Pronto Condoms

Okay, slight deviation here, but what the hell, it's friday night and for those who are not out partying, go have a quick peek at what Jacob and Manto are up to. And no, it's nothing to do with organic veg....

(To my mad inventor friend Andrew Tweedie down in Cornwall - thanks for keeping me chortling)

Queen's Speech introduces Climate Change Bill

"My government will publish a bill on climate change as part of its policy to protect the environment, consistent with the need to secure long-term energy supplies."

So said the Queen at the state opening of parliament on 15th November 2006. The event marks the beginning of a new parliamentary session, and the time when the government sets out its legislative agenda for the coming months.


The Queen's speech confirmed the detail, which includes a long-term goal to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 60 per cent by 2050 and the creation of a new independent carbon committee to help the government achieve this. It proposes new enabling ministers to put in place emissions reductions measures, and provides for better reporting of progress in that goal to parliament.

Yes, the very fact that the Climate Change Bill has arrived is a huge step forward in the right direction. However, it fails to introduce binding annual targets of cutting emissions – something the Conservatives yesterday committed themselves to if they win the next election. Tony Blair is not keen to be bound by annual targets for reducing UK carbon dioxide emissions despite strong public demand - as demonstrated at the Climate Change March a few weekends ago. Nevertheless, this counts as a huge success for Friend's of the Earth's Big Ask campaign and rising public desire for governmental leadership on climate issues will make it increasingly difficult for the government to shy away from setting binding annual targets.

[Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Richard Stone, 1992]

The green implications of the US mid-term elections

Capitol Hill, Washington.
The midterm elections not only shifted the balance of power to the Democrats in Congress they also shifted the political terrain in a number of state houses. And these changes might make America a little greener. No longer is it just about playing defense on environmental issues. For years environmental battles here in Congress had been about stopping things: stopping the oil exploration in the arctic refuge, stopping offshore drilling, stopping changes to major laws like the clean air act and the endangered species act. Now those who are interested in a more environmental agenda, instead of stopping things they have a chance to try to start something. They get a chance to play a little offense for a change. So, here is a short (and somewhat cribbed) breakdown on who to watch out for and what issues they will shout for.

• Nancy Pelosi. Top of the agenda for California democrat and next speaker of the US House of Representatives is clean energy alternatives to oil imports.
  
• The Senate Environment Committee. The chair will go from Oklahoma Republican James Inhofe to California Democrat Barbara Boxer. These two lawmakers are diametrically opposed when it comes to their view on the environment. Unlike Inhofe, Boxer views climate change as a real threat and is very outspoken on the need for the Bush administration to do more about it. Accountability of companies who contaminate land and water will be high on her agenda, and she has spoken up for the need to reinstate a tax on industry to pay for cleaning up toxic sites.
  
• The House Resources Committee. West Virginia Democrat Nick Rahall is taking over from California Republican Richard Pombo. (scourge of environmentalists, Mr Pombo's history includes: attempts to weaken the endangered species act, supporter of drilling for oil in the Arctic, supporter of more drilling offshore, proposed the selling off parts of national parks) Now out of fashion and out of office after 7 terms in Congress. Not only did Pombo loose the chair, he lost his seat, and pretty much all those ideas go out the door with him.
  
• Montana backed John Tester for the Senate; an organic farmer who also speaks very skeptically about free trade.
  
• Southern Arizona chose 36 year old Gabrielle Giffords, who has a record in her state legislature on water and climate change issues. She wants to pay people to defray the cost of putting solar panels on homes and increase mile standards for cars.
  
• Jerry McNerny. The first alternative energy expert in Congress; he's a wind energy engineer.
  
• The House Energy Committee. Keep an eye on John Dingell, the veteran Congressman who is returning to that position and that chairmanship that he had 12 years ago. Back then he was very famous as a very tough investigator, digging into what the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency were up to.
  
• The House Government Reform Committee. California Democrat Henry Waxman is taking over there, so expect more hearings and more investigations into things like climate change, were scientists censored when they tried to ring the alarm bells on climate change, how the rules were written on mercury emissions from power plants, how did the Bush Administration come up with its energy policy and who was holding the pen when these rules were written.

