The GreenHouse Blog

On Monday, Caroline Lucas announced she is to step down as the leader of the Green Party. “This gives a chance for somebody else to come forward to show I’m not the only person in Green politics," she said, "and it means we can build for the future as a party.”

The Green Party agreed to create the position of party leader only four years ago, but this decision and Lucas's election has already delivered positive results for the Green Party. Caroline Lucas was the Green party's first MP, and since her leadership of the Green Party party membership has doubled and the party beat the Liberal Democrats to third place in the election for mayor of London.

She wrote on her decision in The Guardian, and since then commenters have applauded the move as a rare instance of a politician putting the party before their career. "Seems like a principled and worthy move ... our other politicians could learn a great deal from you," one of the most recommended comments read. There is a great deal to learn; Caroline Lucas has lead her party from being seen as fringe party dominated by a single issue to a respected voice for the green movement. And she has been recognised for her work: numerous awards from the Guardian, the Observer, the Independent and the Spectator, as well as winning last years 'Best All Rounder' in the Total Politics End of Year MP Awards and 'MP of the Year' in the Women in Public Life Awards.

But Caroline Lucas has a natural political talent that is difficult to study and imitate. She is a brilliant spokesperson, unafraid to challenge her fellow MPs on issues ranging from solar feed-in tariffs to the bombing of Libya. I had the pleasure of watching her debate with Ed Davey at the Guardian’s Open Weekend. She refused to accept Ed Davey’s political massaging of figures: “you’re lying,” she said to his face, on more than one occasion, as Ed Davey tried to look nonplussed at the accusation. And away from the high-powered world of awards and political debates, Caroline Lucas has had the courage to take on difficult causes, which would have other MPs looking increasingly uneasy. In 2010, she supported eight activists part of the Brighton based Smash EDO campaign, fighting against the arms trade. Shrewd leadership, engaging oratory, a genuine appreciation for grass-roots campaigns - she has the ability to live up to the high standards expected of a public figure. The Green Party may be losing a leader, but it still has one of the very best MPs in the country.

So who could replace Caroline Lucas? A hard act to follow, and it seems likely that Adrian Ramsay, the current deputy leader, is being put forward to take on the role. Adrian has achieved the second highest green vote in the country, in the Norwich South constituency, and he has held on to his Norwich city council seat for over 8 years, having won the seat when he was just 21. Can Adrian Ramsay hold a crowd as well as Caroline Lucas? You can view his latest Green Party conference speech here and judge for yourself.

Caroline Lucas has made a bold move by allowing a new leader to come forward, potentially to break away from Lucas's old model. But better ground work could not have been laid - she steps down with the party on the rise. The speed of this rise will be up the next leader.

But can anyone ever really fill the shoes of Caroline Lucas?

Greenhouse Morning News

2012-05-17T07:21:22+00:00

Top News Stories

Australasia has hottest 60 years in a millennium, scientists find - Guardian

UK carbon targets at risk over local authority funding cuts - Guardian

Oxford is the EV capital of Europe - Solar Power Portal

Bonn climate talks: EU plays down talk of Kyoto protocol rift - Guardian

Solar

Ministers accused of mishandling solar subsidy cuts.. again - Business Green

UK association fights to stop feed-in tariff cuts - PV Tech

Solar Power Prices More Competitive Than Thought: BNEF - Bloomberg Business Week

Wind

SSE's green energy supply booms in 2011 - Business Green

Wind farm is not welcome - Derbyshire Times

Mexico's massive wind play - Climate Spectator

Food

El Salvador women put their faith in agroecology - Guardian

Save water and cash, says environment Agency - Farmers Guardian

Ireland's 'Grow it Yourself' self-help food growing community coming to the UK - The Ecologist

Ethical Finance

Report: Green taxes key to tackling European deficits - Business Green

Hague demands action to boost green growth - Business Green

Is 'profit' a dirty word in the world of social enterprise? - Guardian: Sustainable Business

