In our pursuit of a more sustainable world there are very distinct differences between huge corporations, large companies, small businesses, and micro businesses. The very size of a business can impose not-so-green sensibilities that conflict with earth-friendly efforts.

Smaller businesses are able to address environmental issues that bigger companies and mega corporations simply cannot. Big box stores and agribusinesses not only have operating requirements that cannot be altered, they have a drive of increasing quotes.

The issues are transportation, distribution, shelf life, and surplus inventory. The depth of these issues change with the size of a business.

Much of the product placed on a container ship is not a necessity. So much is made in high volume with the aim to market it to you. Not all containers on a ship make it to their destination; many fall off the ship in stormy seas and break open to spill the contents. We cannot ignore the stories of new products rolling in on waves to rest on pristine beaches. Or, all the plastic remains of garbage gathering in the Pacific Ocean (the size of Texas x 2) ; a patch filled with “stuff” we used for a moment.

Second, distribution centers are large facilities with miles of shelving. The amount of energy used to cool or heat these buildings is immense. On the shelves products sit. Many products, like food and personal care items, need chemical preservatives while they sit waiting to get to you. Once shipped to a retail center the products sit again. Next time you hold a product in your hand try to guess how long it took to journey to you. Imagine the route and you will start to realize that the journey can take not only weeks but perhaps months.

Once stuff has been bought – mass produced products marketed to you – there are always product remaining. What about the all the time and energy spent to make a T-shirt that doesn’t sell? So often it ends up as a rag or shipped again to yet another country. There is something very wrong here when it comes to resources and energy use.

If you are part of the green movement SIZE DOES MATTER. The truly green consumer admires small, family run, single owner, micro businesses! Hand-made, locally made, organically grown, direct to consumer, is lower impact and earth-friendly. Supporting smaller establishments, precious products made with purpose and a human touch, is a leading force in defining our sustainable earth-friendly future.

We have a truck.  It is a shiny black Ford F150 with an extended cab for our dog. It is old now, made in 1996, and has lasted well carting our loads (artwork and woodwork) and through numerous road trips east and west.  Our truck has two tanks for gas. If one tank runs out, we flip the switch and move to the second. On long trips we can usually drive for half a day without stopping. I could get to my mother’s house in 24 hours.  We are now wondering what we will be driving next and doing so with a new set of values.

Ford asked me to test drive the 2010 Fusion Hybrid and here are my thoughts.

Again, I love Ford. I like the feeling of being in a car made here. The fact that the new hybrids pollute less, tugs at my heartstrings. These are progressive treats that make things feel hopeful for our world. The hybrid starts on a battery and hums when turned on. I liked the safety features (backup projection with alarm, side view mirror signals to assist with the blind spot.) There is a flower icon on the dash that grows greener as your fuel efficiency improves (we took a 3 hour trip and averaged 37 mph.) The interior is “eco-responsible” and was one of my biggest interests since I love fabric and learning how things are made.  By researching production journeys, upstream and downstream, I can better evaluate the impact.  Online I found assorted information promoting methods explored by Ford:

•    Post consumer recycled material
•    ‘Suede’ fabrics made from pop bottles
•    Soy-foam seat cushions
•    Recycled resins from used detergent bottles
•    Recycled resins from used tires
•    Battery casings recycled into splash shields
•    Battery casings recycled into radiator deflectors
•    Nanotechnology
•    Plastic derived from corn, sugar beets, sugarcane, and switch grass

I don’t know what is true or not. I want to admire green attempts of any company, yet I don’t want to be naïve. In the perfect green world information would flow easily, from the source, for all to understand. I wish Ford would create a green section on their website just for me. I want to see data. I want to see pictures. I want read a FAQ section.   I have a dream for the perfect car and I hope that Ford can move quickly, daringly, and with the truest set of values in the forefront; the earth and how it supports life. As a stepping-stone into the future, this a good start.

So, I was hot for the hybrid. I drove about town and chatted up a storm about it. I was left with one question. When is the NEW FORD FULLY ELECTRIC CAR going to hit the production lines and be available?

Photo: Our road trip to Michigan.

besides me being an editor at GGG, a freelancer expertising  community and presence marketing, I also have the privilege of running the most USEFUL podcast in the world called “Geek Army Knife”. Last interview was with Sanjay Khanna of Khanna research where we talked about calm technologies and the things that Orwell didn’t predict… it resulted in a very good episode where we talk about Green and how you are supposed to act on it in the future – enjoy it here

Also according to treehugger.com – Denmark is going to have the world largest fleet of electric hydrogen fuelcell cars..

I will keep you posted when the hydrogen station infrastructure gets going here

Attention all East Midlands (UK) based GGG readers!

You are cordially invited to an East Midlands Day of Action on the Climate Change Bill outside East Midlands Airport on Saturday April 12^th from 1.30 until 3 p.m.

What’s it all about?

Since Friends of the Earth launched the Big Ask campaign in June 2005 we’ve made amazing progress towards securing binding climate change legislation in Britain. The Government has introduced a Climate Change Bill which will become law in 2008. However the Bill they propose is not strong enough to realise the carbon dioxide emission cuts that are needed to ensure global emissions are kept below dangerous levels.