It looks like it's going to be a very interesting time across the water....

With thanks to Living on Earth. The full written and audio transcript of LOE's 'The Election and the Environment' interview can be found on their website.

Eco-footprint: Nuclear Power Station v's Wind Farm

A senior nuclear power exec claimed at a recent seminar in London that the environmental footprint of a US nuclear power station was 100 times smaller than an onshore windfarm. (no sizes given unfortunately).

I decided to ask an expert: what are the comparable eco-footprints? This is the response I received:



AWEA Director and wind expert Tom Gray says "my rule of thumb is 60 acres per megawatt (MW) for wind farms on land". According to the Energy Information Administration, The Fort Calhoun 476 MW nuclear power plant, operational since August 9, 1973, is located on 660 acres near Omaha, Nebraska and has an easement for another 580 acres, the acreage being maintained in a natural state. So on the face of it, on the same 1200+ acres, nuclear gets 480 MW versus 20 MWs for wind, or 40 times more. But the capacity factor for the nuclear plant hovers above 80% and wind is approximately 30%, so clearly the 100 times more claim seems to be 'on the mark' if you chose to forget the nuclear fuel cycle.

We now have active farming on-sites of large wind farms, and there is no reason to believe we could not also harvest crops between the large wind generators for biomass electric power, which could increase electrical output of the same acreage substantially.

But a nuclear power generation plant is not an independent entity like wind. A number of processes are needed to keep the generation plant operational, most of which take place elsewhere or at other times than the actual production of electricity. The total package is referred to as the 'process chain' which consists of the following steps:

* mining, refining and transport of the raw materials and uranium fuels;
* construction and maintenance of the power station;
* conversion of fuel or uranium into electricity;
* dismantlement of the power station at the end of its life span;
* processing of the resulting waste during the life of the generation plant.

Mining uranium takes lots of land. Uranium is widely distributed in the earth's crust but only in minute quantities, with the exception of a few places where it has accumulated in concentrations rich enough to be economically mined as an ore. The main deposits of ore, in order of size, are in Australia, Kazakhstan, Canada, South Africa, Namibia, Brazil, the Russian Federation, the USA, and Uzbekistan.

Storing nuclear wastes also takes lots of land. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, in 2000, the USA had approximately 600,000 cubic meters of different types of radioactive waste which were generated, and approximately 700,000 cubic meters were in storage awaiting disposal. Radioactive wastes in the form of spent nuclear fuel (2,467 metric tons of heavy metal) and high-level waste "glass logs" (1,201 canisters of vitrified high-level waste) are in storage awaiting long-term disposal. In 2003, The Energy Department has asked permission to reserve use of 308,600 acres of public land across rural Nevada to develop a railroad corridor to the proposed nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, located in Nye County, has a land area of 11,560,960 acres, Nye County is larger than the total acreage of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Delaware. Of this vast land area, only 822,711 acres (or just over seven percent of the total) is private land; the majority of the county's land is owned by the federal government. Add potential land loss to human and technical error, harsh weather and earthquakes, and potentially, to terrorism, the land issue becomes the least of the differentiations between the technologies.

Treehugger interview with Tom Gray

What to do with old mobile phones

I need to change my phone, but what to do with the old one? I now have three sitting in a kitchen drawer creating a time-line of bad design. Here's what a bit of research has thrown up:

Mobi Facts

• In the UK, the average consumer replaces his/her mobile phone every 18 months and it is estimated that over 15 million mobile phones are replaced each year in the UK.
  
• There are an estimated 45 million mobile phones in circulation at present in the UK, 817 million globally.
  
• Approximately 77% of the population have at least one mobile phone, yet only 15% are recycled in the UK.
  
• That's a lot of phones going to landfill where they become an environmental hazard by leaching dangerous toxins.

Time to embrace the feel-good factor and ease the burden on your local landfill. Give them instead to a charity to be recycled for use in developing nations or traded for food and survival for the future.

Solutions

• Some mobile phone suppliers will take your old one in part-exchange. If they don't, time to change your supplier.
  
