Scottish Executive thinks big

The Scottish Executive has set itself a target of cutting 2.7million tons of CO2 emissions by 2010. It's a laudable aim, but recent admissions by the Government show that you have to back those promises up with actual actions or you're going to be making embarassing apologies a few years down the line.

Technorati tag: Scotland, CO2

Mini microgeneration

The government's plans to support microgeneration sound good, but many believe them to be all hot wind and no heat exchanger.

"A large number of the 'actions' in the strategy are not actions at all, if by that we mean proposed concrete steps to deliver real policy changes," said Seb Berry, head of micro-renewables at the Renewable Energy Association.

"A large number are contingent on further research and review - eg 'DTI will undertake further research and analysis', 'DTI will investigate', and 'Defra will look carefully at'," he said.

Technorati tag: Microgeneration, Hot air

Blair talks the talk

Blair demands green 'revolution'

PM backs US-Pacific climate deal

And makes PR friendly gestures-

Green investment from PM's flight

But the figures say he hasn't walked the walk yet-

UK to miss CO2 emissions target

Technorati tag: Tony Blair, Tony Blair is a liar

Nuclear power has cost us how much?

My main reason for opposing new nuclear plants is an economic one. The CO2 savings per pound invested in energy saving measures, micro-generation and renewables will be far greater than that on more reactors. To drive the fact home comes the news that the clean up costs for the last generation of nuclear reactors is going to be far higher than estimated. This was announced as plans go ahead to privatise the division of BNFL that does the decommissioning. I'm with Amicus on that move-

"Our union is opposed to the sale of the British Nuclear Group in principle," said Amicus national officer Dougie Rooney.

"But we are also concerned that it could compromise the government's stated objectives of decommissioning civil nuclear sites in the UK at a reduced cost to the taxpayer and a reduced timescale while maintaining safety standards."

So let's not throw any more cash into the nuclear money pit, and invest in sensible solutions instead.

Technorati tag: Nuclear Power, Wasting Money

Northstowe

England is to get its first 'sustainable' new town with 10,000 homes that meet the Government's eco-standards and use micro-renewable energy. Northstowe is to built on the site of the abandoned Oakington barracks, five miles outside Cambridge.

via Sustainablog

Technorati tag: EcoHouse, Brownfield site, Community

Car Free Housing

More housing developments, particularly in city centres and on waterfrons, are finding it easier to get planning permission if their travel plan doesn't involve parking for their tenants. Consequently, more tenants are discovering they don't need a car after all.

via Velorution

Technorati tag: Urban Planning, Car

Green Weddings

There are at least two weddings for me to go to this year (unless I get really drunk and embarass myself), maybe the happy couples would like to look into some of the stuff on Hippyshopper's green weddings list.

Technorati tag: Wedding, Confetti

BRE's Environmental Assessment Method

US Green websites mention LEED a lot, it's an energy efficiciency standard to measure new builds against. I hadn't thought to find out if there was a British equivalent, until spotting a post on Enviropundit.

For over a decade, BRE's Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) has been used to assess the environmental performance of both new and existing buildings. It is regarded by the UK's construction and property sectors as the measure of best practice in environmental design and management.

BREEAM's success stems from its unique ability to cover a wide range of environmental issues within one assessment, and to present the results in a way that is widely understood by those involved in property procurement and management.

Technorati tag: EcoHouse, BREEAM, Standards

Ticketing SUVs

The Alliance Against Urban 4x4s have a bunch of "Poor Driving Choice" parking tickets available for download or purchase. I saw one of those stupid Mitsubishi half-cab pickup monstrositys being displayed in the Printworks yesterday and wanted to find a way to erect a sign saying "There are cheaper ways to prove you're an idiot." in front of it.

via Treehugger

Technorati tag: 4x4, Chelsea Tank

London's sinking

Another rising sea levels story. New York, London and many other cities could be under water by the end of the century as sea levels continue to rise because of global warming.

Technorati tag: Global warming, Sea levels

Mapping the oceans' CO2 absorption

British oceanographers will use the MV Indotrans Celebes, to measure the oceans' ability to absorb carbon dioxide, going to remote areas they would not otherwise bea ble to visit.

Technorati tag: Ocean, CO2, Carbon dioxide

Cheap Light

Powergen are funding a scheme that subsidises compact fluorescent bulbs so shops can sell them for as little as 50p each. This is a lot like my suggestion to Manchester Council that they replace all there incadescent bulbs with compact fluorescents. It seems surprising that a power company should be behind it, but it's simply that they're fulfilling their obligation to the government's Energy Efficiency Commitment. Which feels like a lot more than the Government is doing.

I was an early adopter of compact fluorescent lightbulbs. I don't think any house I've lived in for the last six or more years has been without them, and that was while they were in the £8 a bulb range. Now I think it's time to move on and try some of the LED lighting solutions mentioned in the article.

