Battling for recycling (31oct07)

When I agreed to oppose the motion that ‘Recycling is a waste of time’ it didn’t occur to me that most of the audience would be actively hostile to my position. Set up by the Institute of Ideas, the Battle of Ideas was a whole weekend of debates covering topics as diverse as ‘What’s the point of exams’ to ‘Why do people hate America’ and ‘Demonising parents’.

Is this really a better option than recycling?

Thomas Deichmann, from a German magazine called Novo had 10 minutes to propose the motion. His main arguments seemed to be that recycling was a hassle, current systems for collection were inefficient and that the concept was really imposed on society, which he described as ‘brainwashing from the elite’. He also said that he didn’t believe in climate change (or at least man-made climate change) and that saving water was pointless.

This meant there was quite a lot for the other three members of the panel, including me, to get their teeth into. Julie Hill, author of ‘Zero Waste’ and former director of the Green Alliance kicked off. She pointed out that just because the logistics of recycling were currently flawed, this didn’t make the task pointless.

My turn. I held up a jar with some crumpled up pieces of foil inside and asked people to imagine that the it represented the planet with all the metals and minerals within. As I threw the contents across the table I questioned the audience as to whether this is what we should be doing with a finite resource.

Of course the argument isn’t just about running out of materials - mining is a hugely destructive industry. Holding up my wedding ring I explained that 20 tonnes of raw materials would have been dug out of the ground to produce the miniscule amount of gold it contains. And gold mining is one of the dirtiest businesses around, using cyanide, arsenic and mercury. As well as the toxic wastes, there’s also the destruction of pristine habitats, as the extraction industry extends into rainforests, the Arctic and the depths of the sea.

The room was packed with people sitting in the aisles. So the collective sigh of disapproval was quite loud when I said that I don’t find recycling takes much time and that I get some satisfaction from doing it. There weren’t many people who empathised with the ‘feel good factor’! In fact, during the hour long debate only one person from the audience spoke in favour of recycling.

At first I wondered if there was a male / female divide. But I quickly noticed a woman in the second row who was harrumphing like a rhinoceros whenever Julie or I spoke. Actually, she figuratively pawed the ground as if she was about to charge – and at the end she did! Luckily for me her target was Julie. I heard her say that she taught environmental management and so couldn’t resist telling her that I thought it was rather sad to teach something with which she clearly had very little empathy. Not surprisingly she wasn’t terribly impressed with this comment…

This exchange was quite mild compared to the general atmosphere in the Lecture Theatre. I found it quite challenging to have my views so vehemently opposed but also quite enjoyed the experience. And I was amused and horrified in equal measure to hear Thomas’s summary that he did support some recycling – of nuclear waste.

Originally posted by Julia Hailes on Telegraph Blogs on 31 Oct 2007 at 11:17
Tags: recycling, Battle of Ideas, Institute of Ideas

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How green is the London Eye?

Much as I love having my children at home, a two week half term at this time of year can be quite difficult because work is in full flow. However, I had a brilliant day in London with my youngest son, Monty, who’s eight.

Monty enjoying the view

We went to Trafalgar square on the top deck of a double decker bus and crossed the Thames on foot. On the river bank we came across a wonderful looking silver man – Monty wasn’t at all sure he was real until we put some money in a box and the man came to life. He was even more impressed by the man with no head – who also put on a bit of a performance when he ‘saw’ our money.

One advantage of such a grey day was that there wasn’t a queue for the London Eye. We clambered into one of the capsules with a mixed bunch, which included a crying baby. Actually, that didn’t matter at all because we were so interested in the views – particularly at the very top when you can see the trains whizzing in and out of Waterloo station.

When I knew I was going for a ride on the wheel, I contacted the PR office and asked them a few questions about its environmental performance. I have to admit I was rather disappointed because they weren’t able to give me much detail. For example, I’d like to know how much energy it uses in a year and perhaps even per cycle – and whether they’ve managed to make any improvements in energy efficiency since it was built.

