Greenprint 2020

Generations Working Together

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 08:41:00 +0000

By Amy Whitney, Greenprint Steering Group Member

It is 8:30 in the morning and I am sat in a studio at the News International Headquarters being questioned about why we need a new inter-generational model for work. As a recent graduate I am painfully aware that my generation are paying ridiculous sums of money to attend university only to find when they leave they are unable to find work. Meeting with 27 others concerned with this issue, with speakers from The Times, Youth Employment UK, and SAGA Insurance. A broad group of people sat down to discuss what has become one of the most challenging issues facing the UK. The UK is suffering dual pressure on its welfare system, both from youth unemployment, those aged 16-24 and those in the late 50’s nearing retirement age. The unemployment rate was 20.8% for those aged 16-24 in the period October-December 2012 last year. The Generations Talking Together work panel confronted this issue by examining which direct provisions could keep both age groups earning.

In what has been termed ‘the baby boom crisis’ millions of aging Baby Boomers on the brink of retirement not only lost their jobs in the Great Recession but also saw their savings diminish. Older people in the UK who find themselves out of work are increasingly being frozen out of the labour market, with limited chances of finding a job. Unemployed older people are being forced into early retirement with a lack of tailored support to help them find work. Nearly half (49.6%) of all unemployed men in the country who have been out of work for more than a year are over the age of 50, up from 44.8% in 2011. Older generations are having to become flexible about how they work, whether this is setting up their own businesses or working from home. The Generations Talking Together work panel were faced with the issue of whether the government can provide a role in reducing benefit reliance in the over 50’s. Looking at the success rates of business start-ups there is scope to increase the availability of enterprise funding for the age bracket. It has been shown that 48% of entrepreneurs over 50 are more likely to succeed in creating their own business than any other age group. Older workers are more mature, reliable and have developed interpersonal skills for dealing with clients.

Those over 50 shouldn’t be pressurised to retire early but businesses should open up flexible working opportunities so that individuals can pursue tailored retirement plans. Flexi-time has proven to be successful in retail, communications and services sectors. Part time work provides extensive advantages to businesses by providing a full work force at different times, enabling staff holidays and keeping motivation levels high. Can this innovative way of working be transferred into other sectors to increase participation? There should be more alternatives for workers who are forced to give up work early, as often they require an income to support other family members. The UK needs solutions that provide more flexible part-time positions, with continuous training to ensure a mobile and efficient work force can be mobilised in different areas.

Youth unemployment is at nearly 1 million for young people. A shortfall in jobs demonstrates a mismatch between business career prospects and the courses people are prepared to undertake at university. The government have tried to counteract the issue of youth unemployment by funding youth apprenticeships but the uptake of these has been below expected. It is significant that the government have created attractive apprenticeship opportunities and yet those that it is tailored towards haven’t applied for the schemes. Which raises the question of whether the government’s decision to withdraw Connections, a face-to-face careers advice platform in secondary schools was wise? Connection advisors were placed in secondary schools around the UK and provided a service young people could identify with. The current system lacks appropriate opportunities to gain this crucial guidance. Focused career advice is needed to reduce the disparity between the skills businesses require and the skills students are gaining. Young people need to be given the tools in order to adapt to become more driven and resilient to survive in the current economic climate.

There is a perception in some sectors that those who have left university with a degree are ill equipped to survive in the work environment. Those in higher education require insight into the different skills that are required in full time roles. Mentoring schemes in the work place are extremely important so that young people can demonstrate their use of technology and more experienced workers can show trainees how to communicate with clients. Not only do young individuals require a substantial education but they also need to be enterprising. Undergraduates today need to have their hands in several different pockets at once in order to increase their exposure to career opportunities.

The Solution?

The key to solving these issues is increasing the flexibility of different work schemes. With a re-emergence of some paid and part government funded internships that can be accessed by people from all social backgrounds. New models are forming between the public and private sector such as the Birmingham Job Guarantee funded centrally from Birmingham City Council. The use of technology, specifically cloud computing has enabled businesses to provide services remotely to their clients, perhaps this technology can be mobilised to provide those working from home connections with businesses in a way to maximise worker utility. Businesses need to develop more flexible roles to support participation by working mothers and carers. Innovative businesses that are ahead of time already offer workers training remotely. Mobile computing provides the opportunity to develop facilities to support and engage with those from a variety of different backgrounds to improve employment opportunities. There is role for NGO’s to form connections with struggling communities, providing an outlet for leadership roles and mentoring opportunities to those most at risk of becoming long term unemployed. It is important that different bodies work together to improve shared practice. The government can directly influence the amount of jobs available to young people by investing in sectors of the economy that have the prospective to grow. Funding has the potential to stimulate new roles in the fields of green energy, technology and care. Part-funded university scholarships in these sectors may well generate workers with the specific skills and training to work in available job vacancies. An important part of this process should be investments in green internships, and leadership training across the UK to encourage the next generation to become active at reinventing themselves and accessing work in new places.

