Archived Articles
Say it with Flowers
A Warning for Gardeners
Hardy Plants
Reflecting on Copenhagen
Saving Water
Heating energy tips
Packaging
Countdown to Copenhagen
Hints for the care of plants in winter
Outing to Marienwaerdt
Shrinking the Footprint in every Parish
Prayer for Creation Time
Buying Ecologically Sound Paper Products
Green Awareness at the Music and Flower Festival
Countdown to Copenhagen
Churches in Europe are called to respond to climate change
Go for Solar Energy
Dreaming of a Green Christmas
An Answer from the Environment Minister
Making Compost
Thursday Prayers in September - Time for God's Creation
Pulp and Paper - part 1
Production of Pulp and Paper including bleaching - part 2
Using Paper and Paper Products - part 3
Waste Paper and Recycling- part 4
Al Gore's Nobel Peace Prize
Attracting Wildlife to the Garden
Sharing God's Planet
Environment Stewards
Shrinking the Footprint
Shrinking the Footprint Celebrates it's First Birthday
Lighting Guide
Coal-Fired Power Stations
Survey Results
Eco Driving
'Green' Car Information
Do You Know
Away Day - Green Concerns
Water Awareness
SAY IT WITH FLOWERS
I, Pam have been asked to reveal some of the thinking and planning that went into the flower arrangements at the Music and Flower festival.
The theme was Creation and the Environment, something not directly ‘churchy’ and not connected with the stained
glass windows. We had five flower arrangers standing by, and we all wanted to rise to the challenge, and at
the same time make something beautiful, fitting for the Dedication Festival of our church. Our solution was
to celebrate different sorts of Renewable Energy – all coming from natural resources that are constantly
replenished. The five arrangers each chose their own focus, and the detailed planning began.
This kind of flower arranging is a sort of ‘installation art’ in which colours and shapes are put together
to suggest an idea, or evoke a mood, or tell a story. The materials are flowers and leaves, sometimes
combined with fabric and ‘stage props’ to provide a backdrop or spell out the meaning. It needs careful
planning, but there are always surprises on the day. A particular colour combination, the curve of a stem,
flowers that are still in bud instead of full bloom – any of these may lead to a change of plan as the
arrangement grows in your hands.
As I write this in early June, I do not know exactly how the flowers will look! However, here is what we
thought we would do:
1. In the porch, by way of welcome, sunny-coloured flowers to celebrate Solar Energy.
2. At the back of the church, under the west window, a cheerful arrangement about the cycle of Growth
and Compost. This is an arrangement that tells a story, beginning with real (but non-smelly!) garden
and kitchen waste and a real weed (carefully nurtured at home for the purpose) and ending with a
colourful flower and vegetable garden growing on the church window ledge.
3. and 4. On each side of the arch in the church, two arrangements to celebrate the Power of Water and
Wind. For Water, the flowers are arranged upside down at several different levels, like a rushing
waterfall. For Wind, there is a row of Bird of Paradise flowers standing tall like wind turbines, and
other plants blown sideways by the wind that seems to come out of trumpet-shaped flowers on one side.
5. In the sanctuary, two arrangements: Bread on the left (in warm, pale colours) and Wine on
the right (in shades of red). A real, large loaf and a jug of wine (pouring out red cloth) are added.
For any visitor, here is a celebration of the Fruits of the Earth, which ‘earth has given and human
hands have made’. For some, the bread and wine may also become a source of renewed spiritual energy –
‘the bread of life and the cup of salvation’.
Pam de Wit, for the Green Awareness Group
HARDY PLANTS FOR DRY, SUNNY BORDERS
Below is just a selection of the most popular varieties of plants that are suitable for planting in hot, dry beds. However, with all of these plants, they need to be established first before they are left to fend for themselves - and that will of course mean some watering, especially for young and newly planted plants. Usually by the second year they can pretty much fend for themselves but remember they are not desert plants, so if you want them to thrive instead of merely survive, water them - just don't over-water them!
Acaena species Achillea species
Armeria maritime Bergenia species
Ceanothus species Cheiranthus species
Cistus species. Convolvulus
Cytisus species Dianthus species
Eryngium species Gaillardia species
Genista Lydia Hypericum species
Juniper species Lavender species
Mahonia species Miscanthus species
Hardy ornamental Sages Rosemary species
Santolina chamaecyparissus Tamarix.
Thymus species Verbascum species.
Weigela species
Other favourites:
Cold-hardy opuntias, echinops, yuccas and sempervirens, as well as euonymus varieties, oriental yew, and evergreen boxwood. All these are evergreen varieties.
Stachys byzantina (?Lamb's Ears?). It attracts bees and is great for dried and fresh flower arrangements. Children love this plant as well; the leaves feel furry and soft like a lamb, hence the name.
Vinca can go a long time without any water and keep right on blooming and showing no signs of stress - even in full sun.
Ornamental grasses, artemisia ('Silver King') and all sedum plants, the many varieties of lantana and perennial salvias, and gaura ('Whirling Butterflies').
My own contribution: the small begonia semperflorens is hardy, drought- and water- resistant and flowers until the end of October.
Henny, for the Green Awareness Group
A WARNING FOR GARDENERS
Contaminated farmyard manure can cause damage to vegetable crops in gardens and allotments. This contamination is caused by application of weed killer to farmland used to grow hay and other forage which are then eaten by stock?.
This statement from the Royal Horticultural Society in the UK sounds a far cry from my flower beds or vegetable garden, but I found out last year that the problem can, alas, occur here too. I bought some vegetable plants in ?plugs? from a reputable local Garden Centre and planted them in my garden, hoping for nice crops of lettuce and spinach beet. Nothing happened ? the little plants stayed as they were, their leaves curled up, but all summer they never grew. Other plants from seed sown by me grew normally, so it would appear that the plugs themselves were contaminated. This year I shall buy seed and plant it myself and see what happens ? healthy plants, I hope. One relief is that by this spring the contamination will have gone, particularly if the ground is dug over.
Weed killer damage to gardens and allotments has been discovered in the UK. Leaf vegetables and flowers are distorted and useless. This damage is caused by a hormone-type weed killer used to kill broad-leaved weeds on grassland. The active ingredients are transferred along the food chain to the cattle that eat the grass, and so on to the bags of dried manure that we buy at the Garden Centre. The ingredient causing the damage is called AMINOPYRALID. If you suspect your ground is contaminated, dig it over several times. Residue levels in the soil decline rapidly, so, three weeks after digging, your ground should be safe to use for planting. Any perennial plants should be well manured in the spring with your own compost or leaf-mould or some other safe product, and any affected plants should be disposed of in the general garbage and NOT in the GFT wheelie bin. The RHS also recommends Local Council compost, but I am personally not happy with that solution, having had another form of contamination from this compost in the past ? horsetail weed, with roots that go down to China!
Margery, for the Green Awareness Group
REFLECTING ON COPENHAGEN
Back in mid-December the world was waiting for the results of the Copenhagen Climate Conference. In Utrecht, campaigners for reducing carbon emissions put on a big event in the Jaarbeurs (impressive green lights and drums), and a candle-lit vigil (a small gathering on a frosty night at the Neude). Members of the Holy Trinity Green Awareness Group joined in this wider programme, and we also expressed our concern about climate change on Sunday, 13th December by a very moving short service which ended with 350 chimes of our bell. It was a message of warning: we have already passed what many scientists believe is the safe limit of 350 parts per million of CO2 in the atmosphere.
One member of the bell-ringing team said later: ‘What went through me as we were actually ringing the bell was that it really is a shame that it has to come to this, that we have to ring church bells to warn mankind of the disastrous things we are doing to our planet. Not only the world leaders but each and every one of us should change the way we are living. Change the world but start with yourself. Ringing the church bells was also frightening because usually they are used to warn people of danger. That’s what I felt – danger!’
After much discussion and high expectations, the outcomes at Copenhagen were very disappointing. The agreement brokered by US President Barack Obama with China and others did set up the first significant programme of climate aid to poorer nations, and urged deeper cuts in emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases blamed for global warming, but it did not require them. Critics are now calling this window dressing, and many say that the conference was a failure.
There is another chance in 2010: the next international discussions will take place this year in Mexico City, and will seek to accomplish what the Copenhagen conference failed to do. Let's pray that the leaders will learn from the mistakes made in 2009.
Our Advent bible study course on Creation theology gave us a sombre but hopeful perspective on the present situation : ‘Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse (see Genesis 3, 17). But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay’. (Romans 8, 20 – 21, New Living Translation).
The Green Awareness Group
SAVING WATER
Why should we save water here in this country? There is certainly no shortage of it here, so what's this all about? It has been pointed out
to me that the clean, pure water that comes out of our taps has required pumping and purification, and it is this treatment that uses lots
of energy.
So what can we do to cut down on our use of water? No one is saying that we mustn't drink it, but there are many other uses
that turn into misuse:
1. First of all, we keep our bodies clean with bathing and stepping under the shower, but is it necessary to
fill the tub up to the brim, or keep the shower going for 15 minutes? These are luxuries we can no longer afford.
2. Brushing your teeth does not necessitate leaving the tap on during the whole process. A cup of water is sufficient.
3. Washing our clothes usually entails the use of a washing machine, but let's not casually turn it on for just a couple of items.
4. As for washing our dishes, we can make that a once-a-day job.
5. Of course we must acknowledge that flushing our lavatories requires lots of water. We can put a brick in the tank to reduce
the amount of water, or we can follow the motto of the Americans in San Francisco during a water shortage, when people were required
by law to use less. It sounds disgusting but it works:
'If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down.'
