Greenprofs » Climate Change

North Norfolk Coast Earth Day – Business Breakfast & Exhibition

Earthly Ideas — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 20:16:05 +0000

North Norfolk Coast Earth Day – Business Breakfast & Exhibition
Sustainability Exhibition | The Environment, Countryside and Renewable Technologies
www.deepdalefarm.co.uk/earthday

Business Breakfast 8am to 10am, Exhibition 10am to 4pmÂ

On Earth Day 2010, Thursday 22nd April, Deepdale Backpackers & Camping and Deepdale Farm will be hosting a whole range of eco friendly organisations for an Earth Day exhibition about the environment, including environmental technology installers, advisors, pressure groups and other related organisations.

Deepdale Backpackers and Camping at Deepdale Farm on the beautiful north Norfolk coast is an eco friendly backpackers hostel and campsite.

Whether you are looking for solar panels, wood chip boiler, LED lights, ground source heat pump, wind turbine, need some advice about how to green up your home or business, want to know more about organics or just fancy a look around Deepdale’s eco-friendly facilities, you are more than welcome.Â

It doesn’t matter if you are already interested in the environment, want to become more eco friendly or you’re a sceptic.Â

Who should visit this exhibition:Â

- Businesses looking to green up their organisation
- Companies wanting to save money on services
- Architects and builders wanting to learn about more eco friendly building materials and techniques
- Farmers looking to diversify and needing some inspiration
and of course
- Individuals who would like to make their homes and lives more energy efficient

Plans are still being confirmed, so check back soon for more information.

Programme for the day:

8am to 10am – Shaping Norfolk’s Future Sustainability Breakfast Meeting
10am to 4pm – Exhibition and talks
9am to 4pm – Scrap heap art challenge

This programme will be added to and edited.

www.deepdalefarm.co.uk/earthday

Go Green Expo Los Angeles – January 22-24

gogreenexpo — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:05:31 +0000

Sponsor is proud to sponsor Go Green Expo! One of the nation’s most invigorating & diverse eco-friendly events, Go Green Expo will be at the Los Angeles Convention Center from January 22nd to 24th, 2010. Sponsored by CBS Television, The Los Angeles Business Journal, Natural Health Magazine, Natural Home, Spirituality & Health Magazine, Mother Earth News, Kiwi Magazine, Green Lifestyles Magazine, Whole Life Times, The Sierra Club and over 25 other organizations. Go Green Expo is sure to have outstanding exposure and reach in its efforts to educate and enlighten business owners & consumers on the latest eco-friendly brands.

Jan. 22nd is the B to B day for business buyers, CEOs, press, & procurement professionals.

Jan. 23-24th is for all business professionals & all consumers & their families.

Hundreds of exhibits will encompass a wide variety of green products & services ranging from solar panels, hybrid cars, organic personal care products, eco-pet supplies, greener gadgets, eco-fashion, and home and building supplies that will help us live a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle.

Eco-Celebrity speakers, authors & thought leaders such as Ed Begley Jr., Mariel Hemingway, John Picard & Eric Corey Freed will lead informative discussions! Don’t miss Los Angeles’ ultimate eco-extravaganza! Limited booth space is still available. Contact Seth Berk at 212-655-4505 ext. 224 or sberk@gogreenexpo.com today.

Details: www.GoGreenExpo.com
Use promo code GREENPROFS for 50% off ticket price of only $10 for the entire weekend!

Clean Electricity – A Clean Energy Race Winner?

climatecleanup — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:03:20 +0000

Clean Electricity – A Clean Energy Race Winner?

Can RE

Yes, green electricity.Â Our â€œElectricity From Waterâ€ discovery is a game changer. Not only versus fossil fuels, but also versus all other renewable sources of generating electric power, sources like solar, wind, geothermal, waves, and tidal. Green Fuel-less Low-cost Constant Clean Electricity â€“ look at http://www.cleanelectricitycompany.com/

The Energy Saving Company

MrGoGreen — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:38:45 +0000

The Energy Saving Company

For small business owners (United Kingdom) looking to reduce their “Energy Use” contact Mr Go Green at www.theenergysavingco.co.uk. We have negotiated a very special package with British Gas where they will send in trained energy auditors to explain, highlight and offer solutions to (a) reducing your energy use (b) solutions to reducing yourÂ Carbon Emissions (c) how to save money.

