Blog
Morning News - Tuesday 16th April 2013
HJ Fantaskis | 16.04.13
TOP NEWS STORIES
European commission may force U-turn on horse passports database - Guardian
Britain may have to make an embarrassing U-turn over a decision not to fund a national database for horse passports as the EU seeks to tighten controls in the wake of the horsemeat scandal. As UK ministers announced a review of the government's handling of the crisis, it emerged that the European commission wants every country to have a central database of horse movements, including through abattoirs.
Food chain review ordered to restore public confidence after horsemeat scandal - T.
The Government has ordered a wide-ranging review into the safety of the food chain and the risk of fraud, in an attempt to restore shoppers’ confidence following the horsemeat contamination scandal. Ministers have been concerned by the revelation of the complicated international supply networks used by supermarkets and ready-meal manufacturers and the self-policing of laws designed to protect human health.
'Pig 26': Can this little piggy win over the enemies of GM? - Independent
17 years after Dolly the cloned sheep, Roslin researchers in Edinburgh announce another milestone in ambitious project to produce disease-resistant animals. Their "gene-editing" technique is at least 10 times more efficient than existing GM technology and crucially does not involve the use of antibiotic-resistance genes, which has been heavily criticised by opponents.
OTHER STORIES
Energy
Court rules in favour of wind farms - The Times
ib vogt adds 13MW to UK solar portfolio - Solar Power Portal
Unilever cleans up with one million tonnes of CO2 savings - BusinessGreen
California gets solar powered bus shelters - Energy Live News
Food
Climate justice and hunger top agenda for Dublin summit - Guardian
EU horsemeat and 'bute' random test results expected - BBC News
Pig born using new GM approach - Telegraph
Restating the case for modernising smallholder farming - Guardian
Finance
Barclays broke rules, used advisory staff for CO2 deal: lawyer - Reuters
Judgement Day for carbon market as European Parliament prepares to vote - BG.
We subsidise firms that keep workers in poverty - Independent
Investors tackle hidden climate impact of natural gas - Guardian
Other Interesting Stories
Activists plant signed flag on north pole seabed in Arctic protection campaign - G.
Crew of Chinese boat held as meat from protected animal the pangolin is found on board - Independent
Goldman Environmental Prize winners 2013 - TreeHugger
On The Blog
Morning News - Monday 15th April 2013
HJ Fantaskis | 15.04.13
TOP NEWS STORIES
Plans to drop climate debate from national curriculum 'unacceptable' - Guardian
Leading environmental figures, including the broadcaster Sir David Attenborough and the mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington, have condemned government plans to drop debate about climate change from the national curriculum for children under 14 as "unfathomable and unacceptable". Together with academics, politicians and business leaders in an open letter to the Sunday Times, they warn proposals are unfathomable and short-sighted.
Science moves step closer to developing hydrogen as cheap and clean energy form
From the Independent - Scientists have harnessed the principles of photosynthesis to develop a new way of producing hydrogen – in a breakthrough that offers a possible solution to the global energy crisis. The researchers claim the development could help unlock the potential of hydrogen as a clean, cheap and reliable power source.
G8 ministers argue climate action must 'intensify as a matter of urgency' - BG.
Foreign ministers recognise 'international climate policy and sustainable economic development are mutually reinforcing', but the topic is still unlikely to be on agenda for G8 Summit in June. They warn climate impacts will have "dramatic consequences not only on the environment but also on economic prosperity".
