Comments

1. Colin Davies | 19 November 2007

   FAO Sarah Beeny.
   I’ve got a great idea (I think!) for a TV programme that would be perfect for Sarah Beeny. If you’re interested, please let me know.
   Thanks
   Colin Davies

2. Steve Marshall | 25 November 2007

   I have come to this site via an e-mail link from Sheffield FOE re the Big Green Challenge.
   I speak on a personal level. I am not an active member of Sheffield F.O.E.
   I am personally sceptical of this Big Green Challenge/Nesta thing as it appears to be very much based on capitalism…i.e. cash and competition.

   Ideas for top ten tips? Reducing negative effects of man made Climate Change:-
   How about these few to add:-

   1.Reduce necessity of (intensive) livestock and dairy farming world and U.K. wide, therefore more arable, organic and natural see levels of CO2 - methane fall considerably.

   2.Reduce necessity and greed for
   flying - passenger and commercial use therefore reducing CO2 emissions from air transport considerably.

   3. Campaign NOW - long, hard and relentlessly to stop ALL wars,armed conflicts and production, sale and trade of arms and weapons.
   Oil and other energy useage will fall considerably. More importantly many peoples lives, green or otherwise will be saved
   and, you will find, there will be a great deal less environmental catastrophes.

   4.Erm…Try filling car engines with environmentally friendly/beningn fuels.Better still, avoid car,lorry,van, truck, etc useage wherever possible and bring in large scale friendly safe vehicle sharing schemes, safe and efficient bus, truck, cycle routes etc, etc.

   5. Abolish Capitalism and replace it with something nice.
   I live in a city. I hear things about Climate change disaster on radio. I read them in papers, magazines and the like and, of course, if I am online do so there too.
   If I can do that and live a very small Eco footprint, then WHY is it so very hard for so MANY other people in the same city - who hear the same radio, read the same paper news and see the same web news/info as I do, to see it too?
   There are still tens if not hundreds of thousands of people in my own City who, for example, have 3 or 4 cars in the drive of their large (or small) non - green homes, they leave ON the T.V. Washer, C.D. you name it, on standby,day after day, week after week, regardless and utterly ignorant and unconcerned with yet another major cyclone disaster in Bangladesh. N.I.M.B.Y.
   Abolish Capitalism and replace it with something nice.

   Best wishes with your Greenwash thing. Have you ever tried talking to people who have researched this all before?i.e. existing and/or older working models.
   Effective and efficient communication coupled with co-operation, real and genuine common sense co-operation are the imperatives.

   Steve Marshall.

3. Alan Morton | 26 November 2007

   Steve

   Thanks for your comments. I think they show quite clearly the need the Big Green Challenge.

   You’re quite right to point out that there are large CO2 emissions from livestock farming and transport. You mention the military who use large amounts of energy around the world. Some operations in the Middle East protect the oil exported to the rest of the world. So in effect some of the cost of these operations subsidises the cost of crude oil. (See Vaclav Smil, Energy at the Crossroads, MIT 2003).

   But as you yourself point out, you yourself have a low Eco footprint, and not enough other people are following your example. That’s the main reason we at NESTA launched the Big Green Challenge. We’re keen to encourage communities innovate to reduce carbon use. Through community engagement, a few keen people can influence others, and the community develops a collective will to do great things about climate change.

   Climate Change is a huge challenge for modern industrial society. The Stern Review described it as the biggest market failure there’s been. So we have our work cut out if we are to make the big cuts in carbon use that are required.

   You ask if we talked to others involved in climate change and community action before launching the Big Green Challenge. We did. We’ve spoken to a wide range of organisations from Government Departments to small charities and individual activists. These include Defra, Energy Savings Trust, Global Action Plan, CRed (University of East Anglia). Rob Hopkins from Totnes spoke at our Bristol launch and so on. But if you can suggest others, we would be happy to speak to them – especially at our roadshow in Sheffield on 6th December.

   What we are trying to do with the BGC is not to duplicate what these groups are already doing so well, but to complement their activities. Ideally, we would like to identify ways for the sector to be even more effective in the future.

   If you’ve got further comments, do send them.

4. Malcolm G. Fisher | 10 January 2008

   I live alone currently and the only Group of People that are near to me are Members of The Ellel non-denominational Christian Healing Ministry, who have devoted their lives to Jesus, who solves all their problems, thus they wouldn’t join me in this Big Green Challenge.

   My “Green Concepts” focus firstly on the Government of this Green & Pleasant Land, who should set the Nation a Good Green example, by

   1. Reducing the hot air emanating from The Houses of Parliament by insisting that all politicians only speak the truth!

   2. Politicians should donate all falsely claimed expenses to charitable causes.

   3. The House of Lords should be used as a B & B, for down and outs, as no-one would notice a few dozen more people asleep in there!

   4. Politicians should forego their expensive cars, plane trips and expensive flats in London, by sleeping in tents along the banks of the Thames or in under-used Royal Parks.

   5. High energy, low fat, reduced cholesterol diets should be formulated for our Politicians to avoid the necessity of highly expensive lunches.

   Adherence to my five Green Concepts could save around £5 billion per annum I reckon!

5. Nick Hanna | 17 January 2008

   I am great fan of Sarah’s programme but I often get exasperated because all that developers seem interested in is creating a “cool, modern” house and Sarah B seems to acquiese to this because she is always arriving at the finished house with a breathless script about it’s “clean, contemporary look” and so forth. Very rarely do we hear ANYTHING about its energy efficiency or other attributes. In the Guardian today Sarah claims that she is seeing “many people” fitting energy-saving appliances and so forth, but this is rarely reflected in her programme. Come on, how about a “Green Property Ladder” where people make money after making energy-saving improvements? And if that isn’t possible yet, why not??

6. Mensother | 28 February 2008

   I have to agree - I have seen Sarah’s programme a couple of times when I have been ill and wasn’t able to leave the house. Not once have I seen green / sustainable / ecofriendly etc. mentioned. Is she really and ‘Angel’. Hm. I stay sceptical. Let me see Sarah do something actively pro-environment!

7. geof fbaker | 25 October 2008

   Some very intresting ideas and comments. I came across this page whilst looking for cheaper energy prices [/url]http://cheaperenergy.wordpress.com My bills haven risen by 35% this year and am now facing yet another increase by these greedy energy companies. (Thankfully I only rent so don’t have to worry about a mortgage as well.) Has anyone tried this green and cheap renewable energy? If so, be intrested to know how it worked for you.

8. unfonduby | 11 November 2008

   gratify, don’t detest me. I by the skin of one’s teeth after to get some money… plea me by the skin of one’s teeth one more time.
   Click here please

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