Category Archives: Uncategorized

One thing we have learnt this week- Community energy comes of age?

This week community energy has been in the news.  My attention was drawn to the opening of a small hydro scheme in the north of England.  In of itself its of interest since it uses an existing dam which has … Continue reading

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LED street lights

I’ve just returned from a short visit to Birmingham and discovered the city council are replacing all their old street lights with LED street lights.  And not only Birmingham, Liverpool and Warrington are doing the same.  The carbon savings are … Continue reading

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One thing we have learnt this week- population increase

Amid all the news about a certain event today the Guardian had one article that stood out on population increase.  The consensus up until now has been that population will peak sometime this century, probably about 2050.  The team behind … Continue reading

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Self Sufficient August

Self Sufficient August It was going to be “No Buy July”- the challenge was to go without money for a month.  But we delayed the challenge by a month for a variety of reasons: most of our crops were not … Continue reading

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One thing we have learnt this week – battery powered trains

Search the internet for “battery powered trains” and you get a whole pile of people trying to sell you children’s toys.  But this story is not about toys but real battery powered trains.  Bombardier the only manufacturer of trains in … Continue reading

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One thing we have learnt this week – Libya again

A few months ago I wrote a blog post about Libya.  I wish I did not have to write a follow up.  The situation has got much worse since.  A few days ago Egyptian and UAE fighters bombed Islamist militias.  … Continue reading

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magic bullets

The other week the news was full of how bad diesel cars were for the environment, diesel cars being one the latest green magic bullets.  Apparently particulates from diesel engines not only harm our immediate environment but also add to … Continue reading

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One thing we have learnt this week – oil prices

One of the big surprises of recent weeks has been  oil prices.  With all the turmoil throughout the middle east I would have expected oil prices to be soaring.  Instead they are doing the opposite.  Certainly throughout my life whenever … Continue reading

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eating meat

Is eating meat sustainable?  This controversial subject has been raised again in a couple of recent academic studies.  However, like most areas to do with the environment the whole subject of eating meat is more complicated and less open and … Continue reading

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Ukraine

The news agenda moves on and the Ukraine crisis has moved off the front pages.  However, it unfortunately it has not gone away.  The shooting down of MH17 has led to further sanctions being implemented by the EU and the … Continue reading

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