Also by saunvedan

Safety first: India gives Monsanto a moratorium

Posted by saunvedan - 12 February 2010 at 1:03pm - Comments

The humble aubergine has been the staple of Indian cuisine since antiquity. I can tell you that as I’ve grown up trying to avoid it, but eventually it just makes its way on your dinner plate if you spend time in India. The Americans, who like to call the aubergine ‘eggplant’ are trying to sell Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) bacterium Brinjal to Indians citing increased yields and the usual propaganda associated with genetically modified crops. Honestly though, anything injected with any kind of ‘bacterium’ doesn’t really sound safe, does it?

Japan promises 25% cuts in emissions

Posted by saunvedan - 15 September 2009 at 10:20am - Comments

Yukio Hatoyama - sticking to his pre-election pledge on emissions cuts

Two positive developments recently - the EU has called for an international ban on the trade of the endangered Atlantic bluefin tuna - and the Japanese Prime Minister announces his plans to cut carbon emissions 25 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020.

From human rights to the environment

Posted by saunvedan - 6 May 2009 at 4:28pm - Comments

Whatever it is that makes an environmentalist is the same, fundamentally, as that which makes a human rights activist. I would have disagreed with this thought until not so long ago - before joining Greenpeace, in fact. Fresh out of University College London with a Masters in Human Rights, I was out to change the world. Only when I joined Greenpeace did I realize that there was no point changing the world if we cannot sustain one in the first place.

Not Stupid

Posted by saunvedan - 25 March 2009 at 4:57pm - Comments


Stupid Shenanigans from clever crew on Vimeo

Spurred on by the excellent film the Age of Stupid, some enterprising types went about town last week naming and shaming climate culprits and heaping praises on one of Ecotricity's wind turbines. I think the likes of BP, Esso and Shell deserve much more derogatory labels than 'stupid' but in line with the film's theme it sounded right.

When advert meets reality

Posted by saunvedan - 10 December 2008 at 4:23pm - Comments

This time its coming from British Airways and not us. You'd have to assume that BA and BAA simply can't see the irony in this video - but showing Terminal 5 under water (given the amount of emissions their short haul flights are causing) looks like a glimpse of the underwater future that we'll all be swimming in if we don't start cutting back on CO2 emissions - starting with aviation. Maybe they're subconsciously admitting that they are a major cause of the problem...

Day out on the Rainbow Warrior

Posted by saunvedan - 4 November 2008 at 11:08am - Comments

Getting the Rainbow Warrior ready for visitors

The Rainbow Warrior in London. © Will Rose / Greenpeace

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I have never been on any Greenpeace ship. So when Greenpeace veterans would tell me stories of the Rainbow Warrior or of the Esperanza, all I could do was to listen in awe and imagine them in my head. But today was different, as I set out on my journey to see our ship, the Rainbow Warrior in action at South Quay in East London.

Nein Kingsnorth!

Posted by saunvedan - 22 October 2008 at 3:34pm - Comments

UK Climate campers take their message to E.ON HQ in Munich UK Climate Campers taking their message to E.ON's Munich headquarters

I hope you remember this year's Climate Camp in the shadow of Kingsnorth coal plant in Kent. All the police intimidation, direct actions and ultimately the acquittal of our Kingsnorth six. The events in the past few months should have been enough for E.ON to see the level of public unease at their plans for Kingsnorth. But the giant energy utility is still insisting on building Britain's first coal-fired power station in over 30 years there. So, this time climate campers decided to take their message to E.ON on its own turf in Munich, Germany.

Google going green?

Posted by saunvedan - 3 October 2008 at 1:29pm - Comments

Google

Image by tuexperto_com5, licensed under Creative Commons

Google rules the virtual world but if it ruled the real one, would things be a bit different? Google.org which is the philanthropic arm of Google blogged that it wants to see America weaned off fossil fuels by 2030 for its electricity. Also, Google's own energy efficiency initiatives will be equivalent to shutting down 10-20 coal-fired power stations by 2010 if they are successful.

Flashmob to stop London City Airport expansion

Posted by saunvedan - 2 October 2008 at 2:36pm - Comments

BA plane taking off from Heathrow

First it was Heathrow, then Manchester and now it's time to flashmob London City Airport. Looks like the government still doesn't understand the danger posed to the climate from the plans to expand airports across the country. So join the next flash mob on October 8 at 5.45pm outside Newham Town Hall, East Ham wearing your red t-shirts to tell Newham Council to scrap airport expansion plans.

The flashmob will overlap with the planning meeting that will decide on increasing flights to and from London City Airport by up to 50 per cent. Pressure is mounting on Gordon Brown after the Conservatives boldly called for Heathrow's third runway plans to be scrapped. Come along and show your support for local group Fight the Flights.

Modern art is (made from) rubbish

Posted by saunvedan - 26 September 2008 at 4:58pm - Comments

The Rainbow Worrier, made from 5,000 plastic bags It's been an arty week for me. After the polar bear sculptures in the US, an outdoor art group in Devon - Trail Recycled Art in Landscape (Trail) - has made a trawler boat out of 5,000 plastic bags and named it Rainbow Worrier after our legendary ship the Rainbow Warrior. They even filled it up with plastic fish in fishing nets to highlight how plastic is destroying marine ecosystems.

Plastic waste isn't just what you see on beaches and coast lines. A plastic dump in the Pacific Ocean as large as Texas is constantly swirling in a massive gyre that is referred to as the 'trash vortex'. Other unflattering names include Asian trash trail and the Eastern Garbage Patch where six kilos of plastic swirls for every kilo of plankton.

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