E.ON, the UK's largest integrated electricity and gas company, has today joined forces with former 'Tomorrow's World' presenter Philippa Forrester and former 'Changing Rooms' star Oliver Heath to launch 'E.ON EnergyLab' - a nationwide talent search to find Britain's next big innovations in energy efficiency.
E.ON challenges Britain's budding inventors to come up with the next generation of energy saving ideas E.ON, the UK's largest integrated electricity and gas company, has today joined forces with former 'Tomorrow's World' presenter Philippa Forrester and former 'Changing Rooms' star Oliver Heath to launch 'E.ON EnergyLab' - a nationwide talent search to find Britain's next big innovations in energy efficiency.
Philippa and Oliver form part of the E.ON EnergyLab judging panel who will be on the lookout for clever creations that could revolutionise the future of energy and how it is used. Britain's budding inventors are invited to enter one of two award categories:
E.ON EnergyLab Award:
This category is open to all, from potting shed inventors to canny customers to entrepreneurs, with the creator of the winning invention receiving a cash prize of £10,000;
LIFE-IC Technology Award:
A new category aimed at recognising, supporting and encouragingthose who are already studying or working in the field of engineering or technology. The winner will receive a cash prize of £5,000 plus support and consultancy from world class business accelerator LIFE-IC to help get their idea into production.
Dave Clarke, from E.ON's Technology Centre, said: "This is the second year we've run E.ON EnergyLab and last year we unearthed an army of ingenious inventors with a wealth of energy saving ideas - so we're really excited about the hidden talents we could uncover this year."
Philippa Forrester said: "Having spent seven years reporting on the technology of tomorrow, I can't think of a more exciting project to be part of. I can't wait to see the energy saving concepts that Britain's next generation of inventors will come up with."
Bright ideas should be submitted at Energy Lab before 30 November 2007. Those lucky enough to be shortlisted will be invited to one of a series of regional heats held in Birmingham, Cambridge, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Manchester in January and February 2008.
Regional finalists will then have the opportunity to pitch their ideas and present their prototypes to the panel of experts against the clock, vying for the chance to go head to head in the national final in London in April 2008.
Oliver Heath said: "The E.ON EnergyLab combines all of my passions - the environment, design and innovation - into a fantastic competition that is open to anyone and everyone, regardless of age or experience. This really is a talent search with a difference and I'd encourage anyone with a nifty idea that could help conserve energy to take part."
E.ON's retail business, branded Powergen, is a leading energy supplier in the UK, with around 5.5 million electricity and gas customers.
E.ON is the UK's largest integrated power and gas company - generating and distributing electricity and retailing electricity and gas - and also provide various home energy services such as Boiler Repairs and Central Heating Repairs amongst others, is part of the E.ON group, the world's largest investor-owned power and gas company.
Sunday, 30 September 2007
E.ON Challenges Britain's Budding Inventors to Come up with the Next Generation of Energy Saving Ideas
Saturday, 29 September 2007
NEW Energy Matters Solar-Port – power at your fingertips - in the Great Outdoors
The Energy Matters Solar-Port is the ideal portable power source for use in the Great Outdoors. Be it for camping, exploring, boating – anywhere you need to have instant power on the go. The Solar-Port converts in a matter of seconds from a sturdy suitcase to a self supporting solar power unit – ready to power life’s necessities!
The Solar Energy Matters Solar-Port includes two 50W solar modules in parallel with peak power voltage of 17 volts and total peak current of 6 Amps. This voltage and current are suitable for general battery charging. It is recommended to use the Solar-Port with a solar regulator (charge controller) between the Solar-Port and the batteries.
A solar regulator will continuously check the battery terminal voltage and allow the battery to be charged only if it requires charging. It automatically disconnects the battery from the Solar-Port when the battery is fully charged.
Energy Matters recommends using the Morningstar 10A 12V Sunsaver regulator when charging batteries from the Solar-Port. For additional information on Energy Maters Solar- Port Got to: http:// www.renewablestores.com.au, or contact: sales@energymatters.com.au or Visit or Mail at: 122 Bank Street, South Melbourne, VIC-3205, Australlia Call at: 1300 727 151.
The Solar Energy Matters Solar-Port includes two 50W solar modules in parallel with peak power voltage of 17 volts and total peak current of 6 Amps. This voltage and current are suitable for general battery charging. It is recommended to use the Solar-Port with a solar regulator (charge controller) between the Solar-Port and the batteries.
A solar regulator will continuously check the battery terminal voltage and allow the battery to be charged only if it requires charging. It automatically disconnects the battery from the Solar-Port when the battery is fully charged.
Energy Matters recommends using the Morningstar 10A 12V Sunsaver regulator when charging batteries from the Solar-Port. For additional information on Energy Maters Solar- Port Got to: http:// www.renewablestores.com.au, or contact: sales@energymatters.com.au or Visit or Mail at: 122 Bank Street, South Melbourne, VIC-3205, Australlia Call at: 1300 727 151.
Friday, 28 September 2007
Multimap Partners with Carbon Clear to Help Drivers Reduce Their Carbon Footprints
Multimap, Europe’s leading online mapping service provider, has enhanced its travel directions service to offer users information about the carbon footprint of journeys, as well as the ability to offset those journeys.
The service is provided through a partnership with Carbon Clear, a leading carbon management company that helps businesses and consumers manage their greenhouse gas emissions.To use the carbon calculator, Multimap users click the “get directions” link on www.multimap.com, enter their journeys’ start and end points, click “find”, and are presented with step-by-step directions and route maps.
The directions results now include information on the carbon footprint of the journey. A pull-down menu allows users to choose the correct engine size of their cars, and to compare the carbon footprint of the journey if they were to go by bus or train instead of driving. Users clicking on the “more info” link will find details of how the carbon footprint is calculated, and can visit the Carbon Clear website to take action to offset their journeys.
Multimap’s founder Sean Phelan, said, “We all know that driving has a negative effect on the environment. We’ve partnered with Carbon Clear to help raise users’ awareness of the impact of driving, and also to make it easier to offset the carbon emissions of those journeys. Carbon Clear invests in carbon-reducing projects that balance the greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, and we’re very pleased to support this work.”
Mark Chadwick, CEO and founder of Carbon Clear, added: “We’re really excited to be working together on this initiative. There is a real opportunity here to encourage behaviour change as so many people use Multimap to plan their journeys.
It’s really important that we all understand the environmental impact of our travel. By using this innovative new tool everyone can get a much clearer picture of vehicle emissions and choose the lower-carbon option”.
www.multimap.com
The service is provided through a partnership with Carbon Clear, a leading carbon management company that helps businesses and consumers manage their greenhouse gas emissions.To use the carbon calculator, Multimap users click the “get directions” link on www.multimap.com, enter their journeys’ start and end points, click “find”, and are presented with step-by-step directions and route maps.
The directions results now include information on the carbon footprint of the journey. A pull-down menu allows users to choose the correct engine size of their cars, and to compare the carbon footprint of the journey if they were to go by bus or train instead of driving. Users clicking on the “more info” link will find details of how the carbon footprint is calculated, and can visit the Carbon Clear website to take action to offset their journeys.
Multimap’s founder Sean Phelan, said, “We all know that driving has a negative effect on the environment. We’ve partnered with Carbon Clear to help raise users’ awareness of the impact of driving, and also to make it easier to offset the carbon emissions of those journeys. Carbon Clear invests in carbon-reducing projects that balance the greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, and we’re very pleased to support this work.”
Mark Chadwick, CEO and founder of Carbon Clear, added: “We’re really excited to be working together on this initiative. There is a real opportunity here to encourage behaviour change as so many people use Multimap to plan their journeys.
It’s really important that we all understand the environmental impact of our travel. By using this innovative new tool everyone can get a much clearer picture of vehicle emissions and choose the lower-carbon option”.
www.multimap.com
Protection for twenty four more 'at risk' rivers, lakes and coastal waters
Aquatic and coastal wildlife, swimmers, surfers, fishermen and others who use our waterways for recreation and livelihood will benefit from a reduction in pollution from sewage treatment works along rivers, lakes and coasts in England, Environment Minister Phil Woolas said today.
Mr Woolas announced 24 additional 'Sensitive Areas' that have been identified as at risk from excessive nutrients in discharges from sewage treatment works.
This means that water companies will be obliged, under the Urban Waste Water Treatment Regulations, to take action by 2014 to reduce phosphorus and nitrates in the discharges from about 140 sewage treatment works.
The nutrients, especially nitrogen and phosphorous, accelerate the growth of algae and plants, which affects water quality and disturbs the balance of other organisms including fish. Two existing sensitive areas have also been extended. Eleven of the new areas are Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
The new and extended areas equate to about 749 km of rivers and canals and 30 sq km of standing fresh and estuarine water bodies across England.
Announcing the designations today Phil Woolas said: "Taking this action will not only protect our water environment, its aquatic life, and the wildlife that depends on it. It will also bring considerable benefits for everyone who values our waterways and the complex ecosystems around them.
"This is not just about meeting our obligations to improve water quality, but doing what we think is right for the environment and for quality of life.
"There will be water bill implications for customers from 2014, ranging from less than a pound to around £7 a year. We always consider very carefully when householders' bills are likely to be affected, but these increases are small and I hope consumers will consider the benefits to be more than worth the investment."
Today's announcement brings the total number of Sensitive Areas in England to 367, covering over 4,500km of rivers and canals, and about 1,600 sq km of standing fresh, estuarine, coastal and marine water bodies.
Since the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive was transposed into UK law in 1994, the Government has identified:
* 108 water bodies where eutrophication needed to be tackled
* eight drinking water supply sources with excess nitrate levels
* 180 seaside waters (already identified under the Bathing Waters Directive) where treatment was needed to protect the health of bathers
* 47 areas where shellfish waters (already identified under the Shellfish Waters Directive) needed treatment to protect shellfish harvesting beds
Mr Woolas announced 24 additional 'Sensitive Areas' that have been identified as at risk from excessive nutrients in discharges from sewage treatment works.
This means that water companies will be obliged, under the Urban Waste Water Treatment Regulations, to take action by 2014 to reduce phosphorus and nitrates in the discharges from about 140 sewage treatment works.
The nutrients, especially nitrogen and phosphorous, accelerate the growth of algae and plants, which affects water quality and disturbs the balance of other organisms including fish. Two existing sensitive areas have also been extended. Eleven of the new areas are Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
The new and extended areas equate to about 749 km of rivers and canals and 30 sq km of standing fresh and estuarine water bodies across England.
Announcing the designations today Phil Woolas said: "Taking this action will not only protect our water environment, its aquatic life, and the wildlife that depends on it. It will also bring considerable benefits for everyone who values our waterways and the complex ecosystems around them.
"This is not just about meeting our obligations to improve water quality, but doing what we think is right for the environment and for quality of life.
"There will be water bill implications for customers from 2014, ranging from less than a pound to around £7 a year. We always consider very carefully when householders' bills are likely to be affected, but these increases are small and I hope consumers will consider the benefits to be more than worth the investment."
Today's announcement brings the total number of Sensitive Areas in England to 367, covering over 4,500km of rivers and canals, and about 1,600 sq km of standing fresh, estuarine, coastal and marine water bodies.
Since the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive was transposed into UK law in 1994, the Government has identified:
* 108 water bodies where eutrophication needed to be tackled
* eight drinking water supply sources with excess nitrate levels
* 180 seaside waters (already identified under the Bathing Waters Directive) where treatment was needed to protect the health of bathers
* 47 areas where shellfish waters (already identified under the Shellfish Waters Directive) needed treatment to protect shellfish harvesting beds
United Kingdom takes firm line on action to cut aviation emissions
The United Kingdom acted decisively today to safeguard the proposed European aviation emissions trading scheme and urged the international aviation community to take greater action to address aviation emissions.
Speaking about the 36th assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Secretary of State for Transport Ruth Kelly, said: "We want to work with our international partners to achieve a global solution to this global problem. If international negotiations deliver an effective solution then we will have achieved our goal through co-operation. But I am also clear that the UK, and the environment, cannot wait for ever."
