Will consumers pay more to buy green?
So... who can think of a way to go green without asking anyoen to pay more?
Anyone?
Thrift usurps green at top of the new consumer agenda
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
...5...4...3...2....1...then what?
Recently I have been rather bombarded by PR, reports, and then reports about PR, and then stories about reports about PR about a movement behind our race having 100 months to a 'tipping point'.
As this is all a bit close to the whole climate change 'discussions' I have wearied of, I have tended to ignore it all as, rather typically, we have ended up with two camps, 'pro' & 'con', though I am not exactly sure, if they are either, of what they are advocating, or why.
If it's a hurry up call, well OK, but history has kind of shown me that the chicken little approach seems to be brought out a tad too often, and a tad too precisely, and often to serve all sorts of other agendas.
What concerns is that, though this is dealing in matters of years (well, a decade), it is still a) a bit far off for most folk to get their heads around (especially pols fighting for their jobs and families their finances) and b) once (if?) we get that far and at 9 years, 11 months and 30 days if the measure is missed for any reason (and there could be many), it will be yet another (and there have been a few), for the more vocal climate optimists to add another alarmist scalp to their rather one-sided view of what's what.
Thing is, outside of some rather, how to put it, usual suspectesque outlets, this essentially 'end-of-the world is nigh' prediction hasn't exactly yet set the major media or many 'official' outlets alight as yet. And while I am more than concerned, self evidently, the origins of all this have already got my eyebrow cranking simply because of what is being said, they way it is being said and the provenance of some of those saying it all.
Here's 'a' link about it from the Guardian, though I do wryly note their non main-news g2 section, so I almost missed it: The final countdown
Can you imagine if a telescope spotted a meteorite that in 10 years was going to write our race off?*
ps; What got me on this eventually was being berated for not replying to a 'poll' on a forum that offered me only choices of tipping point from 2 years to twenty. As I am not qualified and hence have no idea, as this was not an option I declined to respond.
Rather typically, of those that did the 10 year assessment is now being touted as a more substantive measure. I am unsure of the make up of the rest of those 'polled' (don't forget the only correct answers presumed a certain view), but I very much doubt they are much different to me, so this already smells of a pr exercise that can and will lead to some rather uncritical journalistic reporting as 'fact' very soon.
Which, IMHO, serves few of us well. Well, some may disagree:
Spread the word about OneHundredMonths.org
(Early pollsters can give themselves a small back-pat for being in the 1-10 years bracket... 100 months being around 8.3 years...)
Personally I feel this adds some fresh light to the recent discussions around “putting more coal on the global bonfire” and highlights the importance and wisdom of Climate Camp...
I am not saying they (who ever they are) might not be sincere an have many good points, but in my main area of interest - how things play with the public - if I am already cranking an eyebrow there have to be questions, again, on methodology.
BBC - Climate crisis: Roosevelt revisited
Guardian - NEW - How can we save the planet in 99 months? Over to you - When this latest little effort popped up I must confess I passed; along with pledges, I rather view deadlines in this arena as at best pointless and at worst a potential set up for a fall. However, in reading this the intention seems at least noble and with latest reminder there at least looks to be a spirit of proactivity. So good luck.
I of course would advocate reuse and designed in second use, as espoused and promoted by such as http://www.junkk.com , representing a worthy compromise between economic constraints, majority consumer (ie: those who may not select the Guardian as first choice of daily, and hence actually are more significant as a public force of influence) behaviours and the chance that we really should get around to re-addressing a lot of what we currently do pronto.
Sadly, at current count this is but one of only a few that actually have tried to answer the invitation. The rest, totalling some 15 to date, being the near inevitable 't'is/t'isn't' 'warmings' (a sort of climatic flame exchange) from various camps that rarely seem to serve much bar heating things up a tad more. Sigh.
*In case you are interested
As this is all a bit close to the whole climate change 'discussions' I have wearied of, I have tended to ignore it all as, rather typically, we have ended up with two camps, 'pro' & 'con', though I am not exactly sure, if they are either, of what they are advocating, or why.
If it's a hurry up call, well OK, but history has kind of shown me that the chicken little approach seems to be brought out a tad too often, and a tad too precisely, and often to serve all sorts of other agendas.
