World’s First Eco Arcade

Here’s the (allegedly) world’s first biodiesel powered arcade. Sorry for the poor picture, but didn’t take my camera as it was raining in London (as is usual on a bank holiday) so this is from my phone. There was just one guy playing pinball in there so I didn’t venture in, but it seems a good idea. Even if biofuel isn’t a realistic solution, for things like this it’s ideal. More (and better pictures) can be found here.

Latest Green News

Tesco’s plans to put carbon labels on all of its 70,000 products have stalled over the definition of what a food item’s ‘carbon footprint’ should include. One dilemma has been whether the methane produced by cows should count towards the carbon footprint of a joint of beef or not. The project is being developed by Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute, which is also considering whether a product’s carbon footprint continues to grow after it has been purchased. Tesco has pledged £5mn towards the research.

The Soil Association is considering stripping food which is flown into the UK of its organic label. The organisation could introduce restrictions, or even a ban, on such produce. Supermarkets imported 34 per cent of all organic food in 2005, most of it by air, and it is thought that this trend is environmentally unsound. However, Oxfam said the loss of organic status would threaten the livelihoods of poor farmers in Africa and Central America, as organic food is more highly prized. It is also thought that if proposals go through, shoppers will find it harder to identify food which has been grown naturally.

The shadow environment secretary, Peter Ainsworth, has accused the Government of using taxpayers’ money to ‘bribe’ major companies into cutting Britain’s growing rubbish mountain. While millions of homeowners face punitive charges to get rid of their rubbish, supermarkets and food and drink manufacturers are benefiting from an £8mn fund set up to find
ways of reducing packaging.

The Grocer has accused Tesco and Asda of using an excessive number of plastic bags to deliver groceries to online customers. The magazine’s research found that Asda used 13 bags and Tesco 12 bags to deliver 33 products, three times more than the four bags used by Sainsbury’s to deliver 31 products.

The director of the Organic Research Centre, Lawrence Woodward claims that if businesses genuinely intend to turn ‘green’ then fundamental structural changes need to be made. The article questions the acceptance of claims by big companies such as Tesco that they are setting the pace in the fight against climate change and says that merely refocusing public relations and introducing green labels do not go far enough.

The Sunday Times featured a report on the issue of ‘food miles’. The matter has been highlighted recently and products which have been imported from thousands of miles away have been criticised for their environmental impact. However, new research has suggested that for many foods, imported products are responsible for lower carbon emissions than the same foodstuffs produced in Britain.

New research by the University of Wales Institute has revealed that consumers need more information about the environmental impact food if they are to make eco-friendly choices. Retailers including Tesco and Marks & Spencer have stated that they will label products that have been transported by air. However, according to the research, only 2 percent of the environmental impact of food comes from transporting it from farm to shop. The vast majority of its impact comes from food processing, storage, packaging and growing conditions.

The Co-operative Group has won the 2007 Business Commitment to the Environment award after reducing its carbon emissions by 86 per cent and introducing a policy that prohibits it from investing in ‘any business whose core activity contributes to climate change.’

Sir Richard Branson has criticised Marks & Spencer for its policy of reducing ‘food miles.’ The Virgin Atlantic boss said that cutting food imports from Africa will leave millions of farmers in poverty while doing little to stop global warming. He added that moves to reduce imports were a ‘knee-jerk reaction’ by firms desperate to appear to be green.

The Daily Star reported that there is a deep level of public mistrust about worthy causes and politicians and companies boasting about their green credentials according to a new survey by eBay-owned internet shopping site DoorOne.co.uk. Two-thirds of those polled were confused about the titles ‘fair trade’, ‘eco-friendly’ and ‘organic’ on the products they buy.

All news is copyright of it’s original owner and reproduced for information only.

What’s Happening During Recycle Now Week

Yesterday I wrote about Recycle Now Week and that I didn’t know what’s happening. Well I then picked up a newspaper and it had a four-page spread about it. However, it still doesn’t explain much, rather it’s just a week to remind everyone to recycle. It does vaguely say there are hundreds of fun activities taking place all over England - from recycling exhibitions to environmental magicians, composting displays and eco-fashion shows. If you know of any, or have been to them please let us know.

The pull-out does have some use. There’s a nice story of a family who have an eco-make-over and explains how the newspaper is recycled. There are also some games on the website now. However the only really useful bit is the question and answer bit, which I’ve recycled (get it? Sorry) below:

Can I recycle crisp packets?
These are usually plastic, and cannot be recycled. If you are not sure, use the “scrunch up” test - if you scrunch it up in your hand, and it springs back, it is plastic. If it stays crumpled, it’s aluminium, and can be recycled. It won’t be paper!

Why do I have to wash out my jars and tins before recycling?
If possible, jars and tins should be rinsed clean before they are recycled, then they won’t contaminate the recycling process, or leave you with a dirty recycling container. An easy way to do this is to use the last of the washing up water for rinsing your recyclables.

Can I recycle my broken mirror?
Afraid it’s double bad luck, because the coating on mirrors contaminates the glass so mirrors can’t be recycled and have to go with your rubbish.

