Green & Black's ethical rating plummets
Greenhouse gases where you least expect them - top tips for avoiding HFCs
What goes around comes around - NCC proposes a recycling lottery
Good news for Kenyan flower workers
and more
G8 events
The leaders of the world’s eight richest nations, the G8, will be holding their annual summit at Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland from 6th to 8th July. The G8 countries are: the UK, France, Russia, Germany, USA, Japan, Italy and Canada. Britain holds the presidency of the G8 in 2005 and Blair has said that the priorities this year will be Africa and Climate Change. Protesters from around the country will be gathering in Scotland in an attempt to make the politicians hear their voices on these, and other issues.
G8 cycle caravan
A network of activists and cyclists will be cycling from London on 19th June aiming to arrive in Edinburgh on 6th July in time to join the protests. For more information on the route or to join in, see: www.g8bikeride.org.uk or www.g8cyclecaravan.org
2nd July ‘Make Poverty History’ March
In 1998, the last time a G8 summit was held in the UK, 50,000 people gathered to highlight third world debt. This year, Make Poverty History campaign hopes that four times as many people will gather to march in Edinburgh on 2nd July. See www.makepovertyhistory.org
More resources also available at www.jubileedebtcampaign.org.uk including “Drop It: a Debt Campaigner’s Handbook.”
Sun 3rd July ‘Community Anarchy Project’ Street Carnival
G8 Alternatives Counter-Conference. www.g8alternatives.org.uk
Mon 4th July Day of Action against the armed wing of Globalisation
A blockade of Faslane Nuclear Submarine Base, called for by Trident Ploughshares and CND www.faslaneg8.com
Tues 5th July Beacons of Dissent!
An attempt to light beacons on the hills surrounding the G8 Summit the night before the Conference begins. A No Borders Demo will also take place at Dungavel Detention Centre
Wed 6th July International Day of Action against the G8 Summit
Public blockades of the delegates and more around the summit and across the UK so you don’t have to go up to Scotland to join in the protests. To find out about actions closer to you, look at the www.dissent.org.uk
Fri July 8th International Day of Action on the Root Causes of Climate Change
6th-8th July Hill-walking actions
in the Ochil Hills, south-east of Gleneagles. www.dissent.org.uk
Donate against the G8
Grassroots groups and individuals wanting to resist the summit have formed the Dissent! Network which is asking for donations. Funds raised will go directly to financing the convergence spaces, transport and publicity. Please donate £10 to help make this huge protest happen. Donate online.
Also planning actions around the summit are the People’s Golfing Association and the Clandestine Insurrectionary Rebel Clown Army.
Green & Black’s falls from 3rd to 12th in chocolate ethical league table
At midnight on Monday 16th May, organic chocolate maker Green & Black’s ethical rating fell from 16 out of 20 to 6 following its takeover by Cadbury’s, according to our new www.ethiscore.org website. The website is updated daily – providing consumers with the most accurate ethical rating available in the UK.
The takeover has disappointed some fair trade campaigners, as Cadbury’s has consistently rejected arguments put forward by lobby groups on behalf of cocoa farmers. Last May, Cadbury’s wrote to campaigners reiterating its opposition to the principle of fixing the prices it pays to cocoa farmers.
But, Green & Black’s organic and fairtrade chocolate varieties are still a better bet ethically than Nestlé brands like Kit Kat and Mars brands like Galaxy. [The full list appears on the website at www.ethiscore.org]. It’ll be interesting to see whether the Cadbury values will erode the radicalism of its new acquisition or whether Green & Black’s values will spread into the parent group.
Subscribers to the magazine can get a cut-price subscription to the website for only £9 instead of £25.
How to be climate friendly by avoiding HFCs
We’ve all heard of silly string but did you know just how silly it is? All ‘silly string’ cans use fluorinated gases or ‘f-gases’. These are human-made greenhouse gases that are escaping into the atmosphere from fridges, air conditioning and other uses. A new consumer guide details the top tips for avoiding the most common f-gas, HFC. 95% of the climate impact of f-gases is due to HFCs, which are mainly used in refrigeration and air conditioning.
F-gases, such as HFCs and PFCs, are many times, sometimes thousands of times, more powerful than the well-known greenhouse gas CO2. Once released, some f-gases will persist in the air for tens of thousands of years. By 2050 f-gases could be creating as much climate change as all the world’s private car transport, and will soon outweigh any improvements made under the Kyoto Protocol.
Luckily f-gases are easy to avoid, if consumers, business managers and others take care. A recent study by the German Environment Protection Agency showed there are alternatives for every single use in over twenty sectors, except for some industrial insecticides and pepper spray.
