UNIVERSITY PARK, PA, October 2008: In Pennsylvania, over 400,000 tons of tree fruit such as apples, peaches, cherries and pears are produced each year, with over 50,000 orchards and vineyards spanning the state.
Internal fruit worms such as Oriental fruit moth and codling moth pose a serious economic threat to this valuable industry. According to Jeff Mizer, Penn State extension education in Snyder county, fruit-damaging worms not only reduce marketability of the fruits they infest, but can cause the rejection of entire truckloads of apples at processing plants, which has occurred in Pennsylvania and other states.
“In Snyder County, eleven orchards are working together under a Penn State apple worm monitoring project. The project was previously funded by Penn State and the PA Horticulture Association of Pennsylvania, but starting in 2006 the project was funded by the growers themselves,” says Miser. The goals of the project are to develop the grower’s insect monitoring skills in order to reduce costs of pesticides and to prevent the rejection of loads of Central Pennsylvania fruit by apple processors.
Insect monitoring skills and other tactics aimed at reducing pesticide use are a part of an integrated pest management, or IPM program. IPM aims to manage pests -- such as insects, diseases, weeds and animals -- by combining physical, biological and chemical tactics that are safe, profitable and environmentally compatible.
“We’re educating growers about IPM programs that reduce the use of older, more toxic insecticides and replace them less-toxic versions. We also use pheromones in traps, which disrupt mating in several types of moth pests,” Miser explains. Pheromones are chemicals produced by insects to communicate with other individuals of their species. Typically, female insects use pheromones to attract males over long distances.
According to Mizer, growers are using trap count information to make decisions for slightly more than 225 acres. “Collectively, they were able to save more than $4,250 on insecticide costs and over $550, approximately $17 per acre in just one growing season. Four growers estimate that the knowledge gleaned enabled them to change pesticide application practices strategically enough to avert financial losses due to apple worm damage. The estimated monetary savings for these four growers alone amounted to over $6,750.”
Technical and administrative support is provided by Dr. Greg Krawczyk, senior research associate at Penn State Fruit Research and Extension Center in Biglerville, Pa. “The Lycoming County Extension Association pays the wages of project assistant to monitor the traps in the Lycoming County Orchard, while six of the orchards pay their own staff to monitor the traps and record data. The total time required per farm per season is at least 25 hours. We estimate that each farm then invests several hundred dollars just in staff time required for monitoring,” Mizer explains.
Additionally, cooperators report the weekly monitoring data to Dr. Krawczyk, which is published in the "Fruit Times" monthly newsletter and distributed to the growers in the Central Susquehanna Valley. Through this insect monitoring program, fruit growers have become aware that different orchard blocks have different levels of pest pressure, and, armed with the trap data, they can watch the problem blocks more carefully.
The project is also being supported by the Degenstein Foundation, Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages, Knouse Foods Cooperative, the Central Pennsylvania Fruit Growers Association, and the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency.
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ORCHARDS WORK TOGETHER TO REDUCE PESTICIDES
Mayor launches Capital Growth to boost locally grown food in London
Project set to create 2,012 new food growing spaces for London by 2012
London, November 4, 2008: Mayor of London Boris Johnson and Rosie Boycott, Chair of London Food, today launched an innovative scheme to turn 2,012 pieces of land into thriving green spaces to grow food by 2012.
Capital Growth – the first initiative delivered by Rosie Boycott in her capacity as Chair of London Food – aims to identify suitable patches of land around London and offer financial and practical support to groups of enthusiastic gardeners or organisations who want to grow food for themselves and for the local community. It is expected that a range of organisations will open up land to the scheme including borough councils, schools, hospitals, housing estates, utilities companies and parks. There are already community groups growing food on land across London - Capital Growth will help to expand these organisations whilst encouraging new ones.
The Mayor today announced the first organisations to pledge land to Capital Growth, these are:
- Blenheim Gardens housing estate in Brixton, to be run by social housing residents;
- A large privately owned residential garden in Morden, where local volunteers will grow and share the harvest;
- Latchmere House resettlement prison in Richmond, which will grow food for the canteen and run horticulture and catering training with prisoners to improve skills and employment prospects.