6. Save rainwater to use for the garden and washing the car.
7. Use the minimum amount of water for keeping your house clean.
8. Avoid pouring chemicals or oil in the sink. Such substances make it necessary to use more energy and water to clean up.
All of us must do our part to save energy - in every way we can.
Mary, for the Green Awareness Group
TIPS FOR SAVING HEATING ENERGY AND TO REDUCE YOUR HEATING BILLS
This winter, save money and stay warm. Keep your energy bill and your pollution output low this winter by taking a whole-house approach to heating.
1) Place heat-resistant radiator reflectors between exterior walls and the radiators.
2) Bleed trapped air from hot-water radiators once or twice a season; if in doubt about how to perform this task, call a professional.
3) Clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators as needed; make sure they're not blocked by furniture, carpeting, or drapes.
4) Clean or replace filters on furnaces once a month or as needed.
5) Turn off kitchen, bath, and other ventilating fans within 20 minutes after you are done cooking or bathing to retain heated air.
6) Install a programmable thermostat that can adjust the temperature according to your schedule.
7) Insulate your hot water heater and hot water pipes to prevent heat loss.
8) Insulate heating ducts in unheated areas such as attics and crawlspaces and keep them in good repair to prevent heat loss of up to 60 per cent at the registers.
9) Heating can account for almost half of the average family's winter energy bill. Make sure your furnace or heat pump receives professional maintenance each year.
10) Explore ways to save energy and improve the environment by taking simple steps around your home.
11) During the heating season, keep the draperies and shades on your south facing windows open during the day to allow the sunlight to enter your home and closed at night to reduce the chill you may feel from cold windows.
12) Set your thermostat as low as is comfortable when at home. Lowering the heating by 1 degree C, saves up to 7 per cent of your heating bill.
13) By resetting your programmable thermostat from 22 C to 18 C for eight hours a day (for instance, while no one is home or while everyone is tucked in bed) you can cut your heating bill by up to 10 per cent.
14) Weatherize your home—caulk and weather strip any doors and windows that leak air.
15) Properly maintain and clean heating equipment.
16) Check the insulation in your attic, ceilings, exterior and basement walls, floors, and crawl spaces to see if it meets the levels recommended for your area.
Kim
for Green Awareness
ALL THAT PACKAGING
Unwrapping presents is fun! I’m sure this Christmas we’ve all enjoyed being given a gift wrapped in fancy paper and been full of curiosity as to what lay within. Perhaps you are someone who rips the paper off immediately to see what is inside or perhaps, like me, you carefully remove the tape and slowly peel back the paper, building anticipation as you go. At Sinterklaas you may even have received a gift cleverly disguised as something completely different by ingenious packaging.
These occasions are all well and good (though you can often re-use the fancy paper by ironing the creases away) - but for weekly groceries, for instance, do we really need layer upon layer of shrink wrap, plastic trays and plastic bags' I certainly don’t get any pleasure out of spending ages removing plastic covers from foodstuffs in order to make them last longer in the fridge by reducing condensation. What happened to the old fashioned buying of loose vegetables and carrying them home in a paper bag' UK supermarkets are even worse than those in this country for overuse of packaging. Some companies are beginning to produce biodegradable packaging so, when choosing between similar products, be aware and pick the ‘green’ ones. Let’s save packaging for where it is really needed, and use paper instead of plastic wherever possible and recycle that paper afterwards.
Remember, before you recycle envelopes from all your Christmas cards, to remove the stamps, by tearing roughly around the stamp, and give your collection to Pam for eventual resale to philatelists. (All stamps except UK ones with only the Queen’s head can be reused in this way.) Christmas cards, once they are finished with, can be recycled but they can also be cut up and utilised by people keen on craftwork to make into new cards and gift labels.
When shopping carry your own cloth bag and refuse plastic bags from the shop. Join with the Green Awareness group in limiting your overuse of packaging!
Sheila, for the Green Awareness Group
COUNTDOWN TO COPENHAGEN
EUROPEAN COMMISSION PROPOSES GLOBAL BLUEPRINT TO HELP DEVELOPING NATIONS FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE
[Most striking are the enormous sums required. However, to put these figures into perspective: the total EU budget for 2009 amounts to around €133.8 billion.]
The European Commission has put forward its proposals on financial assistance to developing countries to help them combat climate change. This initiative aims to maximize the chances of concluding an ambitious global climate change agreement at the UN climate conference in Copenhagen this month. The sums involved are potentially significant, both ambitious and fair, but developed and economically advanced developing countries must also make a contribution.
By 2020 developing countries are likely to face annual costs of around €100 billion to mitigate their greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Much of the finance needed will have to come from domestic sources and an expanded international carbon market, but international public financing of some €22-50 billion a year is also likely to be necessary. The Commission proposes that industrialized nations and economically more advanced developing countries should provide this public financing in line with their responsibility for emissions and ability to pay. This could mean an EU contribution of some €2-15 billion a year by 2020, assuming an ambitious agreement is reached in Copenhagen, aimed at preventing global warming from reaching the dangerous levels – more than 2°C above the pre-industrial temperature - projected by the scientific community.
Three main sources of finance should play a role in meeting these needs. Domestic public and private finance in developing countries could cover 20-40 %, the international carbon market around 40 % and international public finance could contribute to the remainder. The Commission estimates that a well-designed, expanded international carbon market could generate financial flows to developing countries of as much as €38 billion a year by 2020. However, this assumes that, as the EU advocates, developed countries take on a collective 30% emission reduction target and that a sectoral crediting mechanism is introduced for advanced developing countries in place of the project-based Clean Development Mechanism.
The more ambitious the carbon market is, the less need there will be for international finance from public sources. International public finance should be provided not only by industrialized countries but also by economically more advanced developing nations. Each country's contribution should be based on an agreed scale reflecting its responsibility for emissions and its ability to pay. Depending on the relative weighting given to these criteria, the EU’s contribution would be between 10 and 30% of the global total.
The Commission estimates that developing countries could need €9-13 billion a year from international public financing in 2013, rising to €22-50 billion a year
by 2020. These figures would imply EU contributions of €900 million: €3.9 billion in 2013 and €2-15 billion a year by 2020.
Assuming a satisfactory Copenhagen deal, a fast start should be made to international public funding for developing countries. Some €5-7 billion of assistance a year is likely to be needed in 2010-2012. Based on the proposed common scale, the EU's contribution would be €500 million: 2.1 billion a year. However, the Commission proposes that the EU should consider increasing its contribution beyond this range.
From an EU News bulletin, September 2009, excerpted by
Henny for the Green Awareness Group
HINTS FOR THE CARE OF PLANTS IN WINTER
A GENERAL TIP
A plant in a pot has much less insulation for the roots than in the open ground, so pots left out of doors need to be protected from draughts and wind, using cardboard, newspaper etc. In a shed put pots on bricks to protect them from cold draughts under the door.
AMARYLLIS
When it has finished flowering set it aside in a cool room. Give it water and some fertilizer from time to time. About May, put it outside in a sheltered spot in shadow. Bring it back indoors in October and allow it to dry. Cut off any dead leaves and wait for the bulb to show some green, then put it in a warm room and water well. Give fertilizer occasionally. When the flowering is over, repeat the care. In this way the bulb will flower for several years, though perhaps not as abundantly as in the first year.
FUSCHIA, LANTANA, GERANIUM
Bring indoors around October. Leave to dry a little and prune to shape. In Spring (around March) give more water and fertilizer. In May these plants can go outdoors again, though they will not flower as early as in the first year.
SUMMER BULBS – LILIES ETC
I believe it is best to plant lilies in a large pot. In winter take the pot into a frost-free space, keeping the soil just moist until Spring. In March give some fertilizer and in April put the pot out in a sunny protected space – but return it to winter quarters if serious frost is threatened.
DAHLIAS
Dig the tubers up if frost is threatened, or at any rate in late October. Put them in a tray and allow the earth on them to dry. Then dust them off and wrap them lightly in newspaper and keep them in a cool, frost-free place. Inspect them sometimes and remove any suspect tubers. Plant them out again in May.
ROSES
If serious frost threatens, pack around the base with autumn leaves, and use fleece or a piece of netting to keep the leaves from blowing away. For standard roses, protect the stem from just below the graft upwards with fleece or a plastic bag. The base of a standard rose is usually a strong briar that can withstand frost.
