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LIVERPOOL TO DELIVER A
GREEN
08
AS part of
Liverpool’s 08 celebrations the city will be turning green with
plenitude of environmentally themed events and installations that
will deliver a planet-friendly and sustainable legacy for
Merseyside.
During the next 11 months a series of events will showcase the
region’s climate change projects, celebrate the natural environment
and support moves to transform derelict, brownfield landscapes into
new, rejuvenated green spaces. And the environmental themed
activities will lead to more than 2.5 hectares of woodland
established in Merseyside. In addition to the thousands of new
trees to be planted across Merseyside in 2008 there will also be the
creation of 2 new community woodlands, innovative green ‘billboards’,
solar-powered cinema, green fayres and a summer of cultural events
taking place in the Mersey Forest.
Liverpool’s 08 green agenda is being drawn-up by the Forestry
Commission and the Northwest Regional Development Agency in
partnership with Liverpool Culture Company and Liverpool City
Council as well as numerous local and regional environmental
organisations. The ‘green team’ came together to support the
organisers of Capital of Culture in their desire to deliver a more
sustainable future for the region, and highlight issues around the
environment and sustainability during Liverpool’s 08 celebrations.
Liverpool City Council’s executive member for the environment, Cllr
Berni Turner, said:- “We are already dedicated to making
Liverpool as green as possible – for example, recycling is easy and
accessible for everyone, and we only use green energy to power
council buildings. It’s fantastic news that we’re working in
conjunction with so many different partners across the region to
make sure there are a wide variety of green events taking place
across Liverpool this year. It’s really important that we work
together to promote the ‘green message’ and as a result get as many
people involved as possible.”
Keith Jones from the Forestry Commission North West, added:-
“Working with partners such as The Mersey Forest and NWDA we want to
celebrate all that is great about this wonderful city, which is
pivotal part of our diverse and rich region. It’s fantastic news
that Liverpool’s festivities will incorporate our own ‘green’
culture, making trees, woodlands and forests integral to the Capital
of Culture programme.”
Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive of the NWDA, said:-
“Delivering Liverpool’s Green 08 celebrations once again highlights
the region’s strong commitment to tackling climate change and
promoting sustainability. It is vital that we work to reduce our
environmental impact whilst enhancing our natural environment and it
is great to see Merseyside embracing these themes during its year in
the spotlight.”
Delivering a Green 08 - projects in the pipeline.
Green Streets Merseyside
Urban greening that utilises tree planting and maintenance to
improve local communities’ quality of life. Individually tailored to
meet the needs and aspirations of each neighbourhood taking part in
the project, Green Streets Merseyside is managed by The Mersey
Forest and will operate across Merseyside. targeting areas of
environmental deficit and tackling a range of social, health and
economic issues. The projects started this January and will run to
November 2008.
Green Billboard
Believed to be a ‘world’s 1st’, the Green Billboard is a
sustainable advertising medium made entirely from willow trees,
which offers a range of environmental benefits that conventional
hoardings cannot provide. The world’s 1st green billboard was
installed in Merseyside in late 2007. A second green billboard will
be placed in Merseyside and both hoardings will display Liverpool 08
advertisements.
Croxeth Country Fair
Croxteth’s annual 2-day festival of the countryside and countryside
activities from floristry, animal welfare and a medieval festival
will this year include a cinema powered by the sun and the ‘One
Tree’ exhibit.
Newsham Park
The listed Newsham Park in Liverpool’s Kensington district is
celebrating its 140th anniversary this year (2008) and the city’s
cultural status by planting a host of new trees to create a new
community resource.
Form>Wood
This May, Merseyside will host the Northwest Forestry Framework
conference for the design, architectural and engineering sectors.
The event will celebrate wood as one of the planet’s most valuable
resources and launch a rolling programme of regional timber and
timber-products events.
Princes Park Carnival
For 2008 4 bowling greens will be transformed in a green field
during the carnival complete with an organic café and circus
performances.
Newlands
Across Merseyside two new large-scale community woodlands will be
created on sites that were once used for landfill. The multi-million
pound environmental regeneration of some of the region’s most
undervalued land will lead to multi-use green space that will
transform Merseyside’s landscape into a green and pleasant land.