Boris Johnson said: "Linking up currently unloved patches of land with people who want to discover the wonders of growing their own food, delivers massive benefits. It will help to make London a greener, more pleasant place to live whilst providing healthy and affordable food. This will aid people to reconnect with where their fruit and veg comes from and cut the congestion and carbon emissions associated with the transportation of food from miles away. Capital Growth is a win-win scheme - good for our communities and good for our environment."
Rosie Boycott said: "London has a good deal of green spaces – some derelict or underused - but not being used as well as they could be. We also have a veritable host of enthusiastic gardeners who are well equipped to turning derelict or underused spaces into thriving oases offering healthy food and a fantastic focus for the community. Capital Growth will identify spaces across the capital – often in surprising places such as roof gardens – and help London’s communities grow their own food."
Monty Don, gardening expert and TV presenter, said: "Growing your own is the most direct route to delicious, healthy food. It is also immensely satisfying. Anyone can do it, anywhere, and if we all grow a little then together we can make a huge difference to our food supply."
Capital Growth will be run by London Food Link, part of the charity Sustain who are working for better food and farming to enhance people’s health and welfare and the environment. The pilot stage of the scheme running until March 2009 will identify and support the first 50 spaces, and is being funded by the London Development Agency. Beyond this, Sustain will be seeking future funding for Capital Growth, with the support of London Food.
Ben Reynolds, coordinator of London Food Link, said: "We are delighted to be working with the Mayor of London to transform our city with 2,012 new food growing spaces. People from all over London are already contacting us, keen to be involved in Capital Growth."
Bonnie Hewson, a housing estate resident from Blenheim Gardens in Brixton, the first new food growing space in the Capital Growth initiative, said: "Residents on my estate are very excited about Capital Growth – everyone from children to older people will be growing more of their own fresh food. Being part of Capital Growth will help to raise the profile of our work and get more people involved."
For more information on Capital Growth, visit the website.
Blenheim Gardens is a residential estate in Brixton with 440 mixed tenure properties, with lots of potential for food growing, in gardens, on flat roofs and balconies, and on communal land. Bonnie Hewson, an estate resident, aims to link experienced growers with beginners, match keen growers with unused gardens, and turn several communal garden spaces and unused borders into food growing spaces. Bonnie presented her ideas at a recent residents meeting and everyone supported the plans. Food growing activities will also be supported by the local Youth Centre, which hopes to grow food on its roof.
In Morden, local resident Ian Solomon-Kawall plans to turn his large garden in to a vegetable growing space. It will be run by local volunteers, and the harvest will be divided between those who have given their time, energy and expertise to the garden. Ian is a hip-hop teacher who promotes social cohesion through music, and he is keen to involve local people in food growing, particularly young people, young mothers and people on low incomes.
Latchmere House is a resettlement prison in Richmond which will grow food for the canteen and run accredited horticulture and catering training with prisoners to improve skills and employment prospects. The prison has a large area of grass which it plans to transform into a food growing space with a polytunnel and raised beds. Produce will supply the canteen and a food trading scheme, and kitchen waste will be composted for the garden. Food growing and training will be supported by the Good Food Training for London project run by Greenwich Cooperative Development Agency and Sustain.
Capital Growth is coordinated by London Food Link, which runs a network of organisations and individuals promoting a more sustainable food system for the capital. Network members are as diverse as farmers and food writers, caterers and community food projects. London Food Link is part of Sustain, the alliance for better food and farming. Sustain will be seeking future funding for Capital Growth, with the support of London Food.
London Food, the food board for London chaired by Rosie Boycott, works to develop activities and policies, which support a sustainable food system in the capital. This includes:
- Reducing the environmental impact of London's food chain
- Supporting a vibrant food economy, especially through education and skills development and enhancing the status of food workers
- Improving Londoners' health via the food they eat and reducing health inequalities
- Improving access to food (particularly through planning and regeneration) and celebrating London's culinary cultural and ethnic diversity
- Developing London's food security
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THE WILDLIFE SOCIETY HOSTS 15th ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN MIAMI
MIAMI, FL, November 3, 2008: The 15th Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society (TWS), the largest gathering of wildlife professionals on the North American continent, will run from November 8th through the 12th in Miami, Florida. Conference sessions, a trade show, working group meetings, receptions, and special events will be held at the Hyatt Regency Miami, at 400 SE 2nd Avenue.