Is it worth it? Saving Â£1:00 a day may not seem very exciting! Saving Â£365:00 a year most definately is!

This is a unique and very special offer in that British Gas only charge Â£100+vat with the proviso that if they cannot save your energy costs to a sum equal to this amount, not only will they complete your “Energy Audit” – They will refund 100% of the fee. As one client so deliciously put it! “This is a no-brainer for anyone looking to save money”. We are also recipients of a “Green Apple Award” for Environmental Awareness.

Our blog can be seen at www.theenergysavingco.co.uk/blog.

Regards! Mr Go Green.

Sustainable Development: a History of Two Words and Few Facts

Greenprofs — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:55:30 +0000

In Spanish at www.inpsicon.com/news.php?extend.206 />
www.inpsicon.com

In 1987, the United Nations Environment Programme, led by the former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland, worked examining the position of the contemporary world and demonstrated with scientific data that the global society was destroying the environment and affecting wide segments of the worldwide population by submitting them to poverty. This analysis was published in a book named â€œOur Common Futureâ€, based on the Brundtland Report conclusions. In this report, the term sustainable (or sustainable development) was used for the first time, defined as satisfying the needs of the present without compromising the generations .

The purpose of the Brundtland Report was to find practical tools for reverting the development and environmental problems. In order to achieve this, the commission destined three years to public hearings and received over 500 written comments, later on examined by scientists and politicians from 21 countries and different ideologies . As the book indicates. the work of so many people with different histories and cultures made necessary the strengthening of dialogue, which is why the result of this synergy is more than any of them would have gotten individually.

However, the concept that encloses the term Sustainable Development had been being gestated before the 1987 meeting. In fact, in June of 1972 the Declaration of The United Nations Conference at Stockholm was held, where the Human Environment and two fundamental aspects that compose it: the artificial and the native, we actively discussed. It is pertinent to highlight those conclusions that indicate the concern of the contamination index and the inequality in the necessary conditions for development. It is clear that even though the term Sustainable Development was not used until 1987, some worldwide events revealed the need to check the definition of development and construct a comprising, interdependent and equitable perspective.

The theme has been spread and debated in multiple scenes. After ten years of the United Nations Conference of 1972, in May of 1982, at Nairobi (Africa), another conference was held, whose central axis was the environment. Once again, the themes and topics that needed to be included in a new term were discussed: Sustainable Development.

The impact attained by the Brundtland Report at including this new term can be corroborated in the following United Nations Conference called the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro, 1992. While in previous conferences the general theme was based on reflections and concerns, at the Earth Summit guidelines and goals were designed in order to protect our planet.

This is how, for the first time in humanityâ€™s history, 180 countries represented at the Earth Summit joined on behalf of the Climatic Changes Treaty, to take measures that mitigate the effects that this produces, due to the increasing emissions of greenhouse gases. At present, there are 181 governments part of this treaty, who meet annually to analyze the advances and to continue looking for problemsâ€™ solutions.

At a later time, in 1997, all the countries compromised with climatic changes met in Kyoto, Japan, and established bases for the commitment of reducing emissions by 7% in the following decade, a commitment attained by the countries that met in Rio five years earlier. In 1998, the industrialized countries increased their emissions up to 10%; for example, the USA surpassed the limits over 20%.

In the same year of the Kyoto meeting, the second Earth Summit was held at the seat of the United Nations in New York. But when doing the balance between the established at the first Summit of Rio Janeiro and the achieved within the same, the result was discouraging. Although the agreements were reaffirmed, the drawn goals to stop the damage of the planet did not come true. In fact, the economic globalization had destroyed the advances obtained by RÃo’s agenda, has established an exploitative worldwide economy and has exposed the natural resources to the voracity of the market. These are some current signs of warning :

â€¢ A lot of places in North America registered their warmer seasons or days at the end of the decade of 1990.