• Hand it in to your local oxfam shop or send it in a jiffy bag,
  FREEPOST to:
  Oxfam Bring Bring Scheme
  Freepost LON16281
  London WC1N 3BR
  oxfam
  
• FREEPOST to:
  World Vision Phones for Food
  ShP Solutions
  Freepost NEA14439
  Lancaster LA1 1ZZ
  World Vision Phones for Food
  
• Give it to your granny.

No More Plastic Bags - Action in Japan and Zanzibar

Lingerie maker Triumph International Japan's "No More Plastics Bags Bra", a bra which converts into a shopping bag, was displayed at the company showroom in Tokyo yesterday. The bra was created to raise awareness amongst customers to reduce the usage of plastics bags for the good of the environment.

Having long been a supporter of the highly successful 'plas tax' in Ireland (which has reduced plastic bag consumption by over 95%), and having written elsewhere at length on this issue, I was delighted to read yesterday not only of action in Japan, which comes hot on the heels of Zanzibar's decision to ban the import and production of plastic bags to protect its environment and tourism industry.

The big problem with plastic bags (a lucrative by-product of the oil industry) is of course their disposal. Plastic bags – unlike paper, cotton or jute bags - do not biodegrade. They photodegrade; breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits which in turn contaminate our soil and waterways. For each bag, this process continues for over 500 years until it has finally broken down, all the time releasing carbon dioxide emissions which in turn contributes to global warming.

Just off the coast of Tanzania in the Indian Ocean, Zanzibar is on a major route for plastic bags heading for the east African mainland. It estimates more than 200 tonnes of bags pass through its port every month.

"We have to put the environment above everything," Zanzibar's Director of Environment Ali Juma said. "Besides being an eyesore, plastic bags are very damaging to land and marine life."


Tourism is the backbone of the island's economy. Zanzibar has major problems managing sewage and rubbish. Less than 10 percent of sewage is treated and it can get rid of only about a third of the 200 tonnes of rubbish produced daily.

Now over 40 countries have ignored lobbying by the oil industry and supermarkets and simply banned the plastic bag - surely this is one positive solution that the UK should now embrace?

Great video: Plastic Planet: The Curse of the Plastic Bag

Everything you ever need know about plastic bags: Ban The Bag

Jessica Symond's bags: oneless.co.uk

American mid-term results with consequences

I awaken to the news that the Democratic party has won the american mid-term elections: the balance of power has changed for the first time in over a decade in the House of Representatives. Meanwhile, the Senate sits in the balance with final votes yet to be counted.

The wave of public discontent with the Iraq war, corruption and President George W. Bush's lack of environmental leadership has demonstrated a strong anti-incumbent mood in the US. Democratic Senator Hilary Clinton rolled in easily on a 2:1 re-election victory in New York and outspoken liberal Representative Nancy Pelosi steps forward to be the first female Speaker.

One of the very few Republicans to sail safely home on a green vote was Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger. Over the past few months Schwarzenegger selected top advisers from the environmental community, signed dozens of environmentally friendly bills and just four weeks ago signed up California for carbon emission trading between northeast states. His embrace of climate change has paid big dividends. He has demonstrated his willingness to break with the Bush administration and this has earned him worldwide coverage as the Green Governor of California.

Global Warming - conclusive evidence

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~1860's ~~~~~ 1960's ~~~~ 2006 ~~~~

[with thanks to Andrew Stobart for the inspiration]

The Sun - Britian's top tabloid has gone green

The Sun's very own green glamour queen Keeley has given her top tips on how to make temperatures soar while keeping global warming down. Just in case you didn't pick up your copy last week, here are Keely's Top Tips:



