Home Farmer launched its great new magazine this month, packed with info on how to get food from your back garden whether that be a few veg or even keeping pigs….it really is the Good Life!
The magazine is not widely available in the shops yet, but you can subscribe through their website at www.homefarmer.co.uk
In her annual Commonwealth Day message on Monday [March 10, 2008], the Queen called on the 53 nations and 2 billion people that comprise the Commonwealth to join hands in defense of the environment. In her short but strongly worded speech, the monarch urged more affluent people and nations throughout the Commonwealth to help those who are facing higher risks with fewer resources and alternatives.
Excerpt from The Queen’s Commonwealth Day message, 10 March 2008
Last year, Commonwealth Heads of Government met in Uganda on the edge of Lake Victoria and agreed to an Action Plan for tackling climate change. It was an appropriate place to do so: from there, the waters of the River Nile begin a three-month journey to the Mediterranean.
The Nile, throughout history, has served humankind in many ways. But for all its impressive size and importance, this river is a fragile eco-system; and its vulnerability grows with the number of people dependant upon it, so that a single incident of pollution upstream may affect the lives of countless numbers downstream.
The example of the Nile illustrates many of the challenges facing the global environment as a whole which cannot alone sustain our lives as once it did. The competition for fresh water by a growing population is itself becoming a source of potential conflict. Our own attitudes to the environment, and the use we put it to, may have consequences for people on every continent and for every ocean and sea.
The impact of pollution falls unequally: it is often those who pollute the least - notably in the world’s least-developed nations - who are closest to the razor’s edge: most affected by the impact of climate change and least equipped to cope with it.
And it is important to remember that the environmental choices available in some countries may not be an option for others. In some parts of the world, for example, fossil fuels can be used more sparingly and buildings can be made of more efficient, sustainable materials; but it is far harder to expect someone to adapt if he or she relies on the trees of a local forest for fuel, shelter and livelihood. If we recognise the interests and needs of the people who are most affected, we can work with them to bring about lasting change. Happily, this approach has always been a strength of the Commonwealth, and awareness of environmental issues is now widespread, with a determination that future generations should enjoy clean air, sufficient fresh water and energy without risking damage to the planet. Few are more aware or energetic in confronting climate change than young people, and we should support them.
In the Commonwealth, governments, businesses, communities and individuals should each strive to match words and good intentions with deeds. Every contribution has its part to play. Whatever we do, wherever we live, our actions in defence of the environment can have a real and positive effect upon the lives of others, today and into the future.
Yes, the move to the new farm has led to grander plans of self sufficiency…done of course the Permaculture way!
So far the land is being prepared for planting and the bath is full of seedlings, solar panels are being tested and there are a variety of chicks running around cheeping. We will be posting in the blog to keep you up to date with all the trials and tribulations of the project…hopefully it will be a pretty eye-opening venture but plenty of fun!
Not only can you send an innovative and novel gift, Growing Greetings TM also helps encourage wildlife back to gardens and aids the organic gardener by ensuring plenty of flowers to attract beneficial insects. Check out their new site at www.growing-greetings.co.uk today!
Gaian Life has now launched its new online TV channel featuring eco-living, permaculture, organic gardening, bushcraft and more!
Submissions invited!
Visit today at Gaian TV
478 cosmetic products on sale in the US contain doses of toxic chemicals which are unsafe, even when used as directed on the bottle, the US NGO the Environmental Working Group has revealed.
The group has released research showing that hundreds of US cosmetics would simply not be allowed on sale in Canada, Japan or the EU.
Tests on 23,000 health and beauty products found significant levels of hydrogen peroxide, fomaldehyde, selenium and lead acetate, and in all 751 failed to meet one or more government safety standard.
The Environmental Working Group was this week barred from attending a meeting in Europe hosted by the US Food and Drugs Administration to discuss the trade of cosmetics between countries. The FDA banned all nonprofit and campaign organisations from the meeting, saying that it wanted a ‘industry association-regulator dialogue’.
But Richard Wiles, Executive Director of the Environmental Working Group, claims that the FDA has gone against its own guidelines in excluding non-profits groups from the meeting. He has written to the FDA saying that his group and others qualify as ‘interested parties’ and ‘other stakeholders’ which should have been consulted.
Janet Nudelman, coordinator of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, described the action as ‘an outrage’.
For more environmental news and research be sure to check out The Ecologist Online.