Margery for the Green Awareness Group
GREEN AWARENESS GROUP OUTING SATURDAY 5TH SEPTEMBER
It's amazing how the seasons come and go. The autumnal equinox seems to be thrust upon us this year without much warning and it's back to the winter woollies again! Well, in all fairness, we were blessed with a pretty good summer and just at the tail end of it, at the recommendation of Maarten Rigter of the Green Awareness Group, 19 of us spent a most memorable late summer's day at the Heerlijkheid Marienwaerdt. This is a beautiful 900 hectare country estate owned by the Van Verschuer family since 1734, located in the heart of the Betuwe in the Geldermalsen region. The original estate dates back to 1129 when an abbey was built with its main buildings erected around the cloister on the site of the present manor house. The name 'Marienwaerdt' meaning 'island of Maria' denotes the piece of elevated land or ridge on which the buildings were erected, protecting them from flooding from the River Linge. On the surrounding land there are 3 country-houses and 17 farms. The estate is completely ecological and is farmed on biological principles - no chemicals, pesticides, fertilisers or animal medicines are used - everything is 'puur natuur.' Self-sufficiency is the aim and with the abundance of grain fields, fruit orchards, nut trees, dairy and meat cattle fed on the crops grown there, sheep grazed on the pastures and a host of products sold in the farm shop and consumed in the brasserie and restaurant, it seems that their goal is achieved! On arrival we were welcomed with a hearty portion of delicious homemade spicy apple cake and coffee in the delightful rustic ambiance of the recently restored oak-beamed pancake house: 'De Stappel(b)akker' adorned with antique chandeliers! Our guide Lars gave us a brief rundown on the history of the estate and escorted us outside to begin our tour. Little did we know the extent of the educational/endurance exercise that lay ahead of us! Its not every day one has the occasion to sit in a horse-drawn covered wagon pulled by two rather frisky horses. For those of you old enough to remember the westerns Laramie or Wagon Train on the BBC back in the 60's it seemed like we were being taken on a trip into the Wild West! One almost needed a leg-up to hoist oneself into the carriage. Suddenly one of the horses reared up and caused the carriage to rock from side to side! In spite of the coachman's efforts to pacify the horses they were clearly disturbed firstly by a surge of motorbikes roaring into the car-park and later by any unsuspecting vehicle passing along the narrow road circling the estate. After a rather hair-raising 3 kilometer ride led by the driver on foot (!) it was decided to put the dear horses to pasture at a nearby farm and continue the rest of our tour by tractor-drawn carriage. This proved less stressful albeit somewhat noisier. The exhaust fumes of the tractor were counteracted by the sheer freshness and natural beauty all around us and our attentions focused on the abundance of wild life and vegetation. We embarked once more for a visit to the stately manor house: Marienwaert surrounded by a beautiful picturesque garden and adjoining walled kitchen-garden reminiscent of the manorial system in England. A quick peep into the downstairs area of this house revealed an exquisite collection of Chinese, French and English porcelain and an interesting display of family photos and a magnificent dolls' house. On completion of the tour we returned to 'De Stappel(b)akker' for a late lunch of tasty pancakes and refreshing freshly pressed fruit juices. A quick visit to the farm shop with its tremendous variety of home grown products, chutneys, jams, cheeses, juices, biological 'vino' and the like finished off a day which proved fruitful in more ways than one! Many thanks to Maarten for coordinating this visit and organizing it with Sheila along with others and Kim for attending to the financial matters with even a bit of cash left over to contribute to the hurch Windows Fund. Jolly good all round I'm sure we will all agree and certainly not an outing to forget!!
Anne Andriessen
SHRINKING THE FOOTPRINT IN EVERY PARISH
The Church of England's environmental campaign is now three years old. To mark the recent event, the Shrinking the Footprint campaign has unveiled energy saving toolkits for every parish.
The Bishop of London, the Rt Revd Richard Chartres is urging the dioceses to go one step further in cutting the carbon, reminding them that caring for the planet is a Christian imperative for the sake of future generations.
He urged the church to campaign for change, both at local level, and in the international arena. Important climate change talks take place at Copenhagen in December.
New toolkits and resources with energy saving tips and guidance for the CofE's churches, cathedrals, schools and clergy homes are now available at www.shrinkingthefootprint.org. These include downloadable action plans and checklists along with advice on considering the appropriate use of renewable energy in church buildings.
Nearly all dioceses now have an environment officer with many promoting their own green policies to cut the carbon in every parish.
A PRAYER FOR 'CREATION TIME'
(In recent years the Christian churches in Europe have begun to use the weeks of September and early October as a time to remember and pray for the protection of God's Creation.)
As the air sings with songs of glory,
as the water flashes with the silver of creation,
as the forest blooms with leaves for the healing of nations,
so may God's light and love,
fill our hearts and souls and minds.
Amen
Prayer quoted from www.ecocongregation.org
BUYING ECOLOGICALLY SOUND PAPER PRODUCTS
After all the information in the previous instalments, it's now time to give you some practical tips when buying ecologically sound paper products.
The best choice is to use recycled paper. The second best possibility is chlorine free paper. At the moment there is also FSC-certified paper available in the following classes:
FSC 100% label: made of wood grown in sustainable FSC-managed forests;
FSC mixed sources: paper made of a minimum of 50% FSC certified-pulp, the other 50% of the pulp is made of recycled fibres or FSC-controlled (not certified) sources;
FSC recycled label: paper made of a minimum of 85% post-consumer recycled material (rest of the material is pre-consumer recycled material).
Note: FSC label has no requirements relating to the use of chemicals - including chlorine - during the production of paper.
To make buying environmentally friendly paper - including tissue paper - easy; use the existing labels. The most important - and reliable - labels are:
German blue angel label European eco label FSC label Nordic swan label
Recycled label. For tissue-/toilet paper use paper with this label, which is accompanied by the text: 'gemaakt van 100% kringlooppapier'.
The most environmentally sound label is the German blue angel. Note: always look at the subscript on the label. For instance: Nordic swan label with subscript 'Low emissions during production' only gives information about the production process. It says nothing about the use of recycled fibres or chlorine during production.
Addresses
In Utrecht we have a shop specialised in paper products of recycled fibres called Bureaubewust, Zakendragerssteeg 10/12, phone: 030 230 06 29. You can also order products on the web: www.bureaubewust.nl
Only by Internet: Viking Direct: www.vikingdirect.nl for private individuals. Choose the options: papier producten, kantoorpapier, milieubewust en gerecycled papier. They also sell chlorine free paper.
For more information, mail m.rigter@reenqconsult.nl. This was the last instalment in the present series. If future circumstances make it necessary, there will be a further article with updated information. Time for change. Now it's now up to you to buy!
Maarten Rigter
GREEN AWARENESS AT THE MUSIC AND FLOWER FESTIVAL
Saturday, 13th June, was a lovely day. Music and flowers inside the church, plants and bird song outside in the garden and that in full view of the refreshment stall and the book stall. To be honest, the bird song came from a tape, but it drew people towards the Green Awareness stall, where animated discussions took place on what plant would be best or on some environmental issue. A sign-up sheet for an excursion to be organised by the Green Awareness group to Mariënwaerdt, an estate where all the farms produce organic food only, for 5 September was also available. For the children small pots with garden cress seed were for sale at a small price. After all, green awareness begins at home.
Members of the group took it in turns to go into the church and listen to the music, especially to the performers from their own group: Mieps Fontein and Father John de Wit. Occasionally somebody hopped over to the bookstall, for Betty and Mary, who with the bookstall raised ' 140.60, are members of the Green Awareness Group as well. And once or twice they came over to have a look at the plants.
We had some 176 plants to begin with and sold ' 70.60 worth of stock. Especially the boxes with bizzy lizzies and begonias made a colourful display. They were among the first to be sold. At the end of the day there were still a good many plants left for those people who came on Sunday to admire the beautiful decorations.
On Sunday the weather prevented us from going into the garden to sell more plants, but the remaining pots with garden cress seed were handed out at the door after the service. They were so popular that some people pretended to be small in order to get one! Some of the remaining plants will go in the church garden. And now we are looking forward to our excursion to Mariënwaerdt, where we will be able to learn about ecological farming.
Henny for the Green Awareness Group
INTERNATIONAL GREEN AWARENESS
Green Awareness is found not only in Holy Trinity Utrecht. Last September there was a meeting in Milan of the European Christian Environmental Network. One hundred delegates from 27 countries and all Christian traditions took part.
The final statement of this Assembly said: 'The roots of human destruction of the environment are to be sought in our most deep-seated attitudes. It is not enough for humans to keep alive by consuming the world around them; they need a relationship with the world that is not purely utilitarian and market-based'.
Churches were encouraged to come together to help overcome the threat of water shortages, decreased harvests, natural disasters, diseases, migration and other projected effects of climate change.
Church leaders and individual Christians all over Europe were urged to talk to their governments and political representatives in the European Parliament, where important decisions will soon be taken.
In December 2009 there will be a major political meeting in Copenhagen for international talks to establish a new climate change agreement. The first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol comes to an end in 2012. By then an international agreement on climate change must be in place to keep the global temperature rise within two degrees C. The Copenhagen meeting could be the last chance to get an agreement to achieve this.
Christian Aid has launched a new campaign called Countdown to Copenhagen, to persuade the leaders of the European Union to work for a climate change deal that offers greater justice to the poorer communities who already bear the brunt of global warming. The major principles of the campaign are that wealthier countries, including those in the EU, should bear the responsibility for cutting carbon emissions, and that they should pay for the technology that poorer countries need to develop cleanly.
Watch the international news this year and pray that the Churches of Europe may play their part in helping people to find new ways of looking at God's world.
Pam
with thanks to the diocesan Environment Newsletter
COUNTDOWN TO COPENHAGEN
In December 2009 world leaders will meet in Copenhagen for international talks to try to establish a new climate change agreement.
Christian Aid, which last month launched its Countdown to Copenhagen campaign, says this will be a vitally important meeting because the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol comes to an end in 2012. By then an international agreement on climate change must be in place to keep the global temperature rise to within two degree C. So Copenhagen may well be the last chance to get an agreement that could achieve this.
The aim of the Countdown to Copenhagen campaign is to gets leaders of the European Union to work for a climate change deal that takes into account the need for greater justice for the poorer communities who are already bearing the brunt of global warming. The major principles of the campaign are that wealthier countries, including those in the EU, should bear the responsibility for cutting carbon emissions, and that they should pay for the technology that poorer countries need to develop cleanly.
Christian Aid has produced a range of material designed to help us play our part in lobbying MEPs, informing local media, making and collecting pledges. For fuller details log onto www.christianaid.org.uk/climatechange or contact Elizabeth Perry at eperry@christian-aid.org.
CHURCHES IN EUROPE ARE CALLED TO RESPOND TO THE CHALLENGE OF CLIMATE CHANGE
The theme of the 7th Assembly of the European Christian Environmental Network (ECEN) which took place in September in Milan was 'The true challenge of climate change'. One hundred delegates from 27 countries and from all Christian traditions took part.