Blinding bedroom performance
Turning off lights can be a big turn-on. Feel around in the dark in the bedroom, you’ll cut your bills and reduce CO2. Lighting can make a big impact on your electricity bill so swap harsh lightbulbs for romantic candles.
Wheely Keeley
Cycling instead of driving will tone you up, giving you a fantastic physique and making you irresistible to the opposite sex. And leaving the car at home cuts carbon emissions. Cycling shorts optional.
Boost your sex drive
Halve the number of cars on the road by offering that special someone a lift to work. If you can’t pluck up the courage to ask them on a date then it’s the perfect way to get to know them.
Share a steamy bath
Using water whacks up your energy bill. A shared dip in the tub will cut a couple’s costs.
Get off your butt
Lots of people have admired my butt. Collecting rain water for your garden in a water butt is a great way of preserving resources. They are easily plumbed into your existing guttering and downpipes.
Chest is best
Always my motto! Chest freezers have thicker insulation, meaning they use half as much energy for any given volume of food storage.
Slip into something comfortable
Take off your shoes when entering your home. Roadside soil can be poisoned with lead from car fumes. When dragged into the house, this contributes to the toxins which settle on the carpet.
Don’t boil over
Don’t waste energy by boiling too much water. Use the right sized pan when cooking. If boiling an egg, use an egg pan and the smallest hob. With vegetables, use just enough water to keep them covered. Use saucepans with lids to reduce cooking time.
Go digital
I insist my sexy pics are taken by digital camera, so invest in one. Film processing and developing uses toxic chemicals and paper.
Show eco undie-standing
Hand-washing underwear with a gentle, eco-friendly detergent will make your clothes last longer and save on electricity. And opt for undies made of organic cotton.

Don't you just love her?

And the sun shone on London's Climate March

What a carnival atmosphere - music, mad hats and much laughter. 30,000 turned up yesterday to demand action on climate change - that's a substantial increase on the 4,000 of us last year. It was a beautifully clear chilly day, not a cloud in sight - just perfect.

Bikes and banners pedalled off from Lincoln's Inn Fields at 10, arriving outside the American Embassy in Grosvenor Square (who'd turned off their lights this year - very prudent) for rousing speeches and general entertainment. George Monbiot urged positive action and, boyed up by his words, off we traipsed to Trafalgar Square.




Fellow Scot K T Tunstall flew in (no - not true - she biked it the whole way), and Razorlight's Johnny Borrell strutted his stuff onstage. But the t-shirt sadly did not come off this time despite promises by the cheeky chappie Simon Amstell, our witty compere (and I suppose we only have climate change to blame for that too).







And spotted in the crowds, sadly not up on stage, were the fabulous ex-Pink Floyd boys - Richard Wright and David Gilmour with his georgeous wife Polly (of course, with a name like that...). Not quite a Great Gig in The Sky, but definately a great gig in Trafalgar Square. Tony Blair, you should have been there.

Want to have a quick gander at what was happening at the other side of the world? Even more turned out in Perth, Australia. Check out tmwilson.org/blog

[C Gilmour photo credit: chris@conscience-uk.com]

I Count

Bike, boots and camera to the ready, I'm off to join I Count down at Trafalgar Square today. Hope to see you there....

Gordon Browns' Halloween Treats

The wheels of environmental politics are indeed turning. Yesterday, at the launch of the Stern Report, Gordon Brown announced a raft of new green measures. Here is a summary of those proposed plans and measures:

• Enshrine British climate change commitments in legislation, through a Climate Change Bill, including the goal to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 60 per cent by 2050, and to strengthen official monitoring and reporting.
  
• Former US Vice-President Al Gore to become an adviser to Gordon Brown on environmental issues.
  
• Establish a new commission to propose how to keep Britain at the forefront of the global environmental market seen worth almost US$700 billion by 2010. Brown said this market could create at least 100,000 more jobs in Britain over the next decade.
  
• Form a partnership with Brazil, Papua New Guinea, Costa Rica and the Coalition of Rainforest Nations, Germany (which holds the presidency of the G8 group of industrialised nations next year), the European Union, the World Bank and others to promote sustainable forestry. Environment has been placed on Germany's G8 presidency agenda next year.
  
• Bring the private sector into a Global Energy Investment Framework which already involves public banks, to help achieve a target US$20 billion loan and grant fund for energy efficiency.
  
• Launch a joint task force with Brazil, South Africa and Mozambique to promote the development of a sustainable regional biofuels industry in southern Africa.
  Aspirations
  
• To offer incentives, in future budgets, to the next generation of cellulosic biofuels.
  
