Archive for the ‘Green Campaigns’ Category

More Sunlight & lower Carbon Emissions! What a plan!

Friday, June 18th, 2010

The latest brainwave by Environmentalist Group 10:10 could save the UK 500,000 tonnes of carbon emissions every year and it is so very simple!

1010 logo

In our country, we move the clocks around and in so doing waste valuable daylight in the morning and burn expensive lightbulbs in the evening. 10:10 are proposing a change in the way we do this. A plan called ‘Lighter Later’ suggests that we move our clocks forward by one hour for the whole year. We should then change our clocks as normal in Spring and Autumn. This would equate to GMT +2hours in the Summer and GMT +1 in the Winter, which would give us all valuable daylight hours when we were awake and not at 4.30am when most of us are sleeping. It would also delay the time at which we switch on our electric lights in the winter – sometimes as early as 3.30pm in the afternoon.

So all in all, we would gain more sunlight, reduce our electricity consumption, save money and reduce the carbon emissions!

The 10:10 campaigners are collecting signatures which will be presented to the Prime Minister on June 21st, the longest day of the year. They already have 10,000 signatures but would love to get 5,000 more in the next few days. To sign up to the campaign follow the link and be a part of the solution!

WWF Earth Hour 2010 is a huge success!

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

Earth Hour 2010 took place at 8.30pm last Saturday across the globe. WWF reports that over 4,000 cities in 126 countries took part in turning off their lights for one hour to show support for the campaign against climate change.
Paris fights climate change

In a spectacular show of global unity famous landmarks were left in the dark including Big Ben, the Palace of Westminster, the Eiffel Tower, the Great Pyramids, Rome’s Coliseum, Sydney’s Opera House and the Forbidden City in China.Arc de Triomph after

In the UK lights went out across the country at landmarks such as Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, Tower Bridge, Wales Millennium Centre and Stadium in Cardiff, Edinburgh Castle and the Wheel in Belfast.

Thousands of families and businesses also took part in what is meant to be a demonstration to governments across the globe that we care about the planet and demand action on climate change.

In our household the candles were lit and lights turned off – in fact we just turned the electricity off at the mains. James and I settled down with our 12 year old daughter to a huge game of dominoes on the living room floor! It was great fun and in fact we left the lights off later on as well. When we turned the electricity back on the hum of the appliances around the house was shocking! Perhaps we should implement this Earth Hour more often. There is in fact a call for a monthly Earth Hour – I think we might just join in!
Noname

For more information and to see the fantastic photo diaries from around the world check out the WWF UK website. It is truly inspirational.

Open Day at UK Super Homes March 28th 2010

Friday, March 26th, 2010

50 UK Homes are opening their doors this Sunday to show us all how to reftrofit our existing homes with energy saving insulation, boilers, solar panels and a whole host of other ideas. They have each achieved a minimum of 60% reduction in their carbon emissions – now we can too!

To find a ‘Superhome’ near you, check out the website or visit the Great British Refurb Campaign to find out more.Great British Refurb Campaign

Can you recycle your old carpet?

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

A shocking statistic – 500,000 tonnes of carpet are buried in landfill in the UK every year! There has to be another solution. So, can you recycle an old carpet?

Off to a landfill near you!

Off to a landfill near you!

One new company is leading the way, building their own plant to take some of the carpets, break them down and sell their component materials on as raw materials to other industries from polypropolene and nylon to wool, hessian and jute. Greenback Recycling are even working with local authorities and have managed to get dedicated carpet recycling containers placed at local recycling collection points. They intend to spread this plan nationally.

Until then, it is worth checking with your local authority to see if they take carpet for recycling. If not, what else can be done?

- If it, or a large part of it, is in good condition try offering it on Freecycle. You never know, someone could be waiting for that particular posting!
- Offer it to local schools or preschool groups
- Reuse it yourself as a good insulator in an attic room or outdoor shed or even to cover the compost heap
- Offer it to local gardening groups or allotment societies who can use it on their compost heaps

Can we save the Tar Sands and avert catastrophe?

