Adam Bradbury

20 Dec

Bees, CBE, Living, Real Food

List-eria strikes again. Our 10 most popular blog posts of 2012

It's the season of top this, worst that and 100 most revolting other. So we thought we'd take a look a back at the Green Blog posts you've been reading most in 2012.

And what politically tuned-in, good-food-loving, green-living folk you are. more ...

Brenda Pollack

19 Dec

Climate Change, Energy

Compelling TV: Is our weather getting worse?

I've been watching Is Our Weather Getting Worse?. Have you? It's about how we have seen increased extreme weather events in recent years. It showed scenes from Hurricane Sandy in America and the severe floods all around England in November which really brought home to me how climate change is happening right now. more ...

Annabella Macris

13 Dec

Green Economy, Living

Co-operatives - an answer to the economic crisis?

Did you know that...

• More people are employed by co-operatives worldwide than by multinationals.
• Co-operative systems are seen throughout nature and are a successful survival strategy.
• All animals with nucleated cells, including you and I, are living co-ops of different organisms.

All these facts and more emerged at our recent thought-provoking book club. We met to discuss Co-operative Revolution: a Graphic Novel.  more ...

Amelia Collins

05 Dec

Living

Christmas gifts all sewn up

I used to leave Christmas shopping until Christmas eve. That was until this year when I acquired god-children numbers 7 and 8 and niece number 4. They do all have names I promise and I can just about remember them all.

I decided I would have to plan ahead. I've made a few dresses before, and they're reasonably cheap and quick to make, but not great for winter. So I hit upon the idea of nightdresses for the girls and, luckily 2 of the boys live in warmer climes, so shorts were perfect for them. more ...

Annabella Macris

29 Nov

Living, Natural Resources

A World in One Cubic Foot by David Liittschwager

To understand a complex issue it can help to be able to visualise it. Biodiversity is no exception. No matter how many times we're told about biodiversity do we ever truly appreciate its importance? We rarely see the full picture. Noticing an occasional squirrel is a good start but by no means it. A multitude of creatures exist all around us whose faces we'll never gaze on and whose names we'll never know. more ...

Peter Kindersley

29 Nov

Bees, Natural Resources

Bee Lovely - last chance to sign pesticide petition from Neal's Yard Remedies

We need your help. Our bees need your help.

Most people are not aware that 84% of European crops are partly or entirely dependent on insect pollination. Managed honeybees pollinate certain crops - but wild bees (along with other pollinators like flies and wasps) cover a very broad spectrum of plants, and so are considered the most important guardians of our food supply and our natural biodiversity.

We must take action now to protect our bees and we need everyone to help us pile pressure on the UK Government. more ...

Tom Wright

29 Nov

Living, Real Food

10 tips on keeping chickens - and why they're not just for Christmas

Have you ever thought about keeping chickens? I admit that until a few months ago I hadn't. Not for a second.

But then my son's nursery took part in a hatching project which ended with the parents being offered 2-week-old chicks.

I figured I'd learn on the job and took 3 home. It's been so much fun - so I thought I'd put together my 10 top tips for keeping backyard chickens. more ...

Rich Hines

29 Nov

Make It Better

Why did we take a giant phone down Oxford Street?

It wasn't because we're masochists. It wasn't because we just love dressing up. It wasn't even because we wanted an excuse to blare out Stevie Wonder to morning shoppers (especially that song). more ...

Julian Kirby

23 Nov

Bangka - my trip to Indonesia's tin island

Just recently I crossed the globe to document the devastating effects of tin mining on a once beautiful Indonesian tropical island paradise: Bangka Island.

I knew there was a problem, but wasn't ready for the huge tracts of barren, deforested ex-mining land scarring the countryside.

I also had no idea just how much coral - 70% according to the marine biologist I spoke to - had been killed by the dredger boats' habit of dumping mining tailings into the previously clear water. more ...

Andy Atkins

23 Nov

Campaigns, CBE, Climate Change, Energy

Climate goals at risk as energy plans unveiled

There's no getting away from it: today is a kick in the teeth for everyone working towards a low-carbon future in the UK.

After months of delay, the Government has announced the contents of its 'Energy Bill', due to be formally published next week.

Ignore the Government spin, the headline news is this: the Bill doesn't contain a crucial target for making our power sector carbon-free. It's a green light for business-as-usual, high carbon, high cost energy generation for decades to come. more ...

