Jonathon Porritt, Chair of the Sustainable Development Commision, gives his views on the recent decision by BERR (Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform) not to give the go-ahead to a plan which would have seen power companies providing every home with a free device able to display electricity use in real-time.
SWOT Analysis - usually a business tool - is showing the economy could turn on new jobs created in the renewable energy and efficiency sectors.Scotland is on the brink of a green jobs revolution with 50,000 posts expected to be created in the next decade, careers experts claim.
Wind analysts, turbine technicians and heat-pump installers will all be needed to cope with the renewable energy rush, according to Careers Scotland, which has started a new campaign to raise awareness of the growing green industry.
They say the number of jobs in fields such as recycling, conservation and renewables is set to rocket in the next ten years. Already there are an estimated 80,000 jobs in the renewable fields that did not previously exist, with another 50,000 predicted over the next decade. Read more…
A Renault-Nissan alliance is likely to invest $500 million to $1 billion in developing swappable-battery electric cars.In Israel, most of its oil comes from Russia, so the country is very aware of its oil-dependency.
Research shows that two thirds of the public have a positive opinion of electric cars.1.2 million households own cars and 210,000 (over 5%) would consider purchasing an electric car.
Moshe Kaplinsky, CEO of Better Place Israel, said “We are not operating in a climate of indifference. The Israeli public is interested in what we are doing”.
A new craze has taken off - competing against the car to get the highest MPG (miles-per-gallon) possible.The aim is to maximise fuel economy against the backdrop of increasing fuel costs.
It’s said to be the automotive equivalent of skateboarding.
As a sport, it is more like golf than football - the battle is against engine inefficiency, aerodynamic drag, rolling friction through the tyres, power-to-weight ratios, and kinetic energy lost to braking.
Having started in America, this sport is spreading. As part of the American Dream, the right to drive is almost synonymous with low-cost mileage. The biggest perceived cost is the motor-car itself, a reflection of success. But a counter-cultural movement took off, aiming to double the MPG of any car, inverting the meaning of success. 
Transition Island will be at the Robin Hill Garden Show 26 & 27 April.You can find out how green is your garden?
Report from Sue Lupton, Isle of Wight County Press
Visitors to the show are invited to visit a straw-bale house to learn from the experts how they can make their homes and gardens greener.
Dave and Vav Simon, of Aldermoor Earthworks, and a team of environmentally minded volunteers are creating a demonstration that is designed to inspire people to try green techniques at home.
Aldermoor Earthworks runs weekend workshops on country skills, ecological issues and green topics. Dave and Vav active campaigners on ecological issues and leading lights in Transition Island, a group that encourages people to take action on problems like climate change
Dave said: “In the past two years, show has been mainly about flowers and the organisers approached us because they wanted to extend it by encouraging people to ask `How green is my garden?’
“They invited us to do something about energy efficiency in the house and garden. What we want to do is to demonstrate how you can build a shed or lean-to with straw bales. You can collect water off it in water butts - that is called rain water harvesting. You can use the harvested water in the garden or to flush the toilet.
“We will also show how you can use water from the kitchen sink for watering the garden. People think that detergents will be a problem but plants are survivors, used to filtering out impurities.
“We wanted to demonstrate principles that might get people thinking, so they go home and try out some of the systems.
“This project fits in with the whole Eco-Island movement, which also ties in with what Transition Island is trying to do. Climate change is a long-term problem, while peak oil (the rising price of oil) is likely to affect us all in a matter of years. We believe there is a lot people can do themselves, but the problem is we are all addicted to the easy life. It is not easy to do without modern conveniences.
“We want people to understand these issues and apply them to their own homes and gardens. It is about getting people talking and thinking and doing, rather than waiting for the government to take the initiative.”
This article was written by Jonathan Porritt
“I sometimes wonder if BERR is a Department with a death wish - the death in question being its reputation when it comes to addressing climate change, fuel poverty, energy efficiency and other key sustainability issues. There’s some kind of fundamental perversity in the way it sets about dealing with these issues that it is almost impossible to account for. Even in the small things - like smart meters and real time displays (RTDs).
In both Energy White Paper and in its Climate Change Programme Report to Parliament, the Government unambiguously pledged that it would mandate all energy supply companies to provide RTDs for electricity to any customer who asked for one. The policy was expected to result in around 2.5 million customers asking for an RTD, at a cost of around £37 million. Available evidence suggests that energy savings of between 5% to 15% could be achieved by customers who acquire an RTD, especially as these are likely to be the most energy-conscious consumers.
Indeed, the Climate Change Programme confidently identified savings of 0.2 MtC to come from “improved billing and metering by 2010″. But there’s no other policy in place to achieve this apart from the “free RTD on request” policy.
All clear so far. But this is where it starts to go wrong. (more…)
Driving less miles, converting to smaller cars, and using more public transport - they are going in the right direction!
Having delayed on the Kyoto Agreement for so many years, the USA is now driving in a different direction.
Americans cut back on their driving for the first time in more than 20 years, according to the U.S. Federal Highway Administration. Total travel fell 0.4 percent to 3.00 trillion miles from 3.01 trillion miles in 2006.
That might not seem much, but subway and public bus use is at the highest level in more than 50 years.
The first hydrogen-powered plane has been successfully tested by a pilot.The small, propeller-driven craft, made three short flights in Spain. It was powered by hydrogen fuel cells, which produce only heat and water as exhaust products.
Although hydrogen-powered planes had been flown before, they have been remote-controlled. This is the first with a human payload - a safety statement as well as a venture into exploring its handling.
These advances could lead to a new generation of greener aircraft.
The House of Commons All Party Small Shops Group estimates that there will be no independent shops by 2015.This equates to the closure of over 50,000 small businesses and a massive knock-on effect for other small businesses in the local community.
The Federation of Small Businesses is campaigning on Keeping Trade Local.
A major airline, American Airlines, is criticised for flying an aircraft across the Atlantic with only five passengers on board.Recently, a Boeing 777 used 22,000 gallons of fuel flying from Chicago to London and produced 43 tons of CO2 in doing so.
This nearly empty flight is estimated as having cost American Airline about £30,000. That fuel could have taken a Ford Mondeo around the world five times.
Guardian: Environment Sustainable Development
Loading ...
