Today is World Environment Day, which is celebrated every year on 5th June. It is one of the United Nations main channels for increasing awareness of the environment. World Environment Day was first established in 1972 by the United Nations General Assembly to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment.
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June 5th, 2007
World Environment Day is upon us again
June 4th, 2007
Say WEEE to your old computer from 1st July
Right! I don’t want anyone taking the… mickey out of the WEEE Directive (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment), which comes into force on 1st July. It means that by law all computer and electrical manufacturers must offer customers the ability to send back their old unwanted gear for recycling – for free. According to WEEE, all you will have to do is give the manufacturer a tinkle on the phone or by e-mail and they will collect if from your door. The DTI’s website http://www.dti.gov.uk/innovation/sustainability/weee/page30269.html could have chosen a more eloquent way to explain that the directive is designed for, “reducing the amount of WEEE going to landfill.” Now that has got to be a WEEE take!
June 4th, 2007
Added benefits on Soil Association website!
Excellent Soil Association website Why Organic has just introduced a new family section with information on raising a family the organic way. The website, which aims to raise awareness of the benefits of the organic lifestyle and therefore increase demand for organic products, are backing this new launch with a new family membership package which includes two books and a children’s DVD as well as a limited free offer of toddler foods for new members in June.
The website includes regular free offers and competitions, Food Radio, recipes, farmer’s blog, and gardening tips as well as all the Soil Association’s helpful and well-researched information on all the big issues in the organic world such as pesticides and genetically modified foods. It’s a great all-round site with something for everyone from the most casual visitor to the hardcore organic gardener.
June 4th, 2007
Rice containing human genes ” a step too far?
The Independent has an article tucked away in its Environment section that I think should have been front-page news. The article covers the news that for the first time rice containing human genes is being grown commercially. The rice in question has been developed to grow two proteins found in human breast milk. The company behind the rice, Ventria Biosciences says it wants to use it to make baby milk and rehydration drinks to help children in the third world. This all sounds very commendable, until you really think about this.
June 1st, 2007
Ditch the plastic bags: Plastic Ain’t My Bag Campaign
UK consumers use around ten billion plastic bags a year and each of these takes 500 years to disintegrate. Still this hasn’t put too many people off using them. Despite the whinging about Anya Hindmarch’s bags and the fact that most people are undeterred in their usage of plastic carrier bags, the We Are What We Do movement, behind the, I’m Not a Plastic Bag’ Bag, are determined to banish our plastic foes.
US president Bush has confused the issue of global greenhouse gas emissions control in a clever move to stall any real progress at the G8 summit next week. Where anyone with any kind of concern for our planet’s future, and hence our own future would see this as a disaster for greenhouse gas emission reduction, our prime minister, Tony Blair called it an important step forward. An important step forward? To undermine the rest of the world’s efforts and to refuse to accept any responsibility for global warming is a step forward? Where British and German officials have stressed that a requirement for the next international climate agreement should be binding caps on carbon pollution for developed nations and limiting climate change to 2 degrees Celsius, President Bush is refusing to accept any cap on greenhouse gas emissions for the USA, as he thinks it will damage the economy.
June 1st, 2007
Tots Bots to introduce organic cotton nappies
Scottish cloth nappy company Tots Bots are about launch their first organic nappy. They acknowledge their Bamboozle is still the best washable nappy on the market, but there’s no denying the time it takes to dry is still too long for some of us, so they’ve decided to make their regular cotton nappies organic.
May 31st, 2007
Blue Planet Run: Bringing drinking water to billions
The Blue Planet Run begins tomorrow, with 20 runners, across 16 countries and over 15,200 miles in 95 days, relaying the message that we must begin to tackle the global problem of inadequate and unsafe drinking water.
May 31st, 2007
Forestry Commission to help save butterflies and moths
The plight of Britain’s rare butterflies and moths is to be tackled by the Forestry Commission in an attempt to boost their dwindling numbers in the nation’s woodland. They have teamed up with Butterfly Conservation and have identified 140 key sites which need action, 77 of those have been designated grade A priority sites as they are home to some of our rarest species, such as the Pearl-bordered Fritillary, and the Argent & Sable moth.
May 31st, 2007
New carbon labels planned by government
The government announced a bold plan yesterday to have labels on products to show the environmental impact of producing, transporting and disposing the product. The government is working with the Carbon Trust and British Standards Institute (BSI) to develop the system over the next 18 months. Although the scheme will be voluntary, there are already a number of companies working with the project, for example Marks and Spencer and Tesco. A further 120 companies have expressed an interest in the scheme. The Carbon Trust is running a pilot project at the moment with Boots, Innocent Smoothies and Walkers crisps.
