Greener Farming Standards to be introduced internationally for fruit and vegetables at Waitrose.
The
retailer has committed that by 2010 all conventional fresh, prepared
and frozen fruit, vegetables and flowers on sale in its supermarkets
will be farmed to high environmental standards using sustainable
farming methods. This will be achieved by introducing the LEAF
Marque Scheme - which demands environmentally responsible standards of
farming on all conventional produce in its supermarkets. Waitrose
has been using the LEAF Marque on all UK produce for the last two years
and is now working with LEAF in helping growers across the globe to
deliver and demonstrate their environmental credentials. In
order to achieve LEAF Marque status, farms have to demonstrate high
standards of environmental stewardship. These include minimising use of
pesticides, encouraging natural predators, retaining 'green corridors'
to protect wildlife, conserving water and energy, as well as
maintaining soil vitality through crop rotation and prevention of soil
erosion. They must also demonstrate continuous improvements year on
year. While Waitrose will always aim to
source within the UK, when in season, the retailer is committed to
taking a holistic approach in working to reduce its environmental
impact. Mary Vizoso, Head of Fruit and Vegetable Buying at Waitrose, said: 'This scheme will make an enormous difference to the long term
future of farming communities, particularly in the developing world. In
Britain many of these methods are becoming more widespread but for
farmers in developing countries, they are often groundbreaking.'
Benefits of the LEAF scheme can range from
reduced pesticide use, saving energy and water, supporting the
preservation of threatened species and helping communities manage the
land in a sustainable way so it can be farmed successfully by future
generations. Case Study: Ghana Ahuntem
Farm in Ghana is one of the farms working towards LEAF Marque status
and it grows pineapples for Waitrose. Farmers have been educated about
the benefits of allowing uncultivated strips within borders to grow
wild. Initially, the reaction among farmers was sceptical but attitudes
changed when they realised that providing habitats for predator insects
could reduce the requirement for expensive pesticides. Instead of using
single crop cycles, the farm is looking at how different crops can be
rotated to prevent soil erosion and maintain nutrient levels in the
soil. Case Study: Kenya The Tambuzi
Farm in Kenya, a pilot LEAF farm grows roses and lilies for Waitrose.
It has preserved uncultivated areas around their field margins and
introduced a tree conservation project on the farm. In addition, they
have developed a programme to compost all green waste.
Tags: supermarker pesticide development soil crops
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 England?s historic churches and cathedrals face the same tough
choices forced on us all by climate change says the UK's Climate Change and
Environment Minister Ian Pearson.
Speaking at the
Cathedrals and Climate Change Conference at Lambeth Palace, organised
by the Association of English Cathedrals, Mr Pearson welcomed the
commitment of churches and cathedrals to join the national effort to
cut carbon emissions and start adapting to the inevitable impacts
climate change will have on our historic environment.
Mr Pearson said: ?Medieval
cathedrals stand today as monuments to the skill, ingenuity and
ambition of the engineers and architects of their time: a testament to
the potential of mankind to solve problems creatively and with
dedication. We need to apply this creativity to finding climate
solutions.
?While a wind-turbine on St Paul?s might raise
a few eyebrows, I?d love to see solar panels on church halls, biomass
boilers in church schools, and maybe in future we should be thinking
about how, by using microgeneneration, cathedrals can help produce
energy as well as use it?.
"Churches and cathedrals are already
doing innovative, practical work to reduce their emissions and adapt to
climate change. They can mobilise communities and are spreading the
message that doing something about climate change needn?t involve a
grand gesture ? every small step is important.?
There are many examples of the Church already taking the initiative, such as:
- A new booklet, entitled ?How many light bulbs does it take to change a Christian??, which is part of the Church of England?s Shrinking the Footprint Campaign, is a practical guide with green tips for individuals, communities and their churches.
- Portsmouth
Cathedral, who last summer let their youth group do an environmental
audit of the cathedral. One of their canons is now an environmental
watchdog. At one of their services, they also gave away low energy
light bulbs and loo flush reducers to the congregation.
- St Paul?s Cathedral?s Costing the Earth
series stimulated debate from the worlds of economics, science,
religion and business to address the issues of climate change and how
individuals can play a part in working for a sustainable future for our
planet.
The
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) working group two
report in April this year - the work of thousands of independent
scientists across the world ? concluded that rising temperatures caused
by human induced climate change over the last 30 years have already had
an impact on people and the environment. Some of the risks that face Durham cathedral have already been highlighted
in a study by the Environment Agency. Buildings on
clay can also experience problems such as subsidence and rotting wood.
UNESCO recently published a report on world heritage sites and climate
change. Westminster Abbey was used as a case study in the report. It
recognised that flood inundation from the Thames may be a problem.
While many cathedrals are built on hills there are some such as
Winchester, Salisbury and the London buildings that may be at risk from
flash flooding because of heavy rainfall. More information on the Church of England?s National Environmental Campaign can be found at Shrinking the Footprint
Tags: buildings climate religion
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 Professional and amateur film-makers are being invited to enter a
one-minute green film competition which is being organised by
Friends of the Earth, in participation with Filminute - the
international one-minute film festival and competition.
