Sunrise say “Another World is home to the first ever festival micronation We are crowdfunding £1500 to be able to stream the event LIVE around the world for even greater participation, so if you can’t join us at the festival you can still enjoy the experience. Join the world’s first Festival Micronation!

Hot on the heels of launching the Sunrise Micronation in Frome – a free independent state independent of world governments -  the Sunrise Embassy now unveils  the “mystery” site for their new Sunrise: Another World festival (3oth May-2^nd June) - Thoulstone Park, their new lush and verdant homeland nestled amongst  the beautiful rolling hills of Wiltshire. 

Amid this stunning natural wilderness, the new Sunrise Micronation – a beacon for a Utopian world of ethical principles and harmonious living – begins the journey to become the world’s first Sustainability Superpower.”

Daniel Hurring, co-founder of Sunrise Another World (the new incarnation of Sunrise Celebration festival) and the Sunrise Micronation, explains:  

“Our independent state aims to be offer an alternative view of life, an antidote to austerity, and keys to happiness, sustainable futures and harmonious communities.  From our new homeland in the stunning surrounds of Thoulstone Park, we aim to create a progressive vision of the future, of society and community. One that is not just functional, but beautiful, not just sustainable, but abundant and flourishing, not just stable but healthy and whole.  We invite you to join our community, to come on the journey, share the adventure in our Sunrise Micronation.  Your thoughts, needs, desires and wishes will form the basis of our nation. Help us to create the future you want for your children, their children and the generations beyond.

“This serious vision aside, Sunrise – as ever – will be a wild jamboree and celebration, a place to forget your woes, dance the night away, be inspired, and share skills, stories and smiles. We believe that every life should be filled with riotous joy, and this more than anything is what this adventure is all about.”

We are seeking crowdfunding to help us become a truly global micronation, and to get started we need £1500 to help us stream the event LIVE around the world. This means anyone will be able to tune in and take part in our glorious festival even if they are not able to attend in person. Please help us by pledging your support and enjoy the range of benefits on offer to you!”

http://bloomvc.com/project/crowdfunding-live-streaming-at-Sunrise-Another-World

www.sunrisefestivals.co.uk 

Go Group Presents a “A field trip to Øya”, a 2-day seminar at Øyafestivalen, Middelalderparken, Oslo on August 8 and 9 2013. The forth GO Group workshop for Sustainable Festivals and Events will focus on two main topics:

Day 1: Green initiatives at the Øya Festival / Live Examples & Best Practise

Day 2: Climate communication and behavorial change – how can events impact their audience’s attitudes and actions towards a more sustainable lifestyle?

Greener, smarter, more sustainable – few festivals live up to the GO Group motto like Norway’s most popular event, Øyafestivalen. For years now the festival in the heart of the Norwegian capital is the spearhead of the “green events movement” in Europe and in so many cases a great example for good practice and smart solutions.

Register now at the Bucks University online store.  The workshop fee is GBP 150 and includes lunch on both days. Yourope members get GBP 30 discount for 1 participant. (Attention – this event is limited to max 20 registered people.)

Program:

Day 1, 
Thu 08 August 2013
Main topic: Green initiatives at the Øya Festival / Live Examples & Best Practise including. 

• Background on the Øya Festival and its environmental work the last decade
  
• Management and certifications
  
• Transportation
  
• Energy production and consumption
  
• Catering
  
• Waste handling
  
• Procurement
  
• Sponsors and partners
  

Day 2, 
Fri 09 August 2013
Main topic: Climate communication and behavioral change – how can events impact their audience’s attitudes and actions towards a more sustainable lifestyle? 

Speakers include (more to be added soon): 

• Julie Forchhammer, Øya Festivalen, NOR
• Sabine Funk, GreenEvents Europe Conference, DE & Yourope
• Paal Fure & Marius Jensen, Aegis Media, NOR, on Consumer trends, and new values
• Christian Klöckner, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NOR on Sustainable consumer behavior and the psycology of climate change.
• Håvard Lundberg, Øya Festivalen, NOR
• Teresa Moore, Bucks New University, UK, on What the Audience Thinks about the Environmental Impact of Live Events. 

More at http://go-group.org/

The Australian Institute of Music has gathered together some of the brightest young minds in the entertainment industry to form its inaugural TILT (Tomorrow’s Ideas Leading Today) forum, the first of a series of events inspired by the fascinating formats of TED Talks and ABC’s Q&A.

