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Posted 2 years ago

Many people are concerned about climate change and energy usage and want to take action, but struggle with feeling helpless as just one person. What can be surprising to some is the power we have as individuals to make change. Approximately 70 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions can be indirectly attributed to households. What this means is that people have a lot of power to take action, right at home.

Zerofy Co-Founders Criss Uudam and Till Quack realized that when people were trying to figure out the carbon footprint of their household and make changes, they experienced friction. To help solve this problem, they launched Zerofy in 2022 to help households decarbonise, make a difference, and save money.

Zerofy Co-Founders Criss Uudam and Till Quack

How does the Zerofy app work?

Zerofy is an app that automatically tracks your carbon footprint in real-time, and then makes recommendations for lowering it by switching to low-carbon energy and products.

  1. Sign up and enter your household characteristics, plus details about mobility, diet, home heating and energy. You can add a goal for when you would like your household to become zero-carbon. Connect smart home appliances and devices, plus credit cards, for even deeper insights.
  2. The app then automatically generates your household carbon emissions, in real-time.
  3. You’ll be given recommended actions you can take to reduce your emissions. Plus, learn through articles and guides, and access low-carbon products and services in the Discover tab.
  4. Habitually track emissions and see the impact of your actions on your household carbon footprint while working towards a zero-carbon life.

By using the app, you will be able to understand where your emissions come from, how to reduce them, and in the process, save energy and money.

Zerofy is different from other apps on the market because we provide a holistic picture of a household’s carbon emissions. Instead of just tracking one or two areas, we show your emissions across four main sources: heating and energy, mobility, goods and services, and food. We’re also set apart because we focus on measurable, additional climate actions on an individual level. Instead of selling carbon offsets, we empower users with granular insights into their emissions, and then give them tangible and actionable ways to work towards reducing them.

Produce solar energy without your own rooftop panels—and view live production & earnings!

Zerofy has a 67kW solar park in Estonia that anyone in the world can rent a solar panel in. We started Shared Solar because we wanted to help anyone who is interested in supporting solar energy participate in the market. This means that people who are renters can get involved in solar, as well as homeowners who don’t yet have the funds for their own panels. If you already have solar panels, but have exceeded your rooftop capacity, Shared Solar can help you produce more solar energy.

When you rent a panel, it stays in our Shared Solar park. The solar energy is fed into the grid in Estonia, making you a green energy producer who is contributing to a greener grid. Zerofy sells it at the market price, and after a 20% operating fee, sends the proceeds to you.

You can use the earnings as you wish, but some ideas are putting it towards your utility bill or adding it to your fund for your own solar panels. When electricity prices rise in Europe, so do your earnings from your panel. Unlike most offsetting projects, renting a Shared Solar panel has a measurable and additional impact.

You can view the electricity production, avoided CO2, and your earnings in real-time, right in the app! This is unique as most green utility plans or offsetting projects just send people yearly averages. With access to all of these powerful insights in the app, Zerofy Shared Solar renters get to be very involved and have a similar experience as those who have rooftop solar.

Zerofy is available in Europe in the iOS App Store, here. It will be available in the US in spring of 2023, and Shared Solar panels can be rented today from anywhere in the world.

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Posted 2 years ago

With UK energy prices set to rise yet again this April to an average of £3,000 per household, long term solutions to reduce energy bills are needed more than ever. 

Leading renewable energy authority The Eco Experts states that by installing solar panels, homeowners can reduce their bills by 54%, helping to ease the burden of future energy price increases. While the installation cost for the average three-bedroom UK home is £5,420, the savings to bills means that they pay themselves off in just 10 years

Additionally, 2022 saw the UK receive 9% more sunshine than average and was also the hottest year on record. It’s clear that the time for environmentally friendly ways of generating energy is now. 

