Monthly Archives: July 2009

Bicycle repair shops on the move

With cycling gaining ground as a regular mode of transportation, flat tires and broken chains are on the up, too. Which creates an opportunity for bike-loving entrepreneurs: mobile bike repair shops. In the Netherlands, for example, we’ve spotted companies like … Continue reading

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Summer nights on the patio

Did you know gas patio heaters can produce a whopping 35kg of carbon dioxide emissions before the canister runs out? Keep guests warm the green way with a brazier fuelled with carbon neutral, locally sourced wood or even better wrap … Continue reading

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Keeping chickens – the basics

Farmer and naturalist Johnny Scott explains how to start a home-reared flock. The flavour of the eggs and meat from a home-reared bird bears no relation to any mass-produced specimen. http://www.theecologist.org/

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The BUDD rule

In these tough economic times more and more peeps are deciding to renovate rather than move house, so if you’re renovating your house, building a garden shed or simply any other DIY, you can go green by following the simple … Continue reading

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Cyclists, what’s in your bag?

As a nosy child, I was notorious for asking ladies what was in their handbags. Sometimes I tried to get them to empty them out. I didn’t think it gave me an insight into what kind of person they were, … Continue reading

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What’s behind the rise in bicycle mutilation?

Barry Neild wonders why he’s encountering an increasing number of bikes with vandalised wheels and slashed tyres. Having lived overseas for a few years, it struck me on my return that Britain seemed to be facing a marked increase in … Continue reading

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Creative agencies embrace charity work

Creative agencies seem to have embraced corporate generosity with open arms, if a few recent initiatives are anything to go by. Much the way Bushfire Housing and SmallCanBeBig were donated by the Sputnik Agency and the Boathouse Group, respectively, so … Continue reading

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Give a day, get a night

Hotel group Sage Hospitality has come up with a novel idea to promote both their hotels and volunteerism: it’s offering half-price rooms for those who have completed a day of charity work. A limited number of free nights are also … Continue reading

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UN panel to study impact of climate change on poor countries

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN body of scientists drawn from around the world, will use its next assessment due in 2014 to look at how the impact of global warming is falling unequally on the poorest … Continue reading

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Seeing red: share your bike rage experiences

Sooner or later most cyclists encounter bike rage, but staying safe isn’t always about following the rules of the road http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jul/17/bike-rage-london

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The Good Wood Guide

Make the best environmental choice when buying or using wood for DIY jobs around the home and garden. Find out more from Friends of the Earth at http://www.goodwoodguide.com

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Bicycle Stations and Green Pods

Numerous bicycle stations have appeared on our pages before, including Cycle Center in Chicago, Bikestation in California, Bike Central in New Zealand and Cycle2City in Australia. Adding to Australia’s bike station innovation comes the Green Pod, a modular facility from … Continue reading

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More on how we might handle bars and bicycling…

The statistics on deaths and injuries are no accident, but will they make you reconsider your views? http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/ethicallivingblog/2009/jul/14/alcohol-cycling-statistics

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Spent tents and festival fun

  Instead of dumping an unwanted tent after going to a festival, consider donating it to a project like the Give Me Shelter scheme (www.globalhand.org), so homeless people in other parts of the world can put it to good use.

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Give your fridge a hand to be cool again

  Hot stuff! Fridges are energy-hungry appliances, so why not make their job easier? Try to avoid putting your fridge near cookers or windows that admit lots of sunlight. The fridge will work more efficiently in cooler corners, saving you … Continue reading

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Behind the label: orange juice

Is orange juice as healthy and natural as it claims to be? Can it ever be ‘eco’? Pat Thomas reports on the health and environmental impacts of the UK’s favourite juice http://www.theecologist.org/

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Saddle up to beat climate change

Using a bike instead of a car for short journeys can save around 2 kg in carbon emissions every trip. Find safe, traffic-free routes to work and shops in your area at www.cycle-routes.org  

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G8 action without China and India would be pointless

Developing countries will not surrender trump card for a handshake – they want hard cash and firm commitments. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/cif-green/2009/jul/09/copenhagen-g8 Members of Oxfam wearing masks of G8 leaders and dressed up as chefs Photograph: MARCO LONGARI/AFP/Getty Images

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Greenpeace activists hijack Italian power stations

Protestors climb chimney and occupy conveyor belt at country’s biggest coal-burning power station http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jul/08/greenpeace-g8-protest-coal-italy

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Campaigners hold amnesty for ‘toxic pants’ to lobby pesticide producers

Pants to Poverty raises awareness of how endosulfan – a pesticide which is banned in the EU – harms farmers who supply cotton to make clothing http://www.pantstopoverty.com/

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Ditch disposable batteries

Disposable batteries are so yesterday! I think we’ve all been fooled by those bunny adverts claiming that they last longer than other batteries, but in fact tell us nothing about what to do with the batteries when they have lost … Continue reading

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A dolphin superpod spotted off Wales

If like me you managed to see Flipper in the 1970′s then you gotta admit that we all love dolphins right! Heard of a “superpod” before? Huh! Well a “superpod” of thousands of dolphins has been captured on film off … Continue reading

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Seasonal foods in July

Globe artichokes, broad beans and cucumbers are all tasty seasonal treats this month. On the sweet front, there’s cherries, strawberries and blueberries – why not pick-your-own and make a summer pudding.  

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Planning a barbie at the weekend?

I recently picked up a low cost and healthier trick from a South African friend of mine for lighting my summer barbie…soak egg cartons in regular cooking oil, this could be like sunflower oil, and then put those underneath the … Continue reading

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