What concerns is that, though this is dealing in matters of years (well, a decade), it is still a) a bit far off for most folk to get their heads around (especially pols fighting for their jobs and families their finances) and b) once (if?) we get that far and at 9 years, 11 months and 30 days if the measure is missed for any reason (and there could be many), it will be yet another (and there have been a few), for the more vocal climate optimists to add another alarmist scalp to their rather one-sided view of what's what.
Thing is, outside of some rather, how to put it, usual suspectesque outlets, this essentially 'end-of-the world is nigh' prediction hasn't exactly yet set the major media or many 'official' outlets alight as yet. And while I am more than concerned, self evidently, the origins of all this have already got my eyebrow cranking simply because of what is being said, they way it is being said and the provenance of some of those saying it all.
Here's 'a' link about it from the Guardian, though I do wryly note their non main-news g2 section, so I almost missed it: The final countdown
Can you imagine if a telescope spotted a meteorite that in 10 years was going to write our race off?*
ps; What got me on this eventually was being berated for not replying to a 'poll' on a forum that offered me only choices of tipping point from 2 years to twenty. As I am not qualified and hence have no idea, as this was not an option I declined to respond.
Rather typically, of those that did the 10 year assessment is now being touted as a more substantive measure. I am unsure of the make up of the rest of those 'polled' (don't forget the only correct answers presumed a certain view), but I very much doubt they are much different to me, so this already smells of a pr exercise that can and will lead to some rather uncritical journalistic reporting as 'fact' very soon.
Which, IMHO, serves few of us well. Well, some may disagree:
Spread the word about OneHundredMonths.org
(Early pollsters can give themselves a small back-pat for being in the 1-10 years bracket... 100 months being around 8.3 years...)
Personally I feel this adds some fresh light to the recent discussions around “putting more coal on the global bonfire” and highlights the importance and wisdom of Climate Camp...
I am not saying they (who ever they are) might not be sincere an have many good points, but in my main area of interest - how things play with the public - if I am already cranking an eyebrow there have to be questions, again, on methodology.
BBC - Climate crisis: Roosevelt revisited
Guardian - NEW - How can we save the planet in 99 months? Over to you - When this latest little effort popped up I must confess I passed; along with pledges, I rather view deadlines in this arena as at best pointless and at worst a potential set up for a fall. However, in reading this the intention seems at least noble and with latest reminder there at least looks to be a spirit of proactivity. So good luck.
I of course would advocate reuse and designed in second use, as espoused and promoted by such as http://www.junkk.com , representing a worthy compromise between economic constraints, majority consumer (ie: those who may not select the Guardian as first choice of daily, and hence actually are more significant as a public force of influence) behaviours and the chance that we really should get around to re-addressing a lot of what we currently do pronto.
Sadly, at current count this is but one of only a few that actually have tried to answer the invitation. The rest, totalling some 15 to date, being the near inevitable 't'is/t'isn't' 'warmings' (a sort of climatic flame exchange) from various camps that rarely seem to serve much bar heating things up a tad more. Sigh.
*In case you are interested
Monday, September 01, 2008
More Geo-engineering Ideas
The latest in a long line of suggested methods of geo-engineering the earth to limit warming involves throwing large sprays of salt water into the air to encourage cloud formation as reported today in the Yorkshire Post.
There is also a summary of other geo-engineering concepts in the Indy today too.
Some ideas seem rather off the wall, but it is all very interesting stuff.
There is also a summary of other geo-engineering concepts in the Indy today too.
Some ideas seem rather off the wall, but it is all very interesting stuff.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Arctic Ice Update
It has finally happened.
For the first time in human history, both fabled North West and North East passages are open, making the Arctic ocean capable of being circumnavigated. It is thought that this unprecedented event has never occurred during the last 125,000 years, and some scientists now believe that the Arctic ice cap is entering a death spiral from which it will never recover, leading to the Arctic being ice free during the summer months, perhaps as early as 2030.
The NSIDC reports (as of 26/8/2008) that the ice extent is the second lowest on record, and with a couple of weeks of ice melt left to come, it may well be that last year's largest ice loss record could be broken again.
