Is Cop 26 a Cop Out?

 Cop 26 –
A Cop Out or Copping On?

verb To wise up; to employ common sense or logic; to understand the situation.

I don’t know about you but I feel a little sad that humans come together to find ways to heal the planet, whilst at the same time using the very thing (plane fuel) that will damage the climate. An example is the modes of transport used by world leaders and their counterparts to attend Cop 26 – the climate change summit held in Glasgow this year.

Air fuel emits greenhouse gases high up in the atmosphere where it often stays. If private jets are used, the carbon footprint is much higher (per passenger) than commercial flights. If they do use commercial flights, business and 1st class seats emit more greenhouse gas per passenger due to the larger seating area they take up onboard.

So, how much do we think will change, how quickly can it happen and can they reclaim back the carbon they used whilst travelling to the summit in the first place? 

Probably some things WILL change BUT probably much too slowly to make a difference. They are already in debt with the planet so using up even more carbon emitting fuel, to congregate together to talk about how we can STOP damaging the environment, seems really strange to me.

I’m as much to blame as anyone, I drive around in a car and have taken flights myself – I don’t think any of us claim to be angels, but I do wonder whether there were better ways to make a difference and make agreements but in a much greener way?

Some statistics!

Policy actions and the efforts of industry have led to improvements in fuel efficiency over recent years. For instance, the amount of fuel burned per passenger dropped by 24% between 2005 and 2017. 

However, these environmental benefits have been outpaced by a sustained growth in air traffic, with passengers in 2017 flying on average 60% further than in 2005.

The aviation sector creates 13.9% of the emissions from transport, making it the second biggest source of transport GHG emissions after road transport.

✈ If global aviation were a country, it would rank in the top 10 emitters.

✈ Someone flying from Lisbon to New York and back generates roughly the same level of emissions as the average person in the EU does by heating their home for a whole year.

https://ec.europa.eu/clima/eu-action/transport-emissions/reducing-emissions-aviation_en

An article from the BBC stated that non-CO2 emissions such as nitrogen oxides also cause detrimental affect - they persist for longer at high altitudes and cause a warming effect to the planet.

For example a plane from Madrid to London emits 118kg of CO2 per passenger, however if non CO2 emissions (secondary conditions caused by nitrogen oxide) is then included this totals 265kg per person, in comparison to just 43kg per passenger if the journey was undertaken by train.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-49349566

A Little Personal Viewing

One good thing so far about the climate debate is the increase of programmes on TV to help us learn more about our contribution to environmental decay. I realise that I am spouting about damage to the environment whilst typing in my computer and talking about television both of which uses electricity. 

Our electricity supplier is 100% green energy (so they say) but the TV and laptop themselves used up resources in their production; in fact all of us are taking from Mother Earth every day by eating, drinking, breathing and washing our clothes.

But I have found the TV programmes to be very eye opening and they triggered my desire to make some changes of my own and hence create this blog.

Recent programmes have included ‘Celebrity Trash Monsters’, where celebrities carried around their plastic waste around their waist for two weeks, including waste created by their families. Was quite a shock for anyone who regularly eat take-away to see just how much waste is generated by one family alone.

Another thought provoking programme was ‘Joe Lycett v The Oil Giant’, which had quite revealing information on Green Washing tactics used by oil and energy companies, who are huge polluters themselves.

‘How We Forgot to Save the Planet’ is another show that I intend to watch soon.

More on these programmes available on channel 4 catch up can be found at:  

https://www.channel4.com/press/news/climate-matters-channel-4-reveals-collection-new-shows-ahead-cop26

Kudos goes to BBC for the coverage of the 'Earthshot Prize - Cleaning the Planet', with Prince William & Sir David Attenborough. 

Episodes covering Cleaning the Air, Protecting Nature, Preventing Waste & Reviving the Ocean are available on BBC iplayer at:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/p09w80wb/the-earthshot-prize-repairing-our-planet

It's a Wrap!

It’s encouraging to see that the UK government is introducing more bans on plastic items – following on from the ban on plastic cotton buds and straws, in unison with WRAP they are now focussing on throw away plates, single use cutlery and polystyrene cups.

