Situated in the gorgeous countryside of Wales, the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) is what the modern ecological world is all about. Offering renewable technology courses, launching their Sustainable Land Use Initiative, and keeping their very own secret garden in tact – is there anything this institute of the new world can’t do?

We’d like to think they’re capable of anything they set their environmentally-friendly sights on. CAT’s centre operates like a totem piece for those who want to live a more sustainable life; valuing quality of living and a fair life for all above anything else. What is immediately likeable about CAT is their candid and modernist outlook on the crises that face our country and the human race as a whole:

“We address every aspect of the average lifestyle – the key areas we work in are renewable energy, environmental building, energy efficiency, organic growing and alternative sewage systems,” says CAT. “Our Visitor Centre is open seven days a week. Interactive displays show global issues such as energy generation and transport, and practical, everyday solutions for everyone.”

As well as a free information service, open five days a week to help answer any enquiries on a wide range of topics, CAT runs residential courses via their Education Department, which also arranges school trips to the centre that can be aligned to classroom activities and the National Curriculum.

“There is a small community living at our Centre, experimenting with different ways of living, putting cooperative and environmental ideas into action. We take the same approach with our work, looking at the environment and everything we do from start to finish.

We hope that through our positive example and promotion of effective solutions, people will be inspired to lessen their impact on the world in the same ways we have for more than 30 years.”

CAT is a great place to visit, whether you’re looking for something educational and inspiring, or if its a patch of peaceful haven you’re in search of, the Centre for Alternative Technology has the solution. It is without a doubt one of the UK’s most modern ecological custodians, and sets a good example for any visitor young-and-old.

“The Centre for Alternative Technology exists to promote another way of living, which looks at the outcomes of our actions. If we want to survive in the future without a huge environmental and humanitarian crisis, our best hope lies with understanding and working with natural processes, rather than trying to conquer nature.”

But, unfortunately, like most of our eco-innovators, they are relying on your support to grow and continue to display a treasure-house of emergent ecological solutions. You can follow this link by clicking here to find out more about how to become a CAT member, or better yet, give the centre a visit.

Either way, we’d like to encourage as many of you to find out more about what CAT have seen on this year’s horizons for environmental education, innovative products, emergent technologies, and intrinsic training – all with “practical solutions to 21st century problems” in mind.

Posted under Articles, Corporate, Eco Reviews

Stella Artois, the beer company responsible for the ‘Reassuringly Expensive’ adverts that managed to use the higher than average price of their lager to actually encourage consumer take-up, have unrolled a new campaign aimed at boosting sales of its beer.

Belonging to the super-brewery Anheuser-Busch InBev, Stella have spent years and lots of money creating an image for itself of tasteful luxury and ironic wit through its advertising campaigns and branding activities. Despite this focus on the drink’s higher than average cost, it has still managed to remain a regular staple of British pubs.

This new advertising campaign has two main themes to it- the first is recycling, and the second is planting hedges (an enterprise backed by the broadcaster, environmental campaigner and ‘adventurer’ Ben Fogle). The first side of this new advertising programme (‘Recyclage Deluxe’) consists of bill-board adverts shot in black and cream duo-tone photography, done in a French new-wave style and featuring stylish yet dryly absurd consumer objects that suggest the use of recycled Stella packaging in the manufacture of luxury goods- a vintage Citroen car with a massive Stella can rising out smoothly in one piece from its bonnet, for instance, reminiscent of the nuclear fusion reactor that powered the Delorian in the Back to the Future films. The written messages: Stella Artois bottles are made from 75% recycled glass. Stella Artois cans use (‘on average’) 50% recycled aluminium. And Stella Artois cardboard is made from 100% recycled paper (that’s the corrugated packs in supermarkets and the paper used in packaging- all of this only the paper or card used at ‘point of sale’). None of these claims appear to be particularly astounding or instantly, primitively impressive, and are all couched in conditions and terms on the accompanying website.

