posted by lisa on Aug 30
We’ve been particularly impressed this morning by UK Supermarket, Waitrose. The chain of 184 stores, is owned by it’s employees and has an “Organic Commitment” stating that:
“At Waitrose our commitment goes much further than simply buying from producers and selling on to our customers. It is a whole philosophy and we have established several unique initiatives to reflect this. We support organic research and development and sponsor organic excellence awards. This shows true commitment, which we hope will encourage more and more farmers and customers to understand that, at Waitrose, organic food is much more than just a passing trend.”
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posted by admin on Aug 17
“More than 30 billion kilowatt-hours of energy is wasted because many of us simply forget to shut down our computers when we’re not using them. If we could just improve the efficiency of how we use our PCs, the savings in energy costs would be over $3 billion dollars! The CO2 emissions from just 15 computers are equivalent in energy terms to the gas consumption used by one car.”
http://www.localcooling.com/facts/
posted by admin on Aug 14
I’m not sure how accurate the data is, but what a fasinating website! Amazing even if it just gives us an idea of what’s going on. Check out Breathing Earth.
posted by admin on Aug 14
Having just read this report on the BBC news site I think it’s a very scary prospect that large companies are starting to use the ‘fear factor’ to get away with such blatant infringements of our basic democratic rights. They claim it’s all to protect passengers, but this ban on peaceful protest could be more about limiting their opposition to expansion for pure business reasons, rather than passenger safety. From a business point of view you can’t blame them for trying, but in the interests of a free society it’s vital we don’t let them get away with it… What a scary place the world is turning into… For anyone watching Hero’s at the moment, it’s also a reminder of what people can try to do in the name of ‘protecting’ society. Banning peaceful protests now, but if we let a precident get started what will be next…!
posted by lisa on Aug 7
So you sort out all your recycling, and separate your food waste into the caddy liners you buy from the council… but you’re left with big nasty bin liners for your un-recyclable waste.
However, Addis have released BioSense biodegradable drawstring bin bags, available in packs of ten in various sizes - which sound like a good start. Good Housekeeping claim they’re available from Robert Dyas but we couldn’t find them on the website just yet… check back soon though - and ofcourse buy them through HotonEarth to help the environment twice with one effort!
One major problem we’ve noticed however is that the bags claim to break down into water, organic residue and - you guessed it - Carbon Dioxide - in around three years. Hmm - we’ve emailed Addis to get further information on the ‘greater good’ of these bags.
posted by tom on Aug 6
I’ve just found out about a great scheme from the government called ‘Cycle to Work’.
‘Cycle to Work’ is a tax incentive aimed at encouraging employees to, er, cycle to work, thereby reducing air pollution and improving their health.
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posted by lisa on Aug 6
Easyjet claim to take their environmental responsibility very seriously, claiming that they “strive to minimise [their] carbon emissions by flying younger, cleaner, fuller planes - in fact, flying with a traditional airline (based on same route and plane type) burns 27% more emissions per passenger kilometre”.
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posted by tom on Aug 2
I’ve just read a very interesting article in the Times that shows there are no simple right and wrong answers when it comes to a lot of environmental issues.
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posted by tom on Aug 1
A great idea if your wardrobe needs a makeover is to track down or even have your own clothes swapping party! All you have to do is find all the things you don’t want (but you think somebody else might) then swap with your friends over a few drinks and nibbles. There are even clothes swapping events springing up all over the place, where everyone can take their old garments along and get them valued in ‘points’. You then have the equivalent points to spend on items of your choice. So you can go along with your clothes and come back with a whole new look (or somebody elses) 
A great idea and coming to a town near you soon! Not only are you helping to save the environment, but also getting a good deal to boot. Here’s an article all about clothes swapping from the Telegraph website.