"That is why we are reserving the right - if an international solution is not found - to act in the wider global interest by extending the EU emissions trading scheme to all flights arriving and departing from the European Union. My European colleagues and I will continue to spare no efforts in trying to reach an agreed way forward. This way we will show true global leadership - encouraging international consensus, while ensuring we are able to take tough measures to tackle climate change if others are unwilling or unable to do so."
At the ICAO Assembly, delegates from other countries expressed their wish to move forward on the basis of an international consensus, but insisted on an approach that would have effectively prevented the EU from introducing an emissions trading scheme for non-EU flights.
Ms Kelly added: "We are committed to ensuring effective international action to deal with the environmental impact of international aviation. But the debate in ICAO has hardly progressed in the past three years. ICAO has not lived up to the leadership role given to it by the Kyoto Protocol. That is a very great failing that should concern us all and we may pursue these issues in other international fora."
Speaking about the 36th assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Secretary of State for Transport Ruth Kelly, said: "We want to work with our international partners to achieve a global solution to this global problem. If international negotiations deliver an effective solution then we will have achieved our goal through co-operation. But I am also clear that the UK, and the environment, cannot wait for ever."
"That is why we are reserving the right - if an international solution is not found - to act in the wider global interest by extending the EU emissions trading scheme to all flights arriving and departing from the European Union. My European colleagues and I will continue to spare no efforts in trying to reach an agreed way forward. This way we will show true global leadership - encouraging international consensus, while ensuring we are able to take tough measures to tackle climate change if others are unwilling or unable to do so."
At the ICAO Assembly, delegates from other countries expressed their wish to move forward on the basis of an international consensus, but insisted on an approach that would have effectively prevented the EU from introducing an emissions trading scheme for non-EU flights.
Ms Kelly added: "We are committed to ensuring effective international action to deal with the environmental impact of international aviation. But the debate in ICAO has hardly progressed in the past three years. ICAO has not lived up to the leadership role given to it by the Kyoto Protocol. That is a very great failing that should concern us all and we may pursue these issues in other international fora."
Prince of Wales raises over half a million pounds for farmers
The Prince of Wales has raised over half a million pounds for British farmers directly affected by the latest outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease.
Leading supermarkets such as ASDA, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose have made substantial contributions, as have the Co-operative, Musgrave, Booths, Unilever, Cadbury Schweppes and the national food service distributor 3663.
The Prince himself has donated £100,000 which has been matched by The Duke of Westminster in a move which echoes the donations both made at the time of the last Foot and Mouth outbreak in March 2001.
The total donation, which will be given to farming charities, now stands at £620,000 and will be used to help directly those whose livelihoods have been most affected, especially farmers unable to sell their livestock or pay their bills and those who need advice, help and support.
Since the first outbreak of the disease in Surrey last month, farming charities have reported increasing numbers of telephone calls for help and growing levels of anxiety and stress among farmers and related occupations. Tragically, two suicides have already been reported. This situation has only worsened with the second outbreak this month.
The Prince of Wales said today: "Despite the very welcome lifting of some of the restrictions on animal movements and livestock markets, this remains a desperately difficult time for farmers throughout the United Kingdom. The re-emergence of Foot and Mouth combined with the impact of the flooding this Summer - and now the cases of Bluetongue - have created a real crisis which will be felt for months to come.
"I hope that this donation will make a difference for those farmers struggling to cope. They have animals to feed and bills to pay now; their feedstocks are in short supply and the future is still very uncertain. Too many farmers are on the brink. I am enormously grateful to The Duke of Westminster and the retailers and food companies who have joined me in making this donation to help safeguard the future of our livestock farmers."
The Duke of Westminster said: "We all hope that the present crisis will be short-lived and less widespread than in 2001 but in the meantime I, like HRH The Prince of Wales and the other donating organisations am committed to doing all I can to help the agricultural community and individual farmers cope with the impact of the outbreak."
Sir Don Curry, Chairman of the Sustainable Food and Farming Delivery Group welcomed today's announcement. "As he did in 2001, The Prince of Wales has once again led from the front. As we all know, The Prince is very sensitive to the plight of the farming community and he understands the devastating effect which Foot and Mouth disease is having. Many farmers are under extreme stress at the moment and this donation will provide essential relief to those affected, not just financially but in terms of practical support, advice and help and on their behalf we cannot thank him and the other donors enough."
The Reverend Dr. Gordon Gatward, from the Arthur Rank Centre at the Royal Agricultural Society of England said: "We are delighted by this donation. The Prince, The Duke and all the companies which have contributed deserve our deepest thanks and praise for realising the depth of the problems which some farmers are now facing. We may not have great pyres of burning animals but we do have a situation which is preventing many livestock farmers in this country from making a living. It is particularly gratifying that some of the big supermarket chains contributed so generously to the fund."
John Macfarlane, Welfare Manager of the Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution said today: "Once again The Prince of Wales has demonstrated his knowledge of and concern for the farming community and has acted swiftly to provide practical help.
"RSABI, Scotland's charity helping people who depend on the land, will ensure that the funds are targeted to those who are suffering personally in the current crisis. Hill sheep farming is an extremely important part of Scottish agriculture and we are already receiving calls from farmers in that sector who are suffering stress and worry not only about the situation now, but over the coming year."
In England and Wales, the fund will be administered by the Farming Help Partnership which is made up of three charitable organisations:
· The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution. The RABI is dedicated to helping members of the farming community who are suffering particular hardship. It helps with domestic expenses such as fuel, telephone and food bills, relieving some of the immediate worries for the family as a whole.
· The ARC-Addington Fund. The Addington Fund was set up in 2000 as an emergency fund to help pig farmers through the Swine Fever crisis. At that time HRH gave a substantial donation.
On the outbreak of FMD in 2001, the Addington Fund decided to join with the Arthur Rank Centre (ARC) to provide support for farmers throughout the UK. The fund runs a strategic housing scheme for those having to exit unviable rural businesses and has now relaunched its hardship fund to support farm businesses and those who are dependent on agriculture for a living. This includes assistance to meet the additional costs for animal feed and bedding.
· The Farm Crisis Network. This is a nationwide network of trained volunteers from within the farming community who provide emotional, practical and spiritual support for farming families in difficulty. The charity also runs a helpline which operates from 7.00am until 11.00pm throughout the year.
In Scotland, the fund will be administered by RSABI, formerly The Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution. RSABI is the only charity in Scotland dedicated to relieving poverty and hardship among people who have depended on the land. It is an approachable and caring source of support to people in times of need.
The Prince of Wales is grateful for the support of Business in the Community's Rural Action Team in engaging businesses to recognise the importance of British agriculture and for their assistance in arranging these donations.
Leading supermarkets such as ASDA, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose have made substantial contributions, as have the Co-operative, Musgrave, Booths, Unilever, Cadbury Schweppes and the national food service distributor 3663.
The Prince himself has donated £100,000 which has been matched by The Duke of Westminster in a move which echoes the donations both made at the time of the last Foot and Mouth outbreak in March 2001.
The total donation, which will be given to farming charities, now stands at £620,000 and will be used to help directly those whose livelihoods have been most affected, especially farmers unable to sell their livestock or pay their bills and those who need advice, help and support.
Since the first outbreak of the disease in Surrey last month, farming charities have reported increasing numbers of telephone calls for help and growing levels of anxiety and stress among farmers and related occupations. Tragically, two suicides have already been reported. This situation has only worsened with the second outbreak this month.
The Prince of Wales said today: "Despite the very welcome lifting of some of the restrictions on animal movements and livestock markets, this remains a desperately difficult time for farmers throughout the United Kingdom. The re-emergence of Foot and Mouth combined with the impact of the flooding this Summer - and now the cases of Bluetongue - have created a real crisis which will be felt for months to come.
"I hope that this donation will make a difference for those farmers struggling to cope. They have animals to feed and bills to pay now; their feedstocks are in short supply and the future is still very uncertain. Too many farmers are on the brink. I am enormously grateful to The Duke of Westminster and the retailers and food companies who have joined me in making this donation to help safeguard the future of our livestock farmers."
The Duke of Westminster said: "We all hope that the present crisis will be short-lived and less widespread than in 2001 but in the meantime I, like HRH The Prince of Wales and the other donating organisations am committed to doing all I can to help the agricultural community and individual farmers cope with the impact of the outbreak."
Sir Don Curry, Chairman of the Sustainable Food and Farming Delivery Group welcomed today's announcement. "As he did in 2001, The Prince of Wales has once again led from the front. As we all know, The Prince is very sensitive to the plight of the farming community and he understands the devastating effect which Foot and Mouth disease is having. Many farmers are under extreme stress at the moment and this donation will provide essential relief to those affected, not just financially but in terms of practical support, advice and help and on their behalf we cannot thank him and the other donors enough."
The Reverend Dr. Gordon Gatward, from the Arthur Rank Centre at the Royal Agricultural Society of England said: "We are delighted by this donation. The Prince, The Duke and all the companies which have contributed deserve our deepest thanks and praise for realising the depth of the problems which some farmers are now facing. We may not have great pyres of burning animals but we do have a situation which is preventing many livestock farmers in this country from making a living. It is particularly gratifying that some of the big supermarket chains contributed so generously to the fund."
John Macfarlane, Welfare Manager of the Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution said today: "Once again The Prince of Wales has demonstrated his knowledge of and concern for the farming community and has acted swiftly to provide practical help.
"RSABI, Scotland's charity helping people who depend on the land, will ensure that the funds are targeted to those who are suffering personally in the current crisis. Hill sheep farming is an extremely important part of Scottish agriculture and we are already receiving calls from farmers in that sector who are suffering stress and worry not only about the situation now, but over the coming year."
In England and Wales, the fund will be administered by the Farming Help Partnership which is made up of three charitable organisations:
· The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution. The RABI is dedicated to helping members of the farming community who are suffering particular hardship. It helps with domestic expenses such as fuel, telephone and food bills, relieving some of the immediate worries for the family as a whole.
· The ARC-Addington Fund. The Addington Fund was set up in 2000 as an emergency fund to help pig farmers through the Swine Fever crisis. At that time HRH gave a substantial donation.
On the outbreak of FMD in 2001, the Addington Fund decided to join with the Arthur Rank Centre (ARC) to provide support for farmers throughout the UK. The fund runs a strategic housing scheme for those having to exit unviable rural businesses and has now relaunched its hardship fund to support farm businesses and those who are dependent on agriculture for a living. This includes assistance to meet the additional costs for animal feed and bedding.
· The Farm Crisis Network. This is a nationwide network of trained volunteers from within the farming community who provide emotional, practical and spiritual support for farming families in difficulty. The charity also runs a helpline which operates from 7.00am until 11.00pm throughout the year.
In Scotland, the fund will be administered by RSABI, formerly The Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution. RSABI is the only charity in Scotland dedicated to relieving poverty and hardship among people who have depended on the land. It is an approachable and caring source of support to people in times of need.
The Prince of Wales is grateful for the support of Business in the Community's Rural Action Team in engaging businesses to recognise the importance of British agriculture and for their assistance in arranging these donations.
Wednesday, 26 September 2007
Green and Sustainable Soundproofing To Shout About
We’re all becoming more environmentally aware with eco-friendly versions of everything from light bulbs to wall paint.
But, when it comes to the very fabric of your home, it’s often too late and too expensive to opt for green building materials, right? Wrong! says soundproofing and sound absorption specialists, Sound Service (Oxford) Ltd.
With hundreds of soundproofing solutions available in the current market place for commercial and domestic use, Sound Service (Oxford) Ltd manufacture from sustainable materials such as recycled rubber where possible.
“Very often, homeowners and tenants want to do their bit for the environment but can’t find a way that fits in with their budget and domestic requirements,” said Tom Sykes, Development Manager.
“Even in new builds, it’s hard to incorporate eco-friendly materials into things such as walls and floors. 50 % of our soundproofing products are made from recycled or sustainable materials making practical home improvement more socially responsible.”