What they did tell me, however, was that only this year they’ve started using LED lights for lighting up the structure at night. This must be a very significant energy saving but the report they’ve commissioned is confidential, so I wasn’t allowed to know more. I’d also like to know what other London landmarks have switched to LED – please post a comment if you have any information on this.

The lady I spoke to in the PR office very kindly went off to find out what sort of coolants they use in the air conditioning units that I’d noticed in the bubbles. I hope she doesn’t regret telling me that its R407C. That doesn’t mean much to most people but I sent the information to my cooling expert (not really my personal expert!), Nick Cox from Earthcare Products. He explained that R407C is an HFC (hydroflurocarbon) refrigerant that has a global warming potential 1800 times worse than CO2. He was also sceptical about the claims of only using cooling for 6 weeks in a year and said that British Airways once had a policy of not using ‘high global warming potential’ refrigerants’, which they seem to have dropped…..

Originally posted by Julia Hailes on Telegraph Blogs on 23 Oct 2007 at 10:34
Tags: London, Tourism, Environment, London Eye, HFCs

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Pen Hadow's Arctic adventure

We missed seeing Pen Hadow and his team mates plunge into the chilly depths of the Serpentine on a rainy day in London. Apart from a few damp spots on Pen’s trousers, they didn’t look any worse for wear.

The boat sledge that Pen Hadow will use on his trip

This is hardly surprising because, by all accounts they were wearing the full garb for immersing themselves in the truly icy waters of the Arctic.

When I say ‘we’ I mean Monty, my youngest son, and I. He was on a half term trip to London and came with me to the press conference about the Vanco Arctic Survey. The team were a bit late and they talked for nearly an hour but Monty was gripped. He didn’t make any complaints.

In fact he was thrilled when Pen asked him whether he was concerned about the plight of polar bears. I asked him why he was looking so serious. He said it was because he thought he was on live TV, which was extremely exciting….

But when we left the Royal Geographic Society, where the press conference took place, Monty asked me a question, which showed he’d been listening. He said ‘if submarines measured the depth of the ice below the surface of the water and satellites measured the ice above the surface, couldn’t these two facts be put together to get the total thickness?’.

Pen had explained that the point of his next Arctic venture, in February 2008, was to take several million readings of the ice to find out how much was there. This meant measuring the density as well as the thickness – so that’s what I explained to Monty. It was lucky I’d been paying attention!

To do this Pen will be pulling a boat sledge – it floats on the water and skims across the snow – and behind this will be some amazing equipment. A yellow box designed to take the readings but weighing just 4kgs, when all previous versions weighed 100kgs or more.

The two other team members on this 2000 km expedition are Martin Hartley, who’ll be taking photos, podcasts and anything else that shows people what they’re up to and Ann Daniels, who apparently will be in charge of keeping them all alive. I didn’t envy her that job – presumably it means she gets the blame if they run out of supplies.

I was horrified to learn that the Arctic Ocean’s ice-cap has receded by 300,000 kms each year since 2001, which is the equivalent area to the UK, Poland or Italy. And it’s predicted that the ice-cap will disappear completely by the end of this century. In fact the expected timing of this disaster varies from between 16 and 100 years.

There’s a similar level of discrepancy about how much sea levels will rise in this period but considerable agreement that the impact on millions of people will be huge.

The expedition is sponsored by telecommunications company Vanco. And there are lots of research partners too. We can hope that it’s successful but the worrying thing is what we can realistically hope for in terms of melting ice-caps and rising sea levels – only it seems that it takes longer than any of the predictions.... yikes.

Originally posted by Julia Hailes on Telegraph Blogs on 17 Oct 2007 at 18:50
Tags: boat, Polar bear, polar expedition, Arctic Survey, Pen Hadow, ice cap

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Eco developments on the map (15oct07)

The market town of Langport on the Somerset Levels has been getting some good green press in the last few months. A new development – Great Bow Yard has won a Gold Award from the Buildings for Life Scheme set up by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment or CABE for short. Ecos Homes’ terrace of low energy houses have been built on the banks of the River Perrott, which runs through the town.

