Mondomundi’s Battery recycling scheme saved 1.3 tonnes of batteries from entering into Guernsey landfill in 2009. For 2010 the scheme is being expanded with the support of the States of Guernsey and collection points will become more widespread shortly.
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This time of year we all make lots of resolutions to improve ourselves, or to make the world a better place, most of which don’t last to the end of January! Here are my suggestions for sustainable resolutions that will really make a difference:-
Good to see Kit Kat Joining Cadbury’s Dairy Milk on the Fairtrade shelves, it shows that consumers do have power and manufacturers will, however reluctantly, respond to customer demands for more ethical products. The really good news is that these two volume products will have a huge impact on the Fairtrade cocoa market place, bringing scale and benefits to significant numbers of farmers and helping to reduce child slavery which is endemic in the cocoa industry. The big test for these two giant corporations is whether they will go on and extend Fairtrade across the range of other goods they produce. The effect on end user price and corporate profits would be negligible but the difference it would make in the world would be vast! Lets hope it is more than just cynical marketing which in the long run damages the image of Fairtrade in the eyes of the consumer. The EU announces a deal on helping nations fight climate change. But – there are some unanswered questions. While they agree that they need to spend 100 billion Euros per year, it is not clear that they have actually agreed to spend that money or how the cost would be divided. In fact it even seems at present that contributions will be voluntary! A billion – that’s a 1 with 9 zeroes after it, or put another almost 17 times the entire population of UK are officially not getting enough food, undernourished, in the 21st century of an alledgedly civilised society. This is a figure that is getting worse, not better, as the international crisis leads to unempoyment and falling incomes combine with higher domestic food prices resulting in increasing numbers of people who simply cannot buythe food they need to survive. More info from the UN here. Both the Rome Summit on food in 1996 and the Millennium development Goals (2000) promised commitment to HALVING the number of undernourished in the world by 2015. How is it that by 2009 the figure has actually gone UP by almost 200 million since 1996 and 150 million since the beginning of the new millennium? Soaring food prices have put this issue back in the forefront of urgent issues. With food commodity prices in world markets starting to fall, and the global economic crisis, we must work harder to highlight the plight of poorer countries struggling to feed themselves. The international community must not forget its commitments to the one billion people suffering from hunger, simply because of the economic cycle. We can expect declines in public investment in agriculture, which will have devastating effects on those least able to cope, already poor, malnourished, desperate. Common sense tells us that support to agriculture needs to be increased, not be reduced. Only a healthy agricultural industry, together with international trade support leading to growing economies can begin to tackle this immense problem and work towards a sustainable future for everyone. The clearest evidence yet is emerging that climate change is real and is having potentially enormous impact. An explorer trekking across the ice cap taking over 1500 readings discovered an average thickness of only 1.8m, typical of ice frozen in the current year, rather than the thicker depths of multi year permafrost. This means that come summer we have the real prospect of an arctic free from ice within 10 years. Read more here . This survey ties in closely with the WWF view of the arctic being ice free in 20 years but with the larger part of that development happening in the next 10 years. As always, there are people quick to jump up an find contrary evidence, and it is important to weigh up all the facts and ensure we are not conned into a knee jerk reaction to one piece of news, but in general the news flow indicates that we are reaching the point of no return, the time for action is now. All countries have the ooportunity to do something about this – but who among them has the political will to drive this forward? Lets hope the UN Summit is a call to real action, and not just a shop of hollow promises.
Ever wondered what the weather was like at our aiport when you get up in the morning? Well, wonder no more, just look up our webcam watch the weather, see the planes and ground crews, its fascinating! I have had a sort of writers block these last few months, either that or just haven’t found the time to put together a sensible post. We’ve had a busy summer and we also have a completely new site at mondomundi all done in house. Forgive us if there are a few glitches along the way but I think it’s bigger and better than before in almost every way. September 21 was World Peace Day, but it seemed to pass by with hardly a mention of Peace that I could tell. The media’s attention was devoted to the list of current wars and conflicts being fought around the world. Wikipedia list 14 current conflicts, but there are certainly more that did not feature in this list:- Start Conflict Location There is a further long list on the FCO website of countries where they do not recommend travel because of risks caused by instability, violence, unrest etc. I am not naïve enough to believe money is the cause of all war; religion, greed, fear, interference, all have started their fair share, but it is noticeable that virtually all the conflict locations are countries that have a significant poverty problem, and wars (or conflicts) are doing nothing to help. The global population is growing at an unsustainable pace, climate change, pollution, deforestation, economic crisies and humanitarian crises are all upon us. If only we could take the energies and budgets wasted in fighting these wars and turn them to tackling our critical problems, the world would surely be a better place. That’s what World Peace Day is all about, but I don’t see things changing anytime soon. We need to work for peace rather than wish for it! |
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