OTHER STORIES
Energy
Wind farm developers face new wave of opposition from MPs - Telegraph
Biofuels: 'Irrational' and 'worse than fossil fuels' - BBC News
UK lagging on electric vehicles, warns think tank - BusinessGreen
Britain set to build on nuclear expertise - Financial Times
Food
Supermarket Waitrose promises to end use of pesticides linked to bee decline across supply chain - BusinessGreen
Danish fishermen call for seal cull - BBC News
Tell UK supermarkets what you think - GM Watch
Finance
Responsible Business Week 2013 kicks off - Blue&Green Tomorrow
Charities turn to markets as traditional funding slows - BBC News
Figures confirm slow down in global clean energy investment - BusinessGreen
The ethical alternative to high street banking giants - The Herald (Scotland)
OTHER STORIES
Energy
Wind farm developers face new wave of opposition from MPs - Telegraph
Biofuels: 'Irrational' and 'worse than fossil fuels' - BBC News
UK lagging on electric vehicles, warns think tank - BusinessGreen
Britain set to build on nuclear expertise - Financial Times
On The Blog
Morning News - Friday 12th April 2013
HJ Fantaskis | 12.04.13
TOP NEWS STORIES
Tesco withdraws guarantee its birds are not fed GM food - Independent
Green Deal interest continues to grow with 7,400 assessments in March - SPP.
DECC set to reveal details of renewable energy contract plans - BusinessGreen
OTHER STORIES
Energy
UK makes case for EU carbon plan - Financial Times
Shale gas could boost UK economy says BP chief Bob Dudley - Telegraph
Lydd airport given permission to increase capacity - Guardian
Waste scheme stirs Gallic energies in rugged corner of Cornwall - The Times
The long, slow death of the UK coal industry - Guardian
Food
China bird flu scare: 'My family and I don't dare to eat anything these days' - G.
Britain's love affair with bottled water - a national scandal? - The Ecologist
Disaster relief effort launched to aid organic coffee farmers in Latin America - CSR
Finance
First Green Deal Plan “good to go”, says Green Deal Finance Company chief - GW
International cap-and-trade markets expanding – but still contentious - Guardian
What do you want from a Post Office current account? - Move Your Money
Fossil fuel subsidies dwarf green investment – report - RTCC
Other Interesting Stories
The eco-sex activists who want to save the world - Guardian
UK government throws weight behind private sector push to tackle deforestation - BG
UK sea protection plans 'floundering' - Guardian
On The Blog
Morning News - Thursday 11th April 2013
HJ Fantaskis | 11.04.13
TOP NEWS STORIES
Netherlands recalls 50,000 tonnes of meat - Guardian
Fifty thousand tonnes of meat destined for human consumption has been recalled by Dutch authorities in a move that could draw in several British businesses, according to officials at the UK's Food Standards Agency. Once again, the provenance of our food is called in question, as suppliers cannot clearly identify origin of the meat.
British scientist killed in cycling accident - Guardian
Dr Katharine Giles, 35, an expert in global warming at UCL, died after colliding with a lorry on her way to work in rush hour traffic. Dr Giles had carried out important research relating to the Arctic and Antarctic.
MPs criticise slow progress on marine zones - BBC News
MPs have criticised the government for dragging its feet over plans to create zones to protect wildlife in the seas. A coalition of conservationists, anglers, fishermen and leisure sailors proposed 127 Marine Conservation Zones, and to date the government has consulted on just 31. MPs on the Science and Technology Committee say sites are being degraded by the delay, which they are blaming on complexity and cost.
OTHER STORIES
Energy
Record-breaking Portugal generates 70% of power from renewables - BusinessGreen
3 things we learned about UK fracking at the European Geosciences Union's debate - Carbon Brief
Go-ahead for Kent airport expansion angers green lobby - Independent
Would you run over energy-harvesting tiles in a marathon? - TreeHugger
Food
Bute found in 22 horses slaughtered for food at UK abattoirs in last two months - Guardian
Horsemeat scandal: Dutch uncover large-scale meat fraud - BBC News
R&D needed to meet India's food challenge - Green Futures
Finance
Spring deep freeze will force bills up by £200 - The Times
Shanghai to become second Chinese city to launch carbon trading this June - BusinessGreen
Green Party: ‘Tobin tax best chance for green development’ - Economic Voice
The Guide to Ethical Financial Advice 2013 - Blue&Green Tomorrow
Other Interesting Stories
Garden cities for the 21st Century? - The Ecologist
New wind energy harvester design looks like giant window blinds - TreeHugger
L'Oréal signs the Climate Declaration in support of climate change policy - CSR Wire
Turning waste into worth: innovation in pictures - Guardian
On The Blog
Morning News - Wednesday 10th April 2013
HJ Fantaskis | 10.04.13
TOP NEWS STORIES
Bute found in Asda corned beef - Independent
Asda is recalling all corned beef from its budget range after traces of veterinary drug phenylbutazone (know as bute) were found in some batches. The Food Standards Agency has confirmed that "very low levels" of the drug, were detected in the Asda Smart Price Corned Beef.
