Your lifestyle guide to all things eco...
February 2 2012
Towards a green games Is London on track on track to deliver a sustainable 2012?
Devon Yoga Festival Limber up for a not-for-profit summer showcase
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Ecowarmth Beat both the recession and winter’s icy grip
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Simple things A Slow holiday isn’t a stop holiday. It’s about finding delight in the smallest details. A view. A moment. And the six-mile walk to find it.
01653 617039
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Editor: Nick Gregory Email: nick@greenlivingmagazine.co.uk Art Director: Bruce Mytton Email: design@flavourmagazine.com Advertising: Helen Kembery Email: helen@greenlivingmagazine.co.uk greenliving magazine 151-153 Wick Road, Brislington, Bristol BS4 4HH Tel: 0117 977 9188 Visit: www.greenlivingmagazine.co.uk For general enquiries: Peter Francomb Email: peter@greenlivingmag.co.uk © Copyright 2012 greenliving. All rights reserved. Material may not be reproduced without permission of greenliving. While we take care to ensure that reports, reviews and features are accurate, greenliving accepts no liability for reader dissatisfaction arising from the content of this publication. The opinions expressed or advice given are the views of the individual authors, and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of greenliving. greenliving magazine provides effective communication through design. We specialise in brochures, corporate identity, advertising, direct mail, marketing and design for print. We have a reputation for clear, creative solutions to communication problems for a number of corporate, sports, financial, charity and leisure industry clients. We maintain the highest of standards, throughout each individual project and our client relationship. We pride ourselves on delivering distinctive designs and ideas that will get you noticed.
Welcome... Welcome to Greenliving, your essential guide to navigating towards a healthy and eco-friendly lifestyle. A greener way of life doesn’t necessarily require massive upheavals; there are plenty of practical, small-scale actions we can take to help both the planet and our pockets, from car sharing to changing to a greener energy provider. The London Olympics are edging closer and this summer is set to be a landmark in the annals of British history, especially with so many of this year’s Olympians and potential medalists based here in the West, A huge amount of money has been invested in the invigoration of areas of East London, and we take a look at the issues surrounding the practicalities of hosting what has been touted as ‘the first sustainable Olympic and Paralympic Games.’ Greenliving is always looking for forward-thinking ideas and outlooks on green issues. We would be interested to hear your views – send any thoughts, articles, news or other contributions to nick@greenlivingmagazine.co.uk
Change starts with us... Nick Gregory
For more information, please contact: Peter Francomb Email: peter@greenlivingmag.co.uk
www.greenlivingmagazine.co.uk
Please recycle this product.
february 2012
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News greenliving
CONGRATULATIONS go to Hannah Summers, Joanna Bird and David Symes, who all win family tickets for a fabulous day out at The Eden Project!
Climate Week Climate Week is a supercharged national occasion that offers an annual renewal of our ambition and confidence to combat climate change. It is for everyone wanting to do their bit to protect our planet and create a secure future. Thousands of businesses, charities, schools, councils and others will run events during Climate Week on 12-18 March 2012. They will show what can be achieved, share ideas and encourage thousands more to act during the rest of the year.
www.climateweek.com
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FOLLY FARM Why have your next away-day stuck between four white walls when you can enjoy 250 acres of nature just miles from both Bath and Bristol city centers? What can Folly Farm offer? For the morning, how about a fully facilitated ‘PLAN FOR THE FUTURE’ training day... You choose the topic that is right for your team (internal communications, campaign planning, digital media, business strategizing and more) and let Viper Training do the rest (www.vmcg.co.uk/vipertraining). Afternoon session – after a hearty lunch, roll-up the sleeves and get stuck into one of their popular outdoor team-building experiences to help inspire your team in a fun and enjoyable manner. All this and more from only £57.50.
