It's Not Easy Being Green

By sizemore Last edited 212 months ago
It's Not Easy Being Green
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Bit of an eco two pronger this one - first up is the news that while big companies are encouraged to do all they can to recycle, smaller firms are being sidelined:

The London Assembly's environment committee has published a report claiming smaller businesses are being all but ignored in the drive to promote the use of recycled products... It is totally unacceptable for the Mayor, LDA and London Remade to focus only on large firms - that's the easy option...

Speaking of the mayor, he comes in for a little wrist slapping elsewhere too - turns out that the recent refurbishment of Nelson is surrounded by some well dodgy timber:

the plywood surrounding Nelson's Column in London's iconic Trafalgar Square as it undergoes renovations can be traced back to illegal logging in a tropical rain forest has prompted the city's mayor to rethink procurement procedures

Greenpeace worked out that the plywood in question "comes from the forests of Papua New Guinea where, according to the World Bank and the nation's own government, most logging is unlawful and unsustainable".

Ken is already taking action:

I have now taken a decision to improve our procurement procedures to ensure that any wood procured by the Greater London Authority or any contractors working on its behalf is from a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified source or equivalent standard. My vision is for London to be a sustainable world city, which is why I have taken action to raise standards. I, along with Greenpeace, want to boost awareness amongst businesses, organisations and consumers in the capital that whether you are buying garden furniture or wood for construction, by buying timber which is FSC certified, you can be sure that you are not damaging the environment.

Maybe the plywood can itself be recycled - it would make an excellent replacement for the Hoff in Peter Pan...

Last Updated 07 July 2006