iblog

Caroline: A few years ago I registered with the Mailing Preference Service in an attempt to stop the deluge of junk mail plopping on to my doormat each day. Although it took several months for the effect to be felt it eventually seemed to work. However, in the last year or so we seem to have been receiving a lot of unaddressed junk mail - To the Occupier or To the Householder etc. It seems that there is a separate means of stopping this sort of junk mail which involves e-mailing optout@royalmail.com. Apart from being throughly irritating, junk mail is contributing to global warming. About 78,000 tons end up in landfill sites each year producing vast amounts of methane. According to a recent newspaper article, for each ton produced, 17 trees, 7000 gallons of water and 390 gallons of oil are used so although the majority of junk mail is recycled it would be far greener if it were not produced in the first place.

Anna: North Sea cod are in crisis. And I don’t mean they are having trouble with their identity, rather that stocks of cod are so low that this tea-time favourite is in real danger of disappearing from our tables for good. Since the 1980s over-fishing has drastically reduced the cod population, to the point where the species is, basically, in danger of total collapse.

Surely we have all known about this for years? As a veggie myself, I can’t really do much damage to fish stocks, but I do encourage my other half to opt for less endangered types of fish than cod. But what about the economic consequences of a cod boycott (a boycod, let’s call it) for fishermen? Well, it’s simple really - we need to develop a taste for all the other species. There are, very simply, plenty more fish in the sea so there’s no reason why we need stop supporting UK fishermen just because we no longer want to eat cod.

If you want to sample some sustainable seafood, I suggest you check out the Marine Conservation Society’s FishOnline website. Here you can search by species, to check on which fish need some quality time to recuperate and which types you can feast on without ruining your green credentials. There’s even a fish purchasing guide telling you in which months to buy your fish, whether it’s salmon, plaice or Chilean seabass. Greenpeace is also campaigning for marine reserves to be created from what are currently areas of degraded sea. These would be like national parks at sea, where ocean-dwelling creatures would receive the same protection from commercial exploitation as land animals do in protected onshore reserves.

Caroline: “Call a place paradise and kiss it goodbye” These were the words of the native Hawaiian teacher who narrated Channel 5’s Natural World programme and how right he is. The programme looked at the environmental impact of the 7 million tourists per year and provided real food for thought. It was bad enough seeing thoughtless tourists treading on the reef and learning that one species of seal is facing extinction because of the destruction of its natural habitat but how much more distressing it was to see dolphins playing with plastic bags which could easily kill them and seeing albatross chicks who had died because rather than filling their stomachs with the food necessary for them to reach maturity, they were consuming plastic of all shapes and sizes including toothbrushes, printer cartridges, toys, balls and cigarette lighters. Their parents mistakenly think that anything floating in the ocean is edible and unwittingly kill their young. Over the years the simple values such as respect for the environment have disappeared and man needs to have a serious rethink about his attutudes and behaviour. Let us hope that programmes like this provide the necessary impetus and that it is not too late.

Anna: Following Alex’s post about the trendy but far from green statement bag that’s recently gone on sale, I was inspired to do a bit of research into global plastic bag trends. I agree with Alex totally that these gimmicky bag for life offerings do nothing to curb our use of the nasty plastic. In fact, daaahling, surely you should double-wrap those groceries to avoid any nasty spills onto the pristine cotton of your carrier??

So I read about anti-polythene laws in India, punitive measures in South Africa to discourage use of flimsy plastic bags and so on. Then I came to an article from 2002 about the introduction of a tax on plastic shopping bags in the Republic of Ireland. Oh yes, I thought, I remember that - presumably a bit of a failure since we’ve never heard much about it since? But no, far from it!! The 15% tax has cut use of plastic bags in Eire by a whopping 90%. So why are we so slow in catching on here in the UK? Here’s a perfect opportunity to reduce plastic waste and raise millions of quid in revenue, which could perhaps go towards environmental projects or fund public awareness campaigns and research. Never mind all this arseing around with “green Clubcard points”, let’s just ditch the evil placcy bags once and for all. There is a plethora of alternatives - cotton (the friendly, fair-trade kind) or jute bags, rucksacks, paper sacks to name but a few. Personally, I think we should all go back to using baskets - easier to carry stuff in, non-squishy and a creator or “personal space” on the Tube - result!