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The Folly Farm Centre Stowey, Pensford, Bristol BS39 4DW O1275 331590 www.theurbanmeadow.co.uk
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Porridge for you, porridge for Africa
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The pioneering One Brand is introducing One Oaty Goodness porridge, delicious porridge oats, pots and sachets to its existing range of everyday essentials.
sub-saharan Africa are funded in order to provide an essential daily meal of maize porridge to children who would otherwise go hungry.
The porridge follows One’s unique likefor-like proposition whereby buying a One product in the UK directly helps to improve the lives of communities in rural Africa.
The 500g bags of organic oats (original) are ideal for use at home and provide a sustaining and satisfying breakfast.
Through the sale of One Oaty Goodness porridge, school feeding programmes in
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www.onedifference.org
february 2012
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Indepower T
he new installation, neatly positioned within Mr Allan’s vegetable patch, is expected to harvest an estimated 3296 kWh per annum- enough to power the average house for a year! As well as this, the farm is expected to save 1.5 tonnes of carbon through the installation. The icing on the cake is that Mr Allan is expected to receive over £1,000 per annum through savings and income from the government’s Feed-in Tariff. This is a promising outlook when considering today’s rising energy bills.
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With an increasing number of satisfied customers, Indepower are rapidly gaining a reputation for exceptional quality and service. Indepower Director Andy Sparks says,“Our customers receive bespoke solutions that generate clean and renewable electricity, and protect the users against rising energy bills- whilst doing something green and environmentally worthwhile”. Indepower are fully accredited to design and install solar photovoltaic systems and have been trading in the South West since 2009.
Visit: www.indepower.co.uk
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Cost–effective electric heating Ecowarmth: Beat both the recession and winter’s icy grip by heating your home with an eco-friendly installation...
E
nergy prices and inflation are rising and it is difficult to know what to do about your heating system if it is insufficient or what to do with any savings you may still have in low-interest savings accounts or stuffed under the mattress.
The world economic situation looks more and more uncertain, and the climate is changing too. What to do? It is time to get back to basics and ensure that your fundamental needs of keeping warm in winter are satisfied. There are many new and different electrical heating systems now on the market and Ecowarmth of Plymouth is well placed to offer you two energy saving systems to ensure you stay warm in an affordable manner. Michael Skinley, the owner and founder of family company Ecowarmth spent 30 years living in Germany before returning to his West Country roots and setting up Ecowarmth. His knowledge of latest German Technology is second to none and his company have built up an enviable reputation for high quality products, high quality service and very fair prices. Can you imagine heating your lounge – or any other room for that matter – with an elegant wall hanging showing your favourite painting or photo? With Ecowarmth Infrared panels you can do
just that, and not only reduce your heating bills in a big way but also add a stylish design effect to your home. Maybe you want to have a warm and cosy bathroom? Ecowarmth has heated mirrors that do that, too. There is also an Infrared panel to suit the room you need heating, as well as your taste and needs. All options are thermostatically controlled by a unique wireless control system for maximum comfort and economy of energy usage. Try a Gustav Klimt painting on fabric, (using only 630W of power) which can produce enough heat to warm an average lounge. You can also choose your own picture, too!
answers. By investing your money wisely you will reap the benefits, not only financially, but also from having a cosy, well-appointed home. Call: 0800 027 3799 Visit: www.ecowarmth-sw.com
For the customer preferring a more traditional look, the company supply their well-established “Radiators With Brains” heating system and have a huge number of happy and warm customers all over the UK.
Plain Painted Infrared Panel
For innovative and low-consumption heating solutions, Ecowarmth has the
Traditional Style Electric Radiators
february 2012
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New festival brings yoga to everyone in Devon A
new yoga festival has been announced for 2012 with the aim of bringing together top-quality teachers, comfortable accommodation, award-winning food and the stunning environment of the rural West Country. The Devon Yoga Festival will be held in August at Seale Hayne near Newton Abbot in Devon, and will bring together some of the South West’s and the country’s top teachers. (www.devonyogafestival.co.uk) Organiser Duncan Hulin, from the Devon School of Yoga (www.devonyoga.com), said: “There are a number of yoga festivals around the South West and the country but we felt there was space for something with comfortable accommodation as opposed to camping, full award-winning 80 per cent organic vegetarian catering and a comprehensive programme of workshops and events. We want to appeal to everyone, from curious beginners to experienced yogis. We were delighted when we found Seale Hayne – the facilities are outstanding and the surroundings are stunning; perfect for a weekend of everything yoga.” Teachers travelling from all over the UK to run workshops at the event include David Sye, Swami Saradananda, Gretchen Faust, Steve Brandon and Sama Fabian.