Amelia Collins

22 Nov

Climate Change

Are the kids putting us to shame?

The results of the Children's Eyes on the Earth International photo competition do not disappoint. If anything they should be a wake up call. 4 out of the 6 winning expose an environmental issue. If children as young as 8 (the age of the winner) are so frequently facing these issues that they choose to photograph them, surely we should sit up and listen? more ...

Amelia Collins

21 Nov

Living

Free Christmas ecards are here

Free, easy and helps the planet. What more could you want from a Christmas card?

Friends of the Earth has just launched this year's Christmas ecards - which for the second year running showcase the winner and shortlisted images from our Cold Snap Photo competition. more ...

Brenda Pollack

20 Nov

Get Involved

Why we need activists: lessons from a life well lived

You probably won't have heard of Paul Millmore - unless you live in Lewes, that is. Paul (pictured right) passed away earlier this year and his loss was mourned widely as he was an extremely vocal activist on a range of issues. more ...

Oliver Hayes

15 Nov

Bees, Natural Resources

Ash tree disaster: why politicians must see the wood for the trees

What do ash trees, badgers, buzzards, public forests and bees have in common?

Trouble, that's what.

On my "in trouble" scale 1 = caught smoking by your mum, and 10 = Lance Armstrong. And on the green equivalent of this scale badgers, buzzards, public forests and bees have hovered around 9 of late.

There's a common thread to their strife: the Government and its disregard for the natural environment. More detail below. more ...

Ted Burke

15 Nov

Bees, Events

Soil raked, seeds sown and another wildflower meadow created

It's really satisfying doing something that's both positive for your community and great for wildlife - bees in particular.

That's why in my local group - Lewisham Friends of the Earth - we jumped at the chance to create one of the first Bee Worlds.

The 60 Bee Worlds project is aimed at getting bee-friendly wildflower meadows created to tie in with The Queen's 60th Jubilee. I feel proud as punch to have played a part in it.

Lewisham Community Gardens suggested a site for us at St Mungo's homeless centre. It was great fun getting stuck into some digging and raking, and brilliant to get everyone involved. more ...

Simon Bullock

14 Nov

Energy

Who'd be in your Fantasy Football Energy Team?

Ed Davey's Energy Bill this autumn will have a big role in deciding how the UK gets its electricity in the next two decades. Almost any outcome is possible.

But everyone's agreed the UK needs a mix of energy technologies. If you were a football manager, you wouldn't pick 11 goalkeepers. You gotta have balance. more ...

Adam Bradbury

14 Nov

Get Involved, Local campaigning

On air. What do you think of our podcast?

Did you know it's 12 times more likely that an aeroplane in the Thames estuary would suffer a bird strike than at any other UK airport?

That's according to a local expert interviewed on our pilot (no pun) Friends of the Earth podcast.

The podcast was made entirely by volunteers from our fantastic local groups network.

The plan is to bring you regular news, reviews and features - the voices and sounds of the environment right to your inbox.

And before the next one goes into production we'd love to know what you think. more ...

Louise Gebbett

13 Nov

Events

London Marathon - what have I let myself in for?

For the past 5 years I've been entering the London Marathon ballot. It's something I've always wanted to do.

Having grown up not far from the start line in Greenwich, I've been to every race for as long as I can remember - and always come away inspired.

The marathon's notoriously difficult to get into. It never occurred to me I'd actually get a place.

I'm not sure if my first reaction was dread or excitement - but after almost a month I'm only just admitting it to myself and the world.

So the big question is can I do it? more ...

Charlotte Chan

09 Nov

Environmental Justice, Rights

Getting into a planning Pickle

It's not often that you find yourself dressed up as a middle-aged man shouting for attention, especially when you're a twenty-something year old woman, but it's all in a day's work.

Not long ago news broke out that the Government will be releasing a new Planning Bill, looking for planning to solve our economic crisis. more ...

Angela Woods

07 Nov

Bees

Honey we've shrunk the honey harvest: a challenging year for honeybees and their keepers

Figures from the Government's National Bee Unit show that the numbers of colonies in London has doubled in the last four years. Yet last week's survey by the British Beekeepers' Association shows our honeybees were the least productive in the land... a whopping slip of 78% on last year. more ...

Emi Murphy

31 Oct

Bees

Who won this year's party conference popularity contest?

