Has it really been that long?

World Environment Day seems so long ago.. so much has happened, so many new improvements in my home/work life that I may have been somewhat neglecting my online presence.

For one.. we now have three, not one or even two, but THREE bins in my house.  Ok, ok so this may not be the most exciting thing to have happened in my life, but it proves just how much Environment Day had a long lasting effect.  What’s the saying? Do something for 21 days and it becomes habit?

My boyfriend and I have have stretched ourselves this month.  We have cleaned out the cupboard under the sink to make room for our small, pedal controlled plastic bin and have moved the old football boots and balls from the downstairs toilet to make space for a slightly large flap lid bin.  Why you ask?  Because we are finally taking our recycling to the next level.

One bin contains anything that bio-degrades.  All banana skins, vegetable left overs, egg shells… oh and the hundreds of tea bags we use a day… go in to decompose economically and environmentally.

The second contains all dry recyclables… paper, cardboard, milk bottles (washed out), cans (washed and de-labled) and glass.  Although this bin does need a little bit of sorting on bin day it still makes us recycle a LOT more than we used to.

The last bin that we’ve always had contains everything that can’t go to our county’s recyclo camps… plastics, waxed wrappers etc. 

It may sound overly organised and somewhat geeky… but we have reduced our fortnightly rubbish to half a bag.  I’m impressed!

If everyone made these simple changes think of what effect it would have on world…. Why not try it today? 21 days? Easy.

World Environment Day: Until next year…

World Environment Day has now passed.

But what a day…

Challenging ourselves to omit as many electrical appliances from our daily routine as possible, Kirsty Booth and I certainly had a hard time.

Combating the event with not one, but TWO, module deadlines made the task more difficult than originally planned.

Not only were we denied our much needed morning brew, but when it came to dinner time I was at no end of confusion.

What actually used electricity?

Does a gas cooker count if I ignite the flame with a match?

The day wound up being more annoying than productive.  Omitting electricity for one day certainly is not the way to combat climate change, however smaller details such as letting my hair dry naturally, making a conscious effort to reduce my telephone calls and finding other activities to do instead of watching the TV are all lessons that can be taken from the campaign.

It was also interesting to see how long we could survive before we felt the need to flick the light switch on at home.

Although daylight lasts much longer this time of year, it was surprising to see the clock strike 9pm before it became unbearable.

It does raise more questions as to what more could have been done to promote the Environment Day campaign.

Having ‘tweeted’ excessively on Twitter during the lead up to the campaign my suspicions were heightened as one ‘follower’ said:

“Apart from your tweets I’ve heard nothing about it on any other media”

Not only does it infuriate me, but begs the question… is climate change old news?

Has the media stopped caring about the environment in favour of MP expenses?

World Environment Day Campaign continued…

Working alongside fellow environmentalist, Kirsty Booth, we have decided to omit as many electrical appliances this Friday as part of World Environment Day.

With little public promotion in our region, we decided to take matters into our own hands. 

Researching further aspects of the campaign, we have highlighted some of the most energy consuming house hold appliances and shall attempt to remove them from our daily routines.

The campaign begins – Environment Day 2009

With Environment Day only hours away (well three days!) we need to start preparing.

Dragging along my trusty housemate/course mate and one of my closest friends, Kirsty Booth, I am determined to make an impact this year.

Brainstorming ideas we not only amazed ourselves at the endless possibilities, but were left dumbstruck at how to implement them whilst maintaining our presence online.

Therefore, is blogging environmental? 

Wondering whether we could avoid all forms of electricity for a day we listed the objects we would have to avoid:

1. Hair straightners – hmmmm reasonable
2. Hair dryer – hope it’s sunny!
3. Television – easy.
4. Computers – a predicament… hmmm yes.
5. Lights – not so bad this time of year, but tricky.
6. Car – easy.
7. Radio – ah!
8. MP3 – hmm may be a sad day.
9. Mobile – double AHH!
10. Kettle – oh the pain.

Hmmm some more brainstorming may be needed, but the campaign is ON.

Birmingham Recycled Editors prepare for next year’s BGT

Susan Boyle move over, the Birmingham Recycled section editors are heading for the number one spot.

As World Environment Day 2009 draws closer and closer, we decided to start a musical campaign.

Sing along if you know the words!

Birmingham’s Eco home open its doors to all

Having been a student in Birmingham for two years now, I still can’t get over how much of the city I haven’t yet seen.

Driving to Balsall Heath I have to say I’d never even heard of it.

On arrival I was somewhat shocked at the ordinary look of the house.  Where were the solar panels, wind farms and other modern energy generators we see on Grand Designs almost daily?

Instead I was faced with a normal, end of terrace house. Walking inside to the steadily overcrowding living room I glanced around looking for some sign of the house’s energy saving abilites. Where was all the equipment?

Talking to the house’s owner, John Newson, he explained the internal insulation and the difficulties found when installing it in his Victorian styled home.

“Like most houses in Birmingham built before the 1960’s, my home only has one wall inbetween me and the outside.

“Therefore I couldnt use cavity insulation, but instead used a dense foam attached to plaster board.”

Showing me a sample of the board, I was shocked at its thickness. Nearing two inches wide it made me wonder about the size of the room. John explained it hadn’t affected him at all.

“I haven’t noticed the reduced size anywhere really, except in the smaller storage cabinets and that sort of thing.”

Noticing the energy saving light bulbs, condensing boiler and wooden window shutters, the eco house was not exactly what I was expecting. However, if it meant saving 60 – 70% off energy I may prehaps give DIY another go.

Video Testing

This may, or may not work – or be any good for that matter. The pure fact that I have managed to record it and put it together is an achievement in my books….

