In the current year: March 20, 2021

International Day Without MeatInternational Day Without Meat is annually celebrated on March 20. This holiday was observed for the first time in 1985 in the USA as Great American Meatout.
Great American Meatout was started by Farm Animal Rights Movement, that raises awareness of the health, environmental and ethical benefits of living without meat and cruelty to farm animals. The organizers of the movement encourage people to live just for two days without meat. This will save 28 animals and 190,000 gallons of water per year. Complete elimination of animal products from diet of only one person saves 200 animals, 1,3 million gallons of water and 53,000 square feet of rain forests annually.

There are different motives to participate in the movement. People, who are concerned about their health, should remember, that excessive consumption of meat can have a negative effect on the cardiovascular system. The others are concerned about the fact that more than 60 billion animals are killed annually to use for food. The other motivation to participate in the movement is that farming leads to the development of the greenhouse effect.

https://www.earthday.org/the-benefits-of-environmental-education-for-toddlers/

https://www.ailuna.com/world-rewilding-day/

https://www.cpre.org.uk/news/cpre-welcomes-news-that-oxcam-expressway-scrapped/

Today is Global Recycling Day - an initiative dedicated to celebrating the importance of recycling and to making the world think resource, not waste.

'The mission of Global Recycling Day, as set out by the Global Recycling Foundation, is twofold:

1. To tell world leaders that recycling is simply too important not to be a global issue, and that a common, joined up approach to recycling is urgently needed.

2. To ask people across the planet to think resource, not waste, when it comes to the goods around us – until this happens, we simply won’t award recycled goods the true value and repurpose they deserve.'
You can read more on official website: https://www.globalrecyclingday.com/

Bottom trawling releases as much carbon as air travel, landmark study finds.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/17/trawling-for-fish-releases-as-much-carbon-as-air-travel-report-finds-climate-crisis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZyRS84IbA0

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/nature-studies-gcse-compulsory-david-attenborough-dasgupta-b1816508.html#comments-area

Some of you signed the petition.



The Government has just U-turned and decided to call a public inquiry into the plans for the first new deep coal mine in the UK for decades. [1]

This is great news Lonicera, as it delays the application and gives us another chance to explain why this coal mine must never go ahead, but it wouldn’t have happened without the thousands of people, like you, who have signed petitions and sent messages to the local council. [2] Together - with other campaigners from all across the country - we’ve really piled on the pressure.

With everything going on right now it can be easy to feel powerless and alone. But we’re not. People power has shown time and time again that when we come together we’re unstoppable. And today we’ve proven just that.

But the campaign does not end here. Although the public inquiry is welcome news, we need to make sure the Government makes the only sensible decision at the end of it and rejects the plans. It's time for the UK to become a real climate leader with investment in green jobs in Cumbria for years to come. [3]

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/mar/04/polystyrene-to-be-phased-out-next-year-under-australias-plastic-waste-plan

Anyone who believed they're buying entirely renewable energy from their 'green energy' supplier should be shocked to see how few of those supply energy that's been generated from renewable sources, rather than simply compensating for its fossil fuel basis by buying REGOs.
The supposedly green supplier which I moved to over a year ago doesn't even appear in the lists of those which the Ethical Consumer report assessed. I recall not being the only member of this group who opted for Pure Planet at that time.
There's a free preview of this worrying reading, available at https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/sites/default/files/flipbook/Issue189Preview/10/ (and successive pages).

