Churchills Local Nature Reserve in Newton Abbot: Pictured left to right are: Neil Harris, Teignbridge Ranger, Leo Henley-Lock, Teignbridge Ranger, Cllr George Gribble, executive member for Communities, Recreation and Leisure, and Ross Birbeck, local grazier

Newton Abbot will have new sheep graving land at its Churchills Local Nature Reserve with the help of a £8,957 funding boost from the SITA Trust.

With the funding a special sheep-grazing area will be created at the reserve, which is set on the hillsides of Highweek and provides an important lowland limestone grassland, a priority habitat for wildflowers and lots of local wildlife, including the Marbled White Butterfly.

The reserve’s steep slopes make cutting the long grass difficult, and to help protect flora, fauna and wildlife the council wants to return to the traditional method of letting sheep keep the long grass in check.

The project means new fencing for the area, helping keep the animals safe during the two periods of the year when they’ll be brought in to trim the grass.

The sheep will be brought on to the land in March – April and September – October each year as long as ground conditions allow, helping maintain an ideal grass height.  The sheep are owned and cared for by a local farmer.

The council is contributing £1,030 towards the project, which is expected to be complete by mid February.

Related posts:

1. Free spring walk at Primley nature reserve, Paignton A free nature walk around the Primley nature reserve...
2. Transition Towns come to South Devon for national conference! South Devon's Seale-Hayne in Newton Abbot is the venue for...
3. Community groups are being called to help with Teignbridge’s Big Tidy Up campaign Community groups and schools are being sought to help with...

The government has been 'clumsy' in its hasty cuts to the feed in tariff for solar energy

Transition Newton Abbot had been campaigning to stop the delay the government’s decision to cut the Feed in Tariff, but it seems the government may have been acting illegally in its much criticised hasty slashing of the subsidy.

South West MEP Giles Chichester wrote that too much energy tax goes to inefficient renewables, and that it was time to rethink energy policy, and that the feed in tariff scheme an expensive distraction for an effective national energy policy.

Meanwhile Friends of the Earth and two solar companies took issue with the government’s ‘clumsy’ policy.

Here’s the article…

This article titled “Solar subsidy cuts legally flawed, high court rules” was written by John Vidal, for guardian.co.uk on Wednesday 21st December 2011 16.46 UTC

Government plans to slash incentive payments for householders who install solar panels were on Wednesday ruled “legally flawed” by a high court judge. The ruling opens the door for a judicial review that could force the government to delay its plans, potentially allowing thousands more people to claim the higher subsidy.

The judgment comes after a challenge by Friends of the Earth and two solar companies who argued that the government’s decision to cut the feed-in tariff from 43.3p to 21p with only a few weeks’ notice was premature and unlawful, and had led to unfinished or planned projects being abandoned.

The judgment, made by Mr Justice Mitting after a two-day court hearing, comes hours before two powerful committees of MPs are due to release their report on the government’s handling of the solar subsidy. The environment audit committee and energy committee are expected to add to government’s humiliation by saying it was “clumsy” and had threatened the survival of a nascent industry promising thousands of jobs.

Many thousands of individuals, farmers, councils and community groups had applied to install solar PV to take advantage of the generous subsidy which had been set deliberately high when the scheme launched in April 2010, to encourage people to invest.

But the government announced in October that it would cut the subsidy with effect from 12 December. This was 11 days before the consultation ended.

The judge’s decision was hailed as a major victory by green campaigners and the solar industry, after firms warned that the scale and pace of the proposed cuts would have a crippling effect on the sector resulting in thousands of job losses.

Mitting said the minister was proposing to make an unlawful decision.

Friends of the Earth’s executive director, Andy Atkins, said: “These botched and illegal plans have cast a huge shadow over the solar industry, jeopardising thousands of jobs. We hope this ruling will prevent ministers rushing through damaging changes to clean energy subsidies – giving solar firms a much-needed confidence boost.

Howard Johns, chairman of the Solar Trade Association, said the high court decision gives hope to the 29,000 people currently employed in the industry throughout the country.