The final statement of the Assembly underlined that: 'The roots of human destruction of the environment are to be sought not just in actions, but in our most deep-seated attitudes. It is not enough for humans to keep alive by consuming the world around them; they need a relationship with the world that is not purely utilitarian and market-based'.
Churches need to accept the challenge to come together to overcome the threat of water shortages, decreased harvests, natural disasters, diseases, migration and many other projected effects of climate change.
Church leaders, church communities across the continent and individual Christians were urged to address their respective governments and political representatives in the European Parliament in the next few months, where important decisions will be taken.
'The EU commitments for Green House Gasses emission must not be achieved through offsetting emissions: significant cuts of greenhouse gas emissions have to be achieved through efforts here and now,' says the final document.
With thanks to the Bath and Wells Diocesan Environment Group (DEG) for summarizing the Milan assembly report.
GO FOR SOLAR ENERGY!
Recently the Dutch firm Derbigum in Delft organised a seminar for the building industry on various aspects of the use of solar energy. Speakers were representatives from several organisations: Holland Solar, the trade organisation of installers of solar panels; SenterNovem, the government-subsidised organisation for innovation and development of renewable energy; Energieker, a supplier of traditional solar panels; Dimension 5, a sister organisation of Derbigum, reporting on a new type of solar panel.
Holland Solar has an interesting website, including a section in English, explaining about solar energy, available subsidies, listing its members, bringing news about innovations in solar panels etc. It is helpful to be able to consult the members' list and find a supplier nearby who is backed by a knowledgeable organisation.
SenterNovem knows everything about subsidies. A new subsidy has been implemented as of 10 September 2008, for existing housing and aimed at the promotion of solar boilers. Knowing that existing housing is the focus of this new subsidy is good news for all of us. SenterNovem also has an English slot on its website. It is really worthwhile to have a look at it.
The Energieker representative explained that the application for subsidy means pages and pages of paperwork. His complaint was immediately taken on board by the SenterNovem representative. The subsidies available for 2008 have all been used, but people can apply again in 2009. It is not a subsidy on the investment but on the amount of electricity that is produced. It is in fact a compensation for the higher price of solar energy as compared to gas or coal. Energieker in particular works for consumers and small businesses.
Finally there was a presentation on a new product: Derbisolar. It is especially suitable for flat or slightly sloping roofs and based on a-Si panels, which weigh a lot less than c-Si panels. But the developers first and foremost have industrial buildings in mind, both new and existing constructions. It may therefore take some time before it becomes available for the consumer market. Now, if consumers would start to pound the producers' doors' Anyway, it is good to know about new developments.
Henny
DREAMING OF A GREEN CHRISTMAS
When life gets busy, it's tempting to cut corners ' but with a bit of planning you can make Christmas beautiful and green!
Christmas trees (in Utrecht) will be collected during the 3 weeks after Christmas, along with the main rubbish collection. However, they cannot be recycled ' so here are some other options. You can rent a tree, which is replanted again after use. In Utrecht you can order your huurkerstboom up to 8th December. See the details on the Milieupunt Utrecht website, or ask your local council. Another option is to recycle your tree several times over. Start off in January with a winter feast for the birds: set up the tree in the garden, and trim it with half-
oranges, suet balls, popcorn threaded on string, peanuts in shells. For Valentine's Day, cut off a small branch, stick it in a small pot filled with plaster filler, then paint the branch white and decorate with red ribbons and hearts. At Holy Trinity, when Lent begins, we saw off the branches of the tree and make a rugged cross out of the main stem ' you could make a smaller version in your garden. Save one nice branch for an Easter egg tree, decorated with white and yellow ribbons and tiny eggs.
All that paper! Have a box handy when you take down the Christmas cards. They can be recycled, or cut up to make new cards ' and handy note pads for shopping lists. Keep a bigger box to collect used wrapping paper - remove any plastic or foil. If you have no convenient recycling station, why not bring all this paper when you come to church: it's a 5 minute walk to the recycling stations here - outside Albert Heijn on the Burgermeister Reigerstraat, and near the Rosarium.
Stamps ' please keep them (leave a small border of envelope round them) and bring them for the Intercontinental Church Society, which can raise money from used stamps (any sort except UK stamps with only the Queen's head on them) ' to support English-speaking churches and mission work all over Europe.
Cooking ' enjoy the seasonal foods that have not been flown in from thousands of miles away, and try something biologisch for a special treat.
And if you need disposable plates etc for a party, there is no need to throw away lots of plastic. Ask in the Natuurwinkel for plates, bowls, beakers and cutlery, which are solid to use but made from compostable plant fibre.
The Green Awareness Group
An Answer from the Environment Minister
(following our survey and letter in March)
Dear members of the Green Awareness Group,
Thank you very much for your letter of 18 March 2008. You have shown your commitment to the environment and the tasks which lie ahead in the field of
energy supplies. In your letter you indicate that you were shocked because the minister only wants to go for 2% energy savings and you would like the efforts of the minister in this area to be raised.
You have also made an inventory of measures in which your group would want to invest. I appreciate your commitment in this very much. What strikes me is that you mention investments in energy saving measures as well as investments in green energy and solar panels. Also, your list of energy sources which create no or less CO2-emission, features both measures to save energy and measures to promote the use of so-called renewable energy. The latter include solar and wind energy, energy from biomass digestion and geothermal power, to mention a few.
You will probably be pleased to hear that the Cabinet, too, focuses on these two groups of measures. Especially with this in mind a working-programme, Clean and Economical, has been set up. Extrapolations of this programme by the research institutes Energie Onderzoekcentrum Nederland (ECN) [Netherlands Energy Research Centre (ECN)] and the Milieu en Natuur Planbureau (MNP) [Environment and Nature Planning Bureau (MNP)] show that the entire set of measures will lead to an average energy saving of 2 to 2.3% per year in the period 2011-2020 plus a commitment to work towards 15 to 17% renewable energy by 2020. This is therefore considerably more than the 2% which you mentioned in your letter.
For your information I enclose the brochure 'Nieuwe energie voor het klimaat' [New energy for the climate] on the working-programme Clean and Economical. Among other things it describes what the specific results may be of the measures the Cabinet intends to take. This refers to energy saving as well as intensifying the use of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind energy and biomass-generated energy.
Concerning the arrival of new coal-fired power plants, I should like to point out that you received information in a previous letter from the minister concerning the permission procedure. By means of this procedure you will be able to examine whether in a specific case of a new power plant to be built the legal environmental requirements will be met. If in your opinion this should not be the case, legal possibilities exist to object to the intended construction.
I hope that the above may convince you all that the Cabinet takes the energy question very seriously and works hard for qualitatively good solutions for the short and longer term.
Yours sincerely,
The Director of Sources and Emissions...
Ms. Drs. A. Berg.
Thanks to Jan Wever and Henny van den Brink-Koolschijn for the translation.
Making Compost
Until this year, the two big brown GFT rubbish bins in the parsonage garden were emptied every Friday ' now it's only once a fortnight. With grass cuttings in summer and fallen leaves in winter, and our ongoing efforts to improve the garden, we had a problem. But the city council was also offering a free compost bin delivered to your door. In April we began to make our own compost.
The bin stands on bare soil and has holes in the bottom for worms to get in. It stands in a sheltered but warmish spot. It is a handy place to put all sorts of rubbish from the garden and the kitchen: raw peel from vegetables and fruit (but orange and grapefruit peel take too long to compost); grass clippings (in moderation), hedge trimmings, soft weeds (with roots removed), dead flowers from flower arrangements, some card and paper, plus tea bags and coffee grounds.
To avoid vermin, some things do not go in the bin ' cooked food, fish, meat and bones, dairy products, cat litter and hondpoep. Otherwise we have a good variety of stuff, and I stir it with a big stick occasionally, to mix it well and to let in air which encourages the worms to mix it some more. They also like it moist, so sometimes the contents of the bin need watering a little.
I find there are three stages in making compost. The first mix looks unpromising, and may be a bit smelly, and it needs patience. You can speed things up with 'compost accelerator' from the garden centre, or a handful of soil, or certain leaves such as nettle or borage (fortunately this grows as a weed in the garden). The second stage, when it happens, is a surprise. The mix warms up. It can get quite hot, and this goes on for a time while the stuff itself begins to change. Even more suddenly, it seems, comes the next stage ' the whole lot has turned into a rich loam, smelling sweetly of earth, and just waiting to be used in the garden to grow more plants. After six months the parsonage compost bin (which has a little door lower down so you can see inside) is half full of this moist and crumbly compost, with the next layers of mixed rubbish waiting higher up. Amazing!
Pam, with help from friends and The Composting Association
Time for God’s Creation
Church leaders called upon Christians throughout England to use the period from 1st September until 4th October as an opportunity to put the environment at the heart of their worship. The ‘Time For God’s Creation’ initiative, which would run annually, follows a resolution made at the Third European Ecumenical Assembly in 2007, attended by representatives of Europe’s Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant churches, that the period “be dedicated to prayer for the protection of Creation and the promotion of sustainable lifestyles that reverse our contribution to climate change.” Here at Holy Trinity, Utrecht we decided to join in this initiative by focusing each of the Thursday prayer sessions in September on a different theme concerned with the environment. Various members of the Green Awareness group lead the prayers. The chosen themes were ‘Caring for the Earth’, ‘Sharing Resources’, ‘New Challenges’ and ‘Hope for a Better World’. While the intercessory prayers each week were different we closed each session with the same closing prayer:
May there always be two thousand acres of sky above us.
May there always be the story of the earth beneath us.
May there always be the song of the air between us.
And may the love that shook creation from God’s hand,
shake us alive,
that we may walk God’s way,
now and always.