The plastic tax is also set to come into effect April 2022, where a product has less than 30% recycled content.

More on government approaches to plastic waste can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/next-steps-to-tackle-plastic-waste

Tree planting and sea-grass planting schemes have also been encouraged. Recently, a ‘Green Recovery Challenge Fund’ created by DEFRA, Natural England, the Forestry Commission and the Environment Agency have granted £80m (£40m per funding round) to help kick start environmental projects.

Some of the projects supported include wildlife trusts, community forestry areas and Chester Zoo; to help create a wild nature corridor to restore wetlands and wildflower meadows.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/multi-million-pound-boost-for-green-jobs-and-nature-recovery

The fund also supports delivery of the 'Ancient Woodlands and Trees' programme. This £4.6 million, 15 month programme of activity will make a difference to the condition of ancient woodlands. The Woodland Trust and the National Trust are working in partnership to deliver the programme.

The government say:
 

‘The fund is supporting a range of nature conservation and recovery and nature-based solutions projects, which will contribute towards the Government’s wider '25 Year Environment Plan' commitments, including commitments to treble tree-planting rates in England by the end of this Parliament and restoring 35,000 hectares of peat.’

So we’re going in the right direction but I do wonder if 25 years is quick enough considering the alarming rate of knots that we are adding to carbon emissions in our every day lives. Trees take decades to mature, so as speakers are saying at the climate support conference, now is the time for action rather than words.

As 15 year old Earthsot Prize Finalist Vinisha Umashankar points out:

‘Today I ask, with all due respect, that we stop talking and start doing".

Let’s hope we haven’t left it too late!

Positive News for Autumn

Good News Stories Autumn 2020

Positive news helps us with a lift & shows us that good things can happen.

Here’s a few roundup stories to keep us all in good spirits! 

1. The Upside of Lockdown?

During Covid Lockdown, folks had to take stock of their lives and make new choices, whether by being more resourceful and making things last longer, or getting fitter by cycling or walking.

The Country Living magazine reported a new study (see link below) by Princes Fish, where they found 27% of people have been cutting back on food waste, while 22% now wash clothes at a lower temperature, to reduce their environmental impact.

Meanwhile 28% have been cooking from scratch and upcycling household items, while a further 29% have been cycling or walking to places rather than driving.

Here’s 20 ways on how householders reduced their waste: https://www.countryliving.com/uk/news/a34138520/eco-habits-uk/

2. On Yer Bike

According to Positive News, the government encouraged people to get on their bikes during lockdown, by giving away thousands of cycle repair vouchers and earmarking £2bn to boost walking and cycling. 

As a result, the UK saw a 146 per cent increase in cycling with a reported 1.3m bikes being sold in the same period. 

Some councils have redesigned their town centres to make them more bike & pedestrian friendly. Many hope this will be the start of a greener way of living. 

Cycling UK are looking for volunteers for their ‘Pumped Up’ campaign to keep the momentum going. 

3. Getting Heavy on the Levy

It’s been 5 years this October since the plastic bag levy of 5p was introduced in the UK. 

The Pre-loved web site reports that plastic carrier bag sales have fallen by more than 95%, with charities receiving nearly £180 million since 2015.

The average person in England now buys just four bags a year from the main supermarket retailers. The UK Government are planning to raise the bag levy to 10p from April 2021.

4. Sea Kayaks Made from Marine Waste

The group Clean Ocean Sailing have collected 5 tons of marine waste off the coast of Cornwall. The waste including barrels and hard plastics, was transported by their boat ‘Annette’ to Exeter, where they will be converted into kayaks by the Ocean Recovery Project.

The Ocean Recovery Project has recycled over 20 tonnes of material and achieved an 80% recycling rate.

It’s wonderful to see great minds come together for the greater good and help to reduce marine waste at the same time.

Check out this BBC Report: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-cornwall-54190973 

5. Re-purposing Discarded Tents

Remember the shameful sights of discarded tents where festival goers had left them behind?

A resourceful team at 2 Minute Beach Clean got to work collecting them, to turn them into beach cleaning sacks.

In turn these sacks help clean up plastic waste - waste from one venture being used to help clean up another (yes we humans are messy).