Stella measures its Carbon Dioxide emissions in hectolitres- there’s 100 litres in a hectolitre unit, or 26.418 US gallons. They aim to reduce their energy use by 10% per hectolitre by 2010- again, not a particularly mind-blowing figure. But fair play to ‘em. Stella also want to reduce their water usage to 3.75 hectolitres per hectolitre of beer produced (the United Nations suggest that best practice in beer production is 5 hectolitres of water per hectolitre of beer produced- Stella are proud to be aiming below this figure). InBev are also part of the ‘Carbon Disclosure Project’. To Stella, ‘reducing, recycling and proper waste disposal are a key part of our global business strategy. At Stella Artois, we’re trying to lead by example through our Recyclage-Deluxe campaign but also by doing our best within our own operations to ensure we’re producing as little waste as possible and recycling what waste we do produce.’ Very precise action plan there.. Not. And then: ‘Aluminium’s a tricky substance. We love it because it’s lightweight (keeping down the environmental effect of transport), because it can be recycled an infinite number of times, and is tough enough to protect your Stella Artois from brewery to fridge until you can pour it in a Chalice glass to enjoy.’ Great marketing nudges in there, but very little meat. And one doubts whether aluminium was really chosen as the material for their cans because of its lighter footprint when transported- or whether this was a twist that was worked out only now.

The other side to the campaign is the ‘Hedge Fund’, where InBev (Stella’s Belgian owner) have pledged to plant a piece of hedge in the British countryside for every case of Stella bought in the UK- this piece of hedge will grow to be three times the size of the case of beer (again, the explanation of this on the promotional website is far from clear, but that, I accept, is their concern). The adverts pun on the phrase and make reference to the financial world, featuring photographs of men and women in suits sizing up a hedge, which is placed on a desk, with a tape-measure- the tagline running ‘Once upon a time a hedge fund was just that’.

Stella take a lot of credit for this hedge-building enterprise, but their language doesn’t give due credit to their partners in this enterprise: ‘we plan to fund over 365,000 hedge saplings and 8,650 trees saplings, to be planted in the British countryside. And they’ll be carefully looked after by volunteers, to keep them spruce and bursting with wildlife.’ This work is, of course, not undertaken by Stella/InBev volunteers, but by their partner in the enterprise- the Tree Council. The Tree Council could legitimately be said to be the real heroes here. The UK’s ‘lead charity for trees’, the organisation promotes trees through community action programmes, a national tree warden scheme, the distribution of annual planting grants, and publications, including the magazine ‘Tree News’ (available at branches of Borders and WHSmiths, amongst other stockists). Stella also claim that they will ‘grow hedges, wherever they are most needed’. This is possibly false, as one doubts whether Stella will be out there, looking for places where hedges are desperately needed. Stella is, after all, a beer company. Most probably they will hope that the Tree Council plant hedges where they are needed- Stella are silent partners. Besides, the hedges being planted indirectly through Stella are proportional to the amount of cases of beer that are sold. This is a limited and sales-related planting exercise. Some money is donated to the Tree Council- Stella don’t do anything but donate.
This could of course be taken as a pedantic attack on Stella’s scheme which is nevertheless positive in its nature- the move to fund the plantation of hedges is of course a good one, but what has just passed has been an brief exegesis on the perhaps misleading, self-promotional marketing language used by Stella Artois in their campaign.

Stella Artois must, of course, for their survival, market themselves savvily and keep their infiltration amongst drinking establishments, retailers and the consumer psyche intact. They certainly have the right backing- InBev, following an aggressive take-over of Anheuser-Busch (who make Budweiser), are now the world’s largest brewer. They are indeed a giant of the brewing world, and one of their first moves upon merging was to announce the closure of the historic Stagg Brewery in Mortlake, on the bank of the Thames in West London (ceasing operation in 2010). But this is beside the point. As long as you buy this beer, hedges will be planted, restoring the somewhat dilapidated hedgerow system of the British Isles, responsible for housing wildlife (including rare species, like Horseshoe bats and dormice) and keeping the soil together, preventing erosion and halting water-borne run-off.