And UK homeowners are reacting already. 2022 saw the largest yearly orders of solar panels – totalling 130,596 installations – since the UK Government removed the subsidies for them in 2015. As reported by The Eco Experts in August 2022, UK Google searches for ‘solar panels’ reached a peak popularity of 100 – the first time they’d ever done so.

panoramic – solar panel at sunset

For more insights on why 2023 is the year that solar panels are set to become more commonly installed and used by UK homeowners, The Eco Experts have just launched their new Solar Panel facts piece. Here are more of the key Solar Panel findings:

  • The cost of solar panels has dropped by 82% in the last decade
  • They work in all types of climate, not just in direct sunlight where they operate best
  • They have a tiny carbon footprint (14-73 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilowatt-hour from manufacturing) that cancels out after 3 years of usage
  • Since 2021, solar energy has been the cheapest form of energy 
  • New solar panel technology is set to more than double panels’ efficiency rates
  • They’re low maintenance. We provide tips on how to efficiently look after your solar panels to reduce the cost of solar panel repair over time

The Eco Experts writer and researcher Josh Jackman stated:

“The global energy industry is gradually transitioning from dirty fossil fuels to clean renewables – and solar panel technology is at the forefront of this movement. As solar panels continue to improve while also getting cheaper – and as household bills rise to unprecedented levels – we’re confident that more homeowners and businesses will make the swap to cleaner energy. 

“You can cut your home’s energy bills by 54% and break even in 10 years, on average. If I had to recommend one eco-friendly improvement to make to your home, it’d be solar panels every time – the maths is just too good.

“And with the solar industry evolving at such a rapid rate, we can expect innovations to make domestic solar panels even cheaper and more efficient in the near future.”

Here are Josh’s five pieces of advice for homeowners that are interested to install solar panels onto their homes:

  1. Use our solar panel calculator to get an idea of how many solar panels you should get, how much it’d cost, and when you’ll break even.
  2. Check your roof. See if there’s enough space (about two square metres per solar panel), and check which direction it faces. South, east, and west are fine; north isn’t.
  3. Compare at least three solar panel quotes to get the best deal.
  4. Decide which company’s Smart Export Guarantee tariff to sign up to, so you can sell your excess solar energy. British Gas currently offers the best rate, unless you already get your electricity from Octopus.
  5. Strongly consider not getting a solar battery. You’ll use 30% more of your solar energy, but the upfront cost means it’ll delay your break-even point by nine years.

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Posted 2 years ago

Report by community interest company Action Net Zero identifies key opportunities for businesses in the South West to embrace cleaner energy to reduce consumption and costs – however they need support to reach their targets

The report ‘Driving the Energy Agenda’ follows a roundtable discussion between West of England Metro Mayor Dan Norris and ten energy decarbonisation experts to look at the opportunities and challenges to move towards net zero.

Organised and hosted by Action Net Zero, the event was sponsored by global vacuum and abatement innovators, Edwards – a company employing over 800 people in the South West which is committed to reducing its impact on the environment. 

The round table panel acknowledged the rising energy costs associated with the cost-of-living crisis and the ongoing war in Ukraine, as well as a commitment by many businesses to meet environmental targets, has resulted in a focus on regaining control of energy supplies and a move towards lasting sustainable change.

Renewable electricity generation in the West of England Combined Authority region has more than doubled since 2014, with solar devices (photovoltaics) currently providing 44% of locally-generated renewables and onshore wind providing 20%. 

However, as the report points out, this still only constitutes 11% of the region’s total electricity consumption. 

Ensuring the National Grid is robust enough to manage a switch to renewable energy as soon as possible is critical to moving forward in any meaningful way, as “the existing grid infrastructure simply isn’t fit to manage the demand and support a distributed supply of renewable energy.” 

This means that much of the energy currently being generated by businesses’ solar panels is being wasted – in other words it cannot yet be fed back into the Grid, perhaps earning extra revenue for any company which invests in solar panels.

Dan Norris says the change is essential and believes there is a wealth of opportunity for the region. 

