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Is it conscientious for the UK to continue to import Botswana’s beef?

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Image via Wikipedia I spend a lot of time online and come across many great articles on lots of different topics. Of course, when writing your own blog one is always on the look out for excellent material share. I recently came across a networking site for businesses in the UK and what's great about the net is that serendipity means you can discover the most interesting things in the most unlikely of place. So it was that whilst browsing the forums on http://www.4networking.biz/ I came across this article... "Hi.... I will say here upfront, that I am a trustee of a charity called LION AID. The African Lion is facing extinction in the wild. We have lost 90% of the world's lions in the past 50 years. From over 200,000 in the 1960's, the population is now down to under 20,000. So for all of you who don't know the choices we are making when we eat cheap beef in our chain restaurants and carveries, read on....... Apart from South Africa , the UK is the b

Camden Council is hosting it's second Green Summit in Jan 2011

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Image by iknow-uk via Flickr Date:   2/12/10 After the success of the first green summit in July 2010, Camden Council is hosting a second event in January 2011. Residents, organisations and community groups are invited to the second Camden green summit to hear about the Council’s new draft plan for a greener, sustainable Camden (2011-2020). Over 100 people came together to share ideas for a greener Camden at the first summit, and due to demand, places at the second event on 29 January 2011 can be booked from 1 December 2010. The second event will also allow participants to contribute to the Camden transport strategy together with stalls providing information about Camden’s green services, and others run by groups and organisations including Fairtrade . Attendees will be able to hear about the progress being made by the twenty seven community groups allocated funding from the Camden communities green fund. The projects being delivered by the funded groups foc

Scotland dreams of 100% renewable energy sources

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Image via Wikipedia Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond has claimed that the country will be able to produce "at least 100 per cent" of its electricity through green initiatives by 2025. This is certainly a tall order but Scotland has the geography and natural resources to achieve this. The question is, is the will do so there? Cynics would say that Alex Salmond is making a political gesture and that the cost of such a move would be too much. However, no-one has yet come up with the figures to show how it might be possible or, indeed, how it might prove too expensive. The Scottish Parliament has a target to generate 80% of its energy needs by 2020 from renewable sources so they are certainly serious about green energy . Let's hope they not only make the 2020 target but also the 2025 one. If they do, they could well be net exporters of energy around the time oil and gas start to seriously decline. Related articles by Zemanta Northern Ireland, Scotland, G

Botanists find many more plant species

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Last year UK botanists identified nearly than 300 new species of plants in over 100 countries around the world. The botanists were researchers from the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. Now for the bad news... more than a third are under threat of extinction, according to the scientists. "These new discoveries highlight the fact that there is so much of the plant world yet to be discovered and documented," said Stephen Hopper , director of the Royal Botanical Gardens , Kew. "Without knowing what's out there and where it occurs, we have no scientific basis for effective conservation." Amongst the new finds was a previously unknown giant of Cameroon 's rainforest, stretching more than 42m (138ft) into the canopy of the Korup National Park . The Berlinia korupensis pods explode, spreading seeds over a wide area The Berlinia korupensis - a member of the pea family - has a one-metre-wide buttressed trunk, and produces white flowers th

Electric Ford Focus to use liquid cooled battery

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Image by Kevin Krejci via Flickr When a company the size of Ford starts taking an interest in electric cars then it means that the idea of electric cars has become mainstream. The Ford Focus is one of the most popular small family cars on the market. Since its introduction in 1998, almost 10 million have been sold worldwide. Thus year will see the third generation of the model. However, the electric version was demonstrated in 2008 and Ford plans to have it launched later this year in the USA . It will launch in Europe in 2012. Like other electric cars this will have a lithium-ion battery - though with a difference. Ford have announced that it will be liquid cooled battery and its hoped this will increase battery life and increase the range the car can travel before requiring recharging. Another innovation is that when the battery is being recharged, the battery will be brought to an optimal temperature before recharging starts. This is meant to maximise the performance of

Norwegian Company develops solar cell film that could turn wndows into solar panels!

