tag:,2008:/695 2008-10-31T15:03:16Z Journal Blog Central - The Journal's platform for bloggers and columnists. Movable Type Pro 4.2-en tag:blogcentral.journallive.co.uk,2008://695.101991 2008-10-31T14:52:08Z 2008-10-31T15:03:16Z

I'm not the first, and I'm sure I won't be the last observer of transport matters to be perplexed and bemused by the mysteries of UK railway ticketing. Today, Jill and Julia are travelling home to Prudhoe from Jill's parents,...

Tom Dodds http://www.dunelmpr.co.uk/OURPEOPLE-NEW.html#tom on-line to buy tickets a few weeks ago, the best price I could get was £64.50. So instead I looked at splitting the journey into sections. Jill doesn't mind changing at Doncaster, so first I managed to get Doncaster to Newcastle tickets from National Express East Coast's own web site for just £33.35 - and their First Class ticket was just coppers more than Standard! Jill will buy on-train tickets for the Northern Rail services between Kiveton Bridge and Doncaster, and Newcastle and Prudhoe, bringing the total cost of the journey to £45.35, almost twenty quid cheaper - and with a fair chunk of First Class travel, too! And while we're busy tightening our belts, here's a good way of saving money on refreshments for the journey. The Bite discount card gives a 20 per cent discount on purchases from selected food and drink retailers at many of the country's railway stations. You can easily save a couple of quid every time you buy a coffee and sandwich... ]]> tag:blogcentral.journallive.co.uk,2008://229.58017 2008-10-10T20:26:02Z 2008-10-10T20:53:54Z

Not that I need any excuse to indulge, but I am super excited that my favourite week of the year is almost upon us; National Chocolate Week and it arrives in Newcastle with a mouth watering chocolate sculpting session on...

Anna Heywood Not that I need any excuse to indulge, but I am super excited that my favourite week of the year is almost upon us; National Chocolate Week and it arrives in Newcastle with a mouth watering chocolate sculpting session on Monday. National Chocolate Week runs next week from 13th -19th October and one of its main sponsors is Divine Chocolate, the Fairtrade Chocolate company (if God did create chocolate then I'm almost certain that it would be of the Fairtrade variety). Nationwide there are a whole host of events on offer to celebrate the brown stuff in all it gooey delicious glory; however us lucky Tynesiders get a special treat when Prudence Staite, one of the world's only chocolate sculptresses steps in to town on Monday 13th October, to let us sample her artwork. The Divine Creations Chocolate Sculpting event is being organised by the Newcastle Fairtrade Partnership in collaboration with the Art Works Galleries in the Ouseburn Valley and Divine Chocolate. As well as Prudence's ironic Chocolate Teapot, she will be sculpting edible flowers, fruit, cups and saucers out of Fairtrade chocolate and providing free chocolate tastings. Hannah Davies of the Journal, had the recent pleasure of interviewing Prudence at length and you can read more about her work and background in the interview here. Tickets for the event cost just £5 and will additionally entitle you to a complimentary glass of Fairtrade wine or juice and the chance to win an edible Fairtrade chocolate sculpture - just be sure to bring along your ticket. As the Art Works Galleries are hosting the event you will also have the opportunity to view their latest exhibits. The live demonstration runs from 6-9pm and the Art Works Galleries can be found on Stepney Bank, Ouseburn Valley, NE1 2NP. Tickets are available now until Saturday from the Newcastle Information Centre, 8-9 Central Arcade (Windows Arcade), Newcastle City Centre, NE1 5AF Tel 0191 2778005 or direct from the Art Works Galleries. ]]> tag:blogcentral.journallive.co.uk,2008://229.57791 2008-10-07T21:06:12Z 2008-10-07T21:33:14Z

For those of you who have been worried sick... Freddie boy is back and blogging. But I don't mind telling you that the past couple of months have been a struggle. Just when I thought I'd got used to the...