Hosted by television presenter James Mathison, the forum will see experienced and innovative entertainment professionals argue for a big idea they feel passionately about in a 20 minute talk in front of an audience. The talks are then offered up to the room, forming the backbone of a think-tank style open forum where speakers and attendees alike can debate and share their opinions.

The event will also feature industry ‘speed dating’ workshops where attendees can talk one on one with experts from the fields of A&R, Touring, Marketing, Production and Management within the entertainment industry. Attendees will be offered a fantastic opportunity to learn some tips and tricks of the trade straight from the source.

Head of Entertainment Management at AIM, Rob Cannon says TILT is an opportunity to gather like-minded industry professionals and student together, to consider future challenges and opportunities.

“Often this type of event discusses things that have happened in years gone by.  But TILT is going to be an interactive discussion on where we are now as an industry, where we want to be in the future and how we get there. It’s about getting together leaders and free thinkers to talk about the future,” he says.

TILT aims to inspire participants with fresh perspectives on the entertainment industry with a focus on technological innovation and rethinking processes and conventions in the light of new technological developments.

The speakers so far include:

Ianto Ware - National Live Music Coordinator for Sounds Australia – the new federal government music marketing initiative, speaking on economics and emo: music scenes, audiences and the digital age.

Colin Blake - CEO of the Australian division of global digital music giant – Rdio, in speaking on consumption, ownership and interaction: the impact and value of streaming services in the next decade.

Rhys Thomas, Senior Agency Manager for Google, who works with Australia’s top ad agencies to consult and develop effective digital strategies using Google products, will talk on the current and future Google world.

Luke Hopewell, Australian editor of top technology and consumer electronics news and reviews site Gizmodo, will talk on the breakdown of audience and the new way people will pay for music online.

Danny Yau - head of Foxtel’s digital department for music and lecturer in Digital Marketing at AIM will also have plenty to say about music in the digital age.

More big-name speakers and industry heavyweights are expected to be announced in June so make sure to book your place now, as tickets are limited. Stay tuned into AIM’s website: http://www.aim.edu.au/ for more information.

TILT is hosted by the Australian Institute of Music (AIM)

When:                   Friday July 5th, 2013, 10:30am – 5:00pm

Where:                 1-55 Foveaux St, Surry Hills

Tickets:               On sale Friday May 10th, eventbrite.com.au:   $35 General Admission /  $10 Students

INFO and Bookings: http://tilt2013.eventbrite.com.au/#  and http://www.aim.edu.au/

Julies Bicycle, DeMontfort University, the Environmental Change Institute (ECI, Oxford University), and Midas UK have teamed up through Powerful Thinking to offer festival organisers the opportunity to become involved with an important research project about energy saving in the events sector. By being part of this project festivals can take advantage of significant discounts on cutting edge monitoring equipment, receive FREE expert advice on how to reduce energy costs and carbon emissions.

What is it?

Festivals hire the latest monitoring equipment from Midas at significantly discounted rates. In additional to the normal energy report, they receive expert advise and recommendations on how to reduce demand, reduce fuel bills and reduce emissions.

Why do it?

Our research suggests generators are often oversized. By monitoring power clients will be able to understand better how power is being managed and identify changes to reduce costs and carbon emissions. Research suggests you could save a minimum 10% on your fuel bill.

Power is a significant cost to events, and fuel prices are set to rise by an average of 14% per year. In many other areas of life, being aware of energy consumption is becoming normal. This is not the case for the festival industry, and the Powerful Thinking campaign aims to provide the information support and resources to help the industry to realize a smarter approach to energy.

And in the words of Chris Johnson, Chair, Powerful Thinking and Shambala Festival Director: “To reduce emissions and fuel bills, we need to get more savvy about how we are managing energy – the first step is monitoring, so we know where we’re are starting from.”

Powerful Thinking is a music industry think-do tank tackling energy sustainability in the events sector. Founder members of Powerful Thinking include: Julie’s Bicycle, Shambala Festival, Kambe Events Ltd, Bestival, The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF), Bestival, Festival Republic, A Greener Festival, and Firefly Solar.