Simply a great idea – see this BBC video and report for more: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-cornwall-49182294 

6. Is There Wind in Your Wales?

Per a Positive News article, the Crown Estate, which manages the seabed around England, Wales and Northern Ireland, has granted two new leases for windfarms in Welsh waters, including one that will float.

Floating windfarms can be useful where the seabed is too deep, which would normally inhibit installation.

Meanwhile, the Gwynt y Môr offshore windfarm in North Wales has been granted permission to extend – they are currently the 5th largest offshore windfarm in the world.

7. Free Those Trees (yes please!)

The Woodland Trust are providing free trees to local communities and schools.

‘We want to make sure everybody in the UK has the chance to plant a tree. So we’re giving away hundreds of thousands of trees to schools and communities.’

All trees supplied are sourced from UK & Ireland - deliveries take place March & November.

For more details go to: 

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/plant-trees/schools-and-communities/

8. Dubliners Go Wild!

In February 2020, Trinity College in Dublin submitted a poll to ask who would like to see a wildflower meadow in their College Green. A whopping 90% of respondents voted a resounding yes!

The wildflowers planted include a mix of annuals and perennials, with as many as possible being of known Irish origin. 

Planting may be supplemented with bulbs and plants such as wood anemones. The main aim will be flowering to extend over as long a period as possible. 

Trinity College is in the centre of Dublin, so tourists as well as students will get to admire the colourful scene. How wonderful!

For more on the story go to:
https://www.tcd.ie/news_events/articles/trinity-plants-wildflower-meadows-on-college-green/

9. Lego Maybe Bricking It!

After pressure from children, the BBC reported that Lego have agreed to be more environmentally friendly.

They will replace plastic packaging with paper from 2021 and are investing up to $400m (£310m) over three years to improve its sustainability efforts.

In 2015 the Danish firm set a target, to make its products from sustainable materials by 2030. As part of this pledge it will expand the use of bio-bricks, such as those using sugar cane as a component.

2030 seems an awful long way away, so keep up the pressure kids! 

10. Have your Cake & Eat It?

I leave you with news of a zero waste and organic veggie shop newly opened in Sowerby Bridge in West Yorkshire. With a cheery yellow façade, Artichoke Natural Foods stock an amazing array of organic fruit and veg.

Check out their Facebook page for a look at their tasty bakes, fresh bread, gluten free options, dried pasta, re-fillable herbs, spices and pulses, plus plastic free bathroom products.

https://www.facebook.com/artichokefoods

See other feel good stories!

https://www.lovelierplanet.com/p/lovelier-news.html

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How to Have a Greener Christmas

Less Waste this Christmas

Eco Product Reviews

Books on Going Plastic Free

Home Made Eco Gifts

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Eco Friendly Books for Children

Books on Plastic Waste and Reductions Suitable for Children

In a previous blog post I looked at ten books suitable for both adults and children on the problems with plastic waste. 

There are so many new books coming out onto the market, so I have decided to split this into two posts, one suited to adults (see link above) and one suited to children below.

These books are listed in size order (with the biggest at the top). Age ranges are listed also. 

10 Eco Friendly Books for Kids

1) This Book is Not Rubbish: 50 Ways to Ditch Plastic, Reduce Rubbish and Save the World! by Isabel Thomas. 208 pages by Wren & Rook.

Covering issues like plastics, pollution, global warming and endangered animals, this book is full of top tips for kids and families. Discover how to ditch the plastic, reduce your rubbish and start making everyday steps that will make all the difference.

It's time to take control of your future and help clear the world of all this rubbish!

Published September 2018 and suitable for 9 to 11 year old.

2) Guardians of the Planet: How to be an Eco-Hero (in support of Client Earth) by Clive Gifford / Jonathan Woodward. 128 pages by Buster Books.

This environmentally positive book contains everything children need to become guardians of the planet. Kids can learn how to become keepers of the coasts, friends of the forests, home heroes and much more through a mix of compelling facts, creative activities and proactive tips.

Published Sep 2019 for ages 8 to 11. Printed using waterless ink on FSC paper.

3) What A Waste: Rubbish, Recycling, and Protecting our Planet by Jess French. 72 pages by DK Children.