Write Said Fred For those of you who have been worried sick... Freddie boy is back and blogging. But I don't mind telling you that the past couple of months have been a struggle. Just when I thought I'd got used to the whole holiday concept (everyone was ALWAYS around so I never got a minute to myself; bedtime was out of the window so my Mr Grumpy side was getting a regular appearance fee; the heat sent me a little bit doolally on occasion; and don't get me started on the dietary issues) they bring me back to where I started from and then have the cheek to introduce me to the weird and thoroughly perplexing world of (drum roll please)... NURSERY. Now up until this point in my year-long life, I hadn't want to mention the fact that my Dad seemed to go missing most mornings... I mean at least I had Mum to keep me company and to be fair, she didn't seem that worried about it, so I took her lead and took a figurative chill pill. But when she suddenly decided that she wanted a slice of the absentee parent action, I simply couldn't hold my tongue any longer... so I screamed... and screamed... and screamed until I was on the verge of vomit. I can't be sure, but I would doubt whether a child has managed to conjure that shade of purple in his cheeks before. I think I got my point across. However, it quickly became obvious that I couldn't keep this kind of tonsil action up for any real length of time... I've got to think of any future singing career which may be on the cards. And truth be told, nursery is a bit of a doss really. I can have a kip whenever the mood takes me; by and large my stabliser mates are a good crowd (a certain young lady - we'll call her A - is particularly lovely and we regularly have a holding hands moment over lunch); there's LOADS of room to practise my newly-found walking prowess; and to be brutally honest, toy for toy, the nursery goodies box puts my play pen to shame. So, after a few hairy sessions, I seem to have found my feet (which apparently grow "faster than we can buy shoes") and am throwing myself into my ever-widening social circle. Thanks for sticking with me... I won't be leaving it anywhere near as long next time... tag:blogcentral.journallive.co.uk,2008://229.57058 2008-09-30T19:46:28Z 2008-09-30T21:57:37Z

My new word of the week and I coined it after a fantastic trip to LEAF in Heaton, a hairdressing salon who are trying their best to tame our tresses in a planet friendly fashion....

