The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has reported that the number of heath, forest and grass fires in the UK has increased by over 60% in the last 20 years. The FBU analysed government figures that show between 1986 and 1993 there were 37,371 grassland and heath fires, but between 1994 and 2005 there were 60,332, an increase of 61.94%. Last year there were 88,400 fires. The trend is obviously for more fires every year. When summers are not hot and arid, there is an increased risk of flooding. The FBU is concerned that they do not have enough staff and resources to tackle outdoor fires such as these and deal with domestic and commercial property fires.
Christmas (yes, it's now an alarming three months away, which makes it officially OK to mention, it seems) can be a very wasteful time, thanks to all that wrapping, presents bought on the cheap, electrical goods you don't really want...not to mention the poor turkeys. So the latest green guide could be a very worthwhile investment this festive season.
The Green Guide for Christmas is packed with practical tips on how to have a fun and well-organised Christmas, but with a planet-friendly, natural and ethical slant. Packed full of gift suggestions, food ideas and suppliers, plus advice on all the trimmings, it also contains information and tips on how to enjoy a greener Christmas. It's got information on where to find organic, natural and fairtrade food, hampers, clothes, shoes, accessories, chocolates, wine, cosmetics, gadgets, jewellery, toys, gift vouchers, books, magazines and much, much more.
The guide will be available from Friday, costing £6.99. You can pick it up at online at the Green Guide site, or in most bookstores.
HarperCollins - publishers of such literary treats as ‘A Long Way Gone’ by Ishmael Beah and ‘The God of Small Things’ by Arundhati Roy - has announced that it is to use Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper for all its publications.
It is estimated that the wood and paper industries are contributing to mass deforestation, where every two seconds sees the loss of ancient forests that can be as big as a football pitch. The Forest Stewardship Council works to reduce this figure by working with local communities to supply sustainable wood from forests that are managed with respect for the environment, wildlife and the local population.
Josephine Cox, whose paperback “The Loner” is one of the first to be published on FSC paper, is pleased to be a part of a creative industry that is taking the environment seriously. “I’m delighted that my book is being printed on environmentally-friendly paper. I think we all need to do our bit to help the environment.”
Love film, politics and the environment? Then keep an eye out for the Groovy Movie Picture House. The world’s first solar powered, touring cinema is soon to be famous for bringing cutting edge, environmentally-focused, uncompromising, inspiring and of course creative films to all corners of the UK. This travelling cinema is often found at festivals (of the film and music variety) and is hosting this year’s Green Screen Independent Film Festival.
The Groovy Movie Picture House is powered by eight large solar panels, which turn sunlight into electricity to fuel state of the art projectors, amplifiers and lighting. On the film side of things: Groovy Movie prides itself in showing short and feature films by independent and radical, professional and non-professional film makers.
If you fancy yourself a bit of a film maker, then the guys at Groovy Movie would love to hear from you. Or, if you are more like me and just like to sit and watch, then check out the website for when and where Groovy Movie will be screening near you.
If you're planning on being anywhere near Glasgow at the weekend ‐ or if you just need an excuse for a weekend away ‐ then you must make sure you drop in on the Incredible Veggie Roadshow. Saturday the 29th of September will see the Glasgow Concert Hall playing host to a good range of veggie/vegan food stalls, literature and gift stalls, cookery demos and talks. It's only £1 to get in (with children under the age of 10 allowed in for free), and there should be something here for everyone, from the newly vegetarian to the lifelong vegan. Exhibitors include Beanie's Health Foods, Plamil Foods Ltd, Advocates for Animals and Alternative Soles.
For more information - including a nifty facility allowing you to quickly issue online invites to friends and family, and a list of exhibitors - visit the Viva! website.
As cities, towns and islands across the UK phase out plastic bags, Gareth Kane asks if this is the start of something bigger.
Today is recycling day chez Kane, but when I went to the big box of carrier bags under the sink to protect the newspapers from the rain, the cupboard was bare. Cue mad dash around the house trying to prise bags from all their favourite illicit hidey-holes before the big blue truck arrived (there are few more depressing feelings than having to bring your recycling back in again). Maybe, I thought as I pounded the stairs for the fifth time, the plastic bag is truly an endangered species.
The refusal of the UK Government to put an Irish-style tax on single use carrier bags has long been a complaint of the environmental movement, but, according to the Guardian, citizens across the country are taking matters into their own hands. The Devonshire town of Modbury was famously the first to phase out carriers with a voluntary agreement among shopkeepers, followed by the 'bag ladies' of Hebden Bridge. Now everyone from London to the smallest hamlet seem to be getting in on the act. Mull, Arran and Guernsey are racing to be the first plastic bag-free island in the world.