“The feed-in tariff cuts are madness. The facts are clear, the public want to see more solar power, but politicians have signed off proposals to deliver a lot less.”

“The government has acted unlawfully and it is right that they are held to account. Now they need to act to rectify the damage, raise the ambition and work with industry to get solar in the UK back on track. We are happy to have cuts but not if they kill the industry.”

Lawyers for the Department of Energy and Climate Change immediately moved to apply for permission to appeal the judge’s ruling.

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010

Published via the Guardian News Feed plugin for WordPress.

Related posts:

1. Solar system Plymouth’s Maplin Electronics (no, nothing to do with Hi-De-Hi) is...
2. Feed in Tariff scheme an expensive distraction for an effective national energy policy The cut to the Feed in Tariff rate of subsidy...
3. Solar-PV grant and loans for Totnes and Dartington residents Residents of Totnes and Dartington can benefit from funds from...

Organic sales haved faced a downturn

The sale of organic food and drink has slumped, and with Devon being such a centre of the organic trade, we were wondering what impact that downturn was having on our homegrown producers. We’ll put our findings here. Meanwhile, the sale of ethical goods and services is on the increase.

(image: Some rights reserved by dichohecho)

This article titled “Organic food and drink sales slump” was written by Rebecca Smithers, consumer affairs correspondent, for guardian.co.uk on Thursday 15th December 2011 09.55 UTC

Sales of organic food and drink slumped by 10% to £1.53bn last year as shoppers opted for cheaper alternatives, according to a new report.

But despite the impact of the economic downturn, overall sales of “ethical” goods and services – ranging from food and drink to transport and funerals – were generally resilient, increasing by almost 9% last year to £46.8bn from £43bn.

The Co-operative Group‘s annual report into ethical consumerism showed the biggest increases were in sales of small scale “micro-generation” products such as solar thermal and solar photovoltaic panels and heat pumps (up by 386%), and “green” cars (up 129%).

Other sectors enjoying huge growth are Fairtrade food and drink, which pay a premium to farmers and producers in poor countries to help them work their way out of poverty, which recorded a rise of more than a third (36%). Sales of fish from sustainable sources grew by 16.3%, and expenditure on green funerals leaped by 35% to £6.9m from £5.1m.

The report has been compiled since 1999 when annual ethical sales were just £13.5bn, and analyses sales data for sectors including food, household goods, travel and ethical finance. It is based on national data covering spending through all retailers rather than just from the Co-operative’s own outlets.

The slump in sales of organic food means they have plummeted by 23% from an all-time high of almost £2bn in 2008.

Charitable donations have remained surprisingly stable during the downturn, with consumers giving £3.6bn to environmental, social and animal welfare causes. And the value of money in ethical savings and investments increased by 9% in 2010 to £21.2bn. This includes £9bn in ethical bank deposits as well as £11.3bn in ethical investments.

Surprisingly, the use of public transport for ethical reasons has fallen back 7% to £521m, while sales of green cars have surged to £846m, more than double the 2009 value, while spending on bicycles is up to £698m.

Paul Monaghan, head of social goals at the Co-operative, said: “The report shows that intervention by enlightened businesses, together with regulatory intervention, is driving ethical sales growth.

“During the downturn we’ve seen some of the biggest ever Fairtrade conversions, be it in chocolate or sugar, and business is beginning to respond to the challenge to provide consumers with more sustainable products and services such as fish, palm oil and soya.

“Ethical consumers are still a vitally important barometer of change. However, the actions of progressive business are now a significant contributor to sales growth.”

Monaghan took a swipe at the government for slashing the value of incentives for the national feed-in tariff programme: “Ultimately, over and above the efforts of responsible business and ethical consumers, sustainable solutions require a government committed to long-term intervention, such as an effective feed-in-tariff programme, to maintain the economic viability of the micro-generation market.”

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010

Published via the Guardian News Feed plugin for WordPress.

