Hi all, i want to transfer my energy supplier to a renewable one. All suggestions welcome please. I've heard of Octopus & Bulb. I was wondering which is best or any others that might be out there?

I cannot find the right thread either here or on FB! So I`ll post in both.
https://www.domain.com.au/living/organisations-you-can-support-that-will-help-bushfire-victims-907479/

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/02/a-warm-welcome-the-wildlife-visitors-warning-of-climate-disaster-aoe?fbclid=IwAR3ZKe9xNyAPzSGQdZd34EE9T8RYXx5nDLDJayRCX5I1zzn0U3Eu8O7lpNY

I’m not sure but certainly seems likely that there has been a dramatic increase in them. Just heard a very shocking statistic- an ecologist from University of Sydney had estimated that approximately half a billion animals had died in the fires. HALF A BILLION! Sorry to shout. He has since said this was an underestimation. What are we doing to our world? I hope more people (including our current government) will wake up to the crisis and make some significant inroads into cutting emissions etc etc etc.

I saw this posted on another forum and found it very interesting and informative.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/12/circular-economy-business-environment/?fbclid=IwAR0eU1yuFrVctDv-UEtkIX_nHXLsMzqI66uVs95XbOl4xfqTYeEi4sG2CIg

https://www.france24.com/en/20191231-france-begins-phasing-out-single-use-plastics?fbclid=IwAR2B4LvR-ePsKhlIvt0vtxYRsT6-Z9h4mIMfYcaX10TtXkDbD3N0Z4eomfc

How does UK compare?

I read that the massive firework display in Australia is Carbon Neutral. What do members think about the amount of chemicals, metal etc pumped into the air across the world in fireworks each year?

I used to think that New Year resolutions were a bit of a jokey thing - great to end the year in reflective mode, giving yourself a bit of a talking to, and resolving to do better - but ultimately I didn’t take them too seriously. That’s all changed for me. Now, along with being thinner and fitter there’s a newer more pressing resolution,which isn’t a joke, and that’s to help fight climate change. Small steps must count for something.

My 4 New Year Resolutions are:

To campaign more - write letters to council and Govt, use Twitter to query things with retailers. (Diana W and Krista set a good example here)

To be more diligent in my buying habits.

To drive less and not fly at all.

To be more self sufficient in garden and compost more.

Oh and eat less and exercise more!!

Anyone else got any climate related resolutions?

I notice that most of the recent activity on ScoopLoop has been additions to the items listed 'For Sale and Free'. That suggests that people have been clearing out stuff that they no longer use over Christmas, possibly as a result of hunting out decorations etc from their cupboards and attics.

Having just made use of assorted things that had accumulated in the gift drawer, I'm trying to excavate other less-used corners in search of warm spare clothing for the local night shelter, which opens in the New Year.

My local authority is also running a toy collection in January, for unwanted toys etc (which may or may not be unwelcome recent presents).

Are there any other seasonal opportunities for rehoming stuff that people no longer use but which others might welcome?

New Zealand are making it mandatory to assess climate implications as an initial step in any new policy decisions. Does anyone know if that happens here?

https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-crisis-new-zealand-2641516282.html?

This looks like good news. Dutch Supreme Court rules against State. Policies on carbon emissions are inseparable from Human Rights.

https://thecorrespondent.com/194/thanks-to-this-landmark-court-ruling-climate-action-is-now-inseparable-from-human-rights/25683007966-93bb1751?

Wishing all members of the group a lovely day today and a happy GREEN 2020.

Hi,
Ive just joined ScoopLoop and came across this group. I am a singer/songwriter and have been writing a collection of environmental songs for both children and adults.
Here is my Christmas song and video
"Millions of Trees"
Just trying to spread the message far and wide
https://youtu.be/MDVdJndR-VE
you can hear a few more on my EP "Earth Calling"
https://carolinechanearthcalling.bandcamp.com/releases
Thanks
Caroline

In a recent posting from "friends of the earth" tips what we can do to help the planet it was mentioned---Buy less cut flowers or buy only locally grown ones. Better still give a plant.

Shortly after reading this I watched a program from Caesar Palace Las Vegas were at one wedding they displayed ---25000 flowers.

