News & Views - Part 2

CITROËN DS3 ‘ECOMEDY TOUR’: TWO COMEDIANS, FIVE NIGHTS, FIVE HUNDRED MILES, ONE TANK OF FUEL

Citroën’s DS3 is going on tour – transporting comedians Dan Adams and Christian Ancliff to their first ever Edinburgh Fringe Festival (6th to 30th August). The Citroën DS3 Ecomedy Tour will see the two stand-ups piloting a DS3 DStyle 99g and gigging all the way from London to Edinburgh – a journey of over 500 miles – all on a single tank of fuel.

The pair will put in a performance each night during the tour, playing in London, Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, Manchester and Glasgow before reaching Edinburgh in time for the start of their Fringe run. The DS3 Ecomedy Tour runs from 1st to 6th August and is supporting Oxford-based hospice, Helen & Douglas House.

To allow members of the public to follow all the action, Dan and Christian will be updating a special tour microsite, www.ecomedytour.com every day with videos, images and words.

Christian Ancliff commented; “It’s our first Fringe appearance, so understandably we’re fantastically nervous and very excited at the same time. Trying out our show material right across the UK during the tour will give us a great warm-up and a brilliant experience.”

Dan Adams added; “We’re testing our humour against the public and Citroën’s technology against the elements. I only hope we can match audience laughs per gig with DS3’s miles per gallon. This should be a terrific adventure for a very worthwhile cause. We look forward to sharing it with the public.”

For more information on each performance or to follow the tour activity, visit www.ecomedytour.com.

Tour updates will also be published on Citroën’s official Twitter and Facebook pages: www.twitter.com/citroenuk & www.facebook.com/CitroenUK

>>> Details: Kicks off in London on the 1st August and finishes in Edinburgh on the 6th August

>>> Visit the website here for more information

>>> For information on Helen & Douglas House click here

Green cleaning: There’s the scrub

Our products harm the environment. They are not environmentally friendly. We never say they are environmentally friendly.” Who is saying this? BP’s Tony Hayward, perhaps?

Actually these are the words of Mick Bremans, chief executive of Ecover, the biggest-selling brand of “ecological” cleaning and laundry products in Britain. Despite celebrating 30 years in the business of selling greener, cleaner household products, Bremans’ team at Ecover has not yet discovered a dishwasher tab or laundry liquid that is what the consumer with a conscience is looking for – environmentally friendly.

In fact, Bremans is making the point that no product, be it a lavatory cleaner, a hybrid car or a locally sourced punnet of strawberries, is technically environmentally friendly. Everything we make takes its toll on the planet in production and leaves its mark when disposed of. Instead, Ecover describes its products as “ecological”, to communicate that they are kinder to the environment than comparable products.

>>> Please read the full article here

>>> Find out More and Shop for Ecover Products

German power plant testing CO2-scrubbing algae

Swedish energy group Vattenfall said it had launched a major pilot project using algae to absorb greenhouse gas emissions from a coal-fired power plant in eastern Germany.

The two-million-euro (2.6-million-dollar) trial run, which will continue until October 2011, in the depressed Lausitz mining region is one of several experimental attempts in the sector using algae to slash carbon dioxide output.

“The microalgae use climate-killing CO2 to create valuable biomass,” the chairman of Vattenfall Europe Mining and Generation, Hartmuth Zeiss, said in a statement.

“Moreover the new technology will bring useful know-how to the Lausitz and increase its importance as a region for energy production.”

Half the funding for the project called green MiSSiON (Microalgae Supported CO2 Sequestration in Organic Chemicals and New Energy) comes from Vattenfall, the other half from state and European Union subsidies.

The gas emitted at the Senftenberg brown-coal-fired plant is being pumped through a kind of broth using algae cultivated in 12 plastic tanks.

“The aim is to find out what kinds of algae work with brown coal dust and then, how economical this kind of CO2 reduction is,” a spokesman for the Vattenfall division, Axel Happe, told AFP.

The biomass produced in the process can be used to produce biodiesel, to feed biogas power plants and as a nutritious supplement in fish food, Happe said.

He said it was difficult to quantify the amount of CO2 emissions normally emitted at Senftenberg or estimate how sizeable the reduction could be with the use of algae, which can scrub 10 times as much CO2 as land-based plants.

But he said the company aimed to publish initial results in late 2011.

A project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2008 found that diverting CO2 through an algae broth could reduce emissions by as much as 85 percent.

Vattenfall is the third biggest electricity provider in Germany.

Last month, European aerospace giant EADS unveiled what it called the world’s first “hybrid” aircraft to run on algae fuel.

>>> Please read the full article here

Wind turbines ’set for increase’

In a Sunday Telegraph interview, the Lib Dem minister backed new onshore and offshore wind power over nuclear.

Mr Huhne, whose department is facing cuts of between 25% and 40%, said turbines were “incredibly competitive” but not always popular among locals.

Offshore sites had fewer planning issues and were “likely to be an important part” of energy independence.

There are currently around 250 wind farms operating in the UK, with a further 12 offshore, with 2,909 turbines in operation in total. A further 27 onshore and five offshore wind farms are currently under construction while plans for another 468 wind farms have been announced.

Speaking ahead of a key policy statement to the Commons, Mr Huhne identified Dogger Bank in the North Sea as a prime area for further offshore development.

“It’s relatively cheap to put wind turbines in that shallow area,” he said.

Mr Huhne said the UK needed to become more independent in energy production to allow it to withstand “shocks from the outside world”.

“The lights will not go out on my watch,” he said.

The Energy Secretary said it was feasible for Britain to be totally self-sufficient thanks to renewable sources, which also includes wave power and harnessing tidal streams.