Failure to put climate on G8 agenda will cast a shadow on 'greenest government' - Guardian
William Hague will host a meeting of foreign ministers from the G8 group of rich countries paving the way for a gathering of the countries' leaders in June. The existential threat presented by Iran and North Korea is on the agenda for both. But the real and present danger of climate change will not be discussed at the leaders' summit. This follows Ivan Rogers blocking moves from Germany & France making climate change a G8 agenda item.
Pesticide powers 'must be devolved' - Guardian
The Welsh government has published its draft plan for turning around the pollinators' dwindling numbers. Ministers say they want more effort to link flowering habitats across the countryside, from gardens to farms, especially given that pollinators are worth up to £430m a year yet have seen their population drastically decline.
OTHER STORIES
Energy
Fracking 'not significant' cause of large earthquakes - BBC News
Good Energy unveils good results for 2012 - BusinessGreen
Renewables given boost through Good Energy’s encouraging annual figures - B&G T.
RSPB: James Delingpole "has not looked into the evidence in a balanced way" - New Statesman
Nissan electric van cruises through British Gas cold weather testing - BusinessGreen
Food
Veterinary drug bute found in Asda corned beef - Guardian
European agriculture at risk: time to ban bee-killing pesticides - Greenpeace
GM: time for a more nuanced debate - Green Futures
Action on food security: the answer lies in the soil - Guardian
Finance
James Crosby to give up knighthood and 30% of pension - Guardian
Consequences of ecosystem changes missing from economic forecasts - B&G T.
Mayor Boris: Calling all entrepreneurial green students - BusinessGreen
Growing the Impact Economy Summit, Harvard University, May 23-24 - CSR Wire
Other Interesting Stories
Margaret Thatcher, science advice and climate change - Guardian
Climate change included in US science teaching guidelines for the first time - G.
UK nature reserves attract new bird species - BBC News
French zoo to generate its own electricity from panda poo - TreeHugger
On The Blog
Morning News - Tuesday 9th April 2013
HJ Fantaskis | 09.04.13
TOP NEWS STORIES
Margaret Thatcher: How PM legitimised green concerns - BBC News
An opinion piece by Roger Harrabin, he discusses the late Baroness Thatcher's brief green period in the late 1980s, when, he argues, she did more than any major UK politician at the time to legitimise the environment as a concern at the highest level.
Over 1,000 firms demand end to EU-China solar PV trade war - BusinessGreen
The extent of the split within the European solar industry over proposals for Brussels to impose tariffs on imported solar panels from China was laid bare yesterday, when it emerged that over 1,000 companies from across the industry (installers and prospective purchasers included) have written to the European Commission warning import duties could have a grave impact on the industry.
Climate change will threaten wine production, study shows - Guardian
Researchers predict a two-thirds fall in production in the world's premier wine regions because of climate change. The study forecasts sharp declines in wine production from Bordeaux and Rhone regions in France, Tuscany in Italy and Napa Valley in California and Chile by 2050, as a warming climate makes it harder to grow grapes in traditional wine country.