The ice loss is regarded as direct evidence that our little lump of planetary rock IS warming, and whether you believe the warming is man-made (or worsened), as the IPCC consensus states, or entirely natural (as many believe to be the case), it would suggest that things are going to change for humanity rather significantly.
My question is - what if the Greenland ice cap IS following suite and also starts to disappear? Perhaps this is the time to buy shares in welly and boat manufacturing businesses?
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
CATEGORY - FASHION & TEXTILES
A trivial issue to many in my book, but it gets a lot of press.
ARTICLES
Times - Is recycling your old clothes worth it?
Guardian - Ethical fashion directory - Go wild, eco-luvvies!
Sharkride - NEW - SUSTAINABLE CLOTHING PRODUCTION
ARTICLES
Times - Is recycling your old clothes worth it?
Guardian - Ethical fashion directory - Go wild, eco-luvvies!
Sharkride - NEW - SUSTAINABLE CLOTHING PRODUCTION
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]
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
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.
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..
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..
Friday, August 15, 2008
Movin' on
I have today waded through a rather predictable set of stories, and responses to same, in major media and blogosphere, regarding this undoubted fact:
Climate 'altering UK bird habits'
Now I have a stated reluctance to getting into any 'tis/t'isn't barnies here as they seem to go nowhere fast, but not fast enough to avoid consuming yet more time it is possible we may not have.
What rather amazes me is that still the 'optimists' seem rather stuck in an increasingly odd groove, namely that nothing is happening. I've seen all sorts of 'responses', to ice sheet thicknesses and weather patterns, etc, that are still harking to the notion of 'warming' as the one and only thing that should be happening and isn't. I think I've seen one guy actually write that he's got his jummy on in August, and that's never happened before, so it can't be warming.
No, but it does seem to be 'changing'.
Thing is, many of these knee-jerks are kind of in response to equally clunky attempts to pin anything and everything on climate change (which it does, all the time), but more controversially down to man.
Dilemma. If you want to change behaviours, you need to point at causes and solutions. Trouble is, so far, I don't think we know enough to be certain, but we live in a world of absolutes now. And saying it for certain, even if just to get a reaction, can rather backfire, especially if things don't then pan out as predicted (which, in matters of TV minutes vs. geological timeframes isn't helpful). Also, it really doesn't help if the 'solutions' are more on the negative side...stop, don't, etc.
I don't pretend to have the answers either, but one I certainly do advocate is the pessimists learning a bit of judo and going with the opponents' strengths rather than standing rigid and getting flattened.
Frankly, as a bit of science, if the trend in bird nesting has moved (though reports of it being by 'a week' didn't really seem that awful to my non-ornithological mind) then leave it at that.
I'm sure if we are also getting information on PMWNCC, then most can connect the dots without it being the primary reason for everything.
Now, if we can accept that it is changing, what do we...
Gaurdian - NEW - Warming warnings get overheated
Climate 'altering UK bird habits'
Now I have a stated reluctance to getting into any 'tis/t'isn't barnies here as they seem to go nowhere fast, but not fast enough to avoid consuming yet more time it is possible we may not have.
What rather amazes me is that still the 'optimists' seem rather stuck in an increasingly odd groove, namely that nothing is happening. I've seen all sorts of 'responses', to ice sheet thicknesses and weather patterns, etc, that are still harking to the notion of 'warming' as the one and only thing that should be happening and isn't. I think I've seen one guy actually write that he's got his jummy on in August, and that's never happened before, so it can't be warming.
No, but it does seem to be 'changing'.
Thing is, many of these knee-jerks are kind of in response to equally clunky attempts to pin anything and everything on climate change (which it does, all the time), but more controversially down to man.
Dilemma. If you want to change behaviours, you need to point at causes and solutions. Trouble is, so far, I don't think we know enough to be certain, but we live in a world of absolutes now. And saying it for certain, even if just to get a reaction, can rather backfire, especially if things don't then pan out as predicted (which, in matters of TV minutes vs. geological timeframes isn't helpful). Also, it really doesn't help if the 'solutions' are more on the negative side...stop, don't, etc.
I don't pretend to have the answers either, but one I certainly do advocate is the pessimists learning a bit of judo and going with the opponents' strengths rather than standing rigid and getting flattened.
