Posts Tagged ‘Add new tag’
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Meeting Nick Rosen
Meeting Nick Rosen,
By Climate Squad intern, Liam Bolton
Tuesday was a very exciting day for me. I was due to meet the famous author Nick Rosen. He is mainly known for writing ‘How to live Off-grid’, a guide to living without mains water or electricity. Moreover, he has a new book coming out in summer called ‘Off-grid America’.
I was star-struck to say the least and dreading making a fool of myself. However, he was a really nice fella. He essentially wants me to take control of the twitter/facebook side of things and write an article on his website. I also talked to him about Climate Squad (trying to find links between living off-grid and Climate Squad’s general message). He seemed really enthusiastic about meeting the Climate Squad team and discussing further how he could be of service. We agreed that he could write a blog for us on our blog website so watch this space!
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London EcoBarbie #8 The minty ‘treat’ choc
LONDON ECO BARBIE –
Life’s not fair but at least my pants are..#8 The minty ‘treat’ choc
By Amy WhitneyHumans have chewed gum for millennia but only recently has it become the hi-tech plastic, minty ‘treat’ choc full of preservatives that it is today
Next time you consider reaching for the gum before a hot date please consider the impact of your chewing gum addiction on the environment. Chewing gum takes years to biodegrade in the environment, plus millions are spent in taxes cleaning it off our streets which could be spent on new hospitals and schools. Chewing gum is not digestible by animals and many birds have died eating the stuff!! Next to cigarette butts chewing gum is the second largest littering item in the world.
Arguably unnecessary when we have good access to toothbrushes and plus you’ll be quids in after a few weeks of quitting. 5 packs of gum a week equals £4.00 saved which could be put towards new clothes or even an extra clubbing night with friends.
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London EcoBarbie #6 Karl Lagerfeld
LONDON ECO BARBIE –
Life’s not fair but at least my pants are..#6 Karl Lagerfeld
By Amy WhitneyOne of the largest problems concerning those fighting climate change is captivating the view of key players in the world economy that have the power to make a difference. Karl Lagerfield created drama at the Chanel ‘A/W 10′ show; plunging the Grand Palais audience into freezing temperatures of the Arctic. At the heart of catwalk a polar icecap sat eight metres tall, in a pool of its own meltwater. The atmosphere echoed the chilling reality of global warming.
Karl worked with Tweed, chiffon and wool to imitate the fur outfits today’s fashionistas crave. However not a single fur had been shed in the making of this poignant collection. Other fashion houses may follow. Chanel bravely providing what consumers want with a serious fashion message.
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London EcoBarbie #5 Tate Gallery
LONDON ECO BARBIE –
Life’s not fair but at least my pants are..#5 Tate Gallery
By Amy WhitneyA desire to explore hidden areas of London led me to the Tate Gallery. Free, cultural and perfect for rainy days. The breezy space boasts a beautiful collection of classic artwork by the likes of Picasso, Matisse and Van Gogh. However what really drew my attention were the works of modern artists such as Ed Ruscha demonstrating the power of media, he portrays global warming, the Tate reaches large audiences from many nations.
Whereas consumerism and desire is experienced in the work of American artist Jeff Coons provoking the question of good and bad taste in my own consumption habits.
The pieces gave me inspiration to attempt some climate change artwork of my own, COPArt on Climate Squads website. Please take the time to pop along and visit the Tate Modern when your in London, its well worth it.
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London EcoBarbie #4 Socialising
LONDON ECO BARBIE –
Life’s not fair but at least my pants are..By Amy Whitney
Socials pose a serious problem, a diet coke fan myself I request no ice; the barman’s eyes roll.
“Climate change scepticism likely to surge in 2010 from hacked emails indicating flawed data between climate change scientists, impacts vulnerable world regions” (Common dreams 2010).
Socialising consists of Facebook stalking weekly events, we are a society governed by the screen. Our entire lives fold out over the web for everyone to see, part of me considers when power cuts arrive peoples lives far too intrinsically linked to the plug will run too in blips and waves
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London EcoBarbie #2 Students coffee is banker’s champagne
LONDON ECO BARBIE –
Life’s not fair but at least my pants are..By Amy Whitney
Another day, another carbon footprint
Students coffee is banker’s champagne. Produced in our kitchen using water tanks saves energy. Number of failures, however, costly engineers and carbon from buying new kettles render their future useless.
“Heating water accounts 10-40% total energy consumption in urban districts”
Lectures students flock to computer rooms, statistics programmes aid climate change trend prediction. Poignant at least. A reminder everywhere businesses, schools and hospitals are entirely dependent on computer systems. Three years time power cuts strike, our entire economy will collapse unless sustainable methods of sourcing energy are promoted, god knows how many nuclear power stations are required to fill the tumultuous energy deficit.
“Industry and homes predicted to face power cuts by 2012. Britain needs £200bn investment in new nuclear, gas, wind and clean coal power stations over the next decade” (Telegraph 2010).
Misprinting “Time series in deuterium” creates energy wastage. A small pile accumulating beside the printer, a lasting image. In the future I pledge to invest in recycled reams and use Swiss Cottage ink cartridge filling station.