Let me know what you think…

The Eco House, Birmingham from Georgie Campbell on Vimeo.

Walk to School Week 2009

Today marked the launch for this year’s Walk to School Week.  Children lined the pavements as they were escorted to school by some rather friendly guide dogs.

Christ the King Catholic Primary School in Kingstanding played host to this morning’s event as children and parents flocked to Conker Island for a late breakfast.

With a greater turn out than expected I was amazed at the enthusiasm from local residents.  Birmingham City Council’s Travel Planner for the North, Naomi Coleman, commented:

“It’s been really fantastic, I’m really pleased. It’s better than I expected.  There’s definitely some mums that have been saying they hadn’t walked for ages and that they used to walk all the time.

“Others  said they were seeing parts of the neighbourhood they hadn’t seen before.  Which was unbelievable as we weren’t walking that far, but some people get in the their cars for everything and don’t know their local streets. “

Whilst the children enjoyed their well deserved breakfast I took the chance to talk to Chris Dyson, Public Relations Officer for Guide Dogs for the Blind, who expressed his enthusiasm for the campaign.

“This was the perfect opportunity to get involved with schools across the region to show them the benefits of walking and keeping fit. Guide dogs give freedom and independence to those that can’t see to drive cars and so are reliant on walking.

“Although the children are from a primary school they all seem old enough to understand what the guide dogs are for and how they help. Walking along with them helps us to encourage fitness and confidence and support the environment.

“If a visually impaired Paralympics footballer can live his dream and keep fit there’s no excuse for anyone else. We need to leave our cars at home and get the children walking together.”

With a regional campaign taking place across the West Midlands this week, it is our chance to get involved.  Walking is not only about keeping fit, but is one of the most easily achieved targets when tackling climate change.

Before you jump in your car this week – think.

Birmingham needs to act now – World Environment Day (5th June 2009)

Birmingham needs to get involved.

After the colossal letdown of the Earth Hour campaign, Birmingham needs to up its game in the environmental sector.

With the World Environment Day just around the corner (5^th June 2009) Birmingham needs to strike now.

An overwhelming amount of internet activity has picked up the campaign, but will the council, local residents and even organisations climb on board?

As the days dwindle down, local West Midland residents need to make sure they are doing their part to tackle the increasingly detrimental problem of climate change.

Online groups, such as Everywun or UNEPandYOU, present everyone with an opportunity to take part in the build up to the campaign. 

From following the groups on Twitter or signing up to a newsletter, we can help protect the environment without leaving the comfort of our own homes.

But is that enough?

Where the council failed to act in the Earth Hour campaign, perhaps we should step up and take control of the next environmental campaign.

If small groups or communities contribute to the cause we can, collectively, make a big impact.  From simply pledging to walk everywhere on the 5^th June to actively getting involved in the garden we can make sure Birmingham leaves with its reputation intact.

The Green Pedal Documentary

Sejal Deshpande, Co-director of The Green Pedal Documentary

Shocking facts, experts in the field and, of course, a well wisher’s point of view… what more could you ask for in a documentary?

 Two MA Television and Interactive Content students, Sejal Deshpande and Ruksana Bi, directed a detailed documentary concerning the benefits of cycling in Birmingham’s city centre.

 Working with Friends of the Earth and Push Bikes, the documentary displays the devastating emission figures in the city, claiming “the West Midlands are responsible for 43.1 million tonnes of CO2 per annum”.

 Both students at Birmingham City University, the pair continued to dig deep into the benefits of cycling around the city. Sejal commented on their initial shock at seeing the carbon figures in the Midlands region:

 “We were scandalised by the statistics we came across as far as the West Midlands area was concerned, as the pollution levels were so high. 

 “After attending a meeting with the Birmingham Friends of the Earth, we found out that the government weren’t really doing anything to combat transport in the area.

 “They [Birmingham Friends of Earth] told us they were doing a 20 mile an hour campaign and intern promoting cycling, so I decided to do our documentary on cycling as it would have a lot of potential, especially in a big car city like Birmingham.”

 Sejal went on to explain the lack of cycling promotion in the city.  Although there seem to be bike lanes in some areas, they appear inconsistent and sometimes dangerous to users.

 A Push Bike member, Brian Watkiss, commented on the video explaining the benefits cycling can entail:

 “I used to be a commuting cyclist, it was my favourite was of getting to work, and now it’s just cycling for pleasure.

 “I think cycling is being taken more seriously as a means of transport, with roads being so crowded, the cost of fuel increasing all the time and more people being more environmentally aware.  And let’s face it, it’s more environmentally friendly than burning fossil fuels.”

 The Green Pedal documentary raises some interesting points, from the lack of cycle lanes throughout the city to the personal benefits of daily exercise.  When asked if the documentary had made Sejal think twice about getting in a car, she commented:

 “I would love to cycle, its just that we are so used to going out the house, stepping in the car, going to our destination, getting out and being driven by or driving to our destinations that we miss the pleasures of cycling.

“It does have some disadvantages as you can’t travel with your group of friends, but it still has a lot of potential. We should consider cycling as it is not only eco-friendly, not only healthier, but also an economical way of getting places and quicker than walking.

 “I used to cycle when I was back in my home country, but I don’t have a bike here, although if I did of course I would cycle.”

 The Green Pedal documentary is definitely not a one sided argument with some of the Push Bikes volunteers point out the difficulty in taking the first step of commitment.  Designed to visually engage viewers with the transportation in Birmingham City Centre, it has certainly made me think twice about getting in my car.

 However, actually buying a bike may be another step.

To listen to the full podcast of my interview with Sejal Deshpande, keep an eye out for the weekly podcasts on the Birmingham Recycled website.