SPORT RELIEF

Friday 19th March 2010. And across the United Kingdom millions of people will in some way take part in Sport Relief. At one end of the scale, there’s an evening of celebrities making fools of themselves, at the other there are 5 year olds going to school dressed up for their favourite sport. All to raise money to help vulnerable people in the UK, and in some of the poorest countries in the world.

Bob Geldof and Midge Ure have got a lot to answer for. Except Live Aid wasn’t the start of televised fund raising. The BBC’s Children In Need evenings started in 1980 [Live Aid was 1985], and telethons have been a fixture on US TV since the mid 1950s. And they work. Two years ago on the main night of Sport Relief more than £19.5million was raised.

If you’re dressing up, running, swimming, or just watching, well done. We hope you crack that £20million.

EU Criticises UK Deficit Plans

EU Criticises UK Deficit Plans
Olly Barrett, London Bureau

The European Union has criticised the UK over uncertainty about its plans to cut its budget deficit.
A European Commission report also says the UK government's deficit cutting proposals will see it miss EU targets and break EU rules.


The Labour government says cutting spending more quickly would harm economic recovery. But the EU report has given ammunition to opposition parties ahead of a UK general election.

CLICK TO LISTEN TO REPORT.

FSN is PASSION for the PLANET's award winning news partner, providing global news from bureaus worldwide.

You'll find more world news stories, plus analysis from FSN at FSN REPORTERS BLOG .

To listen to hundreds of interviews go to http://www.passionfortheplanet.com/.

Secrets to Successful Sustainability Initiatives

The Secrets to Successful Sustainability Initiatives

If you’re feeling frustrated after Copenhagen and ‘Climategate’, take heart. Your actions can help tackle climate change while making your company - and career - stronger and more successful.

I know this because as part of the research for my new book, Climb the Green Ladder: Make Your Company and Career More Sustainable, my co-author Shari Aaron and I spoke to over 80 sustainability specialists - from organizations including Hewlett Packard, Royal Mail and the London School of Economics - who successfully changed their organizations from within.

Our research revealed that all sustainability strategies are underpinned by the same six maxims which can help guarantee success - whatever your level or industry. These principles are described in much greater detail in the book, but you can read a sneak preview below.


1) Get the mindset. Believe in your own power, and you can make a difference. At the Phelps’ Group, Kristen Thomas’ idea to swap disposable dishes for reusable ones started a green tidal wave that ultimately led to her company becoming the largest private solar power installation in their area.

2) Make the business case. A business case which demonstrates how your sustainability initiative can add business value will show colleagues you’re no hemp-wearing hippie but a business savvy, strategic thinker who understands the new marketplace dynamics. Doug Shaw’s mobile handset recycling scheme at BT Wholesale delivered £3 million in cost savings whilst generating cash for charity and increasing recycling. It also kept customers happy as a survey had found customers cared about these issues.

3) Get colleagues on your side. From using peer pressure to change behaviour to giving people the freedom to develop their own solutions, engagement is vital. Dr Paul Toyne from Bovis Lend Lease formed sustainability action groups across the company, asking directors to recommend people to ensure top level buy in. This meant new initiatives were embraced as solutions came from within.

4) Have 2-way conversations. It’s crucial to communicate your messages effectively and that means making it real and relevant. Coral Rose persuaded fabric buyers at Walmart to use organic cotton by giving them a packet of kitty litter which was the equivalent weight of chemical fertilizers and pesticides used to grow cotton for a single conventional t-shirt. The result? Wal Mart is now the largest user of organic cotton in the world.

5) Work together. From working with others in your company to competitors, customers, suppliers, NGOs and government, collaboration can reap great rewards. For example, in Scotland, Boots has teamed up with another company to share deliveries. The initiative has save 6,000 delivery miles a week and 150,000 litres of fuel per annum – reducing costs and the company’s carbon footprint.

6) Make it part of the culture. From making an action plan to making targets personal and part of everyone’s job, the most successful organisations are those who have made sustainability an everyday part of business thinking. Randy Boeller, from HP US, has seen how an integrated approach reaps real business rewards. Take packaging for example. The carbon footprint of getting a product to the consumer can be four times as much as processing the raw materials for that packaging. This means that a lighter, but more environmentally-intensive material could be the better choice overall, demonstrating why you have to look at sustainability at every level to make the most intelligent decisions.



