Eco Eco is designing “green” theme decorations for the Christmas Tree Festival that will take place in the Derbyshire village of Hope from 5th – 7th December. Local groups, schools, and businesses will all decorate trees donated by Haddon Hall. They will be displayed in St Peter’s Church to raise money for the Local Red Cross and the Send a Cow appeal.

Alison Jackson Bass from Eco Eco said “Christmas is a magical time of year but there is a tendency to consume huge amounts, putting pressure on our environment and our pockets. Following the same ethos that guides our selection of products to sell in our clothes and home shops in the village, we want to demonstrate how you can have beautiful things that are both ethical and eco-friendly. Our Christmas tree at the festival will reflect our approach.” 

She continued: “The festival was a huge success last year and a fantastic way to start the festive season. It is a great way to get inspiration for your own Christmas decorations!”

Both Eco Eco shops in the village will be open until 9pm on 5th December so you can combine a trip to see the trees with a chance to do some eco-friendly festive gift shopping. The home shop sells some gorgeous locally sourced products from wooden bowls to herb plants. If you don’t fancy getting creative to make your own decorations, Eco Eco also has some fantastic environmentally friendly and fair trade decorations in stock.

The Christmas Tree Festival will be open to visitors as follows:
Friday 5th December, 18.00 – 21.00 Carols by Candlelight at 19.00
Saturday 6th December, 10.00 – 1600
Sunday 7th December, 11.00 – 16.00

The clothing and home shop will be open Tuesday to Sunday from 10.00am to 4.30pm up to Christmas Eve.

Just to remind you that the BWEA 2008 Photo Competition is now fully up and running and we are pleased to say that entries have started coming in. Don’t forget the deadline for submissions is Wednesday 10th December 2008.

Please note that if you have sent photographs to us before, you are welcome to re-send, but please use the competition e-mail address at BWEAphoto2008@googlemail.com.

Title: Wind, Wave and Tidal: Our Energy Future.

Aim: Climate change, energy security and decreasing availability of fossil fuels have entered the public discourse in a major way. Renewable energy projects bring hope that we can move towards an energy-sustainable low carbon economy.
The aim is to show how renewable energy projects have integrated within landscapes and host-communities, with an emphasis on public interaction and the striking engineering and architectural features of renewable devices.

Closing date: Wednesday 10th December 2008. The winner will be announced on the 15th of December 2008.

Eligibility: All persons are eligible to enter. Photographs can qualify if they are taken either in the UK or in UK coastal waters. Submissions should be accompanied by full name and contact details. No more than five entries (photographs) per person are allowed.

Categories: There are no separate categories. All pictures deemed suitable will be considered for one of the prizes.

Technical Criteria: Photographs submitted can be colour or black and white, taken with a digital or analogue camera.
Address for submissions: E-mail: BWEAphoto2008@googlemail.com Post: BWEA Photo 2008, BWEA, 1 Aztec Row, Berners Road, London N1 0PW

Judges: Annalee Mather, Deputy Features Picture Editor, The Independent Carlos Reyes-Manzo, Documentary Photographer, Andes Picture Agency Sherry Cutler, Lecturer on Photography, City and Islington College

Competition Criteria: Photographs will be judged on: 1) how well they conform to the title and aim of the competition 2) whether they satisfy the minimum of technical criteria as decided by the judges. Decision of the judges will be final.

Prizes 1st prize: Winning entry to be published on the front cover of RealPower, BWEA’s quarterly magazine + £150 Jessops Vouchers + Framed copy to be displayed in BWEA office lobby
2nd prize: Entry to be published in RealPower + copy published in BWEA annual review + Book of photography of our choice
3rd prize: Entry to be published in RealPower + bottle of Champagne

The British Wind Energy Association (BWEA), UK’s leading renewable energy trade association, welcomed Chancellor Alistair Darling’s commitment in this afternoon’s pre-budget speech to extend the Renewables Obligation (RO) to at least 2037. BWEA believes the move will increase investor confidence, particularly in Round 3 offshore projects, and ensure long term stability for developers and wind farm operators.