Everything you need to know about what we're doing to our environment, good and bad, from pollution and litter to renewable energy and plastic recycling.

As well as explaining where we're going wrong, What a Waste shows what we're doing right! Discover plans already in motion to save our seas, how countries are implementing schemes that are having a positive impact, and how your waste can be turned into something useful. Every small change helps our planet!

Published April 2019. Packed with illustrations. Suitable for ages 7-9.

4) Little Book for Big Changes: Activities and tips to make the world a better place by Kirsten Liepmann / Karen Ng. 64 pages by Studio Press.

Little Book for Big Changes helps young people understand complex global challenges such as inequality and climate change, and is designed to inform, empower and motivate tomorrow's leaders to help make the world a better place.

Packed with over 100 puzzles, games, craft activities, experiments and tips for children aged 7+, Little Book for Big Changes offers fun, educational and creative ways to bring people together to help change the world.

Published Nov 2018 for ages 7 and up.

5) Plastic Planet: How Plastic Came to Rule the World by Georgia Amson-Bradshaw. 48 Pages by Franklin Watts Publishing.

Plastic Planet offers readers a look at plastic through the ages, exploring what it is, how it's made and how we have become so dependent on it in a single-use, disposable world.

Published June 2019 and in colourful pages to appeal to the younger audience (age 9-11).

6) Saving Tally: An Adventure into the Great Pacific Plastic Patch (Save the Planet Books) by Serena Lane Ferrari. 37 pages, Self Published by Author.

Tally is a curious little turtle with a talent for getting into trouble.

Her best friend Ara is a wise and strong lobster. The most dangerous part of the ocean is about to shock Tally and Ara and make them realise that their underwater world isn’t always charming. Will they be able to escape the danger?

An engaging [picture] book that addresses the issue of plastic pollution and how it impacts our oceans and sea life.

"When we protect our Planet we’re protecting our future! Saving Tally makes children understand that they can do something - even if it’s very small - to help take care of our oceans.” Editor.

Published October 2019 and suitable for younger children.

7) Duffy's Lucky Escape: A True Story About Plastic In Our Oceans (Wild Tribe Heroes) by Ellie Jackson. 36 Pages, Self Published by Author.

Duffy's Lucky Escape is a true and gentle story about the global problem of ocean plastic. It highlights to children the relationship between humans and wildlife and the dangers animals face in their own natural habitats.

Published August 2017 with lots of beautiful illustrations. Suitable for ages 2 and up.

8) Not for Me, Please! I Choose to Act Green by Maria Godsey. 34 pages by Create Space Publishing.

Join Luke on his journey to protect what he loves with this engaging children's picture book about sustainability and acting green. After noticing the damage caused to the environment and animals due to trash and waste, Luke decides to take action. He believes he can have a big impact on the world around him and invites his readers to join him!

Interesting facts, definitions, and statistics can be found in 'info' boxes throughout the book.

Published April 2018. Ideal for children from ages 5 to 9.

9) Harry Saves The Ocean!: Teaching Children about Plastic Pollution and Recycling by NGK / Sylva Fae. 34 Pages by NGK.

From the bestselling children's picture book series, Harry The Happy Mouse, a children's picture book teaches about the problem with plastic pollution, and how to help!

This poetry book follows Harry the Happy Mouse on an amazing adventure and has a strong, positive message for children to follow. A great tool to teach children the importance of taking care of the environment. 

Published August 2019 with poetry and illustrations. Suitable for ages 1-6 years.

10) A Planet Full of Plastic: and how you can help by Neal Layton. 32 pages by Wren & Rook.

Award-winning author-illustrator Neal Layton is here to explain where plastic comes from, why it doesn't biodegrade, and why that's dangerous for animals and humans alike. But he's also FULL of ideas for how you can help!

From giving up straws in juice cartons to recycling all we can and taking part in a beach clean, A Planet Full of Plastic will get young readers excited about how they can make a difference to keep Planet Earth happy.

Published Sep 2019 for ages 6-8.

Positive Eco News

Optimism for the New Year! 

I’d like to wish you all a Happy & Prosperous 2020. Here’s a great chance to reflect back on some positive news in & around the UK. 