Link to online information pack:  http://www.juliesbicycle.com/media/campaigns/powerfulthinking/Know_your_Power_2013_Info.pdf

The comedian and presenter Bill Oddie has made a video for Global Witness which sheds light on HSBC’s loans to companies that are illegally destroying rainforest habitats and committing human rights abuses in Borneo. Click play on the video  to enjoy this special edition of ‘Bankwatch’. And to help the campaign to stop HSBC’s destruction of the rainforests, sign the Global Witness petition here.  Oddie has been filmed being evicted from HSBC’s London headquarters while protesting against the bank’s business ties to companies that are illegally destroying rainforests.

The introduction of smart meters, which would save energy and reduce household energy bills, has been delayed in the UK until 2015. The DECC said the £11.7 billion project would begin in the Autumn of 2015 and be completed by 2020.

The UK Government has announced that they will commit to updating energy infrastructure and to improving the water industry. The Queen’s speech to the British Parliament set out the Government’s legislative programme for the year ahead, which includes a Bill to reform the energy and water industries.  Less than 10 minutes long, the Queen’s speech highlighted the ageing industries as particular issues to tackle and referred to the Government’s progress on the new Energy Bill, which is currently being developed, as well as its plan to introduce the new Water Bill.  Both Bill’s have received heavy criticism from industry, particularly the Energy Bill, which has been slammed for the delay in its development and for its lack of incentives for investors.

More than three quarters (76%) of professionals believe that a greater focus on sustainability within the built environment could help to boost overall industry growth, according to new research. With professionals aware of the growth potential, 84% feel qualifications in sustainability could be vital to improving their current employability. Almost two thirds (60%) have sought out and gained sustainability qualifications, and a further 86% want to acquire credentials within their field of expertise.  http://www.edie.net/news/6/Sustainability-knowledge-essential-to-boosting-industry-growth/

The DECC has launched a four-week consultation with proposals on how to controversially limit new biomass projects under the Renewables Obligation mechanism. Although the Government recognises that biomass will make a “significant contribution” to delivering the UK’s 15% renewable energy target in 2020, it believes that compared with offshore wind, dedicated biomass electricity is a costly way of saving carbon.  The Government therefore announced last year it would introduce a dedicated biomass capacity cap of 400MW of new build dedicated biomass generating capacity.

Essex & Suffolk Water’s recently completed reed bed system, thought to be the first of its kind, is saving the company 70 tonnes of CO2 emissions a year compared with a conventional system. The £4.5m reed bed system, which is located at the Hanningfield Reservoir, near Chelmsford, was visited by Natural Environment Minister, Richard Benyon. Benyon said: “This is a really exciting initiative and just the sort of innovative approach to water management we need. Ideas like this help us to create a more resilient water industry and boost economic growth.

HRH The Prince of Wales

Prince Charles has attacked climate change sceptics and the “international association of corporate lobbyists” for preventing progress on tackling environment issues. In a speech on tropical forest science yesterday at St James’ Palace in London, Prince Charles called for businesses to take more action on environmental issues and stressed that “the Earth’s physical, chemical and biological systems are crying out to be treated – now”. At the two-day conference for scientists, Prince Charles told delegates that “any scientist is likely to find him or her self up the proverbial double blind gum-tree” if opposition from sceptics and corporate lobbyists continue.

Investigation work will start  at the site of a proposed wind farm off the coast of Aberdeenshire, which is staunchly opposed by American tycoon Donald Trump. The work on the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC), which is to be built near Trump’s luxury golf course, could lead to turbine foundation designs being developed at the test facility costing more than £230m.  Green campaigners have hailed the development, with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Scotland director Lang Banks claiming that Trump would probably “spill his coffee” on hearing that the work had commenced.

The winners of the Resource Revolution Awards have been unveiled at a gala lunchtime reception at the Hotel Russell in London. Hosted by edie.net and LAWR magazine and sponsored by the Carbon Trust the winners are as follows:

Landfill Diversion Strategy  Carpet Recycling UK  (Special mentions also went to High Down Prison and Élan Hair Design)

Waste Collection Logistics Leader  Reconomy

Technology Trailblazer: Materials Recovery  Axion Polymers

Technology Trailblazer: Energy-from-Waste  SEaB Energy  (Also commended was Northumbrian Water)

Closed Loop Exemplar  Marks & Spencer and Somerset Waste Partnership (also commended was Coca Cola Enterprises)

Beyond Zero Waste Achievement  DS Smith Recycling

Resource Revolutionary of the Year  Richard Lochhead MSP, Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Environment

