Went to a Forum for the Future event at Paintworks this morning about their plans to refit 1000 homes in Bristol, i.e. insulate, make as close to carbon neutral as possible, as part of the "UK's most sustainable city" project. Then met with reps from Equity, Bectu and South West Screen, and Doug Naysmith MP, to talk about the campaign to Keep Casualty in Bristol. The decision is expected by the end of the month. Lots of compelling reasons to keep it here. Then an afternoon interviewing for Pot Noodle Boy's replacement, and then a dinner at the Hilton in Aztec West with the Bristol branch of 'Business and Professional Women'. Tomorrow it's campaigning in Easton and popping into an International Women's Day event at Barton Hill Settlement.
So, tired and not blogging tonight. Here's something else to read, which I discovered through Twitter. The Price of Meat blog. Facts, facts and yet more facts. Till the cows come home.
11 comments:
“...as close to carbon neutral as possible...”
"...UK's most sustainable city..."
Jees, I can hardly be bothered to take the mickey out of meaningless waffle like that.
How about “Keep Casualty in Bristol” as your re-election slogan?
How do you get to become one of these chosen 1,000 homes?
Every now and then you hear of various eco-insulation initiatives and grants etc. announced in the news but no one ever tells you how to apply or if you're eligible.
Or who is eligible ... And why?
Meanwhile I'm off to enjoy a nice fat steak for lunch. Yum.
Enjoy your soya milk and Quorn ;)
Bristol Dave. Quorn isn't vegan, it's got egg in it.
Blogger - Warm Front 0800 316 2805 or Energy Saving Trust 0800 515 012. More info in my economic leaflet - posted under 'news' on my website. Warm Front is mostly aimed at older people, people on low incomes, and families with children under 16 - in some cases they'll pay up to £2700, in others, 50% o0f the cost. (Bit of an issue with some contractors suspected of deliberately charging people more than £2700, but leaving that aside, it's a good programme).
I've left the Forum for the Future reading materials at work, but I know they're keen to find participants. Not on their website yet, but you could always contact them. They want a variety of properties, as it's a flagship scheme.
http://www.forumforthefuture.org/sustainable-bristol
And Dave H - there's nothing meaningless about the concepts of sustainability, or being carbon neutral. I'm not going to dumb down just for your benefit!
It might be better to expand that grumpy (hungover) comment.
Sustainable is a very popular phrase. It sounds positive but can be taken to mean almost anything.
When you say insulate we know what means and what it implies, why did you have to follow it with a happy eco-cliche? You meant insulation would somewhat reduce domestic energy consumption. It doesn't matter how much you insulate a house it will still need heating and hot water etc. and most of that energy today comes from burning irreplacable fuel.
Just like all these so-called Eco Towns Gordon is proposing, no doubt made from bricks and cement that weren’t fired in huge fossil fuel powered furnaces and asphalt that only came from renewable resources. Carbon neutral? Yeah right, more greenwash.
BTW owing to a failed planning application I was left with a large surplus of rockwool, which I decided to store in the loft. I bet its tog rating would now make a Swede blush.
Finally: a quick question occurred to me as I was washing the kittens’ blood off my hands: do you personally avoid soap? As a Vegan you presumably won't touch a product made from animal fat (and caustic soda). I imagine you could make something similar with saturated fat from a plant, like palm oil.
I am sure you will be reassured to know that there is such a thing as vegan soap and I have not had to avoid washing for the past 17 years. Lush has plenty. In hotels, I always bring my own shampoo, shower gel, etc but I guess in offices and other public places, you just have to go along with it. BUAV are running a cruelty-free office campaign, but that's more about animal testing. I think if things were better labelled, people would tend to opt for the tallow-free stuff as it's not a particularly pleasant thought, is it? Mind you, you should see what they put in lipstick!
As for carbon-neutral, that's an accepted term - we've said they we want all new homes to be carbon neutral by 2016. If I'd just said 'greener' Mr Vowles would have been on my case quicker than green custard!
As a climate change sceptic, but closet green why don't the Labour Party make insulation for walls and roofs tax deductable?
Who is getting which back hander and how often?
Come on Kerry, large numbers of people could claim that they are 'as close to carbon neutral as possible', as you put it, for all sorts of reasons. Your phrase is meaningless, unlike the term carbon neutral. A building is either carbon neutral (no net emissions of carbon) or its not.
Forum for the Future's assessment of 'sustainability' is very sensitive to the list of criteria used to make the judgements. There are many criteria to choose from. Change those just a bit and you change the outcome and get a list of cities in an entirely different order**. Its not an objective exercise and neither is the exercise carried out by Locallife which found Norwich to be greenest city.
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** 16 April 2008 - For the second year running Norwich has been voted the Greenest city in the UK.
According to an annual survey by locallife.co.uk [as opposed to Forum for the Future], Norwich has more green businesses, organisations and representatives per capita than anywhere else. The research has found that Norwich has one recycling centre, Green councillor, farm shop, environmental consultant, insulation installer, organic food shop, double glazing business, asbestos removal service and conservation group for every 1,736 local people.
The Forum for the Future thing is a project which means signficant funds and effort and attention will go into making Bristol more sustainable over the coming year. You should welcome it.
Thank you for mentioning my blog! I feel honored :) I'm glad people are enthusiastic about this subject.
I had to look you up on wikipedia to find out who you are because I'm in the US...Amazing that you include Livestock's Longshadow on your website's Climate Change section! You can now consider me as a fan from across the Atlantic :)
I'm waiting for the day when the green movement looks at animal agriculture in the same way as we look at energy and carbon neutral homes!
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