It hopefully will keep us all going – the planet can heal itself, it just needs some TLC! 

Top 20 Feel Good Stories

1. Milkmen are making a comeback. In a bid to save the use of throw away plastic milk bottles, consumers are looking for glass milk bottles instead. 

2. The Woodland Trust with Chris Packham managed to reach their target to help plant 100,000 trees. There are free trees available for schools & local communities at
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/plant-trees/schools-and-communities/

3. Zero waste shops are popping up across the UK. See here for a map. Some milk refill stations & refills for body care & laundry care liquids are also available. This site has a great list of where to buy zero waste products or where you can refill your own.

4. People are having a Greener Christmas now and are aiming for Less Waste over Christmas.

5. Supermarkets are taking notice. There’s still a huge way to go though - supermarkets MUST try harder, however they have made a start & consumers have too. See my article on supermarket waste for more. 

6. Scientists are looking at plastic alternatives. For example a scientist has been looking at fish scales as a plastic substitute. 

7. There is a bigger trend of blogs such as this & multiple face book groups are popping up to help bring people together to exchange ideas. It’s great to see this trend continue now & long into the future. 

8. In April 2022 the UK government plan to introduce a plastic packaging tax. As a result manufacturers are already using some recycled content in their packaging (see my post on some products in recycled packaging).

9. Plastic free tea bags are also more widely available (see my article on plastics in tea!)

10. Some great products are coming out including bamboo toilet roll which is now available in paper packaging, plus tissues using recycled sugar cane, wheat germ plates, coconut shell bowls, avocado pit cutlery, bamboo toothbrushes & so much more. 

You can even get packaging made from mushrooms. Green Jiffy envelopes are also available which are stuffed with recycled wood fibre. See my reviews section for some items I’ve been testing – more to come throughout the year. 

11. Instead of being shipped abroad, more plastics are now being handled in the UK. Some un-recyclable waste has even been incinerated & the fuel generated helps to run the plastic recycling plants. 

12. Terracycle which originated in the US has expanded rapidly in the UK providing recycling points for some products that could not be regularly recycled. Examples included crisp packets & cat food pouches, toothpaste tubes & more. Some air ambulance services are able to raise funds using recycling points across the UK (see my article for more).

13. The WWF are re-planting seagrass meadows around the UK. This will help with carbon absorption & provide a much better environment for sea creatures to hide. 

14. Meadow flowers are being planted along road sides to help encourage more insects (need some bee pelican crossings though!)

15. Boats like the Poly Roger made from scavenged plastics have been used to collect plastic waste in rivers & waterways.

16. Beach cleanups are becoming more popular with many dates announced throughout the year. 

17. Beavers are being re-introduced back into Britain to help stem the problem of flood water. Water voles are making a comeback too with lottery funding.

18. Etsy has exploded with the amount of sellers some of who make their own plastic free products. Check out this article showcasing some of the home selling entrepreneurs.

19. More & more books are being published to help us learn how to reduce our plastic consumption & deal with waste more effectively. 

20. The song The World is in Danger was released by an 8 year old child Frankie Morland to raise money for the WWF & increase awareness of the problems of waste. You can buy the single in various ways using the following link.

For more lovely news check out our Lovelier News post from 2019!

Less Waste This Christmas

Why Us Humans Need to Change Our Ways

As more news is coming out about seas washing up plastics, microplastics raining down in remote places and young chicks being fed fragments of plastics by their mums, it honestly hits home just what a wasteful breed we humans are. Part of the problem is our 'out of sight, out of mind' mentality. 

If you ruthlessly recycled everything that could be recycled for years, you'd also be wondering like me why recycling was being shipped abroad? Not exactly environmentally friendly to ship things to the other side of the world. 

In its final destination it can be incinerated causing health problems for those living near by, stock piled allowing some to blow into waterways or indeed dumped directly into forests and rivers.

Whirling tides then gather the dumped plastic creating a perfect storm, a sea of waste that eventually get pushed back onto our shores. Why on earth could we let this happen?