A clearer EU policy is needed to unlock investment in secure, affordable and low carbon energy, according to a report by the House of Lords.   The EU Sub-Committee for Agriculture, Fisheries, Environment and Energy has called for stronger EU leadership, a revised EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) and a 2030 decarbonisation target. In better news,the European Parliament’s Environment Committee has voted to introduce stricter new targets for van fuel economy and CO2 emissions in 2025. MEPs approved a draft law setting out rules to reduce the CO2 emissions of new light commercial vehicles sold in the EU to 147g CO2/km by 2020, from the current 203g. The European Parliament has also reaffirmed its goal towards safer and more environmentally friendly shipping today as it continues discussions on reducing CO2 emissions throughout the region. And the European Commission is encouraging the use of green infrastructure by adopting a new strategy which also ensures that the enhancement of natural processes becomes a systematic part of spatial planning. The Commission says that green infrastructure is a tried and tested tool that uses nature to provide ecological, economic and social benefits. 

Finally in EU news, energy and environment ministers from nine European member states have outlined their support for the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) backloading proposals, as it emerged that a second vote on the proposals would take place next month. Last month in a 334-315 split, the European Parliament voted against EU ETS carbon back-loading proposal. The ministers who said they were disappointed by the first vote (and there were 60 abstentions)  also called for a resolution of the proposals by July and urged the European Commission to bring forward proposals to perform an overall structural reform of the EU ETS by the end of the year.

“Greenwrapping” is an interesting concept – covering up power plants and other buildings with trees, vines and other plants to make the more ‘green’ and there is an interesting article on Treehugger. The designers of one greens scheme, AZPA, publicly stated that vines on the roof of a power plant would “absorb a substantial part of the carbon emissions of the plant”: Treehugger rather sardonically reply “ Right, the creepers will just soak up that CO2 and grow like mad. Why hasn’t anyone thought of this before? Why get rid of coal plants when you can just plant vines? Or put every power station in a park?”. More here http://www.treehugger.com/urban-design/greenwash-watch-good-design-or-egregious-greenwrapping.html

Whilst the EU will now implement bans on the “bee killer” neonicotinoid pesticides, some bee keepers are worried that farmers will now revert back to older and more indiscriminate pesticides – which actually will kill more bees.

Edie.net reports that the DECC is in ‘crisis’ after Ravi Gurumurthy stepped down from his role as head of strategy at the Department of Energy and Climate Change, according to an unconfirmed report.The resignation follows that of Jonathan Brearley last week, who was head of energy markets and networks at DECC.

Recycled polymers could stimulate a return to plastic manufacturing in the UK as changing attitudes towards sustainability and rising costs for Far Eastern producers present new market opportunities for Britain. According to reprocessor expert Keith Freegard who heads up Axion Polymers, tapping into the UK’s plastics recycling infrastructure, could herald a bright future for firms that have traditionally struggled to compete against the manufacturing might of Asian producers.  He highlights examples of certain product types returning to the UK as importers review the balance of benefits versus cost in the face of high real-estate prices, rising labour and electricity costs and onerous custom transfers in China. More here http://www.edie.net/news/5/Closing-loop-on-waste-plastics-could-spark-renaissance-in-British-manufacturing-/

My Cool Allotment: An Inspirational Guide to Stylish Allotments and Community Gardens by Lia Leendertz and Mark Diacono, is a tour of 31 different allotment gardens in the USA, the UK and Europe.  And Treehugger highlight  Another fantastic design from the Instructables Green Design Contest! This one is a vertical garden planter from angelitali.

Scottish Water has installed 10 small-scale wind turbines at its wastewater treatment works in Stornoway to help reduce energy costs. The turbines, which make up the utility’s first project of its kind in Scotland, are capable of generating 500KW of electricity per day.

Finally, the mystery of LED ‘droop’ has been solved: Droop is where the increase in the electrical current sent to a LED would, past a certain point, reduce the amount of light produced.  Now the riddle has been solved by a group of researchers from the engineering department of UC Santa Barbara and from CNRS-École Polytechnique in France. They have “conclusively identified Auger recombination as the mechanism that causes light emitting diodes (LEDs) to be less efficient at high drive currents.” And now have a solution. More here http://www.treehugger.com/clean-technology/cause-led-droop-identified-could-lead-more-efficient-led-lights.html

Biomass news: In our last update we were worried about the fact that burning wood might not be the ‘renewables’ solution its made out to be.  But the owner of the UK’s largest power station, Drax, has announced it has agreed a £75m private loan, underpinned by a Government guarantee to fund its biomass conversion project.

