Archive for climate summit copenhagen
Green Gazette (Issue 29) Penguins outnumbered and U2 guitarist in eco-debate
Posted by: | CommentsHello again and welcome back to the blog for last few days of 2009. Wherever you read this and however you celebrate the season I hope you are having a safe and happy holiday. In the interests of the festive spirit I’ll save what I want to write about Copenhagen and the Climate Summit until the next post, in summary the results from Denmark were not good enough and arguably a step backwards. Not the eco-news we really need to take into a new decade which in essence heightens the importance of making good personal choices when shopping, using energy and looking at the way that we live. If governments can’t take matters as seriously as they should then we need to be sure we educate ourselves and those around us about the state of the planet and how to safeguard its future. I’ll keep looking for developments, inventions and ideas on the Green Gazette and ask that you consider our site for ways you can participate in sustainable practices.
This story from the Daily Telegraph shows that eco-tourism can potentially have the very opposite impact intended if planning isn’t as thorough as it should be. Eco-Tourism is a growing proposition globally with the emphasis being on the opportunity to visit places off the beaten track and
vaction in a style that is as green as possible. While many resorts are successfully accomplishing this it seems that tourism to Antarctica is having a impact that is more costly than the benefits of increased awareness harvested by those who visit the frozen wilderness. This relatively new destination saw over 40,000 visitors travel to the bottom of the earth last year in what is now becoming a procession of ships through waters that normally saw nothing more than the occasional scientific expedition. Ship fuel and assorted trash from the new convoys are placing the delicate eco-system of the Antarctic under increasing pressure and imbalance. This in tandem with wildlife being disturbed by the near constant curiosity of the eco-sensitive tourists. Talk about best laid plans going wrong. Hopefully a solution can be found where awareness is raised without in turn raising the complexity of the problems that the South Pole (and by default all of us) faces.
Outrageously famous Irish band U2 are making some eco waves due to a project that guitarist The Edge (do you think he’ll stick with that name into his 50′s?) is behind on the California coast in Malibu. If you review the website behind the project it seems that the five unique homes that 
will be carved into the mountains above the coast are at the cutting edge (unintended pun) of eco-friendly design in terms of both construction and visual appeal when completed. ‘Leaves in The Wind’ isn’t a new U2 song but is the name of the development. Truth be told the features of the five homes incorporate as much and probably more of all that you could ask from a responsible manufacturer in our current climate. Energy efficient heating and cooling, LEED certified and the best of environmental exterior design should all be considerations that would make this project be endorsed by the beach community of Malibu. If you’ve ever driven through the town you know that there are decades of ugly and inefficient buildings standing in every direction as zoning seemingly wasn’t the concern it is today. So when the L.A. Times published this article today, you wonder how this has escalated into a war of ideas, principles and debate. At this juncture the project has not been approved for construction and it seems The Edge and the website are doing their best to ensure that it is viewed as a very green development and that if more of the California coastline looked like this it would be a better place for everyone.
As you dig deeper you begin to wonder if this is political, anti-celebrity or a community saying thanks but no thanks. Having studied both sides of the equation I’m not yet sure where I stand. I don’t really think Malibu needs any more construction, but if you must build at least do so to stringent eco-standards. It appears the proposal reaches those standards until you read the counterpoints. More/wider roads would need to be built, driveways as long as 1,800 feet would weave their way up the mountainside that is currently unspoiled. Sewage and water lines would need to be plumbed and so the list goes on. I do know this, there are uglier, less efficient, non eco-considerate dwellings throughout the hills and mountains of Southern California. If new home construction will inevitably continue for the elite, surely a home that has the specs of these ones is preferable? Wouldn’t Malibu be a more beautiful place without a 4 lane road full of traffic plowing within 50 feet of the coast be a bigger thing to focus on. We’ll learn what happens with this in the months ahead – I’m positive there are bigger transgressions daily but the price of fame is making sure that the guitar player from a band famed for their global awareness is casting a brighter spotlight on this particular matter.
Tags: antarctica, climate summit copenhagen, copenhagen conference, Daily Telegraph, eco home construction, eco-system, eco-tourism, eco-tourists, LA Times, leaves in the wind, LEED-certified, malibu, malibu california, Pacific Coast Highway, planet forward, south pole, sustainable solutions, the edge, u2Green Gazette (Issue 27) Lessons from Denmark climate summit
Posted by: | CommentsGood evening and welcome back to the site. Running the risk of being repetitive I have more news about the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen which has been under the spotlight for many environmentalists the last ten days. Important speeches, collective bargaining, knowledge sharing and of course trying to make critical decisions about how to best slow the climate change that has enveloped the world. What I want to tackle tonight might seem unfair, but of all the events that take place in full view of the global media I thought the Climate Summit would anticipate that their eco-awareness and efficiency would be scrutinised. Here’s the bad news, the performance is miserable – lessons learned I hope.
Limousines: I understand that heads of state and numerous VIPs descended on the Danish capital during these two weeks. I also understand that security (and being warm) is important in a city teeming with snow, media, local citizens, protesters and activists. However isn’t the summit about climate change? Buses can be warm, hotel vans can be safe, car pooling anyone? The sad facts are these; the conference exhausted every available limousine in the whole nation of Denmark! What does a conference about carbon emissions then choose to do? They order additional limos to be driven in from Sweden and Germany in many cases round trips of 500+ miles. In all over 1,200 limos are in use for our climate crusaders. Of course there are hybrid/electric vehicles in use though correct? Yes…five in total, this due to the high tax rates in Denmark that have resulted in alternative fuel vehicles making no progress.
