As London Olympics get underway, don’t waste energy, says green provider

Whilst major sporting events can be energy intensive with activities such as travelling, setting up and maintaining temporary environments, the impact from people at home tuning into the game can also have a dramatic effect on energy consumption.

Doug Stewart, CEO of green energy uk, said: “With the London Olympics about to start, it’s definitely a recipe for increased domestic energy consumption. However, there are simple ways to go green and reduce our usage by making a conscious effort. Sitting down watching an event on the TV means not using any energy keeping warm and it may be tempting, especially with the tempestuous UK weather, to turn the heating up a little – when actually just adding another layer will save energy and money.

“Since people tend to use the kettle more often in breaks or at half time, they shouldn’t be tempted to fill the kettle to the top if they only intend to pour one cup, instead they should just boil the water needed. These are tactics people should employ as much as they can at all times, but during times of increased usage such as this, it should be an extra consideration. Even using energy saving light bulbs is a quick and effective change people can make,” he added.

As a sustainable energy company, green energy uk supplies 100 per cent green electricity to both domestic and business customers. It buys energy from a wide range of sustainable sources including solar, wind and free falling water as well as more unusual ones such as pig waste! By making them shareholders in the company, green energy uk encourages customers to take an active role in the business.

Doug concluded: “In addition to the energy saving tips, people can consider switching to green energy – a gesture that will yield benefits way beyond 2012!”

For further information about green energy uk, to find out about how to make an energy switch energy switch or to get a competitive business electricity quote visit www.greenenergyuk.com.

Best Green Marketing Initiative 2011/12

Lasswade Country House and Restaurant, Llanwrtyd Wells, Powys, has won the award for its role in the innovative creation of ‘Welsh Road Trips’, providing great ideas for UK short breaks in Wales.

Lasswade is one of three mid-Wales Green Tourism Business Scheme Gold award holders (the other two being the Old Vicarage, Dolfor near Newtown and the other being Westview Guest House in Llowes, near Hay on Wye) which have come together to form ‘Welsh Road Trips’ (WRT).

A destination marketing tool aimed at encouraging visitors/guests to take UK short breaks touring mid-Wales by foot, by bike or by car – using the developing electric car market. WRT forms a triangle, set in the green open spaces of mid Wales providing a complete six day tour – using carefully chosen routes showing everything from the best nature can offer in terms of landscape, flora and fauna, to notable architecture – with two nights stays at each of the three quality establishments in short, visitors/guests are given all the information required for a memorable journey of their choice – whether experienced on foot, bike or in a car.

An aspect that particularly impressed the judges was the fact that electric vehicles are catered for at each of the three locations through the provision of full fast charging stations (32amp and 13amp charging points). Indeed WRT has worked with Zero Carbon World (ZCW) to provide suitable charging for electric vehicles –ranging from the Tesla Super car to a modest electric bike, or the B-bug. WRT is very closely associated with the development of the B-Bug – a small fun, legal electric road buggy carrying two passengers. ZCW regards WRT as a prime mover in tourism fro the use of electric cars and has provided 100 re-charging sets for Wales.

An inscribed Dartington Crystal bowl was presented to the Lasswade Country House for WRT. In the eyes of the judges, it was presented to the hotel/accommodation provider who has produced the most outstanding marketing initiative within the CHA award category areas.

Arbtech Implements Special Offer on Bat Surveys until End of June

Arboricultural and Ecology Consultancy Arbtech have built a reliable company upon expert advice and low prices with quality surveyors situated around the country. Carrying out tree and bat surveys, the team pride themselves on helping developers and individuals before putting in an application for planning. For this month only, all customers can get fast, efficient and professional bat surveys for just £329.

The team at Arbtech have a wealth of experience when it comes to carrying out bat surveys around the UK. Due to habitat destruction, the population of bats is decreasing and thus they are fully protected by UK law. As part of the planning process in the UK, all developers and homeowners are required to have a bat survey carried out by someone with a Natural England license.

Arbtech have bat consultants based at their offices in Chester, London and home based consultants across the country. All consultants hold a Natural England and Countryside Council for Wales license and are fully qualified to carry out the surveys required for planning applications.

