UK Government figures released this week have shown renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, to have overtaken nuclear as producers if UK electricity. According to The Independent, the figures published by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy showed a leap for energy generated from renewables to around 29, up by about … More Boom year for UK renewable energy
A deposit return scheme for single-use bottles is to be introduced in England subject to consultation, UK Environment Secretary Michael Gove has confirmed. The scheme would see shoppers in England paying a deposit when buying products, such as water or fizzy pop, in single-use plastic, glass and metal containers. The scheme aims to increase recycling rates … More Green light for bottle deposit scheme
Are you considering heading out and about, or looking for ideas and inspiration for events and projects to take part in over the next few weeks? Here’s a our monthly roundup of eco-themed events, large and small, local, national and global, taking place in April 2018. Don’t forget to let us know how you marked … More Eco events in April 2018
For the first time in twenty years, turtles have hatched at Versova beach in Mumbai after a major beach clean-up drive. Versova beach, on Mumbai’s north-west coast, had previously been one of India’s capital’s dirtiest beaches. The piles of plastic waste in some places had reached as much as 1.67m in height. This had made … More Turtles return to Mumbai after beach clean-up
Have you spotted your first butterfly of the year yet? Or the first buds on trees? The first bluebells in flower? These are all things that The Woodland Trust are asking us to record on Nature’s Calendar, enabling scientists to track the effects of weather and climate change on wildlife. Going out for a walk, … More Time to record the changing seasons
Who doesn’t love a chocolate egg at Easter? Even if you avoid the sweet brown confection for the rest of year, indulging yourself once a year is a treat not to be missed. Unfortunately, it’s a treat that loses some of its appeal when you open the box and find it filled with plastic packaging. … More Let’s have a plastic-free Easter (Petition)
Beautiful Druridge Bay in Northumberland has been saved from being turned into a massive opencast coal mine. After nearly two years of campaigning by concerned locals and environmental groups, the government has rejected the planning application, unprecedentedly citing climate change as the reason. The planning application was originally approved by Northumberland county council in 2016. … More Druridge Bay safe from opencast coal mining
As today is World Sparrow Day, how better to engage a child’s interest in this little brown bird than by making a pompom sparrow chick out of wool and pipe cleaners. You will need: Wool – brown or beige Pipe cleaners – orange, black, and white Scissors Glue How to make: Step one Make four … More Meet the pompom sparrow family
They say that moving house is right up there with bereavement and divorce as one of the most stressful things you can go through, and considering the enormity of the list of things to organise and take into account, it’s understandable that being green when moving is perhaps not at the top of the priority … More How to have an eco-friendly house move
As part of Sheffield’s big clean up project, a community group recently came together for the first time to clean up their local area. The group, including pupils from Oasis Academy Watermead, responded to a call out in their local paper about the state of a footpath near to the school, and joined together to … More Sheffield community unites for litter pick
The amount of plastic pollution making its way into the oceans, and the ways in which we can reduce it, are some of the most hotly discussed topics of the moment. Whilst making the move to a zero waste lifestyle is one answer to the problem, through constraints such as the higher cost of alternately … More Join the campaign to return non-recyclable plastic to supermarkets
The UK Government has today (March 9) announced funding awards for a range of innovative projects designed to tackle litter louts in local communities, with the first round of awards of almost £125,000 going to a number of councils, charities, businesses, and public projects across the UK. Successful projects to receive grants of up to … More Grants to tackle litter louts awarded
Single-use food wrappings are a major component of household plastic waste. Although many are recyclable, they are often not accepted by local recycling plants. This means that in a great number of households they’re simply thrown into the bin as soon as they’re removed. Unfortunately, this simply adds to the mass of plastic regularly making its way into landfill sites. … More Edible food wrap – a taste of things to come?
There has been success for conservators in Australia as a new transport hub in south-west Sydney is granted a green light under the condition that a rare plant species is protected. The Hibbertia fumana plant, a delicate shrub with yellow flowers, had last been documented in 1823 and was thought to now be extinct. This … More Rare plant species protected as transport hub given green light
The sound of sparrows cheeping and chirping in hedgerows and on rooftops is one that always tends to bring a smile to your face. It’s hard to feel miserable while listening to their cheerful chatter. When you consider how loud they can sometimes be, you’d think that their populations were huge. Unfortunately, this is not … More How will you celebrate World Sparrow Day?