Coalition cautions on green spending - The Australian

Interesting News Stories

Men do the 'grunt work' in the garden, while women do the colours - The Daily Telegraph

‘F*ck You Pizza’ is the logical endpoint of current junk food trends - Grist

Beautiful and Powerful: Audi's E-Bike Wörthersee - Treehugger

15 Concepts and Solutions for Providing Clean Drinking Water - Treehugger

Greenhouse Morning News

2012-05-16T08:45:03+00:00

Top News Stories

Momentum builds for 20mph speed limit - Guardian

Energy companies blame abandonment of nuclear plans on lack of cash - Guardian

Plans to reform electricity market 'unworkable', say green businesses - Guardian

Solar

Domestic PV is still viable, say UK solar industry associations - Energy Efficiency News

Sussex firms launch solar project - The Argus

Wal-Mart lays claim to 'largest user of solar power' - South Coast Today

Wind

Google's offshore wind cable moves forward - Guardian

Could Scotland swap its wind energy for Norway's hydro? - BBC

World’s Largest Wind Turbine Test Facility Nears Completion - TPM

Ethical Finace

Payday loans: bishop hits out at 'sinful' interest rates - Guardian

Fresh Athens disarray hits financial markets - Belfast Telegraph

EU finance ministers agree on new bank rules - Huffington Post

Food

Superweeds: A Long-Predicted Problem for GM Crops Has Arrived - The Atlantic

Donnie Yen Joins Jamie Oliver for Food Revolution in Asia - PR Newswire

Andrea Weigl: Farmer Foodshare helps farmers feed the hungry - News Observer

Kenyan TV show ploughs lone furrow in battle to improve rural livelihoods - Guardian

Interesting news stories

Lies, damn lies, and statistics about red light jumping - Guardian

Elm caretaker to be buried in coffin made from beloved elm - Grist

Clever Plastic-Free and Low-Tech Ways to Store Fresh Fruits and Vegetables - Treehugger

Greenhouse Morning News

2012-05-15T07:31:44+00:00

#CoffeeClimateCrisis - Cafedirect Campaign

Cafédirect: Coffee crisis looms as climate impacts intensify - Business Green

Keeping our daily coffee: the farmers in Peru adapting to climate change - The Ecologist

Peru's coffee growers turn carbon traders to save their farms from climate change - Guardian

Cafédirect warns that an environmental crisis is threatening coffee production - Caterer and Hotelkeeper

Coffee growers turn to carbon credits for help - Edie.net

Cafédirect: Coffee crisis looms as climate impacts intensify - Treehugger

Interview with Wolfgang Weinmann, Head of Impact and Sustainability for Cafedirect - Sustainable Business Magazine

Top News Stories

Caroline Lucas to step down as leader of the Green Party - Solar Power Portal

Australian project simulates effects of runaway climate change - Guardian

Earth's environment getting worse, not better, says WWF ahead of Rio+20 - Guardian

Report: 75 percent of Brits are ignoring the benefits of smart meters - Solar Power Portal

Solar

Trade bodies unite to promote 'attractive' solar technology - Business Green

One million UK properties can benefit from solid wall insulation under the Green Deal - Solar Power Portal

Should the government advertise the “green switchover”? - Business Green

Solar PV still viable despite fears, experts claim - Farmers Guardian

Wind

Branson launches green energy prize - The Press Association

Energy links tie Scotland to Norway - Scotsman

Nordex to Supply Infinis With 22 Wind Turbines in U.K. - Bloomberg

Food

Brussels waters down CAP 'greening' plan - Farmers Weekly

Viewers split over Hovis TV advert- Farmers Weekly

Decision due on GM potato trial - Irish Times

Morrisons GM poultry feed changes are supported by evidence - The Grocer

Ethical Finance

Co-Operative Bank to Lend $482 Million for U.K. Renewables - Bloomberg

Fund manager gives warning on green investment returns - The Australian

Green Construction Board secures £1 million investment - Fresh Business Thinking

Interesting News Stories

10 Online Stores for All Your Green Product Shopping - Treehugger

Yet another ridiculous billboard campaign featuring psychos - Grist

Green politics: a movement in search of a voice - Guardian

Greenhouse Morning News

2012-05-14T06:53:05+00:00

Top News Stories

Peru's coffee growers turn carbon traders to save their farms from climate change - Guardian

