Green Options

A new energy fund in the UK is looking to improve wave and tidal energy technologies and help put them into use. The new Marine Renewables Proving Fund contains about $36 million worth of new grants.

A new water dispensing technology created by UK designer Oliver Craig could change the way that European shoppers and commuters drink water, and it’s a technology that could help eliminate water bottle waste that’s cluttering international landfills greatly due to increased convenience.

In a move praised by environmentalists fighting to protect vulnerable species, thousands of restaurants across the UK and Ireland have taken 69 fish off their menus.

The Compass Group, world’s largest contract caterer, is setting an example in addressing fisheries’ sustainability and helping to reduce demand for over-exploited fish. According to today’s Guardian, the 69 species on the Marine Conservation Society’s (MCS) “Fish to Avoid” list will no longer be served at 6,500 outlets across the UK and Ireland supplied by Compass.

Head of conservation at MCS, Simon Brockington, in the same article, praised the company’s decision, calling it a “crucial step in ensuring the long-term survival of vulnerable fisheries.”

Currently, a decision on whether or not to offer “official advice” to consumers on eating ethically is under consideration by the government’s Food Standards Agency. If the agency moves forward with the decision, it will encourage consumers not to buy or eat endangered fish,as well as direct them to the MCS and the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).

Smooth snakes are to be released in Devon, where they have not been seen for over 50 years.

Ten smooth snakes (Coronella austriaca) will be collected, under license, from several populations in Dorset, and released at one of the RSPB’s heathland nature reserves, under a project organized by Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, East Devon Pebblebed Heaths Conservation Trust and the RSPB, with support from Natural England, according to The Mid Devon Star.

Conservationists have found the East Devon heaths to be in “superb condition.” This made it possible for a site with “excellent quality of heath” to be chosen for the smooth snakes - a site that will provide the best opportunity for the species to expand into a much wider range.

The Hazel Dormouse, once widespread throughout the UK, is now vulnerable to regional extinction. Fortunately, an ongoing reintroduction plan is helping to increase the numbers of Britain’s only native dormouse species.

Loss of hedgerows and fragmentation of woodland habitat has nearly wiped out the Hazel Dormouse from Britain. But, thank to the PTES’ Hazel Dormouse Biodiversity Action Plan, this species is being reintroduced to the wild.

At the latest dormouse release organized by the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES), 11 male and 14 female Hazel Dormice were released “somewhere in Warwickshire.” These young dormice were comprised of animals from wild animal parks and several private breeders, ensuring genetic diversity in the new population. They have been microchipped to enable ongoing monitoring.

For the first two weeks, the dormice will live in large cages as they become accustomed to their new surroundings, receiving food and water daily. Then, the cage doors will be open and the little mammals will be able to explore the surrounding woodland on their own, and eventually live independently.

A UK company has launched a new device that allows users to cut-off their water supply at the flick of a switch, drastically reducing wasteage and giving a significant boost to water conservation efforts.

Instead of scrabbling around looking for the stopcock, the new Surestop device allows users cut supply instantly, saving water loss, and consequent damage, whilst giving householders direct control over water consumption.

Now the company hopes to expand into areas crippled by drought, where water conservation is a pressing priority.

Huw Irranca-Davies, the British Fisheries Minister has joined a list of actors, celebrities and activists demanding the Japanese restaurant Nobu stop serving the endangered bluefin tuna on their menus.

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., within the Renault-Nissan Alliance, announced today that it will be building two European plants to manufacture its advanced lithium-ion batteries - each plant manufacturing a projected annual capacity of 60,000 units. With agreements between Nissan and Purtugal and the United Kingdoms, the Renault-Nissan Alliance makes significant stepes towards producing batteries for its European Zero Emission Mobility Program.

Just in time, too.
As climate change brings an increase in drought areas and rising sea levels we have to find a solution to soil salinity if our civilization is to survive.

Previous civilizations dependant on irrigation of dry soil have failed. The gradually increased salinity in irrigated dry soil has ended civilizations even though they solved the engineering and logistic problems of designing, building, and maintaining irrigation systems, but neglected the long-term effects of salinization.

We’ll have no choice but to learn to farm in salty water, as the next few centuries’ climate change dries up growing areas from California, Florida and the Middle East, to Africa and China and Australia - - and as seawater increasingly infiltrates crops on low-slung island nations.

So the research findings of a group of scientists from the University of Adelaide in Australia and Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge, UK. attempting to learn to grow crops in saltwater is very good news.

The team has succeeded in keeping salt out of the leaves of the first plant species tested:

Researchers at the University of York have recently come up with a method of recycling that seems like it fell from the pages of a science fiction novel. They want to turn discarded television screens into components for biomedicine.

A new hydrogen-powered car, whose designs will be “open source” and posted for free use on the web, was unveiled today in London. The company behind the Riversimple urban car claim the new model proves hydrogen automotive technology is ready for roll-out now rather than in 10 years’ time.

The open-source approach means entrepreneurs around the world could download the designs and manufacture the two-seater prototype locally for free.

The car, which drove in to the launch event, is capable of a 50mph top speed, 0-30mph acceleration in 5.5 seconds, and has a 240 mile range. The car’s backers say it has greenhouse gas emissions of 30g/km CO2, less than a third of the latest hybrid petrol cars such as the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight.

The lightweight Smart car-size vehicle uses hydrogen in a modest 6kW fuel cell, and – in the case of this prototype – uses hydrogen converted from natural gas. Hydrogen can also be created from water using electrolysis and potentially even from bio-fuels.