According to World Health statistics, half of the UK population is currently being exposed to more than the recommend levels of noise pollution, making soundproofing materials an excellent starting point for those wanting to go green in their home.
Noise pollution doesn’t just come from noisy industrial equipment, airplanes and trains but from everyday activities such as loud music, shouting, home improvements and cars. Soundproofing products can stop this noise seeping out into the surrounding environment, reducing noise pollution levels.
Even noisy neighbours can be given the green treatment with a recycled rubber Acousticel wall panel. Designed to upgrade the sound insulation properties of party walls in the home and all types of domestic properties, the rubber mats are an environmentally friendly way to insulate a noisy neighbour with a minimum loss of room space.
In addition to sourcing suppliers committed to a more sustainable manufacturing process, Sound Service (Oxford) Ltd are implementing a green office policy, making more use of recycled products.
To find out how to enjoy an environmentally effective sense of peace and quiet, log on to www.soundservice.co.uk or call 0845 363 7131.
But, when it comes to the very fabric of your home, it’s often too late and too expensive to opt for green building materials, right? Wrong! says soundproofing and sound absorption specialists, Sound Service (Oxford) Ltd.
With hundreds of soundproofing solutions available in the current market place for commercial and domestic use, Sound Service (Oxford) Ltd manufacture from sustainable materials such as recycled rubber where possible.
“Very often, homeowners and tenants want to do their bit for the environment but can’t find a way that fits in with their budget and domestic requirements,” said Tom Sykes, Development Manager.
“Even in new builds, it’s hard to incorporate eco-friendly materials into things such as walls and floors. 50 % of our soundproofing products are made from recycled or sustainable materials making practical home improvement more socially responsible.”
According to World Health statistics, half of the UK population is currently being exposed to more than the recommend levels of noise pollution, making soundproofing materials an excellent starting point for those wanting to go green in their home.
Noise pollution doesn’t just come from noisy industrial equipment, airplanes and trains but from everyday activities such as loud music, shouting, home improvements and cars. Soundproofing products can stop this noise seeping out into the surrounding environment, reducing noise pollution levels.
Even noisy neighbours can be given the green treatment with a recycled rubber Acousticel wall panel. Designed to upgrade the sound insulation properties of party walls in the home and all types of domestic properties, the rubber mats are an environmentally friendly way to insulate a noisy neighbour with a minimum loss of room space.
In addition to sourcing suppliers committed to a more sustainable manufacturing process, Sound Service (Oxford) Ltd are implementing a green office policy, making more use of recycled products.
To find out how to enjoy an environmentally effective sense of peace and quiet, log on to www.soundservice.co.uk or call 0845 363 7131.
Wednesday, 12 September 2007
Lottery £100 million record-breaker gears up local green credentials
Charlie Dimmock and top urban chef Oliver Rowe were helping gear up the nation’s green credentials yesterday. They have teamed up with the BIG Lottery Fund to push out a record-breaking £100 million good cause investment in local food and environment revamp.
Pictures of Charlie and Oliver at Kentish Town City Farm are available here. The money is being rolled out by the Big Lottery Fund through two England-wide schemes being run by Groundwork UK and the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT).
Funding will enable communities to grow and use local food and to regenerate local parks and open spaces. The two organisations are each being backed with £50 million from the Big Lottery Fund’s Changing Spaces programme.
This will cascade across England as communities share the funding to improve and benefit their local environments. Both schemes will be open for applications in 2008. Urban chef Oliver Rowe, known for sourcing his restaurant produce locally, is endorsing the six-year Local Food project, which will be run by RSWT.
Oliver said: “There is an abundance of great local food in London and the more we get behind our local growing communities across the country with initiatives like this one, the better it will be”
The scheme will help people manage land to grow food, develop understanding of sustainable farming methods and encourage community enterprises like farmers’ markets to stimulate local economic activity.
Stephanie Hilborne, Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, said: “We are thrilled to have been appointed a Changing Spaces award partner by the Big Lottery Fund. Local Food will support a variety of community-based projects across the whole of England from next January to help to transform the local food sector by ensuring locally grown food is accessible to as many people as possible, providing a whole range of associated health, social and environmental benefits.”
Groundwork UK will use £50 million to improve community spaces across England. The lottery funding will allow groups to create or regenerate local spaces to improve the quality of life in their neighbourhoods. Project targets include play areas, community gardens, parks, wildlife areas, ponds, courts and village greens, and pathway improvements.
Charlie Dimmock, who is backing Groundwork’s scheme, said: ''This will be a great call for communities across England to pick up their gardening tools and make their local open spaces more attractive while also becoming aware of the vital need to protect the environment.''
Groundwork UK will provide a network of trained facilitators to help successful applicants turn their ideas into reality by advising on consultation, design, biodiversity and other specialist issues.
Groundwork UK Chief Executive Tony Hawkhead said: "One thing we've learned over many years is that local people are best placed to decide how to make their area a better place to live. Community Spaces will give people the tools to turn their passion into action, to make those improvements happen and, crucially, to make them last. The scheme will make a real difference to the quality of life in thousands of communities across the country. It builds on the experience and hard work of a number of environmental organisations and their skills and knowledge will be vital in ensuring the scheme is a success."
Sir Clive Booth, Big Lottery Fund Chairman, said: “Changing Spaces is ultimately about engaging communities in the improvement of their local environments, promoting wellbeing, regenerating green spaces and supporting the growing and use of local food. “Both these Award Partners are experts in their respective fields, and are in the best position to manage these schemes. This is the largest grant BIG has ever distributed to Award Partners, demonstrating our commitment to the environment and to people’s health. We look forward to seeing the positive impact of these two schemes in communities across England.”
Pictures of Charlie and Oliver at Kentish Town City Farm are available here. The money is being rolled out by the Big Lottery Fund through two England-wide schemes being run by Groundwork UK and the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT).
Funding will enable communities to grow and use local food and to regenerate local parks and open spaces. The two organisations are each being backed with £50 million from the Big Lottery Fund’s Changing Spaces programme.
This will cascade across England as communities share the funding to improve and benefit their local environments. Both schemes will be open for applications in 2008. Urban chef Oliver Rowe, known for sourcing his restaurant produce locally, is endorsing the six-year Local Food project, which will be run by RSWT.
Oliver said: “There is an abundance of great local food in London and the more we get behind our local growing communities across the country with initiatives like this one, the better it will be”
The scheme will help people manage land to grow food, develop understanding of sustainable farming methods and encourage community enterprises like farmers’ markets to stimulate local economic activity.
Stephanie Hilborne, Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, said: “We are thrilled to have been appointed a Changing Spaces award partner by the Big Lottery Fund. Local Food will support a variety of community-based projects across the whole of England from next January to help to transform the local food sector by ensuring locally grown food is accessible to as many people as possible, providing a whole range of associated health, social and environmental benefits.”
Groundwork UK will use £50 million to improve community spaces across England. The lottery funding will allow groups to create or regenerate local spaces to improve the quality of life in their neighbourhoods. Project targets include play areas, community gardens, parks, wildlife areas, ponds, courts and village greens, and pathway improvements.
Charlie Dimmock, who is backing Groundwork’s scheme, said: ''This will be a great call for communities across England to pick up their gardening tools and make their local open spaces more attractive while also becoming aware of the vital need to protect the environment.''
Groundwork UK will provide a network of trained facilitators to help successful applicants turn their ideas into reality by advising on consultation, design, biodiversity and other specialist issues.
Groundwork UK Chief Executive Tony Hawkhead said: "One thing we've learned over many years is that local people are best placed to decide how to make their area a better place to live. Community Spaces will give people the tools to turn their passion into action, to make those improvements happen and, crucially, to make them last. The scheme will make a real difference to the quality of life in thousands of communities across the country. It builds on the experience and hard work of a number of environmental organisations and their skills and knowledge will be vital in ensuring the scheme is a success."
Sir Clive Booth, Big Lottery Fund Chairman, said: “Changing Spaces is ultimately about engaging communities in the improvement of their local environments, promoting wellbeing, regenerating green spaces and supporting the growing and use of local food. “Both these Award Partners are experts in their respective fields, and are in the best position to manage these schemes. This is the largest grant BIG has ever distributed to Award Partners, demonstrating our commitment to the environment and to people’s health. We look forward to seeing the positive impact of these two schemes in communities across England.”
Tuesday, 11 September 2007
40th birthday of organic: Craig Sams, organic pioneer
The 40th birthday of organic: The organic market has come a long way since Sams opened his restaurant. In 1992 was worth just £150 milion but it now tops £20 billion globally and is worth £2billion in the UK Organic’s original celebrity fans: These days it’s Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow who are known for their love of the latest food trends.
Back in 67, celebrity organic fans included the likes of John Lennon, Terrance Stamp, Mark Bolan and Yoko Ono, all regulars at Seed. How many people would have predicted that the macrobiotic food they were tucking into would now be purchased by two thirds of us?
The future for organic: according to Sams the market has maintained steady growth levels of approx 30% since the 60s. The latest report from the Soil Association (of which Sams is chairman) shows that the newest growth area is cosmetics and clothing – based on these figures could we eventually be going back to basics and leading an all natural lifestyle?
From Lennon and the Stones to nearly 33% of high street shoppers; belief in the British organic movement has come a long way in 40 years - 40 years ago, two farm boys from Nebraska opened a small organic café in the basement of the Gloucester Hotel, Paddington, London.
Little did they suspect that in 2007 the organic industry they started would be worth a cool £2 billion – and that the company that was born out of their little Paddington cafe would still be pioneering the organic movement today!
Food of the Rock Gods
In 1967, Craig and Gordon Sams set up Seed, the first macrobiotic café in England. The café became the place to be in London’s vibrant, alternative '60’s scene with Yoko Ono, Lennon, Terence Stamp, the Stones and Marc Bolan all regularly dining on a new, natural, macrobiotic approach to dining.
The developing textures and tastes of the food at Seed led to high demand and Sams created a new company, Whole Earth, to pioneer the production of organic foods with great taste to a wider market leading to organic firsts from the very first organic peanut butter to the first organic cola.
The Great Glastonbury HotDog Protest! The movement quickly gathered a passionate following with the culmination of a semi riot against the hot dog fans arriving at the very first Glastonbury festival in 1971, leading to Whole Earth being the sole provider of food at that inaugural event... with T-Rex and the Beatles chowing down on bean stew, porridge and unleavened bread with tahini spread.
Whole Earth Leads the Way From it’s landmark crunchy peanut butter, Whole Earth went on to develop an array of tasty treats from luxury cereal bar snacks to kitchen staples such as baked beans, tomato ketchup and instant coffee.
Generation O!
In the noughties organic has come a long way and growing by £2.6 billion million every single year – the entire market in 1992 was worth just £150 milion. The big issue for consumers is cost – however spare a though for organic farmers who, as a result of not using herbicides, embark on a labour-intensive job of weeding crops by hand and yielding a miserable 20% less crop than in conventional agriculture.
The subsidising of non-organic farms by the Government also contributes to the high production costs associated with organic farming and explains why organic can be costly.
The Future of Organic
And the market is now expanding way beyond just food – with the Soil Association recently highlighting a 50% growth in organic cotton as part of an imminent boom in the organic clothing and cosmetics market.
The number of organic cosmetics hitting the shelves has in fact risen by a whopping 170%, leaving no doubt that the organic market is widening. Consumer demand is leading to more investment too.
While small independent producers and consumers initially drove the rise of organic farming, the supermarkets are now taking the lions share of sales, making up 1.2 billion of the 2 billion total sales. In fact at Waitrose, one of the biggest supporters of organic research and development, Whole Earth Organic Baked Beans are outselling Heinz Baked Beans 4:1!
Back in 67, celebrity organic fans included the likes of John Lennon, Terrance Stamp, Mark Bolan and Yoko Ono, all regulars at Seed. How many people would have predicted that the macrobiotic food they were tucking into would now be purchased by two thirds of us?
