If you’ve not heard of 10:10, the campaign to cut carbon emissions by 10% in 2010, then listen up. The campaign is open to anybody, from organisations to individuals, businesses to charities, who want to make a commitment to reduce their carbon footprints and help in the fight against runaway climate change and aims to unite everybody in a communal effort to cut carbon.
The Green Village News Tagged ‘carbon footprint’
Stoke-on-Trent Becomes The First City To Sign Up To 10:10
Thursday, November 26th, 2009Environment Agency To Integrate Carbon Emission Reducing VPO Technology
Thursday, November 5th, 2009
Further to a trial in 8 of their buildings, the Environment Agency will install Voltage Power Optimisation technology in a further 33 of its buildings in a bid to reduce their energy consumption and carbon emissions. The trial resulted in a saving of between 10%-18% of the buildings’ electricity consumption, which is the equivalent of 281 tonnes of carbon.
Voltage Power Optimisation (VPO) works by reducing the voltage of the incoming electricity to reduce energy wastage. Most appliances work fine at 200 volts, however the voltage of electricity entering our homes is usually between 207 and 253 volts. This additional electricity is often wasted as heat, therefore by reducing the voltage, considerable savings in electricity consumption and, as a result, carbon emissions and energy bills can be achieved.
NHS Prescribed Green Initiatives To Help Cut Costs and Save Lives
Wednesday, August 19th, 2009
The NHS has the biggest carbon footprint of the whole UK public sector, emitting over 18 million tonnes of CO2 per year. In an effort to help reduce costs, save lives and help reduce the carbon emissions of the organisation, a handbook providing guidance to key decision-makers in the NHS has been issued along with a letter from the President of UK Faculty of Public Health, Professor Alan Maryon-Davis, the Director of the NHS Sustainable Development Unit, David Pencheon, the Chief Executive of the NHS, David Nicholson, and the Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation, Steve Barnett.
The handbook, ‘Sustaining a Healthy Future – Taking action on climate change (with a special focus on the NHS)’ outlines a number of motives for the health authority to put measures in place to reduce the huge levels of greenhouse gases emitted every year. As well as making a significant contribution towards the government’s targets for reduced levels of carbon emissions by 2020, the organisation is also facing up to their responsibility to act to prevent serious effects of climate change caused by global warming that would inevitably affect the world’s poorest nations with most impact.
Stella Artois To Fund Hedgelaying In The UK
Tuesday, August 4th, 2009
Master Brewers, Stella Artois have teamed up with the Tree Council to fund traditional hedgelaying throughout the UK. Over the next two years, Stella Artois will market promotional multi-packs of lager and for each pack, will donate funds to grow and plant hedge saplings.
It is hoped that the scheme will replenish hedgerows up and down the country with the company pledging to provide up to 365,000 hedgerow saplings and more than 8,500 hedgerow trees. Both the Tree Council and the National Hedgelaying Society will be responsible for organising and laying the hedges and environmentalist and television star Ben Fogle will be the face of the campaign.
Staycationing – A Greener Way To Holiday
Monday, July 20th, 2009With the current economic climate putting restraints on the amount of money people have available to spend on a holiday, staycationing is becoming a popular solution to the family holiday on the cheap. Holidaying in the UK doesn’t only save cash. It can also help you reduce your carbon footprint and save the planet one holiday at a time.
One of the big environmental bonuses of staycationing is the reduced impact from the method of transport you can use to get to your destination. As many people have recently tended to holiday abroad, the form of transport of choice has been by air. Plane travel is one of the biggest contributors to an individual’s carbon footprint, so by reducing the amount of people flying to their holiday destinations, the country’s collective carbon emissions can be significantly reduced.
Britain’s Biggest Eco Village Planned For South Gloucestershire
Monday, June 8th, 2009A new 195-house eco village has been given the go ahead at a former hospital site near Bristol. The eco houses will be part of the Hanham Hall development being led by building contractors Barrett Developments PLC, where the Grade II listed hospital building will be revamped into a community centre.
The planning proposal, which was submitted to the council in December 2008, also includes 2.5 hectares of agricultural land that will be split into allotments and for community amenities. In addition, a Sustainable Living and Energy Centre will be built as part of the development. A CHP power plant within the eco village, powered by a biomass boiler, will be responsible for providing the village’s hot water and electricity supplies, and will be a key component of the zero carbon development.
Tesco Announce Plans To Build New Carbon Neutral Store
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.
McAfee Report Reveals the Environmental Impact of Spam
Friday, April 17th, 2009A new report undertaken by spam expert, Richi Jennings, ICF International, a global firm that provides consultancy and technological solutions to issues such as climate change and environmental problems among others, has been commissioned by Internet Security Firm McAfee to investigate the carbon footprint of spam emails.
Spam emails cause everybody grief from time to time. There isn’t much that’s more annoying than unwanted emails trying to sell you products you don’t want and requests to transfer money to your bank account when all you want to know is whether your friends and family have been in touch.
A Glass and a Half of the Green Stuff Please!
Thursday, February 19th, 2009In July 2007, chocolate firm Cadbury launched their ‘Purple goes Green’ campaign to review their processes and reduce the carbon footprint of their products. Although Cadbury has had an environmental policy in place for the last 15 years, the ‘Purple goes Green’ initiative is aimed at addressing climate change and reducing Cadbury’s environmental impact.
The initiative has so far seen Cadbury save 117 tonnes of cardboard in the transportation process and 202 tonnes of plastic. They have made a commitment that by 2010, 100% of the packaging used in their products will be recyclable or biodegradable.
Their latest action is to undertake a pilot scheme with some of their milk suppliers to provide guidance and advice to help farmers reduce the amount of methane produced by their cows. Cows contribute a significant amount to the UK’s carbon emissions each year, and because the milk used in Cadbury’s chocolate is responsible for just over 60% of its carbon footprint, Cadbury wants their suppliers to make improvements to farm management techniques, including providing nutritious diets to help reduce cows’ emissions.
To find out more about Cadbury’s green commitments, visit their dedicated ‘Purple goes Green’ website.
