May 2008

Food on the agenda at the Chelsea Flower Show

Submitted by auto transfer on 28 May 2008 - 1:13pm

Food on the agenda at the Chelsea Flower Show 2008

Extracts from "The edible playground" article in The Guardian by Dominic Murphy, Thursday May 22nd 2008.

A garden showcasing a scheme for growing fruit and vegetables in schools has won a gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show. Dominic Murphy reports from there on his local school's prize-winning beetroot.....

Olivia, Imogen and Martha are here to open the Edible Playground, one of the gardens at the show this year. As the name suggests, its theme is growing food in schools. But, unlike many other entries at Chelsea, it is more than a mere advert for its designer or sponsor. The children are here to support an ongoing scheme, promoting food and vegetable gardening for young people......

Among the show gardens at Chelsea this week, there are hints of a change in attitude. The George Harrison garden has a vegetable patch right at its front, and the Real Life garden has a convincing display of broad beans and other vegetables mixed in with flowers.....

We should be more radical, ripping up the herbaceous borders in favour of food crops.....

Read more

 

 

Energy and Environment Conference 2008

Submitted by auto transfer on 28 May 2008 - 12:03pm

There are only four weeks to go before the Energy and Environment Conference 2008.

Are you registered to attend?

www.energyandenvironment2008.co.uk

This is a great networking opportunity for people from the energy and environment sector to meet and discuss the industry in depth with fellow professionals. Not only do we have a strong line up of speakers at the conference the delegates themselves are of a very high calibre.

Phil Woolas MP has confirmed as keynote speaker at this years Energy and Environment Conference taking place on the 17th June 2008 at the Church House Conference Centre in Westminster, London.

Chaired by John Vidal, Environment Editor at the Guardian Newspaper the Energy and Environment Conference promises to deliver a first class conference for speakers and delegates alike with a number of networking opportunities throughout the day to meet and discuss the sector with over 400 professionals from across the industry.

Speakers confirmed to date include:

John Vidal, Environment Editor, The Guardian Phil Woolas MP, Minister of State, DEFRA Maria McCaffery, Chief Executive, BWEA Gregory Barker MP, Shadow Conservative Minister for the Environment Tom Delay, Chief Executive, The Carbon Trust Keith Parker, Chief Executive, Nuclear Industry Association Barbara Young, Chief Executive, The Environment Agency Merlin Hyman, Director, Environmental Industries Commission Russell Foster, Chief Executive, IEMA Beacon Council Award Winners, IDeA Shaun McCarthy, Chair of the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012, Founder Director ActionSustainability

To attend the conference you can call our delegate manager Alexis Guntrip on 0161 832 6000 or register online here - Delegates attending the conference will also have a choice of our smaller interactive seminars which run during the day.

The Venue

The Church House Conference Centre, is steeped in tradition and is set in the grounds of Dean's Yard, alongside Westminster Abbey and opposite the Houses of Parliament. The venue provides a unique setting for senior decision-makers from industry and Government to discuss the Energy and Environment agenda and its impact on the UK today.

How about permaculture solutions?

 

 

Energy Advice Centres to be rolled out

Submitted by auto transfer on 19 May 2008 - 3:09pm

DEFRA News - Fighting climate change in homes and communities

A range of initiatives to make homes greener have been set out by Environment Secretary Hilary Benn, who urged the need to take the fight against climate change into our homes and living rooms.

Part of the package includes the ACT ON CO2 Advice Line – a one stop shop for free, tailored, impartial advice from the Energy Saving Trust on how to reduce your carbon footprint.

The Government is providing the Energy Saving Trust with more than £100 million over the next three years to deliver a broader programme for green homes. Over the next 12 months, a network of one stop advice centres will be rolled out across the country.....

Read more at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/latest/2008/climate-0402.htm

Support Peak Oil Early Day Motion!

Submitted by auto transfer on 8 May 2008 - 12:17pm

John Hemming MP has just tabled an Early Day Motion on 'energy, food prices and peak oil' (29.04.2008)

"That this House notes that current movements in energy and food prices are in conformance with the predictions as to what would happen as oil production peaks; and calls for the Government urgently to review its predictions as to when peak oil occurs with a view to determining whether or not urgent policy adjustments are called for." Early Day Motion: EDM 1453.

For details see:
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=35715&SESSION=891

If you could contact your MP and ask them to sign the EDM that might help to raise the profile of the significance of the energy dimension to the problems facing the world today. If you need the details of your MP enter your postcode at http://www.writetothem.com/

The UK government still officially has peak oil 30 years away because it's policy is based on obsolete oil market reports from the International Energy Agency; the IEA did a spectacular U-turn on it's outlook last year but UK policy has yet to catch up.

It's vital to get this topic formally recognised in the commons if whitehall are to do anything about it.

 

 

Free recycled leftovers from Chelsea Flower Show

Submitted by auto transfer on 8 May 2008 - 12:03pm

Free recycled leftovers from the Chelsea Flower Show

Community gardens, city farms, school gardens and allotments associations could get their hands on free plants and materials from the Chelsea Flower Show this year, thanks to a scheme set up by Good Gifts, the ethical gifts catalogue.

The company has recently negotiated with RHS to run a recycling depot for gardens at the Chelsea Flower Show, which runs from Monday 26th May to Monday 2nd June and expects items like plants, turf, bricks, stone, paving, breeze blocks, plant pots and timber to be available.

This year, because exhibitors are being encouraged to recycle, there may be a great deal, but to get a chance of grabbing some free goodies, groups need to register and groups will be selected on a first come, first served basis.

Once registered groups will then be given a specific time between Monday 26th May and Monday 2nd June when they can come and collect. Groups will need to provide their own transport and enough manpower to load up their own vehicles.

To get involved you will have to complete an application form. On this form you can list items you are particularly interested in having.

If you would like any further information regarding the scheme or an application form please contact Alex on people@charitiesadvisorytrust.co.uk or on 0207 7949835.

 

 

Ben Law to appear on Channel4's Grand Designs Live

Submitted by auto transfer on 7 May 2008 - 4:47pm

Ben Law to appear on Channel 4's Grand Designs Live

Ben Law, woodsman, author and permaculture teacher is taking part in Channel 4's Grand Designs Live, 3-11 May. He will appear at 5pm, Friday 9th May.

Ben's Woodland House was chosen by Kevin McCloud as his favourite build over the years of Grand Designs.

Ben lives a sustainable life that is inspiring thousands of others, and that has to be good news. See more on his website www.ben-law.co.uk.

Also he has written two critically acclaimed books: The Woodland House (This is the story of the design and build of the house as featured on Channel 4's Grand Designs programme which features beautiful colour photographs, plans and charts) and The Woodland Way: A Permaculture Approach to Sustainable Woodland Management (An acknowledged standard text now). Available from us and The Green Shopping Catalogue.

You can vote for your all-time favourite Grand Designs house and it could be crowned the people's champion! Get voting!