“It implies quite a stretch as it implies we would be building an awful lot of turbines around our coasts. But the technology is changing. It is becoming substantially cheaper to generate from these renewable sources,” he said.

Plans for new nuclear plants won support from both the Tories and Labour in the previous parliament but Mr Huhne said the new coalition had “no money” to subsidise such a move.

Under the coalition agreement, Lib Dem MPs can register their long standing opposition to the issue by abstaining from any parliamentary vote.

Mr Huhne, however, told the Telegraph he expected new power stations would be built through private investment “given the framework we can put in place”.

>>> Please read the full article here

New car emissions dropped 5%

The level of carbon emissions produced by new vehicles in the UK has dropped by almost five percent, according to new figures.   Data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) highlighted that there was a 4.7 percent drop in average emissions rates of vehicles registered in the first six months of 2010.  It was also noted that registrations of alternatively-fuelled cars more than doubled to 11,468 units in the first half of the year.

Paul Everitt, chief executive of the SMMT, commented: “Continued vehicle manufacturer efforts to improve fuel efficiency and cut emissions has further reduced average carbon dioxide output during a better than anticipated first half of 2010.”  It is thought that the scrappage scheme, which saw people receiving cash incentives to trade in their old cars for a newer, more energy-efficient model, has helped drive vehicle emissions down.

Mr Everitt added that the remainder of the year will be challenging for the industry now that the scrappage scheme has ended.

>>> Please read the full article here

Eco Picture of The Day – July 2010 Top 10 Eco Pic’s

Below we have listed the Eco Pic of The Day July Top 10 Eco Pic’s.

Click the link to see the picture;

1 - The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

2 - Plastic bottle catamaran crosses Australian finish line

3 - Scrapped taxis in India

4 - Ecover factory recycle bins

5 - Dead whale found pinned to alaska cruise ship

6 - Creating art out of plastic debris

7 - Heathrow Terminal 1 recycling bins

8 - Fight for your right to clean air emissions equality

9 - Ecover orginal advertising

10 - Dead Oystercatcher killed by plastic waste

The Annual Ethical Fashion Source Expo

Wednesday 6th October 2010
Central Hall, Westminster, London, UK

The annual industry marketplace for suppliers of sustainable fabrics, components and manufacture to the fashion industry.

The annual Ethical Fashion Source Expo, now in its second year, brings together international manufacturers, suppliers and cooperatives working to high ethical standards. The event includes a programme of seminars, introducing new products and exemplary supply and production systems.

Invitations to attend and exhibit are extended internationally.

Why visit the Ethical Fashion Source Expo?

The Ethical Fashion Source Expo is designed for representatives of businesses of all sizes, designers, entrepreneurs, and researchers who want to develop and produce fashion collections made to high ethical standards or want to explore new sourcing routes. Save time and money by liaising face to face with exemplary suppliers brought together in one place from all over the world.

Traditionally , sourcing to high ethical standards has been time consuming and resource intensive for fashion designers, retailers and brands. This event aims to cut through the barriers and make it easy for you.

Through linking exemplary suppliers to trade buyers, this event supports sustainable livelihoods for hundreds of people in ethical supply networks and reduces impact on the environment.

SEMINAR PROGRAMME:

A selection of seminars will take place throughout the day.

Last year’s programme included seminars on the following:
Ethical Production: Best practice on the High St
Ethical Supply Systems: The Business Case
Ethical Production in Africa
Supporting Cooperative Suppliers- Changing lives

The 2010 seminar programme will be available on the event website.

>>> For more information on where to stay and transport arrangements please check the website

London Cycle Hire – Jenny Jones Investigates

Jenny Jones, Green Party member of the London Assembly, investigates the London Cycle Hire scheme. Filmed on Monday 26th July.

Please send Jenny your feedback on the new scheme and your experiences of it: Jenny.Jones@london.gov.uk

Equa Sponsers Ethical Fashion Show

Equa are sponsoring a fantastic ethical fashion show at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London on Sunday 9th November.

The show is part of the V&A’s Conscious Style day, an event to explore the growing popularity of ethical fashion, with swishing, styling workshops, talks and the fashion show, all taking place in the V&A’s new Sackler Centre for education.

The fashion show will feature high street and one-off pieces by labels such as Noir, Del Forte, People Tree, Stuart & Brown, Amana and Wildlifeworks.

All events are free. No prior booking is required; some events will be ticketed on the day as numbers may be limited. Tickets for the fashion show available from 1pm. For the full programme visit Conscious Style at www.vam.ac.uk/events.

>>> Please read the full article here

>>> Visit Equa’s Online Shop here

>>> For more information on green events click here

Electrolux Turns Ocean Garbage Into New Vacuums

Plastic is a material with many advantages. But when plastic ends up in the wrong place it becomes a problem. To raise public awareness about this issue, Electrolux aims to gather plastic debris from vulnerable marine habitats – and produce a limited number of vacs out of it.

Check out the ‘Vac from the sea’ video here.

The maker of various home appliances is creating a limited number of vacuums made with plastic gathered from oceans and seas, through its Vac From The Seainitiative, to bring attention to how much plastic is ending up in floating around in marine environments and harming animals.

Not only does plastic that is in oceans kill birds and other creatures, but plastic out in the sea breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces over time, bringing with it worries that as fish and other animals eat the bits of plastic, that trash works its way back up the food chain until it ends up on our plates.

The issue of plastic waste in the ocean has now been documented and tracked by a number of groups and awareness initiatives, like 5Gyres and the Plastiki expedition, but this is the first time a company has fused that issue with its products.

Along with awareness of plastic in the ocean, Electrolux is using the campaign to note that the supply of recycled plastic on land is much lower than the demand, noting that is that plastic staying out of the waters, it would more easily find its way into recycled-content consumer products.

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