Stella have moved their sleek advertising machine down a new detour- taking some of the edge off of their effective pseudo-luxurious campaign, in my opinion- and they want you to buy their beer. Perhaps consumers are environmental now, they think. And so their new advertising is split: split between carefree, throwaway, excessive, wasteful spending, and the recurrence of objects and material, the sustenance of long-lived singular forms. Stella Artois are hedging their bets.

Posted under Companies, Corporate, Gardening & Outdoors, Lifestyle & Fashion

Now, if you have a keen eye for industry or domestic development then you might have spotted the Solar Tech logo brandished on a number of renewable energy systems. But if, like most of us, you tend to miss the smaller details to what’s happening within the bigger picture of Renewable Energy, then here’s a rundown of what a company like Solar Tech are all about:

Solar Tech Ltd is an independent business that specialises in the design and installation of microgeneration and renewable energy sources for Public, Commercial and Domestic uses. They supply a range of services and systems from Solar Hot Water, PV Cell installation, Ground Source Heat Pumps, Under Floor Heating, to Pool Heating and Pellet Fuel Boilers. And as accredited installers they have a store-house of useful information for both technical and financial considerations, as well as a healthy listing of funds, grants and benefits for both residential and commercial users.

Minimising the effects of Global Warming is what fronts this family business of renewable ralliers. It is commonly known that Climate Change is one of the only challenges that faces the world today as a whole. Threats of extreme weather conditions, loss of the Earth’s Glaciers, radical changes to the world’s geography, and ultimately, the way we live, are just some of the motivators behind Solar Tech’s emergence. So what are we to do about it?

Little is known about the government funding available for home-owners to make a change to the way they power their properties. The Low Carbon Buildings Programme is just one of the public initiatives for UK resident home-owners to help with that initial pay-out for a domestic, renewable energy system. Microgenerational technology such as Wind Turbines, Solar Panels, and Under Ground Source Piping, has made such progress over recent years (in terms of technologically and in its integration into British homes) that it is not just seen as an ecologically sustainable alternative, but a first choice for home-owners wanting to cut their electricity bills and make their property a zero carbon home. And one of the reassuring benefits for Solar Tech customers is that they will be using a member of the Clear Skies accreditation scheme, which can provide candidates with up to 50% for Photo Voltaic (PV cell) systems and 30% for Solar Thermal systems, or £2,500 per household – depending on which is the lower figure.

But that’s not all. After the Solar Tech specialists have installed your new microgeneration kit (which, on average, can contribute to a third of your home’s electricty) there is also a maintenance service delivered by a team of in-house engineers, who are just a phone call away!

Solar Tech is, without a doubt, one of the leading renewable energy system suppliers in the UK. So whether it’s commercial or residential assistance you need for your renewable solution, Solar Tech are sure to be a great help.

For further information on Solar Tech’s Low Carbon Building Programme listing, and the benefits you could receive by using renewable energy systems, please visit the Solar Tech website.

Source: www.solartech.org.uk

Posted under Articles, Corporate

Not like their shy, snuffling counterparts; there’s a new breed of city dwelling hedgehogs being spotted throughout the nation’s capital. This new ‘species’ of small, bright green Hedgehogs make up the fleet of electrical vehicle recycling units launched by Seymour Green – a marketing company with a difference! However, this family of little green creations does share some similarities with its more feral role model: the beseen begreen Hedgehogs do also enjoy sorting through your street side rubbish; they are – let’s face it – rather adorable; and their uncanny character makes them a treat for the eyes that’s almost impossible to forget. So what’s it all about, then?