Maria McCaffery, BWEA Chief Executive said: “BWEA has been for some time now asking the Government to reiterate its commitment to the Renewables Obligation beyond 2027. If we have Round 3 projects coming on line from 2015, under the previous regime they would have been covered by the RO for only the first half of their projected life cycle. This extension to the RO will bring long term stability and encourage developers to continue with the building programme.”

The Renewables Obligation is a financial incentive mechanism designed to encourage deployment of renewable energy capacity in the UK, introduced in 2002. Since then the RO was instrumental in bringing over 19GW of wind energy capacity into the UK planning system offshore and onshore.

Recipe for a ‘ Healthy Vegan Pizzaz Pizza’ with 64 ingredients

To celebrate 64 years of veganism (64 years since Donald Watson founded The Vegan Society and created the word ‘Vegan’) Foods for Life Nutrition has devised a special birthday healthy vegan ‘Pizzaz Pizza’ recipe.

Inspired by The Paul McCartney song lyrics, ‘Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m 64′, The ‘Foods for Life Pizzaz Pizza’ encompasses all the core values and fundamental elements that 64 years of veganism stand for. These include compassion for the environment, people, health and animals.

The pizza recipe has 64 ingredients, an ingredient to mark every year of The Vegan Society’s 64 year history in which they have encouraged people to eat more fruit and vegetables and plant based protein.

Celebrity Foods for Life TV Nutritionist Yvonne Bishop-Weston says “Over 88% of us still don’t eat enough fruit and vegetables. It’s estimated 12% of the UK don’t eat any fruit and vegetables at all! As one of the most ubiquitous fast foods and probably the least healthy we decided to target the humble mass produced Pizza and give it a gourmet, optimum nutrition makeover”

Yvonne’s vegan husband Tony, author of a new vegan cookbook by Lorenz called ‘The Complete Book of Vegan Cooking’ says “We thought it would be a good way to mark World Vegan Day on November 1st and Veganism’s 64th birthday with a vegan pizza recipe with 64 nutritious ingredients”

“Our pizzaz pizza recipe is not only a delicious feast but is veggie-liciously packed with vegetables, complex carbohydrates, protein, essential fats, vitamins, minerals – rich in the basic nutrients you need to move towards a healthier lifestyle” says Yvonne.

Foods for Life 64 Ingredient Healthy Pizzaz Pizza

For the Dough Base

· Wholemeal flour, baking powder or yeast
· Cold pressed virgin olive and rapeseed oils
· Soya milk (apple sweetened, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12)
· Himalayan rock salt, black pepper, rosemary, marjoram, parsley,

For the Tomato Sauce

· Chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, peppadew peppers
· Onions, red peppers, celery, cauliflower, aubergine, (finely chopped)
· Carrots, sweet potato, parsnip, (grated)
· Spinach , watercress, cabbage, courgettes, kale, (finely chopped)
· Mango or whole mango juice (whole fruit , sugar free)
· Ground almonds, ground hazelnuts, ground buck wheat flour,
· Garlic, oregano, nutmeg, Black pepper, Himalayan Rock salt, sage, basil, bay leaves, nori seaweed
· Cold pressed virgin rapeseed oil

For the Rainbow Toppings

· Pickled wild mushroom mix ( Button Mushrooms, Oyster Mushrooms, Shitake Mushrooms, porcini, ceps, etc in truffle infused flax oil)
· Green veg mix ( broccoli, peas, mange tout, green beans, broad beans )
· Yellow veg Mix ( sweet corn, pineapple, yellow peppers, chickpeas, pine-nuts)
· Red veg Mix (Red peppers, cherry tomato, red onions, chopped red cabbage, kidney beans)
· Nut and seed mix (shelled hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, cashew nuts, pistachios, brazil nuts)
· Asparagus and delicatessen mix (artichoke, green olives, black olives, capers, pickled figs)
· Selection of dairy free cheeses (such as Redwoods super melting cheddar or mozzarella)
· Or a cheesy sauce made from soya milk and rapeseed oil emulsified with balsamic vinegar and flavoured with mustard, ketchup, yeast extract /bouillon powder or yeast flakes and thickened if necessary with mashed potato.

For the full recipe with suggested amounts and method as well as serving suggestions please contact Foods for life at clinic at foodsforlife.co.uk or call Tel: 08712884642 Fax : 08712884643 or visit www.optimumnutritionists.com or www.foodsforlife.org.uk

Good Energy offers the highest paying reward for homes generating their own power

From October onwards, through their market leading Home Generation Scheme, Good Energy – the UK’s only 100% renewable electricity supplier* – will pay customers generating their own electricity 10 pence for every unit they produce.

