47 Search Results for "cv22 5lp"

• Buy Eco Friendly Knickers! Buy Eco Friendly Knickers!

  • From: JohnRussell
  • Description:

    It all began as a student project - but now GreenKnickers looks set to stay.

    The undies which are kind to the planet, have proved so popular that the zero carbon pants have sold out and a new wedding range is to be launched.

    Sarah Lucy Smith came up with the idea for her final project while doing the Eco Design course at Goldsmiths university.

    She then teamed up with her school friend Rose Cleary-Southwood, and GreenKnickers was born.

    Sarah said: "We started GreenKnickers to prove that ethical can be funny, beautiful and sexy.

    "The fabrics are so gorgeous, and super-duper green.They're selling extremely well.

    "Some customers say they're the comfiest knickers they've ever worn."

    The knickers are made from environmentally friendly fabrics, like organic cotton, hemp and silk. Goods from abroad are shipped by sea and staff travel by bike.

    Each pair arrives in a box made from recycled paper and printed with organic vegetable based inks.

    The global warming knickers are printed with thermo-chromic inks, and change colour as they warm up.

    There is also a range of cycling smalls with removable padding to encourage people to reduce their carbon footprint.

    At the moment GreenKnickers operates online, but Sarah said: "If the business continues to be successful I would love to open up a boutique."

    Around 80% of the wholesale value goes to the suppliers.

    But at a cost of up to £25-a-pair, plus £3 postage and packaging, you will have to pay the price to do your bit.

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  • 1 year ago
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• Shoppers urged to 'get a bag h Shoppers urged to 'get a bag habit'

  • From: JohnRussell
  • Description:

    Shoppers are being urged to reuse their plastic bags as part of efforts to cut the billions of carrier bags handed out each year.

    According to the Environment Department (Defra), consumers get through an average of more than 160 new carrier bags each year - mounting up to 13,000 in their lifetimes.

    Last year, some 9.9 billion carrier bags were handed out in the UK which, if laid to end, would be enough to reach the moon and back seven times, Defra said.

    The Government is launching the "get a bag habit" campaign in a bid to get people to reuse their old bags.

    A YouGov poll of almost 2,500 shoppers to provide "top tips" for remembering to use bags more than once found almost half of people (49%) who reuse plastic bags keep them in their car and almost a third (29%) keep them in their handbag.

    The new campaign with the British Retail Consortium (BRC) follows voluntary agreements by stores to reduce carrier bag use, which have seen the number of bags cut by more than a quarter (26%) since 2006.

    In December the seven major supermarket chains - Asda, the Co-operative, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury's, Somerfield, Tesco and Waitrose - agreed a new target to cut the number of single use bags handed out by half by the end of May.

    Environment Minister Jane Kennedy said: "Retailers and the public have already made great steps in the right direction and I think if we can really can 'get a bag habit' and remember to reuse our bags, it puts us on the right track to doing even more to reduce the amount of waste we're sending to landfill."

    Jane Milne, business environment director at the BRC, said: "Customers have done a great deal to help us reduce the number of carrier bags issued each year by over a quarter.

    "Now we all need to redouble our efforts to reach our target of halving new bag numbers by this May."

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  • 1 year ago
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• City buses turn to sewage for City buses turn to sewage for 'clean' fuel

  • From: JohnRussell
  • Description:

    Can the key to "clean" energy be found down in the sewer? That's the idea in Oslo, where city officials soon plan to introduce buses that run on biofuels extracted from human waste.

    As of 2010, the new buses are due to start plying the streets of the Norwegian capital.

    "It's a win-win situation: It's carbon neutral, it hardly pollutes the environment, it's less noisy and its endlessly renewable," says Ole Jakob Johansen, one of the people in charge of the project at Oslo city hall.

    The biofuel, which is methane generated by fermenting sludge, will come from the Bekkelaget sewage treatment plant which handles waste from 250,000 city dwellers.

