Recycling. A (hopefully) regular activity that has a none too insignificant impact on the way we dispose of our waste, occasionally influences the products we purchase, and is a cornerstone of ‘greener living’. But what if recycling could also help some of the most vulnerable people in society simultaneously? In many of the most densely-populated mega-cities some of the world’s poorest urban inhabitants collect recyclable materials to aid their livelihoods.
During a meeting of the Associate Parliamentary Sustainable Resource Group this week, a presentation was made by the Manager of the locally-based Appliance Re-use Centre (ARC). ARC is an organisation which takes recycling and converts it into a process with multiple benefits. Having collected unwanted electrical goods and repairing them, ARC then re-sells these products to lower-income families in the local area, a clear second benefit to the process of recycling with important socio-economic connotations. The process of repair is, in part, undertaken by the long-term unemployed. Some are trained to NVQ2 level, while work experience and training is also available for the disabled.
A scheme such as the one ARC operates can be applauded for a variety of reasons. That some of the largest dealers in white goods have, in the past, attempted to charge ARC to take unwanted, used products of their hands is morally reprehensible. That ARC nonetheless continues with its work should be applauded.
Friday, 14 December 2007
Thursday, 6 December 2007
A legacy of Olympic proportions?
Since the decision was announced in 2005 that London would be the successful candidate to host the 2012 Olympic Games (that’s the Games of the XXX Olympiad to any purists out there), a casual observer will have noticed a steady stream of negative press surrounding the Games. Issues of budget miscalculations on a grand scale, of the legacy that the Games will leave, if British athletes will actually compete for medals, and even the issue of a ‘Mega Mosque’ on a nearby site have all done the rounds. This is to say nothing of the epilepsy-inducing 2012 logo…
Such coverage could even raise the question – were we right to get excited in the first place? Perhaps the money could’ve been spent on something more necessary such as effective training for Junior Officials at HM Revenue and Customs in the do’s and don’ts of posting sensitive data. Are any sporting events in this country merely a distraction while the English football team continue their never-ending rebuilding project?
Such doubts should never be allowed to dominate or over-rule the notion that the Olympic Games are themselves an inspirational institution. Anyone who has ever been to a sporting event can attest to the awe and excitement that can be stirred while a spectator. Similarly, a visit to the IOC Museum in Lausanne can stir a similarly passionate response. Such a motivational force and its potential must not be wasted by Seb Coe and company.
The effect that the 2012 Games could have on British children of all ages, and the sporting aspiration it could instil, would be enormously beneficial for British society as a whole. While increasing the hours the children spend exercising at school is one thing, increasing the hours they actually want to spend exercising is the key. Healthy kids, goes the logic, are happier kids. Consequently, the 2012 Games may indeed leave a legacy of Olympic proportions.
Such coverage could even raise the question – were we right to get excited in the first place? Perhaps the money could’ve been spent on something more necessary such as effective training for Junior Officials at HM Revenue and Customs in the do’s and don’ts of posting sensitive data. Are any sporting events in this country merely a distraction while the English football team continue their never-ending rebuilding project?
Such doubts should never be allowed to dominate or over-rule the notion that the Olympic Games are themselves an inspirational institution. Anyone who has ever been to a sporting event can attest to the awe and excitement that can be stirred while a spectator. Similarly, a visit to the IOC Museum in Lausanne can stir a similarly passionate response. Such a motivational force and its potential must not be wasted by Seb Coe and company.
The effect that the 2012 Games could have on British children of all ages, and the sporting aspiration it could instil, would be enormously beneficial for British society as a whole. While increasing the hours the children spend exercising at school is one thing, increasing the hours they actually want to spend exercising is the key. Healthy kids, goes the logic, are happier kids. Consequently, the 2012 Games may indeed leave a legacy of Olympic proportions.