The Generations Working Together Manifesto, which tackles the issue of intergenerational work, will be presented to both public and private bodies to pursue these ideas further.

Carving Your Own Green Niche

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 15:13:39 +0000

By Marie Dunnion

In today’s technologically-driven, “busy-busy-busy” society, it may well seem difficult for people to see where they can possibly fit in saving the world alongside their various other responsibilities. Everybody seems to be juggling varying levels of commitment to jobs, family, study, etc., and this can often leave very little time for any other considerations. However, if people took a few minutes to contemplate their long-term residency on the planet, then they would, hopefully, arrive at the conclusion that it is very much worthwhile investing some personal effort into caring for the earth who sustains our very being here.

There is little doubt that we hear a lot more in the media these days about green issues, with businesses in particular seeming very keen to emphasise their commitment to corporate sustainability. Whilst it may be tempting to think that the green problems of the planet are all in hand and being well taken care of by those at the top, the reality suggests otherwise. It could be argued that for every story about improved green policies, there are many more reports of huge expanses of rainforest being cut down, endangered species being further threatened with extinction, oil companies destroying natural habitat, and the unfortunate list goes on and on. Therefore, with so much more green-fingered work to be done, each and every one of us has a responsibility to ask ourselves, “How can I help?”

Saving the planet is not somebody else’s job, no matter how distant the rainforests may seem, or how irrelevant specific green issues may appear in relation to peoples’ day-to-day lives. For example, the trees in the rainforest emit vital oxygen which is the very life source of human-beings’ existence, as well as that of other non-human animals. We all take our breath for granted, but imagine a future where there are so few trees left that the oxygen in our world has deteriorated into such a polluted fog that we have to wear gas masks to leave our homes. This may not be our future, but it could certainly be the one which we bequeath to the next generation.

So, how can you help? Perhaps by sharing a couple of my own experiences, I can inspire you into action! My personal green contribution, and one which I can comfortably fit in alongside my other daily activities, is the regular signing of petitions which pop into my inbox courtesy of various environmentally-linked agencies. Once I have signed the petitions I support, I can then quickly share these on Facebook and twitter to enlist friend and family’s support. To give you some ideas, I have listed three websites below which I subscribe to.

If you have a little more time available in your life and are passionate about a particular topic or organisation, you could check whether there is any way in which you can get further involved. This is something which I have recently done by signing up to Greenpeace’s political lobbying training. Yet again, via my trusty e-mail inbox, I spotted an opportunity to apply to join Greenpeace’s new political lobbying/communication network. “Why not?,” I thought, “I write lots of e-mails and letters to my MP anyway, so this would be a great opportunity to consolidate my existing skills.”

So, the upshot is that I attended an information-rich day of Greenpeace lobbying training in Birmingham at the end of April. Along with the other attendees, I was encouraged to express any concerns I had about the process and through various exercises, such as role plays, we spent the day working our way through this worry list. The end result was that I left the training day feeling a lot more galvanised and confident about communicating with my MP on various green issues!

So, the moral of the story is that we can each carve out our own green niche in the hustle and bustle of life. I wish you well with finding your own special role, and with incorporating it into your existing activities!

Recommended websites:

Care 2 Make a Difference

One International

Tiger Time

A fantastic piece of art from one of our Summer Step NCS...

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 17:06:25 +0100

A fantastic piece of art from one of our Summer Step NCS participants!

June Newsletter: Join our action packed events, meet Fazila & get creative for the Royal Jubilee!

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 13:02:00 +0100

June Newsletter: Join our action packed events, meet Fazila & get creative for the Royal Jubilee!

Want fun this summer?

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:24:03 +0100

Are you 16-17 and living in S/E London?

Summer Step is taking 100 16-17 year olds from South and East London on an action packed adventure this summer. You’ll get the chance to take on new challenges, learn new skills, have fun and make a real difference to your community and the environment.

Everyone taking part in Summer Step will get a free digital camera to document their journey. On top of that, sign up now for the chance to win iTunes, mobile and cinema vouchers!

Find out more and join us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news.