The future for organic: according to Sams the market has maintained steady growth levels of approx 30% since the 60s. The latest report from the Soil Association (of which Sams is chairman) shows that the newest growth area is cosmetics and clothing – based on these figures could we eventually be going back to basics and leading an all natural lifestyle?
From Lennon and the Stones to nearly 33% of high street shoppers; belief in the British organic movement has come a long way in 40 years - 40 years ago, two farm boys from Nebraska opened a small organic café in the basement of the Gloucester Hotel, Paddington, London.
Little did they suspect that in 2007 the organic industry they started would be worth a cool £2 billion – and that the company that was born out of their little Paddington cafe would still be pioneering the organic movement today!
Food of the Rock Gods
In 1967, Craig and Gordon Sams set up Seed, the first macrobiotic café in England. The café became the place to be in London’s vibrant, alternative '60’s scene with Yoko Ono, Lennon, Terence Stamp, the Stones and Marc Bolan all regularly dining on a new, natural, macrobiotic approach to dining.
The developing textures and tastes of the food at Seed led to high demand and Sams created a new company, Whole Earth, to pioneer the production of organic foods with great taste to a wider market leading to organic firsts from the very first organic peanut butter to the first organic cola.
The Great Glastonbury HotDog Protest! The movement quickly gathered a passionate following with the culmination of a semi riot against the hot dog fans arriving at the very first Glastonbury festival in 1971, leading to Whole Earth being the sole provider of food at that inaugural event... with T-Rex and the Beatles chowing down on bean stew, porridge and unleavened bread with tahini spread.
Whole Earth Leads the Way From it’s landmark crunchy peanut butter, Whole Earth went on to develop an array of tasty treats from luxury cereal bar snacks to kitchen staples such as baked beans, tomato ketchup and instant coffee.
Generation O!
In the noughties organic has come a long way and growing by £2.6 billion million every single year – the entire market in 1992 was worth just £150 milion. The big issue for consumers is cost – however spare a though for organic farmers who, as a result of not using herbicides, embark on a labour-intensive job of weeding crops by hand and yielding a miserable 20% less crop than in conventional agriculture.
The subsidising of non-organic farms by the Government also contributes to the high production costs associated with organic farming and explains why organic can be costly.
The Future of Organic
And the market is now expanding way beyond just food – with the Soil Association recently highlighting a 50% growth in organic cotton as part of an imminent boom in the organic clothing and cosmetics market.
The number of organic cosmetics hitting the shelves has in fact risen by a whopping 170%, leaving no doubt that the organic market is widening. Consumer demand is leading to more investment too.
While small independent producers and consumers initially drove the rise of organic farming, the supermarkets are now taking the lions share of sales, making up 1.2 billion of the 2 billion total sales. In fact at Waitrose, one of the biggest supporters of organic research and development, Whole Earth Organic Baked Beans are outselling Heinz Baked Beans 4:1!
Monday, 10 September 2007
Sainsbury's aids survival of South American Parrots
Sainsbury's recent move to tree ripened papaya has had a positive impact on local wildlife.As the fruit is left on the tree for longer, the ripening process is more progressed, with the resulting papaya looking tasting much sweeter and juicer. It seems it's not just Sainsbury's customers who think so either!
The fruit is grown in the rainforest of Brazil, and the country is currently dealing with drought weather conditions. Many endangered parrots live in the forest; and as a result they are very short on food.
The papaya farms that supply the supermarket are situated in the North Region of Espirito Santo State. Brazil, and are surrounded by two forest reserves; Reserva da Vale do Rio Doce" and "Reserva de Sooretama".
The brightly coloured papayas are attracting parrots from the surrounding forest reserves. The birds are feasting on the fruit and in fact using it as a main food source at this scarce time. As the papaya are being left on the tree to ripen, they are becoming more succulent and clearly more tempting to the bird life close by.
There are several breeds of parrot feasting on the papaya, including the A. rhodocorytha, which is on the verge of extinction.
Lee Turner, Sainsbury's papaya buyer says" We pride ourselves on how tasty and fresh our papayas are and clearly the parrots agree!"Sainsbury's papaya is also available to humans in store priced £1.49.
The fruit is grown in the rainforest of Brazil, and the country is currently dealing with drought weather conditions. Many endangered parrots live in the forest; and as a result they are very short on food.
The papaya farms that supply the supermarket are situated in the North Region of Espirito Santo State. Brazil, and are surrounded by two forest reserves; Reserva da Vale do Rio Doce" and "Reserva de Sooretama".
The brightly coloured papayas are attracting parrots from the surrounding forest reserves. The birds are feasting on the fruit and in fact using it as a main food source at this scarce time. As the papaya are being left on the tree to ripen, they are becoming more succulent and clearly more tempting to the bird life close by.
There are several breeds of parrot feasting on the papaya, including the A. rhodocorytha, which is on the verge of extinction.
Lee Turner, Sainsbury's papaya buyer says" We pride ourselves on how tasty and fresh our papayas are and clearly the parrots agree!"Sainsbury's papaya is also available to humans in store priced £1.49.
Green findings - Energy Performance Certificates and Home Information Packs
Average four bedroom homes are getting an 'E' energy rating, according to a survey from the introduction of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) and Home Information Packs (HIPs).
New information six weeks after the launch of EPCs and HIPs, shows that average four bedroom homes and above could save hundreds of pounds off heating, lighting, and water bills.
Most homes are receiving an 'E' rating in their EPCs on the A-G scale, but could this could potentially rise to a 'C' if consumers undertake measures recommended in the certificates, such as loft and cavity wall insulation.
The Government is today extending EPCs and HIPs tot hree bedroom homes so more buyers will get the same information to cut carbon emissions and reduce fuel bills.
The early findings come from a snapshot survey of energy assessors and EPCs provided since the launch of HIPs, which show average 4 bedroom homes are being rated 'E' and could typically save £180 on heating, £60 on lighting and £30 on hot water bills, a year.
The top 5 recommendations given by assessors for improving energy efficiency have been: cavity wall insulation, changing to low energy lighting, putting thermostatic valves on radiators, loft insulation, and double glazing.
The introduction HIPs is already starting to reduce costs and improve transparency in the housing market. More than 85 local authorities have reduced their search costs, in some cases by more than £100.
The average pack is taking around 5 days to compile, with major estate agents charging in the region of £300 plus VAT for a HIP, on an upfront or deferred basis - £200 to £250 of which is already paid under the current system.
Communities Minister Iain Wright said: "Families buying four bedroom homes are getting clear information which shows how they can save hundreds of pounds on their fuel bills and cut carbon emissions too. It is important that this should be available for people buying three bedroom homes as well."
Typical 'green grants' of £100 to £300 for energy saving improvements like loft insulation are available to many home owners from energy suppliers as part of their legal obligations introduced by government to improve energy efficiency. Consumers can now access details of green grants and offers by tapping in their postcode on the Energy Saving Trust's website.
Energy suppliers are also providing direct information about grants to home buyers when they sign up to an energy contract.
New information six weeks after the launch of EPCs and HIPs, shows that average four bedroom homes and above could save hundreds of pounds off heating, lighting, and water bills.
Most homes are receiving an 'E' rating in their EPCs on the A-G scale, but could this could potentially rise to a 'C' if consumers undertake measures recommended in the certificates, such as loft and cavity wall insulation.
The Government is today extending EPCs and HIPs tot hree bedroom homes so more buyers will get the same information to cut carbon emissions and reduce fuel bills.
The early findings come from a snapshot survey of energy assessors and EPCs provided since the launch of HIPs, which show average 4 bedroom homes are being rated 'E' and could typically save £180 on heating, £60 on lighting and £30 on hot water bills, a year.
The top 5 recommendations given by assessors for improving energy efficiency have been: cavity wall insulation, changing to low energy lighting, putting thermostatic valves on radiators, loft insulation, and double glazing.
The introduction HIPs is already starting to reduce costs and improve transparency in the housing market. More than 85 local authorities have reduced their search costs, in some cases by more than £100.
The average pack is taking around 5 days to compile, with major estate agents charging in the region of £300 plus VAT for a HIP, on an upfront or deferred basis - £200 to £250 of which is already paid under the current system.
Communities Minister Iain Wright said: "Families buying four bedroom homes are getting clear information which shows how they can save hundreds of pounds on their fuel bills and cut carbon emissions too. It is important that this should be available for people buying three bedroom homes as well."
Typical 'green grants' of £100 to £300 for energy saving improvements like loft insulation are available to many home owners from energy suppliers as part of their legal obligations introduced by government to improve energy efficiency. Consumers can now access details of green grants and offers by tapping in their postcode on the Energy Saving Trust's website.
Energy suppliers are also providing direct information about grants to home buyers when they sign up to an energy contract.
Sunday, 9 September 2007
Going Green With The Office Furniture
A leading supplier of brand-new ergonomic office furniture, Brighton based Posture People (www.posturepeople.co.uk) are mounting an awareness campaign, aimed at encouraging best purchasing and recycling practice amongst businesses looking to buy new office furniture. Their hard-hitting message?
Companies can do more for the environment. What is more, change is good for the bottom line - businesses are increasingly facing hefty costs to dispose of their waste and the old office furniture that makes way for the new can be very expensive to dispose of. (Statistics by environwise estimate that disposing of waste is costing businesses some 1.5 billion a year - equating to 4.5% of total turnover)
Posture People office design consultants supply a wide range of brand-new high-quality and ergonomic office furniture to UK wide businesses. Says Jo Blood, Director of Posture People, "What we are increasingly noticing is that the Facilities Managers that we liase with when we are quoting for and supplying new office furniture, are now charged with finding suppliers that offer more than just value for money.
"The suppliers that they source today have to be ethical and environmentally responsible. It's not always easy for a Facilities Manager to find a supplier that can tick all these boxes."
Jo continues, "What is also clear to us, is that recycling still has to make its mark where office furniture is concerned. Given that on average, a business changes some or all of its office furniture every five years, then that amounts to a whole lot of landfill waste. If the business works with us as their preferred furniture supplier, then we can really make a positive impact on this situation. "
Working very closely with one of their key suppliers, RH Form, posture people have developed a unique environmental and recycling scheme that considers the whole life cycle of that humble but vital tool, the office chair. Says Jo," Rh Form is Europe's leading manufacturer of ergonomic office chairs. They provide what we call ‘the ultimate seating experience’ because their chairs actually prevent strains and injuries. What’s more, Rh chairs are made from a high percentage of recyclable materials.
"At their production plant in Sweden they have slashed the amount of waste collected from their factory by nearly 99%. What really wows our customers is that Rh will recycle every single unwanted old RH Form chair that they have supplied over the years, free of charge. That amounts to thousands of chairs being recycled year in year out, instead of making their way to a landfill site and long-term financial savings for businesses that buy their RH Form chairs from us. When maybe five years down the line they are looking to replace them, there will be no cost for disposal if they take advantage of this fantastic recycling initiative.
"The message is clear. If your company is looking to invest in new office furniture and to work with ethical suppliers with their finger on the environmental pulse, then Posture People are the people to speak to on both counts.
Companies can do more for the environment. What is more, change is good for the bottom line - businesses are increasingly facing hefty costs to dispose of their waste and the old office furniture that makes way for the new can be very expensive to dispose of. (Statistics by environwise estimate that disposing of waste is costing businesses some 1.5 billion a year - equating to 4.5% of total turnover)
Posture People office design consultants supply a wide range of brand-new high-quality and ergonomic office furniture to UK wide businesses. Says Jo Blood, Director of Posture People, "What we are increasingly noticing is that the Facilities Managers that we liase with when we are quoting for and supplying new office furniture, are now charged with finding suppliers that offer more than just value for money.
"The suppliers that they source today have to be ethical and environmentally responsible. It's not always easy for a Facilities Manager to find a supplier that can tick all these boxes."