“South Florida is one of the most ecologically exciting places in North America, with over 80 distinct ecosystems,” says TWS Southeastern Section Representative William G. Minser, III of the University of Tennessee. “The state is working to achieve sustainability while being founded on the principles of development. There are lessons here for the future of all of North America.”
Dr. Michael Hutchins, The Wildlife Society’s Executive Director/CEO, notes that the conference “provides an opportunity for wildlife management professionals and students to network and share the latest research and techniques in their rapidly evolving fields.” Highlights of the conference will include:
- A Plenary Session: “Thriving Within Limits: Toward a Scenario of Hope,” will cover current imperatives and conservation priorities, and planning proactively for the future. It will feature Jim Miller, 2007 Aldo Leopold winner; Bruce Thompson, head of the New Mexico Game and Fish Department; Joan Nassauer, Landscape Architect; and well-known Canadian conservationist Shane Mahoney.
- Panel Discussions: Topics will include “Federal Leadership in Scientific Societies: Is the End Near?” “Implementing Adaptive Management on National Wildlife Refuges,” and “An Inconvenient Statistic: Diversity in the Wildlife Profession.”
- Professional Papers: Presenters will offer more than 220 papers and 150 posters on a wide range of topics in wildlife biology, management, and conservation.
- Symposia: Attendees can choose from a variety of symposia such as “Managing Tribal Natural Resources,” “Biodiversity Management in the Department of Defense,” “Integrating Conservation with Urban Planning,” “Deer Ecology in Developed Landscapes,” “Trapping,” and many more.
A trade show and book display will accompany the event. Attendees can learn about technologies including the latest in remote sensing, wildlife capture, GIS, and software for wildlife research and management. They can also visit with representatives from conservation organizations, ecological consulting firms, and natural resource agencies. Books, field gear, wildlife jewelry, photography, and art will be available for purchase.
The Wildlife Society, founded in 1937, is a scientific and educational organization dedicated to enhancing the ability of wildlife professionals to conserve diversity, sustain productivity, and ensure the responsible use of wildlife resources for the benefit of society.
Source: The Wildlife Society
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CLIMATE INVESTMENT FUNDS: COUNTRIES SELECTED FOR GOVERNING BODIES
Initial project approval expected for early 2009
WASHINGTON D.C. October 2008: Representatives from donor and developing countries meeting in Washington have finalized their choice of countries to serve initially on the committees that will oversee decisions about investments and implementation of the newly created multi-billion dollar Climate Investment Funds (CIF).
The CIF design provides that donor and potential recipient countries should hold an equal number of seats, to be selected through a process of consultation among the countries themselves.
Seven donor countries (Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Sweden, the UK, and the US) and seven potential recipient countries (Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Mexico, South Africa, and Turkey) were selected as members of the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) Trust Fund Committee.
Similarly, seven donors (Australia, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, and the UK) and seven potential recipient countries (Algeria, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Kenya, Thailand, and Yemen) were selected as members of the Strategic Climate Fund (SCF) Trust Fund Committee. In addition, the SCF Trust Fund Committee approved the composition (Australia, Bolivia, Germany, Japan, Maldives, Samoa, Senegal, the UK, and Yemen) of a Sub-Committee to oversee the Pilot Program on Climate Resilience (PPCR).
The design stipulates that one more donor and one more potential recipient country may join each Trust Fund Committee for a maximum of eight seats each.
The Clean Technology Fund will invest in projects and programs in developing countries that contribute to the demonstration, deployment, and transfer of low-carbon technologies. The projects or programs must have a significant potential for long-term greenhouse gas savings.