The Festival, which will run from the late afternoon on Friday, August 10 to lunchtime on Sunday 12, will offer over 40 workshops in styles ranging from anusara and satyananda to ashtanga and kundalini. There will be classes specifically tailored for children, beginners and the over 60s, and an evening kirtan. There will also be a number of talks on the philosophy that underpins the practice and, on Saturday only, films about yoga. James Russell, from Exeter Loves Yoga, a member of the team organising the festival, said: “We want the event to be about the holistic practices of yoga, beyond just asana. There will be opportunities to deeply explore pranayama, kriyas and meditation. We hope the whole event will create an atmosphere of joy and mindfulness in a place of great beauty.” (www.exeterlovesyoga.co.uk) The event will be not-for-profit, with donations going to the Dame Hannah Rogers Trust which is based at Seale Hayne, and the Ganga Prem Hospice in India. Ticket prices range from £75 (£55 for children) for a day pass to £195 (£175 for children) for the full weekend, with substantial discounts available for early bird bookings. Call: 01392 420573 Visit: www.devonyogafestival.co.uk
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T
Cochabamba
here can be no more damaging an impact on our environment and the future of our planet than the destruction of its most precious ecosystem – the Amazon Rainforest.
Yet whilst we complain of “hard times” here in the UK, destitute communities which have been forced to settle on the fringes of the Amazon have no choice but to employ slash-and-burn farming methods just to produce the food they need to survive. This practice, along with with high birth rates and lack of education, is destroying the precious primary forest at an alarming rate, with catastrophic effects on climate and biodiversity whilst perpetuating a cycle of poverty that we in the affluent west would struggle to comprehend. The Cochabamba Project is a UK registered co-operative society that has raised over £2m over the past three years to support a comprehensive programme of financial and practical support and education for communities living on the western fringes of the Bolivian Amazon.
The society pays for practical support and training for smallholders in the form of a team of professional agronomists who work on a one-to-one basis. The agronomist works together with the smallholder and provides a comprehensive land management plan, which must also include an element of commercial plantation forestry, using one of 18 native species. Some land must also be given over purely to conservation and repair
With improved farming techniques soil degradation is arrested, removing the need for continual slash-and-burn. The families themselves benefit from improved yields, less labour-intensive farming methods and regular payments for the use of their land and labour in planting and maintaining the new trees.
The project involves to date almost 1,000 smallholders and their families and covers approximately 50,000 acres of smallholdings with 3,500 acres of new forest parcels, each averaging just over one acre. The society is able to raise investment in the UK by offering “withdrawable shares” in the same way as a building society share account. As a community benefit society, its shares cannot be traded and all the society’s profits (after paying interest) must be used for the benefit of its target communities in Bolivia. Call: 01142 368168 Visit: www.cochabamba.coop
They will also get 50 per cent of future revenues, with the remainder going to the society to enable it to repay capital and (in comparison to returns from private equity) a modest amount of annual interest.
february 2012
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Bristol based renewable energy Domestic and community installations Solar PV specialists Free surveys and quotations
0117 959 0580 www.ecocetera.com
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Towards a Green Games Is London on track to deliver a sustainable 2012?