When carrying out bat surveys, the specialist consultants look for bats, activity of bats and also habitat value. Many past customers have praised Arbtech for the work they have carried out at their homes, allowing them to put planning applications in at their properties.

Employing three licensed bat survey ecologists, prospective customers can contact Arbtech on 08450176950 for free and friendly advice about bats, surveys, the reports or planning application. Until the 30th June, bat surveys are available for £329 instead of the usual £399. Contact the team now to find out more.

Paint everything Green!

At last, a truly eco-friendly paint is available in the UK – and it has the same base that our forefathers used centuries ago – Linseed oil.

Histocolour specialises in supplying this excellent paint which is unsurpassable in both quality and in its “green” credentials.

Before the introduction of modern paints, which are petrochemical, solvent based, linseed oil was recognised as the perfect paint base for internal and external works. Extensive research today has proved that they were right!

Why use linseed oil paint?

• It penetrates the surface – giving a longer life span
• Easy to maintain – a simple wipe of the surface with linseed oil
• Natural product – leaving no harmful waste residue
• No paint failure – no build up on the surface so allowing moisture to escape
• Protects buildings – it preserves wood very well

In addition, linseed oil paints now have a similar drying time to modern paints and a high gloss finish can be achieved by applying more coats. Linseed paints cannot easily match the very bright colours of chemical paints but they can last for 50-100 years with minimal maintenance!

Gazasia develops clean fuel made from organic landfill waste for Asian market

Gazasia, a UK company that develops waste-derived biofuels, is to begin operations in the Philippines to develop a vehicle fuel made from organic waste products in landfill.

Gazasia creates liquid biomethane - a carbon-neutral, sustainable and high-quality vehicle fuel – by cleaning and refining the natural gas produced by organic waste found in landfill sites.

In the Philippines, as throughout much of the world, landfill remains the most common means of waste disposal. But left alone, it creates potentially damaging gases, including methane and carbon dioxide. Gazasia cleans this methane and converts it to liquid biomethane, creating a clean and commercially viable fuel, as well as preventing harmful methane being released into the environment.

Earlier today, Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc (AEV) announced it had signed an agreement in London with Gazasia worth USD 150 million to fund the development of plants to create liquid biomethane from organic waste.

Vehicle fuel prices in Asia have risen sharply over the last year and are expected to continue rising. Many governments throughout the region are subsidising fuel costs but have insufficient resources to maintain their subsidies indefinitely.

“The impact of higher vehicle fuel prices has been especially severe in South East Asia,” says Richard Lilleystone, CEO of Gazasia. “Public transport is essential to the workforce. Rising fuel costs have a direct impact on transport costs and food prices, which of course has the greatest impact on those least able to afford it.”

The use of biomethane as a vehicle fuel is growing across the world, and particularly in South East Asia. {{It is an economical alternative to fuel, and has a positive impact on air quality.}} Waste organic material is abundant and inexhaustible, making the fuel sustainable, and unaffected by the sort of geopolitical events that impact on oil-based fuels and lead to price volatility.

New Hope for Elephants Under Threat in Central Africa

Central African countries today signed a groundbreaking regional plan to strengthen law enforcement and better combat poaching of elephants and other species at risk from illegal wildlife trade. The plan was adopted by the ten member states of Central African Forest Commission, known as COMIFAC, as escalating rates of wildlife crime plague the region.

Wildlife ministers from the COMIFAC countries pledged to undertake unprecedented levels of cooperation with law enforcement agencies, such as the police, customs and the judiciary, to tackle the issue. They also announced plans to hold a head of state conference next year to address wildlife loss and maintaining Africa’s biodiversity. The conference would bring together African leaders as well as government officials from key Asian trading partners and intergovernmental supporters such as the Africa Development Bank and the UN to explore opportunities for cooperation.

“Without strong and efficient collaboration among the COMIFAC range states, we will never succeed in combating this plague,” said Mahamat Bechir Okormi, the Chad Minister for Environment and Fishery, in his closing statement at the COMIFAC preparatory meeting held yesterday in Ndjamena, Chad.