“The UK is one of the biggest CO2 emitters in the history of the planet, yet we only make up 0.5% of the land area. We need to set the standard for clean, low-emission development.” 

South West business is, he says “way ahead of politicians when it comes to the environment,” and “probably the most astute” of anywhere in the UK. 

He believes it’s vital to put pressure on local and national government to ensure policies, funding and regulations align. Dan is confident the region is in a good position to apply this pressure.

Neil Mehta, General Manager of the event’s sponsors, Edwards (based in Clevedon), agrees. “Moving away from fossil fuels has never been so important, from both a business and regional resilience perspective. If we now think about energy as a key driver for success in a business, reducing our consumption has to be a priority.” 

Education is also seen as a key component in creating opportunity for the region and addressing a skills shortage in the renewable sector. The report calls for the education sector in the region to train the engineers of tomorrow. 

For example, many larger businesses are currently unable to make use of the Apprenticeship Levy, which would normally allow them to use money from their digital fund to pay for apprentices. 

If this barrier was removed it would be “a great way to support upskilling as well as to bring more trained professionals into key sectors to combat the climate crisis[1] .” 

Joanne Philpott, who is Vice Principal for Curriculum Delivery and Technical Innovation at Weston College, believes providing additional training to those currently in the workforce by “encouraging transitional skills, such as EV charging skills for electricians,” is another opportunity to move closer to sustainable goals. 

She says: “This would allow people with existing skills to build a career in a more sustainable industry.”

She suggests that increasing the availability of courses will help meet the demand to provide the skills required to bring us closer to a net zero future.

Other key initiatives suggested by the report include: 

●      Increasing the number of charging options for HGVs. 

●      Investing in key areas of public transport to make it a more attractive option for consumers, while also increasing awareness of public transport options that are currently under-utilised.

●      Disentangling legal complexity around the installation of renewable systems.

●      Integrating renewable energy supply into all new homes as standard while also allowing greater use of roof space for solar panels. 

Creating community energy initiatives in which businesses and homeowners can share locally-generated electricity is also discussed and it points to the wider value of this kind of initiative. An example might be a sports club having chargers installed in their car park which can be used by members of the local community.

Under this model, surplus cash is redistributed as grants to support community action on carbon reduction and fuel poverty, helping to reduce bills and redirect profits back into the community.

“Innovation in technology and finance has opened up new opportunities,” said Pam Barbato, founder of Action Net Zero, “and it’s a very exciting time to be addressing these issues. The bottom line is that we need to act and we need to act now. 

“This report is a valuable contribution towards being able to do this in a meaningful way because it crystalises clear, practical and achievable pathways to a greener and more efficient future for business and community in a broader way. 

“We’re keen to support all businesses in the South West, but especially larger businesses such as manufacturing companies that use a lot of energy, to help them reduce their energy consumption, save costs and reach sustainability goals. 

“With only 11% of energy provision across the region being generated by renewables, there are many opportunities, particularly for owner operator sites,  to positively impact their business’s strategic goals and improve their energy resilience.”

To see the report in detail visit https://www.actionnetzero.org/guides-and-tools/round-table-report/

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Posted 2 years ago

Wayne Peters is founder of Sail Electric and the North Devon Marine Project as well as an ocean advocate for the Ocean Conservation Trust and ambassador for environmental program The Green Blue.

Working side by side, Sail Electric deliver sustainable sailing solutions using proven green tech, and the NDMP serves to raise awareness and educate about our fragile ocean environment that needs protection. Sail Electric recently modernised the North Devon Marine Project’s R&D vessel Nazca and she sails with a leave no trace policy, powered only by nature, capturing scientific and regeneration data. She is a shining example of what is possible with a focus on reaching net zero in the leisure marine sector. EcoNews talked with Wayne to find out some more

How did the North Devon Marine Project come about – was there a lightbulb moment that pushed you into action?