â€¢ Since 1980, Earth has registered 19 of its hottest years, 1998 being the warmest, with 2002 and 2003 as second and third, respectively.

â€¢ In 2003, the extreme heat waves caused over 20.000 deaths in Europe and over 1.500 deaths in India.

â€¢ Mosquitoes, which carry diseases, are propagating as the climate changes allow them to survive in areas that used to be inhospitable for them. Mosquitoes that can carry the dengue virus were restricted to heights of 1.000 meters, but they have recently appeared to 2.200 meters in the Andean Mountains of Colombia. Malaria, in higher areas of Indonesia, has also been detected.

â€¢ According to NASA, the polar icecap is melting at an alarming rhythm of 9% per decade. From the decade of 1960, the thickness of the arctic ice has decreased 40%.

â€¢ The current rhythm of sea elevation is three times higher than the historic rhythm and it seems to be accelerating.

â€¢ A recent study published in the prestigious publication Nature discovered that at least 279 species of plants and animals are already answering to global warming. The geographic zones of distribution of the species has moved over to the poles to an average rhythm of 6,5 km (4 miles) per decade and their sprouts are ahead in an average of 2 days before for each decade.

â€¢ During the past 25 years, some penguin populations have lessened 33% in parts of Antartica due to reductions of the winter habitat in the marine ice.

The hidden meaning of disagreements focuses on the tackling form of the problem. That is, all participating countries agree with the existence of the current problem of models of development; but no one coincides in the forms of implementing solutions. This is because such solutions require adjusting the economic growth to the welfare of the planet like an ecosystem, something that the Western modern society has never contemplated.

Since the surging of the term Sustainable Development in 1987, its significance has focused on the environmental sustainability, generating a domino effect of Global Summits and Meetings guided towards reaffirming the need to confront the same problem: The satisfaction of human needs is not sustainable in time in the way that future generations will not count with the same resources that we currently have.

With the meetings held ever since, we can highlight the 1998 Nobel Awards from 63 countries that elaborated a Manifesto reaffirming the climatic crisis of the planet in 1997, before the signature of the Kyoto Protocol in Japan. In the same year the Rome Agreement was celebrated, focusing on the correct use of fertile lands.

At a later time, in 1998 Expo Lisbon focused on the protection of the oceans. In 2000 the Climate Summit was held in La Haye, Netherlands, concluding once again that the goals had not been reached. In 2002, in Johannesburg, South Africa, another Earth Summit with similar conclusions was held. (www.gencat.net/mediamb/revista/rev33 cast.htm )

Although it seems incredible, the fundamental axis of all the debates has concentrated on agreeing on the way how contaminant emissions should be measured to determine if the established goals for its decrease have come true. Granted, though, not always those who offer the bigger force to this debate are the countries that most contaminate the planet.

An example of this is that, recently, a documentary was released, titled An inconvenient Truth, sponsored by Al Gore, who has played an important role in the political positioning of this subject in the United States. The documentary shows the backward movement of numerous glaciers by means of photos taken for several years, as well as a study carried out by researchers of the University of Berna Physic Institute and the EPIC that shows data of the Antarctican nucleus of the ice with concentrations of carbon dioxideâ€”nowadays higher than during the past 650,000 years.

Likewise, the documentary reveals an investigation held by Dr. Naomi Oreskes (2004), which consists on a revision of 928 scientific articles related to the global climate change, published between 1993 and 2003. The investigation, published in the magazine Science, proved that each article either blamed global warming on men’s actions or did not comment about it at all.

The scientific bases that document that our planet is on a critical and unprecedented phase are ample and revealing; today more than ever the awakening of an environmental conscience is necessary, based on a Sustainable Development perspective, to reach a balanced coexistence with the ecosystems that supports our life like species.

