The Best of British awarded 'CBE's: will the Government switch the UK to Clean British Energy?

Paul Steedman

15 June 2012

How would Michael Faraday clean up our energy system? What would Brunel and Watt do? Would Sir Alf Ramsey duck the difficult debate with companies selling dirty energy for a living - or would he tackle the challenge head on?

Our careful - and respectful - placing of 'CBE' (Clean British Energy) medals on the proud chests of statues and effigies of some of Britain's greatest historical figures is our very clear answer.

The Victorian engineers, physicists and chemists, our great military leaders, Churchill and even Queen Victoria herself would surely revel in the 21^st century challenge of eliminating carbon emissions from our electricity in less than two decades. We need to invoke their spirit to meet that challenge and to lead the world in turning the power of the wind, sea and sun into affordable energy.

Take Sir Joseph Bazalgette, whose bust sits humbly on London's Victoria's Embankment close to Charing Cross station. Bazalgette's major achievement was the creation of a London sewer network, instrumental in relieving the city from cholera epidemics. Bazalgette is now sporting a Friends of the Earth 'CBE' medal and deserves it. He would not be cowed by the scale of the energy challenge: he'd have his thinking cap on.

Our 'CBE' awards to great British icons mark the launch of major new partnership between Friends of the Earth and 'gold standard' green energy companies Good Energy and Ecotricity. Together we can offer people in the UK a genuine alternative to the dirty half dozen Big Six energy companies.

Switching via our Clean British Energy website is a doddle. Doing it means you're part of the change - and more importantly, that you'll help drive it. Opting for our clean, green switch shows you back a shift to renewables, and want the Government to put this counry at the forefront of a clean energy revolution.

Switching isn't all you can do. A once-in-a-decade opportunity to fix our energy system has just started its passage through Parliament, and you can email Energy Secretary Ed Davey to tell him what you've done and what you want to see.

The prize is a big one: A visionary energy bill help us meet our targets for tackling climate change, and it will also create tens of thousands of clean energy jobs and bring investment and business into Britain.

Yes decarbonising our electricity is a big challenge, but we should have faith in Britain's engineers and innovators. 170 years ago, Isambard Kingdom Brunel developed the first major British railway that would change transport forever; Ed Davey and David Cameron should learn from the 'can do' spirit of our greatest Brits, and lead the way on clean British energy.