I had been involved in clean energy programs for a decade prior, but it wasn’t until I became involved with Emily Penn, and seeing her passion for the ocean it really clicked. I have sailed, surfed, kayaked my whole life. What we do on land is highly relevant to our ocean health. I think the lightbulb moment was combining my passion for watersports, with a passion for clean energy, and the need to highlight our connection to the ocean. North Devon in a UNESCO Biosphere reserve, designed to be an example of what should be, and my home. It all started to make sense.

Tell us about the marine conservation projects you are part of and the role you play

I’m an Advocate for the Ocean Conservation Trust, a British Divers Marine Mammal medic and an Ambassador for both 5 Gyres Ocean Plastic Research and the Green Blue which is the RYA and British Marine environmental program. I’m at their service, and collectively through various projects, we can share our findings from surveys, rescues, on social media and with talks and discussion with industry and academia and about my journey, together with the realisations I’ve had to date, we can collectively increase Ocean Literacy.

Who are Sail Electric and how does the NDMP and this business fit together? Are there collective goals?

Sail Electric is a commercial enterprise for the decarbonisation of maritime. Conversions of the legacy fleet to electric alongside design, supply and guidance to boatbuilders ensures every solar panel or motor system installed helps to counter the negative impact we have had on the climate. The North Devon Marine Project is my journey behind all this. I am pushing the envelope to discover exactly what it takes to be truly green on the blue with collaborators. The project is research lead, NDMP can help change a mindset by leading by example so Sail Electric and other commercial enterprises can gain from the experience, and share that insight to their audiences with real world feedback. It is an attempt to find the balance between economic growth and sustainable development.

Explain about Nazca as the NDMP boat? Is she a prime example of an off-grid sailing yacht and what do you do with her?

Nazca is an example of what could be done to sail with a leave no trace policy, not just at sea, but the maintenance on land. To meet the expectation there are compromises we have to make, as clean technology, and a change in methodology, catches up with our ultimate objective of doing no harm to planet earth, or the life that lives on her. I didn’t know if it was possible to meet schedules, manage passage plans, or be safe and comfortable at sea without a diesel engine on board. The only way to know, and to be truly honest with sharing the findings, was to go out there without diesel. So we did. I also didn’t want her to sail just for this reason, so over the term I’ve collected various science equipment to help raise awareness of our impact on the ocean. From underwater drones, to micro plastic samplers, as we sail, the technology data is captured for climate change initiatives, as well as environmental data, to help us combat the biodiversity crisis. She’s a floating research platform for the everyday sailor.

What has any marine research shown that you’ve conducted ? Do you have any data from sailing expeditions and is there more to come?

As we start to hone our skills in exploration, it’s clear we have a massive plastic problem – what we find on beaches is just the tip of the iceberg. We are attempting to share positivity, seeing very little accumulation of plastic in the marine conservation zone around Lundy was highly positive, but this is the case at this time of year. Or, were we looking closely enough. We gather minute by minute data from the systems on board, and with continued support we can further analyse this data to levels that can create strategies around helping others to go green. There’s plenty more to come, and what we are seeing at the moment is a rapid change in ocean acidification, plastic accumulation and biodiversity loss. It is in all our interests to conduct citizen sciences to add to the data pool.

For anyone who owns (or wants to own) a sailing boat, what are your recommendations to really make a difference? Is there an order for green tech to be installed?

Slow down. One of the most profound insights with running electric is how much extra energy you need to gain a tiny amount of speed, the resistance of the hull builds at a square of the speed when the hull speed is around 7 knots, it requires 8 kW of power to move the boat and a very economic speed is somewhere around 5 knots where you need 2 kW to move the boat in flat water. The increase of power from 5 kW to 10 kW only yields a knot of more boat speed and the next 5 kW increment only 0,5 knots. The conservation of energy is key to creating a synergy between us and nature. Not just for propulsion, for every watt saved, the energy from a solar panel is better utilised, and the less demand you need from a diesel generator for example. 

