The Green Village News for May, 2009
Sunday, May 31st, 2009
Supermarket giant Tesco has unveiled plans for a new carbon neutral store which they will build in Ramsey, Cambridgeshire.
The plans for the carbon neutral store are the latest in a list of new green objectives and promises from the company, who recently featured in the Sunday Times Green Businesses list as the greenest supermarket. In addition to the new store, Tesco have promised to install charging points in their carparks for electric cars, and an extension to their carbon labelling scheme, which provides customers with information about the carbon footprint of their products of choice.
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Tags: carbon emissions, carbon footprint, carbon neutral, corporate responsibility, supermarket, tesco
Posted in Companies and Organisations, Energy and Resources, Environmental Impact, Green Planet, Sustainable Development | 1 Comment
Saturday, May 30th, 2009
The familiar sound of the cuckoo is becoming a less heard occurrence in Britain, and the bird has been added to the RSPB‘s ‘red list’ of endangered species in the UK.
Reasons for the decline in numbers of the well known bird are not known for certain, but are believed could be down to a number of factors which are currently being looked into in order to find out whether more can be done to reverse the population drop. These factors include loss of habitats and food sources, and the decline of other species that cuckoos rely on in order for their eggs to be cared for and their young to be raised.
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Tags: cuckoo, endangered species, red list, RSPB, uk
Posted in Conservation and Wildlife, Green Planet | No Comments
Wednesday, May 27th, 2009
China has promised to significantly increase renewable energy by 2020 by investing heavily in photovoltaic solar panels. This, along with other green energy initiatives, will see the proportion of renewable energy in China’s energy mix raised from 1.5% to 6%.
An investment of £400 billion pounds will be put forward to ensure that solar energy is introduced throughout the country, from rooftops to full blown solar farms. Solar energy is a costly option, especially compared to the likes of coal, which is abundant in China, however the Chinese governing body responsible for energy has shown that climate change is becoming more and more of an issue that needs to be faced head on.
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Tags: china, renewable energy, solar, solar panels
Posted in Energy and Resources, Environmental Impact, Green Planet | No Comments
Tuesday, May 26th, 2009
The Lake district is known to many as a serene peaceful holiday retreat and a location good for walking, cycling and water sports. However in recent years, the Lakes of Cumbria are becoming strained due to higher populations around the lakes, tourist booms and changing weather patterns.
The vendace fish which inhabits Bassenthwaite’s cool waters is under particular pressure from rising water temperatures. Many species that thrive in and around the Lakes are sensitive to even minute temperature changes, but the Environment Agency are so worried about the vendace fish that a small selection of the healthier specimens have been moved to lakes in Scotland. If conditions in the lake worsen, the species may be able to be re-introduced at a later date.
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Tags: cumbria, lake district, lakes, water pollution
Posted in Conservation and Wildlife, Environmental Impact, Green Leisure and Tourism, Green Living, Green Planet | No Comments
Monday, May 25th, 2009
The city of Bath is renowned for its healing spas and history and attracts around 4 million visitors each year. City officials have approved plans as part of a £6 million transport scheme to build a new park and ride facility at Bathampton Meadows, which they argue will help stem the congestion and traffic problems Bath currently experiences.
Campaign group ‘Save Bathampton Meadows’, who began a petition in October 2008 to promote their cause and help get names on paper to show the council that the park and ride is not wanted. The site is thousands of years old, greenbelt and bordering the River Avon and sits in a valley, which campaigners say will make the development an eyesore and a blot on the landscape; unable to be missed from the viewing points all around the area. Save Bathampton Meadows’ spokeswoman Alison Millar said,
“This park and ride would spoil the meadows and be visible not only to hundreds of homes nearby but to people walking in the hills around it.”
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Tags: bath, bathampton meadows, greenbelt, park and ride
Posted in Conservation and Wildlife, Environmental Impact, Environmental Politics, Green Planet, Sustainable Development, Transport and Travel | No Comments
Sunday, May 24th, 2009
Dean Cannon, state representative for Florida and set to take up the position of speaker in the House of Representatives in 2010, is arguing strongly for Florida to take advantage of oil and gas reserves off the coast of Florida, despite residents’ concerns about the potential environmental impact this could have for the states’ beaches.