    "By going to the bathroom, a person produces the equivalent of eight litres (2.1 gallons) of diesel per year. That may not seem like a lot, but multiplied by 250,000 people, that is enough to operate 80 buses for 100,000 kilometres (62,000 miles) each," Johansen says.

    Compared to diesel, biomethane is a giant green step forward.

    In addition to being carbon neutral, it emits 78 percent less nitrogen oxide and 98 percent fewer fine particles -- two causes of respiratory illnesses -- and is 92 percent less noisy.

    Even the price is advantageous, says Johansen.

    All included, the cost of producing biofuel equivalent to one litre of diesel comes to 0.72 euros (98 cents), while diesel at the pump in Norway currently costs more than 1.0 euro.

    "The fuel is less expensive but the cost of the new buses and their maintenance is higher. In total, it's about 15 percent more expensive," notes Anne-Merete Andersen of Ruter, the operator of Oslo's public transport system.

    Contrary to first generation bio-ethanol, made from grains and plants, biomethane has the added advantage of not impacting food supplies, nor does it require fertilisation or deplete precious water resources.

    Environmentalists are delighted.

    "We've been waiting for this for a long time. It's extremely good for the climate and also for the quality of urban life," beams Olaf Brastad of the Bellona environmental organisation.

    "I see absolutely no downsides. On the contrary, it is an optimal way of using a renewable energy that has always been there, just waiting to be exploited," he adds.

    The initiative, if extended to Oslo's second waste treatment plant and complemented with biofuels made from food waste, could provide enough fuel for all of Oslo's 350 to 400 buses.

    "If our entire fleet switched to biomethane, carbon dioxide emissions would be reduced by around 30,000 tonnes per year," according to Ruter.

    Biofuel buses have already been introduced in several cities, including the French city of Lille and Stockholm, Sweden, where 70 such buses are already in service.

    "There were some teething problems with the introduction, but now that those problems have been resolved we see that we have a fuel that works well," Sara Anderson, a biofuels specialist for Stockholm's public transport system SL, told AFP.

    And, for those who remain sceptical, Johansen stressed that "there is absolutely no smell."

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  • 1 year ago
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• Robot Fish to detect Pollution Robot Fish to detect Pollution

  • From: JohnRussell
  • Description:

    UK scientists have designed a new way to detect water pollution - by building large robotic fish to swim in the sea and track down pollutants.

    The carp-shaped fish, which are around 1.5 metres (5ft) long, are equipped with chemical sensors which can detect the source of pollution such as leaks from vessels.

    The fish do not require remote control, but have their own navigational abilities allowing them to swim independently and return to their hub to be recharged when their eight-hour battery runs low.

    The fish are being developed so they can search underwater for chemicals dissolved in the water as well as pollutants such as oil on the surface.

    Five of the fish-shaped robots are to be released into the port of Gijon in northern Spain as part of a three-year research project funded by the European Commission and co-ordinated by engineering and risk management consultancy BMT Group Ltd.

    The fish, which will cost around £20,000 each to make and will swim at a maximum speed of around one metre per second, are being built by Professor Huosheng Hu and his robotics team at the University of Essex.

    It is hoped that if the project is successful, the fish could be used in rivers, lakes and seas across the world to detect pollutants.

    Prof Hu, who hopes to release the robots by the end of next year, said: "We are designing these fish very carefully to ensure that they will be able to detect changes in environmental conditions in the port and pick up on early signs of pollution spreading, for example by locating a small leak in a vessel.

    "The hope is that this will prevent potentially hazardous discharges at sea, as the leak would undoubtedly get worse over time if not located."

    Rory Doyle, senior research scientist at BMT Group, said: "In using robotic fish we are building on a design created by hundreds of millions of years worth of evolution which is incredibly efficient. This efficiency is something we need to ensure that our pollution detection sensors can navigate in the underwater environment for hours on end."