The UK needs to be bolder in pushing through new business models if it is to create a circular economy, WRAP CEO Liz Goodwin has warned, telling delegates at a Sustainable Business conference on resource scarcity in London that the UK economy was failing to make the most use of its resources.  She said that new business models were required so that the UK could extract maximum value from its materials and recover and regenerate the component parts and materials at the end of life

The level of public disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions among the world’s 800 largest companies is “unacceptably poor”, according to research by the Environmental Investment Organisation (EIO). The climate change and finance think tank found that only 37% of companies are reporting complete data and correctly adopting the basic principles of greenhouse gas emissions reporting.

Abu Dhabi-based renewable energy company Masdar and the UK Green Investment Bank (GIB) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore project investment opportunities in the UK’s clean energy sector.

Nike has joined forces with NASA to explore new ways of pushing forward sustainable materials innovation in an initiative backed by US foreign ministries. The project, known as LAUNCH, is seeking to challenge thinking in this area through fostering greater collaboration between materials specialists, designers, academics, manufacturers, entrepreneurs and NGOs. http://www.edie.net/news/5/Nike-and-NASA-sustainable-material-innovation-launch-2020/

The first international restaurant rating system which enables diners to choose a restaurant by its sustainability standards, was launched today by the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA). The SRA’s Global Sustainability Rating means diners across the globe can check how restaurants manage their energy, waste and water, how they treat their staff and where they source their food.  President of the SRA and chef Raymond Blanc, said: “This is wonderful news for anyone, like me, who cares about where their food comes from and how it is produced. It is encouraging to know that when I am eating out, anywhere in the world, I can check if the restaurant is doing the important things that will help lead to a more sustainable future for us all”.  http://www.edie.net/news/6/Raymond-Blanc-launches-global-rankings-system-for-sustainable-restaurants/

Energy wasting amongst Brits remains high, despite 80% saying they consider energy saving measures, according to the latest Government figures.  Department of Energy and Climate Change’s (DECC) latest public attitudes tracker, which surveys more than 2,000 people, found that 67% of people admit to at least occasionally boiling the kettle with more water than they intend to use.  It also found that 52% leave lights on when they are not in the room and just over 50% said they leave the heating on when they go out for a few hours

UK Energy Minister Greg Barker has officially opened The BRE National Solar Centre (NSC) in St Austell, Cornwall today, which aims to drive innovation, reduce costs and increase confidence in the marketplace through knowledge generation

The Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames has seen a 43% increase in the amount of plastic recycled after the council widened the range of materials that could be collected at the kerbside last October. The new service now includes all plastic bottles, including drink, shampoo and detergent bottles as well as meat trays and ready meal food trays, margarine tubs, yoghurt pots and ice cream containers and fruit and vegetable punnets.

Hot on the heels of Coca Cola Enterprises’ Joe Franses calling for businesses in the beverage industry  to recognise the need to improve water efficiency within their operations and that progress must continue to secure the sector’s future, comes news that Sainsbury’s has reduced its water consumption across its estate by 50% since 2005, largely due to recycling and utilising rainwater throughout its operations.

Bad news for hay fever sufferers. 2013′s extremely cold start means that many trees have not released their pollen when they should have – but they all are ready to release pollen now as it warms up, so expect a blizzard of pollen – and a blizzard of sneezing – another unwanted side effect of climate change! And even worse news – malaria could become a real risk in the UK as leading health experts warn the UK government it needs to take action against mosquito borne disease – as climate change with warmer weather and wetter summers brings  what were once thought of as tropical diseases such as dengue fever, malaria and haemorrhagic fever ever closer to the UK. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2013/may/05/uk-tropical-disease-malaria-threat

The Love Your Tent online survey in association with A Greener Festival and Buckinghamshire New University is now live and the LYT team want as many festival goers to fill it in throughout the 2013 festival season, in an attempt to fully understand audience behaviour so the problem can be tackled through education and collective action.

“We bought our tent for a tenner down the local supermarket so I’m not really bothered about it, I can always buy another one next year”

 “We’ve partied a bit too much and don’t have the energy to take it down and carry it home”

“I’m actually doing some good because they get sent to overseas charities for emergency shelter, don’t they?”