So what does this have to do with Christmas? Sadly reports suggest waste goes up by 30% at this time of year. Not to mention the 6 million Christmas trees wasted in the UK when Christmas is over.

So what can we do to make things better? Don't wait for governments to do anything anytime soon, the power is in the hands of the people to make a change and directly and indirectly put pressure on suppliers by changing our habits now. 

A Greener Christmas

In my 'How to Have a Greener Christmas' article I look at lots of ways we can make a difference, including ethical choices in wrappings, cards, advents calendars, gifts and decorations.

I also looked at 10 books on plastic free living that can help us through changes for the New Year. Ways we can change our shopping, house cleaning, laundry and personal care products for example. We may not do it all overnight but small changes can make a difference, it can trigger a domino effect too. Friends and family may say, 'Oh that's a good idea, I might try that myself', so your good deed could be an encouragement to others.

It can be expensive by the way, seeking out plastic free alternatives - what I do is look for special offers (discounts), or deals on free shipping. Look for companies that have ethical standards in terms of packaging and supply chains and seek out companies that help plant new trees with every order.

Meanwhile for those who like to surf the web, a new search browser called Ecosia may be an option for you. You can add Ecosia Web Search as an add on to your normal browser, for instance it will work seamlessly with Chrome. 

A chunk of profits goes to tree planting initiatives around the World making it a great choice for the eco minded. (They say an average of 45 searches is enough to plant a tree!) This video explains a little more about it.

Some plastic free companies in the UK also donate to the Eden Reforestation Project to help fund tree planting. Not only are you buying plastic free you're helping the planet breathe again. It all adds up 😊

Reducing Food Waste

Let's turn now to food. Since I started making my own bath salts and homemade vinegar sprays I've found that saving citrus peel really helps. The peel can be thrown in warmed vinegar to infuse overnight before straining into a spray bottle, ready for use as a household spray. 

When my husband has finished squeezing limes for a cocktail I will squirrel away the left over pulp and peel & throw it into a bath of plain dead sea salts that I bought in compostable packaging. The warm water in the bath helps to infuse some of that lime.

Once these food scraps are used they go into the compost to be rotted down for other purposes. We try hard also to spend the week using up left overs and only buying larger meals for the weekend. 

What We Can Do

Buy items in larger packs too so you can cook extra for during the week. It only needs warming up then saving on electricity. If you buy too much fresh produce it can sit in the fridge until you get around to using it which then sometimes gets thrown away. If you cook in bulk it has already been cooked so it's less likely to go off so quickly. 

If you can't eat it within a few days then pre-cooked meals can keep also in the freezer. I quite enjoy seeing what we can make over bits of leftovers!

A Focus on Supermarkets

It's great to see that supermarkets are also taking food waste seriously. For instance Tesco report they have donated 100,000 meals through the Community Food Connection and have partnered with a supplier in Kenya to turn surplus food into free school lunches.

81% of UK food surplus safe for human consumption, is redistributed to humans or animals       

Tesco https://www.tescoplc.com/sustainability/food-waste/

Per Sainsbury's '87% of our stores have food donation partners for unsold food, up from 73 per cent in 2017/18. We aim to reach 100 per cent by 2020 target.'

In 2018/19 Sainbsury's donated over 1,500 tonnes of unsold food from their stores and logistics network to charity, equivalent to around 3.4 million meals. See PDF file for more.

We can reduce our own waste by being savvy with what we buy, plan means in advance and learn to love your leftovers. For me leftovers often save time creating a new meal as they are already pre-cooked, just need to warm up and then done. 

If you have staples in the cupboard that don't go off quick, such as pasta and rice, you'll always have something easy to add to the meal. Compost any rotten fruit/veg so that left overs of left overs are still being used for a purpose.

Plans for 2020

My plans for 2020 include new reviews on plastic free teeth cleaning products (I've tested 3 so far), plus natural deodorant, bamboo cloths, charcoal water filters, pet products and plastic free products for your hair. My previous reviews can be found here.

I will also build up a useful directory and a list of achievements and challenges I've met so far in my plastic reducing challenge (my aim is to reduce 50 plastic items for my 50th year on this planet!)

Meanwhile I wish you and your family all the best and hope to see you next year!

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Lovelier Planet News!