The Strategic Climate Fund will be broader and more flexible in scope. It will serve as an overarching fund for various programs to test innovative approaches to climate change. The first program under this fund is a pilot aimed at increasing climate resilience in developing countries.
The responsibilities of the Trust Fund Committees include approving the strategic use of the funds, as well as programming priorities. The committees will also provide guidance to the annual CIF Partnership Forum which met for the first time Tuesday to discuss the strategic direction of the new funds.
More specifically, the CTF Trust Fund Committee will be responsible for approving financing for programs and projects, while approval of financing for projects under the SCF is delegated to the Sub-Committee of the relevant program.
Both Trust Fund Committees, as well as the PPCR Sub-Committee, will meet again in November to continue their work, including discussions on how to ensure robust and meaningful civil society involvement in their respective work plans. The first decisions about which projects will receive support via the Climate Investment Funds are expected early in 2009.
Last month, donor nations pledged over US$6 billion to the Climate Investment Funds, created to provide interim, scaled-up funding to help developing countries in their efforts to address climate change in their development strategies.
The Partnership Forum is a venue to provide dialogue on the strategic directions, results, and impacts of the CIF. It also provides a platform to share lessons learned as widely as possible. The first Forum, held in Washington this week, was a broad-based meeting of stakeholders attended by donor and recipient countries, United Nations agencies, the Global Environment Facility, bilateral development agencies, non-governmental organizations, private sector entities, and scientific and technical experts.
For more information on the Climate Investment Funds, please visit:www.worldbank.org/cif
For more information on the World Bank Group’s Strategic Framework on Development and Climate Change, please visit:www.worldbank.org/climateconsult
Source: World Bank
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Home energy suckers
What is wasting energy in your home?
By Michael Smith
More or less all of our electronics are sucking up energy even if they are turned off or not being used. Some of the biggest culprits include here the television set, the computer, and the printer. Even an electric toothbrush is drawing energy when it is plugged in and sitting idle. Then again, you have to keep it charged somehow, I know.
On its own, the amount of “phantom power" used by one device might seem very small and insignificant, but when combined it all amounts to billions a year of wasted energy, nationwide, I mean. Obviously it won't be millions of whatever currency for an individual home alone, unless you are in Zimbabwe or other countries with a strange currency. According to the United States Department of Energy about three-quarters of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off.
The easiest and, I should think, also the most obvious thing that anyone can do unplug whatever they are not using in way of appliances. The prime candidates here include:
- The hand-held vacuum in its charging station
- rechargeable Power drills in their charging stations
- Automatic coffee makers
- The VCR that hasn't bee used in nearly a decade
- The TV that is collecting dust in the guest room
- The empty refrigerator in the garage
For the slightly more ambitious, buy a power strip at your local hardware store. Yes, it takes a little time up-front to plug everything into it, but you'll more than make up the time when you can cut all power with just the flip of a switch.
Clamping down on vampire power is one of the easiest ways to save money on your electricity bill (probably about 5 percent a month) and at the same time you pump less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It may not seem like much, but it all adds up!
In the UK – and maybe also by now in the USA and elsewhere, one can purchase a device called “Bye, Bye, Standby” (and there are also derivatives around of the same) that can have all the appliances turned off by means of a remote control, and it is reckoned that if that is being used with all appliances such as TVs, PCs, chargers, etc., saving of £32 per year can be achieved. In other words, about as much as a set of 3 switchable plug-in devices cost of the “Bye, Bye, Standby” range. This bit of kit is for those that would have to clamber round the back of somewhere or beneath a desk or such in order to turn off power strips and such.
Another lot of vampires that suck energy in the home are the chargers for cell phones, and other such devices, and also the power supplies for small transistor radios and whatever else. They all draw power even if they are not in use.
Some of the chargers/power adapters for laptop computers, nowadays, seem to have become intelligent chargers and they will stop when the batteries are full and there is no other power drain, which is to say when the laptop is turned off. So far I have seen this, however, only with the newer models from Fujitsu Siemens.
So, kill those vampires. Drive a stake through their hearts by turning the power sources off.