Here's a petition you might like to sign: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/help-stop-wealden-district-council-from-forcing-pete-to-destroy-his-life-s-work

.Here's a short video: https://bit.ly/3ldD6oe

It would never have occurred to me to wonder about this but the much greater public interest in wildlife may well mean that sales of binoculars etc has become a growth area. So it's worth asking whether their manufacturers are ethical.
https://mailchi.mp/ethicalconsumer.org/event-should-we-care-who-makes-our-binoculars-with-chris-packham-1523136?e=57f084c3a9

This is a welcome initiative in an era when repairing goods is seen as non-profitable and discouraged so consumers are forced to replace.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/10/tough-new-rules-aim-to-make-electrical-goods-last-longer

I realise that it has already been possible to recycle soft plastics at many supermarkets but this should make it easier and more obvious. Lets hope it’s rolled out nationwide soon and more supermarkets follow suit. https://apple.news/AVRjPwupfSj6aVFn7iZuQhw

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/come-clean-about-the-damage-caused-by-your-farmed-salmon?share=71d84bb3-51d8-4aea-a15a-938500d23991&source=twitter-share-email-button&time=1615049334&utm_medium=socialshare&utm_source=twitter

One of the reasons for signing:

"I live next to a Salmon smolt farm and watch them pour up to 1000L of FORMALDEHYDE directly onto live fish 7 days a week for 9 months a year because the fish are so diseased. I watched last year as they took thousands upon thousands of dead diseased fish away in dustbins. Our life now is horrendous because of the fumes and stench of rotten Salmon. The loch is dead of all life with no native fish left at all. This is a horrific business."

I don't think this is news to anyone.
Transferring production and therefore emissions to China doesn't amount to a reduction in our emissions
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-56285239

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/03/britain-moths-decline-by-third-50-years-study

I've been using Ecosia for some time now and mostly found it very good, but I'm sorry to see from this Ethical Consumer report that Ecosia doesn't plant [m]any trees as a result of my searches - because I never intentionally click on the advertisements.

It's still rated as much better than Google, however, so I'll keep using it anyway - except when I need to use Google Maps or be certain of getting comprehensive results.
https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/technology/how-ethical-search-engine-ecosia?utm_source=ECRA+Monthly+Newsletter&utm_campaign=bb4b9d9665-EMAIL_newsletter_2021_03_05+nonsubs&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9856040c29-bb4b9d9665-321357508

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/04/catastrophic-uk-has-lost-90-of-seagrass-meadows-study-finds

This looks like an interesting idea. Different projects to get involved with.
https://my.earthwatch.org.uk/

https://www.scooploop.com/thread/mcdonalds-x-beyond-meat-partnership-dubbed-clearest-sign-yet-that-future-of-meat-is-plant-based

https://blog.theveteranssite.greatergood.com/camp-century/?gg_source=VET&gg_medium=house&gg_campaign=Ad-720x360_Blog_Here%27s%20Why%20Greenland%20Could%20Become%20The%20Next%20Chernobyl_VET&gg_con

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/science-environment-56175714

Big or small, it would be good if we could share what we’ve done so far, any tips, and your next aim. It would be lovely to hear from some of you that rarely comment.

But please no one-upmanship- we’re here to support each other, and learn, not to find fault or criticise.

I’ll kick us off. A small thing - we replaced our old large kitchen bin with a really small one. I thought we’d be forever emptying it but instead it’s made us far more aware of creating waste.

Over 50 nature conservation groups have joined together with a petition to urge the Prime Minister to set a legally binding target to reverse the loss of nature in England by 2030.
https://e-activist.com/page/75310/petition/1?locale=en-GB&en_chan=tw&ea.tracking.id=twitter-share&en_ref=204398232

In the UK supermarkets are not bound by law to redistribute their food waste, though many do voluntarily. In countries like France, where redistribution is enshrined in law the system seems to work more systematically and efficiently.

https://apple.news/AVNcEPztJRZmUD5w-R8Z-bg

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/sep/25/england-rivers-polluted-beyond-legal-limits

Judge says firm’s breach of environmental standards in 2016 amounted to ‘high negligence’

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/26/thames-water-fined-23m-for-raw-sewage-pollution-incident?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Forestry Commission accused of funding non-native plantations that damage peatlands and imperil rare species

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/23/row-over-uk-tree-planting-drive-we-want-the-right-trees-in-the-right-place

Date in the current year: February 27, 2021

World NGO DayWorld NGO Day is an annual international observance held on February 27. It was established by Marcis Skadmanis, a Latvian-born UK social entrepreneur who is passionate about creating organizations that make a positive contribution towards sustainable innovation and technology.
Non-governmental organizations, commonly referred to as NGOs, are usually nonprofit and sometimes international organizations independent of governments and international governmental organizations. They are active in humanitarian, human rights, social, public policy, environmental, healthcare, educational and other areas.