Seymour Green is a branded marketing company that is aligned with sustainability, identifiable with Green innovation, and committed against the threats of global warming. To put it simply: here we have a brand that is its environmental policy. One that will provide marketing and promotional services to companies that value the importance of carbon-cutting. And one that is especially suited to the solutions of tomorrow. And how are they doing this? Take, for example, their beseen begreen Hedgehogs:

Essentially, a beseen begreen Hedgehog is a hybrid of varied usefulness: each unit is built upon an electric vehicle that can slot neatly into any streetside space in Central London; the advertising boards that flank each side of the vehicle also house a recycling depository; and the unit itself is designed to deliver messages via media apps., such as Bluetooth, to passers-by and the general stop ‘n’ stare public.

Now this may seem like a lot to take in for any individual all at once, but sitting across from a Hedgehog parked up in Covent Garden it was great to see one in full swing…

First of all the Hedgehog glided in on its near-to-silent, environmentally friendly electric engine and parked in one of London’s most frequented tourist spots. Then, what followed was a series of photo’s, a growing number of clustering, interested groups, and wave after wave of city dwellers who wanted to make good use of the chance to recycle.

Currently, the existing fleet of Hedgehogs is able to recycle 7.2 million cans and 4.3 million bottles a year – and all on a 100% carbon neutral vehicle!

One thing which was clearly evident about the beseen begreen Hedgehog was its ‘noticeability’. Not just in terms of advertising, but also its purposefulness and the great way people seemed to be interacting with this very unique little car.

Seymour Green has, without a doubt, discovered a way to bring a well rounded message directly to an interested audience. There are Hedgehogs popping up all over London as we speak, and by 2011 the marketing firm is seeking to have a fleet of 100 strong: ensuring more recycling, more interaction and more awareness in a truly innovative and sustainable way.

With an astute environmental policy that drives and reaches the very ends of their unique brand, you can be sure to Seymour of this bright company in the near future.

Posted under Articles, Corporate

These days nobody’s a stranger to technology. It is practically impossible to be so. The technological and electronic industries are moving at such a rapid pace that the brand-new appliances you bought a few days ago might already have been overtaken by newer models. More and more products are being outmoded and rendered obsolete everyday. And this fact is its having a huge impact on our environment.

Landfill solutions have seen a dramatic rise in statistics over recent years, and this is partly to do with the improper disposal of electronic equipment. These same appliances – constructed from heavy metals such as mercury and lead – are also significantly to blame for the increase of toxic E-waste produced by this country. It seems that the ecological benefits of recycling have not inspired a global economy of techno-fiends to use the dedicated channels available to them, but in return has led to an emergence of a more positive type of reaction, that of Trade-In and Tech Recycling organisations. And a great thing it is too!

One of the leading proponents of Tech Recycling is ecoNEW. Now available as an online service (www.econewonline.com) ecoNEW offer a great way to help you live a low-impact, modern lifestyle. You simple take your unwanted electronic good, check the ecoNEW trade-in list for eligibility, select the product (outlining its type and condition), send your product via the prepaid postal label provided, and then wait for your Reward Card to arrive through your postbox as a thank you. It really is that simple. And the potential benefits are equally as crucial:

National Electronics Warranty (NEW) works with American ISO 14001 registered and compliant partners. Such export controls regulate landfill, monitor raw materials, and help ensure that these resources are sold back into the manufacturing chain as part of the cycle. Whilst here in Europe we are continually encouraging the same outcomes as ecoNEW’s objectives (mitigation of landfill, zero-waste targets, increased e-cycling) we are limiting our approach to a legal application: primarily known as the “Green Dot” program.

This is where, under regulation, manufacturers are expected to take back and dispose of the materials they produce. However, this has not taken in North America. Hence the launch of ecoNEW with its home delivery trade-in and recycling program, and its relationship with U.S electronic retailers that, last year, sold over 100 million products covered by this great service.

