Sideways News is looking to further enhance its offering by appointing talented specialist subject editors for the following subject verticals: Science & Tech, Society & Business, Environment & Nature. This is an outstanding opportunity for experienced individuals with a flexible work schedule, as these contract roles are part-time and home-based. We are looking for people to commit at least 10 hours per week to their section.

Your profile:

• Demonstrable expertise in your subject area, and great connections. An in-depth knowledge of the subject and the ability to generate copy of the highest calibre are the key requirements for this role.
• Impeccable web, writing, sub-editing and communication skills.
• A passionate desire to present your subject in a unique and compelling way to an audience who are eager to take a ‘Sideways’ view of the world.
• Well-versed in all things 2.0, with a firm grasp of social media marketing, as well as SEO. You may well be a keen blogger on your subject.
• Comfortable working to deadlines.
• Have a keen eye on what makes a good debate online, and understand the importance of user interaction and online communities.
• A can-do attitude, willing to go the extra mile.
• Happy to work with a virtual team.

To find out how to apply, email Catherine@sidewaysnews.com

The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors RICS has released a new Benchmark and certification process called the Ska Rating, that will help designers and contractors measure the environmental impact of their office refurbishment

The Ska-Rating lists 99 measures of good practice ranging from upgrading lighting schemes to how to dispose of the old carpet – or even if you should! Older, more established schemes such as those provdied by LEED and Breeam covered the entire building and transport beyond, which was difficult for those simply renovating an office in one or two floors of the building. The Ska rating scheme was launched in November of 2009 and is currently being explained to the industry through a series of trade seminars. Having attended one such seminar last week, I was encouraged by the desire and now ability to measure the carbon footprint of an office refurb. The online tool is very easy to use and can be seen as a guideline that will assist in any project whether or not the client wishes to have the full assessment made once it is complete.

The Ska rating committee are looking to expand the remit beyond office refurbishment into retail and hospitality and eventually into the domestic arena. Then it will become really interesting! Best of luck to RICS and Ska!

Gecco Interiors Limited is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

IT’S NOT EASY BEING GREEN!

It’s a bit of a conundrum this environment malarkey. We know that we are harming the environment as a race but find it so difficult to change our behaviour as individuals.

I think that the majority of us can agree that we humans are contributing to the decline of our natural environment. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is in no doubt that man has been and is a major causal effect of Global Warming. And they ought to know – they consult some of the brainiest boffins from around the globe.

We are consuming finite resources at an ever increasing rate and clearly don’t balance the books in terms of the energy we use now and the energy that is available in the long term to support us. It’s like we are withdrawing money from the bank faster than we are putting it in. Eventually the money runs out and it has to stop. Spot any similarities with another major global crisis of the moment?

As with any emotive and important issue, there are extremes of opinion. In terms of the Environment debate you have got one extreme extolling the virtues of the motor car and poo-pooing the “environmentalists” and their arguments. At the other end of the scale are those who are so concerned that they break onto airfields and chain themselves to aeroplanes. That said, the vast majority of us I believe (and that includes me) take a more rounded view.

Yes we can see we are harming the environment. We burn fuel virtually every time we travel, whether it’s the car, bus, train or plane. We burn fuel to heat our water and homes. We burn fuel every time we turn on a light, watch the TV or use a PC. It is very easy to use up energy  – whether it’s electricity, gas, oil or petrol. And it’s not just us as individuals. Business and industry burn fuel as well; just on a much bigger scale!

The problem is it is so easy to use energy, and in today’s society it’s virtually impossible to avoid using it. I am sitting at a PC now that is using electricity. I have got an electric heater on in the office (although a coat as well to be honest – 1 eco-browny point to me then). You will be reading this on your PC screen, probably in a heated house or office, with a light on, and a brew on the go and maybe with the TV still on even though you’re not really watching it. I know it’s true, because I still do it. It’s just too easy and energy is not so expensive (yet) that we have to save every last drop of it.

At the end of the day I don’t believe that the vast majority of us are going to take major steps to change our behaviour and help the environment unless it there is a real benefit to us. Saving energy either has to have a tangible financial benefit or at the very least make us feel good about ourselves.

Maybe the best we can hope for, until finance or imminent disaster forces us to do otherwise, is that each of us “non-extremists” does what we can to save energy. The simple stuff. The stuff that can make us feel good and lower our bills a bit.

The Hard Sell (not) 

To help you do “the simple stuff”, I just happen to sell a few great energy saving products at http://www.ecofreak.co.uk/ my online shop. If  you want to save energy and money and you buy just one thing from us, buy a wireless energy monitor such as the Efergy Elite. It is this that I believe will help to encourage you to start moving towards a greener way of living by making you think about the energy you use on a daily basis. It’s actually very satisfying finding where energy is being wasted and taking steps to reduce it. If you get the bug and want to do more take a look at our information page on how to reduce your energy bills or just browse our eco products.

Save some energy, have some fun, save some money – it feels good!

Ecofreak is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

This course explores how Permaculture Design can be used to create beautiful, productive and wildlife-friendly gardens.

27-28 March 2010

For full details & online reservation please visit: http://www.brightonpermaculture.org.uk

Brighton Permaculture Trust is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

A one day conference with lectures, stalls and exhibitions.

This years theme: Connecting buildings and landscapes

A day of ideas and information for anyone concerned with buildings – those who design them, build them, live in them or work in them.

Saturday 20 March 2010

Brighton Permaculture Trust is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

As north west England prepares for digital switchover this Wednesday (November 4th), Ethical Consumer magazine is calling on Digital UK to reduce the environmental impact of the digital switchover by encouraging the public not to throw out their existing televisions, something which would save people money as well.