Animals and the Environment – A Dual Agenda

Thu, 03 May 2012 11:53:33 +0100

Marie Dunnion (Animal Voice)

The theme of my contributions to Greenprint 2020 have so far been characterised by a commitment to promoting animal equality and veganism. Many people do not immediately see the links between animals and the environment, but the relationship is actually one of utmost importance and, although I personally view the animal rights movement from an ethical point of view, I think it is crucial that the environmental perspective is collectively understood.

I have previously covered how you can limit your individual contribution to environmental destruction by living a life free from animal products. According to the United Nations FAO report, Livestock’s Long Shadow, “The livestock sector is a major player, responsible for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions measured in CO2 equivalent. This is a higher share than transport.” (Transport causes 13.5%). You can find out more about veganism and the environment at www.vegansociety.com.

I have a subscription to a very special magazine, called Resurgence, which is dedicated to the environment. They recently produced a special issue entitled: “Animals: A New Ethics – The Call for Change” (you can buy a copy at www.resurgence.org). The inimitable editor, Satish Kumar, introduced the issue as having a dual agenda by explaining, “It’s time for the environmental movement to embrace the cause of animal rights.”

Whilst I could use my own words, I feel that Satish Kumar captured the situation so expertly that I cannot possibly compete. So, here is what he had to say:

“The environmental movement is rightly concerned about global warming, diminishing wildlife populations, loss of biodiversity, clear-cutting of rainforests, the pollution of our rivers and oceans and the explosion of the human population.

But one important dimension is missing from our environmental agenda and that is the plight of the pigs, cows, cats, dogs, horses, monkeys and other animals that humans use for food, medicine and entertainment.

With this issue of Resurgence, I call upon all environmental activists and organisations to remedy this and embrace the cause of animal rights as an integral and important part of the environmental movement.”

We all have our own role to play in meeting Satish Kumar’s call to action, and perhaps by sharing my own story, you may be inspired towards taking steps to help change the world’s treatment of its animal population.

Back in 2010, I found a group of like-minded individuals in Birmingham and we have since formed the not-for-profit organisation, Animal Freedom. To clarify, this organisation does not approach animal rights from an environmental stance, although the end result of abolishing all forms of animal exploitation will ultimately have the effect of improving the welfare of the planet.

Through peaceful activism, Animal Freedom aims to educate people about the abolition of all forms of animal exploitation and to promote veganism as the solution to this exploitation. In our current society, animal use is considered an acceptable practice, causing the deaths of literally millions of non-human sentient beings. Utilising veganism as a moral baseline, Animal Freedom promotes ways of living without using animals as commodities or machines. Animal Freedom offers a vegan mentoring scheme to help guide and support anybody who is switching to this lifestyle.

If you have any questions you can find Animal Freedom on Facebook, Twitter or contact me directly at marie@animalfreedom.eu. I would be more than happy to hear from you!

Are you 16 -17? Join the Summer Step adventure.

Tue, 01 May 2012 12:11:01 +0100

Summer Step is a National Citizen Service (NCS) volunteering programme bringing together 100 young people this summer holiday to take on new challenges, embrace new skills, meet new people and have fun!

In the first of its kind Summer Step will not only give you the chance to make a difference in your community but to the environment as well. You’ll take part in team challenges and adventures that will provide you with inspiration to deisgn a group project which you will bring to life with professional support!

Who: 16 - 17 year olds living in Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham, Newham and Tower Hamlets London boroughs.

When: The programme will run for 6 weeks, starting on the 25 June and 2 July. You can choose which date you start.

Where: London, with 1 residential week outside of London.

Find out more

Farewell from our UConn intern, Jonathan

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:57:07 +0100

Jonathan Bock, University of Connecticut and Global Action Plan intern

My time in England feels like it has been a complete whirlwind. Even though I spent nearly four months in the country, I feel as if I have been here for only a matter of weeks. From my internship at Global Action Plan, classes, travelling, and experiencing all that London has to offer, it has been a busy time for me, but I would not trade it for anything.

One of my most enjoyable and without a doubt my most valuable experiences since coming to England has been working as an intern with Global Action Plan (GAP). At GAP, I have done work with NEETs (young people not in employment, education or training) involving BTEC courses to help disadvantaged youths get into work or education. While the internship has had its share

of challenges, it has been a very fulfilling and rewarding experience. Whether it was through recruiting NEETs to the program or coming up with objectives to fulfil BTEC requirements, the work and responsibility remained challenging as it was mostly new to me, but helped me to step outside of my comfort zone and broaden my horizons. Through this internship, I have picked up a variety of useful and practical skills that should serve me well into the future. My time at GAP has been some of my most enjoyable times in England because of the great people I have been privileged to work with and because of the rewarding experience of what I feel I have accomplished here.