OTHER STORIES
Energy
Open letter raises concerns over government nuclear secrecy - The Carbon Brief
EDF Energy buys wind project in Canada - Energy Live News
Siemens cuts ribbon on marine power production plant - BusinessGreen
How Carnaby Street is sparking the electric car trend - BusinessGreen
Food
Britain could become top wine growing region - Telegraph
Red Lion abattoir closed by food watchdog - The Times
Veg box scheme firm named Organic Retailer of the Year - Horticulture Week
Finance
Five million households in debt to energy firms - Telegraph
China to launch carbon trading scheme by mid-June - GreenBiz
Lord Stern makes mischief for climate finance ministerial - Tread Softly
Applying the high-growth model of technology industry to sustainability - Guardian
Other Interesting Stories
Nepal's rhino hunters become the hunted - BBC News
#2ThePole: declaring the Arctic a global sanctuary - Greenpeace
Deepwater Horizon: Gulf of Mexico 'deep-cleaned' itself - BBC News
On The Blog
Morning News - Monday 8th April 2013
HJ Fantaskis | 08.04.13
TOP NEWS STORIES
Northern Ireland's 5p carrier bag tax is introduced - BBC News
The new levy on plastic carrier bags comes into effect in Northern Ireland later today. Retailers must now charge shoppers at least 5p for each new single-use carrier bag. The proceeds of the tax will be forwarded to the Department of the Environment, who hopes to see an 80% reduction in the use of carrier bags. The announcement has strengthened campaigners' call for England to introduce the tax.
US tidal power company to invest in Scotland - The Times
An American tidal power company, ResHydro, has announced plans to establish operations in Scotland. They will be supported by a £100,000 award from Scottish Enterprise and will work in partnership with the University of Strathclyde. Alex Salmond said ResHydro's decision to invest in Scotland shows the country is “leading the way” in marine renewables technology.
London's cooking waste to fuel power station - Guardian
Cooking waste from thousands of London restaurants and food companies is to help run what is claimed to be the world's biggest fat-fuelled power station. The energy generated from the grease, oil and fat that clogs the capital's sewers (with 'fatbergs') will also be channelled to help run a major sewage works and a desalination plant, as well as supplying the National Grid, under plans announced by Thames Water and utility company 2OC.
OTHER STORIES
Energy
Pressure mounts for plastic bag charge - The Times
London's cooking waste to fuel power station - BusinessGreen
Superconductive technology offers significant advantages - Today's Energy Solutions
Swansea Bay tidal lagoon project seeks £10m funding - Guardian
Food
Farming's frontline: tales of hardship and resolve - Independent
Potatoes in short supply as big freeze hits crops - Telegraph
Food Security: enough on our plates? - Guardian
Finance
Vince Cable looks at banning former HBOS directors - Guardian
Bankers carry on unabashed, unscathed and unashamed - Guardian
US water investors call for better disclosure on company threats - B&G T.
NUS bags £5m pot to make students 'sustainably literate' - BusinessGreen
Other Interesting Stories
Kevin McCloud's favourite green innovations - in pictures - Guardian
Our terrible spring: the winners and the losers - Guardian
The Pocket Parks Programme - london.gov.uk
On The Blog
Eco Hero: Nicky Chambers, Director of Best Foot Forward
HJ Fantaskis | 05.04.13
We are delighted to celebrate our Eco Hero, Nicky Chambers, Director of Best Foot Forward.
Nicky co-founded Best Foot Forward with fellow Director Craig Simmons in 1997, and has since played a leading role in theoretical and practical advanced in sustainability. The company helps businesses and organisations (both internationally and nationally) to cost-effectively reduce their environmental impact in a world of limited resources. Their impressive client list include Coca-Cola, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Eurostar, prominent bodies in the public sector, and many more.
Co-author of Sharing nature's interest: ecological footprints as an indicator of sustainability, Nicky has written widely on the subject of business and sustainability.
Currently Nicky is curating the UK Dreams Project - a fantastic initiative working to create a populist agenda for a more sustainable way of living, at transformative scale.
'It's a not-for-profit coalition of some amazing people who, together, seek to find an energetic way beyond the current rhetoric and impenetrable language of sustainability in order to build a Dream that is highly actionable, by brands, business and policy makers,' Nicky says. 'The central tenets of the UK Dream work are, to change behaviour, we need to change habits and to change habits, we need to change social norms.'
This great clip of Nicky at the Eco Islands Global Summit 2012 shares a snapshot of her phenomenal grasp of the issues and the direction industry needs to take to take a meaningful hold of their sustainability game plan.
Global Summit 2012 - Nicky Chambers, CEO, Best Foot Forward from David Green.
Tell us, in 20 words or fewer, about Best Foot Forward - what's your mission?