© M Smith (Veshengro), October 2008
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Love your leftovers
A food waste reduction campaign by Sainsbury's
by Michael Smith
The “Love Your Leftovers” campaign was begun by J Sainsbury Ltd., one of Britain's biggest supermarket company, as a response to the findings in a report that identified that vast amount of still perfectly good food is being thrown away by the people. Often this is due to people not understanding that “Best Before Date” does not equal and mean “Throw Before-” or “Throw By Date” and most treat the BBE date as an indication that food should be thrown away by that time, which is not the case.
I must say that I have seen people do just that with comments such as “it's out of date”.
If it is meat or fish or poultry then, as far as I am concerned, if it say “use by” then that is a different story but...
Aside from that there are leftovers from meals that also get thrown and all of which, in most cases, ends up in landfill. Here the composting food, together with everything else rotting down, creates methane gas (and other gases) and methane gas is reckoned to be the most dangerous climate change gas.
This issue as to the methane gas from the landfill would, to some extent, be irrelevant if the UK, like other countries, would tap the methane gas and use it, but, alas, until then we must reduce the organic materials that go into landfill.
Suddenly, I am aware, the British Labor government has yet again got a step closer to inventing the wheel as they are now in favor – what kept them, one can but ask – of anaerobic digestion and power generation from the gas.
But it has, yet again, taken millions of Pounds Sterling to find this out in the first place and, apparently, we now need another ten million for yet another study on this as to whether it can actually be done in Britain. But, I guess, I digressed, yet again. Happes, I know.
The problem that so much leftover food is going to waste is because we, in the UK especially, have lost the art of cooking with leftovers. I know of people who, for instance, love “Bubble and Squeak” but who, because they have no idea of how to make it (with leftovers) go and buy it ready made to cook in microwave or over. This is sad.
We must take a leaf out of the book of wartime cooking and of the cooking in rural areas in, for instance, the USA, in order to learn to cook like that again. The recipes of World War II in Britain (and the USA, I am sure) should provide a great source of how to cook with leftovers. It is a shame that they have not as yet been republished. Maybe someone could do that.
Most people do not know, and I am addressing here the men as much as the women, how to cook from scratch and especially, as said already, how to make tasty meals from leftovers. Time to take some real good lessons from the past.
Our ancestors – mine particularly, but then we are a Gypsy family – knew how to conjure up tasty and wholesome meals from nigh on nothing and especially from leftover foods.
All that the great majority, so at least it would appear, of the people are capable of is to throw leftovers away. Then again, mind you, often the leftovers are from takeout meals of various origins and reheating them may not be a good idea; in some cases that is for certain. Reheating rice too often and incorrectly could be fatal.
For its campaign “Love Your Leftovers” Sainsbury's has also brought out a little brochure in accompaniment by that titles, namely “Love Your Leftovers” with a couple of ideas and recipes.
A whole series of recipes, as Sainsbury's have done for other subjects, for this campaign and issue in order to literally teach – yes, teach – people how to make wholesome meals from leftovers that the entire family would want to eat.
Such a venture, a series of recipe cards, especially if given away free in store, like the other ones, could go some way in reducing food waste.
I think it would really be nice if we could have some “Love Your Leftovers” recipe cards – and entire collection – about in the same way as the “Feed Your Family For A Fiver” and such.
In addition to such cards recipes using leftovers could be made available downloadable on the websites.
© M Smith (Veshengro), October 2008
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IBM, Microsoft And The World’s ‘Greenest’ PCs Finalise The Line-Up For Green IT Expo 2008
‘Sustainable Computing for Responsible Businesses’
4th and 5th November 2008, Barbican Exhibition Centre, London
Green IT Expo 2008, the UK’s first free-to-attend event focusing on sustainable computing, has finalised its complimentary educational programme, including a world-class line-up of speakers from both sides of the Atlantic. The latest confirmed keynotes come from the Chief Technology Officer at IBM, Steve Bowden and the Director of Development Platform Evangelism at Microsoft, Mark Taylor.
