Image courtesy of Crowcombe Al on flickr
One of my mountain biking friends forwarded me a link the other day to a campaign to protect the Quantock Hills. Whilst I don't recall having cycled in the Quantocks, the name was instantly familiar as it regularly crops up in the biking calendar for our MTB group's day rides.

Today the UN published its Human Development Report 2011. The report has shown, for a number of years now, how human development has raised living standards across the world. But this year's publication highlights how a reverse to this trend is affecting poorer populations.

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We've had an interesting email from the Make Wood Work campaign.

In essence, the UK Government's Renewables Obligation (RO) policy encourages the use of bio-mass burners for electricity generation with financial subsidies. Whilst, from an environmentally-friendly point of view, biomass burning creates energy from waste materials, the forest products industry is concerned that using wood for bio-mass burners will damage their industry.

{EAV_BLOG_VER:d8d8317f40d9f024}Tucked away on page 17 of this week's Star Courier local newspaper is a little story about our Farnborough Airport (FAB)

It starts:

"Planes from Farnborough Airport might be pumping carbon dioxide into the sky but the airport itself has been praised for its green efforts."

The airport has been awarded Airport Carbon Accreditation at a level coined as "reduction" level which the paper notes is "the second highest of four possible ratings."

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Vax have come up with a cardboard vacuum cleaner.

No, it's not the practical equivalent of a chocolate fireguard, it's a seriously cool, practical and very green product. This is how it works...

You get your Vax ev vaccum cleaner in its box. The box disassembles to become the corrugated cardboard panels of the vacuum cleaner and they fit around the motor housing, popping into place, no need for glue.

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It's that time of year again - Saturday March 26th at 8:30pm is Earth Hour.

For those of you who don't know about Earth Hour it's a worldwide movement where people switch of the power for one hour. You  might ask how much energy is saved by switching everything off for one hour, but it's more than that - it's a politic statement, a social, cultural and environmental statement...

I decided last year to start investing some of my savings with Triodos Bank. As a green and ethical citizen I though that I'd vote with my "green" and give it to an ethical bank that would invest my meagre savings in a positive way. Whilst I've deposited the tiniest amount with them, I intend to move most of my savings to Triodos to ensure all my money is being looked after by and invested in sustainable causes.

Today's the day, folks, it's the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch.

All you have to do is spend an hour today or tomorrow watching the birds - whether in your garden, a local park or in the woods. Just record the numbers of the species that you see and send the results in to the RSPB.

The RSPB is hoping that around 500,000 people will be able to record the abindance of birdllife in their gardens, parks and the countryside.

Last night I went to a climate change consultation with my local Rushmoor Borough Council.

40 local residents were invited down to Aldershot on a cold February night to discuss the borough's policy and, arranged into small groups, we brainstormed Rushmoor BC's plans for the environment and the future.