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  • 1 year ago
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• Fab Four Found in 'Beatles' Ga Fab Four Found in 'Beatles' Garden

  • From: JohnRussell
  • Description:

    Four beetles were among the wealth of wildlife uncovered in a survey of the garden at John Lennon's childhood home, the National Trust has said.

    The fab four found at the Beatle's home, "Mendips", in Liverpool, were a wasp beetle, which mimics wasps, and three species of ladybird.

    The biological survey team from the National Trust, which owns the house and garden, also found wildflowers, birds, a frog and a wood mouse while surveying the garden for wildlife.

    Ecologist Peter Brash, who carried out the survey, said: "Gardens are really important places for nature with a host of species lurking in the borders and compost heaps.

    "This wildlife survey at Mendips uncovered a garden which has been undisturbed for years with lots of nearby green spaces including Strawberry Fields, creating ideal corridors for wildlife."

    He added: "We can only speculate on the wildlife that would have occupied the garden in the 1950s when John Lennon lived with his aunt and uncle.

    "But it's clear from the lush green surroundings of the Woolton area of Liverpool that bird song and butterflies would have been an everyday part of his life."

    Mendips was John Lennon's home from 1945 to 1963, where he lived with his aunt and uncle from the age of five to 23 and where early Beatles songs were written.

    The three-bedroom semi-detached house was bought by Yoko Ono in 2002 and immediately donated to the National Trust.

    The Trust restored it as closely as possible to how it would have looked when it was Lennon's home and opened it to the public for the first time in 2003.

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  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 284

• Self Sufficient Cartoon Self Sufficient Cartoon

  • From: JohnRussell
  • Description:
    Funny ECO Cartoon about being self sufficient
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 474
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• Monitor how 'Green' you Drive Monitor how 'Green' you Drive

  • From: JohnRussell
  • Description:

    Garmin have just launched ecoRoute where you can save money on fuel costs by finding more fuel-efficient routes.

    These routes are selected by factoring in fuel consumption data, the number of stops, speed limits, and more. ecoRoute also gives you real-time feedback on the efficiency of your driving. Whether it’s a slower start from a standstill or maintaining an efficient speed, you’ll know what driving techniques help you save gas and money.

    It automatically calculates details about your travel time and fuel usage. You’ll see time and distance traveled as well as the cost of fuel used and average fuel economy.

    It even scores your driving habits so if you over accelerate all of the time ecoRoute will score you low. In order to improve your score you need to drive more efficiently. I love the fact that it will bring a new element to and make you think more about your driving.

    If you want to learn about other ways in which you can go farther for less money then read on:

    Looking to go farther for less money? Check out these fuel-saving tips to help you make the most of each mile.

    1. Lose Weight
    If you’ve got a boot full of items you don’t need for each trip, leave them behind. The less your car weighs, the less gas you need to move it.

    2. Ease into the Breeze
    Roof racks can be a drag – at least from a wind-resistance standpoint. If you can carry your load inside your car instead of on top of it, you’ll save more in the long run. And in the short run.

    3. Get Pressured
    Low tire pressure can result in high fuel costs. Check your tires often and maintain the recommended air pressure.

    4. Get in Tune
    Make sure your car is good health. Dirty air filters, worn tires, and clogged fuel filters can all lead to increased fuel consumption.

    5. Keep Your Cool
    It’s best to buy gasoline during the coolest part of the day. Gas, which is sold by volume, is at its densest during this time. Usually, early morning or late evening is the best time for filling up.

    TO FIND THE CHEAPEST GARMIN NUVI ON THE INTERNET TODAY CHECK OUT CLICK4CARBON PRICE COMPARISONS

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  • 1 year ago
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• ecoRoute ecoRoute

  • From: JohnRussell
  • Description:
    Garmin have just launched ecoRoute where you can save money on fuel costs by finding more fuel-efficient routes.
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 207
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• ZERO Cost Street Lighting ZERO Cost Street Lighting

  • From: JohnRussell
  • Description:

    TraxEyes, a UK invention, is lighting the way ahead for councils to use totally green technology to save massive amounts on the cost of street lighting, while substantially improving safety for pedestrians and cyclists.

