Eco-friendly | News & Views

Carbon trading tempts firms to make greenhouse gas

A handful of Chinese and Indian chemicals companies seemingly have the world over a barrel or rather a large number of barrels of a super-greenhouse gas called HFC-23, which is 14,800 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

This week, apparently following Chinese threats to vent stockpiles of HFC-23 into the atmosphere, a UN panel issued two million valuable carbon credits to a company called Juhua. It has a factory in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, where the gas can be destroyed.

Nobody needs HFC-23. It is a waste by-product of the manufacture of a refrigerant called HCFC-22, used mostly in developing nations. To curb the release of HFC-23 into the atmosphere, the signatories to the Kyoto protocol agreed to pay carbon credits to refrigerant manufacturers that agree to capture and destroy it. The manufacturers can then sell the credits to western companies that want to offset their obligations to cut emissions of other greenhouse gases, under a Kyoto scheme known as the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).

The offer only applies to HCFC-22 plants that were built before 2000. Even so it has proved highly lucrative. By some estimates, the value of the carbon credits is up to 100 times the cost of incinerating HFC-23. The resulting income of Chinese companies alone is estimated to reach $1.6 billion by 2012.

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Co-op and Marks & Spencer named UK’s ‘greenest’ supermarkets

From The Guardian

Co-op and Marks & Spencer named UK’s ‘greenest’ supermarketsThe Co-op and Marks & Spencer are today named as the UK’s “greenest” supermarkets in a new survey which rates retailers’ progress in areas such as sustainable and ethical sourcing. Tesco, Asda and Netto were identified as the three worst performing companies.

As households stock up for the festive season, Ethical Consumer magazine urges shoppers to cut the environmental cost of Christmas by shopping from retailers with a proven track record of pursuing “green policies”.

The environmental and ethical performance of 19 of the country’s leading supermarkets and convenience stores were scrutinised in the survey, included detailed analysis of the companies’ corporate social responsibility reports.

The results reveal a clear divide between the top two performing supermarkets the Co-op and M&S and the other 17 companies.

Policies praised at these two major high street chains include the Co-op’s fish policy, whose goal is to operate its fish-sourcing policy in line with the aims and objectives of the Marine Stewardship Council. The Co-op also sources 98% renewable electricity in its 5,500 sites across the UK.

M&S was highly praised for its palm oil policies. It now stipulates the use of sustainable palm oil in many of its own-brand goods and is advised on the issue by WWF. M&S also scored well for its climate change policies which include a target of using non-crop derived biofuels in its fleet of vehicles.

Rob Harrison of Ethical Consumer, and co-author of the buyers’ guide, said: “If you’re lucky enough to live close to a local independent shop that has an ethical stocking policy then this is where we would recommend people to shop. However the reality is that the vast majority of us now shop in supermarkets and we would therefore urge shoppers to choose either the Co-op or M&S.”

He went on: “These two companies have made genuine efforts to reduce the environmental and ethical impact of their operations and have demonstrated that they are setting the environmental agenda for supermarkets.”

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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.

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Green buses launched in Oxford

More than 25 green buses have been launched onto the streets of Oxford today (July 15th) by the transport company Stagecoach.

The fleet of 26 double-decker buses cost £7.5 million to produce and emit around 30 per cent less CO2 than traditional bus models.

It is the first time that the environmentally-friendly vehicles have be deployed on a large scale outside of London and initially the vehicles will service the busy city centre routes.

Plans for the green buses were first announced by Stagecoach, the Oxford Bus Company and Oxfordshire Country Council in January.

Philip Kirk, Oxford Bus Company managing director, told the BBC: “We have kept a very close eye on the results from similar buses run by our sister company in London, and we genuinely hope that hybrid technology takes things forward.”

Transport minister Norman Baker announced earlier this month that £15 million in funding will be made available for the inclusion of 150 green buses in fleets across the UK.

It is thought that the project could save 50,000 tonnes of carbon emissions.

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Green Awards celebrate ecological business practices

The Global Green awards reward companies which have made contributions to environmentally friendly or sustainable business practices, consumers can find out about the green business practices of previous winners or follow this year’s awards on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace.

The Global Green awards, previously the Green Awards, are awarded to companies within the media and marketing industries which have undertaken creative work demonstrating the importance of corporate social responsibility, sustainable development and undertaking ethical business practices.

2010, the fifth year of the awards, is the first year in which all the categories in the Green Awards have been open to entries from around the world. Award categories include Best Green educational product, best green international campaign, best green product innovation and best green packaging.