Jo continues, "What is also clear to us, is that recycling still has to make its mark where office furniture is concerned. Given that on average, a business changes some or all of its office furniture every five years, then that amounts to a whole lot of landfill waste. If the business works with us as their preferred furniture supplier, then we can really make a positive impact on this situation. "
Working very closely with one of their key suppliers, RH Form, posture people have developed a unique environmental and recycling scheme that considers the whole life cycle of that humble but vital tool, the office chair. Says Jo," Rh Form is Europe's leading manufacturer of ergonomic office chairs. They provide what we call ‘the ultimate seating experience’ because their chairs actually prevent strains and injuries. What’s more, Rh chairs are made from a high percentage of recyclable materials.
"At their production plant in Sweden they have slashed the amount of waste collected from their factory by nearly 99%. What really wows our customers is that Rh will recycle every single unwanted old RH Form chair that they have supplied over the years, free of charge. That amounts to thousands of chairs being recycled year in year out, instead of making their way to a landfill site and long-term financial savings for businesses that buy their RH Form chairs from us. When maybe five years down the line they are looking to replace them, there will be no cost for disposal if they take advantage of this fantastic recycling initiative.
"The message is clear. If your company is looking to invest in new office furniture and to work with ethical suppliers with their finger on the environmental pulse, then Posture People are the people to speak to on both counts.
Friday, 7 September 2007
The Energy Event to be carbon neutral
The organisers of The Energy Event have employed the services of a specialist energy and environmental consultancy to analyse and measure the event’s carbon footprint.
Tenby Consultancy Group will then ensure that the event’s carbon emissions are offset through investment in energy efficiency projects across the world, making the event Carbon Neutral.
The Energy Event, which is the UK’s only annual exhibition and conference focused on energy procurement, management and efficiency, takes take place on the 12th and 13th September 2007 at The National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham.
Eamonn Brennan, Event Director, says: “Every business has a responsibilty to the environment to ensure that it uses energy efficiently and makes every effort to reduce its waste and carbon emissions. The Energy Event is no exception and, as a key diary date in the energy calendar, we intend to lead by example to our exhibitors and visitors.”
As well as lowering its carbon emissions as much as possible in the first instance by reducing energy usage and waste, The Energy Event will be offsetting the rest of its carbon footprint by investing in a number of projects across the world via the well known carbon offsetting specialists Climate Care.
Trevor Floyd, principal consultant at Tenby Consultancy Group who is advising the organisers on measuring and offsetting The Energy Event's carbon emissions says: “It’s not enough just to plant trees; after all, taking ownership of a tree is a bit tenuous. Climate Care is a well respected company that specialises in investing money into deserving projects around the world that look at energy efficiency and renewable energy as well as forest restoration.”
He continues: “To get to the point where The Energy Event is investing in such projects, we have assessed the energy the event will use in terms of electricity and gas in The National Motorcycle Museum based on the rooms being used and the catering facilities required for example.
"We then used an equation based on the number of kilowatt hours of energy used to obtain the amount of carbon emissions in tonnes. In the past 12 months I’ve seen a huge increase in the number of companies expressing an interest in offsetting their carbon emissions. However, The Energy Event is one of the few that are actually doing it already.”
Entry to The Energy Event is free but attendees are advised to register in advance at www.theenergyevent.co.uk to guarantee a place. On the website, www.theenergyevent.co.uk, visitors can find more details about the conference programme and seminars taking place as well as the exhibitors who will be showing a mix of products and services.
To register as a visitor go to: www.theenergyevent.co.uk or contact the organisers by phone on 01342 314300.
The Energy Event is the newly re-branded Energy show organised by Western Business Exhibitions. The show began as an exhibition and conference event in 2000 and moved from Sandown race course to its current home at The National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham in 2001 (while the Museum was being re-developed following a fire the event took place at Telford’s International Centre in 2004).
As well as British Energy as the event’s official sponsor there are other sponsors including: EDF Energy, e.on, Encore International, Space Airconditioning, Llumarlite and Philips Lighting.
Reflecting the rightful claim to be ‘the’ most important energy focused event that takes place during the year many other organisations and bodies arrange their activity around the event.
Tenby Consultancy Group will then ensure that the event’s carbon emissions are offset through investment in energy efficiency projects across the world, making the event Carbon Neutral.
The Energy Event, which is the UK’s only annual exhibition and conference focused on energy procurement, management and efficiency, takes take place on the 12th and 13th September 2007 at The National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham.
Eamonn Brennan, Event Director, says: “Every business has a responsibilty to the environment to ensure that it uses energy efficiently and makes every effort to reduce its waste and carbon emissions. The Energy Event is no exception and, as a key diary date in the energy calendar, we intend to lead by example to our exhibitors and visitors.”
As well as lowering its carbon emissions as much as possible in the first instance by reducing energy usage and waste, The Energy Event will be offsetting the rest of its carbon footprint by investing in a number of projects across the world via the well known carbon offsetting specialists Climate Care.
Trevor Floyd, principal consultant at Tenby Consultancy Group who is advising the organisers on measuring and offsetting The Energy Event's carbon emissions says: “It’s not enough just to plant trees; after all, taking ownership of a tree is a bit tenuous. Climate Care is a well respected company that specialises in investing money into deserving projects around the world that look at energy efficiency and renewable energy as well as forest restoration.”
He continues: “To get to the point where The Energy Event is investing in such projects, we have assessed the energy the event will use in terms of electricity and gas in The National Motorcycle Museum based on the rooms being used and the catering facilities required for example.
"We then used an equation based on the number of kilowatt hours of energy used to obtain the amount of carbon emissions in tonnes. In the past 12 months I’ve seen a huge increase in the number of companies expressing an interest in offsetting their carbon emissions. However, The Energy Event is one of the few that are actually doing it already.”
Entry to The Energy Event is free but attendees are advised to register in advance at www.theenergyevent.co.uk to guarantee a place. On the website, www.theenergyevent.co.uk, visitors can find more details about the conference programme and seminars taking place as well as the exhibitors who will be showing a mix of products and services.
To register as a visitor go to: www.theenergyevent.co.uk or contact the organisers by phone on 01342 314300.
The Energy Event is the newly re-branded Energy show organised by Western Business Exhibitions. The show began as an exhibition and conference event in 2000 and moved from Sandown race course to its current home at The National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham in 2001 (while the Museum was being re-developed following a fire the event took place at Telford’s International Centre in 2004).
As well as British Energy as the event’s official sponsor there are other sponsors including: EDF Energy, e.on, Encore International, Space Airconditioning, Llumarlite and Philips Lighting.
Reflecting the rightful claim to be ‘the’ most important energy focused event that takes place during the year many other organisations and bodies arrange their activity around the event.
Shock allegation! Is our government refusing To go green?
Despite the UK government urging everyone else to “Go Green” it isn’t quite so keen to get recycling itself. Yes it will quote tonnes of paper recycled, energy saving from newly insulated buildings, and so on, but these are all easy options, when it comes to making a real commitment, things can be very different according to environmental transport consultancy, Aardvark Associates.
One of the biggest costs any vehicle fleet operator faces is that of its tyre supply. It comes a close runner to fuel, the biggest cost, and labour, the next biggest cost. The commercial market has realised that where truck tyres are concerned there is a clear cut case for retreading as an integral element of a fleet’s tyre programme.
The UK has some of the largest truck fleets in the world and some of the biggest run a retread tyre policy for their drive axles and trailer axles.
Retreading extends the life of the tyre casing – the most costly part of the tyre, and saves millions of barrels of oil every year in the UK. In hard economical terms, retreaded truck tyres pay dividends for everyone from the new tyre manufacturer through to the consumer of the transported goods.
In environmental terms retreaded tyres extend the useful life of a tyre casing, therefore making the use of raw materials more efficient. They require less energy to manufacture than new tyres, and they delay the day when the used tyre has to be disposed of. Which is why fleets operated by Tesco, ASDA, Sainsbury’s, Christian Salvesen and others all run on retreaded tyres.
Interestingly the MoD doesn’t run on retreads, yet the US Army recognises their worth and stocks up on retreads for its forces in times of trouble. The MoD is happy to use thousands of new tyres during vehicle testing and manoeuvres, which get sold part worn on the surplus market – when they could just as easily use retreads without putting anyone at any risk and save money, save natural resources, and at the same time create an independent database of real life statistics on retread tyres.
According to industry figures, the UK consumes something close to 47 million car tyres per annum, many of these car tyres could be retreaded, but they are simply scrapped, or shipped to overseas markets either for resale to third world countries, or for retreading in South America. Retreaded truck and car tyres have to meet stringent standards in Europe and the UK, and it could be argued that they meet stricter test standards than new tyres.
Yet our government refuses to sanction the use of retreaded car tyres on municipal or government vehicles.
Moreover, it insists that retreaders in the UK pay full Climate Change Levy, whilst new tyre manufacturers receive massive discounts – creating an uneven playing field that allows the new tyre manufacturers to transfer manufacturing operations to China, where they produce the self same tyres they used to manufacture in the UK, doubtless without the same emission controls, and ship them halfway around the world to sell them on the UK market at prices that not even the UK retreader can match.
The carbon footprint of a tyre manufactured in China and shipped to the UK where it will ultimately be scrapped must be outrageous compared to a retread alternative.
The civil servants who deal with enquiries about retreading are patently acting on outdated information. The last survey carried out by the government into retreads was some 10 years ago – before computer assisted inspection and manufacturing processes. The process of retreading a tyre today is highly controlled, has to meet high standards and has to be very efficient on pure economical terms.
The adjustment rate for retreaded tyres, that is the level of returns from manufacturing faults is around 0.5% in most quality retread operations. This compares with a reputed 5% adjustment rate from new tyre manufacturers (of course that latter figure cannot be confirmed as no new tyre manufacturer will admit to its failures).
The government refuses to sanction the use of retreaded tyres on non-HGV vehicles. The reasons quoted vary from them having a shorter lifespan and being uneconomical, to being unsafe. The lifespan is subjective, any retreader worth his salt can generate real figures showing how well his tyres perform compared to new tyres.
If they want longer lasting tyres the retreader is in a better position to create them than any mainstream manufacturer as compounds can be custom blended for small batches of tyres. It follows then that the economic argument can also be deflated, as this depends upon the new tyre cost, and the lifespan of the tyre.
Simple maths says that a quality retread has to be cheaper than a new tyre (especially if the Climate Change Levy disparity is taken out of the equation).
As for the safety aspect, again this is based on subjective opinion. There have been no objective tests carried out to prove this argument one way or another, but niche markets such as off roading and motorsport suggest that safety is not an issue. Not to mention the simple fact that aircraft tyres can be retreaded as many as nine times. Or that earthmover tyres from most manufacturers are retreaded now as a matter of routine.
Moreover, the retread industry may well be under threat simply because it does not have the political clout to be heard above the ranks of the mainstream manufacturers. Until recently the suppliers of new goods vehicles could supply tractor units fitted with retreads as original equipment (OE) – and this was a real option for some buyers.
However, this OE option was closed off, and may well also be closed off for the trailer market too. This restriction on the market is bad enough, but there is legislation coming that will require truck tyres to be certified for their passing noise level and also their rolling resistance.
The new tyre manufacturers are pressing the EU for a rule that insists on all tyres meeting these standards, but are also quite adamant that there is no need for retreaders to have their tyres certified.
It seems that they might wish to control the retread market by specifying the tread patterns and the compounds used in tyre construction, thus eliminating all but the biggest independent competition, and taking full control of the retread market for the new tyre manufacturers. Since the independent retreader cannot financially meet the demands of certification he will excluded from the market.
So, Aardvark asks, how does this impact upon the environment? Well, if you are a new tyre manufacturer you will only retread your own brand of tyres. Michelin do not retread Bridgestone tyres and so on.
This creates a restrictive trading practice, that means non-retreading tyre manufacturers who might sell their tyres in the EU, such as Yokohama and Toyo, are left with no retreading option – remember the independents have all been pushed out of business, or been forced to sign up to a new tyre manufacturer franchise. So those tyres which get sold on new price rather than lifetime costs have nowhere to go at the end of their useful life. They become environmentally inefficient.
