would produce twice the amount of fuel needed to power all its flights from London City Airport.

It would only account for about 2% of flights from Heathrow, however.

Greenhouse gas:

BA argues the plant will cut the amount of waste that is sent to landfill, reducing the amount of methane that is produced.

Methane is thought to be a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

The plant will be built by a US company Solena Group, with BA committing to buy all of its output.

It will be another four years before it starts producing fuel, and it is unlikely to work at full capacity straight away.

The ideal source material for the plant is waste matter that has a high carbon content.

Biofuel creation:

The waste is fed into a high temperature "gasifier" to produce BioSynGas.

A chemical process called Fischer Tropsch is then used to convert the gas into biofuel.

Waste products from the process can be used to power the plant as well as supply 20MW of electricity to the national grid.

A solid waste product can be used as an aggregate in construction.

The fuel produced by the plant is certified for use in other countries, but not currently in the UK.

BA says it is confident of getting the certification by the time the plant starts producing fuel, either for use in a blend with traditional kerosene or on its own.

Related articles by Zemanta

• BA in deal for jet biofuel plant (news.bbc.co.uk)

The Guardian article attack on New Zealand's green image totally unfair...

The article in the British newspaper, The Guardian, claiming that New Zealand's clean, green image is not up to its emission and environmental image has been attacked as being unfair and wrong because it failed to mention other important factors.

Writer Fred Pearce claimed NZ and othe countries "greenwashed" their images. When you make such extravagant statements as Mr Pearce, you need to do your homework carefully. While condemning other countries, Fred Pearce saved his vitriol for New Zealand. Quote: "My prize for the most shameless two fingers to the global community goes to New Zealand, a country that sells itself round the world as clean and green".

New Zealand's Environmental Minister, Nick Smith, said he hoped online information would be updated once the full picture of his country's emission targets were made available. He said New Zealand had no desire to be a leader in addressing climate change, but it would get its own house in order and hope critics from abroad did the same.

New Zealand was called a hypocrite because it allegedly preferred triumph of style over substance. Well, thats Fred Pearce's opinion. It is true a lot of forests have been felled in recent years, but sustantial replanting had also occurred. But Pearce's personal attacks of New Zealand society completely undermined whatever case he may thought he had against New Zealand.

65% of New Zealand's electricity is produced from renewable sources, which is the highest in the OCED countries bar Iceland. 600,000 hectares of additional trees were grown in the 1990's, which absorb carbon and offset new Zealand's emissions. If these are taken into account the country is projected to meet its Kyoto pledge not to increase emissions from 1990 levels. Under current estimates it could actually exceed its target by 8 million tonnes.


Half of New Zealand's emissions came from methane (produced by grazing animals) which does not stay in the atmosphere for as long as carbon dioxide, and is less harmful.

While its emissions have grown by 22%, its population has grown by 24% during the same period. The British population has been relatively static.

As for the reality of claims about New Zealand's damaged environment, 65% of overseas tourists interviewed said New Zealand's environment had exceeded their expectations and the other 35% said their expectations had been met.

&2% of international visitors to NZ in 2008 thought the environment was managed sustainably.

One would have to wonder where Fred Pearce got his information from? From a fiction book perhaps?

Read the facts

Levies on plastic shopping bags would convince consumers of the environmental bigger picture...

Plastic shopping bags are the topic of the week here, as supermarkets appear to becoming "green" and stating they will charge customers for these bags. With a change of government here in NZ last November from a left of centre Labour-led government to a rightwing conservative National government, we cannot expect any leadership on environmental issues. The NATS will not legislate a tax on plastic shopping bags.

The PM John Key ruled out a government backed levy, even though his minister had asked officials to investigate a five cent charge per bag. This government is not reading from a single page. As an Opposition they layed into the previous administration accusing them of being a 'nanny state' when it legislated for a change to eco-friendly lightbulbs. They have subsequently scrapped that law.

The Green Party said this government lacked internal communication, and also said that for a nano second they appeared to support environmental matters. But the shutter has closed.

Key admitted the use of a billion bags a year was excessive for a small country like NZ with only 4.2 million people.

A similar scheme in Ireland, known as PlasTax, has cut plastic bag use and raised millions for environmental projects.

A five cent per bag levy here could have raised $39 million per year based on the 780 million bags used by supermarkets. But it would go to supermarkets not, not to environmental projects in New Zealand.

Plastic bags make up 0.2 per cent of New Zealand's waste but stay in landfills for decads, get into our waterways and smother our marine life.

Even a small levy on bags would convince consumers 'that we should think about the bigger picture'.

read more