More Bucks for Bangers
21st August 2010
Million Scrap Cars Must Be Recycled Says Young Entrepreneur
A NEW social business started by 23-year old University graduate Tom Chance is raising awareness of the ‘missing million’ cars that are not properly recycled in the UK every year.
Giveacar is a budding initiative that raises money for UK registered charities by organising the donation of proceeds from the sale or scrap of old cars to charity. Tom, founder and CEO of the company, said he came up with the idea whilst working at a car yard:
“I was surprised at the number of people who had an old banger that they just wanted to get rid of as quickly as possible, often with little care for the environmental cost. I realised that if I offered a free nationwide collection service I could dispose of the cars at licensed facilities, and also generate donations for charity.”
Figures suggest that the general public is perilously unaware of the difference between licensed and unlicensed car disposal facilities. According to the DVLA, of the 2 million cars that are scrapped every year, only 50% of these are disposed of at licensed treatment facilities that de-pollute and recycle cars to high standards.
Yet the demand for environmentally friendly car disposal is likely to increase following an announcement by the government last week that they will tighten regulations on car disposal. Illegal scrap metal traders will no longer be able to by-pass environmental legislation by asking drivers to tick the ‘self-scrapping’ box in their logbook.
Chris Davies, Liberal Democrat MEP, has been campaigning for four years to improve environmental standards of car disposal, and is confident it will make a difference for above-the-board businesses like Giveacar.
He said: “Rogue scrap dealers advertising for old cars need to be put of business. They are not paying tax, they harm the environment, and they undercut legitimate vehicle dismantlers.”
If cars are not correctly de-polluted at licensed facilities, oil and brake fluids can cause significant environmental damage. Environmentalists claim that it has led to thousands of tonnes of oil and brake fluid being poured down drains, while millions of old tyres have ended up dumped on wasteland or in the countryside.
For Tom at Giveacar, it has been an uphill struggle to convince the public of the importance of recycling their car. Some local councils have woken up to car recycling and Keep Britain Tidy has partnered with Giveacar to also encourage the public to scrap their cars responsibly.
“At Giveacar we have always worked through Authorised Treatment Facilities that de-pollute cars and have a minimum recycling target of 85% of the weight of the car,” said Tom.
“We hope that people start to realise that if you just call up the number of a scrap dealer you saw on a lamppost your old car will most likely be cherry-picked for parts and dumped. Cars have an environmental cost not only on-road, but also off-road, and we need to be aware of it.”
- To donate your scrap car to charity through Giveacar, visit www.giveacar.co.uk or call the Giveacar Team on 0200 0011 1664.
- Giveacar is a social enterprise that organises the donation of cars to charity. The service is based in London, yet operates nationwide to collect scrap vehicles.
Cool Bananas!
Grow your virtual Cool Tree and you’ll be doing something extraordinary in the Amazon
Cool Tree is an application laden with beautiful graphics and fun features, bringing the atmosphere of the jungle
to your phone, where you plant a rainforest sapling and nurture it into a tropical tree. Your purchase protects a
real endangered rainforest tree in Peru which is geo-located for you to view on Google maps as part of this
application. Neglect your virtual tree and you risk losing it to loggers and bulldozers but a real rainforest tree is
now protected from this fate through the Cool Tree App.
Trees saved are all located in the Ashaninka region of the Peruvian Amazon where the community of Cutivireni work in
partnership with the charity Cool Earth to save their rainforest from logging.
Jemma Woodman, Cool Earth; “The Cool Tree app puts rainforest protection at the finger tips of mobile phone users. If you’re
going to download a game for your phone, then why not choose one that’s going to be doing something extraordinary whilst you
idle away a few happy minutes.”
The UK iPhone developer Sync Studios, in collaboration with the charity Cool Earth.
The App costs £1.79/$2.99, with £1/$1.57 donated to the charity Cool Earth.
There are 3 different types of species to choose from. Take good care of your tree and unlock the next levels. You start with the
Cocoa Tree, but progress to the more challenging Murumuru and Capirona trees. The App also has fascinating rainforest facts.
As your virtual tree grows, your real one is always available to visit through your phone.
Share your tree with everyone you know and compete against each other. Change the environment for better together.
After registration you will get your own certificate with your donation
number and information of your sponsored tree that you have saved
in the Amazon. The exact location can then be viewed by satellite.
Deforestation accounts for 17% of global CO2 emissions.
By protecting just one tropical tree you can prevent up to 25
tonnes of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere.
