Trafigura, the company whose disposal of wastage has shocked many across the world, are simply a named case amongst several very similar cases, argues environmentalist and resident Guardian green guru George Monbiot. In a piece on the discovery, Monbiot claims that the Trafigura case, terrible though it is, is a standard case for lots of African nations, and that similar processes are enacted regularly.

Monbiot’s statement is made all the more alarming when takking into consideration the fact that the case was not only seriously damaging to the environment around it, but that the dumping of waste has had terrible effects on human beings. Still, worse, both the BBC and the Guardian claimed that emails sent by officials at the company knew of the danger of the chemicals involved in teh waste that they were exposing.

On the subject, Monbiot had the following to say:

“It was revolting, monstrous, inhumane – and scarcely different from what happens in Africa almost every day. The oil trading company Trafigura has just agreed to pay compensation to 31,000 people in Cote d’Ivoire, after the Guardian and the BBC’s Newsnight obtained emails sent by its traders. They reveal that Trafigura knew that the oil slops it sent there in 2006 were contaminated with toxic waste. But the Ivorian contractor it employed to pump out the hold of its tanker dumped them around inhabited areas in the capital city and the countryside. Tens of thousands of people fell ill and 15 died. It is one of the world’s worst cases of chemical exposure since the gas leak at the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal. But in all other respects the Trafigura case is unremarkable. It’s just another instance of the rich world’s global fly-tipping”.

Further Monbiot argued that little had been done, despite knowledge of the problem , to curb Trafigura’s actions. Rather than government intervention, he says, there were simply pirates:

The only people who have sought physically to stop this dumping are Somali pirates. Most of them take to the seas only for blood and booty; but some have formed coastal patrols to stop over-fishing and illegal dumping by foreign fleets(7,8,9). Some of the vessels being protected from pirates by Combined Task Force 151 – the rich world’s policing operation in the Gulf of Aden – have come to fish illegally or dump toxic waste. The warships make no attempt to stop them.

An interesting accoint of a topical issue, then, and one to be heeded.

Source: Monbiot.com

Posted under Articles, Environmental News

Councilors in Belfast, Northern Ireland, have reported that over the last six months, wastage and refuse have gone down in the city, and have tentatively suggested that the trend might be one unexpected benefit of the recession; with finances stretched, and a culture of abundance now looked at with mistrust, more people are making full use of what they buy, and they are also thinking about what they use.

Belfast Council’s head of Health and Environmental Services, Cllr. Pat McCarthy, commended the change in habit, but noted that Belfast as a city still has a way to go before its wastage habits can be championed. He commented that,

We’ve seen our recycling rate increase to 27 per cent this year, and the people of Belfast are to be congratulated for helping to reduce the amount of waste we’re sending to landfill.  However, as a society, we’re still generating too much waste. For example, it’s estimated that the average household throws out around a third of the food it buys. The aim of our campaign is to make people think about what they’re putting in their trolley; are we buying what we need, or are we being tempted by offers and filling our baskets with food that will end up in the bin…We live in a throwaway world where we think nothing of going out and buying a new TV when there’s nothing wrong with the old one; or throwing out clothes instead of repairing them. We want to educate people and instil a sense of awareness about how we can try to reduce the amount of waste we’re generating, thereby saving money and helping the environment.

The council’s claim that the recession might have contributed to an increase awareness of wastage, has acted as something of a prototype for the education they want citizens to undergo; a lack of finance has led to a greater understanding of where products come from, how sustainable they are and what they impact of their use and misuse can be.

In one sense, then, the recession, at least according to the conclusions of the Belfast City Council, has been a positive time indeed.

Source: UTV News

Posted under Articles, Environmental News

There is no escape from paying bills. The continuous rise in gas and electricity prices does not ease the situation either. But fortunately, you can change your lifestyle habits which will not only cause a drastic reduction in your bills, but will also save energy and the planet too.

Save Energy and Start Paying your Bills With A Smile:

1. Switch off every light when you leave the room

2. For background sound, favour the radio over the TV

3. Unplug your devices after the battery is charged. For example, mobiles

4. Use a washing line or drying racks, rather than an electric drier

5. Avoid keeping your room thermostat more than 21C

6. Keep the water thermostat less than 60C

7. Boil your kettle with only the amount of water needed

8. Use the water once the kettle is boiled to avoid reheating

9.      Remove washed clothes from washing machine within 2 hours to avoid rewashing

10. Hang your clothes after ironing to avoid another ironing session due to creasing

11. Utilise the eco setting on your washing machine and/or dishwasher

12.    Keep your fridge running properly by defrosting it regularly

13. Turn off the dishwasher prematurely to allow the heat inside complete the job

14. If you have a heater, programme it to drop by half or off after an hour

15. During the day draw the curtains to allow free light to penetrate

16. At dusk close your curtains to retain the heat

17. Keep the back of your fridge clean to boost its efficiency

18.    Switch to a green energy provider such as Good Energy or EcoTricity

Save Water As It Saves Life:

1. Use baths sparingly

2.      Utilise a (non power) shower

3. Use a bucket of water for car washing rather than a hose

4.      Use a watering jug for plants

5.      Turn the tap off when brushing your teeth

6. When washing by hand, use a bowl to soap dishes and avoid running water

7.      When rinsing, use warm water to speed up washing.

8. Use hot water from the kettle to degrease the sink rather than bleach

9. Favour the plunger over the toxic unblocking solution

10. Make sure that you turn off all taps properly after use

11. Check that there are no leaks in the water pipe system

Be Green and Wise in the Kitchen:

1. Use a toaster to make toast instead of a grill as the toaster is more energy efficient

2. Boil water in a kettle to use for cooking

3. Remove contents from the fridge to cool to room temperature before cooking

4. Maximise the efficiency of your fridge by keeping it full

5. Use a pan matching the amount of food to be cooked

6. Use the smallest pan as far as you can

7. Use a pan that matches the size of the burner, not smaller, to avoid 30% of heat loss

8. Cover the pan with a lid to avoid the loss of heat

9. Keep the oven window clean to avoid opening the oven during cooking time

10. Use the right lid for the right pan to avoid loss of heat through the peeps

11.    Turn off the heater prematurely to allow the steam to complete the cooking

12. Use less fat and liquid to cook at a quicker pace

13. Plan your cooking and make extra to freeze and reuse

14. Leftovers take less time to be reheated. Use them as quick ‘fast food’

15. Pressure cooker and microwave are more energy efficient compared to the oven

Waste can be Recycled

1. Turn your wasted vegetable and fruit peelings into compost

2. Use the compost to plant your own vegetables, fruits, herbs or flowers

3. Do not buy excessively to avoid wastage

4. Reuse aluminium foil for packing food

5.      Where possible, buy loose fruit and vegetables without the wasteful packaging

6. Donate your clothes which you do not use anymore

7. Reuse plastic objects for other purposes

8. Use plastic food containers to plant herbs

9. Use shoe boxes to store items

10. Use food before they expire to avoid wastage. If expired, convert them into compost

11. Recycle cans, paper, plastic, etc…

12. Reuse newspaper for cleaning windows, for instance

13. Think twice before buying

14. Take your Recyclable bag or Bag for life to the shop

15. Reuse old T-shirts to sleep in or when doing messy work such as painting

Good Luck!

Posted under Gas & Electricity, House & Home, How To's & Guides, Lifestyle & Fashion, Money & Finance

Posted under Climate, Environmental News, How To's & Guides, Lifestyle & Fashion

The average person throws away 1,500 pounds of domestic rubbish every year, whilst the average compost user will curb only 375 pounds of rubbish; and during World War II, “victory gardens planted in homes, schools, farms, and municipal plots across the nation supplied over 40 percent of vegetables consumed by civilians. With this in mind, all that is left to ask is: how green is you garden? Here are some simply solutions to help you harness the best out of your backyard harvest… There was a time before pesticides, weed killers, and chemical fertilizers, and to return to this simpler way of gardening is one of the best ways of securing an eco-friendly backyard. A variety of animal and insect activity will bring you a lot of ups-and-downs, but it will do more than anything else to balance the micro-environment that would have begun.

Composting from leftover kitchen waste and vegetable off-cuts will enrich soil fertility by giving it a surge of high-powered, plant-friendly nutrients. Aside from stimulating healthy root growth, adding rich and earthy compost will invigorate and improve deep soil texture, earth aeration, and water retention – speed up the process by adding a handful of earth worms.

As well as saving pennies and the time spent on the ornamentation of the previous garden setup, you can enjoy fresh and cheap food sources that would avoid the chemical sprays and air-miles, as they come straight from the back-garden-plot.

By adding a rain barrel and harvesting the rainwater that falls every season, this inexpensive and effortless method of capturing mineral-rich and chlorine-free water will provide enough water for lawns, yards, and gardens, as well as washing cars or rinsing windows. By harnessing what’s falling in front of your eyes, a marked dip in water costs may be instigated. But remember to set up a debris filter to keep the water fresh, moving and aerated.

Grey water. Go those extra steps by saving clean waste water – also known as grey water – from sinks, faucets, and bathtubs to be recovered for irrigation.

Try to provide a pesticide-free sanctuary for pollinators, such as bees and butterflies, whilst growing a diverse variety of native flowers they’re particularly drawn to – wild lilac, goldenrod, and lemon balm as to name a few.

Reduce Recycle Reuse and Rebuy. It cant be simpler than remembering the four R’s: reduce your output of waste to ensure you’re using materials efficiently; reuse compost and tree clippings for mulch, and generate a more positive use of rainwater instead of that taken directly from utility services; recycle resources wherever possible, and look to rebuy – instead of typical electric-powered fixtures, consider installation of more environmentally friendly products such as solar outdoor and garden lighting.

These minor changes are enough to begin a significant output. So if we consider that the average UK citizens has access to some form of garden or another, then the national impact of such micro-activity could potentially be great for our country

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Posted under Articles, Gardening & Outdoors, How To's & Guides