The improvement of the environment is a commitment of companies as well as citizens. In order to initiate this stage, big sacrifices, or difficult and innovative methods, are not necessary; the solution is simpler than we thought: it is in your hands. From your home, begin with these 10 things to do recommended by An inconvenient truth. (www.climatecrisis.org/pdf/10things.pdf):

1. â€“ Change a Light

Replacing one regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb will save 150 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

2. – Drive less

Walk, ride a bike, carpool or use mass transit more often. You will save one pound of carbon dioxide for every mile you do not drive!

3. – Recycle more

You can save 2.400 pounds of carbon dioxide per year by recycling just half of your household waste.

4. – Checks your tires

Keeping your tires properly inflated can improve gas mileage by more than 3%. Every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere!

5. â€“ Use less hot water

It takes a lot of energy to heat water. Use less hot water by installing a low flow showerhead (350 pounds of CO2 saved per year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds saved per year)

6. â€“ Avoid products with a lot of packaging

You can save 1.200 pounds of carbon dioxide if you cut down your garbage by 10%.

7. â€“ Adjust your thermostat

Moving your thermostat just 2 degrees in winter and up 2 degrees in summer. You could save about 2.000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment.

8. – Plant a tree

A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.

9. â€“ Turn off electronic devices

Simply turning off your television, DVD player, stereo, and computer when you are not using them will save you thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

10. – Become part of the solution

Spread the world! Encourage your friends to see An Inconvenient Truth and send them the following PDF document: www.climatecrisis.org/pdf/10things.pdf />
REFERENCES

www.inpsicon.com

â€¢ Informe Brundtland. Available on: es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Informe_Brundtland />

â€¢ Brundtland Report: www.ace.mmu.ac.uk/eae/Sustainability/Older/Brundtland

â€¢ Convenio de Estocolmo sobre contaminantes orgÃ¡nicos persistentes. Available on: www.pops.int/documents/convtext/convtext_sp.pdf

â€¢ Cumbre para la Tierra. Available on: www.un.org/spanish/conferences/cumbre&5.htm />

â€¢ El desarrollo sostenible Â¿posibilidad de mejoramiento de la calidad de vida o utopÃa para el futuro? Available on: lunazul.ucaldas.edu.co/downloads/9d56d192Revista20_7.pdf />

â€¢ Desarrollo Sostenible. Available on: es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desarrollo_sostenible />

â€¢ Revista Science. Disponible en: www.sciencemag.org />

â€¢ La cumbre de la Tierra 2002. Available on: www.fondoin.org/documentos/getbindata.php?docid=10 />

â€¢ Johannesburgo, Â¿Y ahora que? Available on: www.gencat.net/mediamb/revista/rev33-cast.htm />

â€¢ An Inconvenient truth. Available on: www.climatecrisis.org />

â€¢ Consecuencias del Calentamiento Global. Available on:

We all contribute to global warming every day. The carbon dioxide we produce by driving our car and leaving the lights on adds up quickly. You may be surprised by how much Co2 you are emitting each year. A growing number of so-called ‘carbon footprint calculators’ or ‘carbon calculators’ have been designed by both governments and private enterprise to help you calculate your personal or business impact and learn how you can take action to reduce or even eliminate your emissions of carbon dioxide. There are currently over 150 such calculators on the web alone.

A growing number of experts are claiming that inaccurate calculation of greenhouse gas emissions in particular carbon dioxide, using so-called carbon footprint calculators is undermining the method of using carbon offsetting to combat climate change.

As a result, critics of the system say that those who rely on them may be deceiving themselves that their resulting offset purchases are having their intended effect. And nowhere is the criticism more vociferous than with those calculators that focus primarily on air travel. Carbon offset supporters maintain the system allow individuals to fight climate change without altering their behavior through compensating others to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases on their behalf.

Online travel company Expedia Inc. threw its support behind carbon offsetting on Thursday, allowing its customers to continue traveling exotic destinations with a clearer conscience. But the airlines use a different method to calculate carbon emissions, casting doubt about the credibility of current offset calculators. In June 2008 , The United Nation’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) unveiled a carbon calculator aimed at standardizing emission calculations by various airlines. However, the model can nevertheless provide misleading results, according to at least one expert, who firmly believes that producing a single number is crude.