Bowden will be looking closely at the competitive pressures, global economic outlooks and challenges to stay green that are impacting every business. The keynote will also explore the means of reducing and controlling rising energy costs, improving speed and data centre security. During his keynote, Taylor will delve into how to change the perception of environmentally aware technology and the ways the IT industry can help other businesses meet their green goals and targets.
Green IT Expo 2008 is set to be the primary forum for showcasing the ‘greenest’ in sustainable computing in the UK this year, with sponsors including VeryPC and Akhter Computers, exhibiting the very latest in energy efficient technology. Both VeryPC’s Janus 2 server and Fulwood PC will be available for public viewing for the first time at Green IT Expo. The high performance Dual Core 2.5GHz Fulwood is currently the world’s most energy efficient dual core desktop PC, consuming only 17.4W when on, less than 1W in standby and less than 1.8W when in sleep mode. The Fulwood conforms to the draft of the energy star 5.0 qualification coming in next year. VeryPC recently announced that it will be giving away Janus 2 servers to data centre customers in exchange for a percentage of the energy savings created and the old servers for recycling.
“Many people are in disbelief that there is a server available that is as fast and powerful as a regular one but that uses half the electricity,” says Managing Director of VeryPC, Peter Hopton. “The most popular common server has operational CO2 emissions similar to that of a 4x4 travelling 10,000KM per year, whereas the VeryPC equivalent is similar to that of a Toyota Prius travelling the same distance. It is the first time such an initiative has been done with servers and we hope that by offering free servers to businesses, we will be able to have a real influence in helping to reduce global carbon emissions.”
LoCO2PC from Akhter Computers will see its first public outing at Green IT Expo 2008. LoCO2PC is a low energy PC that uses just 55W in normal use and qualifies under Europe’s stringent Energy Star 4.0 qualification. In sleep mode, the PC uses just 3W of power and empowers companies to reduce their carbon footprint by up to five tonnes and save an estimated £100 to £200 a year on power bills.
Delegates at Green IT Expo 2008 will learn about the most common challenges faced when implementing a more sustainable computing policy, as well as the ultimate benefits – increased operational efficiency, lower energy costs, widespread recognition as a ‘greener’ organisation and the short, medium and long term impact on the bottom line. Delegates will also be invited to take part in a variety of breakout sessions, hosted by event sponsors including IBM, Adobe, Infor, Akhter, VeryPC, 1E, AEA, Ricoh, Kyocera, Sun Microsystems, VirtualizeIT and Microsoft. Green IT Expo 2008 is organised by one of the UK’s leading providers of focused business forums, Revolution Events, in collaboration with the global Climate Savers Computing Initiative, a non-profit group of eco-conscious consumers, businesses and conservation organisations.
Green IT Expo 2008 takes place on the 4th and 5th November 2008, at the London Barbican Exhibition Centre. Attendance is free of charge. For further information, the full programme and to register as a delegate, please visit www.greenitexpo.com.
Source: MCC International
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Greening your office, greening your business
by Michael Smith
One: Print only what really needs to be printed, If you can get away with not printing an email and can answer it without having to refer back and forth to the contents then do not print.
Two: Print on both sides – if feasible – if you do have to print things on dead trees. If you cannot print on both sides then, afterwards, use paper again, either for printing an email, for instance, or for note pages, memos, etc.
Three: Turn press releases, if you happen to be running a media enterprise like me, and/or other stuff that is blank on the reverse and which is on slightly stiffer paper (does not have to be if you laminate like I do but nevertheless) and print business cards on the blank side (obviously the blank side, says everyone).
While I know that you can make your own cards with the Avery software and using Avery or compatible quick break card stock ready made for you to turn into business cards in an instant, nigh on, the problem is that such stock is rather expensive to use.
When following the suggestion above as to recycling other material you will have to make the grid of the business card template, such as, as I mentioned above, Avery ones, visible, as you will need to, after laminating, have to cut them by use of an Xacto knife and a metal guide rule.
Four: Turn off your computer and printer when they are not needed and definitely do not leave anything like that running over night when no one is going to be doing any work on them.