The worst case scenario is that tyres deemed unfit for Europe get shipped out to third world countries for “retreading” but actually end up getting sold as roadworthy tyres – this already happens now.
As far as the tyre industry is concerned they can wash their hands of the tyres once they reach Lagos, or Accra, or Johannesburg. One might read that as an African life not being worth the same as a European life – A sentiment not going un-noticed in many parts of Africa which are becoming dumping grounds for Europes’ automotive waste.
So, how green is our government in light of this evidence? In all of the above, the UK government could take a stand on environmental issues and actually do something that makes a real difference.
One of the biggest costs any vehicle fleet operator faces is that of its tyre supply. It comes a close runner to fuel, the biggest cost, and labour, the next biggest cost. The commercial market has realised that where truck tyres are concerned there is a clear cut case for retreading as an integral element of a fleet’s tyre programme.
The UK has some of the largest truck fleets in the world and some of the biggest run a retread tyre policy for their drive axles and trailer axles.
Retreading extends the life of the tyre casing – the most costly part of the tyre, and saves millions of barrels of oil every year in the UK. In hard economical terms, retreaded truck tyres pay dividends for everyone from the new tyre manufacturer through to the consumer of the transported goods.
In environmental terms retreaded tyres extend the useful life of a tyre casing, therefore making the use of raw materials more efficient. They require less energy to manufacture than new tyres, and they delay the day when the used tyre has to be disposed of. Which is why fleets operated by Tesco, ASDA, Sainsbury’s, Christian Salvesen and others all run on retreaded tyres.
Interestingly the MoD doesn’t run on retreads, yet the US Army recognises their worth and stocks up on retreads for its forces in times of trouble. The MoD is happy to use thousands of new tyres during vehicle testing and manoeuvres, which get sold part worn on the surplus market – when they could just as easily use retreads without putting anyone at any risk and save money, save natural resources, and at the same time create an independent database of real life statistics on retread tyres.
According to industry figures, the UK consumes something close to 47 million car tyres per annum, many of these car tyres could be retreaded, but they are simply scrapped, or shipped to overseas markets either for resale to third world countries, or for retreading in South America. Retreaded truck and car tyres have to meet stringent standards in Europe and the UK, and it could be argued that they meet stricter test standards than new tyres.
Yet our government refuses to sanction the use of retreaded car tyres on municipal or government vehicles.
Moreover, it insists that retreaders in the UK pay full Climate Change Levy, whilst new tyre manufacturers receive massive discounts – creating an uneven playing field that allows the new tyre manufacturers to transfer manufacturing operations to China, where they produce the self same tyres they used to manufacture in the UK, doubtless without the same emission controls, and ship them halfway around the world to sell them on the UK market at prices that not even the UK retreader can match.
The carbon footprint of a tyre manufactured in China and shipped to the UK where it will ultimately be scrapped must be outrageous compared to a retread alternative.
The civil servants who deal with enquiries about retreading are patently acting on outdated information. The last survey carried out by the government into retreads was some 10 years ago – before computer assisted inspection and manufacturing processes. The process of retreading a tyre today is highly controlled, has to meet high standards and has to be very efficient on pure economical terms.
The adjustment rate for retreaded tyres, that is the level of returns from manufacturing faults is around 0.5% in most quality retread operations. This compares with a reputed 5% adjustment rate from new tyre manufacturers (of course that latter figure cannot be confirmed as no new tyre manufacturer will admit to its failures).
The government refuses to sanction the use of retreaded tyres on non-HGV vehicles. The reasons quoted vary from them having a shorter lifespan and being uneconomical, to being unsafe. The lifespan is subjective, any retreader worth his salt can generate real figures showing how well his tyres perform compared to new tyres.
If they want longer lasting tyres the retreader is in a better position to create them than any mainstream manufacturer as compounds can be custom blended for small batches of tyres. It follows then that the economic argument can also be deflated, as this depends upon the new tyre cost, and the lifespan of the tyre.
Simple maths says that a quality retread has to be cheaper than a new tyre (especially if the Climate Change Levy disparity is taken out of the equation).
As for the safety aspect, again this is based on subjective opinion. There have been no objective tests carried out to prove this argument one way or another, but niche markets such as off roading and motorsport suggest that safety is not an issue. Not to mention the simple fact that aircraft tyres can be retreaded as many as nine times. Or that earthmover tyres from most manufacturers are retreaded now as a matter of routine.
Moreover, the retread industry may well be under threat simply because it does not have the political clout to be heard above the ranks of the mainstream manufacturers. Until recently the suppliers of new goods vehicles could supply tractor units fitted with retreads as original equipment (OE) – and this was a real option for some buyers.
However, this OE option was closed off, and may well also be closed off for the trailer market too. This restriction on the market is bad enough, but there is legislation coming that will require truck tyres to be certified for their passing noise level and also their rolling resistance.
The new tyre manufacturers are pressing the EU for a rule that insists on all tyres meeting these standards, but are also quite adamant that there is no need for retreaders to have their tyres certified.
It seems that they might wish to control the retread market by specifying the tread patterns and the compounds used in tyre construction, thus eliminating all but the biggest independent competition, and taking full control of the retread market for the new tyre manufacturers. Since the independent retreader cannot financially meet the demands of certification he will excluded from the market.
So, Aardvark asks, how does this impact upon the environment? Well, if you are a new tyre manufacturer you will only retread your own brand of tyres. Michelin do not retread Bridgestone tyres and so on.
This creates a restrictive trading practice, that means non-retreading tyre manufacturers who might sell their tyres in the EU, such as Yokohama and Toyo, are left with no retreading option – remember the independents have all been pushed out of business, or been forced to sign up to a new tyre manufacturer franchise. So those tyres which get sold on new price rather than lifetime costs have nowhere to go at the end of their useful life. They become environmentally inefficient.
The worst case scenario is that tyres deemed unfit for Europe get shipped out to third world countries for “retreading” but actually end up getting sold as roadworthy tyres – this already happens now.
As far as the tyre industry is concerned they can wash their hands of the tyres once they reach Lagos, or Accra, or Johannesburg. One might read that as an African life not being worth the same as a European life – A sentiment not going un-noticed in many parts of Africa which are becoming dumping grounds for Europes’ automotive waste.
So, how green is our government in light of this evidence? In all of the above, the UK government could take a stand on environmental issues and actually do something that makes a real difference.
First Welsh language green magazine launched
The first ever Welsh language environmental magazine, ‘Y Papur Gwyrdd’, was launched at the National Eisteddfod of Wales last month.
The magazine is the brainchild of television producer/director and former newspaper journalist and editor, Hywel Davies, who said: "My aim is for Y Papur Gwyrdd to provide a boost for environmental action in Wales as we all do our bit to respond to the increasingly serious threat posed by global climate change.
"A Welsh language journal providing news and ideas relating to ecological campaigns throughout the world will, I believe, help link community action here in Wales to the wider picture.
“I hope it will also help swell the number of people who see that we all have a role to play in saving our remarkable Earth for future generations, both through individual action and through pressure on government, industry and commerce.”
The launch will be followed by a question and answer discussion on climate involving Jill Evans MEP, John Rowlands of the Environment Agency and Christian Aid, Nia Prys-Williams of Flintshire County Council and Chair of the Wales Home Energy Conservation Forum, Gordon James of Friends of the Earth Cymru and Hywel Davies.
Gordon James said: "We are very pleased to be involved in the launch of ‘Y Papur Gwyrdd’. Environmental issues have become far more important for everybody in recent years, and this new magazine will ensure that these concerns will have a stronger voice in Wales.
"The climate change debate that follows the launch will focus on the most important challenge of our age and how we in Wales can respond to it.
"Scientists are warning that we must act soon to cut the emissions that are already having a dramatic impact on weather patterns around the world. We could and should be doing far more by, for instance, using energy more efficiently, producing more clean energy from renewable sources and investing in public transport instead of roads.
"We urge the Welsh Assembly Government to set ambitious targets to reduce climate changing emissions in Wales and to ensure that policies are put in place to deliver these cuts.”
For more information visit www.foecymru.co.uk
The magazine is the brainchild of television producer/director and former newspaper journalist and editor, Hywel Davies, who said: "My aim is for Y Papur Gwyrdd to provide a boost for environmental action in Wales as we all do our bit to respond to the increasingly serious threat posed by global climate change.
"A Welsh language journal providing news and ideas relating to ecological campaigns throughout the world will, I believe, help link community action here in Wales to the wider picture.
“I hope it will also help swell the number of people who see that we all have a role to play in saving our remarkable Earth for future generations, both through individual action and through pressure on government, industry and commerce.”
The launch will be followed by a question and answer discussion on climate involving Jill Evans MEP, John Rowlands of the Environment Agency and Christian Aid, Nia Prys-Williams of Flintshire County Council and Chair of the Wales Home Energy Conservation Forum, Gordon James of Friends of the Earth Cymru and Hywel Davies.
Gordon James said: "We are very pleased to be involved in the launch of ‘Y Papur Gwyrdd’. Environmental issues have become far more important for everybody in recent years, and this new magazine will ensure that these concerns will have a stronger voice in Wales.
"The climate change debate that follows the launch will focus on the most important challenge of our age and how we in Wales can respond to it.
"Scientists are warning that we must act soon to cut the emissions that are already having a dramatic impact on weather patterns around the world. We could and should be doing far more by, for instance, using energy more efficiently, producing more clean energy from renewable sources and investing in public transport instead of roads.
"We urge the Welsh Assembly Government to set ambitious targets to reduce climate changing emissions in Wales and to ensure that policies are put in place to deliver these cuts.”
For more information visit www.foecymru.co.uk
Friends of the Earth pull out of "seriously flawed" government nuclear power consultation
Friends of the Earth announced today that it has withdrawn from the Government's public consultation on nuclear power because it is seriously flawed. The consultation is also being boycotted by Greenpeace, WWF-UK, CND and the Green Alliance.
Friends of the Earth's Director, Tony Juniper, said: "This is not a genuine consultation about nuclear power. It is deeply flawed and it is clear that the Government has essentially made up its mind. We are perfectly happy to debate the issue of nuclear power, but we are not prepared to take part in this latest Government farce.
"Nuclear power is not a solution to climate change. A new programme would only generate around four per cent of the UK's energy consumption. It is expensive and dangerous, and will leave a highly toxic legacy for many generations to come. There are lots of non-nuclear alternatives that would combat climate change, maintain energy security and keep the lights on. The Government should invest in these solutions and make Britain a world leader in developing a safe and sustainable low-carbon economy."
Friends of the Earth has withdrawn from the consultation for a number of reasons. These include:
A lack of clear non nuclear options which would have facilitated informed public debate;
A failure to provide adequate information about the wider dangers of nuclear power, such as terrorism and proliferation;
The `consultation' is being rushed through in five months over the summer period, and the NGO stakeholder group participation process has been rushed). The Sustainable Development Commission recommended nine months;
The Government appears to have already made up its mind to push ahead with a new nuclear programme.
Friends of the Earth nuclear briefing:
www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefing_notes/nuclear_not_a_solution.pdf
Friends of the Earth's Director, Tony Juniper, said: "This is not a genuine consultation about nuclear power. It is deeply flawed and it is clear that the Government has essentially made up its mind. We are perfectly happy to debate the issue of nuclear power, but we are not prepared to take part in this latest Government farce.
"Nuclear power is not a solution to climate change. A new programme would only generate around four per cent of the UK's energy consumption. It is expensive and dangerous, and will leave a highly toxic legacy for many generations to come. There are lots of non-nuclear alternatives that would combat climate change, maintain energy security and keep the lights on. The Government should invest in these solutions and make Britain a world leader in developing a safe and sustainable low-carbon economy."
Friends of the Earth has withdrawn from the consultation for a number of reasons. These include:
A lack of clear non nuclear options which would have facilitated informed public debate;
A failure to provide adequate information about the wider dangers of nuclear power, such as terrorism and proliferation;
The `consultation' is being rushed through in five months over the summer period, and the NGO stakeholder group participation process has been rushed). The Sustainable Development Commission recommended nine months;
The Government appears to have already made up its mind to push ahead with a new nuclear programme.
