The Green Village News for February, 2009

Delays for the Catlin Arctic Survey

Saturday, February 28th, 2009

The Catlin Arctic Survey, an expedition to find out how long the ice cover of the Arctic Sea is likely to remain, has been delayed due to problems with equipment. The team, made up of Ann Daniels, Pen Hadow and Martin Hartley, will be embarking on a 3 month trek and braving up to -50°C temperatures to answer this important question.

The Survey aims to provide important data to enable scientists to make more accurate estimates about the length of time before the ice melts, as current projections have estimates ranging from 4 to 100 years. Measurements of the ice and snow along the 1000km distance the team will be travelling will be taken using a portable radar capable of penetrating the ice.

It was hoped that the team would set off today after a 24hr delay in a light aircraft that would take them on their 6 hour journey to the drop off point, however even if they make it into the air, if weather conditions are poor, the aircraft could be forced to turn back adding further delays to the Survey’s progress. To read more about the Catlin Arctic Survey and follow the progress of the team, visit the website.

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Container Gardening at the Staffordshire University Allotment

Saturday, February 28th, 2009

Tomorrow, the Staffordshire University Community Organic Gardeners will be holding a Container Gardening event at their allotment site next to Crime Scene House in Leek Road, Stoke.

The site is made up of five allotment plots and aims to provide staff and students at the University with the opportunity to get involved with the project and share the produce grown on the site. Tomorrow’s event will be aimed at introducing people to container gardening and the scope to grow your own veg no matter how much space you have at home.

In addition to this and other past events such as willow sculpture making, the site encourages staff and students to come along to the allotment site on Tuesdays and Thursday evenings between 5pm and 7pm during summer months, and Sundays from 10am to 5pm throughout the year. To read more about the Staffordshire University Allotment, visit their website.

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Britain’s Supermarkets Get Packing

Friday, February 27th, 2009

Around the country Britain’s supermarkets have been declaring war on carrier bags, with various methods across the different chains to try and entice us to loosen our grip and reliance on plastic bags. Co-op have their adverts at the tills telling us about whales washing up on shores with 2lb worth of carrier bags in their stomachs that they mistook for food. Tesco have the Green Clubcard points and Sainsbury’s extra Nectar points for customers using their own bags. And everywhere from Asda to Wilkinsons has bags for life, ranging from longer lasting plastic bags to cloth or jute bags, available at the tills.

December saw 7 major supermarkets – Asda, Co-op, Somerfield, Sainsbury’s, M&S, Waitrose and Tesco – join together in a pledge to cut the amount of carrier bags given out by 50% by spring 2009 compared to those given out in 2006, with the ultimate aim being to reduce the figure by 70%. WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) has advised that the actions of the supermarkets has seen 3.5 billion fewer carrier bags being handed out, but the amount of people still using plastic bags is still too high. The majority of bags are only used to transport goods home, and are then destined for landfill, along with the millions of tonnes of other packaging waste generated each year.

For more information about the impact of carrier bags on the environment, visit the Daily Mail or watch the video report on the BBC.

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British Waterways Trolley Dash

Thursday, February 26th, 2009

British Waterways have been responsible for caring for the 2,200 miles of Britain’s canals and rivers since it’s introduction in 1962. The organisation was set up as an Act of Parliament to protect the inland water network of Britain, which used to be as much a part of the UK’s infrastructure and transport network as the motorways are today.

As part of their ongoing responsibility to maintain the water network and ensure public safety for people and boats using the waterfront, British Waterways announced a new clean-up mission to address the issue of trolley dumping in Britain’s canals and rivers. Members of the public can either call the Trolley Hotline on 01923 201120, or use the form on the British Waterways website to report sightings of dumped trolleys.

In addition supermarkets are being called to action to reduce the amount of trolleys that are able to be taken in the first place, and will be shortlisted for one of two awards, a ‘Golden Trolley’ commendation for least trolleys retrieved, and a name and shame award, ‘Off Your Trolley’, for the supermarket that has the most trolleys pulled from the water over the course of a year. The aim of the initiative is to reduce the amount of public money – currently standing at £150,000 – that is spent each year on removing trolleys from the water; money that could be better spent enhancing the waterfront experience for visitors and wildlife.

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Barack Backtracks on Emissions Policy

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

The Economic Rescue Plan that earned Barack Obama credit with green campaigners last week now sits in the shadow of announcements that the proposed timetable Obama had in place for addressing America’s emissions is being rejigged. Due to the unlikelihood that Congress will pass a motion to restrict carbon emissions before the end of 2009, Obama has been forced to backtrack on plans and delay the time frame in which he was promising action would take place.

White House officials confirm that action will still take place, but exactly when this will be is much harder to pin down. The Rescue Plan saw opposition in Congress, and it is difficulty such as this that has made the White House reconsider the time frames allocated for passing and initiating further green legislation. America is still keen to lead on the green front however, and with the highest emissions per citizen in the world, commitment to act is long awaited and a welcome sight.

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Water Vapour Warming Up the Planet

Tuesday, February 24th, 2009

An article by scientists Andrew Dessler and Steven Sherwood was published on Thursday in ‘Science’, and brings a new area for discussion regarding the issue of global warming to the forefront.

The article discusses the role that water vapour plays in the warming of the planet, and adds to the controversial disputes about whether global warming would have happened and be happening anyway, with or without human activity’s contribution.

