Local food. For local people.

Part 2 of Treehugger's brief guide to the hidden impact of food.

Technorati tag: Food

Green shoots

Tony Blair has unveiled plans for sustainable development. They include an interesting, if low impact, call to make overseas governmental trips carbon neutral. This would involve investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency projects to offset air travel. An interesting idea, but it would be cool if they could extend it to cover all air travel, not just that for bigwigs.

There's also going to be a "national task force on sustainable public procurement". Will this apply to PFI builds as well? Probably not, which is a shame because if they could look beyond short term gain a bit of investment in energy saving (and on-site generating through solar, wind etc.) could save millions over the lifetime of a major development such as a hospital.

Technorati tag: EcoHouse

Think Global, Eat Local

Treehugger is investigating the hidden costs of food. Part 1- is organic food any better if loads of fuel is wasted to get it to the shops? Most of Casa Spinneyhead's veg now comes from Northern Harvest. I know that even if I don't buy the organic box, the food is local and has done the minimum damage getting to my door.

Technorati tag: Food

Sponge

Sponge sounds interesting, and, importantly, is UK based. I don't have a lot of time to digest the site right now, so here's the group's own description of itself-

Sponge is a network of open-minded individuals who share a particular interest in sustainable development. These individuals generally work in, or are associated with the development of our built environment; from bricks and mortar through design, engineering and planning to communities and regeneration.

Sponge provides a focus for fresh ideas in building; demonstrating how sustainable development can improve the quality of our built and natural environment.

Sponge works with existing groups who also have an interest in sustainability and individuals who wish to be kept informed. The group is aimed at young professionals and participation is open and encouraged to all.

Sponge was launched in 1999 and continues to grow at a healthy and sustainable rate....!

via Treehugger

Technorati tag: Groups

Waste Not,....

A study by npower shows the amount of money the average Mancunian wastes. For the city as a whole it totals nearly £21m in energy bills and more in credit and shopping. I should get all these numbers and use them to back up my arguments in teh How to Save the World for Free proposal.

Technorati tag: Energy

Truth in Advertising

The Soil Association has to reword some advertising leaflets after the ASA ruled claims that organic produce is healthier and more humane to animals couldn't be scientifically proven.

Technorati tag: Food

BlueCar

French company BatScap is offering a mini city car based upon revolutionary battery technology.

Technorati tag: Transport

Stewards

The Government is to introduce grants to encourage farmers to be less damaging. Money can be had for retaining hadgerows and stone walls, reducing pesticide use or going the whhole hog and turning organic.

Technorati tag: Farming

24hour Mulching People

New from Japan, a kitchen waste disposal system that works extremely quickly to create compost. It doesn't say whether this compost is viable for horticultural use or merely a bonus in reducing volume. The first would be excellent, but the latter's a good step forward in itself from a landfill point of view.

via Treehugger

Technorati tag: Waste

Towers of power

Carbon nanotube towers could boost the efficiency of photovoltaic cells.

via Slashdot

Technorati tag: Solar Energy

ZeroCarbonCity

100 cities worldwide have signed up to an information sharing scheme that will highlight good and bad energy practices.

Technorati tag: Global Warming

Twike

I think I want one. Very popular in Switzerland, the Twike is a combination electric/ pedal powered beastie with regenerative braking and cruise control. And it's enclosed for those Manchester days.

Technorati tag: Transport

How To Save The World For Free

A proposal for the TV series I'd like to make/ see made. This is a first draft. There's a lot more detail in the transport section than the others because that's the thing I've spent the most time thinking about. Already, I'm thinking the format needs changing a bit, so many of the subjects interlink that it could be hard to dedicate separate episodes to each. Any suggestions for areas to cover and ways to illustrate the various points are welcome.

How To Save The World For Free

Make over programmes have been popular for years. Some have been about improving the value of a home, but most are simply about the look. A recent trend is for programmes aimed at changing lifestyles- making people tidier and more efficient.. I believe it is time to go further. It is time for agrander view, a guide to living a better life and benefitting from it- How To Save The World For Free.
Everyone has heard of global warming. Most people know they should do something about it but feel powerless or that the cost is too high. The aim of this seies is to show that they can make a difference and, if they plan far enough ahead, improve their finances as well.