The Green Awards are designed to drive others towards the sustainability agenda by celebrating environmentally friendly practices. Consumers can inform themselves of more environmentally friendly product choices by following past winners and their ecologically friendly products or campaigns on the Green Awards Website.

Examples of past winners include chocolate company Cadbury, which won the best green packaging awards in 2008 for their ‘eco-eggs’ – chocolate eggs wrapped with the minimum amount of packaging and using recycled material; and multinational mobile phone company O2, which received an award in 2006, for reducing packaging.

The competition officially opens on Monday, July 19, when entry forms are made available for any companies wishing to be considered for an award. Though entrants cannot be viewed by members of the public until the shortlist is announced in mid-October, the awards can be followed through social networking sites Facebook, Twitter and MySpace; more information can also be found about past winners at www.greenawards.com. The awards ceremony will take place in London later this year.

Previously this year the winners of the European Business awards for the Environment were announced on June 2. The awards have four categories, products, international co-operation, management and process, rewarding companies that pioneer green practices.

www.twitter.com/greenawards

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Hikers go more environmentally friendly

The leading trade show in the outdoor equipment industry, estimated to be worth €14.1 billion in Europe, opens in Germany where hikers spend 3.7 billion a year on jackets, day packs and boots.

OutDoor, the leading global trade show in the field of outdoor sports, is open to industry professionals July 15-18 in Friedrichshafen, Germany. A prominent theme of this year’s show will be environmental sustainability in the industry.

Approximately 19,300 specialist visitors from 72 countries are expected to attend; exhibitors include outdoor specialists Advansa, Craft, Contigo and Eagle Creek amongst others. A wide range of existing and newly developed products will be on show, and conferences on outdoor sports will also be held both in English and German throughout the duration of the event.
The ‘OutDoor Celebrity of the Year’ award will be presented on the first day of the show, to a celebrity judged to have made an outstanding contribution to the outdoor industry; previous winners include Bartmann and Thomas Lipke, CEOs of travel company Globetrotter.

A study by the German Hiking Association in May 2010, found that 56 percent of the 7,500 respondents, proportionally 39.8 million Germans, rated themselves as active hikers. The nearly 40 million German outdoor enthusiasts are estimated to spend €3.7 billion per year on hiking equipment alone. The study also found that jackets were the most popular purchase amongst German hikers, followed by day packs and hiking boots.

Reuters reported on April 9 that the European outdoor equipment market grew at a rate of 1 percent, to €14.1 billion, outperforming the sports market. Consumer trend specialists Retail Planet claim this growth is due to an increasing percentage of Europe’s aging population pursuing healthier lifestyles, and the recent economic recession forcing people to choose domestic camping and walking holidays over foreign luxury vacations.
OutDoor tickets for industry professionals are available to buy online at www.outdoor-show.com.

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Top-Ten Eco Things to Do When You’re Bored

Enjoy the fresh air. Grab the bikes, take a picnic and enjoy the great weather and fresh air. Whether you are with your family or by yourself you’d be surprised what a bit of outdoor activity and a good long walk will do for your brain and your boredom! Check out eco picnic ideas here.
Read a good book. Go down to your local second-hand or charity book store and grab yourself a good read. Settle down with a glass of wine and indulge in some ‘me-time’. Try and read something new and a bit different – this will keep your mind engaged and broaden your horizons!
Board games. Whether it’s an old Monopoly that’s sat covered in dust at the back of your cupboard, a game of twister found at your local charity shop, one of the fantastic eco-friendly games you can get online or your grandma’s scrabble set a board game is a great way to relieve boredom and engage the whole family!
Clear out those cupboards. Not only will this help remove clutter from your house it will also give you something constructive to do to remove that boredom! Sort out all your old clothes, books, CD’s, DVD’s and cuddly toys and take them down your local charity shop for a responsible and eco-friendly time-killer!
Research ways to make your life more eco-healthy. There are hundreds of fantastic websites that offer great advice on how to keep eco-friendly and eco-fit. Whether you’re after a responsible holiday, advice on how to stay slim or advice on ways to kick your life into eco-gear you can find articles and how-to’s online.
Dig out an old classic. Take a look through your collection of old DVD’s for a classic old favourite and enjoy some leisure time.
Get creative! Whether it’s fashioning new clothes out of old ones or helping your kids create dolls houses from boxes and ecover bottles (Blue Peter style!) there’s always creative ways to re-use your recyclables.
Think. We often have such hectic lives that we rarely just sit down and have a think. Grab a cup of tea and sit in silence – you’d be surprised just how relaxing that can be.
Do some exercise. I won’t bore you with the merits of exercise. Everyone knows it’s good for you http://www.moreeco.co.uk/news/top-ten-ways-to-keep-eco-healthy/ and helps you trim up. But if you are bored there’s no better way to feel better than get that heart pumping. Grab some of your favourite tunes and go for a jog for a sure-fire way to alleviate boredom and feel fantastic.
Eco-shop! Don’t forget you can always check out your favourite eco retailers. Whether shopping for a special occasion or just browsing there are always new products at our retailers. Check out some of MoreEco’s favourites here.