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Merseyside and North Wales Engineers Win Award
THOUSANDS of engineers in the
Merseyside and North Wales are celebrating after winning the coveted
‘Region of the Year’ award from the Institution of
Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). Nikki Barker, Chairman of the
Merseyside and North Wales region, was presented with a plaque from
IMechE President, John Baxter, at the Institution’s headquarters in
London.
There are nearly 3,000 mechanical engineers in the region with
particularly high numbers in Liverpool and The Wirral. They had to
stave off stiff competition from 16 other regions and seven branches
across the UK to win the prestigious award.
Mrs Barker said:- “As volunteers it is always nice to gain
some recognition for your efforts and it is really great for the
region to win this award. We do a lot of hard and valuable work
promoting the engineering profession in our communities and schools.
Our committee contains a broad mix of traditional engineers and
those who work more on the management consulting side. We also have
a particularly young average age so I hope we can continue to be
successful together for many years.”
Among the achievements that helped the region win were: creating a
dynamic North Wales panel to deliver high profile events, turning
their annual dinner from a loss making traditional black-tie event
to one that is profitable and entertaining and raising the profile
of the Institution through attendance at numerous careers and
schools fairs. They also had to prove the projects and events
they organised enhanced the service to the local membership and
promoted the IMechE both in the engineering community and in
academia.
94%
OF BRITS HAVE NEVER HEARD OF ECO-STANDARD.
IT may be the
ecological standard for 6,500 textile manufacturers in 80 countries,
but 94% of British consumers have never heard of it, according to
Shirley Technologies Limited (STL), the world's foremost textile
testing laboratory.
Oeko-Tex is a worldwide chemical safety standard adopted by 6,500
manufacturers and 80 countries which evaluates and screens for
harmful substances in textiles intended to come into contact with
consumers. If goods pass strict ecological tests, then they
are allowed to carry the label. But only 6% of British
consumers have ever heard of it, so don't know to ask for it or look
for it - while 46% of the population of Germany, for instance, is
completely familiar with it.
Scotland was least aware of Oeko-Tex labelling (4%), followed by the
North of England and Midlands (both 5%), then the South East (6%),
with Wales and the South West of England most aware (both 7%).
Women (7%) are almost twice as likely to recognise the labelling as
men (4%).
Retailers or manufacturers are not obliged to display such
labelling, but this comes as a surprise when so many are using green
and ecological claims to sell their goods, says STL.
Ironically, 42% of the same consumers surveyed by ICM on behalf of
Shirley Technologies said they would be willing to pay more for
clothing and textiles if they could see evidence that they were free
from harmful chemicals affecting both the consumer and employees
making them.
"This demonstrates a number of key issues: the need for even
greater consumer pull-through and demand for ecologically
certificated products, and the requirement for retailers to demand
this standard from suppliers, and to adopt labelling accordingly,"
said Phil Whitaker of Shirley Technologies.
"Ironically, while many manufacturers are claiming green credentials
to try to drive sales - and nearly half of consumers are saying they
will pay more for ecologically certificated products - Oeko-Tex is
the only scientific certification and proof of their commitment, but
retailers are yet to fully adopt it.
Millions of products around the world have been issued with Oeko-Tex
certificates - and as a consequence are permitted to be labelled
accordingly. But it is a rarely if ever seen label in the UK -
so rare that we commissioned a survey to see just how many people
did recognise the label, or knew what it stood for. As it is, if
consumers knew about the certification then they would have absolute
knowledge that a product was ecologically sound. 94% of people
said they were not aware of the certification label or what it
meant. In Germany, for instance, 46% of people asked said they were
aware of the label and what it meant. That makes the UK 13% as
aware of ecological issues as Germany's population."
Shirley Technologies, established in Manchester in 1920, is the UK's
Oeko-Tex testing laboratory, testing and issuing licences to this
standard.
"We test for some very nasty chemicals used in the production
of clothing and household articles, including formaldehyde - which
is carcinogenic - extractable heavy metals such as cadmium and
chromium, and pesticides and so on. We look at and for pH
levels, allergenic dyes and toxic substances. A major concern is the
pH (acid/alkaline) test, with many samples failing. Materials which
fail this test can cause itching, rashes, spots, skin peeling or
allergic reaction. "
The survey was conducted by ICM on behalf of Shirley Technologies
Limited. There were 2,090 respondents, 1003 male and 1087 female. |