How do you achieve a truly off-grid lifestyle and no impact sailing practices? What are the main elements?

I’ve lived off grid for 10 years on land, and now with operating Nazca, it’s quite simply accessing the knowledge and experience in order to save, conserve and optimise energy. Everyone needs to start somewhere, and by monitoring your day to day demands, and through knowledge of optimising yourself and your home, whether on land or at sea,in order to match the available natural resources, the journey to self and clean sustainability begins. Advising a customer to heat water with solar, or run a washing machine in the middle of the day, when the batteries are recharged, and there’s otherwise nowhere for the solar to go, is just common sense if you think about it.

Can we achieve net zero?

I don’t think that’s a relevant question. The question should be when can we reach net zero, as the objective has to be going carbon negative. Net zero is only part of the solution.

How do you educate people and spread the word about what you do?

Through sharing experience, on both what works, but also what does not, to an audience that we are finding within our network who is much more open to learn since the pandemic is key. Whether it’s through interviews such as this, or social media, or real world demonstrations, but not just from us who work in the field specifically. Real world feedback from Sail Electric customers as they begin their journey that inspires others. And critically realising that what you may have learnt about the ocean in that media piece, might change the way you go shopping reminds us that everything is linked. Every action counts, if we look to help change a mindset, that we see exponential positive change happen throughout.  

Wayne Peters

What are your plans for 2023 to make a difference?

Much more of the above, closer relationships to highlight specific messages that inspire change from the core. Every time I write, every time I talk, I improve the method in getting the message across, and potentially increase the impact it could have after I’ve left. You never really know what impression you make, we are all different. Some things resonate, some things don’t, but what we all know deep inside is the difference between right and wrong. And what we know for sure is that we are all in the same boat.

https://sailelectric.com/
https://sailelectric.com/

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Posted 2 years ago

Ohme is celebrating the introduction to its range of the all-new Ohme ePod untethered charger.

As an untethered charger, the new ePod will provide universal charging for all electric vehicles and help Ohme to expand its reach into new markets, particularly those in the new build environment.

Ohme has already made progress in these new markets becoming the official charger provider for many developers such as Harron Homes and Hollins Homes. Furthermore, Ohme is also part of the House of the Future project at the University of Salford alongside Saint-Gobain, Barratt and Bellway to provide the low carbon homes of the future.

“We are very excited to be introducing the all-new Ohme ePod untethered charger to the market,” explained David Watson, CEO at Ohme. “The ePod will open up new markets for us and boasts all of the functionality of our award-winning Home Pro but in an untethered package giving customers greater choice than ever before.”

The new ePod joins Ohme’s highly successful Home Pro smart charger which helped Ohme to be one of the UK’s fastest growing smart charging companies in 2022. The new Ohme ePod features the same technology as the Home Pro for those after an untethered charger without the charging cable attached. Using the class-leading Ohme app, the ePod gives Ohme customers the choice between tethered and untethered for the first time.

It means that ePod customers can also take advantage of Ohme’s ability with its smart charging technology to connect with the national grid in real time and automatically adjust its charging for drivers to take advantage of all the times of low price charging with smart off-peak tariffs.

Charging a Volkswagen ID. Buzz from zero to 100 per cent with an Ohme ePod on a smart off-peak tariff, such as Octopus Intelligent, could cost just £7.70 compared to more than £26 on the Standard Variable Tariff*.

Ohme also offers drivers the option to charge their car when renewable energy generation on the National Grid is at its highest, further lowering their CO2 impact.

Ohme is the official charger provider for the Volkswagen Group in the UK as well as Motability Operations, the largest fleet operator in the UK, and has been named as the Best Electric Charging Point Provider by Business Motoring.