One of Slough Borough Council's recycling collectors has composed a rap to easily convey to residents what goes into their red recycling bin...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR25wtA8q6k

Can not remember if this has been mentioned before.
They are collecting points in certain areas and one can find out if one is in your area. See link

TerraCycle is Eliminating the Idea of Waste® by recycling the "non-recyclable."

https://www.terracycle.com/en-GB/

This useful analysis was posted by a bee expert and deserves to be read in full: https://www.buglife.org.uk/blog/bees-eye-view-of-2019-election-pledges-headline-report/?fbclid=IwAR3vJu2xrHOVkLRbFj2XsTg-hyZw0F9ySaNzlbxkj1-mfEnYlF5HUqUmM2I

Not all about climate change or environment but focussed on Innovation and plenty of the initiatives are relevant and interesting.

https://innovationorigins.com/

Hope this link works. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSckIyjTJnvdajmq3dL0FcYp3dNJQ3gkCqxfShDQnf8aE5neyg/viewform?

The final major home improvement that I managed to get done last year was getting my attic re-insulated and the usable part of it, floored. It's the only affordable respect I know in which one can insulate a tiny old house in a heavily-protected conservation area.

Although big energy suppliers refused to take on this job because the sloping roof is so low, I eventually found a small specialist firm which proved surprisingly affordable.

They were quick, remarkably clean and less trouble than most builders - and the attic is now much safer and better for storage, as well as making the top of the house much warmer.

Now they're offering someone a free loft package (everything bar the insulation, which costs very little indeed), to celebrate their tenth anniversary. If anyone within their area hasn't had this done, then it would be worth entering the competition - but quickly!
https://www.theloftboys.co.uk/its-our-10-year-anniversary/?utm_source=Website+Enquiries&utm_campaign=b3400de853-AUTOMATION__1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4a434442a6-b3400de853-115560631

https://apple.news/APzogb4gYROqZZwlpYpvkcA

Don’t think it will - shame as it’s a good read.

This incinerator has been mentioned before.

Never thought about this before. Another way to save ...fewer emails.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/shortcuts/2019/nov/26/pointless-emails-theyre-not-just-irritating-they-have-a-massive-carbon-footprint?

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jun/10/obscure-legal-system-lets-corportations-sue-states-ttip-icsid

Start here, and follow the links according to what you want to find out about ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6murPEFbXg
Maybe this... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vrl33yHwZ_M
Or this... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6-hBbyQLdc
Loads of interest. 😊

I thought this was worth a read. Produced by Friends of The Earth, it has lots of useful links. A good reminder of the individual actions we can take to ‘save the planet’. https://friendsoftheearth.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/50_climate_top_tips.pdf

I have used my tea leaves in garden mixing into earth. Was surprised to see the amount 2 people and a few visitors can create.
Just read up on the subject:
Use tea bags to cover the drainage holes in containers. They hold the soil in while allowing the excess water to drain.
Coffee grounds
Don't worry about the acidity of coffee affecting the soil's pH. Studies have shown that as the coffee decomposes, the pH neutralizes. A bigger concern is what happens when you apply a very thick layer of coffee on top of the soil, about 2 inches or more. As the coffee dries, it forms a crusty shell that does not allow water to pass through. Use your coffee grounds sparingly. Put the excess in the compost.

Acknowledging Krista who put this on another site. It’s well worth a read.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/11/build-circular-economy-stop-recycling?

I washed
1 heavy double bed mattress cover, 2 hand towels both white
in super quick wash. 15 minutes and they came out beautiful.

Started washing all my clothes this way. If you have heavier items I spin again 10 minutes.
This way we all should save on electricity.

Did mention this to a friend and she admitted in all these years she never thought of doing it.

https://gikibadges.com/ Just look!! This could help!

Came across this website and found it encouraging. I think it’s important to read ‘good news’ because it help persuade me that not all is lost and it’s worth persevering with the small changes we can all make.

https://climateheroes.org/

Hackney Council has formally pledged to do all that it can to beat by a decade the UK government's timetable for delivering its work with zero net emissions, under several specific headings: https://news.hackney.gov.uk/hackney-council-pledges-to-reach-net-zero-emissions-by-2040/
Now Sustainable Hackney - an umbrella organisation which aims to bring together every person and organisation working on any aspect of sustainability - has developed a collective community response to those pledges, to be presented to a new local citizens' assembly when that first meets in the New Year: https://st4.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3714234756?profile=original. It's a useful document, although members of this group may notice that our discussions here have ranged further than this on some aspects.