Unfortunately it is still only available in the U.S, but its success has led to rumours of it launching sister companies overseas. And let us hope it does. We already have fledgling organisations such as envirofone.com going from strength to strength in the popular market. However, as their name suggests, their services only encourage the trade-in for one product of a wide, varied and dominating sector. These same technological and electronic industries are equally as prevalent in the U.K and just waiting for a vehicle like ecoNEW to help set about a culture of change that will ensure landfill begins an inspiring reduction in next year’s statistics, as well as our recycling habits.

Posted under Articles, Corporate

Arguably one of the most recognisable brands in the world, Starbucks’ green siren has often beckoned criticism for its capitalist prowess by eco-enthusiasts across the globe rather than its Fairtrade relationships. But now, since the launch of a groundbreaking initiative in 2008, it is on target to be the largest purchaser of Fairtrade certified coffee beans in the world – something of which the coffee-stop tycoon is showing an intriguing pride. Surprised? Well, you shouldn’t be:

As early as 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has stuck by a sure commitment to ethically sourcing and roasting high-quality coffee. Ever since the boom of green-interest occurred in the early naughties, Starbucks has been at the forefront of ‘responsible business’. Their launch of Shared Plant consolidated this move in 2004, in collaboration with Conservation International; which helped to instate strict ethical sourcing guidelines and ensure that the Starbucks coffee bean was far from a quick-fix single-shot solution, but more like a slow-roasting, aromatic program that addresses environmental, social and economic issues concerning the sustainability and longevity of trade-relations with developing coffee farms and farmers.

This may come as a bit of a shock to eco-warriors, as the coffee company has never competitively publicised such dealings. It would have taken a keen eye to spot the Fairtrade insignia branded in store. But now – speak it loud, and speak it proud – Starbucks are letting everyone know exactly where their coffee is coming from.

700 outlets in the UK and Ireland will be on the receiving end of the initiative set up in October 2008. These stores, in compliance with the Fairtrade Labeling Organisation International (FLO), will stock and sell coffee beans that have only been grown by farmers who receive a warranted level of pay (at present this figure stands at 92p for every pound of coffee beans); of which the Fairtrade Foundation have estimated that 100,000 farmers in Africa, Asia and South America will benefit from the coffee company’s dedicated progress.

However, today, only 6% of coffee sold by Starbucks qualifies under the scheme. But this is soon to change: Starbucks is going Fairtrade. Posters are being strategically placed, the advertising campaign is set to unfurl, and even the company’s chairman and chief executive, Howard Schultz, is keen on letting the coffee-drinking community know that what Starbucks is doing is far beyond what any coffee company has ever done before.

This is a clear move by Schultz to tackle the recent growth in store closures over the past financial year. A year that has seen even the most successful corporations move into decline and look to more solid, sustainable fields of marketing, process and sales.  But, incidentally, who cares! What is central to all of this high-end business movement is the fact that popular interest and ecological demand have managed to steer one of the world’s largest, fastest growing, and aggressive retail chains back to – what we hope was the point in their lucrative design – the Green Siren that sits on Starbucks coffee cups, to beckon more Fairtrade ships into western shores and see them safely back (appropriately paid) to international ports.

Posted under Articles, Corporate

One of the most respected awards schemes in the UK, the Business Commitment to the Environment (BCE) was first established in 1975 by Sir Peter Parker. Its core aim is to reward the success of those companies who can meet the commercial demands of its clients and customers, whilst providing for environmental commitments in the future.

The overarching goal of the Business Commitment to the Environment Leadership Awards is summarised succinctly on the BCE’s website:

“The BCE Awards aim to provide a unique opportunity for any business to demonstrate clearly that corporate responsibility is an integral part of their organisation, they are innovative and are ahead of the competition. Managed and administered by UK business, the BCE Awards truly recognise the importance of environmental excellence, innovation and leadership in an age where, increasingly, running with the pack simply is not enough.Entry is free of charge – so the BCE Awards are among the easiest to enter but, by stark contrast, the hardest to win. Only those projects that meet the judges’ demanding criteria succeed”.