* Octopus Intelligent at 10p/kWh, SVT at 34p/kWh

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Posted 2 years ago

Our award-winning plant based nail polishes and treatments are kinder and cleaner and make a perfect Mother’s Day gift.  Our nail polishes are £7.99 each and collections are priced at £24.95.

Check out our wide range of natural origin and vegan products at www.earthynailpolish.com 

Here Comes The Sun Collection

The beauty of the bottle: We have developed a bamboo cap that seals the bottle to ensure not only the  longevity of the nail polish but also replace a single use only plastic cap.

Our bamboo cap is decomposable and highly sustainable due to the following facts;

1 – Bamboo is a grass

2 – Bamboo absorbs five times the amount of carbon dioxide as trees

3 – Bamboo self regenerates in 3-4 months

4 – Bamboo contains natural antibacterial and antimicrobial properties5

5 – Bamboo produces 35% more oxygen than trees

In Bloom collection

The production background:

  • All of our nail polishes and treatments are produced with a platinum 2020 Ecovadis Sustainability rating.
  • Removal of all plastic inner and outer production packaging.
  • Removal of all excess packaging.
  • Limited level of VOC emissions and optimized extraction lowering the impact on the environment.
  • 97% of hazardous raw materials, 83% of the total waste are recycled, and 100% of industrial wastewaters are treated.
  • A waste management policy that promotes reusable tanks and drums and recycling of solvents for cleaning operations.

Treat your Mum this Mother’s Day with a wonderful new collection of nail polish.

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Posted 2 years ago
  • New research from the bank reveals 65 million unused plastic cards are gathering dust in UK homes 
  • Confusion over whether plastic cards are recyclable has contaminated 10.2 million batches of recycling 
  • NatWest is calling on Londoners to recycle their old plastic cards, card readers and bottles using the new machines, located at Victoria Place, Canary Wharf Shopping Centre and in partnership with the NHS at Thomas and Guys Hospital 

The latest research from NatWest reveals a lack of recycling options for plastic payment, gift and loyalty cards has created over 380 tonnes of plastic card waste since 2017, equivalent to 211 stampeding elephants. 

NatWest has today launched a first-of-its-kind ‘Reverse Vending Machines’ offering a secure, eco-friendly way to recycle unused plastic cards of which there are 65 million gathering dust in peoples’ homes, or sat idly in their wallets and bags. The new machine will also accept card readers and plastic bottles for recycling.  In their new London locations, the Reverse Vending Machines are free to use for everybody, regardless of whether they are a NatWest customer.  

The design, manufacture and trial of the bespoke Reverse Vending Machines began in the wake of COP26 and are now launching to the public, available initially in London, one of the UK’s plastic pollution hubs. The first machines will be situated at Victoria Place and Canary Wharf Shopping Centres, offering easy access to shoppers and commuters. Two machines will also be placed in Guys and St Thomas’ Hospitals, in partnership with the NHS. 

The first machine has been installed at Victoria Place Shopping Centre food terrace above Victoria Station, to reduce plastic pollution due to payment cards.

This follows trials last year at NatWest’s Edinburgh and London offices, where over 35,000 cards and 2,000 bottles gathered from testing sites have already been recycled into over 3,000 hats and pairs of socks. Over 400 of these garments were donated to Social Bite in December as part of their ‘Festival of Kindness’ for homeless and vulnerable communities in London. 

The pilot launch builds on the recent introduction of NatWest’s environmentally friendly debit and credit cards made of 86% recycled material – a move expected to save over 50 tonnes of PVC plastic. 

The research also found that: 

  • 62% of consumers have unused payment, gift and loyalty cards lying around at home 
  • Over 6.6 million people wrongly assume that plastic cards are recyclable via traditional methods. 
  • More than 76 million payment, loyalty and gift cards (380 tonnes of plastic) have ended up in UK landfills by default in the last five years 
  • Confusion whether or not you could recycle plastic cards has led to the contamination of an estimated 10.2 million batches of recycling, due to well-intentioned consumers throwing their cards into recycling bins 
  • With 68% of people citing personal security as a main concern when binning their old payment cards, the practice of cutting them up and scattering the pieces across various bins to avoid fraud only exacerbates the problem, contaminating several batches of recycling at one time. 

