Greenpeace Blog

Glastonbury: skating, soulmates and carbon dating

Posted by jamie — 13 June 2007 at 11:37am - Comments

A skateboarder rides an FSC ramp at Glastonbury in 2005So, we've covered the Techno-Dome and some of the highlights in the Greenpeace field. Let's see - what else have we got lined up for Glastonbury?

If you've ever wondered what your carbon footprint looks like, you can get your own carbon calculator installed on your mobile at the Bluetooth Takeaway. The Centre for Alternative Technology will be offering them to download via Bluetooth.

Then you can stroll over to the Guardian Soulmates for some 'carbon' dating. They'll match you a mate with some speed dating and carbon mating. There'll be dancing and cabaret in the evenings between 8pm and 10pm, and if you get serious we'll 'marry' you on Sunday afternoon for a year and a day, just like in the fairy tales.

Sharing is good, especially when it involves cars

Posted by jamie — 13 June 2007 at 11:01am - Comments

Treehugger reminds us that tomorrow is National Liftshare Day, when everyone is encouraged to make sure as many seats as possible are filled for those essential car journeys.

A zero-carbon home of one's own

Posted by jamie — 11 June 2007 at 5:26pm - Comments

Greenpeace volunteers on John Prescott's roof, with the solar panels they kindly installed for himIn the news today are reports of the first zero-carbon home being unveiled in London. Housing minister Yvette Cooper has been touring the site, nodding in a ministerial way at the insulation, solar panels, water recycling and construction methods that went into the first home to meet the top standards of the government's sustainable housing code.

According to the report on this morning's Today programme (you can listen again for the next seven days), the ultra-efficient abode cost 40 per cent more to build than a 'normal' house but as more are built, the economies of scale will bring that down. As the government intends to make all new housing zero-carbon by 2016, that price fall should start in the near future, although Cooper was evasive when quizzed about exactly how many of the 160,000 homes planned in the Thames Gateway region would be zero-carbon. A rolling increase in standards was all she would commit to.

Win Glastonbury tickets!

Posted by bex — 9 June 2007 at 1:30pm - Comments

Glastonbury

UPDATE (18/06/07 9.30am): The competition has now closed. Thanks for all the fantastic entries! View the winners, images, animations and other videos.

We have two pairs of Glastonbury tickets to give away to whoever creates the best picture or short video about climate change.

The theme of this year's Glastonbury is climate change, so we're asking you to create a picture or short video on the subject. We'll choose two winners - one picture and one video - and each winner gets a pair of tickets.

Your entry can be about pretty much anything to do with climate change – what you think about it, how it makes you feel, what you're doing about it, what you think others should be doing, the impacts, the solutions etc. It can be serious, heart-breaking, funny or downright daft. It can be a photo, a sketch, a graphic, a film, an animation, mash-up or pretty much any format you like. It can be abstract, with the connection to climate change explained in the title or caption. It just can't be offensive. And videos must be less than two minutes long.

Weasel words and hot air

Posted by bex — 7 June 2007 at 5:24pm - Comments

Flooding is amongst the impacts of climate change

It was a bad day for the fight against climate change. The G8 has met and published their deal (pdf) and, despite the spin, it wasn't the deal the world needs.

G8: the deal

Posted by bex — 7 June 2007 at 3:49pm - Comments

The G8 has released the summit declaration, "Growth and responsibility in the world economy"; you can read it here (pdf). More coming soon.

 

Greenpeace boats deliver the message: G8 Act Now!

Posted by bex — 7 June 2007 at 12:54pm - Comments

An hour or so ago, 11 inflatable boats carrying 24 Greenpeace volunteers, sped towards the G8 summit. Chased by police, two boats entered the exclusion zone around the Heilingendamm summit, where world leaders are due to discuss climate change later today. The police stopped some of the inflatables, knocking two of them over (three Greenpeace folk were injured and are on their way to hospital now).

G8: the story so far

Posted by bex — 7 June 2007 at 11:58am - Comments

Stop global warming

UPDATE - 12.40pm: There have been boat chases and arrests near the G8, as Greenpeace inflatables entered the exclusion zone.


After a week of farcical manoeuvrings and diversions in the run up to the G8, today’s the day of reckoning; this afternoon, Angela Merkel, George Bush, Tony Blair et al will sit down in Heiligendamm to talk about climate change. The interplay of power between them will help determine if, how and when climate change is seriously tackled by the world’s most polluting countries.

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