It is an award scheme, then, that rewards those who can work within the mainstream, without compromising their environmental beliefs.

The Business Commitment to the Environment Leadership Awards of 2009

This year’s awards saw Pfizer taking the prestigious Management Premier Award, scooping the accolade for its undertaking of its Green Chemistry Programme, which looks to reduce the use of environmentally damaging chemicals in the production of pharmaceutical products. Understandably delighted to receive the award, Chief of Green Chemistry at Pfizer, stated that the organisation were:

“Proud to win this BCE Award. It’s great to be recognised for the work we’ve done to improve our environmental performance; and specifically the commitment of our scientists advancing our Green Chemistry processes, who’ve worked really hard to enable Pfizer to be acknowledged in this way as a leader of environmental excellence”.

The BCE’s other top prize, the Sir Peter Parker Award, was awarded to Bovis Lend Lease, and other premier awards went to Toyota Manufacturing UK, Sainsbury’s with NCR and River Dart Country Park. Commendations were also given toInterface FLOR, Baxter Story, Scottish Power Renewables, Robert Wiseman Dairies, Camira Fabrics, Marshalls and Seacourt.

Championing Practical Environmental Measures Through the Business Commitment to the Environment Leadership Awards

This year’s Business Commitment to the Environment Leadership Awards, just as in recent years, has – through its careful decisions on whom to bestow its awards – shown that it is possible to provide a working commercial business model alongside a sound environmental plan, securing both economic and environmental gains in the future.

It is expected that this combination will be reflected in the endeavours and aims BCE, for the awards presentations in years to come.

For more information on the Business Commitment to the Environmental Leadership Awards, please visit their website.

Posted under Articles, Corporate

We’ve all seen the television ad for EDF’s new energy saving initiative eco renew. But what are the power giants really aiming for? And has eco20:20 and climate change hit these companies like some kind of fever? Who really has the cure here? These questions may be at the back of our minds as we sit down in front of the box and watch as EDF’s logo pops up on the screen. So here is the information about how this company stays in popular public sight, and a few more facts that should move those question-marks from the back of your brain to the tip of your tongue.

 EDF and eco renew

Let’s get one thing out in the open eco renew is a product. EDF have manufactured a marketable package that appeals to the general public of homeowners. But why? Clearly the energy supplier must be offering us a range of benefits that are wide enough to include a broad and general sweep of their existent, or potential, consumers. These benefits can be summed up in one word: savings. EDF want to help save homeowners money by offering a service that can viably achieve this goal. As well as reducing your carbon footprint, EDF commit their eco renewservice to help reduce your energy bills. How? By using the emerging technologies of microgenerational energy units.

Microgeneration, in its popular and accessible form, consists of three basic but reliable units. These eco-friendly alternatives are based on renewable or more sustainable models of what is already being used in your home. By generating your own low carbon energy you will be making sizable savings on the unfortunately perennial Gas & Electricity bill. Existing users have said to save as much as a third off of previous statements. And with microgenerational technologies becoming ever emergent and popular, their efficiency will increase. This becomes a situation known as ‘a demand cycle’, one that our UK government have been anxious to establish: the more we utilise renewable power sources, the more the technology advances and integrates into UK homes, thus resulting in E.U. 2020 requisites being achieved (i.e. Britain has been set a target of producing 1/3 of its electricity from Green, renewable sources).

EDF are also setting themselves targets of low or zero CO2 energy production. After spokesmen announced their purchase of British Energy, the French powerhouse has turned its ecological eye to Britain; and have since set about development of four European pressurized reactors, in order to deliver even more clean energy into UK homes.

So why use EDF? The energy supplier have made it very simple for its customers – call, confirm, install. Just like that. The power corporation have a call team that will be able to advise on whether or not your home is suitable for eco renew,and talk to you about the costs involved in the entire procedure. EDF then send a local surveyor, free of charge, to visit your home in order to confirm that the estimations given over the phone are both accurate and viable. And then once it has been determined what type of microgenerational program suits your home, the installation can take place.