    Currently being deployed by Bristol City Council, the product is a revolutionary green glowing stud to light pedestrian and cycle pathways. The device, which costs less than £4 each, glows brightly for 12 hours after just eight minutes of daylight and is guaranteed for five years operation.

    Importantly, no wiring, electricity or batteries are required and installation is quick and simple.

    The inventor, Grant Taylor points out, you can’t get lower than zero running costs for pedestrian lighting, which is why several cash-strapped UK councils, whose street lighting bills run to millions, are urgently testing his company’s TraxEyes Safety Illumination system.

    Bristol city’s installation is typical of the contribution product can make to council’s enormous electricity bills, according to Grant Taylor. It costs from £36 to £90 a year to run just one street light as opposed to zero running cost of Traxeye.

    For a pedestrian route through the St. Werburgh area of Bristol city, the council has opted to try product for one of the first infrastructure schemes of the Cycling Demonstration City Project to be constructed in an environmentally sensitive area

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 237

• TraxEyes TraxEyes

  • From: JohnRussell
  • Description:
    Zero Cost Street Lighting
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 234
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• Green 'Household' Wars! Green 'Household' Wars!

  • From: JohnRussell
  • Description:

    Admit it.  Sometimes, it’s hard to be green.  Especially when you’re known for being green.  Come on, you haven’t gotten the looks of horror when for once, just once, you forget to break down the cardboard box before throwing it in the recycling?  But you’re so green!  Now imagine that times two.  What happens when a couple combines their green superpowers into one household?  Is there eco-bliss or a nuclear meltdown? 

    So, who is the greenest in your household? Why don't you start by asking each other these simple questions:

    When you brush your teeth – water on and off?

    Who takes longer showers?   

    When you’re doing laundry, line dry or dryer?

    Who unplugs appliances when you leave the house?

    Who takes more public transportation?

    Washing dishes – by hand or in the dishwasher?

    Who makes more of an effort to keep the lights off?

    If you think of more then let us know.

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 176

• More fines for litter louts More fines for litter louts

  • From: JohnRussell
  • Description:

    More fines should be imposed to deal with people who drop litter, a report suggests.

    The amount of litter in the UK has soared by 500% since the 1960s and costs an estimated £500 per year to clean up.

    The Litterbugs report from Think Tank Policy Exchange and the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) highlights the full extent of littering in the UK.

    It states that alongside these costs, companies in heavily littered areas are losing business.

    The report found that rubbish adds an air of neglect to local communities, contributing towards increasing crime rates and anti-social behaviour.

    Bill Bryson, President of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said: "This report identifies the lack of any systematic logic in enforcement policy.

    "Fines are an essential enforcement tool, and one which needs to be applied far more consistently than is currently the case."

    "As this report also says, we need community buy-in to the fight against litter; we must build civic pride in clean and tidy environments, with communities competing to be spotless. Only then can we stop the exasperating and routine vandalism of a country so rich in natural, cultural and built heritage."

    The report called for the creation of a national body to co-ordinate anti-littering initiatives, campaigns and programmes. It suggested the future design of public spaces should take into account littering and littering behaviour.

    Other suggestions included greater consistency in the application of penalties for littering across local authorities. The report found that only a small amount of authorities issue littering fines. There was also a tendency for fines not be given to the worst offenders, such as young urban males, as wardens perceive them to be threatening and dangerous.

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  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 127

• Know your plastics before you Know your plastics before you RECYCLE

  • From: JohnRussell
  • Description:

    That is the message being sent out by most councils in Britain as to plastic recycling.

    Most councils in Britain only accept plastic bottles for recycling and only those marked with a #1 or a #2. Anything else made of plastic they do not want regardless of type.