“These are some of the responses we got last year when we asked people at one of the major festivals why they were leaving their tents behind. These answers were pretty typical but we know it doesn’t have to be like that, festival’s such as Wychwood and Shambala have proved it’s possible for audiences to take everything home with them after a weekend of partying so together we need to appeal to as many festival goers as possible to do the same. The survey is an opportunity for us to see if there are more behavioural connections that are revealed on a wider scale such as is it more typical for younger audiences to leave everything? Is there a gender sway towards disrespectful behaviour? Is it a combination of factors that contribute to people to choosing to leave everything or is there one dominant reason? These answers will allow us to tailor the focus of the Love Your Tent campaign for next year so we can start to make some headway in limiting camp field waste in the future.” says Juliet Ross-Kelly of Eco Action Partnership who launched the Love Your Tent campaign in 2012.

Love Your Tent is a rapidly growing movement spearheaded by Eco Action Partnership Ltd, with the cooperation of A Greener Festival, the Association of Independent Festivals  and Sounds for Nature (Germany), with the aim of reducing camping waste and landfill at Festivals around the world, through social pressure and consciousness.

“Assessing festivals around the world who take great efforts to minimise their environmental impact, one of the saddest things to see is a waste land of abandoned items from the audience. Unfortunately tents and camping equipment seem to have become disposable items in the minds of many. We fully support the Love Your Tent campaign in the hope that more will realise this sad wastefulness that desperately needs to be addressed.” comments Co-Founder of A Greener Festival, Claire O’Neill

Last year the Love Your Tent campaign was nominated for a ‘Green Innovations Award’ at the annual festival awards and has since gone from strength to strength with many festivals pledging to support the campaign by helping to build awareness throughout 2013 including Wychwood, Truck, Shambala, Glastonbury, Reading, Leeds, Isle of Wight, Body & Soul, Y Not and Brownstock and with more big names to be announced soon.

The audience survey will be followed up with a festival organisers survey later in the year.

To answer the survey, follow this link

To join the movement and pledge your support, go to www.facebook.com/LoveYourTent

For more information visit www.loveyourtent.com

Here’s to a sunny, litter free 2013 festival season!

The UK’s carbon footprint has increased by 10% over the past two decades, as growth in imported emissions has more than offset the 19% reduction in production emissions, according to a new report  from the Committee on Climate Change (CCC): as a result, the UK is now one of the world’s largest net importers of emissions, with a carbon footprint that is around 80% larger than its production emissions, reflecting the relatively small share of manufacturing in UK GDP and the importing of manufactured goods.

Eric Pickles is single handedly undoing the UK’s energy policy and the Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government is  undermining Britain’s attempt to become the most energy efficient nation in Europe, says the director of the Association for the Conservation of Energy (ACE)

But in other news, residents in the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead that recycle their food waste will be able to earn points which can be exchanged for vouchers and spent in local shops. The partnership with Recyclebank is the first of its kind in the UK and is being supported by Department for Communities & Local Government (DCLG) funding

The UK’s Sentencing Council have published a consultation paper on a planned revision to sentencing guidelines  for environmental offences, including fly tipping and the dumping of waste http://sentencingcouncil.judiciary.gov.uk/docs/Environmental_Consultation_web_final.pdf

Fancy growing a herb garden in your back yard – where here are some helpful hints courtesy of  Housekeeping: http://www.housekeeping.org/blog/30-blogs-detailing-how-to-create-your-own-backyard-herb-garden/

And remember – not all ‘organic’ cures are that good for the environment. Bordeaux Mix – used against potato blight, contains copper and this can become concentrated in the soil, and Pyrethrum, used as a pesticide (its made from and an extract from Chrysanthemums) is not discriminatory and will kill ladybirds as well as pests.

EU Environment Ministers have highlighted the growth opportunities that could arise from a successful transition to a low carbon, climate resilient and resource efficient economy.

During an informal two day meeting at Dublin Castle, EU Environment Ministers focused on developing the single market for green products and services, based on a recent Communication from the European Commission.  Building the Single Market for Green Products in a Resource Efficient Europe is designed to address information deficits among European consumers, after a recent eurobarometer survey found that 48% of European consumers are confused by the stream of environmental information that they receive.  http://www.edie.net/news/6/EU-Ministers-reach-general-consensus-on-future-of-green-Europe-/

Fossil fuels have an important role in the UK’s transition to low carbon electricity, according to a report released today by the cross-party think tank Carbon Connect. The report also argues that a 2030 decarbonisation target will prove the most successful strategy on the sustainability, security and affordability of energy.  It also states that the most viable way of achieving sustainable energy will be to switch the UK’s reliance on coal to gas generation, while using fossil fuel power stations increasingly for backup.  http://www.edie.net/news/6/Fossil-fuels-important-for-UK-s-low-carbon-transition-says-think-tank/

The National Trust announced today that it will invest nearly £3.5m over the next two years to provide renewable energy to 43 of its historic properties, and will generate 50% of its energy from renewable sources and halve its fossil fuel consumption by 2020.

