Green issues
Proof that hitting people ‘in the pocket’ works
The supermarket plastic bag is one of the scourges of our time – they can be seen everywhere (literally) but are a strangely British issue. On the continent they were consigned to the pay to use corner of the checkout many years ago – consequently their use has fallen to almost zero over the channel.
Proposals to ban or charge in the UK for bags is always met with cries of ‘it’s not fair’ – but in Wales they were brave enough to pass a law charging for the bags – and the result?
Supermarkets in Wales have reported reductions of up to 96% in the use of single-use plastic bags following the introduction of the 5p charge last October. The charge, which was introduced to cut waste, has also seen a big rise in the number of people using their own bags in shops and a surge in support for the scheme. The scheme covers all single-use bags, including paper ones.
Figures compiled by the British Retail Consortium show bag use at 13 retailers (including Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury’s) saw reductions of 70-96% for food retail, and 68-75% for fashion.
The number of Welsh people always taking their own bags to the supermarket rose from 42% before the charge to 64% after, according to a survey of 1,000 people by the Welsh government. The survey also showed support for the charge had risen since its introduction, with the number “strongly supporting” it rising from 35% before to 49% after.
Ireland introduced a plastic bag tax in 2002, Northern Ireland is set to bring in a 5p charge in 2013 and last month Scotland opened a consultation on a proposed minimum charge of 5p which, if adopted, would leave England as the only country in the UK without one.
Last week, new figures showed Welsh households recycle almost half their waste – putting the country well ahead of England, where the average recycling rate is around 40%.
Isn’t it time that we adopted this approach as well? Or are we just interested in longer opening hours?
The knock-on effect of parking….
It is a common sight now – the suburban street with all the front gardens paved or concreted over to make room for one or more cars. With the growth of multiple car families the available on street parking has become over subscribed – forcing people to go onto their front gardens.
But, there is more to this than first appears;
The need to have extra cars has been forced upon us all by the society that has developed around car ownership and out of town shopping and often poor public transport. The streets of the houses built when cars were a distant dream for most occupants just aren’t designed for this many vehicles – all that is well known.
what is more worrying is the effect all of this extra concrete and hard surface has on the environment from a drainage point of view. With the recent exceptional rainfall (which may or may not become the norm) the inability of the drains to cope has been highlighted.
The number of houses with paved-over front plots has almost doubled in the past 20 years. In 1991, just 16% of houses with front plots had turned them into hardstandings, compared with 30% in 2011, (according to the report Spaced Out: Perspectives on Parking policy, published by the RAC Foundation).
It states that the main cause for the increasing number is the significant rise in car ownership. The number of cars in Britain has grown from 21m in 1991 to 28.5m in 2011, a figure the report estimates could grow to 32m over the next two decades.
The findings also raise concerns about the potential effect the increased paving would have for floodwater run-off, making drains more likely to overflow. The Committee on Climate Change Adaptation Sub-Committee’s (ASC) progress report, published last week, highlighted the increase in paved-over gardens as a danger during periods of flooding. Their report found the number of paved-over gardens in England rose proportionally from just over a quarter of total garden area in 2001 to nearly half in 2011.
This also has a direct effect upon loss of natural habitat for wildlife in our towns and cities – yet another issue that isn’t going away.
All this makes me sound like a tree hugger – I’m not, but it does make you think how seemingly unrelated things can impact on other matters.
Yet another award for Edwalton Primary School!
It appears that awards are coming thick and fast for Edwalton Primary school – I have blogged previously about this amazing school (I am biased as I am a Governor there) and its green credentials. Well that has now been confirmed by a national award.
The school has been awarded ‘outstanding sustainable school’ in the Times Educational Supplement (TES) awards for 2012. This is a national award and is a fantastic achievement for the school, it is due recognition for the hard work that everyone at the school has put into driving forwards the sustainability agenda, from the kids, through the staff and finally to Brian Owens the headmaster who is the inspiration and driving force behind everyone. We were nominated in 2011 but sadly didn’t win – but this year has seen the ‘right’ decision.