Amen
Sheila
TREES AS RAW MATERIAL FOR PAPER
How primary forest turns to paper
Paper is a product we use every day in great quantities. In the Western World, the use in average is around 250 kg per person per year. Worldwide daily
paper output alone consumes the wood of several million trees - and the demand is still growing. The negative environmental impact of this use is very
great.
Most of the paper we use, is made from newly cut trees. The immense wood requirement of paper factories from all over the world causes large-scale
deforestation. The most important ecological effects are soil erosion, changes in the climate and loss of biodiversity. For instance, rivers filled with
salmon disappear in those areas.
Until now, large amounts of unspoiled natural forests were cut down for paper products. In the Canadian province of British Columbia, age-old hemlock firs,
cedars and spruce trees - which were already there when Jesus Christ was born - came under the saw and were changed into pulp; the raw material for paper.
In the Netherlands, most of the pulp we use has been imported from Scandinavia (Finland and Sweden), Northern America and the last decade also Russia
or parts of the former U.S.S.R. Even trees from tropical rainforest are used for paper. And the cutting goes on. In Russia, every day the primary taiga
forests are melting like snow in the sun by the huge demand for wood.
Clear-cutting is an often-used method; all trees are cut down in a certain area. Some companies try to camouflage this, by leaving a certain distance of
the forest alongside roads in Northern America, in the natural condition.
The paper lobby often says: 'for every three we cut, we plant two more.' They do not say that these trees are planted in fast-growing, genetically
cultivated telegraph pole monoculture plantations, sprayed with pesticides, with often non-indigenous trees like eucalyptus. Plantation trees take up
far more water and nutrients from the soil, than natural forest.
Natural forests consist of well-adjusted ecosystems with trees, plants, animals and micro-organisms.
Boreal forest is not only exploited for paper products, but also for sanitary-products (a major player is Proctor and Gamble), throw away chopsticks and
even plywood. At the moment, Japanese, Chinese and American companies are the major players in the worldwide deforestation.
Next instalment: production of pulp and paper including bleaching.
PRODUCTION OF PULP AND PAPER INCLUDING BLEACHING
Most paper is made of pulp. Trees are the raw material for pulp. First the trees are converted to wood chips, then the pulping starts. This pulping can be done either chemically by boiling the wood with chemicals, or mechanically by grinding it up. Only the cellulose within the pulp is suitable to make paper. Cellulose contains lignin, which has to be removed within the paper mill (see further).
Most people want to have 'snow-white paper'. This need has serious environmental effects because bleaching of the pulp is needed. Conventional bleaching uses chlorine gas to break down the lignin followed by chlorine dioxide to bleach the pulp. The waste water from these mills contains toxic organochlorins which can not adequately be broken down in biological water treatment facilities. This effluent has been shown to cause severe harm to fish, impairing reproductive ability.
In 1987, a report from Greenpeace came out entitled No Margin of Safety; it came out and burst like a bomb on the pulp and paper industry. The report demonstrated that pulp mills were spewing dioxins (one of the most dangerous poisons mankind
produces) into air and water. Dioxin is considered a carcinogen. Two forms of dioxins were discovered: dioxins within the organochlorins emissions and dioxins within paper products like tissues, milk cartons and sanitary products. Another danger was discovered: dioxins within milk cartons can migrate into the milk! The report also concluded that the American Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has collaborated for a very long with the industry, to limit public knowledge about the hazards of dioxin.
As a result, the paper industry announced as a solution the use of more chlorine-dioxide and less chlorine gas. Alternatives to bleaching with chlorine are oxygen and hydrogen peroxide, the last often being considered the most environmentally friendly. Chlorine-free bleaching technology produces white paper which is not so white are sometimes rather cream coloured. Friendlier for your eyes, much better for the environment!
At present, shops sell products with classifications like: 'free of elementary chlorine'. This is meaningless because paper not bleached with chlorine gas can still be bleached with chlorine dioxide. So ask for '100% chlorine-free paper' bleached with oxygen or hydrogen peroxide. There are more possibilities: you can also ask for chlorine free sanitary products, women's sanitary products, diapers and other disposables like tissues.
Next instalment: use of paper and paper products
Maarten
USING PAPER AND PAPER PRODUCTS
There are various ways to reduce your 'ecological footprint' when using paper. One of the easiest ways is to use recycled paper as much as possible. Or look for paper with the FSC-label, which guarantees that the paper is made of pulp from sustainably managed forests. (However, the best solution is still recycled paper, because less energy and water are needed in production.)
Household products like toilet paper, facial tissue, paper napkins, babies 'nappies (diapers) and kitchen towels use enormous amounts of pulp from newly cut trees. The pulp is often bleached, which can be hazardous for human health, so look for chlorine-free products. A simple solution regarding nappies is to use a diaper cleaning service.
In the supermarket you have a choice! Tissues and toilet paper made of recycled fibres are on the shelves. Look closely for the recycled symbol on the package, and the words: 'made of recycled paper'. But '100% recycling' does not mean that a product is made of recycled paper.
In offices: with printing machines there are a lot of possibilities. One of the easiest is double-sided printing. For this you need a printer which has a duplex-device attached. Switch the copying machine to double-sided copying. You can also use one of the paper-trays for recycled paper (even if your company sticks to new white paper for external documents, draft documents can be on recycled paper). Use old envelopes for making notes, or send the envelopes out again with labels for the new addresses.
At home, use a sticker on your letterbox: 'Geen ongewenst drukwerk'.
Separate paper from normal waste and keep it as clean as possible, for instance by tearing out the plastic windows of envelopes.
Few paper products are as powerful a symbol of today's throw-away society as disposable packaging. Industry even advertises it as 'good for the environment'. They don't tell you that a very large part of the packaging we use every day is made of materials that can't be replaced, like plastics, pulp and aluminium. Another problem' all this packaging creates litter in the street. For liquids, go to a shop where you can buy returnable bottles.
Ask the supermarket or shop manager to (re)introduce these kinds of products. If you are told they are not available, send a request to the head office, for instance Ahold (Albert Heijn) or Laurus (Super de Boer).
Maarten Rigter
(Coming soon ' some hints on where to shop for environmentally friendly products ' please let us know if you have useful information to share.)
WASTE PAPER AND RECYCLING - More about paper
In the Netherlands, people often hesitate to use recycled paper. They don't see the environmental advantages in such a 'normal thing' as paper. But'. the advantages are indeed huge, it can even be an excuse to print as much as you like. In this instalment I will explain.
Compared with producing a tonne of paper from virgin wood pulp, the production of one tonne of paper from discarded waste paper uses half as much energy (so less CO2 production) and half as much water. It saves 17 pulp trees, reduces solid waste going to landfills and creates five more jobs (source: the Greenpeace Guide to Paper).
The huge saving in fresh water results from the simpler production process. To produce the pulp for making recycled paper, it is only necessary to mix old paper with water. Most of the production steps used in making paper from virgin wood pulp aren't necessary.
Environmentally sound recycling processes use biodegradable detergents for de-inking. In order to produce very white paper, the recycled fibres need to be de-inked and bleached using harsher chemicals. Therefore, for environmentally conscious people, paper which is a little bit grey should not be a problem: these citizens should even be proud of their contribution to protecting the environment! Fibres lose their length and therefore their strength in the course of the recycling process. In general, fibres can be recycled 4 to 10 times. Paper mills often add new virgin pulp to recycled batches to add strength.
Printing-waste and discarded photocopies can be recycled into new stationery and copying paper if kept separate from other, low quality grades. Not all waste paper can be recycled. Highly coated paper such as glossy magazines cannot be recycled very effectively. Nor can composite materials such as plasticized milk cartons. Envelopes with plastic windows also upset the recycling process. Therefore, for a good quality of recycled paper, it is necessary at home and in your office, to select the paper carefully that is thrown into the recycling box.
Maarten Rigter
The next and final instalment: Buying ecologically sound paper products, including addresses.
Coal-Fired Power Stations
New Coal-fired Power Stations: Not In Our Backyard or Is There No Option
The Green Awareness Group regularly meets to discuss green and not-so-green issues. An example of the latter category was the news, published in early summer, that the Environment Minister does not object to 5 new coal-fired power stations to be built in the Netherlands. This news seems to have attracted little public attention. No large-scale public protests such as were staged when, years ago, there was a national debate on nuclear energy. As far as we have been able to make out, only Greenpeace on its website is staging a protest campaign.
Joining the Greenpeace campaign would be an easy option: go to their website and sign up, but we decided to find out more first about the background and statistics that had led the Minister to this policy decision. After all, a minister does not take policy decisions lightly. The name of a well-known Dutch journalist came to mind and I was asked to write to him. Some internet-surfing made clear that Professor of Environmental Science, Lucas Reijnders, who works for both the University of Amsterdam and the Netherlands Society of Nature and the Environment might be a better source of information, so I wrote to him. He replied that in no case had planning and environmental permission as yet been granted by the provinces concerned and that Greenpeace and Nature and Environment would certainly object, and if necessary, go to court to try and prevent them being granted. An additional piece of news he gave was that Nuon had changed its plan and would now go for a gas-fired power station in Groningen.
The Ministry of the Environment's website published an interview with the Minister on the need for new coal-fired power stations. At present 15% of energy comes from abroad, 17% from coal-fired power stations, 58% from natural gas and 10% from sustainable or nuclear energy. The electricity imported is generated in extremely polluting lignite-fired power stations or in nuclear power stations. Apart from being less dependent on imports, the minister prefers new, clean coal-fired power stations, which would also enable older coal-fired power stations to be closed down. Gas-fired power stations are, of course, less polluting and much preferred, but the end of the Dutch gas reserves is in sight.