Grim reapers: the exploitation of Brazil's savannah - The Daily Telegraph

UK's only carbon-neutral chocolate arrives by sailing ship - Guardian

Europe struggles for climate lead - BBC

Fracking In New York: Gas Drillers Wrangle Over Limitations, Bans Across Empire State - Huffington Post

Solar

Centrica warns of rising energy bills - Solar Power Portal

Tax-free Feed-in Tariff returns rise to '12.5%' as Tesco wades in and solar panel prices tumble - This Is Money

Saudi Arabia Plan $109 Billion Solar Energy Project to Reduce Oil Consumption - Oil Price

Wind

Mexican wind energy boom plays out on gusty shores - Reuters

Report shows the impact wind energy has had in the UK - Hydrogen Fuel News

Wind power to cut electricity bills - but it will just be 25p a day - Power Engineering

Food

MPs call for wider food strategy - BBC

'Marmite' debate gets us nowhere on GMs - Farmers Weekly

Are We Kidding Ourselves on a retailer ombudsman? - Farmers Weekly

Battery cage ban compliance expected by end of year - Farmers Guardian

Ethical Finance

'Shareholder spring' revolt over fat cat pay poised to gather pace - The Independent

Yahoo CEO Succumbs to Shareholders' Spring - Forbes

Internet can amplify small acts of crass stupidity into big blunders - Irish Times

Corporate trustees: their role needs closer scrutiny - Stuff

Interesting News Stories

Monsanto WISHES it could make corn this cool - Grist

Occupy's GlobalMay Manifesto Has Lots of Points Green Movement Should Get Behind - Treehugger

Straw Wars is a Campaign to Ban the Use of Straws in London's Restaurants - Treehugger

Coffee Climate Crisis - a new campaign from Cafedirect

2012-05-13T21:36:22+00:00

Quality coffee supplies are at risk as smallholder farmers struggle to cope with climate change.

More than three-quarters of all coffee in the world is produced by smallholder farmers, many of whom earn their living growing coffee on tiny patches of land in developing countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia. And already the impacts of climate change have been devastating, leaving them struggling to cope with a host of critical issues, including flooding, drought, pests and crop diseases.

So today we are launching a campaign, Climate Coffee Crisis, to highlight the need for action and to share the inspiring story of how a co-operative of more than 6,000 farmers in Peru are pioneering new ways to adapt and respond to climate change. Cafedirect has released a report and video that explains the amazing story.

As Cafedirect buy's direct from the smallholder farmers, they hear first hand about the conditions the farmers are facing, so over the last six years they have helped to set up the foundations for a ground-breaking project that has enabled the farmers adapt to climate change through reforestation which has been
funded through carbon trading. It’s the first project of its kind anywhere in the world.

But there are 25 million coffee farming families in 60 countries around the world, so much more needs to be done. The story in the report is just one example of many.

If we don’t all act now, we will all be left counting the cost. Coffee will become more expensive, its quality will decline, and it may even become harder to get hold off. It doesn’t bear thinking about.
We don’t want to have to imagine a world without coffee.

It’s so important that everyone who is passionate about coffee does their bit, not just coffee brands, supermarkets and cafés, but also the most important people of all – coffee lovers!

You really can make a huge difference by buying responsible brands that they know are investing in the future of smallholder coffee farmers and therefore the future of our daily cup of coffee.

Help us to spread the word:
• Read the amazing report.
• Watch the video
• Tweet with the campaign hashtag - #coffeeclimatecrisis
• Become a Friend of Cafedirect