A number of examples cited appear to confirm this:

1) If you go from Heathrow to Athens, ICAO gives 217 kilograms (kg) of CO2. That hides huge variations – fly in a full (Boeing) B767 and it’s nearer to 160 kg per person, or fly in a half-empty (Airbus) A340 and it’s more like 360 kg.”

2) A carbon calculator on the British Airways website found 314kg per person of CO2 emissions for a trip from London Heathrow to Athens, whereas a Lufthansa calculation found 260kg per person of CO2 from London Stansted.

Critics of carbon offsetting say the system creates a false impression of fighting climate change, focusing on insignificant efforts such as building wind turbines or planting trees instead of addressing the underlying problem by flying less or burning less coal. Expedia published a survey that revealed the public’s ignorance of carbon offsetting. Ten percent of the 2,000 British survey participants believed offsetting meant walking to work instead of driving, with one percent of men believing it meant properly putting out a barbeque. Just one in three understood the true meaning of the term.

How to Survive Climate Change

Greenprofs — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:02:46 +0000

Global Warming is (supposed to be) a hot issue.

Yet none of the heated debatesÂ involving “experts” have focused on the common-sense need to ensure people SURVIVE!Â Or the need to reduce social suffering!

I am sick of hearing arguments about: Is Global Warming occurring naturally, or being caused by man polluting the atmosphere with carbon? I am tired of listening to all those who are in denial – they don’t care about pollution because there’s no viable alternative, is there? I am bored by cynics who undermine the sensible suggestion that we all should “reduce our carbon footprint” by going on and on about the hypocrisy of leaders and celebrities who jet-set around the globe trying to spread the environmental message. I have no faith whatsoever inÂ our governments who want to keep selling cars, but introduce “Green taxes” (to penalise those who can least afford to pay). I haveÂ little time for the slow semi-Green band-wagonÂ who seem to think switching to low-energy light-bulbs is going to save the planet.Â Â And I am disappointedÂ with the UN who advocate paper bags for avid consumers, instead of carrier-bags (as if that isn’t going to cause more deforestation) (which most people believe is sustainable because timber companies can always plant new trees…)

Whilst these debates flow – getting nowhere, meantime, as predicted since the early 1960’s, water levels are rising, storms, flash-floods and freak weatherÂ have increased, houses which are not weather-proofÂ are being flooded… cars which are not water-tight are washed-away… and the number of people who need rescuing from slippery roof-tops, over-flowing rivers etc.,Â are rising dramatically.

The situation we are all facing – globally – because the weather affects everyone, is very worrying. Helicopters are in short supply and inadequate… There are no decent emergency shelters, we have precious little investment in flood prevention and rescue services… and governments are turning a blind eye to the fact we are totally unprepared for the well-documented dire consequences of climate change!

I’m sure, in the back of our minds, there’s the naggingÂ doubt: “What are we going to do?” But because governments are not openly admitting we are facing possible catastrophe, we keep that worry on the back-burner – adding thatÂ toÂ already dangerously high stress levels.

Well, here is some GOOD NEWS. (But if you are into heavy gambling, and fast cars, it may notÂ seem to be the right answer forÂ you).

There ISÂ a perfectÂ way forward… it will solve economic problemsÂ +Â Â enable us to cope / dealÂ with Climate Change / Global Warming… it is a solution that could potentially save mankind from (widely predicted) impending doom /Â the doomsday scenario.

YES, it is a kind of cure-all (believe it, or not). But unlike other schemes, it is not complex – it is simple to understand, and better than that, it will be FUN to implement. Why? Because it answers people’s needs /Â goals.

For example: Do people who need to be evacuated want to go into a government-controlled “emergency shelter” i.e. a draughty school, or stadium, where they will be herded into a mass-dormitory with lights on 24/7, and only allowed to go toÂ the toilet when permitted? FollowingÂ FEMA’s fiasco in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina, people who survived, are nowÂ advising other likely unfortunates toÂ avoid these “terrifying” shelters…

What is the alternative? A specially made new-style of (modern) SAFE emergency shelter, for disaster limitation… issued immediately, allowing evacuees to have privacy, safety, security – all their needs i.e. for clean drinking water, food, hygiene, warmth… catered for via handy kits- affordably, reliably… honourably i.e. tax-payers money, well-wishers money / charitable donations – well spent (not wasted on useless things such as canvas tents hand-outs to help people in floods!)

