Saturday, September 14

Hurray - free plastic bags to be phased out!


Big reductions in this from 2015 onwards!
I started this blog because I was fed up with seeing plastic bags stuck in hedgerows and trees.

Today the news is that the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives have agreed that plastic carry bags should be charged for from 2015 onwards.

We just need Labour to agree to the same policy now.

In Wales the 5p plastic bag tax has reduced use by 75%


Friday, September 13

Park(ing) Day is next Friday


One of my favourite green campaign ideas is taking place on Friday next week. Parking Day highlights the wastefulness of using a car and the land that is needed to keep them.

It started in America but is a worldwide event where people use (after buying a ticket) metered parking spaces and create temporary miniature gardens, parks and other conceptual spaces in the Parking Space.

Wonder what the legal status is in the UK of using a parking space for something other than a motor vehicle?

More info about the event at the Parking Day web site:
parkingday.org


Sunday, September 8

UK Biodiversity Offsetting - a modern Indian Appropriations Act


United States of America 1851

From the 17th century, European colonists had mixed relations with the native population of North America. By the late 18th century there were 13 British colonies and over 2 million colonists occupying land that was once a haven for the native people and native species. As land was grabbed, towns and cities grew and many battles took place between natives and the growing population of colonists.

Biodiversity was attacked on all fronts, complete species were sometimes wiped out (Passenger Pigeon) or very nearly wiped out (Bison). The land grab resulted in failing relations with numerous tribes and in 1851 President Grant pursued a policy (The Indian Appropriations Act) of moving tribes from their ancestral lands to plots of land called reservations, whilst at the same time employing Christians to 'educate' the tribes.
Encroaching land development by the colonists had pushed native people to the margins.


England 2013

Biodiversity Offsetting is presented as a 'solution' to resolving the conflict between land development and wildlife habitat. The reality of the 'Biodiversity Offsetting' project is the typical one sided view that the entity with the most power can pretty much do what they like. We have always taken land and done what we like with it, so what is new about Biodiversity Offsetting?

Basically nothing. It's a red herring, it's the same old desires of hard line modern economics and vote grabbing, dressed up as a new 'green' deal.

Owen Paterson won't tell you that you can't have a semi-detached dream home because it will destroy a water voles habitat, he knows you won't vote for him again if he said that. He won't tell you that your home needs to be knocked down to make way for higher density homes, that won't win votes.
What he will tell you is what you want to hear.
Don't worry, it's the water vole that will have his or her home demolished, the water vole will be forcibly captured and moved to a new reservation.

And we all know how successful reservations were for the American tribes.

http://saveourwoods.co.uk/biodiversity-offsetting-2/ngo-concern-as-uk-government-releases-its-consultation-on-biodiversity-offsetting/
http://saveourwoods.co.uk/articles/sustainable-developmentgreen-economy/biodiversity-offsetting-in-uk-one-year-on-not-looking-good/
http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/352869-plans-to-offset-damage-to-wildlife-must-not-become-a-licence-to-trash