     Alison Rose, CEO at NatWest Group said: “Recycling our plastic cards and card readers are just two simple ways to make a positive impact on plastic pollution in the UK.  
    But we know that the recycling guidance can be unclear for customers due to the security concerns of council-run recycling pick-ups. That’s why we are tackling this issue head-on by piloting our Reverse Vending Machines near London’s busiest transport hubs and largest hospitals and introducing sustainable credit and debit cards to all our customers. 
    I urge local commuters, shoppers and passers-by from across London to search their homes for expired plastic cards, and join us in shifting the dial on plastic pollution in the UK’s capital city.” 
     

    About the Reverse Vending Machines 

    NatWest’s Reverse Vending Machines have been launched in partnership with leading sustainability brand Reborn. As the world’s first public banking machines designed to ‘eat’ users’ payment plastic items deliberately, with 68% of people citing personal security as a main concern when binning their old payment cards, the purpose-built unit recycles plastic cards and card readers in a fraud-secure and sustainable process, reflective of NatWest’s growing focus on the circular economy.  

    Each card is shredded to wipe consumers’ details from the item, before the pieces are securely stored, only accessible by a designated driver. After pickup, the waste makes its way to a recycling plant via an electric vehicle to become something new. The first batches from the pilot phase of NatWest’s Reverse Vending Machine rollout are being repurposed into hats and socks for London’s homeless population. 
Londoners can now recycle their plastic debit and credit cards securely and in an eco-friendly way as part of NatWest’s first-of-its-kind ‘Reverse Vending Machines’. The first machine has been installed at Victoria Place Shopping Centre food terrace above Victoria Station, to reduce plastic pollution due to payment cards.

Using integrated blockchain technology which links to a purpose-built dashboard, it is possible to track what the plastic from each machine has been made into and the carbon and energy saved as a result. 

Founder of Reborn, Zak Johnson, said,“As plastic pollution continues to grow around the world it is now more important than ever to adjust our behaviour as humans and find better ways of recycling. The first step in most recycling is us, the consumer, so our mission has been to make recycling as simple and as easy as possible, placing Reverse Vending Machines in places you’re likely to pass to encourage use. We’re so excited to be embarking on this journey with NatWest and can’t wait to turn consumers’ plastic cards, card readers and bottles into reusable materials and even clothing.”

The launch of the Reverse Vending Machines marks the latest addition to NatWest’s growing sustainability manifesto, including newly launched environmentally-friendly debit and credit cards made from 86% recycled materials, in-app carbon footprint tracking for consumers to help visualise the emissions generated by shopping decisions, staff uniforms made from sustainable fabrics and recycled plastics and an ongoing partnership with The Conservation Volunteers Group to plant 130,000 trees in 2022.  

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Posted 2 years ago

Iconic Episodes To Go Live On The Wombles YouTube Channel today.

This weekend, the UK’s most-loved children’s characters, The Wombles, are celebrating 50 years since they first appeared on television in 1973, with a special series of events that will see the beloved characters re-connect with new audiences and amplify their relevance to new generations. 

To kick off proceedings, 10 of the original 60 five-minute episodes will be available to watch on The Wombles YouTube channel (@WomblesOfficial) from Sunday 5th February 2023. 

Undoubtedly ahead of their time, The Wombles’ motto “Make Good Use Of Bad Rubbish” and their passion for recycling and upcycling, is more relevant than ever as younger generations continue to learn about the importance of sustainability.

The episodes have been remastered and the resolution upscaled to HD from the original beta cam masters and look and sound better than ever and will be available to watch on The Wombles YouTube channel @womblesofficial . The remaining episodes will be released throughout the year. The Wombles have also announced a year-long partnership with Age UK and will be launching a host of events across the country.