No, I am not an idiot, or a crank. I have researched this independently for over 18 years. My study is on-line – you can access it here, for FREE: http://www.the-alternative.org.uk .

There you find something IMPORTANT called: Project it. That is the blueprint / the specifications for the ESSENTIAL things we need to make now!

In Chapter 6: Energy / Alternative, you will find (more) very interesting information re: supporting vital equipmentÂ for living Off-Grid…

The full book is an 800 page non-fiction Information directory to support the campaign for Green-Living. So if you don’t understand how Green living can be viable, or worthy of investment, check “it” out!Â ALL the info. is FREE. (There’s no adverts, pop-ups, or spam).

Why am I giving away this knowledge? Because I don’t want people to suffer. I don’t people to be homeless. I don’t know how much longer this insane situationÂ is going to go on! Somebody has to do something to achieve a significant break-through. Somehow peopleÂ must find out about what the solution is…Â I’m hoping this message reaches you, and that you will help to spread the word…

My fear is that peopleÂ may not makeÂ the time to understand the information so they can begin to take it seriously. For a solution to work, it needs supporters – people who believe in it, and actively work towards implementing it.Â

Unfortunately that day is not yet on the horizon.

Mayor Cracks Down on Climate Change.

Greenprofs — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 11:10:40 +0000

Our ever lovable Lord Mayor of London, Boris Johnson has warned that climate change could threaten our cosy way of life and our capitals status as a leading world city thus he wishes to implement a strategy to cope with it, including measures such as urban greening, flood risk management and cooler buildings. Johnsons’ strategy, – apparently the first of its type for a major world city – details the ways in which to deal with global warming. Implementing ‘urban greening’ of the city – using green spaces, green roofs and tree planting to absorb and retain rainwater – and reducing water usage is necessary to adapt London to the increased risks of flooding, droughts and heat waves which are expected to be brought about by global warming.

Some other measures of the strategy include; Improving flood risk management on the Thames tributaries where properties are at significant risk of flooding. Reducing the leakage from water mains. Introducing compulsory water metering in developments where it is practical, to aid homes in becoming more water efficient. Designing new buildings and adapting old ones to minimise the need for cooling facilities.

”We need to concentrate efforts to slash carbon emissions and become more energy efficient in order to prevent dangerous climate change. But we also need to prepare for how our climate is expected to change in the future”, said Johnson.

The strategy also covered the problems London will have to deal with when facing Global warming, preparing to cope with the more frequent and extreme weather conditions and changes in the seasons, including warmer, wetter winters and hotter drier summers. Currently people can barely cope with a few days over 25C in July without it becoming a ‘heat wave’, or a couple of frosty mornings in January without general meltdown of the train service and declaration of a ‘cold snap’, however it seems we can ditch our exaggerated buzz terms and over reactions because things are going to get tougher weather wise.

”The strategy I am launching today outlines in detail the range of weather conditions facing London, which could both seriously threaten our quality of life – particularly that of the most vulnerable people – and endanger our pre-eminence as one of the world’s leading cities”, Johnson said.

It is not just London, but all major cities that are at risk, and this strategy – a legal requirement under the Greater London Authority Act – is putting London at the head of an unavoidable movement. The mayor feels that London is in a good position to take this stance on dealing with climate change, and is hopeful that it may open up ‘green’ jobs in the city.

The strategy outlines the main threats towards the city as flooding, drought and heat waves. Aprox 1.25 million people are at risk of flooding, along with almost half a million properties, 441 schools, 75 underground and DLR stations and 10 hospitals. The Thames region has lower water availability per person than Morocco, but there is larger consumption than the national average, and about 600m litres a day are lost through leaks. Alongside the water shortage, the summer’s hottest temperatures have been rising over the years.