Another great part of studying and interning here is just living in London. Being from a small town in the middle of nowhere, living in such a bustling metropolis is a completely different experience for me. In fact, living in London has been the polar opposite of anywhere else I have lived. There is always something to do or see, no matter the time of day. The lifestyle of living in London is probably what I will miss most. If possible, I would like to come back here sometime, the sooner the better, as this has become my favourite place I have ever been.

Are you concerned about more than just whether it will go with your black or washed out skinnies?

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:25:00 +0100

By Amy Louise Whitney (London EcoBarbie), Greenprint 2020 volunteer

When considering the process of conventional shopping we immediately think about neat rows of pristine garments, just waiting to be touched and tried on. Clothes glistening as they hang on manikins, the feel of something new when you wear if for the first time and the exciting rush of the fitting rooms. What a thrill it is finding that perfect item and finally the shiny packaging!

“Oh look a lovely floral corset dress; the colour combination is lovely indeed. It would be great for dinners too”. As you console yourself with your sensible purchase. The thought of your next outing in a glossy new dress and what it might match in your bursting-to-the-brim wardrobe. Full of garb you don’t remember buying. Sound familiar yet? You already imagine yourself posing in front of the mirror with it playing dress up at home. The smugness you believe you will feel when you see jealous looks on friend’s faces. Surely this delight can’t be that bad, the odd treats you buy to pass your time on a lunch hour. After all you deserve it don’t you? You think to yourself I work so hard and anyway, it doesn’t matter its just another £10.

The fact is today’s shopaholics are in denial. They operate in an industry that allows individuals to fund their addictions with plastic. Many have a shameful disbelief that they can all act and dress like pop stars. With each covetable item making them even more stylish and classy. Fashion has been allowed to become the superficial fix to patch up people’s deeper personal problems. The worst thing is the industry actually endorses these shallow views that goods are a solution to all of lives problems.

The issue is consumers shopping do not consider the chemically processed man-made fibres itching at their skin. The harshness of the shop lighting, workers sweating away in sweatshops 12 hours a day or the fish floating listlessly in nearby waterways to bring them an acid washed, dip dyed pair of jeans. Even those shoppers who claim to be well educated don’t care; in the 21st century it’s all about fabricating an image. Consumers are showing little change in their habits they will quite happily spend on an item only to throw it away carelessly in 3 months time. The problem is shoppers aren’t just buying the odd item now and again; they are buying time after time to perk themselves up from their hectic lives. One in today’s society must have an image.

Sustainable fashion is something that has been shifting on and off the radar for a few years now. The word eco-fashion still gives the average ‘Fashionista’ nightmares, and conjures up images of garish hemp clad hippies. You know the rugged looking tie-dye wearing types. However, for some designers eco-fashion has become more than just a buzzword. With some brands offering simple, collectable and dare I say it stylish pieces, which haven’t been made through the exploitation of human and natural resources. If in doubt google Eva Zingoni who up-cycles excess fabric from Parisian fashion houses, ASOS Africa who employ Kenyan cooperatives, also Fair and True who use organic bamboo from Vietnam.

In a groundbreaking move fashion houses such as Vivienne Westwood, H&M, Marks & Spencers, and WGSN are part of an industry consortium operating under the title of NICE CONSUMER exploring sustainable fashion. Those steering the helm are helping these firms to make decisions whether it is valuable to them to hop on the ecologically friendly bandwagon so to speak. NICE CONSUMER are investigating whether practices endorsed by sustainable firms are really profitable, to appeal to a fresher, more demanding market of eco-warriors. Larger firms are facing pressure from groups of individuals who are not accustomed to the spend-spend-spend ethos of those growing up in the 90’s boom years. A hybrid consumer is emerging which is not only uncomfortable with current industry practices, but demand durable attire at a reasonable price. There are broad ranges of demographic groups who are becoming more aware of processes such as ‘Up cycling’ as a preferred
production method. With potential for organic fabrics and zero-waste design to change the way people think about purchasing their clothes. Yet, not all of these groups can afford to buy the likes of Stella McCartney. Who actually has managed to make vegetarian footwear appealing! What NICE CONSUMER is exploring is whether it is viable to provide a sustainable palette for everyone.