Friends of the Earth nuclear briefing:
www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefing_notes/nuclear_not_a_solution.pdf
EcoSmooth a vibration damper for ships yachts and aircraft reduces wear and tear
Yacht Smart Brokerage has developed EcoSmooth, the first of its kind anti vibration and noise reduction damper to fit yachts and ships. EcoSmooth, designed and engineered after years of research, can be used successfully in a wide range of other applications such as turbines, generators and aircraft. With great sensitivity to global warming, Econsmooth is designed to save energy, improve engine efficiency, and save the environment.
YSBI www.yachtsmartbrokerage.com is fully-committed to providing professional yacht servicing and maintenance world wide. We are also working to reduce global warming with the introduction of EcoSmooth.
Derry Bigby director for YSBI says "EcoSmooth is an easy to fit product that gives passengers increased comfort levels, by reducing the machinery noise and vibration inherent in all vessels and vehicles.
"EcoSmooth reduces vibration, noise and wear and tear. This significantly improves fuel efficiency and economy. It also drastically reduces wear on bearings, so maintenance costs are lower. Our contribution to global warming is brought about by understanding and working with yachts and ships for over 30 years”
YSBI design engineers and technicians have paid special attention to ensuring that EcoSmooth has the capability to be used in as many applications as possible. EcoSmooth will play a key role in reducing costs, improving passenger satisfaction and contribute towards the battle of global warming.
YSBI www.yachtsmartbrokerage.com is fully-committed to providing professional yacht servicing and maintenance world wide. We are also working to reduce global warming with the introduction of EcoSmooth.
Derry Bigby director for YSBI says "EcoSmooth is an easy to fit product that gives passengers increased comfort levels, by reducing the machinery noise and vibration inherent in all vessels and vehicles.
"EcoSmooth reduces vibration, noise and wear and tear. This significantly improves fuel efficiency and economy. It also drastically reduces wear on bearings, so maintenance costs are lower. Our contribution to global warming is brought about by understanding and working with yachts and ships for over 30 years”
YSBI design engineers and technicians have paid special attention to ensuring that EcoSmooth has the capability to be used in as many applications as possible. EcoSmooth will play a key role in reducing costs, improving passenger satisfaction and contribute towards the battle of global warming.
Handmade 2007 boasts eco-friendliness with its range of handmade and carbon footprint free designs
The ‘Handmade 2007@Chelsea Old Town Hall’ event, a celebration and sale of fine, hand made art and crafts from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, is one of the few eco-friendly shows that can boast of low carbon footprint levels.
Taking place at the Chelsea Old Town Hall on the Kings Road from Tuesday 27th – Friday 30th November 200* (12pm to 8pm except Friday, 10am – 5.30pm) Handmade 2007 (www.handmadeinbritain.co.uk) is set to be a big hit, particularly among the eco-conscious as all exhibitors work locally in the UK and strive to keep their carbon footprints down by locally sourcing materials as much as possible.
With rising concerns over high carbon footprint emissions, those attending the Handmade 2007 show will be able to choose from a range of eco friendly products such as hand-crafted jewellery, fashion accessories, ceramics, tableware millinery, stationery and a broad choice of home accessories from over 70 of the UK’s most talented designers.
Not only an eco-friendly event, Handmade in Britain also focuses on quality, design and style, with a wide range of unique one-off or limited edition products available either to view, purchase or to commission.
Handmade in Britain strives to ensure that they maintain the highest standards in the crafts sector - they promotes the cream of the crop of the industry and also help to develop and support new upcoming designer makers and crafts people as well as eco-conscious designers** such as award winning metal and pewter worker Keith Tyssen and eco-conscious stationery designer Heather Weston.
The show will display the work of the current and undoubtedly the future talent of the fine arts and crafts world, with many experienced designer makers exhibiting alongside designers from the Royal College of Art, and Central St. Martins College of Art and Design London.
One designer in particular set to be a big hit at the show is eco-conscious Sarah Bond, Creative Director of Saretta Jewellery. Sarah, commenting on the materials she uses for her designs and the benefits of working at an eco-friendly event, says: “I only use diamonds that come from a reliable source and are certified non-conflict diamonds. Precious and semi precious stones likewise, I ensure they come from ethical sources and can trace them back to the mine. I like to cut out the middle man and when I am abroad I source them myself, and only buy stones when I am satisfied with their origin. I am delighted to be exhibiting at Handmade, and I am thrilled that they are conscious of ethical matters which are so important to the industry."
The range of products to be on offer will be far from your average run-of-the-mill gift, every item will be hand crafted, made to stand out, made to be daringly different, and, importantly, eco friendly, an ideal special, one of a kind gift to let someone know that they are extra special to you.
Taking place at the Chelsea Old Town Hall on the Kings Road from Tuesday 27th – Friday 30th November 200* (12pm to 8pm except Friday, 10am – 5.30pm) Handmade 2007 (www.handmadeinbritain.co.uk) is set to be a big hit, particularly among the eco-conscious as all exhibitors work locally in the UK and strive to keep their carbon footprints down by locally sourcing materials as much as possible.
With rising concerns over high carbon footprint emissions, those attending the Handmade 2007 show will be able to choose from a range of eco friendly products such as hand-crafted jewellery, fashion accessories, ceramics, tableware millinery, stationery and a broad choice of home accessories from over 70 of the UK’s most talented designers.
Not only an eco-friendly event, Handmade in Britain also focuses on quality, design and style, with a wide range of unique one-off or limited edition products available either to view, purchase or to commission.
Handmade in Britain strives to ensure that they maintain the highest standards in the crafts sector - they promotes the cream of the crop of the industry and also help to develop and support new upcoming designer makers and crafts people as well as eco-conscious designers** such as award winning metal and pewter worker Keith Tyssen and eco-conscious stationery designer Heather Weston.
The show will display the work of the current and undoubtedly the future talent of the fine arts and crafts world, with many experienced designer makers exhibiting alongside designers from the Royal College of Art, and Central St. Martins College of Art and Design London.
One designer in particular set to be a big hit at the show is eco-conscious Sarah Bond, Creative Director of Saretta Jewellery. Sarah, commenting on the materials she uses for her designs and the benefits of working at an eco-friendly event, says: “I only use diamonds that come from a reliable source and are certified non-conflict diamonds. Precious and semi precious stones likewise, I ensure they come from ethical sources and can trace them back to the mine. I like to cut out the middle man and when I am abroad I source them myself, and only buy stones when I am satisfied with their origin. I am delighted to be exhibiting at Handmade, and I am thrilled that they are conscious of ethical matters which are so important to the industry."
The range of products to be on offer will be far from your average run-of-the-mill gift, every item will be hand crafted, made to stand out, made to be daringly different, and, importantly, eco friendly, an ideal special, one of a kind gift to let someone know that they are extra special to you.
Putting Green Ideas Into Practice
Small businesses in general are the target of regular advice and guidance from all kinds of sources – exhorting them to adopt green habits. They’re also often accused of lagging behind in adoption of technology – something that is often said to affect the country’s overall productivity and ability to compete.
With well over 5000 independent consultants and advisors on our database we thought it would be interesting to find out just how wasteful these particular small businesses really are. Would running a business from home be enough to compensate for the extensive business travel often required from consultants?
Have independent professionals taken on board advice about energy saving and recycling? It was no surprise to learn that 77% of our respondents work from a home office – what was more surprising was that the average time spent in that office is 3 days a week.
Clients seem happy for their advisors and consultants to work remotely even if they don’t encourage home-working for permanent employees, although as one respondent put it ‘smaller clients do seem to find it easier to accept that I won’t just sit at home with my feet up!’
Our members are also keen to pass on the benefits of flexible working, the 60% who employ staff use a mixture of freelancers, associates and permanent employees – the majority of whom also work from home or from their own business premises.
As for uptake of technology, these businesses are clearly highly dependent on technology of all kinds. Use of PCs, broadband, teleconferencing and company websites is ubiquitous and our members average 4 computers per business.
More interesting, particularly given that over half are in the over 45 age band, was the high take up of newer technical innovations, following show numbers for regular use of new technologies;
Blog 58% Skype/Internet Phone 90%
Web conferencing 65%
Social networking 86%
Collaboration tools 94%
Contact Management 89%
The combination of home-working and use of technology means that the average business miles driven was a relatively modest 6500. While the average number of miles flown is quite high at 3000, this was affected by a relatively small number of globe-trotters who took pains to point out that they purchase carbon offsets to compensate!
Less high flying businesses have clearly looked carefully at their travel arrangements and make extensive use of the trains with an average mileage of 2300. One of the benefits of running any small business is that you have the power to make decisions for yourself, rather than waiting for the organisation to change.
Our consultants make good use of energy efficiency practices such as low energy bulbs (67%), recycling paper and toner cartridges (85%), turning equipment off at night (84%). And every consultant had even more ideas on how to save more energy in future – from putting wind turbines on the roof, stopping their children turning the PC back on or convincing their clients that a web-conference will do the job!
In fact, it seems the only thing stopping consultants from becoming greener and more wired up is the needs of their clients – and their families – these small businesses really do care about the environment and have the technical know-how to make sure they do their bit. About Skillfair: Skillfair Ltd. is the UK’s first comprehensive virtual meeting place that connects consultants with clients’ projects within the business and IT sectors.
With over 3-million self-employed individuals in the UK, including over 500,000 IT consultants, such a service has become increasingly important for this growing workforce. Clients are guaranteed access to checked-consultants to suit both highly specialised and more general projects.
Consultants can find projects to suit their qualifications, skills and experience and can access tips and advice on working alone. Skillfair is funded through membership subscriptions from both client and consultant. Skillfair does not take a commission on projects arranged through its service.
With well over 5000 independent consultants and advisors on our database we thought it would be interesting to find out just how wasteful these particular small businesses really are. Would running a business from home be enough to compensate for the extensive business travel often required from consultants?
Have independent professionals taken on board advice about energy saving and recycling? It was no surprise to learn that 77% of our respondents work from a home office – what was more surprising was that the average time spent in that office is 3 days a week.
Clients seem happy for their advisors and consultants to work remotely even if they don’t encourage home-working for permanent employees, although as one respondent put it ‘smaller clients do seem to find it easier to accept that I won’t just sit at home with my feet up!’
Our members are also keen to pass on the benefits of flexible working, the 60% who employ staff use a mixture of freelancers, associates and permanent employees – the majority of whom also work from home or from their own business premises.
As for uptake of technology, these businesses are clearly highly dependent on technology of all kinds. Use of PCs, broadband, teleconferencing and company websites is ubiquitous and our members average 4 computers per business.
More interesting, particularly given that over half are in the over 45 age band, was the high take up of newer technical innovations, following show numbers for regular use of new technologies;
Blog 58% Skype/Internet Phone 90%
Web conferencing 65%
Social networking 86%
Collaboration tools 94%
Contact Management 89%
The combination of home-working and use of technology means that the average business miles driven was a relatively modest 6500. While the average number of miles flown is quite high at 3000, this was affected by a relatively small number of globe-trotters who took pains to point out that they purchase carbon offsets to compensate!
Less high flying businesses have clearly looked carefully at their travel arrangements and make extensive use of the trains with an average mileage of 2300. One of the benefits of running any small business is that you have the power to make decisions for yourself, rather than waiting for the organisation to change.
Our consultants make good use of energy efficiency practices such as low energy bulbs (67%), recycling paper and toner cartridges (85%), turning equipment off at night (84%). And every consultant had even more ideas on how to save more energy in future – from putting wind turbines on the roof, stopping their children turning the PC back on or convincing their clients that a web-conference will do the job!
In fact, it seems the only thing stopping consultants from becoming greener and more wired up is the needs of their clients – and their families – these small businesses really do care about the environment and have the technical know-how to make sure they do their bit. About Skillfair: Skillfair Ltd. is the UK’s first comprehensive virtual meeting place that connects consultants with clients’ projects within the business and IT sectors.