Cannon cites a number of points that have been made against drilling, including concerns based on problems other states funded by oil extraction such as Texas have seen, including tarballs washing up on the state’s beaches. He advises that most tarballs are the result of oil escaping from the sea bed that has occurred for thousands of years and that this should therefore not be a concern for Floridians. (more…)
Tags: dean cannon, florida, fossil fuels, gas, oil
Posted in Energy and Resources, Environmental Impact, Environmental Politics, Green Planet | No Comments
Friday, May 22nd, 2009
2009 has been officially declared as ‘Year of the Gorilla’ in an attempt to promote this important creature and increase awareness of the threats the species faces that could have a serious effect on gorilla populations. A project by YoG is looking to supply local people of the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo with affordable fuel efficient stoves to reduce the demand for charcoal from the rainforests.
Gorilla numbers have been declining for a number of reasons, mainly the result of man’s actions. Rainforest deforestation impacts on gorillas by destroying their natural habitats, leaving them without the natural surroundings they have evolved to live in. Destruction of the rainforests funds many industries in addition to charcoal production, including the increasing market for palm oil which is being touted as an alternative to oil. Palm oil, however, has twice the carbon footprint, and therefore environmental impact of crude oil.
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Tags: congo, deforestation, endangered species, gorilla, rainforest, rainforest destruction, year of the gorilla, YoG
Posted in Conservation and Wildlife, Environmental Impact, Environmental Politics, Green Planet | No Comments
Thursday, May 21st, 2009
Sitting at the top of Scotland with 22,000 inhabitants, Shetland receives more than its share of wind, making its small wind farm of 5 turbines, including Betsy, a 660kw turbine believed to be the world’s most efficient wind turbine in existence, very well placed.
Betsy reaches outputs of between 52 and 59% of the potential maximum output for the turbine; one reason why it is difficult to argue against the effectiveness of a full scale wind farm were it to be approved and built on Shetland. Not everybody is happy with the proposals for the Viking wind farm however. Although the proposed development could provide 20% of the energy needed to power Scotland, islanders have expressed concern about the detrimental effect the building of the site, including access roads and quarries, would have on the island’s environment.
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Tags: on-shore wind farm, renewable energy, scottish and southern energy, shetland, viking, wind farm, wind power, wind turbine
Posted in Energy and Resources, Environmental Impact, Green Planet, Sustainable Development | 3 Comments
Wednesday, May 20th, 2009
Industrial designer Neil Barron has been announced the winner of the ‘London on Tap‘ competition to design a stylish sustainable carafe for London’s bars, restaurants and businesses. His design, which from above looks like the top of a tap, hence the name, will be available in clear and frosted versions, and later this year in blue and green.
The winning design for the ‘London On Tap’ carafe, which will be mass produced from recycled glass by London based company Nazeing Glass, was announced by London’s Mayor Boris Johnson and came top out of 115 submitted designs, of which 10 were shortlisted. Thames Water launched the competition in May 2008 in conjunction with the Crafts Council with three main aims. They wanted to promote tap water use in the capital as a sustainable, green alternative to bottled water, remove the perceived stigma attached to asking for tap water when eating out, and encourage bars and restaurants to serve tap water as standard.
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Tags: bottled water, carafe, london, london on tap, tap top, tap water, thames water, wateraid
Posted in Companies and Organisations, Ethical shopping, Green Leisure and Tourism, Green Living, Green Planet | 1 Comment
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009
Coca-Cola contribute significantly to the millions of plastic bottles being discarded every year, but new plans announced by the drinks firm could see them taking steps to reduce the environmental impact of their bottles.
Every year the equivalent oil to power 1 million cars is used in the production of plastic bottles for bottled water alone; never mind other soft drinks, with only 10% of this figure currently being recycled. The remainder is left to be shipped off to landfill, where, as plastic is not biodegradable, it takes thousands of years to break down. The move by Coca-Cola therefore is a welcome one that will be rolled out later this year across their Dasani bottled water in the US.
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Tags: bottled water, coca-cola, corporate responsibility, plastic bottles
Posted in Companies and Organisations, Ethical shopping, Green Living, Green Planet, Recycling and Waste | 3 Comments