To help the world flourish – without trashing the planet.
What motivates you?
Taking complex issues and making them seem very simple. Oh and a desire to leave the world a better place….
What is your greatest achievement to date?
Getting the ecological footprint into the mainstream - that’s the idea that if everyone lived like we do in the UK, we’d need another few planets. We started talking about this back in 1997, and have been helping organisations large and small to adapt to reality ever since.
What are the challenges you face?
Helping people to understand that if humans are clever and imaginative, and get our skates on, we can live well, as well as saving the planet.
What are you working on that's getting you fired up and excited?
Lots of things! I’m writing something on what a truly sustainable organization looks like and working on a really exciting project which will make sustainability sexy to the mainstream…
Where do you want to take Best Foot Forward next?
We plan to carry on expanding in size, influence and services we offer and we’ll continue to challenge and innovate for our clients.
What can we, as individuals, do to make a difference?
Spend your money on experience not stuff….and when you do buy stuff, buy knowingly and with a conscience.
If you were Prime Minister for a day, what would be the first thing you'd do?
A day might not be enough but I’d start with taxing stuff not people and banning the building of any homes that weren’t energy independent.
What's the coolest project or product you've come across, and inspired you?
Too many to mention and every day a new one.
Can you recommend a life- or game-changing book for our readers?
No – everyone will find their own life changing book when they start looking.
What do you listen to when you're cooking dinner?
My children all talking at once.
What's the best advice you've ever been given?
Don’t look back, only forward.
Can you leave us with who'd be your Eco Hero?
The youth of today.
Morning News - Friday 5th April 2013
HJ Fantaskis | 05.04.13
TOP NEWS STORIES
Bee-harming pesticides should be banned, MPs urge - Guardian
Owen Paterson must end his department's "extraordinary complacency" and suspend the use of pesticides linked to serious harm in bees, according to a damning report from an influential cross-party environmental audit committee (EAC) of MPs . The UK is blocking attempts to introduce a Europe-wide ban on the world's most widely used insecticides, neonicotinoids. But the EAC said the government was relying on "fundamentally flawed" studies and failing to uphold its own precautionary principle.
The fall of HBOS: a 'manual of bad banking' - Telegraph
The Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards has described the fall of HBOS as a 'manual of bad banking.' The report concludes that aggressive over-expansion, poor risk controls, complacent management and a narcoleptic regulator combined to produce a boom-to-bust shocker that all but destroyed a £40bn bank, and puts the primary blame on three HBOS bosses James Crosby, Andy Hornby and Lord Stevenson.
World Bank chief: global poverty bigger challenge than action on HIV - Guardian
Jim Yong Kim has warned that ending the worst of global poverty within a generation would prove a tougher challenge than tackling Aids, and urges direct action to help more than a billion people benefit from growth. The goal of reducing the number of people living on less than $1.25 a day from 21% to 3% by 2030 was achievable but "extraordinarily difficult", he says.
OTHER STORIES
Energy
Research to ‘accurately predict’ energy use of insulated homes - Energy Live News
Oil revival beckons as new technology, investors halt decline - Reuters
Lincs offshore wind farm installs final turbine - BusinessGreen
Deforestation takes flight again in the Amazon - Greenpeace
Food
MPs call for ban on 'nerve agent' neonicotinoid pesticides to protect dwindling bee population - Independent
MPs stung by refusal to ban pesticide blamed for killing billions of bees - The Times
School farms and eating animals you have cared for - BBC News
Monsanto Protection Act put GM companies above the federal courts - Guardian
Finance
Bill Gates joins investors in renewable energy storage firm - Blue&Green Tomorrow
Investing 2.0: assessing companies' true sustainability performance - Guardian
What's climate finance and where will it come from? - Guardian
Starbucks joins 'suspended coffee' scheme to help homeless - Independent
Other Interesting Stories
We have no right to our rivers while Richard Benyon's interests are served - G.