The law enforcement action plan approved today includes provisions to increase anti-poaching efforts in each of the countries and to enable joint-country patrols in some transborder areas. Ivory, often bound for Asia, is frequently smuggled across inland borders before reaching overseas exit points such as ports and airports. Under the plan, customs controls are also set to be bolstered at international transit hubs.

To ensure that criminals engaging in illegal wildlife trade are arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law, COMIFAC countries plan to ramp up investigations and conduct more thorough prosecutions. Cases will also be monitored for corruption and action taken against anyone attempting to impede justice.

“This regional action plan comes at the right time, as a coordinated response to the recent upsurge of large scale poaching witnessed in Central Africa,” said Marc Languy, Leader of WWF’s Green Heart of Africa initiative. “This is an important milestone and there is need now for COMIFAC countries to initiate the first steps to implement it. The plan will also need support from the international community.”

Finalization of the plan has come just after the president of the African Development Bank spoke strongly about the urgent need to tackle illegal wildlife trade. “We are taking our ecosystems for granted,” Africa Development Bank President Dr Donald Kaberuka told reporters Friday. “The increase in large scale seizures is evidence of the involvement of well organised criminal networks in illegal wildlife trade, now the fifth largest illicit transnational activity, worth between $8-10 billion per year. It is something we must absolutely put to an end.”

Also at the Ndjamena event, Chad, Central African Republic and Cameroon signed a tri-partite declaration to join forces and increase transboundary collaboration to fight poaching. “This is a welcome sign and will help ensure that there will never again be a slaughter of elephants on the scale witnessed in Cameroon earlier this year,” said Lamine Sebogo, WWF’s African elephant expert.

“We were all shocked by the recent killing of more than 200 elephants in Bouba N’Djida National Park,” said Bas Huijbregts, Regional Field Programmes Manager of WWF’s Central African Regional Programme Office. “The strategy defined in this action plan will allow countries to react more quickly and efficiently to similar threats in the future.”

WWF, together with TRAFFIC and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, has provided technical and financial assistance toward the development of the plan and is offering ongoing support for implementation.

The 10 COMIFAC countries are Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Central Africa Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Rwanda and Sao Tome e Principe. The COMIFAC treaty was signed in 1999 in a bid to improve conservation and improved management of Central African forests.

FACTFILE:
WWF is a world leading conservation organization, working in 100 countries for nearly half a century. With the support of almost 5 million members worldwide, WWF is dedicated to delivering science-based solutions to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth, halt the degradation of the environment and combat climate change. Visit www.worldwildlife.org to learn more.

Follow them on Twitter @WWFnews for latest news

Just 2% plan to buy electric car in next five years

They may represent our motoring future, but only two per cent of people are likely to buy an electric vehicle (EV) in the next five years according to a new survey.

Despite Department of Transport claims that 2011 would be ‘the year of the electric car’ - offering hefty subsidies and advising councils to plan for an electric future - just 1,000 of the battery-powered vehicles were sold in the UK last year.

And when specialist car insurance broker Adrian Flux asked 1,000 of its customers how likely they were to buy an EV in the next five years, just two per cent were seriously considering swapping the petrol pump for the charging point.

Nearly 70 per cent ruled out a switch entirely, with the remaining 28 per cent firmly in the wait and see camp.

While most of us agree that petrol and diesel-powered cars are unsustainable in the long term, it seems few of us are prepared to buy a car we feel has a high purchase price, limited range, long recharge times and questionable resale value.

However, the electric revolution is still charging forward despite the lukewarm appetite of the British people.
Last month, 60 charging points were opened in Oxford, making the city the EV capital of Europe with one charging point for every 2,400 people, the best ratio in the EU.

London has 654 charging points – the most in Europe – and British cities dominate the top 10 list of electric-friendly locations in the continent.

New charging stations will recharge an electric car battery in four hours, slashing previous charging times by 50 per cent, and future charging points could cut this time to just 20 minutes.

There will also be almost 30 new models of electric or hybrid car brought to market in the next 18 months, with BMW preparing to launch its first “all electric” cars, the i3 and the i8, Ford unveiling the Focus Electric and Vauxhall premièring the Ampera, which has a small petrol-fuelled generator that extends the range of the car to 360 miles.

Expense is still an issue, however, even with the £5,000 government grants available for electric car buyers – the Ampera will cost £29,995, but drivers will benefit from considerably lower running costs.