Frankly, as a bit of science, if the trend in bird nesting has moved (though reports of it being by 'a week' didn't really seem that awful to my non-ornithological mind) then leave it at that.
I'm sure if we are also getting information on PMWNCC, then most can connect the dots without it being the primary reason for everything.
Now, if we can accept that it is changing, what do we...
Gaurdian - NEW - Warming warnings get overheated
And the joint award for irony and best use of funds goes to..
Sweet home Alabama?
I appreciate the underlying humour that prompted this, but was more interested in the simple facts of.. 'The council spent £15,000... The leaflet was meant to thank residents for helping the city achieve its 2007-2008 recycling target early.'
Let's get our heads round this. They spent an extra £15k to thank folk for helping meet a target early.
I appreciate the underlying humour that prompted this, but was more interested in the simple facts of.. 'The council spent £15,000... The leaflet was meant to thank residents for helping the city achieve its 2007-2008 recycling target early.'
Let's get our heads round this. They spent an extra £15k to thank folk for helping meet a target early.
The weak of provenance
It's always worth thinking how really green any green effort you get involved with is.
Especially if you are part of the civil service.
The dirty secret of your NHS
I wonder if a target still got met?
Especially if you are part of the civil service.
The dirty secret of your NHS
I wonder if a target still got met?
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Oh, the buzzing of the bees
... in the cigarette trees......(From 'The Big Rock Candy Mountain'). Maybe a sound that you will not hear that much in the future, and that is a cause for great concern, as our little friends, the bees, in their many species, appear to be in almost terminal decline. Full report from the Indy.
So what? I hear many of you ask. Well, without bees, a lot of our food crops will not be pollinated, and yields will drop dramatically. So they are, kind of, errrrm, rather important to humanity.
The article explains how CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder), which has devastated parts of the USA, has since hit Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece hard too. Now it seems to be spreading into the UK. And the cause of CCD? There is some research which now points the finger at mobile phones. The suggestion is that mobile phone signals somehow interfere with the bees navigation systems; they are unable to find their way back home, and they die.
Yet another serious enviro issue to worry about. And that's NOT tongue in cheek!
Bee-minus?
NEW - (Junkk Male) I was not aware of it at the time or I'd have picthed in, but here's a response from No10 to a petition on this topic.
So what? I hear many of you ask. Well, without bees, a lot of our food crops will not be pollinated, and yields will drop dramatically. So they are, kind of, errrrm, rather important to humanity.
The article explains how CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder), which has devastated parts of the USA, has since hit Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece hard too. Now it seems to be spreading into the UK. And the cause of CCD? There is some research which now points the finger at mobile phones. The suggestion is that mobile phone signals somehow interfere with the bees navigation systems; they are unable to find their way back home, and they die.
Yet another serious enviro issue to worry about. And that's NOT tongue in cheek!
Bee-minus?
NEW - (Junkk Male) I was not aware of it at the time or I'd have picthed in, but here's a response from No10 to a petition on this topic.
What goes down, can come up
Is it just me, but wouldn't it make a wee bit more sense not to chuck it out in the first place?
High price of plastics raises prospect of rubbish mining in dumps
I must be sitting on a gold mine (just personally - what Junkk.com is set up to offer by way of getting people paid by those willing to fork out cash rather than a fine seems an opportunity, too!
Britain's bin baron says: get recycling like the Germans
Recycling: mining muck
The hidden cost of recycling - now that sets a cat in even my own set of enviROI notions!
PRW - Mining for plastic in landfill within a decade
MRW - NEW - Councils miss out on "green gold"
High price of plastics raises prospect of rubbish mining in dumps
I must be sitting on a gold mine (just personally - what Junkk.com is set up to offer by way of getting people paid by those willing to fork out cash rather than a fine seems an opportunity, too!
Britain's bin baron says: get recycling like the Germans
Recycling: mining muck
The hidden cost of recycling - now that sets a cat in even my own set of enviROI notions!
PRW - Mining for plastic in landfill within a decade
MRW - NEW - Councils miss out on "green gold"
Everything is relative, I guess
And I know that it's hard to reduce things as populations expand (even if economies might not be).
But...