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

A new report from WWF UK and The Co-operative reflects on the proposed budget of £254 billion that oil companies are proposing to spend on extracting oil from the Canadian tar sands. Whilst many fear the ecological impact of releasing the oil in this area of our endangered planet, WWF also look at it from a financial angle.

Colin Butfield, Head of Campaigns at WWF UK, warns that the plans could single handedly destroy any hope of keeping CO2 emissions at an acceptable level and goes further to remark that the vast sums of money, could be used to help fund so many renewable energy projects, including the Desertec Industrial Initiative – a plan to link Europe to vast solar plants in Northern Africa providing 15% of Europe’s electricity by 2050.

For more information and how to join the campaign against Tar Sands oil, check out the report on the WWF website

The Great British Refurb Campaign – 1 down 26million to go!

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

Great British Refurb CampaignOn a visit to the ever-expanding Ecobuild Fair yesterday, I was interested to sit in on a discussion surrounding the Great British Refurb Campaign, set up over a year ago by Kevin McCloud. The campaign is trying to make our Government and the great British public understand the fact that whilst new builds are being regulated and driven towards zero carbon by 2016, little is being done for the 26m homes already built and occupied by the likes of you and I. How can we set about retrofitting so many homes to reach carbon reduction targets set for 2020 and beyond?

A recent competition was set up by the campaign for one lucky winner to receive all the upgrades needed to create a low energy home. The winner Will Homoky was present at the conference and described the upgrades (valued at around £23,000) that his house had received:Upgrade the loft

* Interior wall & loft insulation

* Solar Panels

* Balloons in unused chimneys to stop draughts

* New composite doors and thermally insulated glazing

* Smaller Radiators

* Unit to lower voltage coming in through the electricity mains

How had this changed Will’s energy statistics? The results were astounding, as he achieved an 80% drop in carbon emissions and better still a 123% drop in energy bills – Will can now make money on electricity produced by his solar panels through the new Feed-in-Tariff coming in April.

A fantastic result I am sure you’ll agree, but how can the majority of the public carry out similar works? There are many hurdles to overcome

-          Financial : many householders simply cannot afford it

-          Destruction : the complete house might be affected and occupiers will need to put up with a lot of disruption during the works

-          Motivation : many people lack the belief that they need to reduce their personal carbon footprint

-          Industry infrastructure : currently we are as a nation lacking in the skills and infrastructure necessary to carry out the works on a large scale

Clearly, these are big issues that need discussion at the highest levels of our society.

Government is moving in the right direction with schemes such as CERT and CESP both of which help financially with grants for upgrades but can only cover around 1.5m houses per year. If we are to tackle 26m houses much more is needed.

Yesterday Ed Milliband introduced a new scheme in which homeowners can take out a ‘green loan’ for energy efficient upgrades. This loan will be set against the property and will be sold on to the next occupier as the house is sold.  This is once again a step in the right direction but will not help out the millions living in social housing or close to the poverty line who do not own their own houses. Can landlords and housing associations finance the necessary upgrades?

There is clearly no easy answer and we will be following the debate with interest in the run-up to the election. Check out the Great British Refurb Campaign website who will be posting summaries of the three main political parties housing policies over the coming months. It is sure to be an interesting debate.

Most importantly of all, sign up to the campaign and make it clear that if we are to achieve the targets set for carbon reduction we are all going to need a little help and we are definitely going to need to work together.

Does your home damage your health?

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

As an eco interior designer, I am thrilled by the in-roads being made by the building industry with stronger and stronger building codes, moving all of us closer to a zero carbon housing stock. The benefits of optimum insulation and low energy heating options are clear and if adopted globally could help to save us from ourselves. The innovations are exciting and just keep coming – I can’t wait for next week’s Ecobuild to check out what has happened in the last 12 months.

As an eco interior designer, I am worried about the in-roads being made in the building industry towards air-tight housing that provides this optimum insulation and minimal heat loss. Has anybody considered the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in this new building style? By now, we are more or less aware of the chemical cocktail building up within our homes. Many of us are aware of the term ‘off-gassing’, the process by which chemical compounds and VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) evaporate from items in our houses such as paint, wood stain, varnishes, plywood, carpets treated with pesticide and stain repellent, upholstery treated with FR treatments such as bromide and MDF containing formaldehyde. The list goes on and the cocktail remains untested.