Industry figures suggest that by 2020, five per cent of vehicles on the road could be electric.

Gerry Bucke, of Adrian Flux Insurance Services, explained that people’s reluctance to switch to electric cars was often related to the perceived “hassle” of owning a vehicle which relied on charging.

“People are worried that they can’t just ‘drive and go’ and that they will have to plan ahead depending on how far they plan to travel each day and the ‘range’ of their car,” he said.

“Presently, a domestic charge at 240 volts on a 13 amp socket could take between six and 10 hours to fully charge an electric car, although this will change significantly as technology improves.

“Although the majority of people’s car journeys are short, they still want to know that – if they choose – they could travel long distances in their car without having to worry about finding a charging station.

“There are options available, such as range-extended electric cars with petrol or diesel generators to provide extra electricity and hybrid cars which recover energy from the movement and braking of the car.

“In insurance terms, insurers still have reservations about electric cars. mainly based on their cost and the disposal of the batteries, which can push up premiums.”

Is the new Energy Market Reform Bill a ‘dash for gas’?

The long-awaited Energy Market Reform Bill (EMR) has finally been launched by the government – and has already come under attack from environmentalists as heralding a ‘dash for gas’, and by the energy industry as not providing the clarification they were looking for.

The Bill, which has been eagerly anticipated by all parties, puts forward the government’s stated wish that the electricity industry should be completely ‘de-carbonised’ by the 2030s. However, this is only on the government’s ‘wish list’ and there is no guarantee within the Bill that this will be the case.

The Bill also proposes reforms that will bring a greater element of planning into the energy markets to allow for a greater spread of provisions, including the ever-controversial nuclear solution and the proposal of expanding shale gas extraction in the UK. However, that spread of supply will still be primarily relying on gas to ensure that the energy demands of the UK are met throughout the early part of the 21st Century – a situation that environmentalists believe is detrimental in the long term.

Relying on gas for the next 20 years
The Committee on Climate Change admits that gas is going to be the primary provider of energy well into the third decade of this century. But the concern is that the Bill hasn’t exactly helped to clarify to what extent the reliance on gas will be, and what alternative supplies are both logistically and financially viable. “What we’re seeing here is a failure to communicate adequately between the energy providers and the government that has led to a Bill that’s causing confusion and consternation across the board,” comments EDW Service Delivery Director, Graham Paul. “While everyone has been anticipating a Bill that would give us a clear roadmap for wholesale energy production in the UK for the next 20 years, what we actually have is a muddle of ideas, some of which may not even be workable,” he adds.

To add to the confusion, the government has also announced that there will be a consultation on the use of gas for electricity generation that will run alongside the legislation.

Keeping the lights on…
Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Edward Davey has made it clear in a written statement to Parliament that he believes the proposed Bill will “keep the lights on, bills down and the air clean”. The key element of the Bill is the government’s Feed-in-Tariffs and Contracts for Difference – two proposals that the government believes will encourage companies to invest in low-carbon energy generation. But coming so soon after the proposal to seriously explore the concept of ‘fracking’ or shale gas extraction on an industrial scale, environmental groups are suspicious of the government’s real commitment to green energy production.

The Energy Bill is also set to reinforce the regulatory position of Ofgem, as well as provisions that will enable the sale of the Government Pipeline and Storage System (GPSS). But all of this adds up to a Bill that is being regarded as messy and unworkable in many quarters. “We were really hoping for a little clarification on the government's position for the long-term energy security of the UK,” comments EDW’s Graham Paul. “What we’ve actually ended up with is a mish-mash of ideas that appear to have been tossed randomly into the melting pot as an afterthought, with no clear strategy for the long term. While short-term fixes might impress those who are too myopic to look beyond the immediate future, it isn’t impressing anyone who has the forethought to look further ahead, and that includes both the energy industry and the environmental sector. For once, I think both sides are in agreement – this Bill isn’t what any of us were hoping for,” he concludes.

FACTFILE:
 EDW have a long history in developing, implementing and supporting best-of-breed software solution for retail electricity quoting and customer management including their bespoke electricity billing software for the industrial and commercial market sector.