After all the bazzillions spent on system and 'awareness' comms budgets, do these figures look good to you on an ROI and/or enviROI basis?
Defra says results show waste policy progress
Household waste is down from 25.8m to 25.6m tonnes;
Waste sent to landfill is down from 16.9 to 15.8m tonnes;
Average household recycling rates increased to 33.9%; and
Municipal waste reduced overall from 29.1m to 28.8m tonnes.
But...
After all the bazzillions spent on system and 'awareness' comms budgets, do these figures look good to you on an ROI and/or enviROI basis?
Defra says results show waste policy progress
Household waste is down from 25.8m to 25.6m tonnes;
Waste sent to landfill is down from 16.9 to 15.8m tonnes;
Average household recycling rates increased to 33.9%; and
Municipal waste reduced overall from 29.1m to 28.8m tonnes.
From the country that brought you 'bring out your dead...'
You have to admire the official optimism of some town hall policy wonks..
Manchester: Bring in bins to stop fire starters
'Entertain your kids. Impress your friends! A bin in the hall is a sure sign that you have the health of our balance sheet well up on the agenda, and the heck with smell or hygiene or space!'
Bless.
Manchester: Bring in bins to stop fire starters
'Entertain your kids. Impress your friends! A bin in the hall is a sure sign that you have the health of our balance sheet well up on the agenda, and the heck with smell or hygiene or space!'
Bless.
Numbers game
Just love it when arts and science meet
The oxygen crisis
I live in hope that just one liberal media outlet will hire someone who didn't do classics for Oxford of History of Social Work and Knitting at Kingston Poly.
The oxygen crisis
I live in hope that just one liberal media outlet will hire someone who didn't do classics for Oxford of History of Social Work and Knitting at Kingston Poly.
Switch. But what to?
Our environmental concerns are on standby
Have to agree with (almost) all posters here, especially if the stats stand up, which makes it a very useful blog.
FWIW I charge my phone besides my desk and off it goes the moment it's 'done'.
Not for great enviro reasons, but a warm transformer is a penny-sucking transformer.
At current mobile usage, even if left on 24/7 (and with the alarm on - what's the carbon footprint of an additional, new bedside clock?) that's about 3hrs per week.
We also only do the washing at weekends and so that's off as soon as done (killed off the dryer years ago).
Even the dishwasher* is off before the 'drying' light goes out. At post wash heat opening the door and leaving a while seems to do as well.
A £5.99 gizmo on the TV/SKY/DVD combo plugs seems to kill 'em all pretty well without having to risk life and limb getting into the back-end spaghetti.
But I do totally agree that there is no excuse for these aspects not to be designed in.
ps: Having had a problem I had an eye-opening chat with my engineer. He reckoned the eco-setting was anything but. 5 degrees cooler but two hours longer. Plus the lower temp on appliances means the seals and pipes end up clogged more often and require him called out more often and bits being replaced.
If true, hardly seems very sensible ROI or enviROI even to me, more like another type of 'washing', if you know what I mean:)
Have to agree with (almost) all posters here, especially if the stats stand up, which makes it a very useful blog.
FWIW I charge my phone besides my desk and off it goes the moment it's 'done'.
Not for great enviro reasons, but a warm transformer is a penny-sucking transformer.
At current mobile usage, even if left on 24/7 (and with the alarm on - what's the carbon footprint of an additional, new bedside clock?) that's about 3hrs per week.
We also only do the washing at weekends and so that's off as soon as done (killed off the dryer years ago).
Even the dishwasher* is off before the 'drying' light goes out. At post wash heat opening the door and leaving a while seems to do as well.
A £5.99 gizmo on the TV/SKY/DVD combo plugs seems to kill 'em all pretty well without having to risk life and limb getting into the back-end spaghetti.
But I do totally agree that there is no excuse for these aspects not to be designed in.
ps: Having had a problem I had an eye-opening chat with my engineer. He reckoned the eco-setting was anything but. 5 degrees cooler but two hours longer. Plus the lower temp on appliances means the seals and pipes end up clogged more often and require him called out more often and bits being replaced.
If true, hardly seems very sensible ROI or enviROI even to me, more like another type of 'washing', if you know what I mean:)
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