Domestic fridges and freezers
The main alternative refrigerant to HFCs is hydrocarbons. If you buy
a fridge or freezer from Miele, Liebherr, Siemens or Bosch you can be
sure that there are no HFCs. Other manufacturers sell some models with
HFCs so you need to ask. See our report on fridges and freezers in issue
92 for more HFC-free models.
Air conditioners
If you need air conditioning then selecting a unit that uses hydrocarbons
(very energy efficient) will save money as well as helping the planet.
Contact a firm like Earthcare Products.
Insulation
The most all-round environmentally friendly insulation materials are
naturally-based materials such as Warmcel, made in the UK. This comes
in various forms and has higher insulation value than comparable mineral
fibres, better protection against air infiltration, and takes up to
20 times less energy to manufacture. See for instance www.greenbuildingstore.co.uk.
Fire Extinguishers
The main alternatives to HFCs or PFCs are water, carbon dioxide and
Inergen. Wormald are a major UK manufacturer of all types of fire extinguishers
and systems, all HFC-free. See www.wormald.co.uk/fire/fire.html
New cars
All current car air conditioning contains (and leaks) HFCs, which are
building up very rapidly in the atmosphere. So don’t rush out to
buy a new car and instead of switching on the air con - open a window
and wait a couple of years until there are new models available which
use CO2 instead.
Inhalers
If you are asthmatic and use an inhaler, ask your doctor if it’s
possible for you to have a dry powder inhaler instead of one which releases
HFCs.
Silly string and klaxons
Partying or at a football match? Use paper streamers or wooden ratchets
instead of ‘silly string’ or klaxons, which all release HFCs.
The full briefing “Climate Friendly Consumer Guide: How to be
Climate Friendly by avoiding HFCs - a briefing for Shoppers, Home Owners,
Businesses and Public Bodies” can be downloaded from www.mipiggs.org/climatefriendly3.pdf
What goes around comes around
The National Consumer Council is proposing a bold new initiative that
has the potential to boost recycling and encourage people to adopt a
more ‘environmentally friendly’ lifestyle.
If introduced, the recycling lottery would give people the opportunity
to win a major cash prize through entering a prize draw using recycled
products as the ticket.
National Consumer Council Chief Executive, Ed Mayo, said, ‘This
is as simple as can be. In Norway, a recycling lottery has more than
doubled the number of people recycling drink cartons from just 30 per
cent to 70 per cent of the population. All you do is squash your carton,
write your name and number on it and pop it into the recycling bin for
entry into the prize draw.’
In the UK the scheme could be used to encourage people to recycle a
range of products. The NCC thinks that a Recycling Lottery could help
tackle Britain’s battery mountain. Batteries are highly toxic and
can leach chemicals when thrown away. Of a total 25,000 tonnes of household
and industrial batteries generated each year, just 1,000 tonnes are
recycled.
People have been exhorted to act more green for over twenty years. ‘16
pain-free ways to help save the planet’, an NCC report launched
today, shows that finding creative ideas to encourage people to recycle
and become more sustainable consumers has the potential to bring about
real change.
16 pain-free ways to help save the planet, by Maxine Holdsworth
with Paul Steedman, can be found at www.ncc.org.uk/responsibleconsumption/16ways.pdf
Good news for Kenyan flower workers
After three years of international action in support of flower workers
in Kenya, significant improvements are being seen on farms supplying
UK supermarkets. Angela Hale from Women
Working Worldwide gives us the details.
On Valentines Day 2002 a national campaign was launched in Kenya, to
highlight how public demand for a symbol of love can have devastating
implications for workers. When employers failed to respond, approaches
were made to international organisations, including Women Working Worldwide
(WWW). WWW suggested that a complaint be taken to the Ethical Trading
Initiative to which most UK supermarkets belong. A research report was
presented to the relevant companies demonstrating violations of a number
of clauses in the ETI Base Code.
Representatives of UK supermarkets reacted quickly, knowing that it
contained information potentially damaging to their reputations. A delegation
visited Kenya and met directly with workers from the farms. Workers
reported various health problems associated with chemical spraying and
verbal and sexual abuse by supervisors. For those living on farms there
were complaints of overcrowding, sometimes with two families living
together in a house 10ft by 10 ft, and tight restrictions on visiting.
For those having to travel to work there were complaints of inadequate
transport facilities, with workers being crammed into the back of tractors
or even unventilated lorries intended for flowers.
