The EIB have just given around 800 million to fund green technology development for Jaguar Land Rover and Nissan’s British factory. This is on top of Jaguars loans from the government expected to be around 500 million. Nissan have been awarded the fund for their work in the development of green technologies which i agree is a good support for their efforts and a significant boost for their UK workforce, but the only thing that’s green about Jaguar Land Rover at the moment is ‘the famous colour’.

Lord Mandelson said that the loans were good news: â??For Nissan, it is recognition of their commitment to a low-carbon future in the UK and is a particular boost for their workforce. For JLR, it is a welcome step forward.

“a welcome step forward…” I won’t even touch upon that fact that while all this money is flying around, the British tax payer is bailing out the banks and helping them get their ‘well deserved million pound bonuses’, we are now bailing out the car industries ‘yipee’, i dont even drive a friggin car. Why are these car factories who have been well aware of the impact of the air pollution they have caused over the past fifty so years, taken steps back in the 1990’s to develop green technology, why have they waited for government hand outs in the middle of a recession, to do these developments. Could it be that before enough people started to shout about it, that it just wasn’t a priority… or is… erm as for the green money and you get over 900 million to play with and .. hey they might look at making a start on that, greener fuel thing. I checked on Jaguars website to see any mention of this great eco cause they are planning and found nothing.  Athough they have just won, What car of the year award, which is nice.

I won’t hold my breath, the adverts for “jaguar are planning… are thinking…. are considering…” are worthless… lets see if they put their green were their mouth is over the next two years huh? or maybe they can leave it until the last minute and turn their hand to land rafts.

Related articles by Zemanta

• A British car icon faces up to reality (guardian.co.uk)
• Land Rover seeking £780 million in Government loans (telegraph.co.uk)
• British Bailout: UK gives £2.3B to domestic auto industry (autoblog.com)
• Car scrappage incentive scheme ‘flawed’ (telegraph.co.uk)
• Jaguar asks staff for pay freeze (news.bbc.co.uk)
• Jaguar Drives For State Bail-Out (news.sky.com)
• Taxpayers to underwrite £2.3billion car industry rescue package says Lord Mandelson (telegraph.co.uk)
• Jaguar Land Rover workers accept fourday week and pay freeze to avoid jobs cuts (telegraph.co.uk)
• UK car production plunges by nearly 50pc (telegraph.co.uk)
• Jaguar and Land Rover cut 450 jobs (autoblog.com)

National Express the Green way

I do almost all of my travelling by train and bus, the main reasons being that the public transport where I live in Brighton is very good, with buses running every 2mins and the cost of parking extreamly high. When I visit my parents or pop into London for the day I take the train, and although i think that prices of train travel are far too high, it is the greenest way to travel by far.

Green train travel

• It is Greener, a plane trip from London to Newquay produces as much as 135kg carbon dioxide, but if you travel by train you use just 72 kg of carbon dioxide.

• The train takes you exactly where you want to be. Stations are nearly always in the centre of town; airports are usually on the outskirts, making another journey essential to get to your destination (and adding more carbon).

• You can watch the world go by, not just clouds.

• You can stretch your legs, sit opposite someone and have proper chat, surf the internet and use your phone.

• You can take as much luggage as you like, including your bike, often at no extra cost.

• You don’t have to check in hours ahead.

• Some trains have FREE WIFI allowing you to work in compfort and prepare for meetings and conferences.

Taken from the friends of the earth book… “how can i stop climate change?”

Bacteria generally gets a lot of very bad press; if it isnâ??t in the news for causing an outbreak of Salmonella itâ??s wiping out whole farm communities livelihoods, by destroying their crops and livestock. But, there is another side to our familiar little friends; bacteria can be good. It can do marvellous things from cleaning the atmosphere of pollution to cleaning our bodies of unwanted toxins.

Ironman

In the following list we have researched a few of what are considered the heroâ??s of the microbe world and have explain a little bit about their super powers so you can understand them better;

Name: The Masked Microbe (microorganisms, fungi, green plants & enzymes)

Super-power: Cleaning of polluted soil (bioremediation)

Bioremediation is a process whereby microorganisms or fungi consume dangerous chemicals present in soil and water, thereby removing them and leaving the natural environment free of contaminates such as oil, pesticides, solvents and metals.

Name: Captain Micro Algae

Super-power: Creating Biofuel

The latest bio technology is algae fuel or oilgae; it is created by harvesting algae from lagoons and mudflats and the carbohydrate content fermented to produce bio fuel. The great thing about this fuel is that it can be created on land that would be otherwise unused, and as it doubles its size several times a day, can be grown quickly without using up any valuable farm land.