More about the author:
Amy Fetzer is a journalist and sustainability consultant.

Her book, Climb the Green Ladder: Make Your Company and Career More Sustainable, gives readers the tools to set their workplaces and careers onto more successful and sustainable paths.

Amy’s work focuses on creating engaging communications, from environmental white papers to workshops, that inspire, entertain and inform.

Amy studied Sustainable Development at the University of Surrey for a Masters degree.

Amy’s clients range from the BBC, Green Futures and The Guardian to Hewlett Packard, Sodexo, The Sunday Telegraph and My Weekly magazine. To find out more, please visit: www.climbthegreenladder.com

I Am In A Freezer, Wearing A Bikini

I am in a freezer, wearing a bikini.

Its -110 degrees, I am in a large freezer with windows, and I’m wearing a bikini. You would be forgiven for thinking I have taken leave of my senses.

However, I am actually doing this for my health.

I am at the Alpen Med Lamm wellness hotel in Seefeld, Tirol in Austria where they have a cryo-chamber . It’s not for freezing you after you die – but rather freezing you while still alive. Fortunately the maximum time you’ll spend in there is 4 minutes so there’s no chance of turning into an ice-pop.


The idea behind the treatment is that it cools (very rapidly) all the capillaries near the surface of the skin, as they cool they contract. Then when you step out into normal room temperature they expand again; faster and larger than before. This pushes more blood and therefore oxygen round the system helping to heal damaged areas and improve muscle function.

Many sports people visit the cryo-chamber to help heal injuries and improve performance and while I was there the Austrian National Football team were also using the chamber. It has been shown to help ailments like fibromyalgia and arthritis. It doesn’t claim to cure them, but it does claim to help reduce the symptoms and the associated pain.

The weird thing is minus 100 degrees C doesn’t actually feel as cold as you’d imagine. I was expecting my entrance into the freezer to feel like walking into an ice wall, I was expecting my skin to freeze and to be screaming for mercy within seconds. Although it’s certainly cold, it’s actually not as unpleasant as a cold, damp, “get into your bones” day in the UK. And once you step outside of the chamber, there is this lovely rush of warmth that wells up through your body.

To get the best results you really need to use the cryo-chamber twice a day for a week. One burst of blood and oxygen is helpful, but clearly a number of treatments will give your body the biggest benefits. Fortunately there is plenty to occupy your time between sessions.

The Alpen Med Lamm has a well equipped gym, exercise classes and outdoor activities like Nordic Walking, plus a pool, Jacuzzi and a range of health and beauty treatments from sports massage to TENS to cupping, from seeweed baths to relaxing soft pack treatments. So there are plenty of ways to reward yourself for being such a brave little icicle.


If you still need a bit more pampering then their first rate restaurant and well stocked cellar will probably do the trick.

You can hear more about the Alpen Med Lamm and the health benefits of their cryo-chamber on PASSION for the PLANET or go to www.passionfortheplanet.com

AUDIOBLOG: Red Squrrels [Joshua Perry]

Every Monday, an interview heard on PASSION for the PLANET.

This week, Red Squirrels. Joshua Perry is Director of the Red Squirrel Survival Trust.

CLICK FOR INTERVIEW.

You can hear more interviews on air and on demand at www.passionfortheplanet.com

Generating Your own Energy - HYDROELECTRICITY

Generating Your own Energy - HYDROELECTRICITY.

Generating your own renewable energy is becoming more popular and cost effective.

There are 7 key options: wind turbines, solar water heating and solar electricity, ground source and air source heat pumps, wood fuelled heating and hydro power.

In this last in the series we take a look at hydroelectricity in more detail.


HYDROELECTRICITY SYSTEMS generate electricity from running water - usually a small stream. Small or "micro" hydroelectricity systems can produce enough electricity for lighting and electrical appliances in an average home.

Hydroelectricity systems are also called hydro power systems or just hydro systems.