Energy-saving and sustainable energy will, not in the short term, meet the energy demands from consumers and industry. Yet the Minister intends to meet the 30% CO2-emission reduction target by means of Biomass technology, CO2-capture, and the CO2-emission trading system. The minister added that five new power stations may not actually be necessary. She banks on energy-saving, sustainable energy and new technology to become available in time.
The statistics on energy sources are clear, but the availability of new technology sounds like 'castles in the air', so I e-mailed to the Minister for more background information on this subject. The answer from the Ministry was that permission would have to be granted by the provinces and that the Minister had just wanted to make clear that such plans need not prevent the Netherlands from meeting its CO2-reduction target. Her letter to the Lower Chamber of Parliament
on this subject was included in the answer. This may be an interesting subject for later discussions and a follow-up article in the Newsletter.
Come and help us when we continue our discussions on 25 November.
Henny van den Brink
Coal-Fired Power Stations' More Information
In the November newsletter I reported on the Green Awareness Group's worries about plans for new coal-fired power stations and how we could get more
information. Letters were written to the environmental scientist Professor Reijnders and to the Minister of the Environment. Professor Reijnders informed us
about the status of the applications for planning and environmental permission (none granted yet) and later wrote to announce a conference in Groningen on
27 October. I have not seen any reports on this in the press, but possibly other members of Holy Trinity have. Anyway, it is good to know that he will raise
his voice and help lodge objections.
The letter to the Minister was answered by her staff and included a 6-page letter she wrote to Parliament in June
on the plans for new coal-fired power stations. She informs Parliament of the locations for the power stations and directly related issues such as the
SO2-ceiling that the Netherlands must adhere to, the role of the emission trading system (ETS) and CO2 Capture and Storage. The Electricity Companies plan 2
stations in the province of South-Holland, 2 in the province of Groningen and 1 in Geertruidenberg (Noord-Brabant) with a total output of 5400 ' 6200 MW. They
will not be coal-fired power stations pure and simple but will be able to use biomass as well. The companies also wish to expand the production of gas-fired
power stations, an expansion totalling in excess of 3000 MW.
How do these plans relate to the Cabinet's ambitions to reduce carbon emissions, to implement
energy saving and the use of sustainable energy sources. The Minister hopes for 2% energy savings per year and the use of sustainable energy to cover a third
of our electricity needs. She states it is the electricity companies that must meet the government's goals and not vice versa. New power stations may reduce
the import of electricity that generates CO2 emissions elsewhere in Europe under conditions in which the Netherlands has no say. They are also meant to
replace older Dutch coal-fired power stations with a more sustainable production. To meet the climate targets the Ministry has developed a set of very strict
requirements for new power stations that the provinces are also requested to use when assessing the permissions applications. This paragraph in the Minister's
letter is quite technical. Suffice to say, perhaps, that the requirements include energy-efficiency, NOx, SO2 and fine-dust emissions. As a factor in the
reduction of CO2-emission the Minister uses the emission-trading system, again explained in a technical paragraph. CO2 reduction can also be achieved by
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), a technique the Minister hopes be standard in 10 years time. For that reason she wants the new coal-fired power stations
to be 'capture ready', so that this technique can be added at a later stage.
The answer from the Ministry shows that we were taken seriously. If we
still want to protest against new coal-fired power stations (and I think we must) we have to take the Minister seriously as well and come up with ideas to
reduce the consumption of energy (and make industry do the same). We must become knowledgeable in economic and scientific fields to be able to judge the
bigger issues. That is much harder than thinking of ways for domestic water and energy saving.
The letter from the Ministry is available on the Green
Awareness shelf. It is in Dutch.
Henny
AWAY DAY - GREEN CONCERNS
The Away Day on October 13th was very successful in giving the congregation an opportunity to learn about, and possibly become involved in, new
aspects of church life. The Green Concerns group was small but enthusiastic and, I'm pleased to say, attracted some who are not already involved in the
Green Awareness group. After an introduction into Christian stewardship and the background behind the formation of the Green Awareness group and its
activities to date, we discussed various terms that are commonly used in the media when describing aspects of global warming, for example carbon
offsetting and sequestration, eco-driving, clean coal and biomass. A keen discussion about public transport followed which could be pursued at a
green awareness meeting in the future. We discussed carbon footprints and, to get a handle on the numbers involved, spent some time doing a carbon
calculator quiz and discussing the results. If anyone else would like to try this short quiz please ask me. I have some paper copies or if you would
like to save paper and receive it by e-mail that can be easily arranged. Several suggestions for future actions and activities were made. These included
sermons on stewardship, supporting local environmental groups, consideration of animal welfare and petitioning government. If anyone is interested in
finding out more about the church and ecology please follow the links from the last section of the green awareness page of the
church website: www.holytrinityutrecht.nl/greenawareness.php and if you would like to
calculate your own carbon footprint, there are two websites that are more relevant to residents of the Netherlands (rather than most which are only
really applicable in the USA or Britain).
http://www.bp.com/extendedsectiongenericarticle.do?'categoryId=9015627&contentId=7029058 allows you to calculate your footprint in tonnes CO2/yr
and http://www.earthday.net/Footprint/index.asp calculates it in global hectares.
The Dutch national is given as 12-16 tonnes CO2/yr or 4.8 global hectares so you can see how you compare
Sheila
Al Gore's Nobel Peace Prize
Al Gore is clearly a committed christian and his Nobel Prize acceptance speech supports the concept of christian stewardship of the earth. Here is the beginning of his speech:
Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, Honorable members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen.
I have a purpose here today. It is a purpose I have tried to serve for many years. I have prayed that God would show me a way to accomplish it.
Sometimes, without warning, the future knocks on our door with a precious and painful vision of what might be. One hundred and
nineteen years ago, a wealthy inventor read his own obituary, mistakenly published years before his death. Wrongly believing the inventor
had just died, a newspaper printed a harsh judgment of his life's work, unfairly labeling him "The Merchant of Death" because of his
invention - dynamite. Shaken by this condemnation, the inventor made a fateful choice to serve the cause of peace.
Seven years later, Alfred Nobel created this prize and the others that bear his name.
Seven years ago tomorrow, I read my own
political obituary in a judgment that seemed to me harsh and mistaken - if not premature. But that unwelcome verdict also brought a
precious if painful gift: an opportunity to search for fresh new ways to serve my purpose.
Unexpectedly, that quest has brought
me here. Even though I fear my words cannot match this moment, I pray what I am feeling in my heart will be communicated clearly enough
that those who hear me will say, "We must act."
The distinguished scientists with whom it is the greatest honor of my life to
share this award have laid before us a choice between two different futures - a choice that to my ears echoes the words of an ancient
prophet: "Life or death, blessings or curses. Therefore, choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live."
We, the human species, are confronting a planetary emergency - a threat to the survival of our civilization that is gathering ominous
and destructive potential even as we gather here. But there is hopeful news as well: we have the ability to solve this crisis and
avoid the worst - though not all - of its consequences, if we act boldly, decisively and quickly.
His speech ends with following:
We are standing at the most fateful fork in that path. So I want to end as I began, with a vision of two futures -
each a palpable possibility - and with a prayer that we will see with vivid clarity the necessity of choosing between those two
futures, and the urgency of making the right choice now.
The great Norwegian playwright, Henrik Ibsen, wrote, "One of these
days, the younger generation will come knocking at my door."
The future is knocking at our door right now. Make no mistake, the next generation will ask us one of two questions. Either they will
ask: "What were you thinking; why didn't you act'"
Or they will ask instead: "How did you find the moral courage to rise and
successfully resolve a crisis that so many said was impossible to solve'"
We have everything we need to get started, save
perhaps political will, but political will is a renewable resource.
So let us renew it, and say together: "We have a purpose.
We are many. For this purpose we will rise, and we will act."
The entire speech can be read at http://nobelpeaceprize.org/eng_lect_2007c.html
Attracting more wildlife to your garden
Attracting more birds to your garden will reduce insects so you won't need to spray
chemicals. One way to go about doing this in the winter is to make a birdfeeder using
sunflower seeds and peanut butter. Take a small blob of peanut butter and roll it in
sunflower seeds then alternately add peanut butter and seeds until you are approaching a
tennis ball sized ball. Place in a plastic netting bag from fruit or vegetables and hang
from a branch where cats cannot reach. Renew daily.
NB It is cheaper to buy sunflower seeds in large quantities.
As part of this theme on 24th June the Children's Trinity Club planted sunflowers in the church garden. Note the jam jars placed over each seedling to act as a mini greenhouse and to protect the young plants from birds, mice etc.
Sharing God's Planet
Last year the General Synod debated a Christian vision of a greener world and commended
the report, Sharing God's Planet: a Christian vision for a sustainable future.
In his foreword, Archbishop Rowan Williams calls on us to 'effect a metanoia, a change of
perception, that allows us to hear what the world is communicating and to respond
appropriately.'
A Christian understanding of the environment has to start with the fundamental premise that
God created the universe and humans can only hope to adapt it. The creation belongs to God,
not to humans. Although in Genesis the Bible speaks of man having 'dominion over ' every
creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth' it should be remembered that the word translated
'dominion' is one used of kingly, authoritarian rule and the Hebrew ideal of kingship was the
servant-king, typified by David or Our Lord Himself. Our dominion is properly exercised as a
caring support for creation, not as an absolute right to plunder. In modern translations the
word 'stewardship' is used rather than 'dominion'. In other words, the first command to the
human race, made right at its beginning, was to undertake caring stewardship for God's earth.
Far from having a licence to exploit creation, we are given a charge to care for a 'cosmos'
(the Greek word translated 'world' in John 3:16), which God loves and Christ has redeemed.
The Bible gives us a very simple and clear-cut basis for a Christian doctrine of the
environment: Creation belongs to God.