Although it is true that the evaporation of water would occur anyway, the high amounts of CO2 released into the atmosphere every day by industrial processes and their effect on accelerating the speed at which the planet’s temperature is rising will inevitably cause more evaporation and therefore a higher level of water vapour in the Earth’s atmosphere. Therefore by continuing to release carbon emissions at our current rate, we are not only adding to levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, but as result of a feedback reaction, means our actions are having twice the impact we may have first thought.

According to New Scientist, 50% of greenhouse gases are made up of water vapour, with CO2 being 20% by comparison. It may be easy considering this to think that if the water vapour is the bigger problem, why is everybody so worried about reducing CO2 levels in the first place, however the problem with carbon dioxide it that the level present builds up over a much longer period of time. The action we take now will not be seen immediately, but will be more a preparation for the future to try and prevent levels from spiraling out of control.

Of course there are also other contributors to the greenhouse effect, such as CFCs and methane, and their effects compared to the same amount of CO2 are much more destructive. The difference, however, is that the amount of CO2 is so much higher that the other gases are almost insignificant by comparison, so in light of this, the importance of continued campaigning to reduce the carbon emissions of the planet of a whole really is the best way forward to hopefully ensure a future for the human race.

More about the case for water vapour vs carbon dioxide can be found on the New Scientist website.

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San Francisco Sewage Leak

Monday, February 23rd, 2009

A sewage treatment plant in San Francisco is anticipating being fined for a leaking pipe which has allowed 500,000 gallons of mixed raw and partially treated sewage to pour into San Francisco Bay.

The leak was spotted on Tuesday, where initially 300 gallons of sewage were being emitted per minute into the Bay. The fitting of a metal plate to redirect the leaking waste water back into the plant for proper treatment managed to reduce the amount being released to approx 1 gallon per minute. The task of completing the repair work by encasing the 23 year old pipe in concrete was not possible to rectify immediately however, as the piece of pipe affected was at the water line, and the high tide, worsened to by recent high levels of rainfall, meant that workmen would have to wait until Thursday before being able to continue with the repair.

Comments have been made that maintainance and repairwork should be made a priority rather than waiting for problems such as this to provoke a response. Last year, The Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin was fined $1.6m when over 3 million gallons of partially treated sewage was released. How many more cases where sewage, chemicals and other untreated waste is released will happen before agencies and authorities realise that it is their responsibility to prevent their organisations being responsible for such detriment to the environment?

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Heathrow Loses The Plot

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

A current campaign by environmental activist group Greenpeace has seen them purchase a plot of land lying across the area where development is planned to take place to extend Heathrow Airport.

The ‘Airplot’ campaign aims to stop the expansion through the proposed building of the third runway at the airport, action which Friends of the Earth have also commented on, stating that the expansion “is a hammer blow for UK climate targets that will shatter Gordon Brown’s international reputation on the environment”.

The campaign already has the backing of impersonator Alistair McGowan and actress Emma Thompson, among others, and Greenpeace is urging the public to join the campaign to help prevent Heathrow being able to claim the title of ‘biggest carbon footprint in the UK’.

The planning process for the project is likely to go on for years, and Greenpeace advises that there are many stages along the way for people to get involved with and do their bit to try and veto the development. To read more about the campaign, visit the Greenpeace website.

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BP To Pay for Crimes Against the Planet

Saturday, February 21st, 2009

Following a violation of the Clean Air Act, BP Products North America, a subsidiary of BP, have agreed to pay a settlement figure totaling nearly $180 million (£125 million).

The United States Department of Justice has promised to “aggressively pursue” companies who breach the environmental laws, saying that those who do will be held accountable for the violation. The proposed settlement will be considered for final court approval following the 30 day period for public comments on the matter to be received.

BP has been responsible for a number of breaches of the Clean Air Act on their Texas site, such as failure to address cooling appliances leaking HCFCs (harmful ozone-depleting chemicals) into the atmosphere and inappropriate handling of benzene and waste-products containing benzene on their site.

Part of the settlement will require upgrading of equipment and work to help reduce the air pollution these breaches have contributed to. BP Products North America will also be working on improving their process for the disposal of asbestos material when renovation and demolition work takes place on the Texas site.

In addition to resolving their own environmental faux pas, BP will be investing money in converting a number of vehicles including school buses, and installing petrol stations to supply them with the natural gas based fuels they will run on to help reduce air pollution in Texas.

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A Growing Concern – National Trust to Create 1000 Allotments

Friday, February 20th, 2009

The National Trust has announced that over the course of the next three years, they will be working to provide 1000 new allotment sites to help eager growers get digging to provide themselves with homegrown goodness. Sites will range from smaller plots for individuals or families just getting started to larger areas suitable for community growing groups, schools and charities.

The allotment sites will be made available through the Landshare scheme set up by River Cottage Chef and Chicken Welfare Campaigner, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, which helps wannabe growers get in touch with people in their local area with spare land. The National Trust wants to help some of the 100,000 people currently on waiting lists for allotment sites to get growing, and hope that the land freed up by this new initiative will make growing your own a reality for many new gardeners.

As well as making new growing spaces available, The National Trust wants to recruit more volunteers and experienced gardeners to help the scheme by bringing knowledge and advice to those who are new to the world of veg growing.

So whether it’s the current economic situation and the subsequent tightening of purse strings that has triggered the increase in interest for allotments and homegrown veg, or because people have had enough of not knowing what chemicals their food contains, there is no arguing; thanks to The National Trust, the introduction of these new sites will be a real boost to the communities and people using them.

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