I got sent a free pair of socks today from a company called Bamboo clothing [had never heard of them before].
Little catalogue of their stuff - which is expensive but 15% off first order, free p&P and returns.

Just heard exploratory ocean drenching for cobalt which is needed for batteries (electric cars) has started.

Will it be another disaster like we find now with plastic?
More info:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-49759626

I'd heard one of these amazing ideas before, and using plastic bottles to build temporary structures isn't hard to imagine, but I'd not realised how far these forms of recycling had evolved. It's all really impressive. Human beings have created a massive problem with single-use plastic but at least some people are working to find positive uses for it.

https://www.facebook.com/sbsnews/videos/186869638879812/UzpfSTc0MTAxNjEyNjoxMDE1NTk1MzIyNTgzMTEyNw/

I just signed the petition "Stop investing in fossil fuels" and wanted to ask if you could add your name too.

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-investing-in-fossil-fuels?share=cdb89ca3-394a-4e97-91a2-915201dead90" and wanted to ask if you could add your name too.

https://actions.sumofus.org/a/the-energy-charter-treaty-gives-fossil-fuel-companies-power-over-governments-it-s-time-to-end-it?sp_ref=566556376.99.201366.f.643646.2&referring_akid=63944.2015303.k5w2So&referring_source=fwd&source=fb

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-49884827


PLEASE SIGN UP AND JOIN the new, European Right to Repair campaign

------> https://repair.eu

is an annual campaign that aims to reduce the amount of paper generated by people in their everyday work and personal life. It was launched by the Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM).

AIIM is a non-profit organization that provides standards. market research, education, and certification for information professionals. It launched World Paper Free Day in order to raise awareness of huge amount of paper used in vain and to promote paperless technologies.

World Paper Free Day used to be celebrated on the fourth Thursday in October, but AIIM has recently moved it to a fixed date, November 6. On this day, businesses and people are encouraged to stop using paper for one day in order to stop being so reliant on paper.

According to research, the average office worker uses about four dozens sheets of paper per day, of which about half is considered waste. Despite all modern technology, a lot of businesses still have traditional-based filing systems which require considerable space, equipment and maintenance. AIIM encourages such businesses to participate in World Paper Free Day to see the benefits of a paperless office.

Going paperless helps businesses save space and money, boost productivity and keep information more secure while also making sharing it easier. Besides, paperless offices help the environment: the less paper we use, the less trees are chopped down to make it.

I think more needs to be done to encourage car drivers that are not going anywhere to switch off the engine and not have it idling.
There was something on tv a few weeks ago about school children telling the waiting mums to turn their engines off while they are waiting.
I've also noticed quite a few times, drivers get in their car and first thing they do is turn the engine on. Then they faf about for seeming ages (probably only minutes) before eventually pulling away.Today dad was riding his mobility scooter on the path and wanted to go onto the road as it was a less busy one. About 50 metres ahead we saw a man get into his car and heard the engine start. I said to dad, "Just wait for him to go, then you can go". We waited for several minutes. F... knows what he was doing. Told dad to go anyway. Lost patience waiting for him.

After following up a recent link from a post in this group, I signed up for a newsletter from The Ecologist. This morning I received an e-mail encouraging me to buy tee shirts made from organic cotton.

My response:
The tee shirts may be made from organic cotton (how reliable is the certification?) but cotton plants are notoriously thirsty and cotton farming has caused environmental disasters. Have you heard of the Aral Sea? Dyeing and bleaching cotton also uses vast amounts of water and causes pollution of rivers from factory outfalls.
Should you be encouraging people to buy yet more cotton tee shirts when they probably don’t wear all those they already have?

This morning's announcement of a moratorium on fracking in the UK means, in practice, that England is finally joining the more sensible Scots, Irish and Welsh, who'd already stopped it. It comes as a great relief, though.
https://www.theguardian.pe.ca/business/reuters/in-seismic-shift-britain-orders-immediate-moratorium-on-fracking-371213/

Just been announced. This was one if Extinction Rebellions key demands. I don’t think this is as all encompassing as XR wanted but it is a start. Would love to get selected!

Not sure how I first encountered this extension to Chrome but it initially sounded very like Ecosia (which seems to function as a Chrome extension), so I asked for illumination.