He has entrusted it to us.
We will be held accountable, not only for the way we treat our environment, but also for
our acknowledgement of and abuse of its owner.
Looked at this way, a failure to look after the environment is disobedience to a divine
command. It is a sin. The Bible tells us that "the Earth is the Lord's" (Psalm 24:1) and that
"the Earth he has given to mankind" (Psalm 115:16). There is no conflict between these
statements: the Earth belongs to God by creation and to us by delegation; God has not handed
His creation over to us in such a way as to relinquish His ownership, but He has delegated to
us the responsibility of looking after it on His behalf. This means that we must co-operate
with God in conserving and developing the environment for the common good.
Much more information is available on the web. 'Sharing God's Planet' may be downloaded from
www.cofe.anglican.org and 'A Biblical Basis for Creation Care' by Professor R. J. (Sam) Berry
is available from www.jri.org.uk
For years scientists have been predicting temperature rise due to global warming but politicians,
renowned for their short-term view, have put off dealing with the problem on the grounds that scientists
do not agree.
However, arguing about whether the temperature will rise by 2 degrees Celsius or 10 degrees Celsius is
utterly irrelevant. The consequences of even a 1 degree rise will be horrendous. We are already suffering
the consequences of extreme weather. Two of the three hottest years on record were in the last 4 years
leading to many deaths and while it is not yet absolutely proven that hurricane increase is directly
connected to global warming there is certainly a strong correlation. The consensus now among scientists
(even those that predict a possibility of a 10 degree rise) is that if we do nothing we will most likely
get a 2-3 degree rise. Predicting sea-level rise is extremely complicated and locally the increase can
easily be double the global average and surges will be substantially greater than that. However a 2-3
degree rise in temperature will cause mean sea levels to rise by 30 to 40 cm by the mid 2080's. This will
cause inundation of many coastal settlements in, for example, Bangladesh, the Gulf of Guinea, Florida and
the eastern seaboard of the USA and complete removal from the map of many island states, such as Tuvalu,
not to mention possibly swamping many of our own homes.
There are still debates raging as to whether or not planting extra trees will absorb enough carbon dioxide
but it is very clear that if we go on producing greenhouse gases at the present rate the planet will
suffer dire consequences. You may ask - what difference can one person make' Perhaps not a lot but at
least it is a step in the right direction. Christians have been charged with the
stewardship of the earth and it is about time we started taking that task seriously. One individual might
make little impact, but a congregation carries more weight, a diocese considerably more and the whole
church can really make a difference. The total is much more than the sum of the parts in this case
because when Christians as constituents make demands, politicians have to listen and the effects s
nowball (hopefully literally!). Many of you are already well aware of what we as individuals can do to
improve matters but everyone can benefit from discussion, pooling knowledge and learning from experts.
Environment Stewards
The following article appeared in the 2006
Transfiguration edition of The Anglican Digest, an American Anglican publication.
Consider what you can do to take care of the environment in which you live, to make it a healthy place
for future generations. Being good stewards of the environment is important " for the good earth which
God has given us, and for the wisdom and will to conserve it, let us pray to the Lord " This entry in
the (American) Book of Common Prayer, Prayers of the People Form I, calls us to do our part.
Consider what you can do to take of this gift from God - reduce your trash by recycling more, walk or
carpool if possible, reuse resources, and practice environmental stewardship.
Church Launches "Shrinking the Footprint" Campaign
The Church of England has invited all parish churches to carry out an audit of current
energy uses so that a benchmark can be established.
Once the size of the current 'carbon footprint' of the Church has been assessed, a campaign
will roll out initiatives to shrink that footprint.
In 2005, General Synod asked for a report on a measured reduction in energy consumption of
the Church of England in 2008. The Synod called upon the whole Church to engage with the
issues of climate change and energy use at every level in the Church.
All dioceses in England have received an Audit Pack to undertake the required assessment of
current levels and types of energy consumption in church buildings in every parish. Church
people have been invited to promote discussion of the issues locally. The Campaign is
supported by a dedicated website, www.shrinkingthefootprint.cofe.anglican.org
Let us have a look at some of the questions that can be used at an individual level and see if answering them truthfully may help us reduce our 'footprint'.
Energy:
Do you use or have you considered using a 'green' energy supplier'
Do you use or have you considered using any form of renewable energy'
Lighting
Do all the lights need to be on?
Can all the light fittings be fitted with energy saving light bulbs?
How many fittings are fitted with energy saving light bulbs?
Could - in some cases - Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) be used?
Is there anybody out there to explain LEDs to those who are not technically-minded?
Heating and insulation
Is your boiler more than 15 years old? If so, it will probably not be as efficient as it should be.
Is it regularly serviced? Does it have a time switch?
Is this adjusted to meet seasonal needs?
Is it possible to reduce the heating period?
Are all windows and doors draught-proofed?
Are all pipes lagged? (geïsoleerd) Are roofs and walls insulated?
All new equipment on sources of energy is likely to cost money initially. The first task should be to
see how the existing facilities can be made more efficient. We may not all have the resources
-financially or technically - to carry out all these measures or have them carried out for us. The
most important thing is that we try. It will soon become second nature to us.
SHRINKING THE FOOTPRINT CELEBRATES 1ST BIRTHDAY
Last summer (June 2006) saw the launch of 'Shrinking the Footprint', the Church of England's national campaign to enable the whole Church to address ' in faith, practice and mission ' the issue of climate change.
'Shrinking the Footprint' involves initiatives and partnerships developing at a national level and working locally and regionally to support individuals, parishes and dioceses wanting to respond to this crucial challenge.
The first stage of the campaign, instigated to respond to the 2005 General Synod motion encouraging all dioceses and parishes to reduce their consumption by a measurable amount, was 'Measuring our Footprint'. This involved a request to all 16,000 churches to record their energy use for 2005 and an encouragement to find ways of reducing this prior to a further survey in 2008.
In addition to churches, the campaign also includes all diocesan offices and bishops' houses. The survey has been organised locally in the main by Diocesan Environment Officers working with their diocesan secretariats. In some cases the survey has been included in Archdeacon's visitations.
The campaign has distributed a simple audit for churches (which is also available on the campaign's website) to help identify where savings can be made. The campaign's organisers are keen to discover examples of 'good practices' and action being taken by churches. A few are known to be fitting alternative energy sources such as ground source heat pumps, solar panels or wind turbines, but many more are changing light-bulbs and renewing boilers.
Some churches have no energy supply, but can still do their bit by installing a water butt and organising car sharing. Some churches may have had difficulties in conserving energy and the organisers would like to hear about this too. Please
send details of action taken and experience gained, especially if you think it could be helpful to other churches.
Churches may not be major users of energy, but they can be an example to their congregations and to the community and so the 'Shrinking the Footprint' campaign encourages churches to publicise any action being taken.
The Shrinking the Footprint website has a range of information and links to help churches find out more. Visit: www.shrinkingthefootprint.cofe.anglican or
email: shrinkingthefootprint@c-of-e.org.uk.
GLOBAL WARMING
10 Things You Can Do About It
This year's unusual weather, and flooding in many places, focuses once again on the dangers of global warming through the build-up of greenhouse gases. The Al Gore film which some of us saw recently ended with some simple and hopeful suggestions ' there are things we can do, and if we all do them it will make a difference :
Replace a light bulb with a 'spaarlamp'
This reduces the carbon dioxide emissions by 70 kg a year
Leave the car behind more often
Walk, cycle, share a car, use public transport ' every km you travel without a car prevents 300 gram of CO2 emissions
Recycle more rubbish
If you recycle half your household rubbish you save around 1000 kg of CO2 per year
Check your tyre pressures
If your tyre pressures are correctly set you can reduce petrol consumption by more than 3%. Every litre of petrol saved means there are 2 kg less CO2 in the atmosphere.
Use less hot water
Heating water uses a lot of energy. Use less hot water by fitting a water-saving shower head (saves 60 kg of CO2 per year) and wash your clothes at a lower temperature (saves 225 kg of CO2 per year)
Avoid products with excessive packaging
If you can reduce waste packing material by 12 % you spare the environment 550 kg of CO2 per year.
Reduce the temperature setting of your thermostat
By setting your thermostat 2 degrees lower in winter and 2 degrees higher in summer, you can reduce the CO2 emissions by 900 kg per year
Plant a tree
During the lifetime of a tree it absorbs 900 kg of CO2
Turn off electronic equipment when not in use
You can avoid thousands of kg of CO2 emissions per year by switching off the TV, DVD player, stereo and computer when not in use
Be a part of the solution
Would you like to know more' Visit www.hier.nl and see what you can do.
Bright Ideas - A Guide to Lighting
Did you know that if globally all lights were replaced by the most efficient available the world's electricity use would drop by nearly 10%' This is the conclusion of a study by the International Energy Agency. Also the carbon dioxide emissions saved by such a switch would dwarf cuts so far achieved by adopting wind and solar power.
Incandescent light bulbs, developed by Edison and others, 125 years ago convert only 5% of the energy they consume into light. Most of the rest becomes heat.
A significant proportion of the world's population has no access to electric lighting at all and has to make do with burning fuel, which is even more inefficient, produces very poor quality light and contributes to respiratory disease.
Fluorescent tubes, used mostly in commercial buildings, vary widely in efficiency - from 15% for the older types to ~60% for the most up-to-date models.
Currently building codes in most countries regulate levels of insulation and heating standards but few have specific lighting provisions. China has recently developed such codes and, if implemented, would offset the need for a new Three Gorges Dam Project every 8yrs.