Tuesday, 4 December 2007
A long way North
At the end of last week we ran some focus groups for a client in Newcastle – and believe me, it’s a long way North. We got on the 12.30 from Kings Cross, and from the moment we boarded the train it was like stepping back into the 1970’s. The interior of the train was beige, the trolley cart bounced from seat to seat as the nice lady struggled to wheel it up the carriage. But aside from the 70’s décor and the risk of losing the odd finger as the cart juddered by, it was a really easy journey to the beautiful city of Newcastle.
In talking to some of locals their pride in the city really shone through. We were told tales of great shopping opportunities with the flagship Fennicks store being a ‘miss it, miss out’ destination. We were treated like alien beings when we confessed to being from London…but once we had passed the visual examination to confirm we were not, in fact, from Mars, conversation resumed as normal.
Imagine our surprise then, when we saw hundreds of people in a queue in the cold and dark of a November evening. After a few minutes one woman made her way up and down the long line of workers….it was obviously pay-day, and she was the wages clerk, giving cash to each and every worker. This is one of the main cities of the North.
It was then that the culture gap really began to sink in…and it’s felt both ways. One of the key outcomes from the focus group – England doesn’t end at Leeds! There’s much more of England to engage with. This was reinforced the next morning when listening to the Today Programme – where the party funding row seemed remote to the point of irrelevance. It neither touches nor interests many of the people we spoke to. The challenge for us, as politicos and communicators, is to make the issues and opportunities at Westminster relevant to the whole nation, not merely the London chattering classes.
In talking to some of locals their pride in the city really shone through. We were told tales of great shopping opportunities with the flagship Fennicks store being a ‘miss it, miss out’ destination. We were treated like alien beings when we confessed to being from London…but once we had passed the visual examination to confirm we were not, in fact, from Mars, conversation resumed as normal.
Imagine our surprise then, when we saw hundreds of people in a queue in the cold and dark of a November evening. After a few minutes one woman made her way up and down the long line of workers….it was obviously pay-day, and she was the wages clerk, giving cash to each and every worker. This is one of the main cities of the North.
It was then that the culture gap really began to sink in…and it’s felt both ways. One of the key outcomes from the focus group – England doesn’t end at Leeds! There’s much more of England to engage with. This was reinforced the next morning when listening to the Today Programme – where the party funding row seemed remote to the point of irrelevance. It neither touches nor interests many of the people we spoke to. The challenge for us, as politicos and communicators, is to make the issues and opportunities at Westminster relevant to the whole nation, not merely the London chattering classes.
Monday, 3 December 2007
The Journal of Unlikely Science
For some bitesize chunks of science, you should check out Null Hypothesis, the Journal of Unlikely Science. But I am reserving judgement as to how 'scientific' it actually is. I don't think that all science needs to be made funny or faintly ridiculous to be engaging.
For example, one section is about little known and unusual science journals - the most recently featured is the Electronic Journal of Combinatorics. It describes the logo and the impressiveness of the formulae, but unfortunately give no clue as to what combinatorics actually are.
The site is also full of random useful facts - did you know that an average olive tree can live up to 1500 years, and make over 10,000 olives. So you can see the site is useful for trivia at dinner parties, but beware if anyone asks you about more of the detail. However, as a light hearted look at the quirky side of science, it is definitely worth a look.
The news section is probably the more useful part of the site. A recent story describes a solution to global carbon emissions which involves transforming carbon dioxide into bicarbonate of soda. An American firm claims it can capture 90 percent of the CO2 emitted from a coal-burning power station and turn it into the harmless baking ingredient. Bicarbonate can also be used for cleaning products, and if there is too much, it can simply be buried in mines. But I would like to hear more about this claim, before I decide that cake is the way of the future.
For example, one section is about little known and unusual science journals - the most recently featured is the Electronic Journal of Combinatorics. It describes the logo and the impressiveness of the formulae, but unfortunately give no clue as to what combinatorics actually are.