Good news stories (to keep us all going)

News articles on how we are damaging the planet can be soul destroying and occasionally we do need a pick me up to keep us all positive.

The advances below are just a tiny tip of the iceberg it does at least give us all hope. So here’s my round-up of feel good stories to keep us all going!

Nespresso Helping to Plant Trees!

To protect our planet and coffee production which are both at threat, Nespresso has been planting millions of trees. The National Geographic Magazine state ‘Between 2014 and 2018 alone, 3.5 million trees were planted in three countries (Colombia, Guatemala and Ethiopia). Over the next 30 years, those trees are expected to remove (sequester) an estimated 398,000 tC02e (metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent) from the atmosphere.’

By 2020, Nespresso plans to add five million new trees to its coffee-producing regions in Colombia, Guatemala, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Mexico, and Nicaragua. This helps the company to become carbon neutral, aids the planet in terms of oxygen production and carbon absorption, and also supports the coffee farmers build long term futures.

Kerbside Meadows Begin to Take Shape 

The National Guidelines for Managing Roadside Verges, commissioned by the charity group Plantlife, recommends only 2 cuts per year instead of the usual 4. This not only saves councils money but also wildflowers can begin to take shape. These wildlife corridors will encourage nature & wildlife to spread to parts that are currently being fragmented by roads. 

The Guardian reports that 97% of wildflower meadows in Britain have been destroyed in less than a century and that roadside grassland is a crucial wildlife habitat for more than 700 species of wildflowers.

Not only do flowers give life to insects but also can be cheerful for the public to see. According to the BBC ‘ An eight-mile "river of flowers" alongside a major route in Rotherham was widely praised on social media recently and roadside meadows have also popped up in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Birmingham, Newcastle and Sheffield.’

A small path can be mown through the meadow to allow for public access where required. 

Great Garbage Patch Cleanup Under Way

An ocean clean up device designed in the Netherlands was built to catch floating plastic debris in a huge area (3 times the size of France) called the 'Great Pacific Garbage Patch'. The project hit problems and was delayed for years. Finally though the first successful catchment has taken place. 

The Ocean Clean up site states that, ‘Over 5 trillion pieces of plastic currently litter the ocean. A full-scale deployment of our systems is estimated to clean up 50% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch every five years'. 

The device is made up of a 600m length of floating buoys with an anchor that acts like a parachute to slow the device down, so that passing plastics pushed along by wind and waves can become trapped and later collected by shipping vessels. A 3m skirt allows for marine life to pass through safely underneath. 

Floating plastics is not our only problem, plastics also sink to the sea floor and can be washed up onto beaches. Beach cleans are becoming more popular as a way to help clean up the environment. 

According to Eunomia though ‘94% of the plastic that enters the ocean ends up on the sea floor. There is now on average an estimated 70kg of plastic in each square kilometre of sea bed.’ So we must do more to prevent the plastic reaching the sea in the first place.

A Fungus Eating Plastic?

According to Sky Ocean Clean Up, a fungus discovered in Pakistan has been found to biodegrade a type of plastic called polyester polyurethane (PU) into smaller pieces. The fungus secretes enzymes and essentially dissolves the plastic. It has been suggested that it can help too with toxic cleanups, ocean spills etc. so could be a powerful tool. 

For more info plus see a great video of the 'Ocean Garbage Patch' clean up vessel check out: 
https://news.sky.com/story/plastic-eating-fungus-could-help-fight-against-waste-11495833

UK Company Burns Waste to Generate Electricity

Our local council say they send non recycled waste to an Energy Recovery Facility where it is then burned to generate electricity. Keen to learn more I found a video by Viridor (see below) that explains the process. 

It is reassuring to know that rubbish can be used to generate power, thereby reducing reliance on fossil fuels for our power needs.

More Plastics to be Recycled

I was also interested to find the company Viridor, in unison with Pennon have invested a large amount of money to increase its plastics processing plants, by recycling plastics and using the electricity created by landfill type waste (per video above) to power it. 

The company claims this also reduces the need to send plastics abroad. “There is a clear ambition from both UK consumers and politicians to improve recycling rates and reduce the amount of waste which is sent to export. Our research shows that 80% of people believe the UK should find a way to deal with its own recycling without having to ship it to other countries." Bravo!