In an attempt to carve a sizeable chunk in a highly specialised niche market NICE CONSUMER are actively looking for dynamic, fiery and passionate individuals to get involved in the consultation process. Critical questions that need to be addressed by the Advisory Group consider issues with respect to both consumers and producers. Potentially explosive questions could inspire a whole new attitude towards the economic cycle that generates fashion. These are the questions we will be considering in the next few days. What is the role of government if any to play in driving behaviour change in the fashion industry? Is there potential for new enterprise to make the process much less wasteful? What policies are workable to encourage sustainable business practices? And how can firms address the buying behaviours of consumers through advertising or incentivise different structures for producers?

If you find this topic fascinating and feel you have something to contribute to these questions participate in the NICE Consumer project’s consultation process. By emailing niceconsumer@bsr.org to join in a webinar on April 3 at 4pm European time.

10 ways to save water this summer

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 15:37:00 +0100

Water scarcity is a real issue in parts of the UK, with the average Briton using 150 litres each day. South-East England has less water available per person than parts of Sudan and that just 3% of water is freshwater safe for drinking. So with the summer approaching it’s essential we use water efficiently, and there are lots of ways to do this.

Last week a team of Greenprint 2020 volunteers and interns headed to Barts Hospital in London for ‘Bust a Flush’, showing the public how easy it is to save water. We donned our hippo costumes and gave away shower timers, save-a-flush bags and water hippos.

Over the year these people will now save 965,000 litres of water and over 4 tonnes CO2!

Register here for updates about future events.

Barts building just opened in March 2012 so it is a fantastic example of new energy efficient architecture. Barts and the London NHS Trust have created an environmental programme, reducing their annual CO2 emissions by 6000 tonnes. That’s enough to fill over 31,000 double decker buses!

Way’s you can save water:

Bronze (saving up to 5,000 litres per household per year)

Use a water hippo or save-a-flush bag
Fit a water efficient shower head
Install a water butt/rain barrel and use this to water your garden

Silver (5,001 to 10,000 litres per household per year)

Fix dripping taps
Turn off taps when your brushing your teeth
Fit water efficient tap adapters

Gold (saving 10,001 to 15,000 litres per household per year)

Use the plug or a bowl when washing up
Spend less time in the shower, aim for less than 4 minutes
Switch from baths to showers

Platinum (saving over 15,000 litres per household per year)

Avoid sprinklers and hoses – use a watering can

Global Action Plan Resources

Reduce your environmental impact this Easter

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:57:00 +0100

Chocolate. There’s no doubt that its one of the most popular things we give up for lent, but most of us probably don’t think about the benefits beyond health and fitness. Those pain staking 40 days and 40 nights without even a drop of the melted treat has a much greater saving than just calories. There’s a huge amount of water and carbon that goes into its production, storage and transportation. 2847 gallons of water goes in to every 454g of chocolate (Treehugger)! I couldn’t help but be amused when I came across this in the Guardian headlines back in 2009, “Cadbury to curb methane emissions from burping dairy cows”, but its true and its important. 60% of chocolates carbon footprint is associated with the production of milk (Cadbury)! Just how often do we think of the wider consequences when biting into our treats?

Fortunately for us the big confectionery companies have been working hard to let us treat ourselves to chocolate without having the environmental guilt on our shoulders, and although we’re not quite there yet, they have made progress. Cadburys have reduced their packaging between 39-68%, saving resources and taking 2,290 lorry’s off the roads! You can read their full report on reducing emissions here.

Right: Cadburys Eco Egg range launched in 2008, saving 68% of packaging by replacing plastic and card with 1 layer of foil.

Here are some tips to help you create your ethical Easter:

Have an Easter Egg hunt with home made treats.
Swap normal chocolate for organic or Fair Trade chocolate.
Scrap the plastic. Choose Easter treats with the least amount of packaging and check that it is either recyclable, or has been made out of recycled materials.
The Guardian ethical Easter Egg taste test picks the best from a sample of 20 organic and Fair Trade chocolates. Ranging from £5 to a whopping £28.50, we imagine they’ll be for particularly special gifts.
Write to the companies that are yet to tackle their packaging. A large number of luxury eggs created by Thornton’s, Baileys, Sainsbury’s and Marks and Spencer, continue to use heavy plastic packaging. Most of this can’t be recycled and often ends up in landfill (2degrees).

Finally, ENJOY!

Greenprint 2020

Get involved with World Water Day!

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 17:06:00 +0000

World Water Day 2012 - Wednesday 22nd March

In the UK and across the developed world most of us take clean safe water for granted, but the fact is that there are still nearly one billion people across the planet without access to clean water. Water is what sustains life. 97% of water is in the oceans, the remaining 3% is the freshwater safe for drinking. Most of this freshwater is locked away in the form of ice caps and as well all know, with climate change already taking its toll, we could all benefit from saving and reducing our consumption of water.