Langport's award-winning low energy houses

As well as the houses there’s a fabulous warehouse conversion. One of the first organisations to move there is the Ecos Trust, where I’m a board member.

I went to a board meeting in the unfinished conversion. The Ecos Trust offices had real character, with cubby holes in the walls and uneven surfaces on the walls, reflecting the previous life of the building. And its eco-credentials are pretty good too, going a long way beyond the attractively designed energy-efficient lighting.

Sustainability has been at the forefront of decisions on materials used, the wood chip boiler and of course the super thick insulation.

One of the topics on our agenda was post occupancy monitoring. What? Essentially that means checking up on how much water and energy houses or offices actually use in practice.

The idea is that if you know how much you’re using and can compare it with others, this should help you reduce energy and water consumption. It certainly works for me. I love getting my electricity and water bills because I can then see the average amount I’ve used per day and see how that compares to last time. OK, so that might seem a bit nerdish, but most people find that targets help them improve.

We also discussed the Homes For Good Exhibition, which is run by the Ecos Trust (formerly the Somerset Trust for Sustainable Development). In 2007 it was at the Winter Gardens in Weston-Super-Mare but next year it will be at the Bath & West Showground on 28th and 29th March, 2008. The Exhibition will show people how buildings can be designed, built, refurbished, decorated and furnished in an ecologically sensitive way, with exhibits, stands and talks.

Sustainable living is a key part of the Trust’s work – they help support many other local organisations. What’s really staggering is how many there are – 61 on the last list I saw. These ranged from the Wedmore Green Group to the Glastonbury Environmental Network. There were four listed in Frome alone - the Solar Club, Greening Comic Relief, the Permaculture Group and the Frome Allotments Group.

So Langport’s by no means the only town in the South-West that’s getting some green press...

Originally posted by Julia Hailes on Telegraph Blogs on 15 Oct 2007 at 14:47
Tags: Green issues, Sustainability, Somerset, Ecos Trust, Ecos homes, Homes For Good Exhibition

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Whole foods (5oct07)

A few years ago I went to a Whole Foods store in New York. This week I visited the London Whole Foods Market, situated on the old Barkers site in Kensington High Street.

The food tasted as good as it looked

Rather like a trip to French street markets, the first thing that comes to mind is ‘Why don’t more shops make food look this good?’ - Whole Foods is a visual treat. Piles of delicious looking apples, grapes, dates; bowls of sun dried tomatoes, olives, mozzarella cheese; a cheese counter that might more accurately be described as a cheese hall; and piles of freshly baked bread, cunningly positioned so you catch the warm aroma as soon as you enter the store.

After looking more closely at the American store it seemed that Whole Foods was brilliant at attracting upmarket customers wanting good quality produce but I wasn’t convinced its environmental philosophy was equally top notch. For a start I discovered bottled water that had been imported thousands of miles from Fiji - and in glass bottles too. That might look appealing but the carbon footprint would be pretty ugly.

I get the feeling that the London store has tried a bit harder. Their plastic bags were made from 100% recycled plastic and the philosophy on their website shows commitment. But I’m not convinced that they’ve really got their head around sustainability issues.

If something is natural, it isn’t necessarily better environmentally – so offering wooden disposable cutlery may not actually be better than plastic. Equally, encouraging people to buy ‘green’ detergents without offering advice about lowering the temperature of your wash isn’t going to do much for the planet.

I was there buying food for a supper in their upstairs eating area, so I didn’t have time to find out more. Most of what we ate tasted as good as it looked – the multigrain bread was superb. But the exception was the North Sea prawns, which were utterly tasteless.

My conclusion is that this is an up-market store for up-market customers but there’s room for improvement on the green front….