Hydro power systems use running water to turn a small turbine which generates electricity. The faster the water flows and the more water there is, the more electricity can be generated.

The amount of electricity a system actually generates depends on how efficiently it converts the power of the moving water into electrical power.

Hydropower is not suitable for every home but for those homes that do have access to the appropriate water supply there are a number of benefits;
• Cut your carbon footprint: hydroelectricity is green, renewable energy and doesn't release any harmful carbon dioxide or other pollutants
• Cut your electricity bills: hydroelectricity is free, so once you've paid for the initial installation you'll reduce or even eliminate your electricity bills
• A lower cost option: installing a hydro system can be expensive, but in many cases it's less than the cost of getting a connection to the National Grid
• Cheap heating and hot water: a hydro system may generate more electricity than you need for lighting your home and powering your electrical appliances - so you can use the excess to heat your home and your hot water too

Various grants of up to £2500 are also available to encourage home owners to generate their own power.

If generating your own power is something you’d like to explore further then The Energy Saving Trust website (www.energysavingtrust.org.uk) has a simple questionnaire to help you narrow down your options.

You can listen to PASSION for the PLANET RADIO and hear interviews on demand at PASSION for the PLANET.

GM Potato for Europe Causes A Stir

Enviromentalists Against GM Potato
Nina Maria Potts, Brussels Bureau

A German- genetically modified potato has been given the chance to enter European fields for the first time. After more than a decade of legal wrangling, the European Commission says it took the decision based on scientific grounds, in a move that has enraged environmentalists and delighted the biotech industry.

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FSN is PASSION for the PLANET's award winning news partner, providing global news from bureaus worldwide.

You'll find more world news stories, plus analysis from FSN at FSN REPORTERS BLOG .

To listen to hundreds of interviews go to www.passionfortheplanet.com.

How I became obsessed by a dirty Malteser and lost 7lbs

I can’t take my eyes off the Malteser lying on the floor of the train carriage. All my brain can think is how much I’d like to eat it.

I am on week two of The BeautifulBreak Detox. I haven’t had any chocolate for 10 days and I am becoming obsessed.

Fortunately I have a little bag of delicious healthy treats to prevent me from doing something daft – like eating that damn Malteser.

The BeautifulBreak Detox is designed to help cleanse the body, flush out toxins, reduce stress on the digestive system and re-alkalise the body. Most of us have sluggish digestive systems, our bodies are acidic (which can lead to a range of health issues), we’re dependent on caffeine or nicotine and crave sugary or salty foods.

None of these are great for feeling your best.

The trouble is, detoxing always sounds so difficult – and a bit painful. But as detoxes go this is really very easy. They provide all the food for you – the meals, the snacks, drinks and even daily treats known as “detox temptations”. These are a selection of fruity flapjacks or little fruit cake balls – delicious.

In addition you do a lot of sweating.

Five times a week I head to BodyWorksWest for my wrap. Naked, apart from a pair of those “oh so flattering” disposable pants, I lie down on a damp sheet and the practitioner, Ilona Wesle, surrounds me with temperature controlled hot water bottles and then wraps me up in layers of blankets and towels until I look like some sort of fat Egyptian mummy, with just my face poking out at the top. And there I stay for about an hour – sweating in places I didn’t even know I could sweat. I sweat so much I begin to wonder if one day she will unwrap me and I will have completely melted!

The wraps are designed to increase peripheral circulation and stimulate the metabolism to eliminate waste products and toxins. According to Ilona, this is not just good for your health, it can also help to reduce cellulite. A definite bonus.

During the first few days I found the food very bland and longed for some flavour, but within less than a week my taste buds had adjusted and each meal was tasty and bursting with flavour. It just goes to show how so much salt in the diet and in the body can affect how we taste and experience our food.

After three weeks, my skin is softer and smoother, my stomach is flatter, I’ve lost nearly 7lbs and my thighs are cellulite free.

It’s one of the easiest detox plans I’ve tried – the wraps may be time consuming but they are also an excellent excuse to relax and meditate, sleep or enjoy an audio book. The food is tasty and well thought through with plenty of variety (the Thai green curry was my favourite), and the detox temptations are delicious. They are so good I’d happily eat them even when I am not on health kick.