A third of the food bought in the UK is chucked away, a new Government-backed campaign has revealed.
The Love Food Hate Waste campaign has been created to cut down the 6.7m tonnes of mostly edible food which ends up in the bin following research into levels of food waste carried out by WRAP (The Waste & Resources Action Programme).
Most of the food thrown away ends up in landfill where it produces methane and an estimated 15m tonnes of carbon emissions are produced by the energy needed to produce, package, and transport uneaten food.
“It is sad that so much food is being wasted needlessly,” said Dr Liz Goodwin, chief executive of WRAP. “At a cost of £8bn a year, it is a serious issue that not only impacts the environment but our pockets too.
“Our research showed that 90% of consumers are completely unaware of the amount of food they throw away.”
The Love Food Hate Waste campaign aims to raise awareness of the issue with consumers and provide information on what simple steps can be taken to combat the problem.
Defra minister Joan Ruddock, who is responsible for recycling and waste, said: “Food production and consumption has a serious impact on the environment.
“There is a lot individuals can do to reduce their carbon footprint, including reducing their food waste.
“This campaign will show them how easy this can be, and that it makes financial and environmental sense.”
TV chef Ainsley Harriott is among the celebrities backing the campaign.
“The amount of food we throw away is criminal and we all need to take action and start changing our behaviour,” he said.
“You don’t have to be a chef to know how to cut down on food waste. You just need to care about your food and your pocket and the rest will follow.”
A range of advice for cutting down on food waste can be found at the Love Food Hate Waste website http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/.
by Kate Martin (www.edie.net)
Pollution in the Yangtze River is not as severe as scientists had thought and its ecosystem can be saved if Chinese authorities act now, a new study has concluded.
A group of Swiss and Chinese scientists who examined water quality in the world’s third largest river presented their findings last Friday dispelling the fear that the river is dead.
The experts admitted that the level of pollution is enormous - with more than 25bn tonnes of waste being poured into the 6,300km river every year - but the concentration of pollutants remains comparable with that of other rivers.
The enormous rate of water flow has a vital dilution effect, the scientists found.
“The water quality of the Yangtze is comparable to that of other large rivers in the world,” geochemist Beat Müller said.
“The current heavy metal concentrations in the Yangtze remain about two to eight times smaller than in the Rhine 30 years ago, at the peak of its pollution.”
Agriculture was identified as the main current source of pollution in the river, causing the quantity of nitrogen to double over the past 20 years.
The scientists could also not establish a link between pollution levels and the extinction of freshwater river dolphins, the baiji, or the rapid decline of finless porpoises in the waterway.
However, they urged Chinese authorities to act quickly to improve the quality of the water and ensure the survival of aquatic species such as the finless porpoise and the Chinese sturgeon.
Expedition organiser August Pfluger said: “The ecosystem of the Yangtze can be saved if China intensifies its activities in water protection now.”
They also sounded warnings about the concentration of pollution where the Yangtze River meets the East China Sea.
Each day 1,500 tonnes of nitrogen and 4.6 tonnes of arsenic wash along the coastal waters.
Mr Müller said: “The more nitrate enters the sea, the more the blue-green algae grow, mainly at lower sea levels, and the oxygen becomes scarce.”
Kate Martin (www.edie.net)
Australia’s Coral Sea, near the Great Barrier Reef, is one of the last remaining tropical wilderness areas in the world. But this majestic ‘Serengeti of the Sea’ faces an uncertain future.
Covering a massive 800,000 square kilometres - more than twice the size of the neighbouring Great Barrier Reef - the Coral Sea comprises a series of spectacular reefs, formed by underwater mountains, rising thousands of metres from the sea floor.
The Coral Sea is a rare example of a marine environment that is thriving.
Globally it is a different story however. Coral reefs are vanishing at a rate 5 times faster than the world’s rainforests, and the populations of large marine species - such as sharks and tuna - are estimated to have declined by up to 90% in many areas.
Due to its remoteness, the Coral Sea has largely managed to avoid this fate. But the area is largely unprotected, leaving it vulnerable to the same impacts that have devastated other marine regions, including sea level rises caused by global warming, illegal fishing and the potential for large-scale oil and gas exploration in the region.
WWF is calling on the Australian Government to declare the Coral Sea a “Marine Protected Area”, to safeguard this underwater sanctuary for future generations.
But they need your help!
Join WWF’s campaign to Save the Coral Sea by signing the petition today.