• Set a new European-wide emissions reduction target of 30 per cent by 2020, and at least 60 per cent by 2050.
  
• Expand the EU carbon market to cover more sectors and more emissions, and to take it beyond carbon dioxide to other greenhouse gases.
  
• To link up the EU carbon market with others, for example in Australia, Switzerland, northeast American states and California.

All delivered with time to spare for a celebratory warming bowl of homegrown pumpkin soup. Happy Halloween.

Politics versus economics: The Stern Review

Today marks a definite political shift towards a higher (and slightly greener) gear. First we had the leaked letter from David Miliband suggesting implementation of green taxes (which has not resulted in the public backlash that the government feared) and today the Stern Report is to be published. Sir Nicolas Stern's Review of Climate Change is the first full economic report analysing the financial impact of climate change, and its conclusions give intellectual clout that the government must now give good leadership. It will cost us up to 20 times more if we fail to act. Stern argues in his 700-page report that failure to act now will cause huge economic upheaval and depression, on the scale of which will result to the equivalent of the economic destruction of the two world wars. This is probably the most authoritative economic analysis of the impact of climate change on the global economy; creation of a carbon market, green legislation and green taxes are at the heart of his recommendations.

The lumbering beast of whitehall is finally waking up. Al Gore, on the back of his hugely successful film An Inconvenient Truth presenting the scientific evidence of climate change, is to be brought in as a Government advisor. It now looks increasingly likely that a Climate Change Bill will be included in the Queen's Speech. The question remains however, will our government rise to the challenge and demonstrate world leadership to influence international (namely Chinese and American) policy? Time to act for the benefit of the new world is now.
[Photo credit: M Fearn]

Green Solution: Solar Tower

A 25,000 acre sheep farm in the outback of Australia is the siting of the worlds tallest power-generating solar tower which is due to be built by the end of 2009.

Like many great inventions, the technology is essentially simple and the execution beautiful. Standing at 1000 meters high, it is surrounded by a skirt of glass, polycarbonate and polymer covering approximately one square kilometer. The air under the collector skirt is heated by the sun up to 70C and funneled up the hollow chimney by convection - thus the hot air rises. As it rises, the air accelerates to 35 mph, driving 32 wind turbines inside the tower, which generate electricity much like conventional wind farms.

Each solar tower can produce up to 200 megawatts of electricity. This would abate up to 920,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually from fossil fuels, which equates to over 250,000 return flights from London to Australia. It is little wonder the Chinese are interested in purchasing a few.

Solar Tower of Power Article

Enviromission

Solar Mission Technologies

Origin: The London Craft Fair

The annual London Craft Fair has moved to the elegant courtyard at Somerset House this year. Running for two weeks, week 1 is almost at a close, with the last day being tomorrow before the show changes over for week 2 (which runs from 10 - 15th October). It is a celebration of some of the most esteemed craftspersons in the UK and some from further afield as well as being a showcase for new talent. Here are a few of my favourites from week 1 whose ethos is deeply rooted in the response to their surrounding environment or to that which they find discarded around them.
Lizzie Farey, a weaver of willow, is internationally acclaimed for her breathtaking creations. Inspired by her natural surroundings in Dumfriesshire, her love of art and nature are ever entwined, and her ability to create great beauty from that which grows around her is truly magical.
Illustrated:
* Three Sisters
* Pussy Willow Basket

Su Blackwell, recently graduated from Royal College of Art, finds her inspiration in the old books she finds - sometimes her inspiration comes from what she has read, other times the vision comes first and she seeks out the appropriate book. It is in a sense a three dimensional interpretation of the very words she has read.
* Magnolia


Truly original and creative, the stories literally fly off the pages. Each one unique, they come boxed as if placed on a victorian stage, hinting at dreams of another place and time.
* Wild Flowers



For more information, go to:
craftsonline.org.uk
sublackwell.co.uk
lizziefarey.co.uk

What is in that paint pot?

A good friend of mine asked me about eco-paint recently, which led to an exploration of what paint is made of, and as a result I decided to write about my findings. As she is hoping for a baby in the near future, I was concerned about her inhaling the fumes from the paint, which to me seemed a bad idea.

