According to our government, nuclear power is the way forward for our future energy requirements. The supporters of nuclear power say it is far more environmentally friendly than many other forms of electricity generating methods. Nuclear power is cleaner, produces less carbon emissions and will eliminate our need to import energy, so the theory goes. Unfortunately, the whole picture may not be as rosy as the nuclear power supporters would have us believe. There are drawbacks to nuclear power that need to be taken into consideration.
Andrew Chrysostomou's stories:
I looked at Essence of Eden’s website for a little information about coconut oil and boy was I impressed! Coconut oil has a multitude of uses and their Essence of Eden Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is certified organic by the Soil Association in the UK, and the USDA in the USA. So, what can you use it for I hear you ask? Well, where do I start? As a moisturiser you can apply it to your skin and your hair. Can’t get much purer than that. Obviously I wouldn’t use it as a moisturiser, being a man in the prime of my life, but hey, if I ever needed a moisturiser then this is the one for me. Now for the healthy stuff — you can use it for cooking, in any recipe that would normally use butter, margarine or oil. You can even spread it on toast.
There is a strong argument for introducing more renewable energy into the UK. Unfortunately some of these renewable energy projects will damage the local landscape and its wildlife. There is a big push by our government, notably by The Environment Secretary, David Miliband, Welsh Secretary Peter Hain and Trade and Industry Secretary Alistair Darling to make Britain the first country to derive most of its energy from the tides. One such project being promoted at the moment is to build a 10 mile barrage across the Severn estuary. This £14 billion project is being pushed a consortium of six companies called the Severn Tidal Power Group. It all sounds good, getting electricity from the tides, no carbon emissions, but…
The Government insists that phone masts and Wi-fi transmitters are perfectly safe. The Government uses data from the International Commission on NonIonizing Radiation Protection to set the safe limits of radiation exposure. The commission uses the thermal effect of the radiation as a benchmark for safety, i.e. if the radiation is strong enough to cause a rise in temperature then it will be deemed necessary to restrict exposure. Unfortunately the radiation has other effects on human cells beyond the heat effect.
The FA cup final at the new Wembley stadium is estimated to have left an environmental footprint 3,000 times the size of the pitch! Each fan travelling to the game and enjoying the culinary delights on offer would have a carbon footprint 10 times as large as the one they would have if they watched the game at home. Based on an analysis of the 2004 cup final by Dr Andrea Collins of Cardiff University, the environmental impact of such an event is massive. The major factors are the fans’ transport requirements and the huge amounts of processed foods they consume.
The environmental problem with processed food is the fact that it is processed. The industrial process of making and distributing the food is causing the damage to the environment.
With all the wonderful cosmetics, creams and balms on today’s blogs, I thought I would tell you about these lovely make-up and wash bags to put them all in. The make-up bag costs a mere £9.95 and the larger wash bag costs £19.95. Both of these colourful bags are made of cotton with a nylon lining. The lining is splash proof, so you can be as careless as you like in the bathroom. If you’re like me, you’ll get water everywhere!
It seems that everyday I read the newspaper there is more bad news for the environment. Today unfortunately, is no exception. It appears now that the earth’s ability to naturally absorb carbon dioxide is diminishing as a result of global warming. Which is accelerating the rise in global temperatures, which is in turn reducing the earth’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide…and so on. This is something that has been predicted in computer models of climate change, but this is the first time it has been detected.
Historically, the earth has been able to absorb carbon dioxide through the oceans and rainforests, which have absorbed roughly half of all carbon emissions. Now there is far less rainforest cover and changing weather patterns are causing the Southern Ocean to become CO2 saturated, so it can no longer absorb CO2 from the atmosphere.
Now you have read about Ryanair’s free flight offer and turned away in disgust, you will need an idea for a more earth friendly holiday this summer. Obviously flying abroad is out of the question. Why not stay in Britain this summer? We are being promised a glorious summer this year. You could leave the car at home and take a train to the Yorkshire Dales and stay at one of Dales Holiday’s Eco lodges.
Sounds like a great offer, one not to be missed. Ryanair is giving 1 million customers free flights. The offer includes taxes, fees and charges, so the customer pays nothing. The offer went live yesterday at 10am and within 4 hours 4 million attempts were made to get tickets. Great publicity for Ryanair, and great news for people wanting to get away for free.
Unfortunately nothing in life is ‘for free’ and there is a price for these free flights. The carbon footprint of airlines is damaging our planet. We know this, the airlines know this and their passengers know this. So why are so many people logging on to Ryanair’s website to get the free tickets? Why are Ryanair giving away 1 million free tickets?
The small town of Modbury has hit the headlines for all the right reasons. All 43 of its local shopkeepers have agreed to stop giving away or selling plastic carrier bags. It all started with Rebecca Hoskins. Rebecca contacted local traders, starting with ones she knew personally and gave them plenty of information about the damaging effects of plastic carrier bags, and more importantly, gave them information about more environmentally-friendly alternatives. She then moved onto the other traders, enlisting the help of some of the converts when necessary.
