Evergreen Online
The Newsletter of Wirral Green Alliance
Digest Edition
February / March 2002
Evergreen Online The Newsletter of Wirral Green Alliance |
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Digest Edition February / March 2002 |
In this month's online edition: Plutonium Tony: More Nuclear Power Stations for UK ?. Electric Waste: Warren Nurseries Bioreactor. Costing the Earth: Disposal of 24 Million Electrical Appliances. |
PLUTONIUM TONY |
Tony Blair. Nuclear friend or FoE ?
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It has recently been revealed that the Government is seriously considering building new nuclear power stations in the UK. Two days before the 2001 General Election, Tony Blair said that he had "absolutely no plans to expand nuclear power". Yet two months later he launched an energy review which is actively considering building over a dozen new nuclear power stations throughout the UK. Friends of the Earth (FoE) say that the reason for this U turn is that the nuclear industry is intensively lobbying Government in a desperate attempt to survive. They know that in the next thirty years, our current nuclear plants will stop production. The industry wants the resulting "energy gap" to be filled by a new nuclear generation and not by renewable means such as wind and solar power. This bid for survival comes at a time when renewable energy could really take off in the UK. Huge projects are being developed such as the Mersey off shore wind farm and new laws are coming that will support renewable energy. A move towards nuclear power would divert resources away from these hopeful solutions just as they're getting started. We know that the Government is sympathetic to the nuclear industry because it recently allowed the opening of a new reprocessing plant in Sellafield. The plant, run by BNFL will create mixed oxide fuel for burning in new reactors. FoE and Greenpeace have taken legal action over the decision, as will the Irish Government who opposed it using a full page advert in The Times. The Government says that off shore wind power could supply one third of our energy needs. The UK has the highest wind levels in Europe but we are lagging behind other countries when it comes to renewables. Denmark is already producing 14% of its power from wind energy alone. FoE is encouraging people to protest in writing to Mr Blair and their own MPs as part of their Campaign Express. They have found this tactic to be highly effective with over 6,500 people participating so far. Visit FoE's Campaign Express website at: www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/campaign_express/ |
Electric Waste |
Harold Tonge of Amec with councillor Janet Jackson
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The council run Warren Nurseries which is based in Thingwall has developed a superb new project .They have just started to produce electricity for the national grid which is produced from organic waste. The project, an experimental bioreactor uses the gas created from rotting waste to power an electric generator. The bioreactor is a large greenhouse which houses five underground digestion cells capable of holding 500 tonnes of waste including fruit and vegetable peelings. Harold Tonge of AMEC (one of the partners in the project) who conceived the project said; "This little plant, when fully operational produces as much power as three wind turbines but at absolutely no cost and without affecting the look of the horizon". He added, " We're also using carbon dioxide produced to help plant growth in the greenhouses, a practice adopted in 98% of Dutch greenhouses". |
Costing the Earth |
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Every year in the UK, we throw away 24 million electrical appliances and gadgets. These include fridges, freezers, video recorders, televisions and mobile phones. We also scrap one and a half million cars. To dispose of and recycle all of the different materials from these goods is one of the most pressing environmental issues which we will face in the near future. At present, little of this material is recycled and many small appliances such as kettles and toasters end up in landfill sites or are incinerated. As we can see from the article "Out in the Cold" on page 4, the European Union now wants to ensure that manufacturers take responsibility for getting rid of redundant appliances. The manufacturers however would prefer consumers to pay 50% of any such costs. The problem is two fold. 1. When appliances break down, few people have them repaired (unless they are under guarantee). We just want them out of the way. 2. Most appliances are designed for a useful life of only 2 to 3 years. Another problem is that few manufacturers design products with their safe disposal in mind. Countries such as Norway and Sweden already have eco design specialists and the recycling facilities for electrical goods. All this may soon change. Various lobbying groups are campaigning for an end to VAT on appliance repairs and for sellers of secondhand items to be compelled to give good guarantees. Whereas the buzz phrase in product design ten years ago was "Design for Manufacture"; it is now likely to become "Design for Disassembly"
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