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Image via Wikipedia EnSol AS is situated in Bergen and together with he University of Leicester ( UK ) it is developing a thin film deposition system with nanocrystal source which will hopefully help it turn its patented nanotechnology into a working product. Their aim is to refine their PV cell technology so that it can achieve a cell efficiency of 20% or greater. If they succeed, this will be a significant leap forward in PV technology and could revolutionise the industry . Claiming cost effective production via standard “spray on” magnetron techniques, it claims that this technology can realistically compete with existing established PV cell technology, a claim that isn't that far-fetched. EnSol is aiming to construct a world class thin film deposition facility in Norway , based on experience gained working in collaboration with the Condensed Matter Physics group at the  University of Leicester (UK) . Related articles by Zemanta Spray-on film turns gl

China now the biggest consumer of energy in the World

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Image via Wikipedia According to the respected International Energy Agency , China 's use of coal , oil , wind and other sources of power more than doubled in the past decade to reach the equivalent of 2.26bn tonnes of oil in 2009, creeping past the US total of 2.17bn tonnes. This fact is no doubt linked to China's economic growth of almost 9% in GDP last year. Its also the reason why its carbon emissions is growing by around the same amount, at a time when most other nations was static or falling. As to what's driving China's energy use up, well its the same thing that drove up that of the US, UK , Japan and Germany etc. Consumption. More cars, more air conditioning , more electronic consumer products (TV's, Hi-Fi, computers and the like). China's population has a long way to go in order to catch up to the lifestyles that we have enjoyed in the West for so long, but with 1.3 Billion people aiming for the same standard of living , its a worrying tho

Summertime Blues!

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Image via Wikipedia Here in the South-east of England we are experiencing some unusually hot weather with temperatures today (Friday 9th July) reaching 32 Degrees Centigrade! Now, I personally find this level of heat too much, though my wife loves it. She did grow up in Africa , lived in Singapore and Israel for many years so I guess she is used to it! So, when it get this hot I find myself having to do something I try not to... use more energy , in an effort to keep cool. So, out comes the fan in my office, on goes the fan in the kitchen to keep the dog and me cool and I tend to drive with the car windows fully open. We do have Air Conditioning in the car but I think I am correct in saying that using that is even less green than driving with the windows open. We do, I have to confess, use the Air-Con on long journeys (such as holidays) because driving at motorway speeds with the windows open is less fuel-efficient. So, as the temperature climbs I find myself getting the s

Green Thing - SEVEN THINGS YOU CAN DO TO LEAD A GREENER LIFE

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Green Thing is a public service that inspires people to lead a greener life. With the help of brilliant videos and inspiring stories from creative people and community members around the world, Green Thing focuses on seven things you can do - and enjoy doing. Join people from 205 countries doing their green things and making a difference. Why check it out and sign up now at  http://www.dothegreenthing.com Related articles by Zemanta The first Green Airline in Africa:Ethiopian Airlines Flying Greener! (flightafrica.blogspot.com) GreenHomeImprovement.com - Making The World Go Green (killerstartups.com) Families Living and Loving Green Alternative Life Styles (treehugger.com) Green and Greener (fakeplasticsouks.blogspot.com)

Solar panel loans to help homeowners invest in green energy

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Image by now picnic via Flickr The British Government is proposing to offer loans so householders can install solar panels. This is not a new idea, as in the US so companies and local authorities have already started doing this. The cost of installing solar panels on a typical house in the UK costs @ £12,000. This is more than many families can afford in the current economic climate. The loans will repaid with the savings householders make from the electricity they generate . The model relies on the recently announced ‘feed-in tariff’ that will give householders an income from feeding surplus electricity into the National Grid . This could amount to hundreds of pounds a year. The tariff pays up to 36p per kW/hr of electricity generated form not only solar panels but also wind turbines , hydro power or anaerobic digestion. This is paid even if the electricity generated by these means is not fed into the National Grid but used instead by the householder. Any that is fed back i

Copenhagen was irrelevant!

