News archive: January 2007

With its solar heating, energy-saving devices and even a reed bed sewage system, it's the sort of place of which his father would approve. This is the environmentally-friendly mini-mansion which Prince William and his girlfriend Kate Middleton are expected to make their first home. The £5million house will be built on the Duchy of Cornwall's Harewood Park Estate in the Wye Valley and, now Herefordshire Council has given it the green light, work should be completed around 2010 - just as William is expected to leave the Army. The house will have a library, stables, an orangery, drawing room, dining room and six bedrooms. There is no nursery, but no shortage of space for one. Prince Charles has taken a keen interest in the project and has insisted the architects marry "architectural presence" with a "strong sustainability agenda". A large rainwater-reservoir will be built for washing clothes, watering the garden and flushing toilets. Each bathroom will have water-saving fittings, while both the dishwasher and washing machine will be chosen from a range of energy saving devices. Waste water will be treated using a reed bed system, which breaks down sewage naturally by using the oxygen created by beds of common reeds. Heating and water will be provided by a wood-chip boiler in winter and solar panels in summer, which will be hidden on the roof. Kitchen leftovers can be turned into organic compost. Reclaimed bricks will be used to build the house, and timber will be sourced from the Duchy's estate. The roof, made of salvaged Welsh slate, will be insulated with sheep's wool. Visitors will be greeted by the sight of a large, rectangular property built around an indoor courtyard with an impressive portico entrance. Along the outside walls are a series of triumphal arches and carvings of winged lions flanking lyres. This, according to the architect, makes reference to the Greek god Apollo who could heal, purify and promote harmony. Also dotted around the walls are several bronze classical-style heads known as caryatids, while even the four-bay garage block derives from the 'Choragic monument of Thrysallus' - a 4th century BC Greek monument on the slopes of the Parthenon in Athens. News item by Rebecca English for the Daily Mail UK, January 30 2007

75% of British consumers say products have too much packaging and that they feel bombarded by the volume of wrapping and protective material, according to an online survey out today. The survey was carried out by Ipsos MORI among 1,000 adults per country aged 16-64. Packaging has increased by 12% between 1999 and 2005, and accounts for one-third of an average household's total waste.

The Soil Association warned last week, at its annual conference, that converting more land from food to biofuel production could raise the risk of future famines. Peter Melchett said: "This [expansion in land used for biofuels] sacrifices food security for an illusion of energy security." He went on to say that more could be achieved by converting 18% of arable land to organic farming. The trend for biofuels has sparked a food versus fuel debate, with concern that climate change could reduce the amount of agricultural land, coupled with a rise in the demand for food due to population growth. John Gapper, columnist for the Financial Times, asked whether the biofuel movement is a space race or a gold rush? He suggests: "The West wants to emulate Brazil, where cars run on ethanol refined from sugar cane. But there is no cane… [so] arable crops are being taken from people's mouths and put into their fuel tanks instead."

The Welsh organic dairy co-operative Calon Wen has become the first dairy company in the UK to be awarded the Ethical Trade Organic Standards Certification by the Soil Association. This new scheme is for organic food producers who ensure fair trading and employment alongside socially and environmentally responsible practices. The certification recognises fair wages, hours of work that are not excessive, and a workforce with a say in what goes on. Additionally, five memberrs of Calon Wen have chosen to reach out into the world of love beyond internet dating. The Welsh organic dairy farmers are looking for love by printing their photos on their milk bottles. Ewan Jones is a director of the organic milk co-operative, and is one of the five young farmers (three men, two women) who are advertising themselves on these organic milk bottles, under the caption, 'Fancy a Farmer?' The lonely hearts message on a bottle is launched on the Welsh equivalent of Valentine's Day, Santes Dwynwen Day, which is on 25 January. Ewan is a 30-year old organic dairy farmer, and is cute.

A coalition of Peruvian potato farmers has written to biotech giant Syngenta urging it to drop research into terminator gene technology. Terminator technology means that all plants grown from a genetically modified (GM) seed stock will produce seeds that are infertile. Many poor farmers in developing countries such as Peru rely on harvesting some of the seeds from their crops in order to replant them and therefore make more food for tghe next season. Terminator technology means that this age-old process is destroyed, and leaves farmers and their communities open to famine if they cannot afford seeds. Even though there has been a global moratorium on field testing terminator technology since 2000, research continues on a widescale by all the biotech corporations in anticipation of a change in the law to allow them to sell these GM seeds. Peru is home to over 4,000 potato varieties, and is the ancient land where potatoes originated. The Peruvian farmers fear the process will enter the Andean potato system and destroy their traditional trade.

In 2006, worldwide plantings of Genetically Modified (GM) crops increased by 13% to 252million acres, with these crops being planted in 22 countries, according to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications. Six European Union countries planted GM crops in 2006 despite a widely held resistance to GM food by European consumers. They were: Slovakia, Spain, France, Germany, Portugal and the Czech Republic. Small, resource-poor farmers in developing countries account for 90% of farmers growing GM crops.

Edinburgh University Students’ Association has committed to the most radical change in food provision that the Association has ever experienced. A meeting of Committee of Management on the 25th January resolved to aim for the Soil Association’s ‘Food for Life’ targets of 30% Organic, 50% local and 70% unprocessed ingredients. They will be the first Students' Union in the UK to do this. Vice-President Services Tim Gee said: "I know we have excellent chefs, but they often have to work with he