Filed under: Uncategorized
Well, so far I’ve seemed to have grasped how to operate newsfeeds and discover new or potential stories whether it be through google reader, other blogs, news websites or experiencing the news for myself (as with the Earthquake and storms)!
Although this was a slow process at first, I’m slowly beginning to get the hang of this ….
Tomorrow should be Podcast day or ‘P-Day’ as I’ve named it. Our Greenpeace guest dropped out yesterday so we’ve had to find someone at very short notice. Doing my regular ‘Green’ search I came across HSBC’s ‘Green Account’ (remember the TV adverts?). Ah ha! I know someone who used to work for the bank who mentioned their internal policies ‘wern’t so green afterall’.
I hope this will be ok and won’t get me into some sort of legal trouble :S. Eek. I can’t afford a lawer…
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Kent, plans, Runway, second, Stansted, UK airports
Plans for a second Standsted Airport runway have been revealed.
Stansted Airport in Essex is looking to expand to accommodate even more travellers, The two-runway, twoterminal airport is expected to be open in 2015, serving 68 million passengers a year in around 2030.
Alastair McDermid, BAA Director for Stansted Generation 2, said: “ The global issue of climate change is one which we take very seriously and is recognised as requiring international action. There is agreement that the best way of addressing the challenge is through a global emissions trading scheme, and BAA has been leading the call for the aviation industry to be part of that”. 
However much controversy has arisen over the plans for expansion with organisations such as the ‘Stop Stansted Airport Expansion’ group and The Evening Star Newspaper campaigning against the plans.
The expansion of Stansted is one of many expansion plans for Airports throughout the country keeping up with the demand of travellers but also causing concern for local residents.
The general issues arising around the expansion of these airports are the effect the increased amount of road usage around the airports and the massive fuel consumption of the aircrafts themselves contributing to global warming. Noise pollution is also an issue as well as the loss of rural land, housing and house prices in the affected areas falling.
Stop Stansted Airport Expansion said: “The expansion being proposed for Stansted would make life intolerable for many local residents across East Anglia, particularly Essex, Herts, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.”
The pop group Kaiser Chiefs are also opposed to the development of a second Stansted runway having highlighted the issue in their 2006 Brit Awards acceptance speech and confirmed plans to contribute to a charity record.
Storms have been ripping through most parts of the country over the last couple of days with Gales of up to 80mph expected to hit Northern Ireland tonight.
The South Coast of England has been effected the most having experienced strong winds of up to 80mph. 3,000 homes across Kent, Surrey and Sussex were left without electricity after the weather damaged overhead power lines. Other areas such as Devon and Wales have also experienced power cuts due to fallen trees.
Flooding has occured accross the South, South West and Southern Wales. A warning has been issued for people to stay away from exposed costal areas due to the high safety risk they pose due to the extreem weather.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: computer chip, landfill, landfill tax, recycling, rubbish, UK, waste, wheelie bins
Residents could be charged for the weight of their rubbish by new computer chips installed in wheelie bins.
Within a year, there could be a tax on the weight of rubbish collected in our bins if trials are successful. A computer chip inside the dustbins will calculate how much weight of refuse is thrown at every collection.
This is a plan to increase the rate of recycling to meet Landfill Directive diversion targets for biodegradable municipal waste in 2010, 2013 and 2020.
Labour ministers have ordered that to meet the target, the amount of rubbish recycled must be increased from 25% to 40%. MPs also warn the UK could face fines of up to £180m a year from the European Commission if it does not cut the amount of waste dumped in landfill.
“Each year we generate about 100 million tonnes of waste from households, commerce and industry combined. Most of this currently ends up in landfill, where biodegradable waste generates methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. And much valuable energy is used up in making new products which are later disposed of, so also contributing to climate change” (DEFRA)
However, some have doubt towards these new ‘pay as you throw’ plans. Simon Davies, founder of Privacy International, said he had grave concerns about the increasing use of tagging technology to gather information: “Residents need to be aware that once they accept this there is no turning back,” he added. “This just takes it to a new level.” (Source, BBC)
Amy Galloway, 20, a student from Birmingham said: “It seems like a good idea but what’s to stop other people putting their rubbish in your bins?”
Sam Dingley, 21, a bartender from Wolverhampton said: “ I think it’s an invasion of privacy. Also, won’t people just dump their rubbish elsewhere? There must be another way of increasing recycling. ”
Filed under: Uncategorized
The UK’s first ‘Energy Saving Day’ showed disappointing results with a small increase in UK energy consumption on the day.
‘E-Day’’s purpose was to promote saving energy by challenging the UK public to conserve their energy and make a difference starting on this one day.
However E-Day, which happened between 6pm on Wednesday 27 February 2008 and 6pm on Thursday 28 February, had little or no effect on demand with a small increase of 0.1% compared to the national everyday average. Matt Prescott, organiser of ‘E-Day’ said: “I am obviously disappointed that E-Day didn’t succeed in having a measurable effect on the UK’s electricity use.”
Much hard work and effort was put into the website and organisation of the event, however: “I didn’t manage to attract enough advanced publicity and public participation, despite emailing, phone or visiting almost every environmental journalists, news programme and news agency in the country.” commented Matt.
“I would like to stage a better publicised Energy Saving Day if the support is there. I do feel pretty positive that the support is out there, as I have just received 500 supportive emails and lots of great stories about how schools and offices got involved and excited about the day.”
Environmental News Online hopes another ‘E- Day’ is planned and is willing to give all their support.
Badgers are to be culled to prevent the spread of cattle TB throughout the UK.
Alimited bumber of badgers in ‘TB hotspots’ will be targeted across the UK in an effort to reduce the amount of cattle infected by the animals who spread the disease.
Last year, the disease affected around 4,000 herds. If left unchecked, the disease is likely to spread across the whole of the UK by 2012.
The president of the NFU, Peter Kendall, said: “It is time to act. We must attack this disease on every front before it destroys more cattle, damages more businesses, infects more wildlife, ruins more lives, and costs government and farmers even more money.” (BBC News)
Although badgers are known carriers of the disease, a detailed independent scientific study suggests this tactic isn’t worthwhile.
Stop The Badger Cull, an opposing website, commented on the research carried out by Independent Scientific Group (ISG): “Their conclusion was that while badgers are a source of bovine TB in cattle, badger culling can make no meaningful contribution to cattle TB control in Britain”.
The Badger Trust has welcomed a report by the DEFRA committee which concludes that the current regime of TB testing for cattle ‘is not working effectively’.