Wearing a bee costume is a great way to boost your self-esteem. "You're a bee" is a typical response. In September/October my fellow campaigners and I were wearing bee costumes at the Lib Dems, Labour and Conservative party conferences. We were trying to get MPs and delegates interested in our bees campaign. It worked. There's been a fantastic reaction from all parties to the campaign. Bees are highly thought of. So were our costumes. So, without bias, I would name our stunt winner of this year's party conference popularity contest. more ...

Paul de Zylva

30 Oct

Bees, Natural Resources

Annus horri-bee-lis

2012 is becoming a year to forget for British farmers.

An unprecedented winter drought was wiped out by the summer deluge. The sun shone on the Olympics and Paralympics but by August BBC's Countryfile declared "The farming timetable has been thrown completely out of kilter."

British bees have had a tough time too. more ...

Maryellen Clare

24 Oct

Living

Meet the neighbours while you store your stuff

As a long-term couch surfer my belongings are currently living under a friend's stairs - until I find a home. So I was interested to see a similar solution to lack of storage pitched as a business recently on Dragon's Den.

The pitch came from Storemates, an internet company that matches up people looking for storage with people who have space to rent in their homes. more ...

Marie Reynolds

19 Oct

CBE, Green Economy

Green is working, says Deborah Meaden outside the Treasury

It's not every morning after your first cup of tea you find yourself donning a hard hat and queuing outside the Treasury with a Dragon on your arm.

But that's exactly what happened yesterday as I lined up along the pavement with Dragons' Den's Deborah Meaden, and 250 other people from charities, businesses, trade unions, the Women's Institute and faith groups, to tell the Government "Green is working". more ...

Pascoe Sabido

17 Oct

Campaigns, CBE, Climate Change, Energy, Environmental Justice, Green Economy, International climate

Will Osborne let us reach the renewable heights of Europe?

For me, Denmark will forever be the land of the wind turbine and general green greatness.

I recently spent 4 days there plotting with European policy makers and parliamentarians how we can create a 100% Renewable Europe.

Happening just across the water

It was amazing to hear what other countries, regions, cities and villages are already doing to move away from dirty fossil fuels.  more ...

Amelia Collins

09 Oct

CBE, Living

Prix Pictet Photography exhibition

The Prix Pictet Power exhibition opened at the Saatchi Gallery in London today.

On entering the gallery for the press conference I was blown away by the sheer power of the images in print. In this digital age it's easy to forget what is sometimes lost if we only ever  see images on a screen. more ...

Adam Bradbury

05 Oct

Living

What's your favourite graphic novel?

The screaming downstairs was for Jessie J signing her book Nice to Meet You. The staircases bulged with JK Rowling's A Casual Vacancy. On the top floor a quiet mob chatted about a different sort of fan club. One that boasts 1 billion members.

This was Waterstones, Piccadilly, last Thursday. The artist Polyp was launching his graphic novel The Cooperative Revolution. It's about the rise of the cooperative movement - from tiny beginnings in 1840s Rochdale to today's global network. more ...

Keith Tyrell

03 Oct

Bees

Pesticides and bees - all you ever wanted to know

The excellent Friends of the Earth bees campaign has shown that bees and other pollinators are suffering from multiple threats. From disease and parasites, to lack of food and poor husbandry, bees are facing an onslaught.

And as The Bee Cause points out, the cost to us of losing these key species would be enormous - and the results catastrophic. more ...

Ted Burke

03 Oct

Bees

Doing something to help bees - the Bee Cause Day of Action

The Bee Cause Day of Action was almost a month ago - but I'm still buzzing with excitement. I've had the pleasure of contacting the 50-plus local groups who took part to find out what they've been up to. Their stories have been truly inspiring.

The Harwich Peninsula group held two bee walks - the first attracting 70 people and the second a staggering 80. They were one of 12 groups who organised walks in their local area to weigh up its bee-friendliness and find things to improve. In total over 350 people attended walks across the country. There's obviously an appetite for action to help bees. more ...

Alison Benjamin

24 Sep

Living, Natural Resources, Real Food

Keeping bees part 8: making honey

Making honey is easy, but first think of your bees.

If you're new to beekeeping and didn't get your bees until late June or even July, they might not have had time to make enough honey for themselves to see them through winter.  

Check the brood box. Your beehive will need at least 13 kg of honey - equivalent to 6 brood frames.

If in doubt that there's enough to feed the bees give them a sugar and water solution.

Any surplus honey is yours. more ...