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Image via Wikipedia The sideshow that was Copenhagen lived up to expectations (or lack of them) and showed how irrelevant in fact it was. Why do I say this... well, for one thing it was unrealistic to expect so many nations and powerful interest groups to work together in perfect harmony (we would all love the song to be true, I know...). Secondly, whenever you get politicians involved, especially so-called 'world leaders' its never going to be anything but a sideshow, full of posturing for the domestic audience. Add to the mix the diverse but ultimately divergent groups of NGO 's, energy companies, scientists of every persuasion, journalists, individual campaigners and a host of others all fighting to gain their 15 minutes of fame and failure to achieve anything of substance was all we could realistically expect. Here's a thought... was more carbon created by the whole thing than will be saved by anything that directly and solely came out of it? I personally woul

Countdown to UN Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen

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The UN Climate Change Summit is 26 days away. Greenpeace has an online petition for everyone to sign. You can sign the petition at http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/climate-change/take_action/leaders-go-to-copenhagen-climate-summit?0 The world needs to change from its addiction to coal and other fossil fuels , preserve forests and agree sustainable targets on reducing carbon emissions . Sign the petition and help persuade world leaders to make real progress, before its too late. Powered by ScribeFire . Related articles by Zemanta Agency Says Emissions Pact Would Ease Fossil-Fuel Use (nytimes.com) Carbon budgets are 'fair' says Lord Smith (telegraph.co.uk) The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Is Hurting U.S. Competitiveness (blogs.harvardbusiness.org) Fast-Track Plans For Nuclear Power Stations (news.sky.com) Plenary 1 (Part 2) (slideshare.net) Senate Global Warming Bill Is Seeking to Cushion the Impact on Industry (nytimes.com) Burning The Future: C

GreenFuel Technologies Closing Down

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Greentech Media: GreenFuel Technologies Closing Down The Harvard - MIT algae company winds down after spending millions and experiencing delays, technical difficulties. GreenFuel Technologies, one of the earliest, best funded and most publicized algae companies, is shutting its doors, a victim of the credit crunch . "We are closing doors. We are a victim of the economy," said Duncan McIntyre at Polaris Venture Partners , which invested in Greenfuel. Although it has raised millions of dollars and landed a high-profile deal with Auranta in Spain to erect test facilities, it could not get money to complete the project. In January, it laid off 19 people, or half of the staff. Powered by ScribeFire . Related articles by Zemanta Pervasis Therapeutics Secures $10M in New Financing (xconomy.com) Polaris to Open Dog Patch Labs Incubator in Cambridge (xconomy.com) 1366 Technologies launches solar cell with record efficiencies (green.venturebeat.com) Four Boston Sta

Recycle your old computers and help save the planet!

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Image by themactep via Flickr Computers are everywhere, or so it seems! However, what happens to them when they are no longer wanted? Unfortunately, far too many end up being thrown away even when they have some useful life left in them. So, what are the alternatives? 1. Recycle them properly - new EU legislation requires computers and other electronic equipment to be recycled rather than going to landfill. See  http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/weee/index_en.htm for more detailed info. Currently, despite the legislation,    only one third of electrical and electronic waste in the European Union is reported as appropriately treated and the other two thirds are going to landfills and potentially to sub-standard treatment sites in or outside the European Union. 2. Re-purpose your old pc - even old computers can find a useful second life as a file server , NAS or even media server (for all your iTunes libraries). You can find cheap (even free) options on the web. Check ou

Japan heading for no-waste society

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Japan is aiming for zero-waste with one town, Kamikatsu , already banning waste bins. The Chritsian Science Monitor web-site has an article " Japan as ground zero for no-waste lifestyle". The article features this pioneering Japanese town and highlights its efforts to profoundly reduce their environmental impact. Its not alone either, with Japan as a whole becoming almost obsessed with reducing waste, maximizing recycling and generating renewable energy . Supported by the government , towns like Kamikatsu are showing the way forward to the rest of the world. Read more here: http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1216/p01s04-woap.html Powered by ScribeFire . Related articles by Zemanta 12 Junk Drawer Gadget Projects from Planet Green (momblognetwork.com) A Challenge For Toronto: Go Zero Waste (treehugger.com) Tracking Your Trash Electronically (takepart.com)