Deep in the Pembrokeshire countryside, a low-impact, off-grid ecovillage is pioneering an alternative for living on the land, combining the traditional smallholding model with the latest innovations in environmental design, green technology, and permaculture. In an increasingly hectic world, driven by the need to earn money and purchase yet more products that we don’t necessarily … More Lammas ecovillage is the future of sustainable living
The annual Great British Spring Clean is upon us once again. This event, organised by the environmental group Keep Britain Tidy, aims to cut litter, end waste, and to improve public spaces by getting half a million people out and about to help make their local communities litter free. Keep Britain Tidy, with the support … More The Great British Spring Clean is here!
CEach year, around the globe, millions of people, businesses, and landmarks set aside an hour to host events, switch off their lights, and make noise for climate change action. This year Earth Hour is at 8:30pm local time on 24 March 2018. In 2017, Earth Hour saw a record-breaking 187 countries and territories taking a stand against climate … More Earth Hour 2018: 60 minutes to protect the planet
Considering heading out and about, or looking for ideas and inspiration for events and projects to take part in over the next few weeks? Here’s a our monthly roundup of eco-themed events, large and small, local, national and global, taking place in March 2018. Don’t forget to let us know how you marked a day. Follow … More Eco events in March 2018
Looking for something to do this month? A project to get stuck in to, perhaps? Here’s The Rooter’s roundup of events and activities, large and small, local, national and global, taking place in February 2018. Don’t forget to let us know how you marked a day. Follow us and join the conversation on Twitter @the_rooter_uk, … More Eco events in February 2018
Plastic waste is an environmental issue that cannot be ignored. According to US scientists, 8.3 million tons of plastic waste has been produced to date, with 79% of it ending up in landfill or the environment. We can all do our part to avoid using plastic, but it can be difficult when the aisles of supermarkets are … More Say ‘No!’ to plastic filled supermarkets (Petition)
Having a selection of bird feeders hanging in your garden is a perfect way to draw in the local birds, and many of them are easy to make. One of the simplest forms of bird feeder are fat cakes. These high energy pots of fat, seed and fruit make ideal food sources for garden birds, especially … More Fill the trees with fat cake bird feeders
Winter is generally a quiet time for gardeners. With most plants lying dormant through the winter months, and frost and snow often coating the ground, there are few jobs to be done. But that doesn’t mean there is nothing to do – especially if your garden is wildlife friendly. Ensure bird feeders are topped up … More Winter jobs in a wildlife garden
MPs on the Environmental Audit Committee have recommended that the Government introduce a 25p levy on disposable coffee cups. As with the plastic shopping bags charge, which has seen single use carrier bags sales drop by 83% since its introduction in 2015, it is hoped that a charge on coffee cups will reduce the amount … More UK government calls for charge on disposable coffee cups
A UK-wide ban on the manufacture of cosmetics and personal care products containing tiny pieces of plastic known as “microbeads” has come into force this week, in a move aimed at protecting ocean wildlife from their harmful effects. From 9 January manufacturers, including industry giants like Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble, will no … More Microbeads banned from UK manufacturing
The UK Prime Minister Teresa May has this week announced that the UK government has pledged £5.7 million to create a new 62,000 acre forest in the north of the Britain. This is a fantastic start to 2018 and welcome news to conservationists, environmental activists, and residents in the area. The plans, which are being … More New UK ‘Northern Forest’ plans announced
Everyone loves the sparkle of glitter, especially at Christmas, but whilst these shiny bits of plastic are perfect for decorating Christmas cards and baubles, not to mention ourselves and our party outfits, there are growing concerns about the effect they’re having upon the environment. After the Tops Day chain of nurseries across southern Britain decided … More Is it time for a worldwide glitter ban?