For this reason Friends of the Earth are now campaigning to see 3 key amendments in the Bill:

· An increase in the overall target for 2050 to 80 per cent CO₂ reductions;

· The inclusion of the UK’s share of international aviation and shipping emissions;

· The adoption of annual targets rather than 5 year budgets. 

What are the aims?

We need to highlight the need for ALL emissions to be included in the Climate Change Bill and show how Gordon Brown and his government are wilfully ignoring the impact of international aviation emissions.  We need to generate as much local media coverage as possible. MPs carefully monitor the local press and coverage and it really does influence the decisions they make. With an impending vote on the Climate Change Bill this coverage could make all the difference.

What’s the Plan?

We’d like to get as many people as possible posing outside the airport wearing Gordon Brown masks with their hands over their eyes, as the planes fly overhead. The image is intended to show how Gordon Brown is wilfully ignoring international aviation.  We have already received support from Members of Parliament across the region and David Taylor MP for North West Leicestershire will also be joining us on the day.

How do I get involved?

We will provide all the masks and props for the day but we need you to register your attendance by contacting callie.lister@foe.co.uk or calling 0115 9506 926, this will allow us to alert the press in advance as to how many Gordon Browns they can expect outside the airport! If you can please wear a dark suit and tie for an even better Gordon Brown effect!

You can find information about public transport to the airport by clicking here.

We will meet by the airport sign outside the front of the airport at 1.30 p.m. (please be very careful if you are crossing the roads near the airport as they are very busy and the traffic travels incredibly fast). If you need to contact us on the day for any reason you can call 07831 648 171 – but please do register your attendance in advance.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any queries,

Thank you

Callie Lister

Friends of the Earth Regional Campaigns Co-ordinator

East Midlands Region

Last month I had to attend a seminar in Paris for work. Most people in Scotland fly to Paris, it’s quicker and more convenient (apparently). I chose to go by train. My main reason was that I don’t like flying (who does?) and would spend most of my time away worrying about it and therefore not be able to do a good job. Of course the other reason was environmental, as a member of my office ‘green team’ I felt I should set a good example. Work were fine with this and so that’s what I did.

National Express, who currently run the Edinburgh to London East Coast rail line, offer through tickets from their destinations to Eurostar ones. I had already enquired earlier about the cost of this, having been thinking about going to Brussels for my fiance’s birthday. If you’re lucky, it can cost you just £79 return. Even though I booked the work trip nearer the time, it still only cost £120.

I should say that if you want to travel from Scotland to Paris by rail, you need time on your side. Not everyone’s company would be ok with them basically spending two days on the train, I’m very lucky. I set off from Edinburgh at 8am and got to Paris at 5.30pm. Coming back I set off at 10am and got back at 6pm. It would have been earlier but engineering works meant I had to get a coach between Darlington and Newcastle. I don’t mind long train journeys though, I’ve grown up doing them having lived in Orkney and visiting relatives in England during the holidays.

The National Express legs of the journey were perhaps the least comfortable, at least compared to the Eurostar seats and leg room (I hope one day you can get a through train). I was really glad to get off the train in London and stretch my legs with the short walk over the road to St Pancras International. Since last November this has been the new Eurostar hub, and it’s lovely, a vast improvement on the St Pancras of my student days in Sheffield, only a few years ago. Much more convenient for those coming from King’s Cross, St Pancras and Euston, it also has much better facilities than Waterloo (well, before you go through check-in and passport control that is). Although the Eurostar departure lounge may not have as many overpriced souvenir shops as it’s counterpart at Gare du Nord, it is very comfortable and offers power points for those with laptops to use.

I arrived in Paris relaxed and calm, having had time to read through my presentation, do a bit of knitting and watch a beautiful sunset over the French countryside. For me, this is the only way to travel.

The Car-Wash Fundraiser is about as American as apple pie.  I don’t know of a student, boy/girl scout, or church group that hasn’t participated in one.  It’s a favorite way we like to raise money, not to mention just to have fun.  Sometimes I think it’s more about the fun than the “funds”.

So why are environmentalists trying to put a stop to this all American pastime?  It’s a particular hot issue here in the west where many feel that the run-off of soap and grime run into streams and poison the fish and wildlife.

The issue isn’t with commerical car wash facilities, since that water goes into the city’s sewer treatment system, but with the bucket and hose groups.  You see them in front of the church holding up hand made signs as you pass by!  They’re the ones being shut down.

Some cities are in the process of proposing a ban on washing your car in front of your home.  City officials have been known to say, “it is one of the biggest water-wasters and pollution generators.” (source:wall street journal)

People are mad at this ban and say it’s overblown and ridiculous!  One opponent is upset because if a dog does “it’s business” in front of his house then he can’t hose it off.  Of course, that’s the point!  Scoop it up and put it in the trash.  Why do people insist on using the water hose in front of their house as if it were a broom.  I see it ALL THE TIME!

Cities are proposing people change their habits and consider alternatives to water for their car-wash fundraisers, such as using waterless cleaners.  I even found online a steam cleaner for cars that uses one cup of water!  This is a hot topic that is going to make it’s way to the east coast soon, for the mean time someone needs to just hose down the naysayers!