Cool Earth
Flatscreen Family Failure
4th August 2010
‘Flatscreen Family’ spends more powering its tellies than on a TV licence
There is a new breed of family, who spend more on running their home gadgets than on their annual TV licence.
E.ON, one of the UK’s leading energy suppliers, has calculated how much the ‘Flatscreen Family’ spends powering its digital radio and TVs, from the 42" Plasma in the living room with the Sky box and Blu Ray DVD Player, to the second and third sets in the kitchen and children’s bedroom.
In the wake of the reprieve of BBC 6Music and the switch-off of analogue TV this summer, E.ON has found that the ‘‘Flatscreen Family’ is spending more to power their at-home entertainment annually than they do on their TV license.
With the average annual electricity bill amounting to £4361, the ‘Flatscreen Family’ is spending 37% of this just running their entertainment set-up.
Annual electricity costs of running2:
- · 42” Plasma TV £107.82*
- · SKYbox £17.23
- · Digital Radio £0.42
- · Blu Ray DVD player £0.80
- · 26” LCD (kitchen) £18.17*
- · 26” LCD (bedroom) £18.17*
Total - £162.61
Annual cost of a TV licence - £145.50
Kevin Bryant, Energy Efficiency Manager at E.ON, said: “We want consumers to enjoy their entertainment systems at home but our customers tell us they have no real idea of the running costs from an electricity point of view.
“Breaking down costs helps consumers better understand their bill and manage consumption. Of course, there are some easy steps to keep costs and energy usage to a minimum, so all the family can watch their favourite programmes - without sending their electricity bill rocketing.”
E.ON has issued its top energy tips for the ‘several screen family’:
- 1. Get the most out of your TV and Blu Ray DVD player by dimming the lights – or turning them off altogether. You’ll benefit from enhanced picture quality and you’ll feel like you’re having a night at the movies, for a fraction of the cost!
- 2. Rather than you and friends having separate movie/gaming nights, get together to enjoy the experience – more fun and saves energy;
- 3. Switch your devices off! Turn them off when they’re not in use and you could save around £33³ a year on your bill;
- 4. Thinking of buying a new TV? Opt for LED rather than LCD or plasma, as this technology uses less energy - and they tend to be slimmer;
- 5. If you fancy listening to music, switch on your digital radio rather than your Sky box, as it uses less energy. Don’t have them running at the same time!
- 6. Sign up to E.ON’s Energy Fit Starter Pack and get a free monitor which tells you exactly how much each of your appliances is costing.
E.ON’s Energy Fit Starter Pack includes the latest energy monitor (worth around £45) which allows people to view their electricity use instantly, as well as to track how much they’re spending daily and monthly. In addition, the pack comes with exclusive software for use with home PCs or laptops that allows users to track their energy fitness progress over hours, days and weeks.
Visit www.eonenergyfit.com for more information and to find out how energy efficient your own property is.
Beyond the Pale
21st June 2010
BP CEO Tony Hayward has faced fresh criticism for taking time off to go sailing with his son instead of dealing with the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
The White House said the move was one of a "long line of PR gaffes and mistakes" by Mr Hayward.
Environmental groups said the Isle of Wight outing was "insulting" to those affected by the environmental disaster.
BP defended Mr Hayward, saying it was his first day off since the spill began after a deadly rig blast on 20 April.
Mr Hayward spent the day with his son at the JP Morgan Asset Management Round The Island Race, where boats race around the Isle of Wight, off the coast of southern England.
He was later spotted by photographers on his $270,000 (£182,000) Farr 52 racing yacht, "Bob", at the event.
'PR gaffe'
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said the boating incident has "just been part of a long line of PR gaffes and mistakes".
"To quote Tony Hayward, he's got his life back," added Mr Emanuel, referring to an earlier comment by Mr Hayward.
"I think we can all conclude that Tony Hayward is not going to have a second career in PR consulting," he told ABC's This Week programme, in an interview to be broadcast later on Sunday.
Greenpeace campaigner Charlie Kronick described the boating trip as "insulting... rubbing salt into the wounds" of those who had been affected by the spill.
Residents in coastal states affected by the spill also rebuked the oil executive.
"Man, that ain't right," said Bobby Pitre, 33, who runs a tattoo shop in Larose in Louisiana. "None of us can even go out fishing, and he's at the yacht races.
"I wish we could get a day off from the oil, too," Mr Pitre told AP news agency.
And 59-year old Raymond Canevari, an artist from Florida, said Mr Hayward did not "have the right to have free time at all" until the crisis was resolved.