The term “non-governmental organization” was coined following the establishment of the UNO in 1945, although the history of international NGOs dates back to at least the late 18th century. The definition of “international non-governmental organization” (INGO) was first given in the resolution of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on February 27, 1950.

Marcis Skadmanis established NGO Day in 2009 to raise awareness about the importance of NGOs. A year later, it was officially recognized at the IX Baltic Sea NGO Forum of the Council of the Baltic Sea States. World NGO Day became truly international in 2014, when the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland hosted an official celebration with the support from the UNO, European leaders and international organizations.

Burning trees instead.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/feb/25/drax-scraps-plan-yorkshire-gas-plant-climate-protests

Found this article very interesting and informative.
https://apple.news/ApN7StwPCSNW5nPhPe6PIbQ

Just bought a pair of their Mizzles waterproof shoes. They are really comfortable. Been wearing them barefoot all day.

Has anyone got any recommendations for genuinely green, but nevertheless efficient, washing products? I’ve tried washing nuts and refills of ecover etc but is there anything better out there?

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/11/global-salmon-farming-harming-marine-life-and-costing-billions-in-damage

https://theecologist.org/2021/feb/15/green-covid-19-recovery

I think this sounds a lot of fun and very worthwhile - might have applied if we hadn’t left London.
https://www.nationalparkcity.london/rangers

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-56031794

https://www.bbowt.org.uk/blog/matthew-stanton/hs2-one-year

https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/platypus-population-wetlands/?gg_medium=content&gg_source=ars&gg_campaign=dog-crash-reunited-family&gg_content=local

Fingers crossed it works out and more will follow.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-56023723

This is NOT an entirely new post. It`s just the first one I`ve come across that mentions Client Earth who`s campaign strategy is to take companies(possibly governments?) to court over their activities. Such a group has been long needed!😀
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/bp-greenwashing-climate-crisis-client-earth-oil-company-a9232986.html?fbclid=IwAR236xZ3ZjleBDvpXSrdMnKnSsdaVoncwouw6g76vOEudMGEPSanfsl741k

There are some inspirational stories here. Amongst the winners is Nemonte Nenquimo, the indigenous Ecuadorian woman who has stood up against her government’s decision to allow exploration and exploitation of her tribal lands for oil and minerals. Her success was one of the good news stories posted yesterday.

https://news.mongabay.com/2020/11/meet-the-2020-goldman-environmental-prize-winners/

Here are some positives to keep us going.
https://news.mongabay.com/2020/12/top-positive-environmental-stories-from-2020/

Still trying to get my head around this economic model which is designed to enable sustainable living. Find it very interesting.
https://time.com/5930093/amsterdam-doughnut-economics/?

https://www.facebook.com/auxxTV/videos/516972455380566

I’ve certainly struggled. Before the pandemic I’d made big strides in living a more sustainable life. But I have felt a bit overwhelmed lately and know I’ve been buying more things in plastic, buying less local produce, and so on. I obviously haven’t flown anywhere and car driving is minimal but I admit I have lost some of my drive and commitment. Anyone else feel the same?

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/21/plans-london-resort-theme-park-kent-marsh-swanscombe-dismay-conservationists

Here’s what Buglife has to say.
https://www.buglife.org.uk/campaigns/save-swanscombe-marshes/#gf_1

This looks potentially useful. https://diygogo.co.uk/about-us/