UN Water’s World Water Day on the 22nd March aims to draw attention to the importance of safe water. This date also marks 1 month till the ‘Sanitation and Water for All’ meeting in Washington DC, where we will see world leaders gathering to discuss what actions are going to be taken to tackle the water and sanitation crisis.

If you want to get involved further, Water Aid are running a Water Works campaign, collecting photos of how you use water every day which will be used at the Sanitation meeting in Washington to highlight the important message of clean water across the globe. You can submit your photos here. You can also tweet a #worldwaterday message highlighting the value of clean water to you.

For a chance to win a hippo bag and shower timer to help reduce that all important water usage, upload your best water photographs to our Greenprint Facebook page, including a short message about what water means to you. A selection of the best photos will also be included in the Global Action Plan newsletter and blog.

If you’re looking for an event to get involved in, join us for Bust a Flush on Wednesday 28th March! Find out more.

Check out this site on some great water-saving tips! Come along and help spread the message. Save water, save our planet.

Happy World Water Day,

Faye and Suzy, Greenprint Steering Group 2012

See original article.

St. Patrick's Day 2012

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:11:04 +0000

By Faye Tester, Greenprint Steering Group member

I think Green is amazing… it’s by far my favourite colour (as you can tell if you’ve seen my many green possessions).

I’d even like to be literally green like Elphaba in Wicked but haven’t quite figured out how to go about it! But it isn’t just the colour I love… it is everything remotely relating to green, this includes Irish Dancing and the environment, a random combination I know. My crazy love of everything green also extends to my favourite day of the year being St Patricks Day…because just for one day a year everyone shares my passion for everything green!

But green is no longer just a colour, it also encompasses a broad range of environmental terms and achievements from Green building to Green tourism. In this context ‘greenwashing’ can often occur when companies misuse environmental terms to promote an environmentally friendly image, trying to appear more environmentally conscious than their activities would otherwise suggest. Energy companies and airlines are common culprits of greenwashing, using marketing to promote their environmental image whilst doing little to actually change their activities. Other companies just rely on using the colour green in their advertising to promote a positive environmental image, even throwing a few trees and leaves to hint at the environmental theme. I think many of the public are easily influenced by adverts like this as we automatically associate them with environmentally friendly. Don’t be easily persuaded by green adverts and environmental cliché images, it’s the company’s actions that really determine whether they are truly or green or just jumping on the eco bandwagon!

Fortunately there are many organisations that have developed specific campaigns to target greenwashing and highlight the worst offenders. A few example websites are included here:

So this year for St Patricks Day, rummage in your wardrobe for some suitable green attire, get jigging and drink some Guinness. But after you’ve done all that, remember to think about the big green planet out there, don’t be fooled by green-washed marketing, make up your own mind, it’s the company’s actions that counts…not those lovely green posters!

Thanks for reading,

Faye

Get involved with Climate Week

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 12:59:49 +0000

Suzy Rebisz, Greenprint 2020 Steering Group member

In this week’s Climate Week, contribute towards a more environmentally aware community at your school, university or work place. Whether it’s a one-off event or a long-term commitment, help yourself and us create a more sustainable future!

Here are some easy steps to contribute:

1. Turn off any unnecessary lights whenever you leave a room.

2. Put in recycling bins at your work/school place if there aren’t any already. Print off labels with Recycling. If you want to be more specific, create labels for Paper Recycling and Plastics Recycling. Also, make sure the material actually DOES get recycled by checking with the rubbish collectors. If you’re not the activist type, you can always suggest or inquire about it at your place of work or school.

3. Print double-sided paper instead of the conventional one-sided paper. This reduces the amount of paper used and the total weight of the paper you need to carry! A win-win. It may be a bit tricky to setup at first, but it is worth the time: the option is usually around the page setup or print preferences/properties options. Alternatively, ask the IT guys at your place of learning/work.

4. For those looking for a challenge: create a Greenprint team to come up with achievable ideas to reduce your impact on the environment (such as the ideas above) and put them all into action!

5. If you want a make an even bigger contribution as part of Climate Week, search for environmental volunteering opportunities in your local area. Join Greenprint 2020 and become a volunteer! For those working, let your company be a sponsor to help young people gain some green skills!

Find out more here.