Keep an eye out for this school, this is the way education should be going at primary level in the UK, other schools can (and are) learning a lot from its environment and general approach to teaching.
Fantastic news and another good reason to shout from the rooftops about Edwalton Primary West Bridgfords number one primary school!
The weather – is this the norm now?
So we now have all of the hose pipe bans across the UK lifted, not a surprise in light of the recent weather! But just how bad has it really been?
Well, last month was one of the wettest, coolest and dullest Junes on record. The position of the jet stream led to persistent low pressure across the British Isles, making it the third most cyclonic June in the last 140 years. This accounts for it being the coolest June since 1991, the dullest since 1909, and the equal wettest, tied with June 1860!
Temperatures
The mean maximum temperature during June ranged from 19.3C at St James’s Park in London to 11.2C at Fair Isle in the Northern Isles. Night-time temperatures were close to average, but daytime temperatures in many areas were 1.5 to 2 degrees below normal. The Central England Temperature (CET) was 13.6C, the lowest for June since 1991 and 0.9 degrees below average. In the last 100 years only 18 Junes have been colder. The highest individual temperature was 28.6C at Swanscombe, Kent, on 28 June, while the coldest night was at Loch Glascarnoch in Wester Ross on the night of 4/5 June, when the mercury fell to -3.5C.
Rainfall
Averaged across England and Wales, there was 157mm of rain, which is 231% of the average and about the same as the previous wettest June in 1860. Scotland had 104mm, which is 171% of average. The wettest location was Capel Curig, In Wales, where 325mm fell. Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, was driest with just 34mm of rain, indicative of the southerly track of low pressure systems and frequent easterly flows across northern Scotland.
Sunshine
England and Wales had an average 123 hours of sunshine, which is only 64% of the mean, making for the cloudiest June since 1909. Scotland had 123 hours, or 74% of its average, while Northern Ireland saw 136 hours and 75% of average. Tiree, Inner Hebrides, was sunniest, as it was in May, recording 167 hours of sunshine, while Eskdalemuir, Dumfriesshire, had the lowest sunshine total with a mere 57 hours. Durham had only 69 hours and Nottingham 73 hours, figures more akin to February than to June.
So yes – the weather has been pretty awful and it appears that Scotland might actually become the place to holiday is you are after UK sun!
Don’t underestimate your local school!
We are all used to the area we live in having its ‘favoured’ school – it may be due to a well-earned reputation – but could well be historical and irrelevant! In West Bridgford we have a number of excellent Primary schools, and some that are favoured more than others. I am a Governor at one which has perhaps been out of the limelight for too long and without doubt its day has come – Edwalton Primary school.
The school has for a long time been at the forefront of the green agenda – it has a farm, a wood and it’s pupils are fully involved in following a ‘green curriculum’. It also forms the centre of an ‘eco hub’ serving other schools who wish to learn from its years of experience in the Eco field! As a by-product it also produces very nice kids!
It’s latest achievement however really needs shouting from the roof tops – it is one of 8 schools in the country to be chosen to meet Royal Highness The Prince of Wales at the first ever WWF Green Ambassador Summit at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire on Thursday 5 July. Over sixty young Ambassadors, including 8 from Edwalton Primary School will attend the two-day event (4-5 July) with teachers Hugh McCahon and Laura Paget and Head Teacher Brian Owens, along with WWF representatives and special guests.
On the second day, Ambassadors will take part in a series of creative workshops, including a food-growing session and art- and writing-led workshops, aimed at encouraging visions for a sustainable future. The schools will also be given a special tour of the gardens and experience the Prince of Wales’ own personal vision of a sustainable environment at Highgrove.
Brian Owens, Head teacher said:
“This is a marvellous moment in the history of our school. It’s a wonderful recognition of the many outstanding contributions from staff, children, parents and governors to make the school a better place. I am so proud of everyone who has help in whatever way to make our school such a special, unique place to be”
WWF has long recognised the importance of young people and the Green Ambassador scheme is specifically designed to empower, engage and enable young people to take a leadership role whilst developing skills in team work and communication. The ‘Champion Schools’ were specially chosen by WWF for their commitment to environmental action and willingness to help other schools get involved.
