NAEE 2015 AGM
NAEE’s 2015 AGM is on October 24th this year. It’s being held at the imposing Birmingham and Midland Institute in the centre of Birmingham. It starts at 1030, and we hope to see you there. More details nearer the time.
Renewable energy and household bills: the facts
Here’s a recent summary of UK renewable energy subsidies c/0 regensw. The recent wave of announcements of cuts to renewable energy support have been justified on the basis of cutting costs. The Office of Budget Responsibility has calculated the cost of supporting low carbon power by 2020/21 has risen from a budget of £7.6 billion to £9.1 billion.…
Learning 2B Sustainable
Learning 2B Sustainable aims to bring together the best of sustainability, environmental and global education and support schools in developing their own plans and priorities. Its latest news is here, and information about the Growing Up Green & Global event this Friday 18th September at Harper Adams University, Newport, is here. NAEE will be there, so do drop by…
The Mediterranean mania for killing migrating birds
The Guardian begins a report about the illegal killing of small birds like this: “The Egyptians line their beaches with fine two-metre high nets that can stretch for miles across the Nile delta and will catch any bird coming close; the Maltese will cover whole trees in nylon; the Cypriots smear branches in glue to…
From acid rain to air pollution – a chance to join in
We reported the other day about the launch of the iSpex-EU project, which is a Europe-wide attempt to monitor air pollution by smart phone. The more elderly amongst us were reminded of a similar initiative in the mid-1980s when our children were encouraged to measure the acidity of rain on a daily basis and report it as…
The complexity of killing Cecil
The killing of the lion, Cecil, last month by an American game-hunting dentist, sparked a wave of both anger and revulsion across some parts of the world, and spawned more than a few simplistic ideas about the rights and wrongs of (trophy) game hunting – and not just in Africa. Of course, it was always…
Two consultations on A level Environmental Science
The Department for Education [DfE] is consultating on the draft new A level Environmental Science criteria, and there is an Ofqual consultation regarding the proposed assessment objectives. Both consultations are open until 24 September 2015. This is the link to the DfE consultation, and this is the link to the Ofqual one.
Clean up that beach 2015
The Marine Conservation Society is organising another beach clean up. This year it takes place from 18 to 21 September, and a list of events is shown here. Last year, 273,747 items of litter were collected. As this is 2.5 pieces every metre, it may seem a surprise that we win any good beach awards. The full results for 2014…
Where are the bees?
It’s hard to know what to make of the bee survey results reported in the Guardian in August. The headline, which seems misleading, was: Bee count finds school grounds abuzz as their favourite habitat The report began: “Schools and gardens have beaten farmland and the countryside in a survey to determine Britain’s most bee-friendly habitats.…
Earth Overshoot Day
August 13th was Earth Overshoot Day this year. That’s the day when our annual demand for the goods and services that our land and seas can provide goes beyond what the Earth’s ecosystems can renew in a year. Overshoot means we are drawing down the planet’s principal rather than living off its annual interest and leads to a depletion…