Fight Climate Change

Amy Greenhouse is back and this time she’s looking around The Glastonbury Festival on behalf of Greenpeace. The video is so so – some may find it funny – however there is an underlying message and it’s well worth looking through even just to see the mess left over after the festival.

It demonstrates that even over a few days we can all leave a right mess! A bit of recycling and self responsibility to dispose of things properly (as well as less packaging) is required.

An ok video from Greenpeace, good message though!

It seems that every climate change site that gets underway wants it’s visitors to sign up and make a pledge to cut their CO2 emissions. Joining the list of “pledging our to fight climate change” is the Manchester is my Planet site which aims to “to make Manchester the coolest and greenest city on earth”!

All initiatives like this are good ideas, but what caught our eye was the amusing little Koala Bear video that’s being used to promote the website. Climate Change isn’t a laughing matter, but you have to love this!

If you do sign up (and you do need to be in the Manchester area) then you can get updates about the initiative, special offers and competitions too.

Cafe Direct have launched a new video promoting their new partnership with GTZ regarding developing climate change adaptation strategies for tea, coffee and cocoa growers in the developing world. It’s an interesting video that basically tells us that Cafe Direct are doing their bit for climate change.

It’s an interested five minute video that highlights the usual changing weather and natural disasters of recent years. Plus it tells us that the Thames Barrier is now raised 8 times a year instead of 2! It’s strange how none of these climate change doomsday explain why it’s not sunny in July!

Anyway it’s good to see Cafe Direct making their contribution to climate change and improving the lot of the tea, coffee and cocoa farmers. The big problem the likes of Fairtrade and Cafe Direct will face is that if consumer spending continues to be squeezed then shoppers may be more tempted to go for cheaper brands that aren’t as conscious of the needs of the developing world.

Does climate change get your knickers in a twist? Or perhaps it’s world poverty, injustice, apathy or doom merchants? By filling in your details in the lovely little widget below you can let Oxfam know your views and opinions.

Apparently if you take the time to complete the infomation you then have a chance to win tickets for Chelmsford, Stafford, Leeds or Reading – although I ended up going round and round in circles.

With petrol prices continuing to rise commuters are going to be looking for alternatives! Perhaps the answer is The Ego Electric Street Scoota, now available in the UK exclusively at Firebox. The Scoota comes from China where 13 million of them have been sold in one year. It’s a 100% electric scooter that’s powered by a 1400 watt motor and offering a top speed of 30MPH.

You charge it up via your nearest mains socket and an 8 hour charge gives you around 40 miles of travel. The blurb at Firebox suggests that this is “eco-friendly” but I guess that depends on the green-ness of your electricity supply. Apparently a charge costs 8p and equates to 1000MPG!

The scooter can also be recharged at Park & Charge locations which offer secure parking for your bike (although at a cost).

So what’s the damage cost wise?

The basic Ego Electric Street Scoota, available in red, blue or silver, costs £999.95. You will need to register the vehicle, but Firebox can do all that for you for an extra £55! There’s no road tax to worry about and no congestion charges either.

In terms of cost and savings the Sky News clip above indicates that a petrol scooter (travelling 20 miles a day) costs £705, a small car costs £1012 whilst the Scoota will cost just £14.60 for a year of travel!

Will they take off in the UK?

The Scoota could satisfy those who want to be eco-cool and that may see them hit the streets, especially in London. The price is reasonable too and that should appeal to those interested in hitting the roads without paying for expensive petrol, congestion charges and public transport!