This Hybrid School Bus story isn’t a new one but I just found out about it and thought I would share anyway.

Over in the US they have taken a huge step forward with school transport. The programme, led by the non-profit organisation Advanced Energy, is planned to revolutionise the school bus market. Starting with 19 hybrid buses in several states this year and the most recent going to Texas the programme will eventually be rolled out country-wide.

The buses are primarily run on diesel and also have an electric motor. The ‘plug in’ technology that they use means the batteries can be re-charged overnight and therefore more energy taken from them whilst the bus is being driven. Electricity is relatively inexpensive so as well as creating less pollution they can, in the long term, save money for schools too. If the buses were charged on renewable energy then they would be even greener!

For a more detailed explanation of how it all works visit the technical pages of the Hybrid School Bus website.

Learning about these school buses got me thinking about public transport in general. Here in Nottingham a car park, which was demolished in January 2006 and re-built, recently opened in the middle of the city. The lovely people of Nottingham had lived without the car park for nearly two years and nothing disastrous happened so I can’t help but ask why bother re-building it at all? The Nottingham City Council website boasts that the new Trinity Car Park has 120 more spaces than the old one, a special shopper tariff and “high lighting standards”. Surely this is encouraging even more visitors to drive right into the heart of the city and I dread to think how much electricity the lighting is going to use!

I think that Nottingham City Council could take the lead from Texas and other participating states and consider spending money on our public transport system instead of new ways to invite more cars. The re-build of Trinity Car Park was part of £100 million development in the city – I wonder how many hybrid City Transport buses could have been commissioned for the same price…

Nottingham Bus image is from FreeFoto.com

My dictionary defines the word volt as a unit of electromotive force.  I think that about sums up the new electric car called the Volt that is currently in development now.

It is not lost on me that the car maker that is accused of killing the electric car is at the forefront of bringing it back !

The Chevrolet Volt is a battery powered, electric vehicle that uses a gas engine to create additional electricity to extend its range.  It uses what General Motors is calling the E-Flex system.  E for electricity and Flex for the many ways you can generate it.  The electricity to operate the Volt can come from a number of sources:  natural gas, biofuels, hydroelectric, wind, solar, and of course regular gas.  “The beauty of our E-Flex strategy is that is allows us to package various propulsion systems into the same space depending on what energy is available locally,” said Larry Burns, GM’s vice president of Research and Development and Strategic Planning.

This car is quite futuristic looking and most of my fellow green bloggers seem quite excited about it at events!  I on the other hand am very excited about the hydrogen fuel cells set to debut in 2010 (provided we can get the necessary infrastructure needed, such as fueling stations).  To see why read my environmental column at Bellaonline.com.

I had the chance to view what is still a concept car up close and it is a long way from the EV1 they produced in 1996, what a difference a decade can make!  The good news is they are committed to bringing this one to the public and for good this time.  Chevy realizes people really do want cars that can get 75 miles/kg despite what oil companies may say!  (snark)

If Chevy makes good (and it would be a huge embarassment if they don’t) on their promise then the combination of hydrogen fuel cell propulsion with a lithium-ion battery can provide up to 300 miles of petroleum and emission free electric driving!  Now this would be a “volt” to the transportation industry for sure!

(Target release date for the Volt is November 2010 and gm-volt.com is keeping a waitlist for the vehicle which is up to 6000!)

The WWF are calling for support in urging the government to strengthen the UK climate change bill.

Strangely the bill doesn’t include emissions from aviation and shipping and the government aren’t planning to include them. Does that make any sense considering they are two of the fastest growing sources of emissions?

WWF will be taking a giant paper boat and paper plane to parliament covered in the names of everyone who supports their request for a change to the bill. Visit http://getonboard.wwf.org.uk to find out more and sign their petition.

Once upon time there lived a little girl who hated bath time. Her mummy decided that she needed to find a way to get the little girl to take a bath. Knowing she loved stories her mummy would promise that for every bath she took she would tell her a story. This worked a treat and for the next 2 or 3 years story time and bath time were rolled into one.

Now one of the little girl’s favourite stories was of a magical land far away. This beautiful island could only be reached by boat and had more butterflies than people living there.

No cars were allowed on the island because that would certainly ruin it’s peace and tranquility and there were no supermarkets either. The little girl loved this story and would ask for it time and time again. She loved to hear about the people on their bicycles and in their horse and carriages going about their daily lives.

Thirty years later the little girl now grown up finally visited ‘Sark’ this mysterious island she’d heard so much about. Nestling amongst the other Channel Islands she took a day trip from Jersey on the ferry and decided to see the place for herself. It was just as she had imagined….

Yes, cars were still not allowed to disturb the peace and the place was heaven for cyclists, walkers, horse riders and wildlife. The sun shone, the sea sparkled and the scenery was amazing.

While it may not be everybodies cup of tea, it is certainy worth a visit if you crave something a bit different, a gentler pace of life, peace and tranquility and a pleasant little eco break away. Sark is really splendid!