This is up from the 9 pence rate that has been running since last year, and is now the highest payback tariff of any supplier for total generation. Good Energy’s Home Generation scheme differs from many other schemes by paying customers for the units they use and not just those units they feed into the grid. There is no requirement for customers to pay for a separate export meter.

Juliet Davenport, Chief Executive of Good Energy stated why the company is increasing the payback tariff on the scheme. “Good Energy believes that climate change is the biggest challenge we face as a society. Currently, 30% of the UK’s carbon emissions come from our homes, and this is where we need solutions. Home owners producing their own wind, solar and wood energy are providing this solution, and Good Energy is actively supporting them with the highest payment for electricity generated at home. In addition to our campaigning work, it is this sort of initiative that our 100% renewable electricity customers are supporting by switching to Good Energy.”

As well as encouraging individuals to become microgenerators, the improved scheme will provide valuable support to existing generators. Roots and Shoots is a charity, based in London, that help disadvantaged young people prepare for the world of work in the Southwark area. The organisation joined the Good Energy Home Generation scheme this year and have an eco-building encompassing an array of solar panels. On the tariff change, founder of the organisation, Linda Phillips, commented: “Roots and Shoots have installed solar panels and made our building as green as possible as part of our commitment to the environment – something we always aim to educate our students about. This announcement by Good Energy will bring us an even greater return on our investment, and will help us free more funds for our work – which is brilliant news. We hope that successful schemes like Good Energy’s Home Generation will encourage lots more people to invest in a safer energy future by generating their own power.”

The recent launch of the Good Energy Shop, stocking generation and energy efficiency products has confirmed that there is huge interest from homeowners wanting to invest in home generation and Good Energy is best placed to support that investment with its attractive Home Generation tariff.

To watch Good Energy Home Generators in action and learn more about their projects, visit the Good Energy website.

CPRE report on windfarms is ‘spurious and ill-informed’

BWEA, the representative body for the UK wind industry reacted with dismay to a report on local community benefits published today by the CPRE.

The report “Goodwill payments – do they benefit communities?” implies that the wind industry is making improper payments to local communities in order to win planning permissions.

Charles Anglin, BWEA Director of Communications said “This is an outrageous assertion. Wind farm developers are damned if they do, damned if they don’t. We recognise that wind farms are a long term presence in local communities and we want to give something back to those communities. That is in the best traditions of local community engagement.’

He added ‘Implying as this report does that this is somehow an improper use of funds is deeply inaccurate and ill-informed”

Responding to requests from local communities, wind farm developers are increasingly providing community benefits to local neighbourhoods as the traditional Section 106 system of planning gain is unduly restrictive. These payments are made on top of Section 106 payments, and far from reducing the amount of support local communities receive substantially increase it.

The Government is proposing a new local tax on developers, the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), which could actually make things worse. The CIL would be collected by the local council to fund large scale schemes it had previously identified. If community benefits were banned and wind farms forced to pay the CIL it would take funding away from local communities to large scale projects which are often miles away from the wind farm.

BWEA wants the Section 106 system to be reformed to allow community benefits to be part of the formal planning system, instead of being forced to pay CIL.

Anglin said “Why shouldn’t local communities be able to ask wind farms to fund the things that they need locally, such as, OAP lunch clubs or a children’s playground?” He added “We want to be part of the community and respond to its needs and concerns. What is wrong with that?”

Wimborne based global leading company join in partnership with Julia’s House Hospice.

Allen & York – market leading recruitment specialists serving the Natural and Built Environment sectors in the UK – have become an official friend of Julia’s House Children’s Hospice in Dorset, supporting them in the effort to help them continue their life changing work.

Julia’s House is a registered charity, dedicated to providing care for children with life-limiting conditions who are unlikely to live past the age of 18 years old. The house itself was opened in March 2006 and now cares for more than 84 children in their own homes and in the hospice.

Currently Julia’s House receives a small percentage of funding from the government, relying on aid from the local business community. Allen & York felt, during recent occurrences with the credit crunch and unstable inflation that now would have an even more significant impact on the lives of the children cared for by embarking on a new found partnership.