Technorati tag: Compact fluorescent lightbulb, LED

The Beach is Getting Closer

If you want to get a quick impression of the effect of rising sea levels, try this interactive map. It allows you to see what the coast will look like with sea level rises of up to 14 metres.

via Sustainability Blog

Technorati tag: Global Warming, Sea Level

How to spot the signs of global warming

The Independent thinks the increasingly early onset of Spring is a pretty good sign.

What event defines the spring for you? Maybe it's the first primrose. Primroses traditionally appear around Mothering Sunday. But last year the countrywide average date for the first primrose was 28 February. And even in these climatically challenged times, February is not many people's idea of spring.

How about frogspawn? Well, if you live in Cornwall, frogs start to feel the urge around Christmas time. By the time spring comes to the south-west, garden ponds are full of tadpoles.

Technorati tag: Global Warming, Spring

It's Not Easy Being Green

If Casa Spinneyhead had a television, we'd be watching this show- to be broadcast on BBC 2, on 28 March at 8pm.

Technorati tag: EcoHouse, Green, Television

The Green map of Britain

More of a list, really.

Lowest carbon town: Woking in Surrey

Over a period of 15 years, Woking Borough Council achieved a 77.4 per cent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions and reduced carbon-equivalent emissions by 17.23 per cent.

Technorati tag: Britain, Environment

Brown to raise the tax on soft roaders

I like the name "soft roader", it sounds so much more..... English than SUV.

The Daily Mail reports that Gordon Brown may be considering a rise in road tax for the most polluting cars to £200 a year. The new top rate will be for vehicles emitting more than 250 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre, catching all those school run monsters and a lot of luxury and sports cars.

Drivers' groups will be up in arms, of course, and it will only be a symbolic charge anyway. The fuel costs of one of these monstrosities must be huge, bound to dwarf the cost of road tax. Maybe it's time to put width or height restrictions on roads past schools (with bollards that only raise at school run time?). Or, even better, announce that every £200 raised taxing the mammoths would be spent to buy a bike for a school kid or commuter.

Update The Independent reports that road tax may also be waived for low emission vehicles.

Technorati tag: Gordon Brown, Tax, SUV

howtosavetheworldforfree.com

How to Save The World for Free has now moved to its own domain- http://www.howtosavetheworldforfree.com/. It's hosted by GreenWebHost, because I thought it would be appropriate.

The new rss feed is at http://www.howtosavetheworldforfree.com/ecoatom.xml.

For now I'm trying to get all the archives to publish, but Blogger's being a pain in the arse. The archives at Spinneyhead will stay, because they still get search engine traffic, but I'm going to stick a redirect on the front page. Dig, Digest and 2 Wheels Good will come over as they have similar themes that will sit better as subdomains of howtosavetheworldforfree.com. When everything's fully published I'll think about converting to WordPress or some other publishing tool.

Technorati tag: How to Save the World for Free

The Green House

A few environmewnt related press releases from MPs-

David Lepper, Brighton Pavilion Labour and Co-operative MP, has been told the government is reviewing the guidance it gives to local councils about conservation areas to see if it can be made more compatible with energy effciency devices and renewable energy devices.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats will put the spotlight on the Assembly Government's green credentials in their minority party debate next week.

Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Lembit Opik MP, who will open a groundbreaking new exhibition at the Centre for Alternative Technology today, has backed his colleagues in Cardiff Bay, and called on Labour to be bold where they have been timid and do more to make Wales a powerhouse of the green economy:

"The green economy can bring enormous benefits to Wales. Labour should embrace green technology, not shy away from it."

The Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Bill will reappear in the House of Commons tomorrow (Friday), after it was wrecked by filibustering Tory MPs last Friday.

Despite huge support amongst the public, environmental pressure groups and politicians this legislation, was "talked out" in its Report Stage - one of the final hurdles.

Bath's MP, Don Foster, has rearranged his diary so that he can attend the debate and vote in favour of the Bill.

Alan Whitehead, MP for Southampton Test, says that if the tactics of two maverick MPs are not curbed tomorrow, it could have disastrous consequences for the Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Bill.

The Bill which had its Report Stage and Third Reading last week with all-party support was once again subjected to the juvenile actions of two Conservative MPs, one Mr Christopher Chope, a former Southampton MP, the other the Rt Hon Eric Forth. Between them they spoke for a total of three and a half hours out of five, an attempt to deliberately delay the Bill's passage preventing progress through the Bill's remaining clauses. This tactic effectively prevents the Bill from proceeding.

Technorati tag: Parliament, Environment

MEN- "TV queen to turn city green"

Manchester council has recruited Penney Poyzer, of BBC2's No Waste Like Home, to help spread the word on their plans to make Manchester a green city.

Technorati tag: Manchester, Green City