Related posts:

1. Food parcel charity helps in Okehampton as unemployment shoots up As jobless total rises six-fold in Okehampton, the Trussell Trust...
2. Torquay-born supermodel Lily Cole launches ethical Climate Week T-shirt The supermodel, student and campaigner for sustainable fashion talks about...
3. Food miles versus carbon footprint? posted by Cptn Having your food delivered in a box...

Plymouth: the city’s carbon footprint has been reduced

Plymouth, not renown for its environmental credentials, has reduced its carbon footprint by 218,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, apparently.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change released figures in September to show that Plymouth’s carbon dioxide levels in 2009 stood at 1,283,000 tonnes. This is a 14.53% less than the level in 2005.

Despite growing numbers in the population the report also shows that each person in Plymouth used on average five tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2009, 18.04% less than 2005. This means that Plymouth has exceeded a target to achieve a reduction of 13.8% per person by 2011 by over 4%, two years ahead of plan.

Read the full story on the Plymouth City Council site.

Companies seeking to reduce their own carbon footprint can sign up to Plymouth’s 186 Low Carbon Network, a business network that can take advantage of training, advice and networking on carbon management from a membership of over 200 active participants.

Details of the network and the actions being proposed to further reduce the city’s carbon footprint can be obtained by emailing sustainability@plymouth.gov.uk

(image: Smeaton’s Tower, The Hoe, Plymouth Some rights reserved by Visentico / Sento)

Related posts:

1. Food miles versus carbon footprint? posted by Cptn Having your food delivered in a box...
2. Ready to support Zero Carbon Day? East Devon Greens have some fresh ideas The East Devon Greens have some fun and easy ideas...
3. Praise where praise is due – Plymouth City Council has started to make its buildings less wasteful… but… Plymouth City Council is due for some praise, says Stuart...

Green Energy: South West MEP Giles Chichester urges a go slow on green energy

Chancellor George Osborne, in his recent Manchester speech, said that “a decade of environmental laws and regulations are piling costs on the energy bills of households and businesses” and made clear that “we are not going to save the planet by putting our country out of business”.

The Chancellor is having to deal with a legacy left by a Labour Government which enthusiastically embraced all green policies with little thought to the effects they would have on industry and jobs. Carbon reduction measures supported by taxes on the use of fossil fuels, green energy levies on electricity and gas consumers to underwrite the development of alternative energy systems are but a few of the financial burdens faced by business and industry.

Whereas the rest of the world is taking slow and cautious steps towards measures to achieve a green economy, we seem hell bent on following Labour green policies towards the destruction of our industrial framework and the bankruptcy of our nation. Already our manufacturing industries, particularly those of the chemical industry whose production is energy intensive, face demise or their transfer to welcoming economies in Asia and Africa, resulting in many of our skilled workers joining the dole queue.

We all share the hope that we will eventually live in a green and environmentally friendly society. But because of the huge budget deficit and public debt left by the Labour Government, this will take longer to achieve. We must temper our ambitions in order to meet the reality of this financial climate. The current green policies are creating unemployment and putting many thousands of households into poverty. This situation cannot continue. I agree with the Chancellor that we are not going to save the planet by putting our country out of business. It is time for a Government rethink.

(image: Some rights reserved by Håkan Dahlström)

Related posts:

1. South West landowners urged to act now for green energy projects With suspicions that the Feed-in Tariff will be cut, landowners...
2. Too much energy tax goes to inefficient renewables. Time to rethink energy policy! It's time to rethink our energy policy says South West...
3. Energy and Climate Change Committee looks into Euro ‘supergrid’ idea for renewable energy South West MEP Sir Graham Watson has been pushing for...

© People's Republic of South Devon, 2011. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) for Zero Carbon Britain reckons that the whole country could move to zero net carbon emissions by 2030 and has designated a Zero Carbon Day to help people get in the swing of no carbon emitting hijinx.

Some East Devon members of the Green Party will be enjoying themselves on the day – Saturday, July 16 – while minimising damage to the environment.

Honiton town councillor and East Devon Green Party Coordinator Sharon Pavey will be walking into town to enjoy a local community event (Les Miserables) with her family.

