Has it really been this long???

Ok, apologies for not posting anything for over a year - but since finishing my final year Ive been really busy - including becoming a Transport Planner for a local authority.

I will get more stuff up soon I promise!

My new years resolution

Ive been extremely busy with uni work and canvassing, and so haven't been posting on this for a while. I will try and post on here more often, I promise!

On reson Ive thought I had better post, is that I have somehow managed to get on to "The 100" best Green Bloggers"! I have no idea how I managed to do that, whatsoever (Alright, so i'm 96th on the list, but I'm still surprised that I got on there with all the other Green bloggers out there!)

No to Nuclear!!!

Its Official... Tony's gone mad.

Apparantly nuclear is "back on the agenda with a vengence" and shows how thin the environmental policy the government is, especially as David Milliband got moved to the position of Environment mnister and so happens to also be pro-nuclear! Margaret Beckett was obviosly shunted into Jack Straws job so that Blair and Co. could push through the nuclear option without opposition from the cabinet.

Tony Blair is certainly leaving a legacy alright - a downright messy and expensive one!

Elections and exam woes!

Apologies for not blogging recently - I have been rather busy with local elections (we now have a Green councillor after a defection in Liverpool!), and I am now doing exams for my planning course! Ive alrady done one exam, but am now revising for Planning Theory, and Planning for Rural areas.

Normal service shall resume shortly...

A New Religion

Apprarantly according to the BBC, Environmentalism has become a religion! he goes on to argue that we need to look after ourselves, rather han other species and to "stop feeling guily about our impact on the environment".

Personally I think of this as a rather selfish attitude to take, and certainly trying to secularise the environmental movement isnt helpful either.

Indeed, every living creature has an impact on the environment, but we go byond these natural limits which the ecosystem can manage with the use of technology and geologial resources, including fossil fuels.

I do not see myself as a 'follower' or a 'beliver', but rather as somebody who thinks that we are damaging our planet, through the excesses of Globalisation, Pollution and inefficient technology. We have no right to take away the capabilities of future generations of our species as well as others to have clean air, water and access to resources.

Are we all going to go to 'hell' because we pollute too much? and that we all worship Ghia to push for Wind Turbines in Cumbria?

The person who wrote the article may actually want a reality cheak when it comes to religious decisons made in politics.

Climate Prediction

I have decided to join in a global experiment looking at the effects of climate change. The software runs in the background of other computer processes, so will not affect system performance. The pic is a shot of the climate model running on my PC, it rund from 1920 to act as a baseline for projecting onwards from 2000 to 2080 (the more interesting part of the experiment!)

I seriously reccomend anyone who has broadband and a desktop pc (not laptop as they may overheat) to run this project - at the time of writing there is mearly 63,000 people taking part in this! Download the software from here to take part!

Lessons to be Learnt

This Thursday I went made the jouney down south to London to a special little place that few people know about (but should do).

BedZed (or Beddington Zero Energy Development) in Surrey is the first of its type to be built - and its completely sustainable! It has its own means to genertate electricity through a CHP (combined heat and power) plant on site and solar panels, insulated to the extent that central heating is not needed whatsoever (yes, you heard me - none!) and also has its own water treatment plant to dispose of waste water AND is built out of reclaimed materials!

82 dwellings ocupy the site, but is rather high dencity being all terraced (reducing surface area to loose less heat) and also includes places to work and commiunity centre, recreational area and small public square. Looking across on top of one of the Gardens (which are reached by a bridge from the first floor going onto the roof of thedwelling opposite!) you realised how compact it was, and certainly were of much better quality than other surronding housing.

We even got to talk to the Architiect Bill Dunster, who designed the whole project, and others he has planned. He certainly knew what he was talking about when it came to sustainable building, and even pointed out that there will soon be kits to convert your houses into mini ZEDs of your own! Its cerainly one way of avoiding the energy and gas price increases that are currently occuring, and will save a fortune in the long run. Better start saving then...

This is certainly a development that should be noted for being far superior in every way compared to what is currently being built in our cities - John Pescott, please take note while placing 1/2 million homes on flood plains in the South-East!

(for those who are wondering, those funny chimmeys on top of the houses are called wind cows, and are used to naturally ventilate the buildings, and provide circulation)