UK supermarkets are the major buyers for some of the biggest farms in
Kenya, and it is generally agreed that their visit was key to bringing
employers to the table to talk to workers’ rights organisations
and government representatives about how to address the situation. The
outcome is the establishment of the Kenyan Horticultural Ethical Business
Initiative, which has a commitment to worker-centred auditing of flower
farms. At the same time, employers on farms supplying Tesco, Sainsbury,
Morrisons, Asda, the Co-op and Marks & Spencer have set about addressing
at least some of the workers’ complaints, with massive investment
in both staff training and facilities. Homegrown has built new canteens
with extensive washing facilities, buses with safety belts and changing
facilities and lockers for storing contaminated clothing before travelling
home. Oserian, which houses workers on the farm, has begun a rebuilding
programme and no longer restricts access for workers’ relatives.
In both cases, gender committees have been set up to address the specific
issues raised by women. There has been improvements in maternity provision
and the rights of pregnant women. Workers generally report a change
in attitude on the farms and feel that they are now being treated with
more respect.
These improvements bode well, but they do not mean that we no longer
have to ask ourselves questions before buying flowers from Kenya. Flower
farms are an important source of employment but it is questionable whether
they are doing much for the long term development of the country. There
are also outstanding issues which need to be addressed. This includes
compulsory overtime caused by the pressure for that day’s orders
to be completed in time for the overnight flight. Workers report long
hours of intense work, particularly at peak times such as Valentine’s
day. Supermarkets say that to stay in business they have to fill the
shelves in response to consumer demand. It is time that we made it clear
that what we demand is respect for workers rights rather than a constant
supply of roses.
The WEEE man
The RSA (Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures
& Commerce) and Canon Europe have marked the implementation of the
WEEE Directive by installing and subsequently recycling a human-like
figure out of the amount of electrical waste one UK citizen consumes
in a lifetime.
This imposing three tonne, seven metre-high humanoid figure made from
WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) was unveiled by City
Hall, South Bank, London on Friday 29 April. It will now travel to other
locations including the Eden Project in Cornwall.
WEEE is the fastest growing waste type produced in the European Union
and represents a contribution of about 14kg per European citizen or
6.5 million tonnes a year.
To find out more about this project please email r.holdway@giraffeinnovation.com
or visit the project website at www.weeeman.org
Good Beach Guide 2005
This year’s Good Beach Guide was launched at the end of May. The
guide, now in its 18th year, is the only comprehensive and independent
guide to the quality of the UK’s coastal bathing waters.
Full details on the location and facilities at all Marine Conservation
Society recommended beaches are on the MCS website at www.goodbeachguide.co.uk
The Good Beach Guide is also available as a FREE booklet with 47p SAE
from the Marine Conservation Society, Unit 3, Wolf Business Park, Alton
Road, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire HR9 5NB Tel: 01989 566 017
Justwork - The Ethical Careers Guide
The Ethical Careers Guide is a new handbook on careers with a conscience.
It covers a range of ethical careers, from working for a charity, to
careers in international development. The book also contains interviews
with people already working in their ideal job, how-to guides and an
extensive directory. Available for £4.95 from bookshops or buy
online or via mail order. www.ethicalcareersguide.co.uk
ISBN 1-903998-53-0
Ethical holiday suggestions
Not booked your summer holiday yet? The National Trust offers some great
working holidays across the UK. Trips, which run throughout the year,
include archaeological holidays, beach cleans and surveys, construction
and building, gardening holidays or maintenance of some impressive national
trust properties. Not only will you have a unique holiday experience,
but you will be having a positive impact on the environment and receive
free entry to all National Trust properties for a year. Costs range
from £35 for weekend breaks to £195 for Premium holidays
for those wishing to stay in more luxury accommodation. See www.nationaltrust.org.uk/workingholidays
or call 0870 4292 429 for a brochure or more information.
Low impact living
If you’d like to learn something new this summer, why not visit
the Low-Impact Living Initiative in Bucks which is running a number
of courses, including: Straw Bale Building, How to make Biodiesel, Build
your own Earth Oven.
For more information contact LILI,
Redfield Community, Buckingham Road, Winslow, Bucks, MK18 3LZ Tel: 01296
714184
Communicycle launched
A new website creating communities for environmentally responsible recycling
was launched in May this year. The site hopes to connect people enabling
people to dispose of unwanted items to those who might find those items
useful. Bulletin boards are up now on www.communicycle.com
Animal Rights conference
An international animal rights gathering conference is taking place
between 15th and 18th July. For more information see: www.ar2005.info/
or contact AR2005, BM 2248, London WC1N 3XX Tel: 0845 456 9496
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