    The problem is that the majority of people first of all do not know that an chuck everything into the plastic recycling bins and often that contaminates a load that it cannot be used.

    Having spoken to a number of people at such recycling places the reply was that they did not know as to the numbers and they were very disgusted that their yogurt pots and other plastic containers could not be put into the bins. Some people even said that they would not bother to do this any longer as they did not have the time to look for the numbers and such like.

    We must get down to doing this plastic recycling thing properly and, what is more important, we must get way from plastic packaging, unless it is compostable, as some products nowadays already are such as EcoGen, and some plastic bottles even.

    We cannot afford turning people against doing the right things by saying that we only want this number and that number and that all the other plastic things – which can also be recycled – have to still go into landfill.

    We cannot afford to do this because we are running out of holes in the ground, for starters. In addition to that we still do not know what problems plastic is going to cause down there in those landfill sites.

    We must find a way to recycle all the plastic that is being turned into waste, so to speak, and we also must find a way to reduce the plastic in use.

    While I know that it is being said that those that uses those recyclables, the re-processors, only want #1 and #2 plastics because, so we are being told, only those have a market.

    I know for a fact that other plastics can be recycled too and products of the “Remarkable” range are the proof of the pudding here so there is no excuse.

    The truth, it would appear is, yet again, the industry that has decided that it can make only lots of money from those two types and the rest is not as easy to sell abroad for, let's face it, most of the stuff is sent to China and is not re-processed at home. So it is really that the factories that use the material do not want anything else but #1 and #2, and it has nothing to do with difficulties in the process with the other plastics.

    The greatest question we must ask how it can be viable and sustainable to ship the recyclables to the other side of the world, to China, for processing and then bring the fabricated goods back to the UK or the USA or wherever. In my book this just does not compute.

    Why do we not even make the effort to re-process the materials at home and the make new stuff from it? Some companies do but they are very few and far do between. This, however, shows that is can be done and also that the products made from it do not have to cost the earth even though the products are made in the same country and not in China.

    So, if it can be done making products from recyclables in Britain, for instance, at a reasonable price then why does everything have to be send to China to be recycled there and then sent back to us as ready-made goods. The “environmental footprint” of doing what we are doing presently is, in my opinion, one of the most stupid thing that I can imagine.

    It appears to be thus, however, with everything, I must say. Everything that we want to have is produced outside the UK – mostly – in places where the labor costs are so much lower. But, it does not appear that this makes the products really cheaper for, as it can be shown with those that have done the recycling here and made the good from the same material in this country for about the same cost as importing the stuff from China.

    Thanks to Michael Smith of the Green (Living) Review for this piece.

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  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 186

• The 'No Parking' Tree! The 'No Parking' Tree!

  • From: JohnRussell
  • Description:

    Scientists who discovered a new species of tree off a remote countryside road announced it will be named "No Parking" after a sign that was nailed to the trunk.

    A team of botanists found the tree in a north Devon lay-by while working on a project that saw the discovery of 14 new species and hybrids across the British Isles.

    It was known locally as the 'No Parking Tree' and the nickname has stuck as it is listed in Watsonia, the scientific journal of the Botanical Society of the British Isles, as No Parking Whitebeam.

    The tree's Latin name is Sorbus admonitor, meaning to admonish or tell off, and it grows at Watersmeet, between the villages of Lynton and Lynmouth.

    The research project, led by Dr Tim Rich, Head of Vascular Plants at the National Museum Wales, involved academics from the University of Wales, Bristol University, Exeter University, Oxford University and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew.

    Of the 14 new types of tree some were named after those who found them, others after the place where they were discovered and some according to what they look like.

    The No Parking tree was first noticed to be different from the Devon Whitebeam in the 1930s but clear evidence that it was a different species was not possible until DNA analysis was carried out.

    Dr Rich said: "Some of these trees have probably developed recently and are examples of on-going evolution of new species.