And, despite my obsession you’ll be pleased to know I didn’t succumb to any dirty Maltesers!


You can hear more from Ilona Wesle from Beautiful Break Detox on PASSION for the PLANET.

AUDIOBLOG: Enrico Ducrot [Eco Luxury]

Every Monday, an interview heard on PASSION for the PLANET.

This week, Eco Luxury. It's a new project from Italian global tour operator Enrico Ducrot – he seeks to promote tourism that combines luxury with environmental credentials.

CLICK FOR INTERVIEW.

You can hear more interviews on air and on demand at www.passionfortheplanet.com

Generating Your own Energy – WOOD FUELLED HEATING SYSTEMS

Could you generate heat for your home from waste in your garden?

If you have plenty of wood – then the answer is yes.

There are seven main ways to generate power at home: wind turbines, solar water heating and solar electricity, ground source and air source heat pumps, hydro power … and wood fuelled heating.

Today, in number six in our series on renewable energy generation at home we’ll take a look at using wood.

WOOD FUELLED HEATING SYSTEMS generally burn wood pellets, chips or logs to power central heating and hot water boilers or to provide warmth in a single room.

There are two main ways of using wood to heat you home:
• A standalone stove burning logs or pellets to heat a single room. Some can also be fitted with a back boiler to provide water heating as well

• A boiler burning pellets, logs or chips connected to a central heating and hot water system

Log burning stoves and boilers have to be filled with wood by hand. Some pellet and chip burners use automatic fuel feeders which refill them at regular intervals from fuel storage units called hoppers.

The benefits of wood fuel heating are;
• A low carbon option: the carbon dioxide emitted when wood fuel is burned is the same amount that was absorbed over the previous months and years as the plant was growing. As long as new plants continue to grow in place of those used for fuel, the process is sustainable. There are some carbon emissions caused by the cultivation, manufacture and transportation of the fuel, but as long as the fuel is sourced locally, these are much lower than the emissions from fossil fuels.

• A good use for waste wood: burning wood can be a convenient means of disposing of waste that might otherwise be sent to a landfill site.


Various grants of up to £2500 are also available to encourage home owners to generate their own power.

If generating your own power is something you’d like to explore further then The Energy Saving Trust website has a simple questionnaire to help you narrow down your options.

And you can hear more about renewables on PASSION for the PLANET

World's Oldest Barber

Guinness Book Barber
Nathan King, New York Bureau

Many people go on working past retirement age, but in the small town of Vails Gate in upstate New York, Antonio Mancinelli is a trail blazer. Mancinelli has been plying his trade for so long, he has earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records. Nathan King reports from New York.

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FSN is PASSION for the PLANET's award winning news partner, providing global news from bureaus worldwide.

You'll find more world news stories, plus analysis from FSN at FSN REPORTERS BLOG .

Making Money on the Stock Market

Anyone can make money on the stock market, shouted the website. Yeah, right, I muttered unconvinced. However, over the last year or so I have discovered that three of my friends have been making extra money on the stock market. Two run their own companies and trade for fun and extra cash and the third has turned it into his main source of income. All three of them are making good money at it.

Impressive, but I am still unconvinced. For a start they are all men – that must mean something I decide, although I can’t imagine why it would make any difference. And I bet they are maths minded, and have more time than me, and are better at technology and ... and ... and...

Eventually though I have run out of excuses and with a girlfriend in tow I decide to see what this stock market malarkey is all about.

We started by attending an introductory evening with Marcus de Maria from Investment Mastery.

He makes it sound easy – but then he is selling his workshop, so of course he would! However I decide to stop finding reasons why not and, with my friend, we sign up.

The Investment Mastery Stock Market Course for Beginners is two days in central London. There are around 20 attendees and each of us is sat in front of our own computer so we can immediately practice what we are being taught.

First we look at the patterns that shares tend to follow. We learn how to spot trends and how to decide whether a particular stock is following a potentially predictable trend or not. We also learn how to spot potential trades and what we should avoid at all costs.