Amazing what your local school can achieve!
Renewables – it’s all about getting a balance
Renewables are a great idea – once the method of extracting the energy has been built it is free – whether it is wind, sun or wave power is irrelevant, as long as there is a selection of types to provide general cover. This is the normal argument against renewables – what happens when the sun is not out or it’s not windy – hence the need for a selection of producing sources.
The Germans appear to ‘get this’ and have moved forwards in the quest for a replacement for their nuclear industry that is to be wound down following the Japanese disaster.
German solar power plants produced a world record 22 gigawatts of electricity – equal to 20 nuclear power stations at full capacity over a mid day period earlier this month. This is in response to Germany’s decision to abandon nuclear power after the Fukushima nuclear disaster last year, closing eight plants immediately and shutting down the remaining nine by 2022. They will be replaced by renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and bio-mass (a sensible spread).
The 22 gigawatts of solar power fed into the national grid met nearly 50% of the nation’s midday electricity needs, yes it was only for a short period, but it shows what can be achieved. Never before anywhere has a country produced as much photovoltaic electricity. The record-breaking amount of solar power shows one of the world’s leading industrial nations was able to meet a third of its electricity needs on a work day, Friday, and nearly half on Saturday when factories and offices were closed.
Government-mandated support for renewables has helped Germany became a world leader in renewable energy and the country gets about 20 percent of its overall annual electricity from those sources. Germany has nearly as much installed solar power generation capacity as the rest of the world combined and gets about four percent of its overall annual electricity needs from the sun alone. It aims to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% from 1990 levels by 2020.
All this at a time when our Government appear hell-bent on crippling our solar industry just as it was getting into its stride – time for a swift U-turn?
Water leaks – why aren’t they dealt with?
At a time when we have seen some of the wettest weather for months, (but after two years of very low rainfall), we are as far as our water companies are concerned still in a drought situation. So it is perhaps worth looking at the water companies and how they manage the pipe work system they provide our water through.
Now you would imagine that it is in their interest to protect such a valuable resource? However every day, 3.4bn litres of water leaks from the system, almost a quarter of the entire supply. A drought has been declared across southern and central England, with no end in sight for the hose pipe ban imposed in many places, so one assumes this loss must be a worry to the water companies?
Since the privatisation of the water industry in 1989, Ofwat has set leakage reduction targets for the 21 water companies, which operate local monopolies across England and Wales. Analysis of the data, supplied to Ofwat by the companies themselves, reveals:
• Eleven companies have targets of zero reduction of leaks by 2015. They include Yorkshire Water, which failed to meet its 2010-11 targets and as a result was required to spend an additional £33m on leak repairs.
• Leaks have been reduced across England and Wales by only 5% over the past 13 years.
• The worst-performing company, Southern Water which supplies Sussex, Kent, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, missed its latest leak target by 16% and had to pay £5m back to customers, but will be allowed to increase its leakage by 6% by 2015.
• The 25-year management plans of the water companies envisage reducing leakage by only 10% in that time.
Ofwat and the water industry highlight a one-third reduction in leakages since privatisation, but over the past 12 years, year-on-year leakages have increased as often as they have fallen, suggesting no long-term downward trend. However, the average annual customer bill for water has risen by £64 since 2001 and is now £376, while the companies collectively made £2bn in pre-tax profits and paid £1.5bn in dividends to shareholders in 2010-11.
It costs more to repair leaks than the immediate value of the water itself, so while it makes financial sense for a water company to ignore leaks, it certainly doesn’t stack up in the long-term for us, the consumers, or for our environment. There are more than 210,000 miles of water pipes across England and Wales, a length equivalent to eight times the circumference of the Earth, which serve 23m properties. Ofwat say it would cost £100bn to replace all the pipes in England and Wales, and this would only half the leaks as new pipes start to leak quickly.