    "Others are older types which have been known for some time but are only now described as 'species' thanks to modern DNA methods.

    "The No Parking Whitebeam was first noted to be different from the more widespread Devon Whitebeam in the 1930s, but has only recently been demonstrated to be a different species using biochemical analyses."

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  • 1 year ago
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• Snail Flatulence Harmful to th Snail Flatulence Harmful to the Environment

  • From: JohnRussell
  • Description:

    Humans and farm animals were known to emit harmful greenhouse gases through digestion, but German researchers said Tuesday that aquatic worms and bugs are also culprits, releasing laughing gas.

    Scientists at the Max Planck Institut and Denmark's Aarhus University found that mussels, freshwater snails and other underwater creatures release nitrous oxide -- laughing gas -- when nitrate is present in water.

    "There's nitrate in water that has been polluted by humans, so the more we pollute, the higher the production of this problematic gas will be," Fanni Aspetsberger from the institute told AFP on Tuesday.

    Aspetsberger added that no quantitative data were available, but that it could be "seriously detrimental" to the climate if nitrate pollution continues to rise the way it has over recent years.

    Laughing gas is one of many greenhouse gasses that has been released into the atmosphere since industrialisation. Such gasses act as a blanket around the Earth, causing temperatures to rise worldwide.

    Rising temperatures have already had disastrous consequences for mankind -- including major disruptions to global weather systems -- and problems are expected to become worse in the future.

    The main reason for global warming though, is the release of another greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, by the burning of fossil fuels. World leaders aim to strike a new global climate deal in Copenhagen in December.

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  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 206

• Madrid told to clean up! Madrid told to clean up!

  • From: JohnRussell
  • Description:

    Spain is getting tough with the litterbugs, and worse, responsible for turning its capital city into a rubbish tip.

    New laws have raised the fine for dog owners who let their pets soil Madrid's public places to £1,300, persistent litterers will be hit with £620 fines and anyone caught spraying graffiti will face a £2,700 penalty.

    The laws will be backed by a 300-strong squad of "rubbish police" patrolling the streets and imposing the fines.

    "The goal is to defend the rights of the majority, who pay a lot of money in order to live in a city that is clean and safe," said Ana Botella, a conservative Madrid town councillor who spearheaded the plan, and who is also the wife of former prime minister Jose Maria Aznar.

    Many residents, long since tired of watching their step when they walk and holding their noses during the steamy hot summers, say it is about time.

    Parents of young children are perhaps the plan's strongest supporters. Many playgrounds in Madrid's centre are in public squares ringed with pubs that overflow into the streets in the evenings. By morning, all manner of waste can be found amid the swings.

    "I think it's a good idea," said young mother Maria Lamamie De Clairac with her daughter at a playground in the Plaza Dos de Mayo in central Madrid. Looking around the plaza, she said that it was not particularly child-friendly.

    "It's dirty - dirty and full of drunks," she said, gesturing to a group of men holding cans of beer in the early afternoon.

    Carmen Orellana Olivares, a nanny, said she thought it was high time the city dealt with the aroma left over from weekend partying.

    "It smells of urine here," she said, playing with a two-year-old boy on a seesaw. "The problem isn't so much the garbage, but the smells from the night before."

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  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 385

• Plant Trees in order to Get Ma Plant Trees in order to Get Married!

  • From: JohnRussell
  • Description:

    A cash-strapped Indonesian district in West Java has ordered couples planning to get married to provide 10 trees to local authorities for a reforestation program, an official said on Wednesday.

    Anyone filing for divorce in Garut in West Java would also have to fork out for at least one tree, said Wibowo, the district secretary, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

    "The Garut government wants to encourage couples getting married, as well as those seeking divorce, to support a national reforestation program, given budget limitations," said Wibowo.

    Under the new regulation issued last month, couples would have to contribute trees to the forestry unit before their marriage could be legally sanctioned, Wibowo said.