Samsung Electronics has admitted it is using tin mined in Indonesia for the manufacture of its smart phones, causing devastating effects on the local environment. Last year Friends of the Earth (FOE) carried out a six-month investigation which found that the mining of tin used in popular brands of smartphones was destroying tropical forests, killing coral and damaging community life on the island of Bangka in Indonesia.

In the UK, 38 Degrees orchestrated a campaign that saw over 300,000 people signing  the petition to ban these pesticides and over 40,000 people emailed MPs. In the environment minister’s constituency, in North Shropshire, over 50 local 38 Degrees members came face to face with him to deliver the petition and demand he changed his mind. Hundreds of 38 Degrees members joined up with a host of other campaign organisations to hold a ‘March of the Beekeepers’ in Parliament square and Greenpeace EU agriculture policy director Marco Contiero said Monday’s vote “makes it crystal clear that there is overwhelming scientific, political and public support for a ban. The environment minister, Lord de Mauley, countered, saying: “Having a healthy bee population is a top priority for us but we did not support the proposal because our scientific evidence doesn’t support it. We will now work with farmers to cope with the consequences as a ban will carry significant costs for them.”

The European Commission will now have the option to impose a two-year restriction on neonicotinoids – and the UK cannot opt out.  The three neonicotinoids are clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiametoxam. A report published by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) in January concluded that the pesticides posed a “high acute risk” to pollinators, including honeybees. That said, they are probably not the only factor working against bees – the varroa mite has been a serious ongoing problem for bees and beekeepers, and pollution and climate change present challenges too – last year’s soaking wet British summer had a near catastrophic effect on many colonies. But lest we forget – once the bees have gone – humans have only a couple of years left ……….

The documentary – embedded below – features Luke from A Greener Festival (at roughly 9:45 & 15:25) – but the whole documentary is definitely worth a watch!

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have said they are adequately prepared to deal with the effects of climate change and the potential increase in air turbulence over the next half century. According to a report published this week by University of East Anglia’s School of Environmental Sciences, climate change will increase the strength of turbulence on flights by 10-40%, while an increase in the frequency of turbulence is set to rise between 40–170% by 2050.

The cold British spring has had a dramatic effect on migrating birds, with many starving to death as they arrive on the island only to find that usual food sources are very limited or non-existent. Many birds such as swallows, willow warblers and house martins who have travelled thousands of miles are finding no insects to feed on – and 11 stone curlews have been  found dead on beaches in Norfolk, with many others presumed perished.

A new documentary film says that Orcas kept in captivity are deeply traumatised by the experience. The film, Blackfish, which focuses on a killer whale called Tilikum, says that the so called ‘humane’ regime  at SeaWorld -  capture, captivity and training turns the whales into killers. Tilikum has killed two trainers and one uninvited visitor since 1991. Film maker Gabriela Cowperthwaite gained access to many films shot by staff and trainers which has previously been kept secret  by SeaWorld.  http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/14/killer-whale-seaworld-orlando

At the end of March  the ExxonMobil Pegasus pipeline, which brings Canadian crude oil from Illinois to Texas, ruptured, leaking at least 80,000 gallons of oil into the Central Arkansas town of Mayflower. Now an update  from TreeHugger about the the oil spill in Mayflower, Arkansas.  It is a shocking story with local people up in arms about the firm hired to under take the clean up – and for more  see   As Exxon censors local media, citizen journalists document Arkansas oil spill. Can the pros be doing more? and see http://www.desmogblog.com/2013/04/13/arkansas-private-contractor-mayflower-tar-sands-spill-keystone-xl

Inspired by natural processes, patterns and systems, the Looper is mobile, luxury “self-sufficient living pod” of tensile fabric stretched over a sustainably-sourced wooden frame. The designers come from a variety of disciplines ranging from architecture to permaculture to structural engineering and it is  fascinating to see completely new concepts like this caterpillar-shaped prefab tent from Nomadic Resorts. The pod measures 10 metres long by 4 metres wide and is designed to have as light of a footprint as possible, there are solar panels powering LED lighting, a fully functioning bathroom with wastewater treatment, a changing room, office with wi-fi and a sleeping area.