East Devon Green Party press officer Henry Gent will be camping with his family and cooking on a stove that burns waste twigs.

Another member Ana Pulteney of Alfington will be marking Zero Carbon Day by returning 150 plant pots to her local wholesale plant supplier to be re-used.

Sidmouth-based Green Party member Sharon Howe will enjoy a vegan picnic with friends (no carbon-intensive livestock farming involved!) And everyone will be bringing their own drinking cups, so no plastic waste either!

These are just a few, relatively minor, individual actions, all showing that it is perfectly possible to enjoy yourself and be happy without damaging the environment for the future.

Anyone who wants more ideas can look at the www.zerocarbonbritain.com website.

To get involved in campaigning for a more sustainable future, or to join the ever-growing membership of East Devon Green Party, contact co-ordinator Sharon Pavey on 07740973990 or email sdp...@googlemail.com

Related posts:

1. East Devon Greens protest about savage cuts The East Devon Greens have been protesting the cuts in...
2. Green shoots in East Devon this winter – new East Devon Green Party formed The Green Party has formed its first group in East...
3. East Devon Green Party’s September meet The East Devon Green Party is due to meet in...

© People's Republic of South Devon, 2011. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Spittelau incinerator, Vienna, Austria: hailed as an energy from waste success story

Incineration has had a bit of a rough ride in Devon – nobody wants it – but Devon County Council and Viridor Waste Management have announced they have reached an agreement to deliver the new energy from waste facility to deal with household rubbish from the Exeter and East Devon area. The new plant will deal with around a fifth of the county’s residual waste after recycling and composting has taken place.

The county council hopes to divert 60,000 tonnes of waste from landfill to the plant, expected to kick off in the summer of 2014, and cost around £45M.

Because we think his representation of his electors in Ivybridge is a bit shoddy, we thought we’d quote Cllr Roger Croad, who said: “I am delighted we are going ahead with this facility, which will deal with the remainder of the waste after recycling and composting has taken place.

“It will complement our existing services and eliminate the risk of being fined for non-compliance with the Landfill Directive. This is robust, safe and clean technology with an established trackrecord, which should give many years of reliable service.”

It’s all part of a plan to stop biodegradable waste going to landfill. And the Exeter pland was the second step of the strategy.

The first step was working in partnership with Torbay and Plymouth City Councils on the South West Devon area disposal contract, which was won by MVV.

That project brings with it a requirement to design, build and operate a new transfer station in the Teignbridge District Council area to enable that waste to be bulked up for transport to the proposed MVV energy from waste plant to be built in Devonport, Plymouth.

For the first five years of its existence, the Exeter plant will be operated by French firm TIRU, after that, Viridor will take control.

Exeter’s new energy from waste facility will be the first in the county to come online. A new plant is also proposed at Plymouth by MVV UMwelt. This could deal with waste from South Devon, Plymouth and Torbay; it is currently going through the planning and permitting process.

(image: Spittelau incinerator, Vienna, Austria Some rights reserved by acme)

Related posts:

1. Totnes Renewable Energy Society move closer to anaerobic digestion plant for the town Totnes Renewable Energy Society is working towards a profitable anaerobic...
2. Embrace waste-to-energy plants as renewable and forget the notion of ‘incineration’, says South West MEP Giles Chichester South West MEP Giles Chichester, Conservative Energy Spokesman in the...
3. Waste not want not – waste management facility considered near Plymouth A waste management plant is being consider for near Plymouth,...

© People's Republic of South Devon, 2011. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Hinkley Point: the South West’s nuclear power plant is due to expand

Hinkley Point is the South West’s own nuclear power plant, and it’s set for expansion. But the praise of nuclear power seems undermined somewhat by what Louise Hutchins of Greenpeace has called the ‘scandalous collusion’ between the government and private companies over playing down the Fukushima disaster.

Emails between the government and multinational energy departments aimed to prevent the incident from undermining public support for nuclear power.

As Tory MP Zac Goldsmith said: “The government has no business doing PR for the industry and it would be appalling if its departments have played down the impact of Fukushima.”

