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GREENHOUSE WEEKLY ROUNDUP

Greta Jonyniate | 02.09.11

There’s been some great news for the new generation of engineering leaders. The government has announced a £6.5m investment in boosting engineering skills for the renewable energy industry, as the UK gears up for an unprecedented expansion of offshore wind and marine energy. Read the full article here: Renewable energy skills get £6.5m boost

On Tuesday, the Environment Agency published a list of the 10 most improved rivers in England and Wales, which are now healthier than they have been for decades. Ian Barker, head of land and water at the Environment Agency, said: "Work that we have done with farmers, businesses and water companies to reduce the amount of water taken from rivers, minimise pollution and improve water quality is really paying off. Otters, salmon and other wildlife are returning for the first time since the industrial revolution." Read the full article here: Rivers the healthiest in a generation due to stricter pollution controls

And finally – According to new research published by the International Energy Agency (IEA), solar energy could produce the bulk of the world’s power by 2060. However, whilst this is good news on a global basis, the Solar Trade Association believes the UK is at risk of falling behind. Howard Johns, Chairman of the Association said, “The news that the International Energy Agency anticipate solar - both PV and thermal - can become the world's major source of energy is welcomed by the STA.” Read the full article here: Solar to produce lion’s share of world’s energy in just 50 years

We think that more companies should follow Good Energy’s lead, who recently signed power purchase agreements with more than 30 solar facilities across the country. It now expects the electricity generated by these developments to make up 33 per cent of its mix over a typical year. Juliet Davenport, company founder and chief executive, said the company's move proved solar was a viable option in the UK and would also help stabilise its future energy prices, which, in contrast to the Big Six electricity suppliers, will remain unchanged until 2012. Read the full article Good Energy ups solar stake on the Business Green website
 

The most clicky story of the week:

Solar to produce lion’s share of world’s energy in just 50 years
According to new research published by the International Energy Agency (IEA) solar could produce the bulk of the world’s power by 2060.
(Solar Power Portal)

Some other links we loved this week:

How e-bikes got sexy
Take a high-end mountain bike and attach a powerful electric motor. Is this the future of e-bikes?
(The Guardian)

How dentists are saving Borneo's rainforest
Dentists are offering free treatment to patients who oppose illegal logging. Stanley Johnson visits an award-winning clinic to find out more.
(The Independent)

Over a third of UK farmers keen on renewables investment
Two in every five UK farmers are expecting to invest in renewable energy and are targeting average annual returns of £25,000 in reduced energy bills and new income.
(Business Green)

Most important foods to buy organic
If you would like to "go green" and buy all organic foods, it may be that your aspirations are bigger than your budget. Here are 15 foods that are definitely worth buying organic.
( Earth Times)

10 Eco Friendly Accessories for a Greener Offices
You maintain green habits at home, but are you as conscientious in the office? We’ve found 10 great accessories that will help you stay eco-friendly even when you hit your workplace
(Mashable)


 

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GREENHOUSE WEEKLY ROUNDUP

Greta Jonyniate | 26.08.11

A recent Chinese study suggesting that solar power could achieve grid parity by 2015 has provoked calls in the UK for the government to bolster its own support for the renewable energy technology. Howard Johns, chairman of the UK's Solar Trade Association (STA), said the report showed solar power "is not a technology anyone can afford to ignore" and he urged the government to boost its backing for solar. Read the full article on Business Green website Report: Chinese solar power could reach grid parity by 2015

Great news, according to the annual Farmer Confidence Survey, 51% of farmers in England and Wales have started to feel more confident about the future of the industry. The report also highlights that one in five businesses have seen an increase in their profits. Read the full article Growing Optimism about farming’s future on the Farmers Weekly website.

