Should Heathrow Expansion Go Ahead?

An article in the Guardian Online yesterday went into the two sides of this argument. Those for a new runway at Heathrow argue that it is vital for UK businesses and that new aviation technology will see a reduction in carbon emissions from this area. Meanwhile, environmental groups fiercly oppose the expansion which they say will definitely mean an increase in carbon emissions and will undermine efforts to cut Britain's greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050. The government is to make a decision in the new year.

Have a look at the article for an overview of the arguments.

Other related webpages:
Stop Heathrow Expansion website
The Independent
Friends of the Earth

Organic Statistics

A report into the UK organic market shows that the total organic food and drinks market grew by 10.4% in 2007. This was slower than in previous years but was still above the general rate of growth for groceries. The report, from Research & Markets Ltd, also showed that organic baby food accounted for 45% of the branded baby foods market by value which is much higher than in other sectors.

If you are interested in finding out more about the organic market, the full report is available for buy from Research & Markets Ltd.

Related UK Energy Saving Pages:
Organic Products

Green New Year's Resolutions

Take a look at our Energy Watch page for some suggestions for green new year's resolutions. These include insulating your home and buying organic produce.

REVIEW - Tropical Wholefoods Snack Bars

The four varieties I tried were all very tasty. The bars were not crumbly (an added bonus if offering them to small children) and, whilst there was some variation in terms of moistness between the flavours, were not too dry. They also weren’t chewy but had a lovely texture. I found that the flavours within all the bars came through well. My personal favourite was probably the Mango & Brazil bar whilst I was a little less keen on the Banana & Honey, although this was better than I expected as I am often not a fan of banana-flavoured products which can be overly sweet.

See the full review here.

Supermarkets Pledge to Cut Carrier Bag Use

Asda, Co-op, M&S, Sainsbury's, Somerfield, Waitrose and Tesco have agreed today to halve the number of free, one-use carrier bags they give out (compared to 2006 levels) by spring 2009. They were already meeting a target of cutting bag use by 25% and this new voluntary agreement means that there will be 5 million fewer bags being handed out each year.

Read more on this here.

Related Blog Posts:
Government Toughening Up on Plastic Bags
Marks & Spencer to Charge for Plastic Bags Nationwide

Related UK Energy Saving Pages:
Eco Friendly Bags

REVIEW - Divine Fairtrade Chocolate

The Hazelnut Milk Chocolate consisted of small crunchy hazelnut flakes within smooth chocolate and was delicious!......The White Chocolate with Strawberries was described as ‘simply delicious’ consisting of lovely smooth, sweet white chocolate with the unusual strawberry crunch running through it.......It was felt that the Mint 70% Dark Chocolate would have benefited from stronger chocolate and mint flavours..... The Dark Chocolate with Fruit & Nut, on the other hand, would have been preferred had it been milk chocolate as a better balance with the fruit and nuts.

See the full review here.

10th Warmest Year on Record

The Met Office has released figures on behalf of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) which show that 2008 has been the 10th warmest year on record. All ten of the warmest years have occured since 1997 which Friends of the Earth feel is indisputable "evidence that humans are changing the climate".

More information on these statistics can be found at the following links:
Met Office
WMO

Related Blog Posts:
Government to Include Shipping & Aviation Emissions in Targets
Budget Doesn't Go Green Enough
National Geographic Climate Change Issue

Related UK Energy Saving Pages:
Climate Change

REVIEW - Divine Delights Fairtrade Chocolate

These products definitely feel like ‘posh’ treats which you might give as a gift or offer round at Christmas. We found the Dried Sliced Mango to be a little chewy (as dried mango often is) but the sweet mango complemented the tang of the dark chocolate. The Dried Whole Apricots were lovely and soft, again with the strong chocolate flavour giving way to the sweet dried fruit. The Whole Brazil Nuts were also tasty and not too thickly covered in chocolate so that you still found some of the nut flavour coming through. All in all, these are great for a party or for a tasty treat, which, because of the dark chocolate, you don’t end up eating too much of!

See the full review here.

REVIEW - Tropical Wholefoods Clean Fairtrade Tanzanian Soaps

These soaps seem to last for ever as they are a really hard block but you only require a quick damp rub to get a good lather. The Neem soap (which contains coconut, neem and eucalyptus oil) is described as naturally antiseptic and has an unusual but not unpleasant or strong scent. The Purity soap (containing aloe vera, coconut and baobab oils) is fragrance free so great for sensitive skin and apparently has anti-wrinkle properties thanks to the baobab oil! The Lemongrass Seaweed Scrub (with coconut, seaweed and lemongrass oil) is great for gentle exfoliation. I found that it was very gentle but left skin soft and clean.

See the full review here.

How Can Your Business Save Energy?

UK Energy Saving has published an article looking at ways for businesses to start saving energy. View the article below.

UK Energy Saving
Ezine Articles

REVIEW - Ecover Laundry Bleach

It is suggested that you use this Ecover laundry bleach with an Ecover non bio washing product, but as I was not very impressed with those I tried it with a few other eco-friendly laundry products. Disappointingly I noticed no discernable difference to my whites. I have not used any other brands of laundry bleach so I have no direct comparison to make, but I had hoped that it would ‘freshen up’ some older whites.

See the full review here.

REVIEW - Tropical Wholefoods Fairtrade Dried Fruit

Firstly, we tried the Fairtrade Sundried Apricots which contain sulphur dioxide as a preservative (although there is an unsulphured product available from Tropical Wholefoods if you prefer). These weren’t as moist as some dried apricots but had a pleasant texture that wasn’t too chewy. They were also really flavoursome so great as both a snack and for use in cooking. A bonus would be if these were organically produced like some of the other Tropical Wholefoods products.

See the full review here.

Go Green in Your Home

UK Energy Saving has launched a new feature on the main site. Go Green in Your Home is a stylistic house image containing information on energy and water saving measures which can be undertaken. Links to relevant sections of the site are included in order for visitors to be able to access further information.

Visit the Go Green in Your Home page here.

See our press release on this at one of the following sites:
UK Energy Saving
PRLog
Pressbox
SanePR
PR News Distribution

Green Product of the Month

The Green Product of the Month for December has been chosen and is.........

.............the Riverford Organic Vegetable Box Scheme.

If you have never tried their veg boxes, give them a shot; the quality is excellent and they are great value for money.