We are taught three strategies; one for upward trending stocks, another for sideways channelling stocks and a third that actually allows you to make money when a stock is going down. Then we each open a virtual trading account and practice placing some virtual trades. It’s the weekend so I’ll have to wait until Monday to see what happens.

Six weeks later I feel I am actually beginning to get the hang of this and I am starting to see returns, over the next month I average about a 2.5% return – better than any savings account I know!

I have now been virtual trading for three months and I am making virtual money. Not a huge amount, but more than I would if I left it in the bank. But the biggest surprise for me is that I am actually making a profit not a loss.

So it seems that anyone can make money on the stock market after all – even a non maths minded woman with no time and rather average technical skills.

This is the first in a series of occasional blogs that will follow my progress as I attempt to go from complete beginner to competent trader.

You can also hear interviews with Marcus de Maria from Investment Mastery on PASSION for the PLANET.

Generating Your Own Energy [Ground Source Heat Pumps]

Generating Your own Energy - GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMPS

There are lots of options to help you generate your own energy- cutting your carbon and your costs.

There are seven main options: wind turbines, solar water heating and solar electricity, ground source and air source heat pumps, wood fuelled heating and hydro power.

Every Friday we’re taking a look at one of the options in more detail.

GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMPS use pipes buried in the garden to extract heat from the ground. This is usually used to warm water for radiators or under-floor heating systems. It can also be used to pre-heat water before it goes into a conventional boiler.

Beneath the surface, the ground stays at a constant temperature, so a ground source heat pump can be used throughout the year - even in the middle of winter.

A ground source heat pump circulates a mixture of water and antifreeze around a loop of pipe - called a ground loop - which is buried in the garden. When the liquid travels around the loop it absorbs heat from the ground.

And these are the benefits of ground source heat pumps;
• Reduce your CO2 emissions: on average a ground source heat pump could save around 540kg of carbon dioxide every year when replacing an oil boiler.
• Eliminate your fuel bills: ground source heat pumps run on electricity, so there's no need to pay for gas, oil or solid fuels to heat your home.
• Cut down on wasted electricity: heating your home with a ground source heat pump is much more efficient than using electric radiators.


Various grants of up to £2500 are also available to encourage home owners to generate their own power.

If generating your own power is something you’d like to explore further then The Energy Saving Trust website (http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/) has a simple questionnaire to help you narrow down your options.

And you can hear more about renewables on PASSION for the PLANET (http://www.passionfortheplanet.com/)

Networking for the Planet

One of the major challenges for people who care for this planet we live on is getting the message across to mainstream society.

Rather than it being presented as something that only “fringe dwellers” talk about, how do we get the majority of society aware of the need to make some changes?

Answer – use the media and practices of mainstream society! Two of the major ones would be e-media and networking – and combinations of both.

So here are some guidelines:-

1. Create a Twitter account with a catchy “green” or “environmental” name

2. Create a profile on some of the major e-networking sites like Facebook, Ecademy and LinkedIn.

3. Register a BLOG with free services like “blogspot”

4. Start writing well researched and data supported articles

5. Post the same article on each of the above as a blog

6. Create an account with YouTube

7. Record some short videos (using the same material as the above blogs). Most computers have a webcam these days and post those on your YouTube account

8. Create links in all of the above to each other to optimize your Google ranking and get more exposure.

So lets all get moving and get the message out that things need to change if we are to save this planet and preserve our lifestyles.


Geoff Kirkwood brings to this site 40 years business experience – several successful businesses – and lessons learned as a world class speaker, author, catalyst and centre of influence.

For more business tips listen to PASSION for the PLANET

Forget Skiing In Whistler

Forget skiing in Whistler – mountain biking is where it’s at.

Whistler is not just a first class ski resort and home to this year’s winter Olympics, it’s also a fantastic summer playground. If skiing is not your thing, wait until the snow, the silly hats and the grungy looking snowboarders have departed, and then head up the mountain.