Finally, the London School of Economics (LSE) revealed that the recent boom in the number of people cycling is worth around £3bn to the national economy. The report also predicts that if the current cycling levels would increase by a further 20 per cent by 2015, then this could save the economy an additional £440m; £207m through reduced traffic congestion, £71m due to lower pollution levels, £107m by reducing premature deaths and £52m in NHS savings. Read the full article HERE

The most clicky story of the week:

5 Reasons Why Going Solar is About More Than Just Money
Whether it's the moral case for embracing renewables, or the way that solar panels change your relationship to energy, we've heard many an argument for why Return On Investment (ROI) is not the be-all-and-end-all for deciding when to go solar.
(TreeHugger)

Some other links we loved this week:

Planet Earth is home to 8.7 million species, scientists estimate
Latest bid to count and catalogue the living world is billed as the most accurate yet, but only a tiny proportion is known to science
(The Guardian)

The young activist’s guide to building a green movement
Sharon J. Smith’s book acts as an inspirational guide for the youth of today to taking environmental matters into their own hands
(The Ecologist)

Best eco friendly chandeliers for a green ambience
In today’s times, when resources are becoming scarce and where each attempt in going into preserving the Earth for our future generations, people from all walks of life are looking at prospects of achieving work the ‘green’ way.
( Ecofriend)

Back to Shool: 5 Universities Lead For Sustainable Fashion Studies
As the lazy days of summer end, a generation of aspiring fashion designers is heading to school to design the clothing of the future.
( EcoSalon)

Sustainable Packaging Goes Beyond Size
When you buy a product, your decision drives a series of environmental impacts. Imagine the benefits if everyone considered the impact of packaging as part of their buying decisions, benefits measured in the billions of pounds of packaging manufactured, shipped and disposed of each year.
( TreeHugger)

7 eco-friendly ways to keep your home safe while you're traveling
These tips will allow you to stay focused on enjoying the trip, and know that your abode will be A-OK when you return.
(All MNN Content)

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GREENHOUSE WEEKLY ROUNDUP

Greta Jonyniate | 12.08.11

Good news for offshore wind farms, a Dutch study has found that offshore wind turbines have "hardly any negative effects" on wildlife, and may even benefit animals living beneath the waves: "For fish and marine mammals, it provides an oasis of calm in a relatively busy coastal area." Read the full article, “Offshore wind farms are good for biodiversity, say researchers” on Business Green site.

"Smaller rivals turn up the heat on energy’s ‘Big Six’’. Although the system is set up to favour the big players the smaller suppliers still manage to compete on price and customer service.” “It’s a miracle that they do, since life is tough for smaller suppliers of gas and electricity, who jostle for space in about 5pc of the market against the “Big Six” comments Telegraph’s reporter Rowena Mason. She, highlights that at a time of rising prices and public disappointment with the big six that smaller suppliers, such as Ecotricity, might get an opportunity to shine.

We are relieved to see that the Green Party is set to launch a major campaign against the controversial process of hydraulic fracturing or "fracking", which is being increasingly used as a means of extracting shale gas. The campaign will be launched early this September and will claim that the technique is environmentally destructive and risks polluting the UK's water supply. You can find the full article HERE.

The most clicky story of the week:

Solar helps Welsh farm turn carbon neutral
An organic vegetable farm in west Wales has become one of the first carbon neautral farms in the country.
(Farmers weekly)

Some other links we loved this week:

Unethical Food Traditions: Stick a Fork in It
From tuna to turtles, some cultural food traditions create such egregious ethical and environmental consequences, they can never be justified.
(EcoSalon)

The new north: why Scandinavia is leading the world in eco-design
The Nordic flair for design has taken eco-fashion to new heights and is setting an example for the rest of the world to follow.
(The Ecologist)

The great penguin rescue
What can one person do to make a difference? Watch this video to learn what one person learned -- and did -- to help save a species.
(The Guardian)

Voting opens for Best Green International Celebrity award
On August 5, voting for the Best Green International Celebrity at the International Green Awards opened to members of the public.
(The Independent)

Five of the best...eco-friendly babycare products
Good for adults, but even better for babies: Gervase Poulden rounds up five chemical, phosphate and paraben free products that will really make a difference to your children’s skin.
(The Ecologist)
 

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GREENHOUSE WEEKLY ROUNDUP

Greta Jonyniate | 05.08.11

Many organisations rushed to complete projects before the reduction in Feed-in Tariffs on 1st August 2011 and stats released by DECC show that there was a 56% rise to 121.6 megawatts (MW) between March and June and 18 times more capacity than a year previously. 