6. Lastly, check out the Climate Week website for more exciting events and details!

Happy Climate Week 2012,

Greenprint Steering Group 2012

Powering the future

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 11:26:00 +0000

By Callum Scott, Greenprint 2020 Steering Group member

The Earth’s climate is changing, that is an undisputable fact. Whose fault it is frankly irrelevant, we need to look at every aspect of how we as a society extract, transport and consume natural resources. One of the most hotly debated elements of this is to do with the way we generate electricity. Ever since the industrial revolution we have become increasingly energy hungry in our day to day lives and some would say victims of our own success. Not only does our infrastructure as whole need to adapt to become more resilient to deal with the extremes of Climate Change, it also has to be capable of generating clean electricity for the masses if we are to move away from being so reliant on the extraction of fossil fuels.

UK 2010 - Shares of net electricity supplied, by fuel input

Data supplied by DECC – DUKES Chapter 5: Electricity

One key thing to note is that every option for generating electricity there are pros and cons, strengths and weaknesses. For instance, wind farms are a great example of how we can harness the natural environment for our own needs; doing this is not a new idea, however to do it on an industrial scale requires a huge amount of land, and some would argue, destroys the local landscape. You could of course advocate the use of offshore wind turbines, but at a significant additional cost. Nuclear on the other hand requires a comparatively small amount of land to generate vast amounts of electricity and isn’t reliant on local weather conditions. Yet, the debate on how we deal with nuclear waste is a contentious one. If we were to go down the route of wave power, our national grid needs to be completely redefined from centralised power plants to a network of remote satellites. There isn’t a one fits all solution, local supply need only meet local demand and that should be met depending on local infrastructure, policy and climate.

This leads me to perhaps challenge one of the Greenprint 2020 visions which suggests we should look to step up imports of renewable energy from abroad. What I would challenge is why import, decreasing our energy independence, when we have the means to do it ourselves, creating jobs for a nation that has a tradition of engineering excellence? Conversely, I would agree (with the 2020 vision) that in order to account for the intermittency of some renewable energies, the grid needs to be smart, whether that is to bring in reserves from energy storage devices such as hydroelectric dams or simply to syphon excess energy from neighbouring generation facilities. Plenty to think about then.

It is easy to get caught up in the energy crisis and focus on where we are going to secure a clean, reliable source of energy but I would argue that our efforts equally need to be focused on how we consume electricity. It is all very well designing high-tech, super efficient new-builds but what about our aging housing stock that simply leaks the energy that has undergone such a complex, lengthy and resource intensive process just to be lost through inefficiencies such as a lack of insulation. That’s why Government incentives such as the ‘Green Deal’ will play such a fundamental role in reducing our dependency on energy consumption (see Paul’s blog), and also links nicely to one of the Greenprint 2020 visions by incentivising energy efficiency. To win over more people to a more sustainable lifestyle the economic case needs to be as strong as the environmental. Incentives should only be the ‘kick-start’ needed for the low-carbon industry to boom, even the Oil & Gas industry required enormous financial backing to bring to where it is today. There are similarities, they just have different drivers.

Cartoon by Joel Pett, Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader, Cartoonists and Writers Syndicate, published on December 7, 2009 in USA TODAY

To conclude, I would like to leave you with this video which outlines, in a simplistic manner, our options for dealing with Climate Change. In essence, the ‘do nothing’ option is not viable, whether fossil fuels run out or not is besides the point, we should be harnessing the very thing we are trying to protect. Nature provides us with numerous options for tapping into an unlimited supply of energy, we just haven’t found the key (or combination of keys!) to unlock that potential.

Find out how you can take action and save energy today!

Greenprint 2020 and v2424 intern, Julian Andres, shares his vision of a sustainable 2020. The...

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 17:15:00 +0000

Greenprint 2020 and v2424 intern, Julian Andres, shares his vision of a sustainable 2020.

The future is cleaner, greener and brighter. Fossil fuels are history, there are now renewable energies for all aspects of life from the home to the workplace, transportation and public places.

There is less pollution in the air and water so people can breathe cleaner air and drink cleaner water. Health issues that were caused by pollution or gasses and chemicals in the air and water are now a distant memory.

There are environment awareness programmes to teach people how and why to take care of the environment, in addition laws have been made for those people who don’t recycle, are energy efficient or vandalise and damage the environment and public spaces.

Foods are healthier due to people growing their own produce. Food is more organic, healthier and fresher and there are less harmful chemicals. People recycle much more and collect their own water in rain butts.

Due to advancements in technology vehicles are made from sustainable materials that can be recycled and are easier to make. Roads and pavements are made from durable and recyclable materials. Paper is seen much less as most things are now viewed and seen on screens, projectors or personal handhelds so no more trees are being cut.

Airplanes are energy efficient as they run on alternative powers or hybrid energies.