As a result of the credit crunch – costing banks and other financial institutions an estimated £503billion -, prices have soared from the general cost of living such as food to the drastic increase in fuel prices, consequently the same provision of care is costing Julia’s House more.

Efforts have begun for a fundraising event that will take place this coming December. Prizes have kindly been donated by Company’s nationwide to combine in a raffle and auction.

Mark Allen, the Managing Director, said that, ‘We have always taken Corporate Social Responsibility seriously and feel that it is important to support a local charity on more than just an ad hoc basis. By regularly donating to Julia’s House we are further enabling them to reach out and help more children and provide ongoing support for their families.’

Other close supporters of Julia’s House include the Richmond Group, Lester Aldridge, BAE Systems and Wilts and Dorset. Together with Government support, the local community and Allen & York’s efforts, £1.9 million needs to be raised throughout 2008.

Besides general funds that will help on a daily basis, support can be allocated to specific projects such as the building and extending of Julia’s House. Nurses can be sponsored to increase the number of care hours that would otherwise be limited due to the charity’s restricted financial position.

‘Working closely with members of staff at Julia’s House allows us to give back to the local community.’ Mark Allen continues by saying, ‘Members of staff at Allen & York will also be able to see how their support is helping by readily being able to visit the hospice in Dorset.’

National office to make sure potential of renewables is fulfilled

The British Wind Energy Association (BWEA), the UK’s leading renewable energy trade association, recently welcomed Secretary of State John Hutton’s announcement on the proposed Office for Renewable Energy Deployment. The office, which should be up and running in the spring of 2009, pending the outcome of the Renewable Energy Strategy consultation, will address ‘barriers to renewables deployment including helping to develop the UK supply chain’.

Launched as part of the Government’s new framework for UK manufacturers, the initiative will help UK firms take advantage of “opportunities opened up by the move towards a low carbon economy” with the express aim of helping UK’s renewables industries ‘to become world-leaders in green  technologies’.

Maria McCaffery, BWEA Chief Executive said: “When it comes to R&D, the  UK has been leading the world in areas such as wave and tidal, large  turbine testing and small systems. But we have seen delays on deployment  and this is where we hope the Government’s new initiative will make a  difference. We are pleased that the Secretary of State has firmly backed a dedicated task force which will take a lead on this issue.”

However, in welcoming the initiative BWEA also pointed out that since  the office will be located within the Department of Business, Enterprise  and Regulatory Reform, it could fail to address the lack of  co-ordination between various Government departments including DEFRA, DCLG and the MOD, all of which have a stake in the deployment of renewables. BWEA is calling for the creation of a Government  sub-committee to co-ordinate efforts to deliver the 2020 targets across  all Government Departments.  

Recent reports suggest that a drive to achieve EU 2020 targets of  sourcing 15% of UK’s energy from renewables could create 160 000 ‘green  collar’ jobs. The framework named ‘New Challenges, New Opportunities’ aims to kick start the process by implementing a host of ideas aimed at  UK manufacturers including new Manufacturing Technology Centers, apprenticeship schemes and school campaigns.

“The wind, wave and tidal sector is poised for spectacular growth. We  now have over 6GW of wind farm capacity approved and waiting to be  deployed, with wave and tidal, and small systems expected to significantly contribute to achieving our 2020 targets. The Government  initiative has come not a moment too soon,” concluded McCaffery.

First Recycle Bin Made From Recycled Materials

A new innovation has been launched to help increase recycling of the 30 million tonnes of rubbish generated in UK streets each year1. Of this, it is estimated that at least 50% is recyclable and currently less than 10 % is being recycled.  TV Producer Matthew Bird often reached home with a drink can, plastic bottle or free newspapers before finding somewhere to recycle them, this frustration led him to develop his own solution – The Greenie.

The Greenie is a split rubbish / recycling street bin; one half is for rubbish and the other for recyclable materials – sounds like a good idea but split bins have often lead to confusion and people don’t use them properly. The Greenie however, is clearly labeled bin and hopes to change this. The Greenie is also a European first as it is itself made with recycled materials. The adaptable tops allows local authorities to synchronize their ‘on the streets’ collection with other collections making The Greenie the most multi-functional bin on the market.