Turn off the screen – by physically pressing the on/off button on the screen – when not using the computer for a while. Do not, however, use gadgets such as the Eco-Button, as they do more harm than good and do not save you energy. The screen takes about 10x more power than the PC (desktop/tower) when the PC is idle and not processing anything. A Linux PC is still more efficient in that matter than a Windows one, as Windows has this horrible habit of continually making copies of everything. Because of that about every 10 minutes or so the hard disk spins and the computer actually does processing.
You may think that, if you are not, say, going to be working on your PC for an hour or so that it is better to actually turn it off and then, when you want to use it turn it on again, but it may, in fact, not be the case. A Windows PC, depending on age and RAM and also operating system, and especially on programs installed upon that need to start immediately, such as protection programs, can take five minutes and more to be fully operational. The power draw during such repeated boot ups and boot downs during a day would more than negate any power that might have been saved from turning the PC(s) off. It is somewhat different, for instance, with Ubuntu Linux which, even with computers of with a slow processor and no more than 256MB RAM will load entirely within about a minute and a half maximum.
Five: Turn off lights in places and rooms that are not in use. Also and especially turn off the lights at night. If you have cleaners in during the night then have someone ensure than, as soon as the building is vacated, all the main lights are turned off. There is no need to leave them on in case a burglar needs light. Burglars, generally, carry flashlights; honest.
There is a case, hence I mentioned it in such a manner, in the UK where the local authority has left the lights on continuously in a disused school just in case someone would break in and hurt themselves in the dark and would then try to sue the local authority. So much for councils having a care as regards the environment.
While they will fine everyone else for running counter to their environmental policies they themselves, often, are the greatest culprits. But, as happens so often, I digressed.
I am sure that there are many more things that can be suggested here and if any readers would love to add anything then please feel free to do so.
© M Smith (Veshengro), October 2008
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BYOB at Sainsbury's
Bring your own bag (BYOB) is catching on all over the UK supermarket world slowly.
By Michael Smith
It must be said, however, that it would appear to be J S Sainsbury Ltd. that have been the leader in this.
For some while already Sainsbury's, one of Britain's leading supermarket chains, and leading definitely as far as environmental and ethical innovations go, has been trying to encourage shoppers to bring their own bags.
Several promotional events have been held where people were given the, though still plastic, “bags for life” FREE and, in addition to those giveaway events Sainsbury's sell a line of inexpensive sturdy reusable shopping bags from cotton and jue, which are all, as far as I can see, of the Fairtrade range, and this can be but commended.
Now, during summer of 2008 and also into autumn, a campaign and scheme was begun, it was in July 2008 when it started, I believe, in which shoppers can earn extra Nectar loyalty card points if they bring their own bags for reuse shopping.
“Take an old bag shopping” is the title of the campaign and with the connotation the term “old bag” has in the colloquial English this is a slogan that is being understood and many people do bring their own bags to the stores.
In order to get the message across even more Sainsbury's main stores have now removed the free carrier bangs from the checkouts. They are no longer visible although they can still be had free if one wanted some.
Now Sainsbury's has also launched a text messaging service for cell phone users – and who does not have at least one cell phone in the UK – to help shoppers remember to bring their own bags by sending them a text message once a week on the day that they generally go shopping to remind them to bring their bags. This FREE service will run until December 31, 2008 and is intended to get people into the habit of taking their own bags shopping.
With some forethought it is not difficult to ensure that you take your old bags shopping.
Personally, as I go shopping either by bicycle or on foot and bus (as I do not drive a motor vehicle) I use a Bergen backpack when going to the stores and that one has always a bag with a number of, about six to eight, other shopping bags in them. This way, as I always use that backpack, I cannot forget my other bags.
Once I get home from shopping and have offloaded, so to speak, my cargo and emptied those bags, they are put back into the pack and are thus ready for the next trip.
I also have a small rucksack that I use on other occasions and that one has a number of reusable cotton tote bags in it should I want to get something from the stores somewhere, thus not needing to take a plastic carrier.
BYOB is not difficult and it can easily become a habit, as it most certainly should.
One can but commend Sainsbury's for their actions and for leading the field in this effort by a great length.
© M Smith (Veshengro), October 2008
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