    Indonesia has some of the world's biggest remaining reserves of tropical forests, but pressure from agriculture as well as illegal logging has damaged huge tracts of forest.

    The central government launched a program in December last year to plant one million trees.

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  • 1 year ago
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• Mobile Phones Go Green! Mobile Phones Go Green!

  • From: JohnRussell
  • Description:

    When a technology becomes as common as mobile phones are today, it’s natural that some people begin to wonder about the effect the phones have on our environment. We may have come a long way from the massive brick sized phones but many worry that phone manufacturers have not taken the same steps towards improving the environmental impact of phone creation that they have towards making phones smaller and more feature laden.

    So what is the state of the “green” phone today? Research suggests that while manufacturers are taking steps to offer environmentally friendly handsets, they’re pretty much baby steps.

    Electronic waste has become a growing, potentially earth threatening problem. Once upon a time electronics were expensive luxury goods built to last a lifetime. Now, with new technology making many electronics obsolete, (though functioning perfectly well), in a few short years, more and more electronics are used for a relatively short period and then thrown away.

    The most well known example of this are computers. The media, helped along by environmental activists, has begun to report on the environmental impact of dumped PCs and laptops, which often contain extremely toxic chemicals, in massive electronic dumps in places like China. Mobile phones get less press than computers but dumped phones are hardly kind to the environment, not to mention the impact of their manufacture.

    The EPA estimates that around 150 million phones are "retired" each year. Of that number, only about 20% are recycled. And according to an research report, less than 5% of retired mobile phones are recycled “ethically”. 

    Very few handset manufacturers — except those with the scale to do it economically, such as Samsung and Nokia — are highly motivated to produce lines of green phones. Instead, the effort is towards compliance and the trickling down of proven green elements throughout entire product lines.”

    Fortunately the major phone manufacturers are at least making some efforts to offer environmentally friendly phones and to improve environmental standards throughout all of their product lines. They’ve been helped along by new regulations like the EU's Reduction of Hazardous Sunstance Laws, which have pushed the major manufacturers like Nokia and Samsung to cut or remove PVC, toxic flame retardents and heavy metals from their new phones.

    Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson, three of the biggest players in the phone market, have all dedicated time and money to offering greener phone options. Greenpeace recently lauded the three in their Greener Electronics Guide, and all three rolled out new concept phones in 2008 which were major steps forward.

    The conscious consumer will soon have a few more options.  Nokia and Sony Ericsson both announced concept phones that would be made from recycled materials rather than new. 'Nokia Remade Phones will be constructed out of old tires and drink containers. Ericsson says its 'GreenHeart' concept phones will feature plastics made from both recycled materials and cleaner, plant based plastics. The phones will also use less electricity, particularly in standby mode where it will consume just 3.5 milliwatts per hour. 

    Plant Based Plastics seem to be a popular new concept for phone manufacturers, with Samsung releasing three phones last summer which were encased in plastic created from corn. While it’s hardly going to solve all the environmental problems of the industry, plant based plastics can help reduce the heavy impact of plastic manufacturing, which can release an immense amount of toxins into the environment. 

    Perhaps the most interesting new concept phone for the eco-friendly was announced by researchers at Britain’s University of Warwick.
    

    Scientists working with a research and development firm announced a phone that can be simply buried when you’re done with it. The phone is actually biodegradable. Not only that, but when it biodegrades the phone will then nurture a seed which is embedded in its casing and will cause a flower to grow. The concept seems popular, with other researchers announcing a similar concept phone using bamboo seeds, and that one is even powered by a hand crank rather than traditional means.  Unfortunately this interesting new concept applies only to the phones' casing, rather than its internal mechanisms which will still have to be recycled traditionally. 

