Marks & Spencer To Charge for Plastic Bags Nationwide

Following trials in Northern Ireland and the south west of England, M&S has announced plans to start charging for plastic bags in all UK food stores. Bags for Life will be available free of charge, however, in a drive to encourage consumers not to throw away plastic bags but to reuse them.

This announcement comes the day after the Daily Mail launched their Banish The Bags campaign, and the newspaper is giving away free reusable bags (P&P still to be paid).

More details on the M&S decision can be found on the Daily Mail website or click here for a free sewing pattern for a reusable bag.

Related blog posts:
Marks & Spencer's Latest Green Initiative
Marks & Spencer to Charge for Plastic Bags
M&S Launch Eco-Friendly Trousers

Related UK Energy Saving pages:
Recycling

UK Energy Saving Sitemap Includes New Ethical Living Section

We have changed things around a little on the UK Energy Saving sitemap to make it even easier for our visitors to find their way around. There is now a new Ethical Living section which will include some new ethical pages as well as cover some subjects already on the site such as Fairtrade. In addition we have separated out all the pages relating to UK Energy Saving itself, such as press releases and the newsletter so that these can be found more readily.

Check out UK Energy Saving today for loads of information on energy saving and much more.

See the press release on this at one of the locations below:
UK Energy Saving
Free Press Releases
Pressbox
PRLog

Last Chance for Advertising Special Offer

The UK Energy Saving special offer for advertising on the main site ends this week, so get in touch NOW if you are interested. More information can be found on the advertising page.

Energy Saving Day - E-Day - Next Week

E-Day is next week from 6pm on 27th February to 6pm on the 28th. Participants are being asked to "leave off household electrical items, which do not need to be on, and to leave these items off for as long as possible". Their website explains that "over 24 hours, E-Day will be trying to show how even small energy saving measures can be made to add up, and potentially play a part in tackling climate change".

If you would like to find out more about taking part, visit the E-Day website.

Related UK Energy Saving pages:
Energy Saving Events

Related blog posts:
Energy Saving Week
Standby Saturday

UK Government to Invest in Anaerobic Digestion Plants

The government has announced plans to invest £10 million in the building of a number of anaerobic digestion plants around the country, Planet Ark has reported. "Anaerobic digesters take slurry, grass clippings, food waste and other agricultural products to produce heat or electricity and cut emissions of potent greenhouse gas methane". This is an area in which Britain lags behind European counterparts and would help meet renewable energy targets as well as reduce CO2 emissions. For more information, see the full article at Planet Ark.

Related blog posts:
Government Announce Plans for Off-Shore Wind Farms

UK Energy Saving Promotes Green Travel

UK Energy Saving has published a press release on green travel, written in light of ever-increasing fuel costs and concerns over biofuels. You can see the press release on the UK Energy Saving site or at one of the sites below.

PRLog
Free Press Releases
SanePR
Pressbox
24-7 Press Release
PR-GB

Related UK Energy Saving pages:
Green Travel

Check Out the Greentomatokit

I have just read a post on EcoStreet about the new Greentomatokit. This is a bag (cloth!) containing various environmentally-friendly products such as energy saving light bulbs and a water saving device. It is only £9.99 plus p&p so worth snapping up for yourself or as a gift. Check out the Greentomato website for more information.

The Biofuel Debate Continues

The debate regarding the true environmental-friendliness of biofuels is continuing as more and more damning evidence suggests that the overall environmental impact of growing crops for fuel far outweighs the reduction in carbon emissions in burning the fuel compared to oil. George Monbiot states in his recent Guardian article that "...apart from used chip fat, there is no such thing as a sustainable biofuel".

This debate is no doubt set to continue, but in the meantime the only viable solution is to reduce our dependence on oil. Check out the UK Energy Saving links below for suggestions of ways to do this.

Other recent articles:
Biofuels Rush Needs to Slow Down - The Kansas City Star
Biofuel Demand Leading to Human Rights Abuses, Report Claims - The Guardian

Related UK Energy Saving pages:
Renewable Energy
Green Travel
Sustainable Food

Related blog posts:
Check Out Car Emissions
National Geographic Climate Change Issue
Biofuel Debate Continues
Biofuels - The Lesser of Two Evils or Just as Bad as Oil?
London Congestion Charge Extension

National Energy Foundation Energy Training

The National Energy Foundation are running various energy training sessions in the coming months. Currently bring promoted on their website are the following courses in Milton Keynes:

Wood Fuel & CHP - 11th March 2008
Solar Thermal Training - 20th March 2008
Introduction to Renewables - 3rd April 2008
Energy in Your Organisation - 14th May 2008

New Friends of the Earth Affinity Credit Card

Yesterday Friends of the Earth launched its new affinity credit card with The Co-operative Bank. The Co-operative Bank already have affinity cards available for a wide range of charitable organisations including Greenpeace and The Woodland Trust. By opening one of the Friends of the Earth affinity credit card accounts, The Co-operative Bank donates £15 to the charity followed by further donations when the card is used. These are a great way to donate to your chosen charity (the current list contains a choice of 23 charities) and you have the added peace of mind that The Co-operative Bank is an ethical organisation.

For more information on the new Friends of the Earth affinity card, visit the FOE or The Co-operative Bank websites. For further details on the other affinity cards available click here.

Related UK Energy Saving pages:
Green Banking

New Kitchen Compost Bin Coming Soon!

NatureMill is a new indoor compost bin designed to compost your cooked and uncooked food waste in your kitchen. The system produces compost in about two weeks without unpleasant odours. NatureMill will be available from April although you can pre-order now, so check out the website for more information.

Related UK Energy Saving pages:
Compost Bins
Home Composting

Related blog posts:
No More Weekly Rubbish Collections?

Fairtrade Fortnight

The Fairtrade Foundation are this year running their Fairtrade Fortnight from 25th February until the 9th March. This is an opportunity to attend or host an event promoting Fairtrade, and more information can be found on the Energy Watch page or at the Fairtrade Foundation website.

Related UK Energy Saving pages:
Fairtrade Foundation
Fairtrade Products

Related blog posts:
World Fair Trade Day