Could the purposed Expressway be the next big road battle in the UK? And is it winnable? Until last month (June 2019), few opponents would have held out much hope of resisting the combined forces of the Highways Agency, which first advanced the £1.5 bn project, and the Westminster government, which almost without fail wins… Continue reading
Ashridge, the National Trust estate on the Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire border, is one of the top places in the UK to see bluebells, according to surveys. In 2016 it decided to charge visitors to see the bluebells at some of the best locations on the 5000 acre estate. Is putting a price on our ‘national… Continue reading
Feb 8th 2019 Arsenal FC became the first UK football club (late 2018) to install a battery storage system, which will store enough electricity to power the club’s 60,000-seater stadium for a 90-minute match. (This could potentially include renewable energy, such as solar and wind power.) The system enables the Arsenal to cut electricity bills… Continue reading
I was at Bluestone in Pembrokeshire in December, 2015, on an important weekend. On the Saturday, the 12th, world governments concluded the Paris Climate Agreement. It was a pivotal moment in the story of the world about us. What would we, as individuals, do? What would governments and industries do, to met those targets of… Continue reading
Margarine better for global warming potential than butter – new study I wrote the following article in 2016. Since then I came across this study – “Comparative life cycle assessment of margarine and butter consumed in the UK, Germany and France”. It dates from 2010, but was published earlier in 2018. It concludes that margarine… Continue reading
Could Lightyear, a solar power and electric car become the vehicle of choice in the 2020s? How a Dutch start-up is blazing the path towards low emission motoring. In 2010 I wrote about the launch of the first mainstream all-electric car in the UK. The Nissan Leaf has sold well since then, but it and… Continue reading