An investigation by Ethical Consumer magazine has revealed that in Cumbria and south west England where the digital switchover happened this summer, thousands of televisions that were capable of receiving digital TV by adding a set-top box have been needlessly thrown away.

Between April and September this year nearly 50,000 televisions were sent to Cumbria-Recycling Ltd that handles unwanted televisions for Cumbria County Council. This represents an increase of nearly 70% compared to same period last year. Of these 30,000 were able to receive digital TV by adding a set-top box.

A similar picture has emerged in the south west where from April to September this year Devon County Council handled over 80,000 unwanted televisions, an increase of almost 100% on the same period last year.

Whilst EU law now prevents old televisions from being dumped in landfills, throwing away televisions that are able to receive digital TV still has a negative environmental impact. This is because the making of new digital televisions uses finite resources and energy. This is something that directly contributes to the growing global problem of climate change.

Simon Birch who carried out the research on behalf of Ethical Consumer Magazine said:

“Digital UK is currently failing to tell the public of the environmental cost of throwing away their televisions. The message is simple: if your existing television can be adapted to getting digital TV then don’t chuck it out but instead buy an Energy Saving Trust recommended low-energy set-top box. You’ll be doing the planet a favour as well as saving yourself a whole load of money.”

The Future 100 awards recognise the achievements of entrepreneurs aged 18-35, who are running a business with a social and environmental impact.

The competition aims to raise the profile and support this new generation of leaders who are paving the way in sustainable business.

To find out more and apply visit http://www.future100.co.uk/

Deadline for entries is November 5th 2009.

Despite the fact the UK is famed for its wet climate, the truth is that many parts of Britain experience regular water shortages. In fact, amazing as it sounds, South East England has less water available per person than Sudan or Syria – countries famed for their dry and arid climate.

None of us want to stop using water; therefore, the key to water efficiency is to reduce waste, not restrict its use. At the moment, each person in the UK wastes approximately a third of the water they use; it either runs down the drain or is flushed down the toilet without ever being used.

So how can a simple leaf filter like Gutter Mate help you reduce water waste and save energy?

With a built in filter basket and diverter, the Gutter Mate can eliminate the need to use tap water outside the house.

So, rather than using the kitchen tap to clean your windows, wash your cars, water the garden or even flush the toilet, why not use some of the 85,000 litres of rain water that falls on your roof every year?

And using harvested rainwater equates to zero energy consumption in relation to using tap water, meaning that by using Gutter Mate, not only do you save money on your water bills, but you also lower your family’s carbon footprint.

Are you a property developer? The Gutter Mate Filter is approved by the ‘Water Technology List’, which allows it to be used in the ‘Code for Sustainable Homes’. If a developer is building to this code, the filter can be part of the tax break the developer can claim.

How does it Work?

The Gutter Mate rain water diverter is one of the few patented rainwater savers on the market that can filter all of the rainwater travelling down the drainpipe (downpipe) before it is saved to the water butt or discharged thus providing Soakaway protection.

The diverter is unique because it can be turned on and off by simply turning the filter basket. In addition, it has an automatic shut off; when the water butt is full, the rainwater will overflow into the Soakaway or drain. If the user wants to store all the rainwater coming off the roof, the diverter can be shut off and the main outlet of the filter can be piped directly to the water storage tanks, resulting in filtered rainwater that is ready to be used whenever you need.

www.guttermate.co.uk

The popular belief that without the school run traffic would always
run as freely as in the holidays is false, and far from adding to
congestion, the school run reduces it in cities according to the
Environmental Transport Association (ETA).

A spokesperson for the ETA said: “If every child started walking
to school then by next year there would be no lull in traffic levels
over the summer holidays – the extra road space would quickly be
filled by business and commuter traffic.”

Although in a perverse way the school run appears to restrict
congestion, the ETA is not campaigning for more people to drive
their kids to school; children commuting to school by car have as
much (or as little) right to travel in this way as anyone else,
but there are many environmental, health and social reasons why
children are better off walking or cycling.

A brand new environment website – EnvironmentGuardian.co.uk
- is unveiled today, showcasing a host of new content, from video and
data tools to authoritative Q&As on a wide range of green issues.
The site will also ensure that its users are able to participate fully,
from the debate over global warming to household tips on green living.

To mark the launch of the site, and in the run up to the UN
climate talks in Copenhagen in December, the foreign secretary David
Miliband will take visitors’ questions in a live online Q&A at
lunchtime tomorrow.

The new site enhances the Guardian and Observer’s commitment to
environmental issues, and expands the existing award-winning reporting
from around the world.

Ian Katz, Deputy Editor of the Guardian,
said: “The Guardian has long been the leading British source of
environmental news and comment and with our new site we hope to cement
our position as the world’s leading source on all matters green. Having
built a team of six expert correspondents – including one in Washington
DC, another in China and one dedicated to green technology, plus a
fabulous stable of the most influential commentators and bloggers, the
Guardian has made the environment one of its top editorial priorities.”

 As well as a new design and increased editorial, new features on the site include:

• A new video series fronted by the Observer’s green-living guru Lucy Siegle
• A new environment data store making available the best quality data from sources including the World Resources Institute
• An environment research directory, including authoritative background guides on many subjects

James Randerson, editor of EnvironmentGuardian.co.uk,
said: “The Guardian has built this unrivalled team in the belief that
environmental issues, and in particular global warming, is the defining
issue of our age, combining politics, economics and social justice. The
new site, like the 10:10 campaign, which launched last week, will
enable everyone to understand and influence the debates. The site will
showcase the range of our content, from world-beating international
news coverage to practical tips about green living. We hope that all of
the new features on the site – together with the enthusiastic
participation of our visitors – will serve as an invaluable resource
for anyone wanting to understand the context behind the headlines.”