Moving house is not only stressful to those who are moving, it is also often stressful for the environment too, with the average UK home move creating around 16.8kg of CO2 emissions – that’s equal to keeping a light bulb on continuously for 53.85 days!
So, how can those emissions be lowered? If you are concerned about your carbon footprint and planning a house move soon or in the future, take a look through our tips below to keep a lid on your environmental impact.
Bamboo has recently become a popular alternative material for many products — from socks to towels and even flooring — mainly because of it being supposedly eco-friendly. However, is it really as eco-friendly as it is claimed to be? Let’s take a look.
Climate change and global warming are mentioned so often in the news and it is often assumed that everyone knows exactly what they are and what causes them. However, many people are confused about this phenomenon. In fact, some don’t even believe in the idea of climate change! Science and history say otherwise though, with plenty of evidence including the ice age (which lasted tens of thousands of years) and extended periods of great heat (when hippos lived in England!)
LEGO, the Danish company which is highly popular with both children and adults for its buildable plastic bricks, has taken the move to produce a new range of sustainable plastic pieces made from sugarcane. These are currently in production.
The Food and Drink Federation’s (FDF) latest report has shown that UK-based food and drink companies had successfully reduced their carbon emissions in 2016 by 51 per cent since 1990.
Continue reading The UK’s food & drink industry has halved its carbon emissions
When it comes to protecting the environment, the smallest of changes to the way we do things in our day-to-day lives can make a big difference, and the more of us who make these changes, the better. We have collected together five simple ideas of ways to be kinder to the environment below, so we can all start those changes today.
Continue reading 5 easy ways to be more environmentally friendly
Scientists at the University of Bath have developed a plastic-free microbead alternative that won’t pollute our oceans.
Microbeads are manufactured solid plastic particles of less than 5mm in width, which are often found in beauty products such as body and facial scrubs, and toothpaste. These tiny plastic beads have met heavy criticism in recent years due to the fact that they slip through sewage filtration systems, ending up in our waterways and oceans, where they are innocently consumed by marine life and birds. In fact, a recent study estimated that nine in 10 of the world’s seabirds have plastic in their stomachs.
Continue reading Scientists develop plastic-free microbead alternative
Peter Borg-Neal, the boss of UK pub chain Oakman Inns, was recently shown a YouTube video of a turtle having a plastic straw removed from its nostril, with the turtle in obvious pain and discomfort. This video had a huge impact on him personally and therefore on his business, too. Borg-Neal said:
“My response when I saw the video was the same as anyone else. It’s appalling and horribly unnecessary. Those straws simply should not be in the sea.”
In a direct reaction to the video he watched, Borg-Neal decided to restrict straw availability in his chain of 17 pubs, which had been collectively working their way through 100,000 plastic straws per month. He rolled out the campaign across the chain on 22nd April 2017, only giving out straws when they are requested; no longer giving them out automatically.
Continue reading Straws suck: UK pub chain clamps down on plastic straws
In a clear sign of Europe’s recent shift away from fossil fuels, it has been found that nearly 90 per cent of the power added to the EU’s electricity grids in 2016 was from renewable sources. Wind farms accounted for more than half of this power (51 per cent), for the first time ever, with the other renewable sources being solar, biomass, and hydro.
Continue reading 90% of new power in Europe from renewable sources
London broke its annual air pollution limit last Thursday, just five days into 2017. UK law states that hourly levels of toxic nitrogen dioxide (NO2) must not exceed 200 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) more than 18 times in a whole year, yet this limit was reached and broken on 5th January on Brixton Road in Lambeth. This doesn’t come as much of a surprise however, when you take a look at last year’s air pollution statistics for Brixton Road: in 2016 it broke the hourly limit 502 times.
It is expected that many other London hotspots will also frequently break the limit throughout the year. London’s Putney High Street broke the hourly limits 1,221 times last year, vastly exceeding the permitted 18 annual breaches, and many other busy areas such as Kings Road, Oxford Street and the Strand struggled with the limit, and will continue to do so this year.
Continue reading London breached its annual air pollution limit in five days