Read the article below and tell us what you think.

This article titled “Revealed: British government’s plan to play down Fukushima” was written by Rob Edwards, for The Guardian on Thursday 30th June 2011 20.36 UTC

British government officials approached nuclear companies to draw up a co-ordinated public relations strategy to play down the Fukushima nuclear accident just two days after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and before the extent of the radiation leak was known.

Internal emails seen by the Guardian show how the business and energy departments worked closely behind the scenes with the multinational companies EDF Energy, Areva and Westinghouse to try to ensure the accident did not derail their plans for a new generation of nuclear stations in the UK.

“This has the potential to set the nuclear industry back globally,” wrote one official at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), whose name has been redacted. “We need to ensure the anti-nuclear chaps and chapesses do not gain ground on this. We need to occupy the territory and hold it. We really need to show the safety of nuclear.”

Officials stressed the importance of preventing the incident from undermining public support for nuclear power.

The Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith, who sits on the Commons environmental audit committee, condemned the extent of co-ordination between the government and nuclear companies that the emails appear to reveal.

“The government has no business doing PR for the industry and it would be appalling if its departments have played down the impact of Fukushima,” he said.

Louise Hutchins, a spokeswoman for Greenpeace, said the emails looked like “scandalous collusion”. “This highlights the government’s blind obsession with nuclear power and shows neither they, nor the industry, can be trusted when it comes to nuclear,” she said.

The Fukushima accident, triggered by the Japan earthquake and tsunami on 11 March, has forced 80,000 people from their homes. Opinion polls suggest it has dented public support for nuclear power in Britain and around the world, with the governments of Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Thailand and Malaysia cancelling planned nuclear power stations in the wake of the accident.

The business department emailed the nuclear firms and their representative body, the Nuclear Industry Association (NIA), on 13 March, two days after the disaster knocked out nuclear plants and their backup safety systems at Fukushima. The department argued it was not as bad as the “dramatic” TV pictures made it look, even though the consequences of the accident were still unfolding and two major explosions at reactors on the site were yet to happen.

“Radiation released has been controlled – the reactor has been protected,” said the BIS official, whose name has been blacked out. “It is all part of the safety systems to control and manage a situation like this.”

The official suggested that if companies sent in their comments, they could be incorporated into briefs to ministers and government statements. “We need to all be working from the same material to get the message through to the media and the public.

“Anti-nuclear people across Europe have wasted no time blurring this all into Chernobyl and the works,” the official told Areva. “We need to quash any stories trying to compare this to Chernobyl.”

Japanese officials initially rated the Fukushima accident as level four on the international nuclear event scale, meaning it had “local consequences”. But it was raised to level seven on 11 April, officially making it a major accident” and putting it on a par with Chernobyl in 1986.

The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has released more than 80 emails sent in the weeks after Fukushima in response to requests under freedom of information legislation. They also show:

• Westinghouse said reported remarks on the cost of new nuclear power stations by the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, were “unhelpful and a little premature”.

• The company admitted its new reactor, AP1000, “was not designed for earthquakes [of] the magnitude of the earthquake in Japan”, and would need to be modified for seismic areas such as Japan and California.

• The head of the DECC’s office for nuclear development, Mark Higson, asked EDF to welcome the expected announcement of a safety review by the energy secretary, Chris Huhne, and added: “Not sure if EDF unilaterally asking for a review is wise. Might set off a bidding war.”

• EDF promised to be “sensitive” to how remediation work at a UK nuclear site “might be seen in the light of events in Japan”.

• It also requested that ministers did not delay approval for a new radioactive waste store at the Sizewell nuclear site in Suffolk, but accepting there was a “potential risk of judicial review”.

• The BIS warned it needed “a good industry response showing the safety of nuclear – otherwise it could have adverse consequences on the market”.

On 7 April, the office for nuclear development invited companies to attend a meeting at the NIA’s headquarters in London. The aim was “to discuss a joint communications and engagement strategy aimed at ensuring we maintain confidence among the British public on the safety of nuclear power stations and nuclear new-build policy in light of recent events at the Fukushima nuclear power plant”.