The only negatives with this fuel is that can be difficult to store for long periods of time and it is costly to develop.

Name: The avenging fungus (White-rot fungus)

Super-power: Eating explosives

Yes it is true; itâ??s a fungus with a taste for high explosives, a bit like a mushroom version of Iron Man without the Hollywood charm. The reason the fungus was developed was to deal with the danger of explosives used for mining and demolition that are buried in rubble after failing to detonate and cannot be found, thus posing a threat to the local communities.

The way it works is that the dry fungus spores are placed in the explosive charge before they insert the wick. Then if the explosive does not detonate as intended, moisture will naturally work its way into the explosive causing the spores to germinate and in turn devour the explosive charge. This process can take as little as 30 days and after that time the devices are harmless.

Name: LS9

Super-power: Excreting crude oil

Bio fuel was a word banded around in 2008, although I think this idea which blows bio fuel out of the water. A company based in Silicon Valley has created a bug that literally pooâ??s crude oil or as the oil has been christened â??Oil 2.0â?�. The tiny bugs, named LS9â??s, are the billionth the size of an ant and are fed a mixture of wood chips and other agricultural waste full of yeast and non pathogen E-coli which their bodies ferment making them excrete an almost fuel pump ready crude oil. The process is made easier by the fact that crude oil is merely a few stages removed from the fatty acid secreted by Yeast.

The other great thing about the LS9 bugs is that the oil they create is carbon neutral and a renewable source of energy.

Name: The fantastical Ems (effective micro-organisms)

Super-power: From boosting human / animal immune systems to composting waste

Effective Micro-Organisms (EM) arenâ??t a creation of any lab, they in fact occur naturally and have simply been harnessed to do our bidding. They improve the natural resistance to impurities of humans, animals, plants, water and soil and they do this in five ways:

The EM office model

1. Photosynthetic bacteria â??The Office Managers of EM - use sunlight to synthesize useful substances from plant and organic matter and spurn the growth in good bacteria.
2. Lactic acid bacteria â?? Are the Office Workers of EM - encouraging quick breakdown of organic substances to get the whole process working effectively.
3. Yeasts â?? Are the office canteen - Feeding the Lactic acid bacteria and the Actinomycetes so they work faster.
4. Actinomycetes â?? Are the Human Resources of EM - getting rid of the harmful bacteria and bringing harmony to the Lactic acid and Photosynthetic bacteriaâ??s.
5. Fungi â??Are the Office Cleaners â?? They target suppressing smells from the work of their bacterial colleagues and prevent the damage of plants and animals from harmful insects.

The other great thing about EMâ??s are that they can replace toxic chemical substances that would normally be used the protect crops or clean our homes and have a harmful affect on the environment and organic life.

I hope that you have enjoyed this tour through the world of amiable germs and friendly fungi and that next time you drive your car to work or pack your shopping trolley with vegetables, spare a thought for your microscopic friends and the hard work they do on your behalf!

Find out more about the topics mentioned above from the sources below:

• Affective micro-organisms
  
• Land remediation
  
• Bioremediation explanation
  
• Bugs that excrete petrol
  
• explosive eating fungus
• Algae fuel

Related articles by Zemanta

• Newly-discovered Fungus Breathes Biodiesel
• Researchers discover fungus that eats trees, pees diesel
• Revealing The Sex Life Of Killer Fungus
• Candida Albicans Fungi Home Remedies

As you are probably aware, the government has approved that third runway for Heathrow airport.

But it’s not over.

As Greenpeace says:

Regardless of what the government has said today, this new runway is far from inevitable and with you’re help we are going to confront them every step of the way. We already have over 13,000 people signed up as beneficial owners on the plot of land on the third runway site and we won’t be giving it back anytime soon. ["Government gives green light to third runway", Greenpeace]

So sign up now for your piece of the plot - just because the government has lost it, it doesn’t mean the rest of us have to. I’ve got mine piece - get yours now!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Lush Founder Funds Heathrow Airport Activists
• Brown poised to face down Heathrow opposition
• Saturday inteview: John Stewart, veteran transport campaigner
• CES2009: Greenpeace Speaks Up About Green Gadgets
• Timeline: Environmental protests against aviation industry
• Matthew Lockwood: The free markets will never tackle climate change effectively

Sales of electric cars have fallen by more than half this year, according to figures released two days after the Governmentâ??s climate change advisory body predicted a huge increase.

Only 156 electric cars were sold from January to October, compared with 374 for the same period last year. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/