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London EcoBarbie #1 Ethical shopping habits
LONDON ECO BARBIE –
Life’s not fair but at least my pants are..By Amy Whitney
Climate change and human environmental impact, raised at Copenhagen 2009, are the most pressing issues facing humanity. Climate change requires restructuring of societies resource distribution; in this diary I analyse my own habits. Accepting we’re not tree-hugging, bicycle-riding eco-centric warriors is the first step in rising to the challenge to cut carbon, waste and water consumption.
Today, I concentrate on ethical shopping habits. A West Hampstead trip results in charity shopping; helpful staff, cheap and fantastic quality. A fur hat, lace shirt and pashmina in the name of S/S ‘10′, entirely unnecessary but spitting images of Topshop versions. ‘I cannot believe more students aren’t onto this!!’ “Vintage fashion is a viable, attractive and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional fashion” (Vintage fashion guild 2010). Simply by researching where to shop consumption patterns can be adjusted to benefit the local community and environment.
Starbucks, simple, convenient and never disappointing yet we’re surrounded by locally run coffee houses. In todays’ society it’s all about image. However Starbucks are the largest Fair Trade coffee buyer on the planet (Fair Trade 2010), commendable in a world where many companies engage in less than ethical business practices.
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UK Aware 16th-17th April
Liam Bolton
In an age of environmental awareness and protection, it is increasingly important to showcase sustainable and ethical ways of living.
UK Aware is a ray of hope in a sea of darkness (i.e. environmental ignorance and destruction). UK Aware is essentially an exhibition dedicated to finding ideas for a greener way of living. Indeed, they are showcasing a green and ethical lifestyle exhibition at Olympia in London on the 16th and 17th of April.
There will be an area just for kids, so the whole family can get involved, as well as a green business start-up surgery if you want to start your own ethical business!
And, of course… We’ll be there! We have our own space which will be filled with our EcoInteractive exhibits and a workshop area. We’ll deliver training, host debates, run competitions and allow people to express how they’re feeling on a walking COPArt wall… plus hold a daily Global Action Plan pub quiz.
Buying a ticket through Global Action Plan costs £6 (as opposed to £10 on the website and £15 on the door). This is a fun-filled, family-friendly event with lots of activities for you to get involved in. Buy your ticket now and we look forward to seeing you there.
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#1 The Traffic of Delhi, India
“India – a LEDC (less economically developed country) with very little concern, if any at all, over the effects its development could have on the environment from increasing levels of CO2 emissions. The USA and UK, to name a few, have exploited resources for means of their own economic development whilst being ignorant of the consequence to the climate, which has become hauntingly apparent over the past decade. Perhaps we could use what we have learnt to prevent developing countries from following the same path?”
Well, this is what I thought before actually visiting India. Whilst being out there I realised that what I thought about India’s attitude towards climate change had, not really surprisingly, been moulded from what I had read about in the media and at university. Actually, it appears we have a lot to learn as Kevin McCloud also highlighted in his “Slumming It” series on Channel 4.
Arriving in Delhi was a shock, even if I spent a day trying to describe the chaos of traffic everywhere, you wouldn’t be able to understand unless you went there yourself. However, despite being so chaotic people actually got to where they wanted without much of a problem. Whilst being driven in a Rickshaw for the first time I was overwhelmed by the heat being emitted from the exhausts of large rickety looking trucks and the volume of traffic meant that you could’nt escape this man-made heat. After addressing this with some friends who actually live in Delhi, they explained that the problems with pollution in Delhi have actually led to the development of a large scale project to try and reduce it. 10 years ago a law was passed whereby all heavy weight vehicles must be fuelled with CNG (compressed natural gas). At this time there used to be thick heavy smog that sat over the city making it difficult to see a reasonable distance in front of yourself. However, since this law was passed the levels of pollution have actually dropped considerably over the 10 year period which, despite the small rise again over the past year or so, is a step in the right direction!
When you actually see the large trucks with “Propelled By Clean Fuel” and “Delhi Transport Corporation, Worlds Largest Eco-friendly CNG Bus Service”, you do wonder how such a large, battered, old looking vehicle can possibly be what it states. But it is the mindset and intentions which are just as valuable for a positive movement towards action on climate change.
In addition to CNG, Delhi is currently undergoing a massive construction project to create a huge metro network across the city. There is no doubt that this will be anywhere near complete for the Common Wealth Games in 2010 of which the structure itself leaves a lot for the imagination. The Delhi Metro network will become a large supplier of public transportation and once complete will hopefully reduce the volume of motor Rickshaws around that city that emit damaging fuel. As a result, we hope for a decline in pollution levels across the city…I guess we shall see!
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22nd JANUARY - Appetite for Action Day
As part of appetite for action day, on the 22nd January, all Climate Squad and Global Action Plan staff are pledging 1 (or for those keen of us, 6) actions to reduce the impact of our food for 1 day!
And you have the opportunity to take part too:
Possible actions are as follows…
1. use a reusable mug for the day (or 1 mug for the day)
2. choose food with no packaging
3. have packed lunch in a reusable container
4. recycle any bottle or drinks can you use
5. buy organic foods
6. buy food that is in season … see the following website for ideas – http://www.eattheseasons.co.uk/weekbyweek/1.htm
7. use a reusable bag and reuse plastic
8. choose the most locally produced food items
9. drink tap water instead of a bottled drink
10. have a meat free day
To take part, e-mail the actions you pledge to make to – climate.squad@globalactionplan.org.uk
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