Other documents released by the government’s safety watchdog, the office for nuclear regulation, reveal that the text of an announcement on 5 April about the impact of Fukushima on the new nuclear programme was privately cleared with nuclear industry representatives at a meeting the previous week. According to one former regulator, who preferred not to be named, the degree of collusion was “truly shocking”.

A spokesman for the DECC and BIS said: “Given the unprecedented events unfolding in Japan, it was appropriate to share information with key stakeholders, particularly those involved in operating nuclear sites. The government was very clear from the outset that it was important not to rush to judgment and that a response should be based on hard evidence. This is why we called on the chief nuclear inspector, Dr Mike Weightman, to provide a robust and evidence-based report.”

A DECC source played down the significance of the emails from the unnamed BIS official, saying: “The junior BIS official was not responsible for nuclear policy and his views were irrelevant to ministers’ decisions in the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake.”

Tom Burke, a former government environmental adviser and visiting professor at Imperial College London, warned that the British government was repeating mistakes made in Japan. “They are too close to industry, concealing problems, rather than revealing and dealing with them,” he said.

“I would be much more reassured if DECC had been worrying about how the government would cope with the $200m-$300m of liabilities from a catastrophic nuclear accident in Britain.”

The government last week confirmed plans for eight new nuclear stations in England and Wales. “If acceptable proposals come forward in appropriate places, they will not face unnecessary holdups,” said the energy minister, Charles Hendry.

The NIA did not comment directly on the emails. “We are funded by our member companies to represent their commercial interests and further the compelling case for new nuclear build in the UK,” said the association’s spokesman.

“We welcome the interim findings of the independent regulator, Dr Mike Weightman, who has reported back to government that UK nuclear reactors are safe.”

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010

Published via the Guardian News Feed plugin for WordPress.

Related posts:

1. South West MEP Graham Watson calls for a risk-averse approach to nuclear power South West MEP Graham Watson has expressed his horror at...
2. The perils of nuclear power: open discussion at Exeter’s Global Centre Worried about nuclear power, especially with Hinkley Point in Somerset?...
3. Are you clear about nuclear? Europe (no not the dodgy band from the ’80s, the...

Occombe Farm Veg Box: the new veg box scheme at Occombe Farm aims to create a direct link between the grower and the consumer

Occombe Farm, the organic farm that’s part of the Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust, is offering up its own new fresh fruit and veg box scheme, and (as of writing) there are a few places left.

But best be quick, according the blurb, just 25 families in the vicinity of the Torbay farm will be able to join the scheme.

The boxes are just £10 a week, and the project will run for 40 weeks from mid-June 2011 to mid-March 2012.

Picked up from the farm of a Friday, the box will contain a variety of produce, depending on what is in season – this week it was beetroot, new potatoes, broad beans, peas, salad, onions, carrots, herbs, spring onions, radish, spinach, chard, cucumbers and courgette

Those who sign up for the box with become members of Occombe’s Community Support Agriculture scheme, which has a whole host of benefits along with the veggie box – owing and harvesting at regular work-days. You will also be invited to special events such as barbecues and get to listen to guest speakers.

The aim is to create a direct link between the grower and the consumer – members will know exactly where the produce is coming from and they are buying a share in the grub rather than a fixed amount.

Once the scheme is full for 2011, you can join the waiting list. They are also keen to help other growing projects get started locally. If you are interested then get in touch.

Pop along to Occombe’s Facebook page or their website to download forms and find our more

Related posts:

1. Occombe’s Ale Raiser posted by Mr Beady With the Torbay Coast and Countryside...
2. Eden’s Tim Smit opens Occombe’s new farming and food education centre posted by Thin White Duke Hello Tim Smit . Eden...
3. Egg hunts There’s Easter egg hunts and then there’s the Occombe...

Save the fish: sustainable fish is the order of the day, with celebrity chefs, politicians and supermarkets taking the lead, but will people follow?