You can try downhill mountain biking – as exhilarating as skiing, but warmer and with more to see. It’s best to start with a lesson as it’s actually not as easy, or as obvious, as it looks. The trick is to stay standing up on the pedals and never actually sit on the seat, you also need to be sure that both your feet are level and your legs are more or less straight. Once you are in that position, with your hands loosely gripping the handle bars and poised over the brakes – you’re ready to go! And whoa – do you go! And remember, as you go into a corner, lean the bike into the corner but to keep your body straight, its a slightly odd way of doing things, but it does work. And finally just don’t get too cocky. I speak from experience. There I was convinced I had got the hang of it, took a corner very fast, and lost control. I hit the ground hard, very hard. Never have I been so thankful for padding and a helmet.

If you prefer something with less effort (and arguably with less personal risk) then a hummer tour is one way to get off the usual tourist trail. You get to see some amazing scenery and the driver will probably have fun showing off just how versatile and solid a hummer is by backing it up a slope at almost 180 degrees and tipping it on its side as you go along a bank at the edge of the track. There’s no doubt its fun, but it’s not for the eco-conscious. It’s big, it’s thirsty and it trundles over anything in its path.

For the more environmentally sensitive then there’s always horse riding or hiking. And look out for black bears – there are over 50 living in the woods and spotting one is a great treat. I spied three during my short stay; once while mountain biking and twice from the gondola taking us up the mountain.


Once at the top of Whistler mountain the views are spectacular and the “must have” photo is one with you in front of the Inukshuk . These were built by the First Nations Peoples as directional beacons to help travellers find their way. This inukshuk is also the symbol of the 2010 winter Olympics.


From there be sure to take the peak-to-peak It’s the longest free span gondola in the world with over 3km of wire with no additional support. It offers stunning panoramic views, without all those pylons. If you can grab a place in one of the glass bottomed gondolas then you can watch the world fall away below you as you cross the valley between the mountains of Whistler and Blackcomb. This valley is also home to a huge hydro-electric project. It will produce 33.5 gigawatt hours of hydro electricity per year – the equivalent of powering the ski resort's winter and summer operations including 38 lifts, 17 restaurants, 269 snowguns and countless other buildings and services. Its a big step towards the resort’s aim of a zero operating footprint.


Whistler and Blackcomb are on lands that used to be a trading route for some of the first nations peoples of Canada. These communities have had an important role to play in the preparation for this year’s Olympics and their culture can be experienced by visitors to the resort at any time of year. A trip to the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre is an opportunity to see native arts and crafts, taste traditional foods, and perhaps even take part in some signing and drumming. Speaking to both Wily Lewis from the cultural centre and Tewanee Joseph from the Four Host First Nations for the Winter Olympics, it’s clear that they are proud of their traditions and keen to ensure that visitors understand that their culture is very much alive today, and not consigned to the musty pages of history books.

So if the Olympics give you a yearning for the mountains and next winter seems too far away, then take the Rocky Mountaineer train up from Vancouver and spend a few days enjoying this winter playground while it has its summer clothes on.

AUDIOBLOG: Green Energy [Tessa Laws]

Every Monday, an interview heard on PASSION for the PLANET.

This week Tessa Laws talks about CleanTech and the Rosenblatt Green Energy Awards.

CLICK FOR INTERVIEW.

You can hear more interviews on air and on demand at www.passionfortheplanet.com

Generating Your own Energy - AIR SOURCE HEAT PUMPS

Generating your own energy is now easier and cheaper than ever before.

There are seven key options to choose from: wind turbines, solar water heating and solar electricity, ground source and air source heat pumps, wood fuelled heating and hydro power.

This Friday we’re looking at AIR SOURCE HEAT PUMPS in more detail.

AIR SOURCE HEAT PUMPS absorb heat from the outside air even when the temperature is as low as minus 15° C. This heat is used to warm water for radiators or underfloor heating systems, or to warm the air in your home.

There are two main types:
• An air-to-water system uses the heat to warm water. Heat pumps heat water to a lower temperature than a standard boiler system would, so they are more suitable for underfloor heating systems than radiator systems
• An air-to-air system produces warm air which is circulated by fans to heat your home.

The efficiency of air source heat pump systems is measured by a coefficient of performance (CoP) - the amount of heat they produce compared to the amount of electricity needed to run them. A typical CoP for an air source heat pump is around 2.5.