There are three renewable alternatives that EDF offer for your home: Solar Photovoltaic, Solar Thermal, and Air source heat pumps. Basically, it will depend on the location and infrastructure of your current location as to which service you’ll receive. However, all have their benefits.

Solar Photovaltaic technology, put simply, is solar panelling. Arguably one of the most popular and integrated solutions for homeowner looking to do their bit for the environment (as well as their bank accounts!). Solar Photovaltaic panels use PV cells to soak up the sun, harness the natural energy stored in its rays and then converts this – with the aid of electrical generation systems – into longwave energy, which can be stored for those not so sunny days, night time emergencies, and black-outs! It is a great step towards becoming sustainably self-sufficient.

Solar Thermal works under the same premise as Photovaltaic, utilising PV cells. But in this instance it is used to convert sunlight into energy, which then heats your water. This will seriously reduce the need to use your boiler in the summer months, and also cut a chunk out of those weighty winter bills. Whereas Photovaltaic is designed to supply clean power for electrical appliances, Solar Thermal is dedicated to heating your water systems, and can provide 5.5% of energy related savings.

And the last (but not final) solution EDF are offering with their standard packages is the Air source heat pumps. This is another low carbon alternative to gas and oil boilers. It sucks air from outside and channels the inherent warmth to heating outlets, such as radiators.

Whatever their solution, EDF are committed to providing accessible, integrateable, and renewable alternatives to help homeowners make the change the entire nation is committed to. That’s why eco renewis one of Britain’s most popular and reliable power packages, and another reason to help out in the race for climate control.

EDF and eco renew

Posted under Articles, Climate, Corporate, Eco Reviews, House & Home, Renewable Energy

Brunton solar-rechargeable pioneers, pride themselves on their durable power sources that led to the first flexible solar panel. The Solar Roll was the first, but certainly not their last. Since its release, Brunton U.S. have developed and refined the high-tech, rugged and adaptable technology that has received glowing reviews from around the world. Travellers, adventurers and expedition groups across the globe have packed a Brunton as essential equipment for their life-changing activities. However, what is most exciting, Brunton have recognised that even the ordinary days of week-in week-out are committed to another level of living. And have since began production of Brunton Solar Rolls in varying outputs and alternative sizes to accommodate their emergence onto the commercial market. Soon the Solar Roll will be available to power anything from the car battery to handheld cameras. But for now, here is a list of Brunton solar products that are making power portable

Brunton Solaris i6 iPod Charger

Nearly everybody has an iPod these days, and the majority of them have subsequently lost their charger. But if you’ve still got hold of one, now there’s one step better to take you that bit further. That’s right, the Brunton Solaris i6 iPod Charger. No larger than a diary, this foldable solar charger is set to become just as important. In clear sunlight the Solaris i6 can run your iPod, giving you access to those favourite tunes and videos, even if the battery is empty. Not only that, the Solaris i6 can plug directly into your iPod Mini, iPod Nano, or iPod to convert the sun’s natural energy into a full battery in 2 to 4 hours!

The unit includes a 12 volt vehicle adapter which connects to other small electronics, so you can recharge them out and about too. Small, compact, lightweight and practically ingenious, the Brunton Solaris i6 iPod Charger retails at approximately £95 (150 USD) making it a perfect gift solution for any music lover or festival goer this year.

Brunton SolarRoll TM 9

A general electronics charger, the Solar Roll was the inspiration driving the first flexible solar panel. A classic in its own right, the evolution of the Solar Roll has taken Brunton to new heights. And now that it has been waterproofed, they can carry on their ascent whatever the weather.

