Archive for 15 February 2008

5 pointers for applicants

By Vicki Costello on 15 February 2008 | No Comments

With the application deadline for the Big Green Challenge now only two weeks away, I thought I’d share my top five pointers to help you with your entry.

1. While entries to the Big Green Challenge must be from ‘groups of people’ and those groups must be not-for-profit, there are very few other restrictions. This means you can either set up a new group just to enter or enter as a group or not-for-profit organisation that already exists. Whoever you are, you should think about how you involve other people – you could link up with existing groups in your area or include people from your wider community to develop your idea.

2. We’re looking for fresh thinking on climate change but that doesn’t mean your idea has to be 100% brand new. You could be applying an old idea in a new way or have come up with a better way to encourage the take-up of existing measures. Think laterally about how to tackle the carbon emissions people produce in their everyday lives.

3. This is an ambitious project, and we want YOU to be ambitious about what you can achieve with your ideas. We think if people work together they can have a big impact, which is why we want to see how close you can get to a 60% cut in emissions. Do bear in mind that this is a target to aim towards and we’re interested in how close you can get to it. If you get through to the next stage we will also be able to advise you on how to measure this reduction.

4. The end goal of a share of the £1 million prize pot can seem far away, but remember that we’ll be providing support to the Big Green Challenge competitors in the next two stages of the competition so you won’t have to go it alone.

5. There’s lots of useful info in our FAQs and rules but if you have any questions at all on how to apply, we’re here to help. Call the helpline on 020 7438 2664 or email admin@biggreenchallenge.org.uk.

News: Watch our webchat video

By Joanna Tidball on 15 February 2008 | 1 Comment

There’s now just TWO WEEKS to go until the deadline for entering the Big Green Challenge so we hope you’re getting on well with your application!

Some of you may have seen Vicki Costello in our live webchat earlier this week, answering questions on how to apply. If you missed it, you can watch the video here.

If you have a question that wasn’t answered in the webchat and isn’t covered in our FAQs, do call our helpline on 020 7438 2664 or email admin@biggreenchallenge.org.uk.

Domestic biogas plants in Nepal

By Joanna Tidball on 15 February 2008 | No Comments

This week I’ve been looking at some of the visionary renewable energy projects going on in developing countries. To round off the week I thought I’d highlight the work of the Biogas Sector Partnership in Nepal.

The Biogas Sector Partnership has managed the installation of more than 150,000 domestic biogas plants in Nepal. The plants use cattle manure to provide biogas for cooking and lighting. Households with biogas plants have a greatly reduced need for burning fuelwood, making significant savings on carbon emissions.

A biogas plant

The use of cattle dung to generate biogas is well known in the Indian subcontinent, but the Nepal project is the biggest of its kind and has been a great success.

Biogas already serves one million people in Nepal (4% of the population) and the sector provides 11,000 permanent jobs. The project is a great example of how small scale can be transformed onto a much bigger scale!

Find out more about the Biogas Sector Partnership project on the Ashden Awards website - where you can also find lots of other interesting case studies.

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