The benefits of air source heat pumps;
• Reduce your fuel bills: air source heat pumps run on electricity, so there's no need to pay for gas, oil or solid fuels to heat your home.
• Cut down on wasted electricity: heating your home with an air source heat pump is much more efficient than using electric radiators.
• Save space: an air source heat pump system is compact, and requires no storage space for fuel.

Various grants of up to £2500 are also available to encourage home owners to generate their own power. If generating your own power is something you’d like to explore further then The Energy Saving Trust website has a simple questionnaire to help you narrow down your options.

And you can hear more about renewables on PASSION for the PLANET

News Reporting By Numbers

Scarily Accurate
Olly Barrett, London Bureau

Have a look at this ...

How To Report The News


Charlie Brooker is a Guardian columnist. He currently writes Screen burn, a G2 comment piece every Monday and he produces, writes and presents Screenwipe for the BBC.

FSN is PASSION for the PLANET's award winning news partner, providing global news from bureaus worldwide.

You'll find more world news stories, plus analysis from FSN at FSN REPORTERS BLOG .

How Tennis Can Lead You To The Green

When I recently took a trip to Melbourne to watch the Australian Open, I was thinking about whom, if anyone, would beat Federer this year. I wasn’t expecting to see much green activity at all.

After all, living in Sydney I had been disappointed about how much further behind their council was when it came to recycling compared to where I used to live in Surrey, England. Back in the UK my council provided a bin for the recycling of cardboards, bottles (both plastic and glass), paper, tins, cans, a bin for all food waste including bones and shells, a bin for general waste and a bin for garden waste. All in all, our general waste bin, in which rubbish was destined for landfills, was hardly used expect for the occasional bit of plastic wrapping. However, in Sydney they have three bins – one for general waste, one for general recycling and one for garden waste. This means a lot of their food waste is destined for dreaded landfill sites.

So when I went to Melbourne for the tennis my expectations were low. However, my partner booked us into a hotel that prided itself upon being environmentally friendly. And I am pleased to say to say that at the Alto Hotel on Bourke [http://www.altohotel.com.au/], like at Passion for the Planet, they really did walk the talk!

On arrival we were given energy saving key-tags which switch off lighting when you leave your room to save energy. Then instead of complimentary soaps or shampoos, there were dispensers by the sink and shower. This not only saves the hotel money but also prevents the waste caused by unnecessary wrapping.



There was no quadruple quilted rose-smelling wild peach tinted toilet roll – just 100% recycled rolls. A complimentary car park – encouraging petrol emissions you might think? No, no, this car park was free for those with electric or hybrid cars, and offered free re-charging from 100% green energy too!

And how can they claim that they used 100% green energy? Well, the hotel is fully powered by wind energy!
Not only did they manage all of this, but they did it with no compromise on the quality of the hotel whatsoever. The hotel staff were some of friendliest I’ve ever come across, giving useful advice with no lectures on the benefits of sustainability. The food was delicious (the restaurant was a member of Green Table, championing sustainable local produce), the rooms were clean and spacious, the location was perfect. In my mind the Alto on Bourke should be given six stars!

When I went on to research further I later discovered that the Alto is Australia’s first carbon neutral hotel. For a more facts on how the hotel saves on water, electricity and waste see Alto Hotel [http://www.altohotel.com.au/green-star-accommodation-melbourne.php].

So many of these tips and ideas can be applied to your home too. For example to conserve water they used water flow restrictors on all showers and taps. Not only will this help the environment and save you money I can vouch that it didn’t affect my showers as I hadn’t even noticed them during my stay! And by heating this water “on demand” the energy saving is so enormous that despite having a commercial kitchen and 57 bathrooms they only hold 630 litres in reserve, contrast this with a normal suburban household which typically uses a tank holding 200 litres in reserve.

And on the days I didn’t spend watching tennis or in the hotel – I am pleased to say Melbourne still kept the standards high for me! As I walked up Bourke Street to the famous shopping malls I noticed that the public bins had one for recycling and one for general waste. Inside the shopping malls themselves they only had hand dryers rather than paper towels.