With Foot and Mouth restrictions still in place in Surrey after a new case was confirmed over the weekend, a new disease has just been found in a British cow for the first time, it was reported in the Guardian. Bluetongue, which can affect cattle, sheep, goats and deer but not humans, is often fatal in sheep and can reduce milk yield in cows. As bluetongue is not prevalent in Britain, it is feared that an outbreak could cause many deaths as immunity to the disease is not widespread amongst British cattle.
Further to our story back in June about the devastation caused by bank holiday floods to our most threatened bird - the bittern - it appears it's not all doom and gloom for this little bird. Detailed annual monitoring has revealed that the bittern is present in more sites than in any other year since 1990. Most significantly is the discovery they have set up nests in the East Anglian Fens for the first time since before the second World War. Three different breeding females were found to have nested in a single, privately-owned, site in Cambridgeshire. It is also the first case of bittern nesting in a newly made reedbed, which has been created especially for them as part of a habitat recreation programme being carried out by the RSPB.
This cute table, featuring a little squirrel running up a tree trunk and a cut-out of an owl, is made from 100% certified sustainable maple plywood and a is coated with a water-based 'varnish'. It comes in a flat pack, but unlike some furniture which can take a degree in joinery to assemble the top of this table simply slots snugly onto the base. It also means you can easily take it apart if you want to store it. It comes in two different heights and several finishes - raw wood, plain clear, dark walnut or it can be made in a custom colour.
ecobookers.com is a new booking engine for eco-friendly accommodation around the world. Search for accommodation by destination or take a look at one of the lifestyle sections for inspiration, such as eco luxury, eco families or eco on a budget. You can book securely and easily online. I picked a nice country manor in Sao Pedro do Sul in Portugal to keep down my flying footprint. The manor is set in certified organic farmland.
My impression is that it’s a new website and they need to increase the number of destinations available. For example, there was only one in the entire USA. But it’s a nice idea, and one which hopefully will take off and give the average person the choice to book an eco holiday.
Related stories: Organic places to stay in the UK | Ecoescape green travel guide
Innocent drinks has announced that it has developed a new type of bottle, made from 100% recycled material, the first of its kind in the world. The plastic bottles are already available on the shelves in four of Innocent's recipes: strawberries & bananas, pineapples, bananas & coconuts, mangoes, guavas & goji berries and pomegranates, blueberries & acai.
In addition to using no virgin materials at all, the move will see a dramatic 55% reduction in the overall carbon footprint of the drinks. Earlier this year, innocent was one of the first three companies to sign up to the Carbon Trust scheme, which assists companies in lowering their carbon footprints. The bottles are fully recyclable at the end of life, and use 20% less plastic overall than innocent’s original packaging.
The move will no doubt come as great news to fans of the fruit smoothies, since the company, which has always championed environmentally-conscious and ethical solutions where possible, had been seeking a viable resolution to the problem of plastic packaging for some time.
When the people of Modbury announced they were going to be plastic bag free everyone nodded approvingly, but no-one really thought it would last and nobody thought that within only six months 50 other cities, towns and villages across the UK would follow suit. They include 33 boroughs in London, the islands of Mull, Arran and Guernsey, and my neighbouring town North Berwick. The seaside town, famous for it's stunning beaches and a huge colonies of seabirds, has handed out around 7,000 questionnaires to all of the town's residents to ask their opinion of the proposal to ditch free plastic bags from all local businesses. So far only 400 replies have been received but of those 98% support the idea.
[via The Guardian]
Now that Autumn is definitely here, the usual sniffing and coughing signals that cold season is also here. So, now is a good time for a quick run-down of all the natural and herbal remedies you can use to help.
For the first time in the UK, Carmarthenshire County Council is drawing up a code of practice for the use of Wi-Fi in its schools. Councillor Ieuan Jones said: "We are going to monitor the situation as closely as we can because we all have these concerns. The dangers of these Wi-Fi connections are possibly along the lines of using hand-held mobile phones." Meryl Gravell, the council leader, said: "A code of practice is absolutely necessary. The safety of our children in school is paramount for all of us." The council is going to enforce this on all schools under its control, and hopes the code of practice will be adopted nationally. There is growing concern at the harmful effects of mobile phone and W-Fi radiation, especially to children. The government’s own health protection watchdog chief, Sir William Stewart called for an official review of the use of Wi-Fi in schools.
In a bizarre twist on the viability of carbon off-setting, there is now evidence that some of the schemes are causing an increase in child labour in poorer countries. In an example of such a scheme, Climate Care is paying poor and impoverished families in India to stop using diesel-powered pumps to irrigate their fields and replace them with human-powered treadles instead. One family ‘benefiting’ from Climate Care’s scheme is the Ram family. Their six year old daughter and her four young brothers now work flat out in the searing sun to pump water into their family field. Climate Care is the company that sells off-sets to British Airways customers, so they can feel better about their long-haul flights.
From: Eco-friendly Mother's Day gift ideas for the fashion conscious mum