The site is also full of random useful facts - did you know that an average olive tree can live up to 1500 years, and make over 10,000 olives. So you can see the site is useful for trivia at dinner parties, but beware if anyone asks you about more of the detail. However, as a light hearted look at the quirky side of science, it is definitely worth a look.
The news section is probably the more useful part of the site. A recent story describes a solution to global carbon emissions which involves transforming carbon dioxide into bicarbonate of soda. An American firm claims it can capture 90 percent of the CO2 emitted from a coal-burning power station and turn it into the harmless baking ingredient. Bicarbonate can also be used for cleaning products, and if there is too much, it can simply be buried in mines. But I would like to hear more about this claim, before I decide that cake is the way of the future.
Monday, 26 November 2007
The Green List
A green supplement in the Guardian recently, The Green List, gave an interesting round up of global environmental developments this year. I thought it would be good to talk about this now, as we near the end of the year, to see how much more needs to be done in 2008.
Here are some of the highlights. In March, the UK Government published its draft climate change bill. In June, the G8 summit was hosted by Germany. The US finally agreed to "seriously consider" a 50 % cut in carbon emissions by 2050, but with the caveat that their involvement relies on India and China also joining the party. In July, the House of Commons, environmental audit report for 2006-07 said that the UK 2050 target is incoherent, as a cut in UK carbon emissions by 60% by 2050 is unlikely to achieve the Governments other goal, of limiting global warming to a rise of 2C. In August, the Government awarded more than £1million to projects approved by the carbon trust. At the Labour Party Conference in September, Brown said that Britain will become the first country in the world to write binding limits on carbon emissions into law. In October, Al Gore and the IPCC shared a Nobel Peace Prize. And in December, the UN Climate Change Conference will be hosted by the Government of Indonesia in the island of Bali.
What is clear in all of the legislation and discussions this year, is that although progress is being made, it needs to be done more quickly and more radically - because unfortunately the risks poised by global climate change itself, will not wait for all the bureaucracy to be straightened out.
Here are some of the highlights. In March, the UK Government published its draft climate change bill. In June, the G8 summit was hosted by Germany. The US finally agreed to "seriously consider" a 50 % cut in carbon emissions by 2050, but with the caveat that their involvement relies on India and China also joining the party. In July, the House of Commons, environmental audit report for 2006-07 said that the UK 2050 target is incoherent, as a cut in UK carbon emissions by 60% by 2050 is unlikely to achieve the Governments other goal, of limiting global warming to a rise of 2C. In August, the Government awarded more than £1million to projects approved by the carbon trust. At the Labour Party Conference in September, Brown said that Britain will become the first country in the world to write binding limits on carbon emissions into law. In October, Al Gore and the IPCC shared a Nobel Peace Prize. And in December, the UN Climate Change Conference will be hosted by the Government of Indonesia in the island of Bali.
What is clear in all of the legislation and discussions this year, is that although progress is being made, it needs to be done more quickly and more radically - because unfortunately the risks poised by global climate change itself, will not wait for all the bureaucracy to be straightened out.
Monday, 19 November 2007
Brown's First Environment Speech
Today Brown gave his first major environmental speech since he became Prime Minister See here for more info
A major announcement was that the independent climate change committee (established in the Climate Change Bill published earlier this month) will be asked to consider new evidence suggesting that developed countries need to aim for an 80% cut in carbon emissions by 2050. The ambitious targets seem to be pushing the nation to the forefront of global efforts to tackle climate change. A very welcome part of the speech was that Brown would encourage allies such as the US to make similar pledges (although we wait with bated breath to see what actually happens). He said any successor pact to the Kyoto Protocol must pledge to hold the rise in global average temperatures to no more than 2 C.
Brown said tackling the problem would require a "fourth technological revolution" on the scale of the development of the steam engine, the combustion engine or the microprocessor. He said: "The climate change crisis is the product of many generations, but overcoming it must be the great project of this generation." He said up to one million British people could be employed in the environmental industries in the next two decades.