Thinking about print on newspapers, is it safe to compost? And what about paper that’s printed with PC computer cartridges?
It is safe to compost newspapers as long as they are ripped or shredded. Newspapers are often regarded as the browns that you add to your compost bin, they give the compost its fibre and structure. Paper printed with PC computer cartridges is fine to compost as long as they do not have an excessive amount of coloured ink or are printed on shiny/glossy paper.

Why is it important to separate the different colours of glass?
Different prices are paid for different colours of glass, which is why it’s important to separate them into separate banks (usually clear, green, brown). Blue glass should be put into the green glass bin.

Do I need to remove the labels from plastic bottles, can, or glass bottles before recycling them?
No, the labels are removed during the recycling process.

Someone told me I need to remove the tops from my plastic bottles before I recycle them. Is this true?
Yes - the tops are often made from a different material to the bottle and so cannot be recycled by the same process. It is can also be difficult to flatten bottle with the tops on because air is trapped inside - and the tops can cause a litter problem by falling off when the bottles are baled.

And finally there’s a fact at the end of the article that says: “On average, each person in the UK uses over 200kg of paper a year. 61% of this is recycled. But 79% could be.” However why 79%? Why not 100%. I’m determined to find out why. I’ll let you know…

Source: Daily Mirror and Recycle Now

Recycle Now Week

June 2 is the start of Recycle Now Week in the UK. Organised by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme), this year’s theme is transformation:

Discover how household waste can be transformed into an amazing array of objects - from fashion items to furniture.
Transform behaviour, by making a long-term commitment to recycle more things, more often.
Transform your household, school, office or street into a recycling hot-spot.

Presumably they’ll be events and errr stuff but there’s not much more detail. I did see a picture of someone in a dress made of crisp packets to advertise it, but whether that will encourage people to recycle, who knows? Actually if you do see something or know what they’re doing, please let us know.

London’s New Eco Bus

It’s been around since March but I caught sight of it for the first time yesterday - the world’s first double-decker hybrid bus. On route 141 in London, the bus is still bright red but has some lovely green leaves on it.

The bus uses a combination of diesel and electric power and is part of the Mayor of London’s plan to reduce carbon emissions and tackle climate change. Other slightly generic measures include:

• Continuing modal shift from private car usage to public transport, cycling and walking.

• Greater energy efficiency across all TfL businesses and modes of transport.

• The adoption of more energy from renewable sources and innovative technology to recycle energy.

• Support for the continued research and development of low carbon fuels.

• Strategies and support for organisations and individuals to travel in more environmentally-friendly ways through Travel Demand Management schemes, including in the London Borough of Sutton the largest of its kind in the UK.

Latest Green News

Gordon Brown has outlines plans for “eco-towns” in the UK. The BBC report that he wants 100,000 homes in (5) “carbon neutral” communities to be built on old industrial sites.

Asda introduces recycled cardboard milk bottles Asda in Lowestoft, Suffolk is now selling milk in bottles made out of moulded recycled cardboard. The sustainable packaging has been designed by Greenbottle Ltd of Framlingham, Suffolk. The milk costs the same price as that in plastic bottles, of which more than 100,000 tons go to landfill each year.

The Daily Telegraph featured edited and abridged extracts from the New Green Consumer Guide, one of which suggests that plastic bags are a better eco choice than paper bags, because paper bags are heavier and take up more space in landfill sites.

The Times reported that free plastic bags will not be available from the Saffron Walden branch of Waitrose for a fortnight. Customers at the store will instead be asked to reuse old carriers and shopping bags.

Co-op Insurance calls for cut to red tape to reduce CO2 emissions Co-operative Insurance has warned that UK companies wanting to significantly reduce their carbon dioxide emissions are being hampered by red tape surrounding green wind energy. Its concerns are shared by 10 large companies including Alliance Boots and J Sainsbury, all keen to realise benefits of wind and other renewable technologies. Local bureaucracy, poor planning guidance for councils and the lack of a long term energy strategy are among the issues concerned.

The UK insurance intermediary Budget has launched a new car insurance policy, ibuyeco, which will offset 100% of customers’ CO2 emissions as long as the policy lasts, if they pay a small additional fee. The fee is calculated according to their type of car and estimated mileage. Budget says that the charge goes towards funding categories of projects such as reforestation, energy efficiency and renewable energy. This is done via the Carbon Neutral Company.

M&S announced plans for its first eco factories, one in Sri Lanka and two in Wales, which will harness the latest renewable energy and recycling techniques. The Daily Mail also reported that the company is to start charging customers for plastic bags as part of its £200m scheme to encourage shoppers to go green.

Hotel Chatter talks about the greenest hotels in the US. Our articles on green hotels are here and here.

All news is copyright of it’s original owner and reproduced for information only.

Comments and Trackbacks Now DoFollow

Just a quick update to let you know that those who leave comments (or trackbacks) to Life Goggles now receive a follow link to their website.

Wordpress by default, just like other blogging platforms, automatically adds the “nofollow” microformat extension to all links on comments and trackbacks. This is primarily to stop spamming, however with anti-spam plugins and comment moderation switched on, we thought it was time to “thank” people who left comments with a link back to their site. We’ve used the Semiologic DoFollow plugin.

For more information, read the No NoFollow | I Follow | DoFollow community website.

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