But surely some additional effort can’t be a bad idea – or is it all about profits?
The Weather!
As an Englishman I feel it is my duty to show an interest in the weather, it is after all part of being British to comment upon or generally have a view on our climate isn’t it? So The weather is generally one of the things I check out at night before going to bed and is also one of the first things I check in the morning (after my emails). I have numerous bits of software to use for this purpose and have to admit to a fascination with meteorology!
Currently we are for the first time in ages having proper seasonal weather, it’s April and we are actually getting April showers – the weird thing is that this weather is actually being commented upon by the press as a significant wet patch! I accept that the press will pick on anything to sell papers, but does this point to something more significant? Has our weather changed so much over the past few years that we don’t now recognise when it is ‘normal’?
If this is the case (and I believe it to be so) is it not the best evidence yet for the ‘nay sayers’ who claim nothing strange is happening to our climate? The press are loving the fact that they can call the current rainfall the ‘wrong type of rain’ which won’t go any way to solving the drought issues, but it can’t hide the fact that we have had a particularly dry couple of winters.
Part of the reason for the British love of talking about the weather is due to its change ability, but also the fact that it, is so predictable as far as the seasons go – or always has been up until recently.
So to all you climate change sceptics out there, how about it? Are you willing to finally accept that things are changing or are you all still sticking your heads into the sand?
Time to act on single use bags in England?
We are all guilty of using too many bags from the supermarkets when we do our shopping. Some reduction has been managed in England by the bags for life system – but it is only a drop in the ocean. However in Wales a charge on bags was levied last year and the first results of its effect are in – and its good news!
Supermarkets in Wales are reporting a reduction in the use of ‘single use bags’ of up to 90%.
It is six months since a minimum 5p charge per bag was introduced, Sainsbury’s saw a 90% fall, the Co-op reported 86% and Morrison’s 60%.
In 2009, shoppers in Wales took home an estimated 350m carrier bags from the major supermarkets. The new figures suggest hundreds of millions fewer single use carrier bags could be handed out this year in supermarkets alone.
Supermarkets report that the introduction of the 5p charge has gone smoothly across all stores and did not result in the ‘anarchy’ that was predicted by some. This was probably due to strong publicity in the months prior to the change, but with the holiday season approaching and lots of English visiting is it not a good opportunity to educate us English as well?
Tesco in England reports that since 2006 it has reduced bag use by over 50% through clubcard loyalty incentives for customers bringing their own carriers – not a bad result. But in Wales this has risen to over 90% with the levy. This just goes to show that sometimes a big stick is required to get people to act!
So how about it? Time to act?
It’s Earth Hour tonight
Tonight across the world lights will be turned off – only for an hour, but with a reason.
Launched in 2007 in Australia, initially as an energy-saving measure, the hour has spread internationally and become a symbolic event to encourage environmental action and awareness. It is a rolling hour at 8.30-9.30pm across the world on 31 March every year.
This Saturday night the program is extended into space for the first time, with the International Space Station taking part.
The Dutch astronaut André Kuipers will share photos of Earth and live commentary as landmarks from the Eiffel Tower to the Sydney Opera House switch off their lights. WWF, the event’s organisers, say this year will see record participation, with 5,411 cities and towns, and 147 countries taking part, up from 5,251 and 135 in 2011.
Organisations around the world have asked their members to take part, and Unesco has asked World Heritage sites to take part – the Acropolis in Athens, churchs and convents of Goa and Angkor in Cambodia are among those going dark. Closer to home, Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge and Big Ben will all switch off their lights.
The Office of National Statistics released data to mark Earth hour this week, showing that while Britons are using less energy they are paying more for it. Energy consumption has fallen in volume terms by 11.3% since the first Earth Hour in 2007, but household spending on it has increased 11.3% in the same period from £28.8bn to £35.6bn.
- ← Previous
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 18
- Next →
Simon Dare's Blog 