But the important question is what would the Government actually do to achieve this revolution? Here are a few points that he spoke about:
Brown said the government hoped to build in Britain one of the world's first carbon capture facilities — a process that involves collecting carbon dioxide and pumping it in liquid form into porous rock layers underground, where it cannot contribute to warming the atmosphere.
On a smaller scale, Brown was convinced that the UK could eliminate free carrier bags - or "single-use disposable bags".
A major announcement was that the independent climate change committee (established in the Climate Change Bill published earlier this month) will be asked to consider new evidence suggesting that developed countries need to aim for an 80% cut in carbon emissions by 2050. The ambitious targets seem to be pushing the nation to the forefront of global efforts to tackle climate change. A very welcome part of the speech was that Brown would encourage allies such as the US to make similar pledges (although we wait with bated breath to see what actually happens). He said any successor pact to the Kyoto Protocol must pledge to hold the rise in global average temperatures to no more than 2 C.
Brown said tackling the problem would require a "fourth technological revolution" on the scale of the development of the steam engine, the combustion engine or the microprocessor. He said: "The climate change crisis is the product of many generations, but overcoming it must be the great project of this generation." He said up to one million British people could be employed in the environmental industries in the next two decades.
But the important question is what would the Government actually do to achieve this revolution? Here are a few points that he spoke about:
Brown said the government hoped to build in Britain one of the world's first carbon capture facilities — a process that involves collecting carbon dioxide and pumping it in liquid form into porous rock layers underground, where it cannot contribute to warming the atmosphere.
On a smaller scale, Brown was convinced that the UK could eliminate free carrier bags - or "single-use disposable bags".
Friday, 16 November 2007
Decade of Sport
It was interesting to hear James Purnell's ambitious vision for sport outlined in his speech to a Progress seminar this week. He was clear that the argument about the power of sport to deliver against Health, Education and Home Office objectives is well recognised.
I hope so - because from what we're hearing all is still to play for in the allocation of priorities for the current CSR round. There are testimonies after testimonies of how sport, and good role models - coaches, teachers, personal trainers etc have transformed the lives, and life chances of millions of people.
So, if the Secretary of State is right, perhaps the power of the Department of Health's budget could, in part, be re-focused towards sports participation, and the ensuing requirement for qualified coaches, and the DCSF's towards meeting the 5 hour promise for our kids. Who knows, maybe even the Home Office could prioritise team sports - especially in the high-risk, hard to reach population - because surely - every kid needs a chance and a role model.
It's not all about money - but if we are to get the participation agenda right - as we promised in the 2012 bid - getting the nation active will require significant central funding. It will probably need to be allocated locally, but it will require money from central Government. The Secretary of State is right - this could be the decade of sport - where the UK does achieve his vision of world class excellence in participation and performance. But this will not happen by accident - it will require deliberate investment and strategic oversight. And that's the real challenge for the SofS - will he provide the leadership, focus and energy that sport and the nation needs?
I hope so - because from what we're hearing all is still to play for in the allocation of priorities for the current CSR round. There are testimonies after testimonies of how sport, and good role models - coaches, teachers, personal trainers etc have transformed the lives, and life chances of millions of people.
So, if the Secretary of State is right, perhaps the power of the Department of Health's budget could, in part, be re-focused towards sports participation, and the ensuing requirement for qualified coaches, and the DCSF's towards meeting the 5 hour promise for our kids. Who knows, maybe even the Home Office could prioritise team sports - especially in the high-risk, hard to reach population - because surely - every kid needs a chance and a role model.
It's not all about money - but if we are to get the participation agenda right - as we promised in the 2012 bid - getting the nation active will require significant central funding. It will probably need to be allocated locally, but it will require money from central Government. The Secretary of State is right - this could be the decade of sport - where the UK does achieve his vision of world class excellence in participation and performance. But this will not happen by accident - it will require deliberate investment and strategic oversight. And that's the real challenge for the SofS - will he provide the leadership, focus and energy that sport and the nation needs?
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