Originally posted by Julia Hailes at Telegraph Blogs on 05 Oct 2007 at 22:05
Tags: New York, London, Environment, Whole Foods

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Steamy experience in Istanbul (20oct07)

One of the most fascinating experiences I had in Istanbul was having a Turkish Bath. When I entered the large steamy room and saw the mass of nude bodies on the marble plinth it was like a scene from a painting. And it made me laugh.

Naked bodies abound in Istanbul's baths

I joined the throng, although precariously balanced on the edge. But I was told, by one of the butch ladies lathering bodies, to move into the middle – so I could wait my turn. The washing women did wear small back knickers but nothing else. And most of them were pretty huge – both their breasts and their tummies.

One of the biggest signalled for me to lie on my front. I did as I was told as I was sluiced with water, scrubbed and foamed. Actually it was rather nice. A lovely oily massage followed, which included rubbing my aching feet (I’d done a lot of walking around the city). Emerging onto the streets, which were humming throughout the night, I was restored. The hubbub of Istanbul during Ramadan continued where I’d left it...

Originally posted by Julia Hailes on Telegraph Blogs on 02 Oct 2007 at 10:49
Tags: Turkey, Istanbul, Steam baths

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The fabric of Istanbul (28sep07)

As my plane turned towards Istanbul I saw the dry landscape below. It was ploughed into fields but there seemed to be no dividing hedges. The only visible green was trees edging the numerous creeks. Apart from that, every inch seemed to have been tilled by man. I don’t know what they were growing, but it seemed pretty arid.

Tourist temptation at the Grand Bazaar

The other striking view as we flew closer to the city was the cloud hanging above the towering minarets of the mosques. It was brown. Then we landed.

I queued twice to have my passport stamped. The first time I was sent back because I hadn’t got my visa. In fact my whole trip to Turkey was a bit like a game of snakes and ladders – there seemed to be quite a lot of snakes. Worse than the administrative hassle of getting to Heathrow was arriving in time for an 11.30am flight and being told it was delayed until 5pm.

Someone had died on the incoming flight so it had to turn back. Then a ladder. I managed to get an earlier plane by buying a ticket at the last minute – albeit an expensive one.

Straddling Europe and Asia, Istanbul is an exciting city. On one side of my small and quirky hotel was the Marmara Sea and on the other taking up the whole of the window from my tiny room was the Blue Mosque. Later in the trip I took a boat up the Bosphorous towards the Black Sea.

The purpose of my trip was to make a speech for a fabric conditioner business. An interesting brief given that I don’t actually use fabric conditioners myself. But I discovered that there are some environmental advantages to the product – most significantly for hand washing. The company demonstrated how their conditioner helped people save water by reducing the need for rinsing clothes from three times to only one. This product is only available in the Far East and Latin America – in countries where hand washing is predominant.

To get water-saving benefits in washing machines was more difficult because it requires changing the machine itself. However, fabric conditioners do apparently help keep clothes in good condition and maintain their colour. If this meant people bought less clothes there would be a real benefit but I fear that very few of us buy more clothes simply because our old ones have worn out.

I’m afraid that I’m culpable in this respect. I bought a couple of rugs and even an old velvet coat from The Grand Bazaar – and I can’t say that the purchases were made simply on the basis of replacing old stuff.

Originally posted by Julia Hailes on Telegraph Blogs on 28 Sep 2007 at 17:07
Tags: Environment, Turkey, Istanbul, Fabric conditioner

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Eco-holidays in Trelowarren (18sep07)

There can’t be many things more exhilarating than surfing – or body boarding to be more precise. Watching the huge waves rolling towards me, I was among a throng of fellow surfers at Polzeath, poised to catch the best roller, so I could skim on its back towards the shore.

The beach is perfect for body boarding

The wonderful thing about surfing is that it’s not too weather-dependent. This was important because the week we stayed in Cornwall was pretty wet. But the day we went to Trelowarren was an exception.