On an individual basis the most obvious step is to switch from incandescent bulbs to energy-saving bulbs (known as CFL's (compact fluorescent lights) in the US and as spaarlampen in the Netherlands). The earliest such bulbs on the market were very big, expensive, ugly and didn't produce very much light. While the fitting was such that they could screw into any incandescent bulb fitting (E27) in practice the bulbs were so big that they couldn't be used with most plafoniers and protruded beyond many lampshades. However, recently, the "spaarlampen" have become much smaller, cheaper and many have an outer covering that conceals the small bent fluorescent tubes making them look much more like incandescent bulbs. They still, however, need to have the heavy thickened ballast area just above the base, which necessitates an increase in length. Also the newer "spaarlampen" warm up much faster, flicker less and are coated to give a warmer light than the first ones. Spaarlampen work in much the same way as a long fluorescent strip light: a current is passed through a gas, which produces ultra violet light. The inside of the tube is coated with phosphor, which absorbs the UV and emits visible light. The electronic ballast at the base gives a brief burst of high current to start the gas discharge and then lowers the current.
One drawback with spaarlampen is that they cannot be used with standard dimmer switches although there are some 3-way lamps that allow switching to half power.
Halogen lights, some of which can be used with dimmers, are not nearly as efficient as spaarlampen but they are ~20% better than incandescents and produce a very bright beam which is very suitable for reading or handicrafts. They are small incandescent bulbs filled with gas, which contains halogen or often xenon or krypton - this prolongs the life of the bulb considerably and the higher pressure of the gas leads to better efficiency.
Light emitting diodes (LED's) are beginning to be available to replace halogen lamps but their production produces lots of carbon dioxide and mercury and at present they are very expensive. They work by passing a current through a doped semiconductor. The physical properties of the materials in the semiconductor enable it to produce visible light by electroluminescence.This is a technology which is developing quickly and may soon be a viable alternative.
After all this talk of efficiencies of different types of light bulbs it should also be stressed that using natural light is the best of all. Let as much natural daylight into a room as is practical (use only light coloured, open weave curtains for privacy and keep the windows clean). Use task lighting, for example one bright halogen light where you are working rather than illuminating the entire room and mount fluorescent strips under wall cupboards in the kitchen. There are many ways of making lighting functional and cosy whilst retaining efficiency with a bit of careful thought and planning (especially while redecorating).
Remember that if you don't need a light turn it off.
Successfully ditching incandescent light bulbs could even encourage us to aim higher when it comes to cutting greenhouse gas emissions; to increase efficiency in hot water systems, to insulate homes, to invest in alternative energy and to drive smaller, fuel efficient cars. Ending the life of this very inefficient technology is not enough to prevent climate change but it is an easy first step and one the world should not hesitate to take.
Green Awareness Survey Results
14 SHEETS WERE RETURNED
In general people were in favour of government subsidies on solar panels, insulation, green energy and new technologies. But even without subsidies, most would want to implement energy-saving measures. The space to add one's personal ideas on a number of issues such as solar energy, wind energy, water energy, nuclear energy, other forms of energy generation, reduction of energy waste was sometimes used to the full. This shows that people are interested. The request for information and small-scale applications came up more than once. There were also some interesting ideas: make all new buildings produce a certain percentage of requirements via solar or other green energy installations; install more solar panels on public buildings; deploy far more wind turbines; encourage farmers to have a wind turbine wherever possible; investigate feasibility of tidal energy; economic taps; less travel; one car-less Sunday per month; incentives via the tax system; follow the example of the Isle of Eigg in the Hebrides where locally generated wind, hydro and solar energy are combined to provide continuous power to the community.
Some were against nuclear energy, but most would urge the government to use it as an interim measure and with due care with regard to the nuclear waste.
On the basis of these results a letter was written to the Minister of the Environment, protesting against new coal-fired power stations. As many ideas as possible from the survey were incorporated. A copy of this letter was sent to the parliamentary Standing Committee for the Environment. Receipt of both letters was acknowledged. The Minister promised a reply, which could possibly be expected in about 4 weeks time.
Green Awareness Group
'Green' Car Information
If you are perhaps thinking of getting a new car, you might like to consider the following information:
Lowest carbon emission petrol cars
| CO2 in g/km | l/100km | ||
| 1 | Smart Fortwo Coupe Micro Hybrid Pure 52kw | 103 | 4.3 |
| 2 | Daihatsu Cuore 1.0 Trend | 104 | 4.4 |
| 2 | Toyota Prius THSD Comfort | 104 | 4.3 |
| 3 | Smart Fortwo Cabrio Micro Hybrid Pure 52kw | 105 | 4.4 |
| 4 | Citroen C11.0i Seduction | 109 | 4.6 |
| 4 | Honda Civic 1.3 DSi-VTEC Hybrid | 109 | 4.6 |
| 4 | Peugot 107 XR 1.0 | 109 | 4.6 |
| 4 | Toyota Aygo 1.0 12v VVT-i | 109 | 4.6 |
Lowest carbon emission diesel cars
| CO2 in g/km | l/100km | ||
| 1 | Smart Fortwo Coupe Pure 33kW cdi | 88 | 3.3 |
| 2 | Seat Ibiza 1.4 TDI 80PK Ecomotive | 99 | 3.8 |
| 2 | Volkswagen Polo 1.4 TDi 80pk Bluemotion Trendline | 99 | 3.8 |
| 3 | Mini Cooper D | 104 | 3.9 |
| 4 | Mini Clubman Cooper D | 109 | 4.1 |
| 4 | Toyota Aygo 1.4D + | 109 | 4.1 |
NB. Source of information is www.groenopweg.nl
DID YOU KNOW ...?
Did you know... the average car in the Netherlands produces 126g CO2 per passenger kilometre?
Did you know... most small particle pollution does not come from soot in the exhaust but from wear on tyres and brakes'
Did you know... a person not moving produces 850g CO2 per day?
Did you know... a pedestrian produces 12.5g CO2 per km, a cyclist produces 16.7g/km and a runner 35g/km ?
Did you know... that only 1/3 of fuel used in cars is converted into motion ? the rest becomes heat.
Did you know... in 2006 10.7% of all CO2 in the Netherlands was produced by passenger cars?
Did you know... water vapour is responsible for 75% of the greenhouse effect?
Sheila
ECO DRIVING
Perhaps you have heard about eco-driving and maybe it is second nature to you but if not let me enlighten you. Eco-driving is driving defensively and
anticipating the actions of other motorists which increases road safety. Also petrol consumption and the emissions of CO2 and other pollutants are reduced.
Thus eco-driving is good for the environment, safety and the pocket. Firstly, when buying a car, ensure that the model you choose gets good mileage but also
consider public transport, cycling or walking every time you need to travel. The style of driving is also important. Here are some tips:
1. Change up to
the highest possible gear quickly (Keep the revs below 2500 with petrol motors and 2000 with diesels).
2. Drive as much as possible at a constant speed.
Aggressive stop-start driving significantly increases fuel consumption.
3. Drive with the traffic and anticipate the actions of other motorists. Keep a
safe distance to avoid sudden breaking. Take your foot off the accelerator when approaching a crossing, traffic lights etc. and break on the engine.
Modern engines close the petrol intake automatically when you release the accelerator.
4. Don't drive too fast ' above 100 km/hr speed is the
determining factor in petrol consumption. Minimum emissions occur at 60-90 km/hr and increase with higher speeds.
5. Keep the tyres at the correct
pressure. Also regular maintenance such as keeping the engine tuned will reduce emissions.
6. Turn off unnecessary apparatus. (An open window increases
fuel use at high speeds by 5% but air conditioning uses 10% more).
7. Remove unnecessary weight and unused roof or ski racks. Place bikes on a rack
behind the car rather than on the roof. Ski boxes increase petrol consumption by 10% at high speeds and roof bike racks by 20-30%.
8. Keep track of your
petrol consumption so that you are immediately aware of any changes.
9. Planning your journey will reduce unnecessary mileage due to getting lost,
stuck in traffic or road works. Try to link together necessary car journeys rather than making many small trips. (Because the engine is cold, journeys of
less than 3km pollute by up to 40% more per kilometer than a hot engine and catalytic converters take at least 9 km to become effective). Drive off
straight away rather than leaving the engine idling to warm up.
10. Restarting the engine uses less energy than 10 seconds of idling, so switch off if in a long queue or at a level crossing.
Sheila
WATER AWARENESS
After a wet summer it is hard to think of water as something to save and use with care, but we also know that water is one of the most important substances on our planet. It is fundamental to life and daily living. We harvest our fresh water from abundant resources, and hardly appreciate the miracle of clean water from the tap. While millions of people in the world have no ready access to fresh, safe water, it is easy for us to take this precious gift for granted and to pollute and waste our resources. If you would like to become more aware of this gift and use it with more care, here are some everyday steps to take:
Fix dripping taps. They waste a lot of water.
Use a glass of water to rinse your teeth after brushing, rather than letting the tap run.
Clean and peel vegetables in the sink with the plug in. A tap left running for 10 minutes uses nearly 100 litres of water.
When you boil the kettle use only the water you need to cover the element and make your hot drink. This saves both water and electricity.
Use your washing machine for full loads only ' each washing cycle uses up to 100 litres of water.
Check the manufacturer's guidelines for your dishwasher, to minimize the use of water.
When buying a new washing machine or dishwasher, choose one that is water efficient.
Take a shower rather than a bath ' a bath uses about 80 litres of water.
About one third of the water used in the home is flushed away. Older types of toilet cistern can use as much as 10 litres of water per flush, the new ones only 7. If you have an older cistern, put a brick inside it.
Wash your car with a bucket and sponge. A hosepipe can use up to 1000 litres of water an hour.
From the Green Awareness Group, with acknowledgement to the Church of St John and St Philip, The Hague