Commonly used by kayakers and other seafarers who take their photography with a certain professionalism, this product is at the forefront in its field (or should we say glade). When necessary or in preparation, simply unroll the durable flexi-panel and drape it on the nearest surface. With a 9 watt output, it is excellent and by all means efficient in charging appliances as high-tech as satellite phones, PDAs, and high-spec laptops, to the more domestic mobile phone and digital camera. And weighing just 9.2 ounces, wherever your adventure, don’t leave home without it. Retailing at £175 (277 USD), the open dimensions are 12″ x 40″ for effective utility.

Brunton SolarPortTM 4.4

The Solar Port is for those needed protection from the slightly more hardcore. A more heavy-duty unit, the Solar Port 4.4 still weighs only 19 ounces and measures in at 9.3″x6″x1.5″ – remarkably compact. Using a USB connection, this innovative power alternative will keep you on the map, charging mobile phones, GPS tracking systems, photography equipment and digital cameras. Strong, durable, robust with a weatherproof hard-shell case, the foldable Solar Port 4.4 uses the same photo crystalline solar technology with a 12 volt connection you can rely on. A slightly cheaper retail price of £69 (109 USD) the Solar Port is a must have for any Eco-enthusiast or outdoor activist.

There is so much going on behind the scenes at Brunton it is going to be hard to tell where they’re going next with this innovative and exciting technology. But one thing’s for sure, if they’re at the summit of Mount Everest or at the heart of the Dead Sea, they’ll be able to drop us an email.

Posted under Articles, Corporate, Eco Reviews, Product Innovations, Renewable Energy

The Copenhagen Climate Change Council, which offers the first real opportunity for developing a world climate change policy since the Kyoto Protocol, will bring together, for arguably the first time, a group of leaders who have a commitment to genuine practical changes on carbon emissions habits and global warming.

In taking the US to the talks, President Barack Obama is hoping to undo the damage that George Bush Jnr., in his isolation from the community on environmental issues, has brought upon the most powerful and influential nation in the world. The inclusion of an enthusiastic, and perhaps leading, US contribution is arguably the biggest positive development that the international community could have made since Kyoto.

Corporate Environmentalism – Getting Business on Board

Obama’s green revolution, necessitating a greater involvement from the US in this new round of world climate policy discussions, is being backed up by a greater potential involvement from the business sector, with Ban Ki-moon, U.N Secretary-General, urging big business to participate in discussions.

The inclusion of the business sector could help to develop a more comprehensive world climate change policy, in that a contribution from big business at the conceptual stages might lead to less resistance on punitive measures once protocol has been introduced; if the corporate world can somehow be included in the shaping of protocol, there will be less case for an ‘us’ and ‘them’ scenario, and the task in hand could run more smoothly.

Al Gore has echoed Ban Ki-moon’s sentiments.

The Problem with Corporate Influence

Critics, though, argue that the inclusion of the corporate world- the message has been extended to Pepsi, Nestle, and BP – could dilute the ethical grounding for the meeting, and cause a potential rupture in world climate change policy development; giving big business an influential position in the discussion could take the discussion towards the corporate world, and that, for a number of critics, has been exactly the problem in previous cases.

With the Kyoto Protocol somewhat dead and buried – its effect, though positive, is seen by some critics as minimal – the possibility of a new negotiation with influence from big names that have, in the past, been associated with unethical practices, is enough for critics to strike out; with the US and Obama on board, environmentalists see a real opportunity for change, and some do not want the opportunity destroyed by the corporate world.

The Environment and the Corporation – Reconciliation?

In a world in which politics is becoming increasingly involved with the environmental cause, the potential for a new environmental consciousness in the world’s big businesses is perhaps increasingly likely. The Copenhagen Climate Change Council may be the chance to test the water, and the potential benefits are tantalising indeed. But the potential for failure, with the Kyoto Protocol lying in the wake of that failure, is perhaps too large for such an experiment to be tested.

Copenhagen, though, will perform that test, it seems.

Posted under Articles, Climate, Corporate