This is what I discovered:

VOC paint
Have you ever felt dizzy or lightheaded when opening a paint-pot or stepping into a recently painted room? That’s because you are breathing in the 'volatile compounds' (VOC’s). What makes the compounds volatile is that they become a gas when released into the air. The gas then spreads around the room and you inhale the chemicals. Some materials can give off VOC’s relatively slowly, sometimes for many years, so they can remain in your home for a long time.

Conventional chemical and synthetic based paints evolved as by-products from the petrochemical industry in the late 1930’s. These paints, once hailed as revolutionary, are now known to contain a variety of harmful substances that can affect our health and blight our environment; recent research tells us that VOC’s are a major contributing factor causing irritation and damage to the respiratory system.

Although legislation now dictates that most chemical based paints must use reduced or low VOC’s, this has not solved the issue. Often other synthetics and chemicals have been used as replacements, which bring their own problems – one being disposal of any unused remaining paint. Plant or mineral based paints, in contrast, are biodegradable and can be disposed of safely on a compost heap.

VOC-free alternatives
Mineral paints date back to cave painters who would have ground up minerals from rock and ores to create colours which were then mixed with water for their cave paintings. Traditional buildings, from castles to crofts, throughout Europe have mineral paints on their exteriors that have been weathering the elements for hundreds of years. The simplest mineral paint is limewash also known as whitewash. Mineral paints are made with naturally occurring earth oxide colour pigments and can be used indoor and out.

Mineral paints breathe. Not only do they allow your walls to breathe freely, but so can you. Such paint is permeable to air and moisture movement and it allows moisture in the wall, plaster render and/or joints behind it to evaporate out. One of the great advantages of a breathing paint is that it reduces the build up of moisture in a room, thus reducing the likelihood of respiratory problems.

Plant based paint
Plant paints, such as linseed oil based paint, are considered the most sustainable of all: their resource can be grown and harvested in a sustainable agricultural cycle. Originally popular in Scandinavia due to their ability to withstand harsh weather conditions, linseed oil paint is extremely durable, lasting up to three times longer than conventional paint. Moreover, it smells only of the delicious linseed oil! Unlike conventional paint, linseed paint does not flake. Instead, it nourishes and moisturizes the surface beneath, which is particularly beneficial for external wood by preventing it from rotting. Even after seven years, all that is needed to refresh a fading external door is a wash of warm linseed oil to bring it back to it’s original tone. You know when a little oil replenishment is needed when the paint begins to look slightly chalky. Holkham Hall, in Norfolk, produces its own delightful range of linseed paints in a beautiful range of colours for their estate and now sell online.

There are numerous eco paints on the market now that use plant or mineral pigments, are acrylic free, VOC free, and are made without petrochemical toxins, solvents or pesticides. They are as easy to use, last longer and cost no more than conventional brands. Here are some of the best on the market:

www.auroorganic.co.uk

www.ecopaints.com

www.ecopaints.co.uk

www.holkhamlinseedpaints.co.uk

www.nutshellpaints.com

You can read the full version of this article at Concept For Living

Welcome to my eco-blog

Welcome to my newly born eco-blog. You may have to bear with me for a little while, whilst I work out how to do this properly - so forgive me if things are a little shaky and raw at the edges.

This is a time of incredible opportunity and change. Climate change is a given fact - as Tony Blair stated "the debate is over". We now know that we are damaging and polluting our planet, in particular by our use of fossil fuels, with extremely damaging results. We now know that we need to take action to bring under control current and future greenhouse gas emissions. The solutions are out there, it's just a matter of embracing them and putting in place the right solutions for a brighter cleaner sustainable future.

I want to tell you about what is happening, what solutions are being adopted on a global scale, as well as on a national basis in the UK. I will also let you know of ways in which we can all live more sustainable, energy efficient and environmentally friendly lives on a day-to-day basis. On this blog I will post some of the articles I have written, some pointers to helpful and useful eco-websites, odd eco-thoughts and anything that I come across that I think may be of interest. Do let me know what you think, or if you know of anything out there that you would like to see posted here, I would love to hear from you - just email me on polly@lazye.co.uk