Survey shows businesses confused about green policies

A lack of clarity remains in the business community over the UK’s environmental policies, a new survey has revealed.

Research by PriceWaterhouseCoopers revealed that two-thirds of businesses in Britain believe that current green policy is unclear and would not feel comfortable making any investment decisions based on the existing regulations.

There was also confusion over environmental tax incentives and, of those who were aware they could apply for such financial breaks, 75 percent said the process was “too onerous to make them worth applying for”.

Some 94 percent of business believe that climate change policy will impact on their business in the next two or three years.

Mark Schofield, global leader of sustainability and climate change tax, said: “The business appetite for leadership is there. As with many tax and regulation issues, the call for action is for one of simplification, clarity and long-term certainty.”

The results of the survey come as a report by The Work Foundation suggests that a lack of clarity over the low carbon economy as a whole could be having an adverse effect on the development of green skills and may be “eroding Britain’s competitive advantage”.

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Cameron promises greenest government ever

New UK prime minister David Cameron has promised that his government will be the greenest ever.  

During a visit to the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC), Cameron said that the low carbon economy will be at the heart of his agenda and pledged to make all ministerial departments cut their carbon emissions by ten per cent.

“We’ve got a big, big opportunity here, I want us to be the greenest government ever. It’s a very simple ambition and one I’m absolutely committed to achieving,” he added.

He also highlighted his intention to focus on the green economy, saying: “We’ve got a real opportunity to drive the green economy, green jobs, green growth and make sure we have our share of the industries of the future.”

Liberal Democrat MP Chris Huhne has been placed in charge of the DECC, replacing Labour MP Ed Miliband, and it certainly seems like he has his work cut out for him if the government is going to place so much focus on environmental issues.

Huhne told reporters that he would be doing his bit to help cut carbon emissions by cycling to work.  But does the Con-Dem government have the potential to be the greenest ever?

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What can be done to make aviation more environmentally friendly?

Air travel is a major contributor to carbon emissions from many developed countries. In 2006, aviation alone accounted for 6.4 per cent of the UK’s CO2 emissions. It is predicted that unless changes take place this figure could rise to ten per cent.   Friends of the Earth calculate that worldwide more than 600 million tonnes of carbon dioxide are emitted from flights each year, the same amount, it claims, as that released by all human activity in Africa.

What’s more, aviation can also have a significant impact on the quality of the air. Kerosene, the main component of most jet fuels, releases gases like carbon monoxide alongside CO2.   This has led to companies looking for new ways to mitigate some of the effects of flying and earlier this month United Airlines became the first commercial carrier in the US to operate a flight using synthetic jet fuel, made from natural gas.  Created by the US firm Rentech, the synthetic fuel reduces ground level pollution by emitting 96 per cent less particles from an idle engine.   The firm claims that the lower density of the fuel allows for a lighter takeoff weight, meaning less fuel is used during the flight. This fuel is also used by the US air force.

United Airlines sent up a team of 19 engineers and observers to assess both the performance and environmental benefits of the fuel.   However, it could be many years before synthetic jet fuels become the norm within the industry.   One option which is available now is carbon offsetting. The UK government’s offsetting scheme offers air travellers the opportunity to pay someone to make a reduction equivalent to the emissions from that flight.  Projects which the government says have already benefitted from the scheme include hydroelectric power plants in Fiji and wind energy schemes in Cyprus.

Although with the cost of such schemes being passed directly to the consumer, some may doubt how great the uptake will be.  There is also, of course, the solution of using air travel less.   The results of the United Airlines test flight are due to be released within the next week, but how long will it be before a definitive answer on how best to make the aviation industry more environmentally friendly is revealed?

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