Final Piece of Good News

In September Lovelier Planet donated £10 to the New Mills project to increase trees in an area of Derbyshire. 

For more tree saving ideas check out our recent blog post: 

https://www.lovelierplanet.com/2019/09/trees-for-life.html

Ah, now that's lovelier. How about a cup of plastic free tea to celebrate. Chin, chin!

Other links of interest: Save Our Sea Meadows / Compostable Coffee Pods

Paper or Plastics

So which is Best?

As I begin my journey on reducing single use plastics I'm already seeing quite how much of a challenge this is going to be. Of course it's easy to think 'Oh, I'll just switch to paper' but can we be sure that paper usage is better for the environment than plastics? Seems obvious to me that it would but unfortunately there are some thoughts to consider.

Paper comes from trees, and yep trees help us breathe. So is it in our interest to cut down the very things that keep us going? In the past everything was in paper form - toilet rolls, telephone directories, hand written letters, bills, statements and so much more. 

These days telephone directories are hardly used (I haven't seen one for years!), bills and statements are coming in via online accounts and even toilet rolls can be bought as recycled tissue or bamboo based sheets that are sustainable (as bamboo is much quicker to grow). 

Hand written letters and even physical cards are becoming a thing of the past as email and e-cards are more popular these days. So for me using paper if manufactured responsibly and replaced sustainably could be a compromise.

But there are still points to consider..

Trees take an age to grow and requires massive resources to cut down. Did you know that it takes three tons of wood chip to make one ton of pulp? This in turn requires thousands of tons of water to wash it plus one part pulp to 400 parts water to then turn it into paper? [source: treehugger]

Disposing of the paper bag is more ideal than plastic as it can be composted down in a matter of months. If added to landfill however even compostable materials struggle to breakdown, as they maybe encased in sealed containers to prevent methane buildup, so your paper bag may be sitting around for years. 

Recycling paper uses chemicals to seperate the pulp fibres and then have to be washed again using yet more of Earth's resources before rolling back into paper.

In addition, it takes about 91 percent more energy to recycle a pound of paper than a pound of plastic. [source: betterbagsbetterworld]

The Plastic Conundrum

Plastic meanwhile is a by-product of the oil industry and readily available and quick to make. Plastic bags can be melted down to be recycled (though this requires 2/3 of the energy required for the virgin bags to be made). The material is also downgraded during the recycling process.

Trouble is, plastics have the disadvantage of being used as a throw away item. It can easily catch in wind, be washed into water ways, don't decompose for eons and are capable of leaching chemicals into soil and water (as well as the awful affects of birds, mammals and sea life ingesting them on a daily basis). 

Recycling machines are often clogged up by plastic bags, which is why supermarkets are required to take bags in their collection bins to keep it away from recycling plants. 

A BBC documentary found plastic bags from the UK were being found in dumps as far away as Malaysia, as our plastics are being dumped on other countries overseas [they found plastics were being bundled en-masse by some councils so not necessarily putting the blame on supermarkets].

Bio-degradeable plastic however, has a problem all of its own which I'll cover in a future post. So by now you're thinking 'Oh my goodness, just what IS the best for the planet?' 

I guess, reducing our desire to 'use once and throw away' would help. Use longer lasting bags from hemp, cotton or canvas would help cut down on throw away bags. I've also heard of a Chico Bag which is polyester made from seven recycled soda bottles.

What if you're in a store and realise you've forgotten your bags? 

Sometimes we pick up a box that supermarkets may have strategically placed on the way out and use that rather than reach for more plastic!

In future topics I will cover alternatives for plastics, including reviews of some of them I've started to use, plus a look at what supermarkets are doing to reduce waste and what do all those recycling symbols mean anyway? Plus more news and views - stay tuned!

Some useful links..

• Paper Bags or Plastic Bags? Everything You Need to Know by the Tree Hugger
• Which is more environmentally friendly: paper or plastic?
  by Science: How Stuff Works
• Can we really have a plastic free kitchen?
  Which bag is best by BBC Plastic Watch