Green news & views

Chicken Out! is an interesting campaign that aims to raise the awareness of the plight of battery chickens.

The whole industry of breeding chickens for food is quite despicable at the lower end of the market, and all because consumers want a 99p chicken sandwich from the big fast food chains such as McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken.

The car "scrappage scheme" (vehicle discount scheme) was introduced in the UK some months back to encourage people to trade in old cars for new.  Anyone owning a car aged 10 years or older can get a good discount, around £2000 or so, off a new vehicle.

As if you didn't already know it, big oil are against safeguarding the environment.

Is that alarmist? Propagandist? Or is it just another big lie because all of us environmentalists "hate cars" and are suckered by "peak oil" which is all a big scam to give governments more control over our lives?

Actually, big oil railing against the environment is totally true, and here's the proof:

In 2001 the Clinton administration issued the "roadless rule" that protects 40 million acres of American forests from new road builds and logging timber.

According to the LA Times this rule has been contested and now the Obama administration has waded into the fray, backing the roadless rule and giving hope to environmentalists who wish to protect the forests.

I gave up the "big brand" names in deodorant a few years ago for a number of reasons.

1. I found I'd developed an allergic reaction to "normal" deodorant.
2. I wanted to be more natural and less chemical.
3. I didn't like the "big push" of massive advertising campaigns.

It really started with the allergic reactions - I couldn't carry on, and let's get down to business here, with spraying my armpits with chemicals and ingredients that made my skin sore.

It was interesting to hear Hilary Benn, the Environment Secretary, saying yesterday that we need a "radical rethink" on food policy in this country.

For many years those who think green have identified the world's population growth, habit & climate change and a loss of biodiversity, to name a few, as the factors that would affect food production.

Just when you thought it was safe to put up a wind turbine in your garden, along comes a study that suggests that wind turbines cause health problems.

Japan's 3rd largest car-maker has unveiled its first zero-emission electric car, the Nissan Leaf.

The Leaf, an all-electric 5-door hatchback, will take 8 hours to charge and will have a range of 100 miles when fully charged. However with a "quick charger" Nissan say their new Leaf can reach 80% charge in just 30 minutes.

This whole episode between Ecotricity vs EDF in the French nuclear giant's stealing of Ecotricity's Union Jack has brought a lot of focus to the whole issue of greenwashing again.

George Monbiot makes some excellent points in his video Sustainability in Advertising for The Guardian on Monday.