Since coming out of hibernation at the beginning of 2022, Wimbledon Common’s The Wombles have featured in a wide range of environmental campaigns including the annual Great British Spring Clean, #EcoSchoolsAtHome, WRAP’s recycling initiatives, tree planting, beach cleaning and upcycling and were the UK government’s mascots at COP26. In a YouGov survey conducted in 2021 64% of UK adults agreed that ‘because of the environmental crisis across the world, The Wombles are more relevant today than ever.’

The Wombles – furry creatures who lived in The Burrow on Wimbledon Common and included Great Uncle Bulgaria, Orinoco, Madame Cholet – were the original environmental campaigners. They first appeared in a series of children’s novels in 1968 by Elisabeth Beresford.

The characters were all based on Elisabeth’s family members and the name and idea for the much-loved environmental pioneers was sparked when the author’s daughter Kate mispronounced Wimbledon Common during a walk as ‘Wombledon’.

Animated by Ivor Wood and Barry Leith, narrated by Bernard Cribbins and with the theme tune composed by Mike Batt, the series, based on Elisabeth’s books, was voted by the British public as one the top 10 most popular BBC TV children’s programmes of all time. 

Speaking about the 50th anniversary and his mother Elisabeth’s iconic characters, Marcus Robertson said: “‘Since first appearing on BBC 50 years ago The Wombles have always been loved both for their hard work clearing up behind untidy humans, but also for their warmth and their occasional foibles. Mum would be very happy that they still appeal to many people of different generations around the world. The Wombles work is never finished and more relevant than ever.”

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Posted 2 years ago

Great Britain’s first ‘anywhere to anywhere’ travel app has been launched to reward people with money-saving vouchers for travelling green, using public transport, walking or cycling. The free-to-use app, called Sojo, has been created by Swiss global innovators, Axon Vibe in partnership with UK-based Raileasy the split ticket consumer champions.

George Sikking, Chief Executive of Raileasy, said, “With 92%* of Brits thinking about how they can save money and 75%** concerned about climate change, we just knew that there was a marketplace for something which would tackle both. Sojo is an absolute win-win, rewarding people financially for saving the earth’s natural resources. We think that the climate conscious people of Great Britain will love it”.

Sojo GB is Great Britain’s first nationwide sustainable travel, incentives & rewards app, is free to use and, once you’ve given it your permission, it intelligently transforms your journeys into rewards without your data being seen by or sold to anyone. The app works anonymously behind the scenes and, as a thank you for choosing to travel sustainably, it will trigger vouchers from retail partners providing offers such as a free coffee, a pastry or other exclusive clothing & leisure deals all offered in the context of your regular journeys.

Jeremy Acklam, Managing Director of Axon Vibe in the UK, said, “We are thrilled to have collaborated with Raileasy. We firmly believe that Sojo is the solution which will benefit thousands of travellers across Great Britain. Our global Sojo Initiative incentivises people to travel more responsibly and helps to reduce the effects of climate change as they go about their regular lives”, he continued, “The Sojo GB app offers cost savings to encourage people back onto the rail network and personalised rewards which will help High Street businesses thrive”.

The app enables seamless journey planning from door to door, and you can buy a great value rail ticket, hire a bike or book a taxi, where available, across the whole country. Over 4 continents, in Cities like New York and Tokyo, Sojo has already demonstrated the behaviour change that is so vital to the future of the planet, and it is now available in Great Britain.

To access the app simply go to your preferred app store and download Sojo GB.

The website link is: www.sojoapp.com

Download for iOS and Android 

 * According to the Office for National Statistics, 92% of adults in Great Britain reported an increase in their cost of living in November-December 2022.

** According to the Office for National Statistics, 75% of adults said in October 2022 they made a lot or some lifestyle changes to help tackle climate change.