Another small but fantastic way the local council helped people to cut their carbon emissions was to have Filtered Water refill stations so that shoppers need not keep buying bottle water to stay hydrated in the Australian heat.


So after visiting Melbourne purely for the Australian Open, I have to say I didn’t think that it would be tennis leading me to the green!

AUDIOBLOG: Winter Olympics [Kevin DeMaskie]

Every Monday, an interview heard on PASSION for the PLANET.

This week Kevin DeMaskie talks about how the locals of Whister feel about the Winter Olympics coming to town, and how environmental concerns have been addressed.

CLICK FOR INTERVIEW.

You can hear more interviews on air and on demand at www.passionfortheplanet.com

Generating Your Own Power - SOLAR ELECTRICIY

Generating your own energy is a great way to cut your carbon and your costs at the same time and with government grants available now is a good time to consider your options.

There are seven key choices: wind turbines, solar water heating and solar electricity, ground source and air source heat pumps, wood fuelled heating and hydro power.

Every Friday (for seven weeks) we’re taking a look at one of the options in more detail.

SOLAR ELECTRICITY systems capture the sun's energy using photovoltaic (PV) cells. The cells convert the sunlight into electricity, which can be used to run household appliances and lighting. PV cells don't need direct sunlight to work - you can still generate some electricity on a cloudy day.

PV cells are panels you can attach to your roof or walls. Each cell is made from one or two layers of semiconducting material, usually silicon. When light shines on the cell it creates an electric field across the layers. The stronger the sunshine, the more electricity is produced. PV cells come in a variety of shapes and colours, from grey "solar tiles" that look like roof tiles to panels and transparent cells that you can use on conservatories and glass.

The strength of a PV cell is measured in kilowatt peak (kWp) - the amount of energy the cell generates in full sunlight.

The are a number of benefits of solar electricity;
• Cut your carbon footprint: A typical home PV system could save around 1200 kg of carbon dioxide per year - that's around 30 tonnes over its lifetime.
• Cut your electricity bills: A typical home PV system can produce around 40% of the electricity a household uses in a year.
• Sell electricity back to the Grid: if your system is producing more electricity than you need, or when you can't use it, someone else can use it - and you could make a bit of money.
• Store electricity for a cloudy day: if your home isn't connected to the national grid you can store excess electricity in batteries to use when you need it.

Various grants of up to £2500 are also available to encourage home owners to generate their own power.

If generating your own power is something you’d like to explore further then The Energy Saving Trust website has a simple questionnaire to help you narrow down your options.

And you can hear more about renewables on PASSION for the PLANET

Snow News

US Capital Freezes
Priscilla Huff, Washington DC Bureau

The US federal government is shut.

The U.S. House of Representatives gave up and went on President's Day recess early.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is planning a trip to Saudi Arabia. Coincidence? Not when the snow is so deep, the weather forecasters have lost count of the inches.

That is my Lhasa Apso, Ginger, on a walk through about 2 inches of snow...that has already been plowed and shoveled three times. The mound of snow next to the bridge is well over a meter and a half.

And yes, there's snow as far as anyone can see. Those are trunks of Kwanzan Cherry trees. Washingtonians are deeply skeptical their famous cherries will ever bloom again, because spring may never come. The lamp posts are about two meters high...and some of them are buried nearly to the the lamp.

My neighbors are wondering, as they try to dig out their cars, where do they put the snow? One neighbor got a car about 95% dug out...and discovered it wasn't his.

Washington is a melting pot. My Iranian neighbors wised up and bought a shovel. The Indian family all works together, but they don't have enough shovels to go around. My Chinese neighbors don't know what to do. And, the Russian teenager keeps himself busy shoveling out cars.

As for myself, I was born in Buffalo, NY, one of the snow capitals of the United States. Yesterday, before this latest snow started, someone observed that the local airport had gotten more snow than Buffalo.

And, for Ginger, he thinks its all fabulous. Lhasa Apsos are the lion dogs of the Buddhist temples of Tibet and Ginger loves to go for a long walk and check out the igloo the young men dug out nearby.

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You'll find world news stories, plus analysis from FSN at FSN REPORTERS BLOG .