Transportation by Plane: Copenhagen is a major European city with a large modern airport, naturally scheduled airlines operate regular services from throughout the world into the city. In fact over 60 different airlines have scheduled service into the airport. Essentially with perhaps one connection you can get into the city from almost anywhere in the world, this isn’t Sevastopol. So why are the delegates using in excess of 200 private planes to travel to the conference? The airport is so over capacity that the jets can’t even wait for the return leg but after dropping off the VIPs are needing to fly to other regional airports and wait to come back for the flight home. The wastage here is beyond reasonable.
Naturally the 15,000 delegates and officials have filled the very best hotels in and around the city and in many cases ‘commuting’ over 75 miles daily to reach the events. Probably not much room sharing or ride sharing going on I’ll hazard a guess. Copenhagen has also reported that many of its finest restaurants have had to triple normal food orders for the month and with it being the dead of winter very little of that is local.
However there are some signs of efficiency and cost cutting with sustainable being a key concern (or so I thought). For example protesters who get arrested by the police will be placed into cages inside a disused brewery. The temporary jail has 360 cages which reportedly can house 4,000 if needed. I can see why they’d be angry hopefully that’s before reading this blog. As if the specifics above aren’t frustrating enough perhaps this final fact is. The eleven day conference is anticipated to result in the release of 41,000 tonnes of “carbon dioxide equivalent”, that would (over the same period of time) be the equivalent of a city of 150,000 people.
I’m not saying the conference could have been carbon neutral, nor am I suggesting it is much worse than any of the thousands of conferences 
that take place every year throughout the planet. What am I saying is “Who plans these events – and aren’t they aware that the conference is about climate change?” The informed world are watching Copenhagen to see what is agreed upon, we’re looking to our leadership to make considered decisions that will impact the well being of future generations. Speaking for myself I also feel that some sort of example could be set by the conference itself. If that is too much to ask then I nearly understand those who feel that global warming is not their problem….but it’s everyone’s problem including the VIPs who swan around the champagne soaked clubs of Denmark tonight asking “Where’s my limo?”
Set a green example….do what they will not.
Tags: carbon emissions, carbon neutral, Climate Change, climate summit copenhagen, copenhagen conference, global conference, green example, limousines, planet forward, private jets, sustainable practicesGreen Gazette (Issue 26) Danish Dilemmas, Eco Books, Green Job Growth
Posted by: | CommentsWelcome back to the Green Gazette at Planet Forward. I hope your weekend is going well and you’re still following events at the Copenhagen Climate Summit as it enters its seventh day. As predictable as it was annoying; a fringe element made sure that the demonstration today which attracted between 25-60,000 people (depending on which source you believe) resulted in arrests for the black flag brigade who somehow think smashing windows in Copenhagen will somehow lead to slower deforestation in Brazil. The result is that the gains made by 99% of the attendees will be offset by the boorish behaviour of a tiny minority. I’ve always maintained that they should be allowed their own separate demonstration in a rock quarry the day after the civil protests are complete. Violence only creates the chance for the the negatives to say that you’re dealing with radicals, which is a shame as I feel what is really radical is doing nothing and taking a wait and see approach. Needless to say when the conference is over I’ll do some research of the outcome and ideally share mostly good news with you!
Like her or not you have to accept that Martha Stewart has an ability to greatly influence the shopping public. With that in mind it is worth announcing that Home Depot will have exclusive license (beginning in January 2010) to the new Martha Stewart Green line of household products. The eco-friendly product line, consists of 10 products for laundry, kitchen, bath and household cleaning, is being developed and marketing by the Hain Celestial Group, Inc. I’m confident it will be a success and to that end the reduction in traditional harmful cleaning products is a positive to be applauded. If you don’t want to tackle the snow to visit a Home Depot don’t forget we also offer the MIY Green Home Cleaning Kit which offers affordability and versatile applications. Read more about this on our site.
Holiday gift ideas are always useful and in this Ipod/Wii age I often wonder if parents are still remembering to purchase buy their children books to encourage reading? We have a Christmas budget rule in our house that at least a certain percentage of all gift budgets should be spent on books as we think every effort to help a child become an avid reader will only help them in later years. We also try and set aside a few hours each weekend when the kids are encouraged to relax with a book and just get lost in the stories. It’s promising to see that childrens books are developing a strong stable of green themed books to encourage children to become informed about environmental issues. Eco-issues are almost certainly going to be amongst the largest of global concerns for our current generation of children as they grow up and I think nurturing an inherent interest many kids display about animals and nature is a natural progression. This article in the L.A. Times reviews some of the best titles that you might want to consider putting under the tree along with the video games and hot wheels cars.
Also from the L.A. times this story reveals how green jobs are bucking the trend in a difficult labour market and are in growth as predicted. 
Throughout the US election last year there was much talk about how making the economy more green would create jobs and some stimulus within the economy and employment market. Twelve months later it is encouraging to read that the theory is becoming an actuality in California. As you read the article you’ll see that the trend hardly outweighs the overall difficult job market but if you are in a position to retrain or at the beginning of your higher education it provides some strong evidence that making a step toward a growth industry such as alternate energy or home/business retrofitting would be a wise move.