Many of the chemicals in everyday building materials and furniture have been tested alone but every home has a different mixture and the cumulative effects of those have never been tested.  However, the symptoms of the off-gassing have been recorded by experts as “puffy red eyes, watery eyes, runny nose, congestion, coughing, full blown asthma, skin irritation, rashes, itching and hives” (Dr Clifford Basset, Vice Chairman of Public Education Committee of American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology). Brominated FR treatments and some carpet pesitcides and stain repellents have been proven to be persistent and cumulative; many are hormone disrupters and some even carcinogenic.

Rubber Duck - Friend or Foe?

A recent experiment and now best-selling book ‘Slow Death by Rubber Duck’ written by Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie, looks at the effect living in a normal home with everyday products can have on toxic levels in our bloodstream. The results are more than a little worrying.

In our enthusiasm and drive to move closer to energy efficient and air tight housing, let us not forget that we also need to remove the chemical threat from our living environment. It is time to move over or rather move back to natural building materials and to look at how we decorate our homes. It is a personal challenge that any private individual can undertake. The solutions are out there but until regulations are in place will large developers really change the products they put into their housing estates or flats?

Animal Conservationists claim Boom Time for Bitterns!

Monday, January 25th, 2010

Animal Conservationists are reporting a boost in the number of Bittern sightings in the UK. The harsh winter cold has brought the rare birds to the UK in higher numbers this year as they attempt to escape the freezing conditions on the Continent.

Teh Bittern returns to our lakes

The Bittern returns to our lakes

The Bittern population in the UK was critical at the end of the 90’s as only 11 males were recorded in 1997. The RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) recorded 82 males last year and believes the influx this year to be treble that! Bitterns are quite elusive wading birds and are known by the booming calls made by the males that can be heard miles away. The snow has made them easier to spot and there have been sightings all over the UK from the Channel Isles to the West Midlands and Wales.

To mark the decline in numbers of this wonderful bird, students at St Martins College of Arts in London developed a series of eco wallpapers for Graham & Brown which are one of our leading sellers. Perhaps they should now be seen as a celebration of the return of the Bitterns to the UK in greater numbers! Let’s hope they are here to stay! Check out the Bittern Wallpaper range Gecco InteriorsBittern Habitat Eco-Wallpaper

Welcome to the World Baby Rhino!

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

A spot of happy news for a hopefully Happy new Year! On 2 January 2010, a baby white rhino was born in Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Uganda. This is the 3rd calf to be born after 25 years of regional extinction. The White rhino has been extinct in the region since 1982 after poachers wiped them out.

Baby White Rhino

Baby White Rhino

Ziwa Rhino Sancutary was established in 1997 to help to reintroduce the Rhinos and the first calf was born 12 years later and called Obama! The new calf has yet to be named, but is a welcome addition to the family. For more information and how to support the sanctuary check out Ecowordly and Rhinofund.org

The Wave Climate Change March in London – A day for hope???

Friday, December 11th, 2009
Please save our planet

Please save our planet

In advance of the Copenhagen Summit our family made the trip into London for The Wave. We went to our first march 3 years ago which ended with 15,000+ people in Trafalgar Square listening to KT Tunstall. In the last two years we had been a bit disappointed to see a smaller number of marchers. Well this year was different… the official estimates ranged been from 20,000 up to 50,000 and given the fact that it took us an hour to get out of Grosvenor Square, it was much closer to 50,000. We were really impressed and greatly encouraged by the number of children and the age range of this years marchers. We met 9 month old babies and 90 year old grandparents as well as Harvey the Climate Change dog.

There is still a long way to go for all of us who are interested in the sustainability of the planet and the human race but the signs of The Wave were encouraging. Let’s hope the politicians, media and the unengaged get the message.

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Here are a couple of Videos we took on the day

On the train to The Wave

The Wave – Climate Change Demo – December 5th 2009