With over 3-million self-employed individuals in the UK, including over 500,000 IT consultants, such a service has become increasingly important for this growing workforce. Clients are guaranteed access to checked-consultants to suit both highly specialised and more general projects.
Consultants can find projects to suit their qualifications, skills and experience and can access tips and advice on working alone. Skillfair is funded through membership subscriptions from both client and consultant. Skillfair does not take a commission on projects arranged through its service.
Thursday, 6 September 2007
Modern wind turbine in action
Modern wind turbines are springing up everywhere, it seems. The example shown in the attached video is in the gronds of the famed Aga Works, Ketley, Shropshire, where Aga cookers are made.
As Aga points out on their website:
"As part of Aga’s ongoing research a wind turbine has been installed at Aga’s Telford factory, where it is linked to the company’s development centre. As the cost of micro generation falls and its efficiency increases, Aga will emerge as a key component in domestic micro-generation projects..." www.agalinks.com/getthelook_1276.htm
Why has Aga installed a wind turbine?
"It’s being used as part of a larger project to research alternative energy sources for our cookers," says Aga. The turbine is a 5Kw unit. The site that has been chosen is exposed to moderate to high winds, so should produce a useful supply of electricity and will hopefully play a major part in the research programme.
As Aga points out on their website:
"As part of Aga’s ongoing research a wind turbine has been installed at Aga’s Telford factory, where it is linked to the company’s development centre. As the cost of micro generation falls and its efficiency increases, Aga will emerge as a key component in domestic micro-generation projects..." www.agalinks.com/getthelook_1276.htm
Why has Aga installed a wind turbine?
"It’s being used as part of a larger project to research alternative energy sources for our cookers," says Aga. The turbine is a 5Kw unit. The site that has been chosen is exposed to moderate to high winds, so should produce a useful supply of electricity and will hopefully play a major part in the research programme.
The Furniture Group Launches its Sustainable Yew Table Made from Salvaged Wood
The Furniture Group (www.bbbc.org.uk/furnituregroup/home.htm), a social enterprise and trading arm of the Bromley by Bow Centre, Tower Hamlets, is launching its sustainable, bespoke Yew Table - a beautiful, sleek piece of furniture made to measure from salvaged wood.
All profits will help the centre run vital community services to improve the lives of people living in Tower Hamlets. Available in round, oval, square and rectangular shapes, the Yew Table ranges in size from small breakfast option to huge boardroom table, and is sure to complement any room.
The design is contemporary without being mass-produced. In a process that ‘loves the wood’, pieces of salvaged yew – which have individual character thanks to the charming knots and twists - are carefully selected from fallen trees in areas close to London. The wood is then specially treated, dyed and protected with organic lacquer.
The Furniture Group’s foundry workers then produce a discreet metal frame base in a dark colour, for sturdy support, so the beautiful wood remains the centre of attention. The pieces of yew are arranged in a stunning pattern, creating a talking point and a long-lasting furniture item. Larger tables can be produced in segments so they can fit any space and be divided as needed.
Nick Coughlin, designer and manager of The Furniture Group, comments: “We initially designed and produced the Yew Table for two large board rooms and the feedback was so positive that we decided to take it to a wider market. “We believe that natural wood provides warmth, class and glamour to contemporary spaces. We care about the environment and our salvaged wood reminds people that beauty lies in nature’s discarded resources.
"Yew is such an unusual curved and knotted wood, and it’s unusual to find furniture made from it. This is a celebration of British craftsmanship using locally sourced materials.”
He adds: “From every stage of design to completion, the Yew Table is given individual, skilled attention, and each table is hand-crafted to provide the client with a one-off piece of high-quality furniture to brighten up their workplace or home.”
Doctor Sam Everington, a leading specialist in health, enterprise and regeneration - who has commissioned the table prototype - comments: “This table is a stunning furniture item that deserves to reach a wide audience. I am convinced people will be seduced by the design and inherent quality.”
Andy Skinner, head of consortium procurement for various primary care trusts, says: “My father was a carpenter and it is fantastic to see this skill thriving here in London's east end. The quality of the wood used is outstanding.” Before a Yew Table is ordered, The Furniture Group will visit the client’s site, measure up and examine whether the table needs to be specially adapted – with regard to wood colour and whether additional bespoke ‘side furniture’ is required.
The table is ideal for companies that don’t want to compromise their ethical credentials but do want a beautiful piece of wood furniture for display or functional purposes. The table lends itself well to shop, office and reception area dressing and comes apart easily for transportation. Prices start at £1,480 plus VAT. All profit from the sale of the Yew Table goes towards providing important community services at the Bromley by Bow Centre including providing training for apprentices at The Furniture Group’s workshop.
All profits will help the centre run vital community services to improve the lives of people living in Tower Hamlets. Available in round, oval, square and rectangular shapes, the Yew Table ranges in size from small breakfast option to huge boardroom table, and is sure to complement any room.
The design is contemporary without being mass-produced. In a process that ‘loves the wood’, pieces of salvaged yew – which have individual character thanks to the charming knots and twists - are carefully selected from fallen trees in areas close to London. The wood is then specially treated, dyed and protected with organic lacquer.
The Furniture Group’s foundry workers then produce a discreet metal frame base in a dark colour, for sturdy support, so the beautiful wood remains the centre of attention. The pieces of yew are arranged in a stunning pattern, creating a talking point and a long-lasting furniture item. Larger tables can be produced in segments so they can fit any space and be divided as needed.
Nick Coughlin, designer and manager of The Furniture Group, comments: “We initially designed and produced the Yew Table for two large board rooms and the feedback was so positive that we decided to take it to a wider market. “We believe that natural wood provides warmth, class and glamour to contemporary spaces. We care about the environment and our salvaged wood reminds people that beauty lies in nature’s discarded resources.
"Yew is such an unusual curved and knotted wood, and it’s unusual to find furniture made from it. This is a celebration of British craftsmanship using locally sourced materials.”
He adds: “From every stage of design to completion, the Yew Table is given individual, skilled attention, and each table is hand-crafted to provide the client with a one-off piece of high-quality furniture to brighten up their workplace or home.”
Doctor Sam Everington, a leading specialist in health, enterprise and regeneration - who has commissioned the table prototype - comments: “This table is a stunning furniture item that deserves to reach a wide audience. I am convinced people will be seduced by the design and inherent quality.”
Andy Skinner, head of consortium procurement for various primary care trusts, says: “My father was a carpenter and it is fantastic to see this skill thriving here in London's east end. The quality of the wood used is outstanding.” Before a Yew Table is ordered, The Furniture Group will visit the client’s site, measure up and examine whether the table needs to be specially adapted – with regard to wood colour and whether additional bespoke ‘side furniture’ is required.
The table is ideal for companies that don’t want to compromise their ethical credentials but do want a beautiful piece of wood furniture for display or functional purposes. The table lends itself well to shop, office and reception area dressing and comes apart easily for transportation. Prices start at £1,480 plus VAT. All profit from the sale of the Yew Table goes towards providing important community services at the Bromley by Bow Centre including providing training for apprentices at The Furniture Group’s workshop.
Monday, 3 September 2007
NEW Energy Matters Solar-Port – power at your fingertips - in the Great Outdoors
The Energy Matters Solar-Port is the ideal portable power source for use in the Great Outdoors. Be it for camping, exploring, boating – anywhere you need to have instant power on the go.
The Solar-Port converts in a matter of seconds from a sturdy suitcase to a self supporting solar power unit – ready to power life’s necessities! The Solar Energy Matters Solar-Port includes two 50W solar modules in parallel with peak power voltage of 17 volts and total peak current of 6 Amps.
This voltage and current are suitable for general battery charging. It is recommended to use the Solar-Port with a solar regulator (charge controller) between the Solar-Port and the batteries. A solar regulator will continuously check the battery terminal voltage and allow the battery to be charged only if it requires charging.
It automatically disconnects the battery from the Solar-Port when the battery is fully charged. Energy Matters recommends using the Morningstar 10A 12V Sunsaver regulator when charging batteries from the Solar-Port.
For additional information on Energy Maters Solar- Port Got to: www.renewablestores.com.au, or contact: sales@energymatters.com.au or Visit or Mail at: 122 Bank Street, South Melbourne, VIC-3205, Australia Call at: 1300 727 151.
The Solar-Port converts in a matter of seconds from a sturdy suitcase to a self supporting solar power unit – ready to power life’s necessities! The Solar Energy Matters Solar-Port includes two 50W solar modules in parallel with peak power voltage of 17 volts and total peak current of 6 Amps.
This voltage and current are suitable for general battery charging. It is recommended to use the Solar-Port with a solar regulator (charge controller) between the Solar-Port and the batteries. A solar regulator will continuously check the battery terminal voltage and allow the battery to be charged only if it requires charging.
It automatically disconnects the battery from the Solar-Port when the battery is fully charged. Energy Matters recommends using the Morningstar 10A 12V Sunsaver regulator when charging batteries from the Solar-Port.
For additional information on Energy Maters Solar- Port Got to: www.renewablestores.com.au, or contact: sales@energymatters.com.au or Visit or Mail at: 122 Bank Street, South Melbourne, VIC-3205, Australia Call at: 1300 727 151.
Sunday, 2 September 2007
Green competition launched
Green advice website www.agreenerfestival.com is launching a new competition for festival fans to suggest new ideas to promote environmental friendliness at festivals and get events greener.
The new competition, Great Green Ideas, will be formally launched at the Bestival Festival on the Isle of Wight on the 7th September. The Glastonbury Festival in the UK as well as the Bonnaroo Festival in the USA and Peats Ridge Festival in Australia will all be asking their fans for their best ideas.
Agreenerfestivals co-founder Ben Challis explained that "some of the very best ideas that improve festivals come from fans and its time we ask people who go to events how they want to get greener. This year we have seen a huge increase in the number of tents abandoned at festivals and this, along with personal carbon footprints, are just two of the things we want fans to think about. Sometimes really simple ideas are the best so any ideas on reducing waste, recycling and preventing pollution would be really welcome as well."
Great Green Ideas should be emailed to agreenerfestival@aol.com and need to be in English or with an English translation. Translations should not more than 100 words long. The best entries will be published on www.agreenerfestival.com and winning enteries will be put in a prize draw.
The AGreenerfestival.com team are committed to helping music and arts festivals around the world adopt environmentally friendly practices through providing information, education and the simple exchange of ideas.
www.agreenerfestival.com is a not for profit company. Recent initiatives launched by the site include a message board for swapping ideas, a new cartoon character, EcoGirl, who can be used to promote recycling and car-sharing and a new award for Green Festivals called the Greener Festival Award.
The first winners of the new awards will be announced at the UK Festival Awards on November 6th 2007.
The new competition, Great Green Ideas, will be formally launched at the Bestival Festival on the Isle of Wight on the 7th September. The Glastonbury Festival in the UK as well as the Bonnaroo Festival in the USA and Peats Ridge Festival in Australia will all be asking their fans for their best ideas.
Agreenerfestivals co-founder Ben Challis explained that "some of the very best ideas that improve festivals come from fans and its time we ask people who go to events how they want to get greener. This year we have seen a huge increase in the number of tents abandoned at festivals and this, along with personal carbon footprints, are just two of the things we want fans to think about. Sometimes really simple ideas are the best so any ideas on reducing waste, recycling and preventing pollution would be really welcome as well."
Great Green Ideas should be emailed to agreenerfestival@aol.com and need to be in English or with an English translation. Translations should not more than 100 words long. The best entries will be published on www.agreenerfestival.com and winning enteries will be put in a prize draw.
The AGreenerfestival.com team are committed to helping music and arts festivals around the world adopt environmentally friendly practices through providing information, education and the simple exchange of ideas.
www.agreenerfestival.com is a not for profit company. Recent initiatives launched by the site include a message board for swapping ideas, a new cartoon character, EcoGirl, who can be used to promote recycling and car-sharing and a new award for Green Festivals called the Greener Festival Award.
The first winners of the new awards will be announced at the UK Festival Awards on November 6th 2007.
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