Eco-Schools is such a good idea I'm surprised it hasn't appeared on Hippyshopper before. It's just common sense that if you really want to change the future then you have to approach the generation that's shaping it. Making ecologically sound living part of the curriculum means that thousands of children will take simple eco-friendly measures to be standard practice and use the time-honoured nagging technique to talk their parents and friends round.
The project provides an advisory framework for making schools more sustainable. This stimulates every child's environmental education and reduces the environmental impact of the school itself. It is not, it stresses "about environmental excellence, it is about your school starting to look at how it impacts upon the environment" and the way this can be managed.
Involving students in the process is a key part of this, and having conducted a self-assessment there is an award scheme for schools to show their progress within the community. An external assessment can lead to a coveted Green Flag.
Continue reading >>
The threat to biodiversity, global warming and human rights represented by the demand for palm oil is by now a well publicised one. Ancient rainforests are being destroyed to make way for palm oil plantations, a situation which is leaving a trail of havoc in its wake. Wild orangutans in Sumatra and Borneo are being threatened with extinction, indigenous peoples are being robbed of their land, causing violent conflict, and peat fires used to clear land for plantations represent the third largest contributor to CO2 emissions in the world.
The situation is not a good one. Especially when you consider that most of us are directly contributing to the problem, with one in ten products in the supermarket containing palm oil. For example, a whole 6% of palm oil produced goes into making sure you're not sitting at your desk emitting BO and frightening your colleagues (or perhaps you are, I don't know...). At least on this front, however, help is at hand - cosmetics company Lush has spent most of the past year attempting to develop a palm oil free formula with which it can create all its soap...
Continue reading >>
Newsflash! An answer may have been found down under, to the seemingly intractable problem of flatulent cattle. Yes, it's those farting cows again, but a breakthrough may be imminent...
Here's the science bit. Although kangaroos eat a similar diet to Daisy et. al, unlike cows, they do not produce large quantities of the greenhouse gas methane. This has got researchers quite excited about kangaroos' digestive systems, in the hope that a similar action could be replicated in cattle. And an experiment is about to take place introducing microbes found in kangaroos' stomachs into those of cows kept for meat and dairy products.
Continue reading >>
I know some of you super-organised people out there will already have started thinking about decorating your homes in anticipation of the festive season - and I imagine the suddenly rather wintery weather may well have been a catalyst! If you like to go overboard in the run-up to Christmas, but aren't so keen on the idea of the usual plastic, planet-pillaging decor, keep reading... Instead of tinsel and baubles, use potted poinsettias, rosemary, thyme and sage, branches of mistletoe and holly wreaths. Eschewing a tacky plastic tree is also better for the environment, as well as being far more aesthetically pleasing. If you look after it properly, you can use a living, potted tree year after year, and it won't get tatty round the edges like its artificial counterparts, or shed its needles like a cut tree.
If you need further inspiration on what to use and how, there's plenty of help out there. For instance, leafing (ho ho) through the latest Royal Horticultural Society Diary of Events this morning, I spotted a flower-arranging demonstration entitled 'A merry floral Christmas' taking place in Lawrence Hall on Greycoat Street in London on the 9th November - the demonstration takes place at 2.15pm, and is repeated at 4.15pm. If you're considering getting yourself a living Christmas tree, these tips should help you keep it healthy.
Continue reading >>
Dam Tam is a London-based company specialising in organic, ethically produced, eco friendly baby clothes. Their styles err more in the direction of minimalist baby fashion - using block colours and simple patterns - than the cartoony side of baby fashion, but this is no bad thing... I defy anyone not to adore these fairtrade organic cotton spotty trousers, or this organic cotton pink banana beany hat! This is baby fashion to appeal to stylish adults as well as babies (it's just a shame their gorgeous stripey organic babygro doesn't come in my size...).
It is evident throughout the site that the company is run exclusively by mothers - they even offer washing advice for their clothes tailored for babies with sensitive skin, as well as a links page full of useful sites for the green-minded mother.
Related: Kit N Kin street style baby gear
Leaked cabinet papers have revealed that Labour has no intention of implementing its proposed plans to make a fifth of European energy come from renewable sources by 2020. The papers say that although attempting to back down from the agreement would be a "controversial" move for Labour, it is a necessary one, as reaching the targets would be expensive and involve "severe practical difficulties".
Also included in the papers are rather shocking plans involving John Hutton, secretary of state for business, attempting to persuade Gordon Brown to helping lower the targets. Brown is to be encouraged to speak to countries such as Poland, who do not consider global warming such a threat as other governments, and have them join forces with him in getting Germany and other more environmentally conscious governments to accept more "realistic" targets!
Continue reading >>
Planning to move house? It seems that Bradford is the place to go for the green minded individual. The city was revealed to have the lowest environmental impact of any British city, in spite of its undeniably large role in the Industrial Revolution. Contrary to popular belief, Bradford's rivers were not polluted beyond redemption during this period in its history, and the streams surrounding the city are now a veritable haven of wildlife! Bradford also boasts large areas of green space, and has a number of successful recycling schemes in place. You can read more about Bradford's environmental initiatives - from their 'real nappy' scheme to the Forest of Bradford project, which aims to extend areas of woodland in Bradford - at the Bradford Environmental Action Trust.
Liverpool was voted the least sustainable place to live, with poor water quality and a lack of evidence that it is working towards a more sustainable future dragging it to the bottom of the list.
The survey of cities was carried out by charity Forum for the Future.
digg this | del.icio.us this
| 
Stumble It!