Passivhaus Precedents: Zero Energy House from 1970s recognized with award - TreeHugger
Recycled Orchestra turns trash into music and despair into hope in Paraguayan slums - TreeHugger
South African game reserve poisons rhino's horns to prevent poaching - Guardian
On The Blog
New York City's White Roof Project shows the power of social media
Morning News - Thursday 4th April 2013
HJ Fantaskis | 04.04.13
TOP NEWS STORIES
SSE's £10.5m mis-selling fine won't help consumers because energy giant disputed liability, Ofgem claims - Telegraph
A record £10.5m mis-selling fine against SSE will line Treasury coffers instead of benefiting consumers because the energy giant refused to accept blame for rule breaches, regulator Ofgem has claimed. Ofgem currently only has powers to impose penalties paid to the Treasury, or to agree 'voluntary’ payments to customers instead. Cross-party MPs are calling for legal action, if it is proved SSE committed fraud against their customers.
UK gas prices firm slightly on cold weather, low stocks - Reuters
British spot gas prices rose slightly, as cold weather and low storage kept the system tight although supply from imported LNG helped meet high demand.
EU emissions drop shows need for carbon market reform - The Carbon Brief
EU emissions fell by 1.4 per cent in 2012, according to new European Commission data (largely attributed to decreased demand during the economic recession). Concerns have been raised over problems with the EU's carbon trading scheme, campaigning group Sandbag are calling for reforms.
OTHER STORIES
Energy
Climate tax cuts for efficient energy intensive firms - Energy Live News
EU China trade war undermines UK PV industry’s stability - Solar Power Portal
World-record efficient solar panels - Today's Energy Solutions
BP puts US wind arm up for sale as renewables retreat continues - BusinessGreen
Food
Let's not bet the farm - Guardian
This frozen spring has cost us the buzz of the English bumblebee - Independent
Chinese fishing fleet in African waters reports 9% of catch to UN - Guardian
Robotic jellyfish could stand guard over oceans - TreeHugger
Finance
EU relaunches CCS and renewable energy fund - BusinessGreen
Sustainability 24 - broadcast agenda - Guardian Sustainable Business
Lessons from Thailand: Mobilising investment in energy efficiency - GreenBiz
Council helps smokers quit while investing millions in tobacco - Croydon Guardian
Other Interesting Stories
New BASF portal aims to build sustainable construction expertise - BusinessGreen
Zara probed over slave labour claims - Telegraph
Responsible and independent tour operators: Archipelago Choice - B&G T.
Keep yourself warm during the last blast of winter with these simple tips - TreeHugger
On The Blog
New York City's White Roof Project shows the power of social media
Why We Blog
Follow Us
CATEGORIES
- All
- Clean Energy
- Eco Commmunities
- Eco Heroes
- Eco Media
- Environment
- Ethical Finance
- Food
- Gardening
- Green Living
- Green Technology & Design
- Guest Bloggers
- Morning News
- Organic
- Parenting
- Social Media
- Weekly Greenhouse Updates
RECENT POSTS
- Morning News - Tuesday 21st May 2013
- Morning News - Monday 20th May 2013
- Morning News - Friday 17th May 2013
- Morning News - Tuesday 14th May 2013
- Morning News - Monday 13th May 2013
- Morning News - Thursday 25th April 2013
- Exhibition showcases sustainability leaders’ wishes for the future
- Morning News - Tuesday 23rd April 2013
- Morning News - Monday 22nd April 2013
- National Trust commits to renewable energy
- Morning News - Tuesday 16th April 2013
- Morning News - Monday 15th April 2013
Archive
BLOGROLL
- Anna Shepard
- The Sustainable Business Lab
- The Soil Association
- Adam Vaughan
- Business Green
- Dot Earth
- Ecologist
- Ecorazzi
- EcoSalon
- Environment 360
- Environmental Graffiti
- George Monbiot
- Green Futures
- Green Inc.
- Green Thing
- Grist
- Guardian Environment
- Huffington Post Green
- Inhabitat
- Jonathon Porritt
- Julia Hailes
- La Tierra
- Mother Nature Network
- Recycle This
- The Alternative Consumer
- The Daily Green
- The Oil Drum
- Transition Culture
- Treehugger
- WebEcoist
- Zero Carbonista
