Top Tips for a low Carbon Christmas 3

Christmas is just over a week away and there’s still time to make it a low carbon one.

Here are a few top tips to make your Christmas green…

1) Ditch the turkey – meat production accounts for over 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions (higher than transport!) so cutting back on your meat can make a real difference. How about a healthy nut roast instead? For some meat free recipes try the Munch Less Meat website.

2) No Christmas is complete without chocolate – and now is a great time to treat yourself (remember the diet doesn’t start until January!) so if you do fancy some chocolate – look for fair-trade brands. They taste great and help the farmers in the cocoa growing regions.

3) Try a candlelit Christmas dinner. By turning the lights off and going for atmospheric candles you’ll reduce your power consumption and in turn your CO2 emissions. It may not make a huge difference, but it’s true that every little bit helps and it’ll be more Christmassy with candles anyway!

4) Compost your vegetable scraps – don’t put them in your dustbin. As they rot down in landfill sites they produce leachate and while sitting in your dustbin they attract vermin. Go for a compost bin or a Greencone if you have a garden. If not then ask your local council - many local councils will collect compostable food scraps.

5) Christmas is a time of giving. If you can afford it make one of your gifts a donation to charity – however small, you can be sure your cash will be put to good use. If you haven’t got any spare cash then donate some of your time. A day volunteering can make a huge difference to you and the charity. It’s a great way to give back and for many is an inspiring way to start the new year.


For more Low Carbon Christmas Tips tune into Passion for the Planet and check out next Tuesday’s blog, right here!

Do you want to get your music played on the radio?

Getting radio airplay is easier than you might think. This blog from Schofield And Company tells you how to do it, and I agree with every word. It’s aimed specifically at online radio stations, but the same applies to all types of radio station. So if you’re an aspiring musician here is what you need to know…

Step 1
Visit an online radio station database website to search for stations compatible with your music. Live 365 offers links to over 6000 stations. You can search by genre and each listing will have contact information as well as a link to the station’s website.

Step 2
Study the websites of those stations that interest you, and read their play lists. If you can see your music sitting comfortably alongside the names on the play lists, then put the station on your submission shortlist.

Step 3
Send emails to the contact persons of the stations on your list, politely asking if you can send them your music for airplay consideration. Be sure to address them by name, and let them know that you’re familiar with their format. This will show that you’ve done a little homework, and aren’t just sending out blanket emails to every station out there.

Step 4
Promptly mail your CD to any station that responds favorably to your query. Mail it in a padded envelope marked “Requested Material” along with a brief bio, photo and one-sheet. The one-sheet should be a basic overview of your CD with track names and their running times, along with a word or two about any standout tracks. Include a brief, personalized cover letter and remind them of your previous correspondence.

Step 5
Keep records of all submissions so you can send follow-up emails and keep track of your airplay. Remember these stations will have multiple submissions to review, so wait a couple of weeks before getting in touch again. When you do, be brief and courteous, and ask if the CD arrived and if there are any plans to add it to the rotation.

Step 6
Monitor the playlists of all stations that you submit your music to. It’s up to you to keep track of any airtime you receive.

Step 7
After airplay, thank the station for their support, and ask if there’s anything you can do to support the station. Whether it’s playing at a benefit show, or sending extra CDs for use as giveaways during fundraisers, anything that furthers the relationship will bode well for future airplay.

From Schofield and Company.

Top Tips for Journalism Interns

This summer the London bureau of FSN, PASSION for the PLANET's news partner and the world's leading independent news agency, has been blessed with a steady stream of talented, helpful and generally lovely work experience placements / interns.

In previous jobs though I've worked with some genuinely awful work experience people, so I'm drawing on them for my 'DON'Ts', rather than the excellent helpers we've had in recent months. (Promise).

In the incredibly tough current job market for journalism graduates, impressing a news editor on a work placement is more important than ever: you never know when he/she will have a job going, or will recommend you to someone else who's looking...

Some of these tips are less serious than others, but all are worth bearing in mind.

DO volunteer for anything and everything that needs doing.

DO ask for feedback on your work.

DO turn up on your first day knowing about the broadcaster/publication/company you'll be working for, and what it does.

DO check in regularly with your news editor if you're sent out on a story.

DO offer to make tea.

DO learn to gauge when someone is crashing on an edit or approaching a deadline and hasn't got time to chat.

DO arrive having read the newspapers (or at least having watched/listened to the morning bulletins).

DO turn up every single day with story ideas/coverage possibilities.

DO offer to go out with correspondents/journalists on stories, even if only to help carry stuff. You can learn a lot from watching a journalist work outside of the office.

DO keep in touch once the placement is finished.

DON'T grumble about being asked to go out to do vox pops. It is a rite of passage for you (and for the person asking you to do it).

DON'T blame the equipment if something goes wrong. You should have checked it...

DON'T be defensive if your work is criticised constructively. Lap up any advice going.

DON'T be late. News editors hate journalists that are late.

DON'T EVER come back from an assignment without the material you were sent to get, or admit defeat when given a task. Unless you can prove a near death experience has taken place.

Olly Barratt is FSN's Director of European News Coverage, and the regular World News anchor on PASSION for the PLANET.