The winning film, which will be
selected from a 25 film shortlist, will win Avid editing software and
free post-production. Entries must be submitted by midnight on 20
August 2007.
Tony Juniper, Executive Director of Friends of the Earth
"One-minute green films are a fantastic way to channel some of UK's
creative talent into communicating environmental issues. We hope these
films will inspire others to get involved and help to protect this
beautiful planet that we all live on." A selection
of one-minute green films and interviews will showcase on the Friends
of the Earth website www.foe.co.uk/greenfilm.
All eligible green entries will be hosted on Friends of the Earth's YouTube channel www.youtube.com/friendsoftheearth,
where the public will be called on to vote for their favourite
one-minute green film in September. All eligible entrants/green films
will be forwarded to Filminute for consideration to the Filminute 2007
shortlist.
The prizes for winning will include
-
Avid Xpress Pro software
-
One years subscription to Showreel Magazine - The independent magazine for TV and Film Production
-
5 hours free post production
-
New or extension of membership with Shooting People (a membership
community of over 30,000 independent filmmakers, sharing resources,
skills and experience).
-
An opportunity to shadow a film or television production.
Tags: movies campaign friends of the earth win
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 Friends
of the Earth say that the generation of electricity is the single biggest
contributor to the gas emissions that causes global warming. Swapping your energy hungry traditional light
bulbs for energy efficient ones and making sure that your electrical appliances
aren't left on standby may well cut emissions caused by electricity generation
by a couple of percent' but this saving is only a fraction of what is necessary
to prevent a global warming catastrophe. If you?re a person that is really
serious about doing your bit to help avert global warming, you should really
switch to 'green' electricity.
Here in
the UK there are now around a dozen different green electricity tariffs to
choose from' and whilst the electricity they promise to supply promises to be
from 100% renewable sources (usually wind or hydro in the UK) some of the
companies that sell green electricity have a less green side to them and are
also profiting from electricity generated in coal or nuclear power stations. Fortunately, last year, the Ethical Consumer Research
Association assessed the suppliers of electricity that was generated from 100%
renewable sources and provided an ethiscore rating out of 20. The scoring system applied looked at the
overall impact of each electricity entire operation to allow the more
discerning green consumer to make the most informed decision when choosing
their green power supplier.
So which
companies achieved the best scores: well here they are: Ecotricity , Good Energy and Green Energy UK all scored
the join top score of 15. Many of the
bigger electricity companies that advertise a green tariff lost out on point
because their scores reflected that they also generate electricity that they
sell under different tariffs from coal, gas or nuclear Power Stations. This
does not mean that the electricity that the sell as green is not green, simply
that they also have a less ethical face to their business.
With the
smaller players winning the highest ethical ratings' what does this mean to the
cost that you as a consumer will pay for switching to green tariff electricity
supplied by a smaller company. If you
want to avoid the bigger producers it doesn?t necessarily need to cost you
more: Ecotricity, for example, say that their green tariff will cost you no
more than your regional supplier of fossil fuel or nuclear produced
electricity. Meaning that switching
green energy is not only good for the environment also won?t cost you the
earth.
Tags: electricity co2 renewable global warming
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The UK's
climate bill that aims to cut the emissions of gases that cause global warming
will see the probable implementation of policies including banning the stand by
button from new TVs and DVD players and the fazing-out of the sale of inefficient
light bulbs. Politicians have also made more dramatic and headline grabbing
suggestions including placing limits on air travel, or capturing and storing
CO2 emissions from gas and coal powered power stations.
Whilst
such gestures make optimistic headlines as well as capture the favor of the
'green' voter, even if Britain, Europe, the USA, and the rest of the developed
world implemented measures that cut climate changing gases by 60 percent from
1990 levels by the target of 2050 it will still only provide half the solution
to the global warming problem. Why?
because each year the global population raises by between 60 an 70 million
people each year. This means that by 2050 to reach the target CO2 emission
reductions each of the predicted worlds population of around 9 billion people,
each of these individuals will need to be emitting more than 70 percent less
CO2 that 1990 levels.
With
developing countries seeking higher standards of living for their citizens (and
quite deservedly so) their consumption will also increase, meaning that all the
low energy light bulbs, more efficient cars, heating boilers, and home insulation measures will
end-up making little impact on the climate change problem - population growth
will simply cancel-out any emission cut achievements made.
So
what's the solution then? Well, nations
need to ensure that population size stability becomes part of government
policy, and that doesn't just mean addressing birth control in the developing
nations. The UK puts its future economic
strength in increasing its population through immigration and although this
does not affect global population numbers it?s got to sending the wrong message
to the rest of the world about the link to increasing population and
prosperity. Surely prosperity without
population growth must be achievable by some other means?
Tags: population co2. emissions policy
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