The Format
Ideally the series would follow the owners of a number of homes as they change their houses and lifestyles. There should be a detached property, a semi-detached and terraced: a family, a couple and a single person. The participants would specify their budgets and a time period (minimum five years) over which they wish to recoup their costs.
Each episode would cover a different aspect of the “greening”, including water, heat, power, transport and food. As well as the examples in the show ideal cases will be highlighted, such as buildings designed from the ground up for energy efficiency.

The Episodes
Transport
Possibly the most contentious area, because this requires an ongoing change. This episode would include the “2 Mile challenge”- The participants pledge to walk to anything within a set distance. Two miles is prferable, but one mile will do. To illustrate this, a large scale map centred on their property is used. With a nail banged into the position of their house a ruler is used to scribe one mile and two mile circles. Within these circles the various amenities are marked- schools, shops, pubs, bus stops etc. This can tie in to the food episode, especially if most of a household's requirements can be found within walking distance.
This episode would also do an analysis of the benefits of cycling over driving to work then going to the gym for exercise. For slightly more than the cost of gym membership a quality commuting cycle could be bought, saving time and petrol and parking costs.
Also- Safe Routes to School, bio-diesel, smaller cars (challenge the participants to see just how much stuff they really need on a journey and find the smallest space that stuff could be packed into).

Food
Looks at the hidden costs of the supermarket shop, including time, fuel etc. and long term changes. The benefits of preparing food at home can't really be judged financially, but the programme will look at some such as better control over what you consume. It will cover the pros and cons of buying organic, the time saving opportunities of delivery and benefits of shopping locally (tieing in to the 2 mile challenge).

Water
From low-flush toilets to solar heating. Also, brown water recycling and is a dishwasher more water efficient than cleaning in the sink (I'm pretty sure it's more efficient than the way I do it).

Heat
Double glazing; orientation- would it be beneficial to enlarge South facing windows and brick up a few North facing ones; solar heating and designing the house for air flow without needing air conditioning.

Power
Consumption- compare a week with filament bulbs to one with low energy lights (remind the participants that just because the lights use less power it doesn't mean they should be left on all the time.); green energy providers; Solar power; wind power.

At the end of the series the participants will total up the money thay have spent, work out the savings they are making and assess whether they will break even within their chosen time period.

Technorati tag: EcoHouse

Clever Glass

Vanadium dioxide coated glass can switch from transparent to reflective (of infra red) at a set outside temperature. Thus on a winter day it could allow all light through, for as much warming and SAD treatment as possible, whilst on a summer day it could reflect IR as soon as it reached 25C. This could lead to huge savings on air conditioning. Coupled with planned ventilation, it could do away with it all together.

Technorati tag: Glass

Harnessing the power of waves

Another report about plans to create tidal power systems. San Francisco and New York seem well placed for such stations, but the testbed has been running in the Orkneys.

Technorati tag: Tidal Power

EPRI

The Electric Power Research Institute.

via Slashdot (which has a few interesting wave power links.)

Technorati tag: Renewable Energy

Sustainablog

A quick reciprocal link to Sustainablog. I really need to get an EcoHouse specific blogroll going.

Technorati tag: Eco Blogs

Targets

The NAtional Audit Office says that the Government is well on its way to having 10% of energy produced by renewable sources by 2010, but at a cost to consumers that could be reduced if it put as much effort into reducing consumption. Of course, the best solution would be to concentrate on both. All new build houses should be required to hit energy efficiency targets and have solar tiles on their roofs.

Technorati tag: Renewable Energy

Biodiesel wars

Biodiesel is on its way to becoming a mainstream fuel in the US. However the plans for mass production are alienating some of the pioneers

Technorati tag: Biodiesel

Micro Hydro

Small villages in the Philippines are becoming electrified thanks to micro hydroelectricity systems that they have sorted out for themselves.

via Alternative Energy blog

Technorati tag: Renewable Energy