Non-profit IPS community Energy Company OVESCO was one of the lucky ones who managed to successfully complete the installation of the UK's first 100% community-funded solar power station with just hours to spare! Read the full article HERE.

This week, more than 2,000 charities are being forced to close services and sack staff as local authorities slash their funding, or in some cases completely withdrawing it, according to research published on Tuesday. Brendan Barber, the general secretary of the TUC, said the cuts were making the 'big society' seem like a 'big con'. You can catch up on the full article on the Guardian’s website as charities fight for survival as funding slashed across country

Finally, we would like to show our support to BBC Wildlife and encourage you to read this brilliant article from the Ecologist: Why the BBC is wrong to scrap its Wildlife Fund.

The most clicky story of the week:

Finding the silver lining in the solar feed-in tariff fiasco
Should a future government ever rethink the marginal role that the coalition has obviously reserved for solar, this first wave of developers has demonstrated that new capacity can be built at a rate of knots.
(BusinessGreen)

Some other links we loved this week:

100% Wind and Solar Powered Billboards Come to London, New York & Sydney
This week, office solutions company Ricoh unveiled what it is calling the "eco-board" - a billboard powered entirely by solar and wind power in London.
(TreeHugger)

Creating and maintaining an eco-friendly kitchen
You might be thinking of building a new kitchen or just streamlining the one you already have. In either case, you might be thinking of what you want and need to get out of your kitchen space.
(Greenfudge.org)

The beginner’s guide to late summer foraging
Can’t tell medlars from mushrooms? Noah Lee spoke to the Wild Man, aka forager Fergus Drennan, to find out exactly how to make your wild food fantasies a reality
(The Ecologist)

'True Blood' couple obsessively recycles
Married-in-real-life Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer dish about their shared commitment to recycling and 'True Blood' twists.
(All MNN Content)

Eco Shoes: From Vegan Heels to Barefoot Running Shoes
Increasingly, green consumers have options for men's and women's shoes in a variety of styles
( Living green)
 

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Stories that Inspired, Scared, Frustrated and Heartened Us - Greenhouse Weekly Round-Up

Kenneth Hill | 20.05.11

Here are the links that caught our attention this week.

INSPIRING: The story in the Telegraph (@TelegraphSport) about Manchester United's environmentally conscious Gary Neville (@GNev2). He's teamed up with @Ecotricity 's Dale Vince to launch Sustainability in Sport to make football fans conscious of the environment. http://bit.ly/lKvR5C

SQUEEZED: Government confirms end to core funding for Carbon Trust. via @businessgreen. http://bit.ly/lWJqtp

SCANDALOUS: Why the UK's hidden cash mountain needs to go green, from Damian Carrington (@dpcarrington) at the Guardian. http://bit.ly/jKwbiq

FRUSTRATING: The "greenest government ever" disguising nuclear subsidies as Electricity Market Reform. http://bit.ly/lDT6n0

SCARY: David Cameron's green agenda hangs on Chris Huhne's fate, via Telegraph Blogs http://bit.ly/k8PVr9

HEARTENING: Love this from @sophierc1: how one family downsized from a comfortable £60,000-a-year life in Brighton to live in west Wales on £16,000. gu.com/p/2p2h5/tw

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The most lovely food labels ever, plus this week’s favorite links

Kenneth Hill | 13.05.11

All of us at Greenhouse are really inspired by these biodegradable packaging designs (with built-in seeds!) from young designer Ben Huttley of Bournemouth. He writes:  

"Through experimentation and innovation I have developed a form of packaging that is 100 percent biodegradable and recyclable. If the packaging is discarded it will have a positive effect on the environment due to the seed embedded biodegradable paper. The twine used to secure the product and label is natural cotton and 100 percent biodegradable. The labels themselves have been produced using a laser cutting machine. This eliminates the use of harmful printing ink, as well as giving the packaging an esthetically pleasing organic look and feel. "

Find out more on Ben's blog. 

