Archive for November, 2007

The Queen’s speech- is it green enough?

November 7, 2007 · Filed under CO2 emissions, Carbon Dioxide emissions, carbon footprint · Tagged , ,

Yesterday was the annual event of the Queen’s speech.  There were few surprises in it and as expected there was the announcement of a tougher green policy.  So lets have a look at he content…. 

The bill aims to cut CO2 emissions by 60% from the 1990 level, by 2050.  To reach this projected target CO2 emissions will have to be reduced at a rate higher than they currently are.  Instead of having MPs set the targets they are going to set up a Committee.  No surprise there as everything seems to have to have a committee these days!  It’s to be called the Carbon Committee.  The targets are going to be in line with the Kyoto agreement and will therefore be a five year rolling target.  It’s worth pointing out that the bill will make the UK the first country in the world to have legislation in place regarding climate change. 

So how has the bill been met by opposing political parties and environmental groups? David Cameron of the Conservative party feels that whilst this is a step in the right direction there is more that the Labour party could do. Tony Juniper of Friends of Earth feels that CO2 emissions should be reduced by 80%. The shipping industry and international aviation companies should also be included in the legislation.  Only by doing this will the reduction of CO2 emissions be in line with the predictions made by the scientific community. 

The team here at Ethical and Green are pleased that the legislation proposed will be the first of it’s kind in the world.  However, whilst focussing on industry to reduce CO2 emissions will make the biggest impact the Government also needs to change public perception regarding an individuals responsibility to reduce their carbon footprint. So has Gordon Brown gone far enough?  We look forward to hearing some responses over the coming days…… 

No comment »

iPhone: The Greenpeace report

November 5, 2007 · Filed under Companies going green · Tagged , , , , ,

 iPhone

November 6th sees the release of the long awaited iPhone in the UK.  A few days ago we wrote about how Apple was trying to go greener and the steps it was taking to achieve it’s goal.  However Greenpeace have written about some tests they performed on the iPhone to check out it’s green credentials.  Unfortunately it was uncomfortable reading, especially as we had been filled with joy after reading about a ‘greener Apple.’

 So here we go with a brief summation of what Greenpeace found.  Firstly they found evidence of hazardous chemicals within the iPhone.  In half the parts tested there were levels of brominated compounds and a mixture of toxic phthalates were found to make up 1.5% of the the PVC coating of the headphones cable.  

Perhaps the most harmful aspect of this is that Apple’s competitors such as Nokia, Sony Erikkson and Motorola all have PVC free phones on the market.  Apple has missed a huge opportunity to show that they are committed to preserving the environment.  The iPhone has been the most talked about gadget of the year and yet it falls short in the environmental stakes. The big question is will this put consumers off buying the iPhone.  We suspect not.  After all it looks great and has amazing features.  This is probably why Apple haven’t pushed the green factor.  However it would have been great if they did as it would have sent out a loud, green message which is that going green can be sleek and sexy and need not get in the way of making a truely great product. Check out the full article at GreenPeace. 

No comment »

Britney Spear’s ‘green’ make-over

November 5, 2007 · Filed under CO2 emissions, Carbon Dioxide emissions, carbon footprint · Tagged , , , ,

Following the release of how Britney Spear’s spends her money the Ethical and Green Team thought they would offer her some advice on how she can cut her utility bills!Even celebrities have an obligation to look after the planet and we have already seen which celebrities are the ‘greenest.’As you may have read the divorce courts have shown that Britney spends $50,000 on her mortgage a month, $102, 000 on entertainment and $16,000 on her wardrobe. What made us gasp was the fact that she spends $10,000 a month on utility bills which include gas and electricity.  We think that she may be lighting up her mansion like a Christmas tree!! So Britney Spears here are a few tips for how you can reduce your utility bills and your carbon footprint at the same time (you can also check out some other relevant articles on this site.)

  •  Don’t have the lights on in every room in your house.  In fact you could buy some energy saving light bulbs that will save you money.
  • Change your gas and electricity supplier.  Getting both your gas and electric from the same provider could save money.
  • Insulate the roof of your mansion.
  • Perhaps you need a more efficient boiler.  It’s worth enquiring which ones are the most energy efficient.
  • Don’t leave your massive plasma screen TV on standby.  Listen to MTV and switch off your electrical items.
  • Next time you replace your fridge/washing machine make sure it’s energy efficient.
  • Recycle your bottles of Crystal champagne.  In fact recycle all household waste you can.
  • Turn down your water to 60 degrees Celsius.
  • Do your washing at 30 degrees- your clothes will keep their colour longer too so you won’t have to spend so much on clothes.