Trelowarren is a beautiful Cornish estate, situated on the Lizard, near the Helford River. It’s run by Sir Ferrers Vyvyan, who has made it into a top-of-the-range eco-destination.

I went to investigate what this meant and to see whether it would be somewhere I’d want to go.

The long drive took us to series of cobbled courtyards. In the past these would have been filled with horses and all their paraphernalia. Today there’s an office, some shops selling Cornish arts & crafts and a restaurant, where Sir Ferrers took us to lunch.

I was with my three sons – Connor (12), Rollo (10) and Monty, aged 8. This didn’t prove to be one bit overwhelming for Sir Ferrers because he has 5 sons of his own. I think mine were reasonably well behaved but I got the impression that they could have been pretty wild without him raising an eyebrow!

My family are all enthusiastic about food. It was truly delicious. Locally sourced and beautifully cooked. I had fish. The boys went for mussels. But I couldn’t resist finishing off with a blackberry fool. The restaurant was full and it seems that this is not unusual – you generally need to book in advance.

If you want to stay at Trelowarren you can rent one of the houses on the Estate - but the main idea is timeshare.

I’ve always run a mile when anyone even mentions the word ‘timeshare’ because of all the hard selling fraudsters who have got mixed up in the industry.

Actually, the concept is quite ‘green’ because it generally means the holiday home is occupied for most of the year.

The houses at Trelowarren had other eco-virtues. They’re heated by a large CHP (combined heat and power) centralised wood-fired boiler, built of local wood or stone and are fitted with energy-saving lightbulbs (mostly). There’s also a large shared pool, tennis courts and miles of woodland to walk in.

I haven’t yet booked a holiday there but I’d be very happy to go. And we wouldn’t even miss out on surfing – there are some suitable beaches nearby.

Posted originally on Telegraph Blogs by Julia Hailes on 18 Sep 2007 at 13:35

Tags: France, holidays, swimming, eco friendly, environmental issues

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GETTING INTO THE SWIM (10sep07)

Last year I didn’t have a proper holiday – a couple of days camping in the rain in Cornwall. In fact I can’t remember when I last had a holiday in the sun. So this year’s family trip to stay with friends in the South of France was really exciting – the first week in the Luberon and the second just West of Avignon.

Swimming pools aren't the most eco-friendly option

Beautiful sunny days with lots of swimming. In the sea – it was surprisingly cold. In rivers – my absolute favourite. And in swimming pools. I think it’s pretty well impossible to have an eco-pool.

Perhaps diverting a stream and plunging into its icy depths would be pretty good. Otherwise, pools are big water users. They generally need topping up pretty regularly, particularly when my children and friends have been playing noisy, splashing games of ‘it’.

Pools also use lots of chemicals - almost whatever treatments are applied. And, of course, most of them nowadays have some sort of heating system. I’m quite often asked about whether it’s worth installing solar heating for pools. In theory this should be the answer. In practice it appears that solar heating is rarely sufficient for what people want – and it’s expensive.

Another alternative to oil heating is ground source heat pumps. This entails quite a lot of digging. So, if you go for it, the best approach is to do it at the same time as installing the pool, or carrying out some other excavation work. Then it would make financial sense too. Heat pumps run on electricity – but you get about 4 units of power out to every 1 you put in (some people think that’s optimistic).

But, if you’ve got a pool in the South of France, I think you should do without a heating system at all. Perhaps when it gets colder, after the long hot summer, you should either be brave or do something else!

Perhaps I’m a bit hardy though because I actually quite enjoy the tingly feeling you get when you’ve been in cold water. As I swam West towards the setting sun on the Dorset coast, a few days ago, the velvety feeling of the water gave me a warm feeling that couldn’t be surpassed by any pool.

And now I’m back at work – and finding it very difficult to get into the swing - or swim…..

Posted originally on Telegraph Blogs by Julia Hailes on 10 Sep 2007 at 17.25
Tags: France, holidays, swimming, eco friendly, environmental issues

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