Seems that the sustainable fish message is getting across. First Hugh Fearnly Whittingstall puts sustainable fish on the EU menu, then the Queen’s favourite South West MEP Sir Graham Watson calls for fish to be saved, and now supermarkets are pushing the sustainable fish platter.

There are, in fact, plenty more fish in the sea, and if we all ate some other variety of fish other than the top five of cod, haddock, tuna, salmon and prawns, then the stress on fish stocks could be lessened. Of course in Devon, there’s also the option of local crab. But is this really the answer, or is more drastic action needed?

Take a look at what supermarkets are getting up to in this article from from Guaridan. And if you’ve got advice on fish, drop us a line – leave a comments belo, please.

(image: Fish Market: Some rights reserved by quinet)

The content previously published here has been withdrawn. We apologise for any inconvenience.

Related posts:

1. Artists – a big, new public work at Brixham Fish Quay needs you! Artists are being sought to create ‘an impressive landmark...
2. Taking the fight to Europe – more sea angling fish tales posted by Cptn We know you’re itching to find out...
3. ‘There are no local jobs because there is no local economy anymore’ When the local economy is being systematically destroyed by the...

Ben Howard: hailing from South Devon, the much vaunted musician will be helping to chill out the beach cleaning volunteers taking place in the ‘barefoot friendly’ Beach Rescue Project

South Devon’s Ben Howard – who’s much chatted about in musical circles, apparently – will be playing some special gigs for beach cleaners in the fourth annual ‘barefoot friendly’ Beach Rescue Project from Barefoot Wine and Surfers Against Sewage.

The gigs are a special treat for those people who help clean up 14 beaches around the UK between May and September, collecting litter and returning the beaches to their natural state.

The hard-working littoral Womble-types will also be getting wine (or appropriate soft drink) with their song, plus a barbecue, t-shirt and other goodies, and we’re sure they’ll clean up after their beach party!

Find what beaches Ben will play on our sister site the Devon Week

Related posts:

1. NHS Plymouth in top 100 gay-friendly employers posted by Cptn ‘Sing if you’re glad to be one...
2. Hope Cove, Devon, recycle bin eco pic raises a question about blue flag beaches We picked up this picture of a Devon Recycle...
3. B&Q first retailer to buy 100 per cent responsibly sourced wood, now will they all be doing it as well? B&Q has said it only gets all its timber products...

Forest Friendly: people like responsibily sourced timber products – if there’s no extra charge – and the Forest Friendly campaign aims to promote the purchase of responsible timber

B&Q has announced that is has achieved its goal of only buying timber products from proven responsible sources, and it’s starting a Forest Friendly campaign to highlight the importance for people to check the sustainability credentials of timber before they buy, to help preserve endangered species and habitats and to ensure local communities are prosperous and protected

Last year just over 90 per cent of B&Q’s timber products were traceable to responsible sources and from February, the UK’s largest home improvement retailer can ensure that 100 per cent of timber in their products, can be traced back to well managed sources.

Apparently B&Q was one of the founders of the FSC in the early ’90s, and it works with organisations like The Forest Trust to help producers achieve FSC certification. When surveyed 92 per cent of customers said that they would choose responsibly sourced wood every time if they knew there was no extra.

Over 16,000 products at B&Q contain wood and the retailer’s policy applies to all timber-derived products: sawn timber, wallpaper, flooring, doors, furniture, hand tools, books, decking, fencing, firewood, sheds, paint brushes, windows, garden furniture, plywood to those where the wood is hidden like mirror backs, garden tools and even baths.

It is vital for biodiversity that forests are made commercially viable, says B&Q, and for local communities as this means that those communities will protect their forests for future generations. If forests are not commercially viable, local people will be tempted to clear them to make way for other businesses that do deliver a profit like cattle ranching or palm oil production.

Related posts:

1. Future forests Spare a thought for the woodland managers in the world...
2. Xmas present tense Having an eco-friendly Christmas seems to be quite the done...
3. Remembering Jamie McCullough Now approaching its second week, don’t you think it’s about...