As a result of public awareness of environmental issues there are more greener areas, plants and trees to make the air cleaner and purer, more care is taken for those ‘green spaces’ or ‘eco zones’ to keep them maintained and protected. The economic climate of the world has improved because of renewable alternative energies. By 2020 the CO2 emissions and earths temperatures are on a steady decrease due to the changes in fuels to alternative energies.

Get in touch and tell us your 2020 vision.

Join us at Pump it Up in Liverpool! 17th March

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 14:09:27 +0000

Join us at Pump it Up in Liverpool! 17th March:

Click here for more info.

Big players support Fairtrade Fortnight

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 10:10:00 +0000

By Faye Tester, 2012 Steering Group member

Fairtrade Fortnight (27th Feb - 11th March 2012) is the annual nationwide campaign to promote awareness of Fairtrade and encourage people to buy products which carry the FAIRTRADE Mark in order to help farmers in developing countries. Fairtrade Fortnight unites Fairtrade supporters bringing together retailers, manufacturers, producers and consumers. Business Big Swaps so far include:

Already Fairtrade certified, Cadbury’s are celebrating Fairtrade Fortnight by releasing an album, Big Swap Songs, which includes an exclusive track by Paolo Nutini plus five other UK chart hits covered by Ghanaian group, The Ghana Band. The release has been created as a free thank- you to anyone who swaps to any Fairtrade product, chocolate or otherwise, during the fortnight.

Dorset Cereals are offering two Fairtrade chocolate granola recipes using Fairtrade chocolate.

Green & Black’s will switch its entire range of chocolate bars and beverages to 100 per cent Fairtrade (and organic) by the end of 2011.

Nestle’s four finger KitKat is now Fairtrade-certified and will be on sale in time for Fairtrade Fortnight.

Compass, the UK’s largest caterer has committed to purchasing 100 per cent Fairtrade sugar across its business by June 2010 with sugar sachets available in Fairtrade Fortnight.

ASOS are launching a fashionable new Fairtrade cotton jersey wear collection.

M&S are launching Fairtrade cotton nightwear in its Per Una range.

Tesco’s has agreed to double the number of Fairtrade cotton school uniforms in its stock.

remains on track to convert all of its own-brand tea to Fairtrade for Fairtrade Fortnight (adding to its existing 100 per cent Fairtrade ranges of bananas, sugar, roast and ground coffee).

Clipper has switched all of its green tea range to Fairtrade, with new packs in store for Fairtrade Fortnight. Clipper tea was one of the first products to carry the FAIRTRADE Mark in 1994.

Bulldog, the UK’s largest natural skincare brand for men has launched a range of Fairtrade products including shaving gel and moisturiser. The range contains green tea from Sri Lanka, shea butter from Ghana and sugar from Paraguay.

Boot’s have added a new Fairtrade Honey Body Butter to its Extracts range, using Fairtrade honey from Chile.

Starbuck’s are running a social networking campaign encouraging customers to swap their regular sweet treat to a new 100% Fairtrade-certified brownie.

South England has less water available per person than Syria...!?

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 11:21:02 +0000

Daisy Wain is a Global Action Plan intern, studying Environmental Science at the University of East Anglia.

As part of her dissertation Daisy is researching water usage, and wants to hear about your water usage.

With drought warnings already been issued for the coming weeks and months across central and southern England, changes have to be made to deal with these new pressures and these changes are only going to become increasingly important in the coming years because of mounting threat from climate change and growth in population.

So the question remains, which is the most effective method to encourage behaviour change and water consumption reduction. This is where my project comes in, and why your participation is so important.

Take part and water consumption facts and tips will be revealed!.

All data collected will be treated in complete confidence and will not be used for any other purpose.

dissertation.dw@gmail.com

Leo shares his top green tips, including Pump it Up!

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:27:39 +0000

Today Greenprint volunteers descended on Guy’s hospital car park to Pump it Up -pumping up car tyres, saving drivers money and fuel.

Global Action Plan have been running Pump it Up events with young people for nearly 2 years, saving over 900 drivers a total of £19,000 and 47 tonnes of CO2, that’s equivalent to 311 return flights from London to Amsterdam!

(the following content is via ecorazzi)

“Well, of course, buying energy-efficient appliances is one thing. Changing your light bulbs to energy-efficient light bulbs, trying to get a car that gets better gas mileage, keeping your tires properly inflated. There’s a million different things you could do. It’s about just being aware of this issue. That’s the most important thing, and really trying to say next time I vote, next time I buy something, I’m just going to be aware of what’s really going on.” Leonardo Dicaprio