A coalition of 45 organisations has issued a report which argues that the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) has systemic and unresolvable problems. The scheme, desgfned to promote EU carbon emission reduction targets,  allows EU companies economising on carbon to sell an allowance to those who are less efficient.  But the price has collapsed. Published by NGO, the Corporate Europe Observatory, the report came just hours before the European Parliament votes on the European Commission’s proposal to backload 900 million emissions permits within the EU ETS.  Edie.net reports that one signatory, the NGO FERN, which keeps track of the European Union’s involvement in forests and its carbon and ecosystems, said “We do not think it is going anywhere, it is fundamentally flawed and even if you backload 900 million permits we know it is not going to pick up the prices because it is not enough. Even with knowledge that the ;price of carbon had collapsed  and there was no economic incentive to economise on carbon emissions, the European Parliament voted against a ‘back-loading’ of carbon emissions allowances under the ETS) and the UK Government has expressed its disappointment in the vote rejecting the European Commissions backloading proposal under the controversial EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) but said it respects the views of MEPs.

But governments Worldwide DO have to act: But do you wonder why they don’t in the face of now almost universal scientific evidence on the real dangers of global warming? Well just think of the combine might of the fossil fuel industries – oil, petroleum, gas, goal – and their vast economic and lobbying power. There is a very good article in the Observer by Will Hutton today (21st April 2013) where Will makes the point “a new report, Unburnable Carbon 2013, showed that stock markets worldwide are cumulatively valuing coal, oil and energy companies’ huge reserves of fossil fuels as if they will all be burned, even though, at best, only 40% could ever be used if the world is to cap the increase in global temperatures by 2C this century. Further, in 2012, the top 200 energy companies spent $674bn on finding new reserves, reinforcing the collective absurdity. In other words, there is either a carbon bubble with investors and companies wildly over-speculating on the value of owning fuel reserves that can never be burned, or nobody believes there is the remotest chance that the world will stick to the limits on fossil fuel use congruent with containing global warming.” The worlds fossil fuel companies are valued at $4 trillion.  http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/apr/21/carbon-problems-financial-crisis-hutton

Marketing for the UK’s Green Deal is under-funded compared with the proportions of budgets allocated to marketing by large retailers, according to Travis Perkins’ Matthew Wright. Talking at Sustainability Live in Birmingham today, Wright said his company “desperately” needed to see some more communication and publicity surrounding the Government’s flagship energy efficiency retrofit scheme.  “It is just completely inadequate. They have spent £10m and if you think how much Tesco and John Lewis spend on their advertising, it is insignificant, it is a drop in the ocean,” he said.  Green Deal assessments lodged in March reached 7,465, up from 1,729 in February, according to the Governments latest figures. A total of 9,268 Green Deal Assessments have been lodged since the scheme launched on 28 January 2013, up from 1,803 at end of February.

Markets for mixed polymer waste may be opening up as a pan-European consortium proposes to manufacture high value products such as flood defences from these materials. Material scientists from PRIME (Plastic Recyclate Impression Moulding Engineering) have combined their expertise to build a prototype rig that has produced the first test barrier panel from mixed plastics waste, which can be used in flood defences.  http://www.edie.net/news/5/Mixed-plastics-waste-reuse-flood-defence-/

Scottish Water has been fined £20,000 after a sewage spill from the Lochwinnoch Sewage Treatment Works located adjacent to Castle Semple Loch in Renfrewshire. After an investigation by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), the company pleaded guilty to allowing partially treated sewage effluent and activated sludge to escape the works and make its way to wetlands directly dependent on the Loch.  http://www.edie.net/news/4/Scottish-Water-fined-over-pollution-incident-in-Renfrewshire-/

The Government has committed to support the winning projects of its £1bn carbon capture and storage (CCS) competition, if they choose to apply for European finding. The European’s NER 300 investment programme for low-carbon technologies is aimed at promoting the commercial demonstration of CCS and innovative renewable energy (RES) technologies

The excessive use of water in the process of hydraulic fracturing must not be underestimated given the unpredictable nature of water in the UK, according to one expert, Steve Thompsett , head of climate resilience and adaption at civil engineering firm Jacobs.