Check out E-Petitions and search for “plastic bags”. You’ll find a number of petitions urging the government to reduce the use of, tax or ban plastic bags - sign up and help make the issue more widely known!

Alex: The stupidity of standing outside a branch of Sainsburys to waiting for a supposedly environmentally sound bag is shown as being even more stupid than it is already. Not only does the bag not use conventional cotton, a material that causes large scale environmental damage in its production, but also they were more than likely made under conditions where workers are denied access to their basic rights, including the right to unionise, and are paid very little. The idea that any person will use their designer bag to carry actual shopping is almost as stupid as all these stupidities put together. Rather they will more likely just use the bag as well as plastic ones, thus defeating the object. If you didn’t manage to get hold of one, don’t worry. You can pay some tout a huge steaming wad of cash on Ebay and the charities will never see a penny.

This does not compare to the disgust I feel that May 1st, International Workers Day, is now associated only with going out to shops to buy clothing lines endorsed by dangerously thin, cocaine stuffed, Doherty-dating super-models. The range is basically precisely the same tat regularly sold at Topshop, but with an inflated price tag. Sigh.

Rushda: Mount Etna, Europe’s highest and most active volcano, has erupted on the southern Italian island of Sicily. Many are coming from all over the world to see it, especially as there is very little danger posed by it. Despite temperatures of the lava being around 1000 degrees celsius, Etna has been named “the good giant” by locals. Eruptions can be enjoyed without fear, as they have been known to kill very few people. This is because the lava is slow and viscous, and usually moves in the right direction away from inhabitants. Violent eruptions of Etna happen every ten years, and each time people can come and see (from a safe distance of course) their familiar mountain become a dazzling display of firey light.

Caroline: A popular way of atoning for one’s carbon sins is to contribute to schemes like planting trees to offset the damage done by flying off on exotic holidays. Easy Jet has, however, delayed the launch of its carbon offsetting scheme because of worries over cost. They have been shocked by the percentage taken by the middleman, a whopping 25 to 30% according to their communications director. Instead they are buying and selling carbon credits backed by the UN. Leaving the question of expensive middlemen aside, there have been concerns voiced recently about the efficacy of tree planting. Scientists have warned that if trees are planted outside the tropics they would trap heat and absorb carbon, so contributing to global warming.

Anna: The World Bank this week agreed a huge package of loans and guarantees, worth $360 million, which gives the go-ahead for Uganda’s Bujagali Hydropower Project. The plant should be operational by 2011, provided construction work goes to plan. It’s a project which has stalled in the past due to lack of funding, and will provide Uganda with a much-needed energy boost - currently there is a huge shortfall.

So, a green energy solution in a developing country - surely a good thing? Well, the trouble is that the Bujagali plant will be sited on the River Nile, upstream of Bujagali Falls. As well as changing the nature of the river, something which concerns environmentalists, the dam will effectively put an end to the river-based actvities which have sprung up in recent years. White water rafting and wild water canoeing are incredibly popular, and the sleepy town of Jinja, close to Bujagali Falls, has experienced something of an economic renaissance as a result. The tourist dollar is crucial to Uganda’s development, and consequently for continued peace and stability. It would be a shame to solve one problem by creating another.

Anna: The Green Room is a BBC project, a series of fascinating opinion pieces from a range of leading academics, advisers and specialists. The common theme is the environment, as you might have guessed from the name. The latest offering is an interesting comment on the challenges we face to innovate and adapt in the face of continuing climatic change and environmental disruption. It’s written by the Government’s chief scientific adviser, Sir David King.

I won’t attempt to summarise the article itself here, you’ll have to read it yourself!! But it’s interesting to note that King ends with a rallying cry to young people, urging them to “consider a future in scientific discovery; or in engineering to bring innovative technologies to real world application.” He adds that “there has never been a greater need for inquisitive and determined young minds to develop the solutions needed for the 21st Century.” I don’t know about you, but when I think about the chav-tastic state of the nation, I’m not filled with hope for the future…

Rushda: Sheryl Crow, the once popular singer who no one really hears much about nowadays, is doing her bit for the environment by campaigning for a ban on toilet paper. She has suggested “only one square per restroom visit, except, of course, on those pesky occasions where two to three could be required”. I think this is crazy. I’m all for helping the environment but this is really going too far. You can’t start going economical to such an extreme about basic important hygeine issues. What’s next, use your hands? Not to be crude but I really pity her partner for what he has to deal with.