Saturday, August 16, 2008

JUNKK NEWSLETTER - August 08

Well, here it is, for those who may not have signed up to the site opt-in mailing (go on, I need the numbers!) but read this blog.

Took me long enough. That last was in April, and though well received after a long absence it has taken me this long to get around to the next. Which is pretty silly as in that intervening time a lot of folk will have ported from Hotmail to AOL or left their firewalled company nest to seek better opportunities or set-up their own businesses. I doubt telling Junkk would be high on the 'new address' list.

The eagle-eyed, and/or faithful amongst you might notice quite a lot that's familiar. This is basically because most that is on Junkk.com is from here. Frankly the admin. interface is streets ahead. In fact I suspect many Junkk users don't appreciate just how much Junkk info is updated daily on the blog side. Being addressed!

Anyhoo, a few experiments have been put in place as this all goes down. One is me posting this 'ahead', Tardis like, in time, to see if it stays top of the list for the next few weeks.... while I am away. At last... freedom. No mobile. No internet! A for real holiday with no clutter or distractions save spouse and sons. Bliss.

And as I (with the noble exception of trusty Dave, who has co-access and can post) am about it, Junkk.com and Junkk Male RE:view will be coasting for a wee while.

I am also road-testing a new newsletter format, and in case the world hits the fan for any reason, I am (after suitable testing) pushing 'SEND' as I walk out the door. I kind of want it to be different to most other newsletters in the green arena, but I also am nervous about how some may view a bit more feisty opinion lurking in the shared info which hopefully all will value in the sharing.

I don't want any brickbats to spoil my time away, and will look forward to any bouquets awaiting my return to ease the pain of getting back in this dratted seat and firing up the monitor once more.

Ready, steady.... [click]

NEWS/GO3 PR - Pledge and win!

Desperately trying to round off various tasks before we leave for our vacation.

Here's a topical one I have to get out now, as I promised the author. As always, E&EO, though this one is as 'in the zone' as one could hope:)

Now my views on some major media and government pledges are well know, but this one has that consumer-inspiring extra that is so often neglected: reward!

Pledge and win!

In June 2008, the Green family from Gloucestershire set themselves a zero waste challenge.

Could an ordinary household produce nothing for the landfill each week?

Reducing, reusing and recycling came into their awareness after they were personally involved in the Boscastle floods, whilst on holiday, in 2004.

They realised that every action they took had an impact on other people across the country and the globe. How we dispose of our rubbish can contribute to global warming, so they decided to take responsibility for their actions.

They half heartedly attempted changes, but kept falling back into old habit patterns.

Then an article about the effects of plastic on marine life changed their lives for ever. From that moment on, Mr Green declared 'no more plastic bags' and that was the beginning of their journey towards zero waste.

In June, an 'average' weeks waste for the Greens was around 100 litres - 1 metal dustbin plus 2 swing bin liners. By recycling more and changing their shopping habits over the past 3 months, the Green's put out just 141 grams this week - less than half a carrier bag.

During the first week in September, the Greens have set themselves a zero waste week. In order to help spread the word about the 3 R's and reducing landfill waste, they want you to join in too!

You will have the opportunity to earn some fantastic prizes when you pledge to make some changes.

Simply visit their 'Pledge and win' page, choose your pledges, choose which prizes you would like to win, carry our your actions and then return to the site in September to comment on your experiences.

Don't worry - you don't have to go zero waste! The competition is aimed at complete novices as well as those who are already recycling. If all you can commit to is to reduce one can, then that's fine. If everyone in the UK did this one small action, we could save 60 million cans going into the landfill.

The aim of zero waste week is to show people that every small action can have meaningful effects. And the hope is that changes made during zero waste week will be long lasting and lead to other changes.

In addition to zero waste week, the Green's blog about their daily adventures on their site

When others zig...

It is irrational, unfair an unwise, but when this woman says something I tend to look in the other direction for what makes sense...

Carbon credits tick all the boxes. What's the delay?

What, oh why, did she have put 'tick boxes' in the headline!?

Simplistically (and ignoring a bunch of modern day economic, social, democratic, etc realities) the only thing I can see being effective is a GLOBAL rationing system based on personal allocation and not trade.

One long haul, one short haul, 10,000 miles, so many kW & btus per person per annum.

Not very fair, especially to your aspiring Mumbai IT whizz, Shanghai metal worker or Kalahari bushman, but there you go.

Thing is, if it were made fair in such a way, and trade was introduced, suddenly upping the total emissions allowed by all who share this planet's atmosphere to a Tuscany-accessing thrice yearly level would, I'd hazard, roast us all inside even Mr. Tickell's timeframe.

I'm sure Madonna or Mrs. Pitt could use their future brood's allowance to bring 'em over, but having squillions but little to spend it on as one is stuck at home is going to leave little for the Guardian's style section to report upon.

Or is the suggestion that I don't hit the beaches this weekend and trade that (nifty commissions to all in the City, natch) with Coca Cola (UK), and this will sort things out? I mean in terms of total, global enviROI that serves the future of my kids well, not.... box-ticking targets.

Just a thought...

I've mentioned this before.

Between the sun and the rain, my 1/2 acre produces so much green stuff each week I cannot keep up. Even with a massive trolley, my dump run is piled high with vegetation.

Now, as this is what Mother Nature has used energy from sunlight to convert C02 into more complex carbon products (and hence capturing) that's already a good thing, but can't we in some way munch this down to compost and capture the gaseous energy to run stuff?

I merely ask, because having watched the Chinese army tote several acres of offshore seaweed to landfill, the same notion struck me when I read this:

Foreign plants and animals cause havoc on waterways

BBC - 'Dirty dozen' threaten waterways

Guardian - NEW - Compost bug offers hope for biofuel industry - Dots are bring joined..