The biodiesel-powered boat Earthrace has set a new record for the quickest journey around the world by a powerboat.  The Earthrace boat has been traveling around the world for more than two years to raise awareness for biologically produced fuels, such as fuels made with cooking oils, plant matter and fats.

The record breaking journey took 60 days, which is an impressive 14 days less than the previous record, set in 1998 by a boat named Cable & Wireless Adventurer.  Over the next few months the boat will be touring Europe to continue to raise awareness for biologically produced fuels, before travelling to Australia for the 2009 Auckland International Boat Show.

The agreement to send the Clemenceau, once the flagship of the French navy, to Able UK, ends an embarrassing five-year saga that had the toxic vessel being passed around the world looking for a final resting place.  The deal to scrap the 32,700-tonne Clemenceau is said to be the biggest of its kind in Europe.

The French Defence Ministry awarded the contract to Able UK after the Environment Agency issued a waste management licence that allows the Hartlepool firm to dismantle ships and oil rigs at its TERRC facility at Graythorp.  The company is due to begin recycling work on the 780ft-long (238 metre) vessel later this year. (more…)

The changes have been made through the Waste Management (Landfill Levy) Order 2008, which amends section 73(3) of the Waste Management Acts 1996 to 2008.

The levy builds on a €20 a tonne tax which is already in place in Ireland for waste which is sent to an unauthorised landfill facility. This means that persons responsible for the illegal deposition must pay the levy and remove the waste, as required by Section 60 Policy Direction, and remediate the land, apart from any other penalties that may be imposed through the courts.

The UK uses over 900,000 tonnes of aluminium, with around 73% of this having been recycled.  Due to the high unit value, large items such as those used for transport and building applications, achieve as much as a 95% rate of return for recycling.

However, the aluminium used for packaging is much more difficult to collect, as it is very light and is often discarded in every home, school, office, pub and restaurant.  This should not be the case, as auluminium is one of the easiest materials to recycle. (more…)

Mercedes are determined to make their model range run on alternative fuels in order to improve costs, become more eco-friendly and because the oil supply will eventually run out.

Mercedes are set to invest around £7billion before 2014, having already invested £2million on their new long-term Sustainable Mobility plan.  This money will be spent on making current Mercedes engines even cleaner and more fuel-efficient while increasing the amount of hybrids, emission-free electric cars and clean-fuel gas engines and the further development of battery and hydrogen-powered vehicles.

Ibuyeco is the headline sponsor of the festival, which is being held over the weekend of 5th and 6th July.  The festival showcases a range of ecclectic music, including acts such as KT Tunstall, Beverley Knight, Crowded House, Paul Simon and The Bangles.

Hugh Phillmore, Cornbury Festival Organiser, commented: “We understand that bringing all the family and camping gear to Oxford for the weekend will mean most visitors have to use a car. It’s great then that ibuyeco, headline sponsor of the festival, is supporting our efforts to make Cornbury greener by offsetting CO2 emissions caused by families’ travel to the event.”

Ibuyeco offers insurance packages which offset 100% of a vehicle’s CO2 emissions for the duration of the policy. For every 1kg of the emissions produced by your vehicle’s driving each year, ibuyeco we arrange for 1kg to be saved by a climate friendly project elsewhere in the world.

That’s why I love the idea behind Myhab – an eco friendly alternative to a normal tent – inspired by the thousands of tents, left behind every year, that end up on landfills somewhere. If you fancy hiring Myhab, check out their website www.myhab.com for more info, and enjoy festivals in eco style. But remember to add eco products to your festival packing list, to make your festival experience even greener. (more…)