Apparently the distinction is that, whereas Ecosia is a general search engine, TreeClicks' promise to plant free trees in India with most of the advertising income gained from our using the shops etc which have signed up to their scheme is triggered by online shopping. Using both results in yet more trees being planted, which sounds admirable.
https://www.treeclicks.com/

Think&Do…coming to our high street this Saturday

Following one of the recommendations from Camden Council’s recently convened Citizens Assembly: “to mobilise community”, we are thrilled to have been asked by Camden Council to co-design a pop up community space which is opening next week in Kentish Town. Yes, you read it right - next week.

Based in the old Flapjacks cafe, Think&Do will be a community space for Climate and Eco Action. Open for 6 weeks every Thursday-Saturday, midday to 8pm, Think&Do will be a bustling hub of Imagination workshops, energy forums, ideas for greening up, share and repair, transport and pollution campaigning, fashion up-cycling, film-screening, a school wall, mapping workshops, and Saturday surplus suppers cooked with Vegbox: a space for us, the community, to come together to co-create ideas to address the Climate and Ecological Emergency in Camden. There will even be an energy bike to power a string of solar lights! Come and burn up some calories.

Our community space for climate and eco action, which we are co-designing with the council, will be open from this Saturday.

Do join us on Saturday for a day of pallet furniture making, community mapping and painting a kids school wall. There will be a shared lunch, or just feel free to pop in at any time on Saturday for a tea/coffee to take a quick look.

We will send a newsletter out soon with next week’s highlights. This will include: a wildflower workshop 3:30-5pm on 8/11 followed by an inspiring talk from Power Up North London on renewable energy 6pm-8pm. There will be a giant clothes swop on Saturday 9/11 followed by a Rewilding Camden veg box shared meal on 9/11 5-8pm.

Watch out for news on weaving workshops, letters to the earth, retrofitting, school debates, culture declares, laughter yoga… lots of events aimed at unleashing the power of our imagination, and bringing the community together to respond to the Climate Emergency.

If you would like to offer a workshop/talk contact debbiebourne21@gmail.com.

I have rather a wide definition of sustainability, so I think that this topic belongs here, but others may differ.
May we please discuss this before I share the particular idea that prompted the preliminary question?

https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/sites/default/files/flipbook/Issue181Preview/?+Monthly+Newsletter+2019_newsletter+non+sub_COPY&utm_term=0_9856040c29-d5b2282dc6-321073353
Does anyone take this magazine? I keep thinking I should! Each preview has been interesting.

The Ocean Cleanup have been developing a technological solution to cleaning plastic from the world's oceans. On Saturday was revealed the secret project they have been working on for four or five years: how to stop river-borne plastic debris from reaching the oceans.

The result is The Interceptor, a fully-autonomous, solar-powered system for cleaning rivers of floating waste.

If you can afford the time, make yourself a cup of tea or coffee, and watch the video of the launch event. It's nearly 26 minutes long, but it explains the problem, and demonstrates the solution, far better than I could by pointing you at shorter clips or text pages. It is a very easy watch, even if Boyan Slat, the organisation's founder, does sound a little smug on occasions -- but he has every right to be: what they have created is amazing.

"Boyan Slat unveils The Ocean Cleanup Interceptor"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyZArQMFhQ4

If you don't have time for that video, there is a text summary, and links to further information, available on their website:

https://theoceancleanup.com/updates/the-ocean-cleanup-unveils-plan-to-address-the-main-source-of-ocean-plastic-pollution-rivers/


Being at the intersection of engineering and environmental issues, this is right up my street! If you would like to learn more, look at their website, and also these (short!) YouTube videos which show a lot more of the story.

The prototype system:

RIVERS | INTERCEPTOR 001 | Cleaning In Jakarta

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6bHhCNj6Fg

The first production system -- which also shows how the Interceptor can be shipped around the world in shipping containers and assembled on site:

RIVERS | INTERCEPTOR 002 | Cleaning In Malaysia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkQLwcYhBu4

The 7-borough North London Waste Authority made what sounded like a reasonable case for burning compostable 'plastic' waste (eg food waste bags) recently but it's burning a lot more than that. So there's a campaign to stop the boroughs automatically investing in a much bigger, replacement incinerator but rethink how this waste is tackled, including much better sorting systems and to prevent any future incinerator from blandly polluting the atmosphere. It looks worth supporting.

https://stop-edmonton-incinerator.org/

https://skepticalscience.com/denial101x-videos-and-references.html

This website has links to a whole range of videos and materials on climate change. They are focused on evidence to challenge the claims by climate change deniers - and we have a few of those on