The Greenie makes great financial sense with the rapid rise in landfill costs – set to double in the next three years – the bins will not only provide a benefit to our environment but also to Public budgets. A recent consultation paper from Defra found that more than 95% of respondents thought that public recycle bins should be readily available.

Hugh Smith from London Remade said: "We think The Greenie is perfect for recycling on the go. More and more people are recycling at home and they should be given the facilities to recycle when they are out and about. It is fantastic that Matthew has designed the bin using recycled materials – it is the first of its kind in Europe and we look forward to seeing them popping up all over London." Matthew Bird said: "
Much to the delight of all my family and friends I can now talk rubbish for hours! "

The London boroughs of Camden and Lewisham will be piloting The Greenie from August this year.  Anyone who thinks that this simple, clever, innovation should be available on their street can visit www.recycle-rubbish.co.uk and sign the petition. The Greenie even has its own Facebook page for those keen to make friends with this initiative.

About Matthew Bird
Matthew, 49, has produced TV Drama for the last twenty years, working on such diverse programmes as Linda Green, Anna Karenina and The Lakes, and most recently Plus One, a new Channel 4 comedy.  

As a TV producer Matthew has learned a lot of skills that are transferable to the recycling industry.  His interest in alternative systems for public place recycling originally started on filming trips abroad. But it is as a father of three children that his interest in the environment has really grown.

Having won a place on an Enviro-Entrepreneurs Course in 2005 Matthew went on to conceive The Greenie and since then the Bin has been in development, going through several different formats and is now ready for a general release.

About London Remade
London Remade is a not for profit company working to develop and improve waste management, recycling and green procurement in the capital.

London Remade delivers the Mayor of London’s Green Procurement Code, a free support service for London based organisations to reduce their environmental impact through responsible purchasing.

London Remade delivered the Enhance programme for the LDA from October 2004 to March 2008, during this time London Remade supported over 250 businesses to enter the green economy including the administration of the Enhance Capital Grant Scheme under
which Matthew was award £20,000 for the development of The Greenie.

This week two groundbreaking Brits will start their attempt to break a new speed record in the most advanced wind powered vehicle ever produced.

Dale Vince, Ecotricity MD, and engineer, Richard Jenkins, will attempt to break the 116.7mph land speed record for a wind-powered vehicle (WPV), held currently by an American team, on Australia’s Lake Lefroy.

The Greenbird is a highly-evolved vehicle that uses a combination of technology found ordinarily on Aircraft and Formula 1 cars to achieve staggering speeds- with no engine in sight.

The chosen name is a nod to Donald Campbell’s all-conquering Bluebird, The Bluebird achieved incredible speeds in a golden age of fossil fuels – when oil was cheap and no one had thought that one day it would run out. Fast forward to today and we are coming to the end of the age of fossil fuels and the dawn of the age of Renewables. The Greenbird symbolises this historical watershed better than anything else.

“Cars of the future won’t be running on fossil fuels they will be running on Renewable sources of energy like the Wind. And with today’s technology we can achieve incredible speeds, using only wind power” said Dale Vince.  

Vince became involved in the Greenbird project as a result of his dedication to wind-generated technology – his pioneering power company Ecotricity introduced the concept of green electricity to the world, and has been building wind turbines and selling green electricity across the country since 1996. Ecotricity now supplies 35,000 homes across the UK.

The company also directly reinvests money that customers spend into new forms of clean power. Over the last four years Ecotricity has spent an average of £460 per customer, per year, on building and developing new renewable energy sources.

The Greenbird craft is a culmination of 10 years hard work, thousands of man hours and 5 prototype vehicles. For any powered speed record, the basic principles are pretty straightforward: more power means more speed and it is really only a factor of budget, engine size and guts to raise the record.

The Greenbird team saw no challenge in that. “We wanted to develop a purely technical solution that would deliver ultimate performance from a free and available resource – the wind. After 10 years I now have the right vehicle, in the right part of the world with the right team in support. We now just need the weather to cooperate!” said Richard Jenkins.

Dale Vince and Richard Jenkins will be blogging from the outback in the run up to the attempt. Sign up to RRS feeds and follow the team’s progress at the Greenbird website