British household energy use increased by 18% between 1970 and 2009, according to new statistics. Information, revealed by the Office of National Statistics (ONS), show domestic energy consumption increased from 37 million tonnes of oil equivalent in 1970 to 44 million tonnes of oil equivalent in 2009. The statistics, published in the latest chapter of the Social Trends, also show in 2008, 5.6% of all electricity consumption in the UK was from renewable resources.
A Green event! edie.net had exclusive access a festival aimed at gathering like-minded environmentalists together, The Little Green Gathering, which took place earlier this month. You can read more at http://www.edie.net/news/news_story.asp?src=nl&id=20452
Firefly Solar have recently finished a commission that saw them team up with Timberland on their Earthkeeper power camp tour. Firefly were asked to design the electrical system for the bespoke ‘log rollers’ and also modified a number of the supplied smoothie bikes to include Firefly’s Kinetric PedGen systems. The power generated was stored in Firefly’s Cygnus solar generator for use when required. The Earthkeeper power camp is an interactive consumer experience that educates people on Timberland’s environmental commitments by offering hot drinks and smoothies that are made using the energy supplied by the log rollers and Kinetrics devices. Users at Cornbury and more recently at Camp Bestival were either asked to roll the log roller for six minutes or pedal on the modified bikes for the same amount of time in exchange for a cup of tea or a cool fruit smoothie.
And more from Firefly – as result of Firefly’s sustainability consultation Lovebox Festival have been awarded 2* status out of 3 in Julie’s Bicycles Industry Green (IG) certification scheme for their 2010 event. Lovebox was one of only two major UK festivals to achieve the 2* rating. The policies Firefly introduced helped the festival to lower its carbon footprint by 38%. This rating was achieved by integrating renewable power sources, encouraging public transport, increasing recycling, reducing waste to landfill and introducing a sustainable procurement policy. Firefly are also providing Coca-Cola Enterprises with 6 of its Cygnus generators to power the company’s Event Recycling programme at outdoor events in Great Britain and France. Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) piloted its Event Recycling programme during 2010 with the objective to motivate festival goers to make recycling a daily habit. The Programme recovered over 18 tonnes of recyclate (PET and cans) and reached an audience in excess of half a million people attending eight festivals during the summer of 2010.
Renewable energy pioneers, Good Energy Group, will provide international clothing retailer SuperGroup with 100% renewable electricity to over 70 of SuperGroup’s UK shops, warehouses and offices. Under the new contract, SuperGroup – owner of Cult clothing stores and the Superdry brand – will also benefit from GEG equipment and software to facilitate better energy management across the organisation.
Pub chain JD Wetherspoons, which runs almost 800 pubs, has increased like for like sales of 2.2% for against the same period last year and working with emissions reductions experts, Carbon Statement, the chain has also managed to reduce its energy costs by an average of 7% per pub – not bad considering the chain has also began opening at 7am, with sales of coffees and cooked breakfasts filling the tills and adding to energy bills.
Edie.net reports that the deteriorating quality of plastic collected for recycling is costing local authorities £10M each year, owing to a reduction in the sale value of the material. Leading plastics recycler. ECO Plastics is concerned that local authority spending cuts could further reduce the quality of recycling collections and that, ultimately, councils could face a yearly bill of £20M to landfill the poorest quality materials which cannot be recycled.
Plastic bag use in the UK is UP! New figures released by WRAP show a total of 6.4 billion single-use bags were used by supermarket customers across the UK in 2010. Overall plastic bag use increased by 5% compared to 2009 when 6.1 billion bags were used.
A community group in Skye are now the proud owners of almost 4.5million square metres of forest, after a successful bid to purchase the land from the government. Sleat Community Trust first announced plans to purchase Tolmore Forest in 2009 following the Forestry Commission’s confirmation that the plot was to be sold and raised £330,000 for the deal.
Teresa, Claire, Helen, Cass & Luke
Ben, Sangita and the Croisssant Neuf team
The isle of Wight team pick up their ‘outstanding’ award
Our lovely Awards – designed by Sade Goddard from keswick School, Cumbria
The Lovebox Festival in London and the Isle of Wight’s Bestival are the latest organisations to sign up to the 10:10 climate change campaign which asks members to cut their carbon emissions by 10%. The organisation now has more than 38,000 individual members and 1200 companies and organisations including Tottenham Hotspur football club, Adidas, Microsoft UK and 56 local councils. Both festivals say they are looking to reduce their carbon emissions with Lovebox’s Tom Findlay saying “I was very fired up by the whole notion of the 10:10 campaign” adding “a lot of it is just enormous practical common sense” but cautioning that ”there is no one fundamentally brilliant idea to solve it”. Lovebox are looking at better transport solutions, using sustainable power and providing water fountains to make a change and reduce emissions. At Bestival, organiser and radio 1 DJ Rob da Bank said “we will be looking to make cuts in emissions by creating incentives to use public transport” – the festival will also be using more solar power and local biofuels as well as promoting car sharing. Bestival won an ‘oustanding’ Greener Festival Award in 2009.
With Bestival, The End of the Road and Fitz Fest 09 pretty much signaling the end of the UK’s festival season, the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) have published the results of a survey of people who attended their members’ festivals and have crunched some numbers to show just exactly what a huge contribution to both the UK and local economies festivals make. The survey of over three thousand festival goers includes some eye catching stats: In 2009 AIF member festivals (which include Big Chill, WOMAD, Bestival and Glade) attracted 340,000 people, who spent in excess of £139 million (ticket, travel, food, drink), £16.3 million of which was spent in local towns and cities; the non camping festival Evolution is estimated to boost the economy of the twin cities of Newcastle and Gateshead by £2.9 million and Bestival generates around £600,00 0 in extra revenue for Ferry companies every year as 30,000 revelers travel to and from the Isle of Wight. A similar survey carried out by South Mendip District Council in 2008 found that Glastonbury, with its 177,500 capacity, turns over £25 million itself and contributes a further £75 million into Somerset’s economy. AIF member festivals, who range is size from 1,000 at Glasgowbury to 40,000 at Creamfields, generate on average £1 million for local economies; Hugh Phillimore, founder of the Cornbury Festival said “Not only do we fill every B&B, pub and hotel within a 10 mile radius; lots of local shops stay open to benefit from the extra custom. Cornbury not only makes a huge contribution to the local economy but also supports fundraising for local schools, brownies, and scouts”. The AIF survey also looked at the diversity of entertainment on offer at festivals and discovered that for many punters, music is just a small part of the festival experience and in the case of the Secret Garden Party, 70% spend less than half their time watching bands! Finally the survey looked at the environmental impact of festivals, and looks at how better use of public transport and greater car sharing should be encouraged to further reduce festival s’ carbon footprint. With audience travel being the greatest source of festivals’ greenhouse gas emissions, attention was also paid to the modes of transport used by festival goers. 60% of respondents travelled by car, of which 44% were travelling with three or more sharing the car journey - a figure festival’s are keen to improve on. Claire O’Neill, AIF general manager and co-founder of A Greener Festival said: “It is clear that independent festivals make a significant contribution not only culturally, but also to the local and UK economy” reinforcing the point that with over 300 festivals taking place in the UK each summer, the economic impact on areas of the UK that might otherwise miss out is immense, especially in the current economic climate. 