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WORDS EMILY CONRADI
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W Emily Conradi is a freelance writer with over four years’ experience in lifestyle and consumer publishing, covering food and drink, hobbies and pastimes, celebrity, real life and social issues. Experienced in PR and marketing, she regularly reviews new bar and restaurant openings and is most likely to be found in front of her laptop with a good cheese board and a glass of red wine. www.emilyconradi.co.uk
hen London presented its bid to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), it pledged ‘the first sustainable Olympic and Paralympic Games.’ The vision: ‘towards a one planet Olympics’. This was taken from One Planet Living, a global initiative developed by WWF and BioRegional – the idea of a sustainable world in which we live within the earth’s means, with an equal share of resources and sufficient space for wilderness and wildlife. Since winning the bid in 2005, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has seen both successes and disappointments on the sustainability front. In 2007, EDF and The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) promised a low carbon torch. While a new renewable fuel was developed, EDF and LOCOG admitted failure due to time constraints. Despite the promise being made in 2007, EDF’s own press release said “we have been working hard since 2009” – an embarrassing and public defeat. A second disappointment came in April, with the first of three London 2012 Sustainability Reports reporting a target failure to source 20 per cent of energy from renewable resources – one of the ODA’s own Climate Change objectives. On a brighter note, last month saw the ODA and Thames Water opening a “black water” sewage recycling plant. Tasked
with watering lawns and flushing toilets at the 2012 Olympic Park, it is estimated that the £7m recycling plant will help save the park up to 83 Olympic-sized swimming pools of drinking water a year. Shaun McCarthy, Chair of the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012, explained that “the decision to focus the bid on East London was the key factor in driving London to offer ‘the most sustainable Games ever’.” Currently, East London is home to some of Europe’s poorest boroughs and some of the worst contaminated land in London. In comparison to other Olympics, Shaun sees Sydney as the benchmark Green Games to aspire to. “They did some amazing things with water consumption, solar power, recycling and waste,” he says. “I think London has exceeded Sydney, but they should – Sydney won their bid in 1993, 18 years ago. We would expect London to raise the bar from that standard and they have done.” Reports show that the ODA is indeed exceeding certain targets. It has surpassed its goal of a 40 per cent reduction in potable water use, with the help of the new ‘black water’ recycling plant, water-efficient fittings in all venues, rainwater harvesting and filter backwash recycling. In construction, over 85,000 tonnes of embodied carbon has been saved through
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efficient building design and average cement substitutions of 32 per cent, 98.5 per cent of demolition waste being recycled – and eight buildings have been reused off-site, 30 new bird and bat boxes have been placed around the Olympic Park site, new trees planted – over 1,000 in East London alone – and three new habitat ponds for amphibians and other aquatic species created. Speaking from the viewpoint of an independent commission, Shaun believes, “the ODA has done a great job of sustainable construction and moving the industry forward.” However, he does recognise the importance of planning ahead: “I would like to see the Olympic Park Legacy Company come up with a long-term master plan that builds on the great standards of sustainable construction left behind by the ODA. The Park needs a plan to achieve zero carbon energy supply in the medium term. We are a long way away from that right now.” When questioned on whether the general public really has an interest in green issues, Shaun responds, “People I meet do not necessarily take a deep interest in what we do, but most people are very pleased that we exist…we hold everybody to account for delivering real sustainable solutions and not just greenwash.” As for the justification of cost, his response is hard to argue with: “Well, what is the justification for investing in an unsustainable Games?”
Sustainability Plan 2012 The 2012 Sustainability Plan aims to address five key themes: Climate change – minimising greenhouse gas emissions and creating facilities capable of coping with the impacts of climate change. Waste – minimising waste at every stage of the project, while eliminating the use of landfill and encouraging the development of new waste processing infrastructure. Biodiversity – minimising the impact of the Games on wildlife in and around Games venues, and where possible enhancing habitats such as the Olympic Park. Inclusion – promoting access for all, celebrating the diversity of London and the UK, creating new employment, training and business opportunities.
Images: London 2012
Healthy living – inspiring people across the country to adopt healthier and more sustainable lifestyles.
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