But BP spokesman Robert Wine defended Mr Hayward's move, and said it was the first break that Mr Hayward has had since the spill began.
"He's spending a few hours with his family at the weekend," he said.
"I'm sure that everyone would understand that."
Meanwhile, BP announced that it has already paid out $104 million (£70m) to residents along the Gulf Coast for claims filed as a result of the disaster.
"Our focus has been on getting money into the hands of fishermen, shrimpers, condo owners and others who have not been able to earn income due to the spill," said Darryl Willis, from the BP claims team.
BP has agreed to put aside $20bn to compensate victims of the oil spill.
Earlier this week, the company said that Mr Hayward was handing over day-to-day management of the response to BP managing director Bob Dudley.
Thousands of barrels of oil are still leaking into the Gulf in what many are calling the worst environmental disaster in US history.
A containment cap and another device are capturing some 25,000 barrels of oil a day, but the latest estimates suggest 35,000-60,000 barrels a day are spewing out.
Garden Grabbing
13th June 2010
There have been mixed responses to this week's announcement that the Government is to act to prevent the practice of garden grabbing, under which developers have been buying up large gardens for new high density developments. The move has been welcomed by many including the RSPB and the Royal Horticultural Society.
However Shaun Spiers, CPRE Chief Executive, told Eco:
“One of the biggest yet unsung environmental successes of recent years has been the regeneration of many of our urban areas, which has also saved vast swathes of countryside from unnecessary development. Brownfield targets and density standards have been instrumental in protecting valuable countryside, preventing urban sprawl and regenerating inner cities.
To make these changes now could undermine the sustainable use of land and leave the English countryside under the threat of sprawling new development.”
“We support powers being returned to local people and many of the new Governments proposals for planning. But it is essential to have a robust national policy framework which gives a clear steer that development should be focused on brownfield land and that this should be used efficiently. By stripping out this guidance Ministers risk a policy vacuum that puts our countryside at risk.”
CONTENTS - INSIDE ECO
The Green Network
Comment Section Features: Good to be back - Comment - Page 1
Measure your ecological footprint - Comment - Page 1
The failure of democracy Comment - page 2
When less means more - Comment -page 3
Copenhagen Climate Change Conference editorial- Comment - page 4
Things they said - words of wisdom - Comment page 5
Time for a low Carb diet - Comment - page 6
Chew Magna - Britain's Greenest Village?- Comment - page 7
Time Management for Downshifters - Sally Lever- Comment - page 7
A Fresh Start for The Green Party -Comment page 8
Science Section Features
12 ways to reduce your carbon footprint -
A car that runs on air- Science - page 1
What is the Gaia Hypothesis? - Science page 2
What is a meme, and how can it save the world? - Science - page 3
The science of global warming and the greenhouse effect - Science - page 4
Beavers back in Britain - Science page 5
Record heat raises climate fears/Web 2.0 - Science section 6
Smart direction for green ideas - Science page 7
Renewable energy - Science page 8
Business Section Features
The New Man - Business page 1
Cut your fuel bill and save the planet - Business page 2
Ethical matters - A Guide to Green Investment - Business page 3
Oil and trouble - Business page 4
Green mobile phone company launched; Body Shop news - Business page 5
M&S leads the way; The Bankruptcy Boom- Business page 6
Do your food shopping and bank online- Business page 6
New Year, New Job - Business page 7
Job Vacancies - Business page 7
Green turns gold - Business - page 8
Society Section Features
Health - Society page 1
Transport - Society page 2
Education - Society page 3
Sustainable development - Society page 4
Housing and regeneration - Society page 5
Parents - Society page 6
Young people - Society page 7
Campaign news & Life Coaching- Society page 8
Recreation Features
Places to Visit - Recreation page 1
Events - Recreation page 2
Gardening - Recreation page 3
"How green are you?" quiz. Recreation page 3
Food, Gardening, and Hot Websites -Recreation page 3
Green Shopping Guide - Recreation page 4
Book Reviews - Recreation page 5
Film Reviews - Recreation page 6
Music - Recreation page 7
General Entertainment - Recreation page 8
Talk Features
Your feedback about Eco - Talk page 1
Talking point: Nuclear Power - Talk page 2
Letters archive- Talk page 3
Current Letters Talk page 4
Get it right! - More feedback - Talk page 5
A Day in the Life of a Sea Shepherd Volunteer - Talk page 6
News from the Blogosphere - Talk page 7
In the papers -Talk page 8