When you think about vegetable gardening, you probably think there’s lots of heavy digging and hard work involved. Right? Well, there’s not if you follow the advice of Charles Dowding. Since 1983, Charles Dowding has been practising the no-dig method of gardening, an approach to vegetable growing that is the reverse of the intensive, invasive techniques … More A pioneer of no-dig vegetable gardening
After five years of work led by New Zealand and the United States, the continental shelf and slope of the Ross Sea has at last become a Marine Protected Area (MPA). The MPA came into force on the 1st December 2017 – World Antarctica Day, which marks the anniversary of the signing of the Antarctic Treaty … More Ross Sea now a Marine Protected Area
Disposable coffee cups – they’re recyclable, right? You might think so, but the truth is that fewer than 1 in 400 takeaway cups are actually recycled. That’s only 1% of the estimated 2.5 billion take-away coffee cups that are thrown away in the UK each year. Even those cups that you place in your own recycling … More Time to end the waste from coffee cups (Petition)
What better way to engage a child’s interest in nature than through the creation of a pine cone bird feeder? Watching the garden birds on something that you’ve made yourself is enjoyable no matter how old you are, and this activity is simple enough that even small children will find it easy. And a pine cone … More Make a pine cone bird feeder
Hopes of ending reliance on the dirtiest of all fossil fuels took a major positive step forward this week as an alliance of 19 nations committed to phasing out the use of unabated coal power. The Powering Past Coal Alliance was launched by UK Climate Change Minister Claire Perry, Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change, … More Powering past coal
Grassroots environmental groups in Moldova are working to reverse the effects of deforestation by increasing the country’s urban forest. Between the nineteenth and the end of the twentieth century, Moldova, a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, lost nearly 20% of its forest, reducing its forest cover to only 12%. This lack of trees makes it one of … More A million trees for Moldova
The UK chancellor, Philip Hammond, has announced in today’s budget that the British government will look into ways to reduce plastic waste through the tax system and charges on single-use plastic items. The move, first reported last week, came as the Treasury cited statistics saying more than a million birds and 100,000 sea mammals and … More UK Government to tackle plastic waste
Beside the M62, in Merseyside, is a 12-hectare woodland called Griffin Wood. Despite the hum of traffic from the nearby motorway, Griffin Wood is a beautiful place to take a walk on a sunny afternoon. The road’s proximity hasn’t deterred the local wildlife from claiming their habitats. Birds sing, squirrels scurry along branches, and small … More Take a walk in Griffin Wood
Plastic is one of the biggest environmental issues of our time. According to US scientists, 8.3 million tons of plastic waste has been produced to date, with 79% of it ending up in landfill or the environment. Lunch time is one of the most wasteful times of the day, with the majority of the food … More How to pack a waste-free lunch
There is a unique community project taking shape in South Bristol. On November 18th, on a site previously known to residents as ‘the tip’, 232 berry plants were planted by a group of volunteers in the form of a maze. The new maze was constructed from 16 different types of fruit, ranging from blackberries to jostaberries. … More Take the time to get lost in a berry maze
The Plastic Free Coastlines campaign is targeting local councils, schools and businesses after new figures show more than 8.3bn tonnes of plastic has been produced since the 1950s, resulting in a “near permanent contamination of the natural environment”. In this short film by Surfers Against Sewage, narrated by the actress Imelda Staunton, the scale of … More Call to cut plastic pollution across the UK
Conservationists at Chester Zoo have successfully bred one of the world’s rarest amphibians in a bid to save it from extinction. In a first outside of the species’ native Catalonia, twelve pairs of the critically endangered Montseny brook newt (Calotriton arnoldi) have been successfully hatched at the zoo by a team of experts using a … More Saving a species on the critical list
In a beautiful, secluded woodland, seven miles from Salisbury, there is a unique facility that offers the peace and tranquility of a woodland setting within a selection of environmentally sustainable, off-grid, eco buildings. Hazel Hill Wood is home to the registered charity, the Hazel Wood Trust. The Trust’s aim is to promote well-being, resilience and sustainability: … More Retreat to Hazel Hill Wood
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Amanda Tuke - nature writer and urban nature champion
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