environment stories

Log onto our live webTV show with George Clarke who will be discussing what the Green Deal is and why it could be the most important mass home improvement programme for generations

Show date: Friday 23rd September 2011
Show time: 3pm

Chances are that you haven’t heard of the Green Deal yet, but a crucial consultation period for this Government initiative has now begun. It plans to give homeowners the opportunity to make energy-efficient improvements without having to pay directly for the installation costs.

The new Green Deal is part of the Energy Bill and aims to help the UK meet its ambitious carbon emission targets. Installation costs are often the barrier to these home improvements, but through the Green Deal, energy-efficient upgrades will be paid for over time from the savings made on the property’s energy bills, with no upfront costs to the homeowner.

So if you are a homeowner and would like to hear more about how to carry out green home improvements, then log onto to our webTV show where George Clarke will be talking about the Green Deal and the benefits it will bring to homeowners.


The precise measures of the bill will be ironed out during the Autumn consultation. However, a number of businesses including Pilkington Glass are now calling on the government to ensure all methods of energy saving upgrades are included: such as double glazing, loft and cavity wall insulation and energy efficient boilers.


If you’re interested in finding out what the Green Deal will mean for the average homeowner then log into our live show where the Restoration Man George Clarke and David Pinder from Pilkington Glass will be on hand to answer your questions and to discuss why it’s shaping up to be the most important mass home improvement programme for generations.


TV architect George Clarke and David Pinder from Pilkington Glass join us live online at http://www.studiotalk.tv/show/the-green-deal-explained on Friday 23rd September at 3pm to talk about the Green Deal and how it might affect you.


Click here to submit questions before the show http://www.studiotalk.tv/show/the-green-deal-explained

For more information visit www.pilkington.co.uk

New report by WSPA shows that bigger is not better when it comes to sustainable milk production

Families are being asked to do their bit to save the British countryside and protect the future of local farms by asking supermarkets and shops where the milk they sell comes from.

There are now just 15,000 dairy farms left in the UK (11,000 in England and Wales) – down from almost 30,000 ten years ago as farmers struggle to make a profit. Now some are considering investing in huge American style ‘mega dairies’ where cows are primarily kept indoors by their thousand and milked intensively.

However a leading animal charity today has released a report that they say shows the concept of factory-like giant dairy farms is completely flawed. It is endorsed by Dragon’s Den star Deborah Meaden, who says that the business case for mega-dairies is based on “high risk economic guesswork”.
In their report, Weighing up the Economics of Dairy Farming, WSPA says some current business models are not sustainable in the UK, that farmers should be encouraged to go back to basics by adopting a pasture-based system rather than keeping their herds indoors, and using different varieties of cattle that may produce less milk each day but live longer and healthier lives.
This they believe offers an achievable and smart business model that can work for dairy farmers.

Dragons’ Den investor Deborah Meaden said: “The British dairy industry is in crisis. Ordinary farmers are being railroaded into thinking that bigger is better and they must go intensive to survive. With this report WSPA and I firmly contest that belief. Not only is it wrong for farmers, the countryside, consumers and for cows, but it is based on unsustainable principles and high risk economic guesswork. WSPA is proposing a viable, alternative business model. I hope that it gets the attention it deserves before it’s too late, and this crisis becomes an irreversible calamity.”

And consumers are being urged to do their bit in the debate by asking where their milk comes from. In the same way that the campaign to overcome battery-farmed hens used consumer power, WSPA wants customers to challenge supermarket bosses and shop owners to find out if their milk comes from cows grazed on the land or from those kept primarily indoors.

Click here to watch our video: http://www.linkto.tv/iframe/show/uuid/aW0BQY936Mk

For more information visit: www.notinmycuppa.com

New study reveals Britain set to fill over 40 million bin bags with rubbish in the next three days

This Bank Holiday Weekend promises to be an action packed one with over 10 million of us planning on partying, going to festivals and hosting friends and family for barbeques and dinners.

But while you’re having fun, spare a thought for the bin men of Britain come Tuesday, with a new study by Sodastream showing all that fun and festivity will produce over a staggering 40 million bags of rubbish.

Worryingly, only a fifth of this will be recycled, and staggeringly half of the Britons surveyed admit they do not feel guilty about it.