Overall this could save Britney hundreds of pounds a year!!  At least Britney is trying to cut down on her laundry bills by not wearing any underwear…….A step in the right direction?!

No comment »

A Greener Apple

November 1, 2007 · Filed under Companies going green · Tagged , , , , ,

A Greener Apple

 As you may be able to tell from our rather unsubtle logo this post is about Apple!! Having already bought an ipod I decided to check out Apple computers when my ex-laptop took an unexpected turn for the worst and died on me.  Not being able to live without a laptop I decided to investigate what was out there.  Whilst trying not to be swayed by which computer looked the most stylish I started investigating various companies environmental policy and commitment to reducing their CO2 emissions. We will post some details on other companies we investigated but for now we’ll start with Apple.

As the name suggests  Apple is 100% dedicated to going greener.  The website states that ‘environmental considerations are an integral part of Apple’s business practices.’  There are four areas that Apple are focussing on.  These include:

  • Product and packaging design
  • Responsible manufacturing
  • Energy efficiency
  • Recycling

First up lets take a look at some of the examples within product and packaging design.  The company now no longer uses Cathode Ray Tubes to be more environmentally friendly.  
Product designFlat panel designs also use up to 80% less energy in sleep mode and weigh far less as well. 

Secondly there is responsible manufacturing.  What impressed me here was that if you buy a new computer from Apple they will take away and recycle your old computer whatever brand it was !  They are also eliminating environmentally harmful substances from their products.  By the end of 2008 the company aims to have completely eliminated the use of PVC.

Under energy efficiency all Apple computers and displays now have an ENERGY STAR rating.  There is also an energy saver feature in Mac OX that allows a user to manage energy consumption. 

That leads us to recycling…..As explained Apple has a take-back facility on equipment to reduce the waste that ends up in landfills.  This approach is worldwide.  For more info check out the website http://www.apple.com/environment/

No comment »

Google

November 1, 2007 · Filed under CO2 emissions, Carbon Dioxide emissions, Companies going green · Tagged , , ,

 

Just a wee note to say that Google has now joined the ethical/green bandwagon.  Oh yes! If you are in the UK and go to the Google homepage you will find a link to find out about your carbon footprint.Using stats from DEFRA it states that in the UK over 500 million tonnes of CO2 is emitted a year and that individual consumption accounts for around 45% of this!! 

Google allows you to sign up and calculate your carbon footprint as well as put yourself on the UK carbon footprint map.  What’s more you can also link through and find out how you can reduce your carbon footprint.  Good stuff.

Considering how many hits Google has a day even if only a small proportion of visitors click through and join up it’s sure to have some impact.  We at Ethical and Green think that Google deserves a round of applause for joining the reduction of CO2 emissions cause and listening to it’s users!   Click on the image above to be taken straight to the page.

No comment »

Are climate change predictions wrong?

November 1, 2007 · Filed under CO2 emissions, Carbon Dioxide emissions

Last week the media was awash with stories about climate predictions being wrong and we are in a far worse position than previously thought.  This is thought to be due to countries such as India and China having exceeded predictions of how their economies and industry were growing.  Some climate change models predict that 35% more CO2 has been emitted.  Best get reducing our footprints!   
The International Panel on Climate Change is the United Nations body dedicated to looking at climate change and the impact of global warming.  They have predicted that temperatures may increase by an incredible 6.4C over the next century!  Trouble indeed. This does sound incredibly bleak but there are some out there who think that the stats are wrong.  Apparently it depends on which model of climate change you use and which variables you take into account.  If anyone could explain these to Ethical and Green we would be most grateful! 
I read a post on one blog suggesting that climate change is a mere fairytale invented by world powers to extort more money from us and scare us into submission on certain policies……Anyone care to comment…… 
Us here at Ethical and Green feel that despite the stats we have an obligation to look after our planet and do the best we can to ensure that future generations have something to inherit. 

No comment »