Blogs
Green blog archive19 May 2011
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...

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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
13 Sep - Bringing eco music to a town near you - Jess Gold
12 Sep - Saturday's Bee Cause Day of Action was not to be missed - Tom Coupe
12 Sep - Bee friendly apps for your smartphone - Tom Coupe
06 Sep - The Children's Eyes on Earth - new photo competition - Amelia Collins
15 Aug - Buzzing about Conference 2012 - Ted Burke
12 Aug - Keeping bees part 7: an extension to the beehive - Alison Benjamin
03 Aug - Can you guess where this photo was taken? - Amelia Collins
30 Jul - Italians: sustainable food pioneers? - Antonella Scimemi
23 Jul - #50ShadesofGreen - Marie Reynolds
20 Jul - Latitude festival 2012 - Big bee review - Phil Byrne
09 Jul - Secrets of our success - caught on film - Joe Jenkins
09 Jul - We need your awe-inspiring photos - Amelia Collins
06 Jul - A buzz in Norwich: bee campaign hots up - Tom Wright
05 Jul - Prix Pictet photo exhibition coming to London - Amelia Collins
03 Jul - Our new green gardening column - Bob Sherman
27 Jun - Keeping bees. Part 6: Inspecting your beehives - Alison Benjamin
27 Jun - Top hotel opens in Reading: only bees welcome please - Amy Golledge
22 Jun - Where the real action is at Rio+20 - Elaine Gilligan
21 Jun - Friends of the Earth kills TV Dragon - Marie Reynolds
20 Jun - Why the Rio+20 Earth Summit matters - Melanie Kramers
15 Jun - Let it rain: why there's more to wellbeing than the weather - Dave Powell
14 Jun - Clean British Energy flows into my flat and lights up my life - James Dubrey
12 Jun - Bee-autiful poppies: friends of the bees - Amy Golledge
11 Jun - Bee-friendly flowers and black cats - Rita Marcangelo
01 Jun - Time for me to switch to Clean British Energy - James Dubrey
28 May - Welcome back to the short-haired bumblebee - Sandra Bell
25 May - Keeping bees. Part 5: Collecting your bees - Alison Benjamin
23 May - Bee breakfast - where's my coffee? - Sandra Bell
21 May - A bee-friendly garden. Part 3: Soggy spring could hit more than my cider making - Neil Kingsnorth
15 May - Adam's bike challenge. Stage 18: One revolution at a time - Adam Bradbury
14 May - How will you help save the bee? - Amy Golledge
09 May - Adam's bike challenge. Stage 17: Wind, wheels and natural power - Adam Bradbury
06 May - Adam's cycle challenge. Stage 16: We're off and pedalling to Edinburgh - Adam Bradbury
02 May - 10 ways to recycle padded envelopes - Melanie Kramers
24 Apr - If you think Kinder Trespass is a plastic egg, read this - Adam Bradbury
23 Apr - A bee-friendly garden. Part 2: What a slagheap in Wales did for my bee plans - Neil Kingsnorth
20 Apr - Adam's bike challenge. Stage 15: Raising money with song - Adam Bradbury
16 Apr - Watch our bee garden spring up overnight - Amy Golledge
16 Apr - How to campaign? You tell me. - Neil Kingsnorth
13 Apr - The buzz about The Bee Cause - Amy Golledge
12 Apr - Adam's bike challenge. Stage 14: Economic value of the bee - Adam Bradbury
11 Apr - Keeping bees. Part 4: Swarming - Alison Benjamin
05 Apr - Going Swiss - camping out with Young Friends of the Earth - Charlotte Chan
05 Apr - Welcome back to my family garden, my Tawny Mining Bee friends - Neil Kingsnorth
05 Apr - Life after 40 - Joe Jenkins
05 Apr - Supporter of the week: Esmie Ricks - Hannah Booth
29 Mar - Worried about disappearing bees? Get busy with us. - Amy Golledge
26 Mar - People and Environment Achievement Awards - Beth Dawson
26 Mar - My morning at Downing Street - Ted Burke
22 Mar - Supporter of the week: Samuel Hillier - Hannah Booth
16 Mar - Is it good to feed the birds? - Adam Bradbury
15 Mar - Saving money on energy bills - Melanie Kramers
15 Mar - Supporter of the week: Roger Ross - Hannah Booth
08 Mar - Adam's bike challenge. Stage 13: A choice between cheating and eating - Adam Bradbury
08 Mar - Supporter of the week: Baroness Bryony Worthington - Hannah Booth
02 Mar - Adam's bike challenge. Stage 12: You are not alone - Adam Bradbury
01 Mar - Supporter of the week: Kate Eldridge - Hannah Booth
22 Feb - The answer is blowing in the wind - Neil Verlander
22 Feb - Supporter of the week: Ron Cook - inventor of the bottle bank? - Hannah Booth
16 Feb - Supporter of the week: Rachna Shah - Hannah Booth
09 Feb - Supporter of the week: Dr John Hemming - Hannah Booth
09 Feb - Keeping bees. Part 2: Getting the right kit - Alison Benjamin
03 Feb - Supporter of the week: Jonathon Porritt - Hannah Booth
01 Feb - Bike Dynamics - Louise Gebbett
31 Jan - Oh, what a night. Celebrating green business - Beth Dawson
31 Jan - Livia Firth and the green carpet - Amy Golledge
26 Jan - Supporter of the week: John Crocker, organic grower - Hannah Booth
25 Jan - Mark Wood reflects on reaching South Pole - Phil Byrne
23 Jan - Adam's bike challenge. Stage 11: The God particle and fundraising ideas - Adam Bradbury
23 Jan - Free learning and training in 2012 - Tim Gee














