    Phone recycling is by far the biggest environmental problem faced by phone users. Chances are you yourself have a few handsets tucked away in a drawer or closet at home. Multiply that by all the mobile phone users in the world (though not everyone has a bunch of old mobile phones) and you can begin to see the scale of the issue. Problem is many companies don’t have good recycling programs. Nokia and Sony Ericsson have been given high marks for their programs, which allow consumers to return their phones at any location for no charge.  Unfortunately not all companies do this, and it still requires the consumer to take action which can be a risky proposition at times. Many charities also accept old cell phones now, so your out of date handset can actually do some good. You have to remember that in most cases your phone can be recycled, but you are going to have to take action yourself.

    One bright spot in environmentally friendly mobile phone research is solar power. Charging a phone can now be done without using your wall socket. Quite a few companies have released portable solar chargers, most of which can be used for almost any phone. Powering up is a fairly simple matter of exposing the panels to sunlight and hooking up your phone. Most aren’t pocket sized, but they can easily fit in a small bag or purse and aren’t particularly conspicuous. 

    Thanks to Greenopia for publishing this report.

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 131

• Climate Protesters Held after Climate Protesters Held after Airport Demo

  • From: JohnRussell
  • Description:

    Seven climate protesters have been arrested after breaking through a perimeter fence and setting up a barricade on an airport's taxi-way.

    Flights to and from Aberdeen Airport have been delayed as a result of the security breach by members of the Plane Stupid campaign group.

    After talks with police, seven of the protesters gave themselves up six hours after the demonstration began - but two others remain on the roof of the terminal building.

    A Grampian Police spokesman said: "We can confirm that following a dialogue between police officers and some of the protesters, seven people have released themselves from their position on the runway and have been taken into police custody.

    "Two protesters remain on the airport terminal building roof. Work continues to peacefully resolve the protest."

    Plane Stupid said the activists broke through the perimeter fence at about 2am on Tuesday in protest against the airport's expansion plans and the resulting increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

    The group added that the activists were dressed as golfers in the style of US property tycoon Donald Trump, who is planning to build a major international golf resort in the area and supports the expansion of the airport.

    A spokesman for airport operator BAA said of the protest: "This action is dangerous and highly irresponsible, not least because Aberdeen is one of Europe's busiest commercial heliports and a major transport centre for the north of Scotland, used by tens of thousands of people every day.

    "There is no justification for this irresponsible action, which is deliberately calculated to delay and inconvenience the travelling public."

    BAA added that flights are leaving but there is likely to be some knock-on disruption and passengers are advised to check the status of their flight early.

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 144

• Climate Protesters Invade Airp Climate Protesters Invade Airport

  • From: JohnRussell
  • Description:

    A group of climate protesters threatened to disrupt an airport after setting up a barricade on the runway.

    Plane Stupid said seven people had broken through the perimeter fence at Aberdeen Airport and placed themselves inside a wire "fortress" on the tarmac. Several other protesters had climbed on to the roof of the terminal building, it added.

    The group said the activists invaded the site shortly after 2am and that they were hoping to prevent the airport from reopening later on Tuesday morning.

    A spokesman for airport operator BAA said: "Seven people appear to have cut a hole in the security perimeter and are now on the runway. There are two or three on the terminal roof. The police are on their way."

    The first flight out of Aberdeen was scheduled to leave at around 6.30am, the BAA spokesman said.

    Plane Stupid said it was protesting against the airport's expansion plans and the resulting increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

    The group said the activists were dressed as golfers in the style of US property tycoon Donald Trump, who is planning to build a major international golf resort in the area and supports the expansion of the airport.

    One of the protesters on the runway, Dan Glass, 25, from Glasgow, said: "There are seven of us here who are fenced in. Two security guards are watching us, and have called for some more people."

    He added: "We're here to say the expansion cannot happen, and our generation won't let it happen.

    "The scientists tell us we've got seven years to make emissions peak then drop, and if we fail, the people on this runway and their entire generation, and our children, will live with the consequences. That's why we're doing this."

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 167