In case you missed them, these are the stories that caught our attention this week:

A group of businesses, politicians and green campaigners are calling on David Cameron to act in the battle over government's climate change targets, which threaten the UK's future emissions cuts. From Fiona Harvey & T.Macalister at the Guardian http://gu.com/p/2p2ty/tf

Mr. Cameron also got dinged big time by Jonathon Porritt and a group of other environmentalists who said the likelihood of the government living up to the promise made almost a year ago was "vanishingly remote." http://gu.com/p/2zqd2/tw

We loved the tweet from @robintransition letting us know that climate scientists are mad and are now rapping about it! http://youtu.be/LiYZxOlCN10

Vibrant energy flows? Who knew. Very interesting piece from @sustahood on re-imagining and renewing society based on vibrant energy flows http://bit.ly/m9uHSx

3 June 2011 is the deadline to enter the @SoilAssociation Association Organic Food Awards. An expert panel of judges including chefs, restaurateurs, food writers and specialists, celebrity foodies and others will award the best organic products across 12 categories to create greater public awareness of the values of organic production, positive food culture, and the range and quality of organic food and drink available. http://bit.ly/iS55SE

Our media specialist Sophie Rivett-Carnac is a bit obsessed about packaging (ok, we all are) and loved the Sunday Times business story about a new type of corrugated box from DS Smith that provides "the same strength as run-of-the-mill models but with less material." (paywall) http://thetim.es/kXGmbY

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Greenhouse Weekly Roundup

Sally Hill | 07.01.11

'Trendspotting: the next big sustainability issues'
James Goodman and Martin Wright track the trends which will influence the coming year's sustainability debates.
Guardian Sustainable Business

'The Guardian's sustainability naivity'
Chris Milton disagrees and bursts open some interesting arguments based on the Guardian's list.
Sustainability Forum

Read more

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ecotricity, soil association, sustainability, food, waste, anaerobic digestion, consumer, recession, sustainable business, electronics

Greenhouse Weekly Roundup

Sally Hill | 29.10.10

The latest video from Annie Leonard's Story of Stuff series examines the cosmetics industry. The Story of Cosmetics has again cleverly reduced some complex ideas into an easily digestible information. I love the way she is able to present very controversial ideas, but has them come across as common sense, and anything but radical.

Here are the links we loved this week:

Read more

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george monbiot, solar century, food waste, ebay, forests, jeremy leggett, cosmetics, story of stuff

Greenhouse Weekly Roundup

Sally Hill | 01.10.10

The mini-movie 'No Pressure' is the latest from the clever campaigners at 10:10. While the film is a bit gory, it will definitely have a wide reach and a high impact, which is great news.

Here are the links we loved this week:

Read more

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climate change, solar, carbon reduction commitment, solar plane, 10:10, crc, london design festival, new economics foundation, tent london

Greenhouse Weekly Roundup

Sally Hill | 24.09.10

Thursday was 'switch on' day for the world's largest offshore wind farm off Kent and with it, Britain took a huge step forward on renewable energy.

The wind farm can generate enough power to supply 200, 000 homes and nudged Britain's total wind power capacity to 5 gigawatts, or enough electricity for 5 million people.

There was a resounding response online along the lines of 'we need more' and  'it's a good start'.

Let's hope our leaders are listening and this heralds the start of something big.

Here are the links we loved this week:

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renewable energy, rapanui, wind power, solar power, feed-in tariff, no impact man, offshore wind, renewables