Furthermore 10% of that non-recycled rubbish will consist of plastic bottles with over a third of the nation admitting it hadn’t crossed their mind to try and reduce the number of plastic bottles they use, despite the impact it can have on the environment.
Brits top five bad habits this Bank Holiday are likely to include:
1. Throwing away food
2. Leaving lights on/wasting energy
3. Not recycling food packaging
4. Throwing away plastic bottles
5. Buying/using too many plastic bottles

The most wasteful cities in the UK when it comes to bottle waste will be Newcastle and Sheffield, with Brighton and Bristol the least wasteful.

SodaStream research has revealed that Brits grossly underestimate the number of plastic bottles they use per week, with 60% believing they only use 1-4 plastic bottles, when the actual number is 15 each week.

Sodastream have commissioned the research to raise awareness of the practice of ‘pre-cycling’, reducing waste before there is any need for recycling. To illustrate the number of plastic bottles we waste in particular, SodaStream commissioned artist Bamber Hawes to create a ‘Bottle Family’ sculpture made up of 827 plastic bottles. This is the number of plastic carbonated bottles that an average family in the UK will use in a year; one SodaStream can help dramatically reduce all this bottle waste and more.

Top Five Tips for Reducing Waste this Bank Holiday Weekend
1. Get organised before the weekend by having separate bags and containers ready to fill with different types of rubbish.
2. Re-use plastic bottles during the weekend instead of just chucking them out.
3. Wrap up leftover food as soon as you’re finished to make into meals and snacks the next day
4. Instead of buying lots of bottled drinks – make your own.
5. Make recycling fun for your kids by making it a competition to see who can collect the most recyclable items over the weekend.

A spokesperson for SodaStream comments: “Looking at the Bank Holiday alone, it is staggering how much waste we will produce as a nation. With recycling so low on people’s agenda it makes the need for pre-cycling ever more pertinent so it is important to encourage people to reduce their everyday waste in the first place. SodaStream is the perfect alternative to other pre-packaged carbonated drinks.”

For more information visit: www.sodastream.co.uk

Most of us these days are aware of just what a huge impact the food we buy has on the environment and the communities from where it is sourced.

But just how concerned are you about the ethical and environmental credentials of the food you are buying? Are your food purchasing decisions motivated more by cost?

In the following video A Place In The Sun’s Jasmine Harman takes a snap poll of the public to find out to what extent people are more likely to look at the big picture when it comes to how their food gets to their plate.

Jasmine also shows you just what to look out for as she heads to South Africa to investigate how the country’s fruit producers are leading the way when it comes to responsible food production.

Click here to watch the video http://www.linkto.tv/iframe/show/uuid/jJ51rTku9ao

Join our live webTV show for your chance to put questions to the leading car industry figures from the auto industry’s annual summit

Show date: Tuesday June 28th
Show time: 13:45


On Tuesday 28th June senior figures from across the automotive industry meet for the annual SMMT International Automotive Summit in Westminster to listen to leading industry thinkers from across the globe as well as home-grown experts.

Securing finance and investment is high on the agenda. The industry has had a major boost in recent weeks with huge investments announced by BMW and Nissan, but is the wider industry able to secure similar funding?

The UK is home to some of the world’s biggest automotive brands and a key theme of the conference is what the UK can offer to the global motor industry.

The Summit will ask vehicle manufacturers to address how the industry adapts to an ultra-low carbon future.

With a number of all-electric cars being launched in the UK this year, the Summit will look at whether it is doing enough in developing alternative forms of energy driven cars and what the government is doing to support it.

Whether you are an investor in the business, a manufacturer or supplier to the British car industry or just have a passionate interest in the topics being discussed, Paul Everitt, Chief Executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, Richard Parry Jones, Co-Chairman of the Automotive Council and Chas Hallett, Editor-in-chief of What Car? will be online from 13:45 on Tuesday 28th June broadcasting live from the summit on the 29th floor of Millbank Tower. Join them as they debate the issues and have your chance to voice your view.

Join Paul Everitt, Chief Executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, Richard Parry Jones, Co-Chairman of the Automotive Council and Chas Hallett, Editor-in-chief of What Car? online at http://www.studiotalk.tv/show/smmt-international-automotive-summit-live-debate on Tuesday June 28th at 13:45.

Click here to submit questions before the show http://www.studiotalk.tv/show/smmt-international-automotive-summit-live-debate

For more information visit www.smmtsummit.co.uk