Anna Heywood My new word of the week and I coined it after a fantastic trip to LEAF in Heaton, a hairdressing salon who are trying their best to tame our tresses in a planet friendly fashion. Journalese as a new language then I am staking my claim as the person who came up with Ecolese. Ecoiffeurs is a hybrid of Eco and the word Coiffeurs, which strictly translated means men who style hair, but not one to let a bit of French grammar get in the way of a great headline and as the founder of Ecolese, I can decide to make it mean whatever I like. Ecoiffeurs in ecolese speak means an environmentally friendly hairdressers and until recently I didn't know that such establishments existed. One of the best things about writing this blog is that it forces me to seek out a green version of whatever activity or product I am about to try or buy. Thus it came to pass that it was time to get my haircut. Now I have to lay my cards on the table here and admit that I am every hairdresser's worst nightmare. I get my hair cut perhaps twice a year and this usually comes about as a result of waking up one morning and deciding enough is enough. No pre-planned 6 weekly visits for me, no colour appointments or deep conditioning sessions nor do I show any loyalty as to who does my hair. Nope, my one and only requirement, when I make that decision to get a cut, is can they do my hair right there and right then. I always nod guiltily when the poor hairdresser, trying to make sense of my birds nest, trots out the usual "you really should get regular trims". I always pay at the end with the promise that I'll dutifully return sooner rather than later and then invariably never get round to it. Back in June, I was lucky enough to take part in an ethical fashion shoot with the Journal's Rebecca Young. She tried to ensure that every aspect of the shoot was principled and even found an eco-hairdresser to style my hair. The stylist came from LEAF hairdressing salon in Heaton where amongst doing other green type things they use Aveda products and colours. So grateful was I, at being made to look fabulous by the stylist and intrigued to know what the salon might be doing differently to others, I promised myself that the next time I woke up in a 'that's it, I must get my haircut' mood, LEAF would be my first stop (so long as they could fit me in that is). LEAF Hairdressing, situated on Heaton Road, styles itself as 'The Eco Salon in Heaton' under the by-line of 'for hairdressing with a conscience'. It began life nearly 15 years ago, set up by the energetic Katie Caisley, 35, who lives nearby in Heaton with her husband Geoff and their four children. I sat down with her for a cup of Fairtrade tea to find out what 'hairdressing with a conscience' means and why she made the change from being a regular salon to one that tries to work ethically. The two initial drivers for Katie were firstly, that she was becoming increasingly aware of the large amounts of waste that the salon was generating through plastic bottles and secondly more and more clients were discussing the environment with her. "The decision to change was an easy one' says Katie 'I knew that I could make the changes that needed to happen, to lower our environmental impact, with the full support of our customers". "We had an environmental impact report drawn up for us which calculated our carbon footprint and made other recommendations as to how to improve". The obvious improvement was switching from standard hair care products to the Aveda hair care range, which in addition to shampoos and styling products also has a professional range of colours and activators. All of Aveda's hair products are plant based, using organic and community traded products where possible. Packaging is minimal and includes a large amount of post recycled plastic in its bottles. For the animal lovers amongst us, you'll be pleased to know that nothing is tested on furry creatures. Depending on the level of permanence, the professional colours are formulated with between 93-99% natural ingredients. For hair lightening, an activator, based on peroxide but buffered with natural oils, is used. Uber-ecoistas will also be pleased to learn that Aveda purchase enough wind power to offset its manufacturing activities. So apart from using ethically minded products, what other initiatives did Katie implement at LEAF? Numerous as it turns out; she proudly informs me that all cleaning products are from ECOVER, they get their electricity from Ecotricity, the renewable energy supplier, all plastic bottles are recycled as is other waste, standard light bulbs have been exchanged for energy efficient versions, the water cooler has been banished and Fairtrade refreshments are served. One of the areas where improvement proved difficult was staff travel to and from work. This is one of the activities whereby Carbon offsetting can be a useful tool. To this end Katie calculates the CO2 emissions and purchases offsets. After my chat with Katie, I came away impressed and reassured that this was not just another load of 'greenwash' or rather 'greenrinse' and what's more, LEAF could fit me in straightaway. 'Excellent' I thought and as it turns out, Beverley, my hairdresser for the duration, didn't do a bad job at all on my hair either. Not much to report on my actual haircut as it is always a straight forward trim for me, but I did take the opportunity to talk to Beverley about her experiences of working at LEAF and using Aveda products. In part I was able to do this; because one of the refreshing things about LEAF is that they don't constantly try and obviously sell you the products that they are using. Why salons do this is beyond me; it makes both the poor employee and customer feel very uncomfortable and I have always, point blank, refused to return to any salon that has tried this tactic on me. Anyway, I inform Beverley that apart from a couple of disastrous jet black adventures during a short lived teen-goth period in my life, I have never dyed my hair and therefore, was unsure as to how natural colours are different to standard ones, if they are better and wondered what customers thought of them. "It took some time to get used to working with them" she says "standard colours come in a one colour tube, however with Aveda colours you need to mix a number of colours to get the right match. This makes the colour seem more natural and multi-toned rather than a great big block of colour". According to Beverley customers really like the effect and there has been an increase in clients through the door, solely for the fact that the salon uses Aveda, so it seems that Katie's gut instinct was right and that her efforts are paying off. Whilst we're on the subject of paying, it merits mentioning the cost; LEAF comes across as a luxurious, light and modern city centre salon but thankfully, without the city centre prices. My cut and blow dry set me back £29.95 and I know that I could have easily paid £50 and upwards elsewhere in a similar establishment. The only disappointment of the whole experience was that, although it is well advertised that they use Aveda products, I had to ask about all the other wonderful initiatives Katie has put in place. I firmly believe that they should be making more of their excellent eco-activities and shouting it from the rooftops. It feels worth pointing out that turning a chemically intensive and electricity hungry activity such as hairdressing into one that tries its best to work with nature is no easy accomplishment, but LEAF, headed up by Katie Caisley has led the way and all involved should feel justifiably proud of themselves. LEAF Hairdressing Salon can be found at 200a Heaton Rd, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE6 5HP Telephone: 0191 276 6026 ]]> tag:blogcentral.journallive.co.uk,2008://229.56283 2008-09-18T14:52:30Z 2008-09-18T15:02:04Z

What with Northern Rock, the credit crunch, the floods and Newcastle United, it's been a pretty depressing few months. Just when you think things are going to get better, a dead whale washes up on the beach. Every day at...

Graeme What with Northern Rock, the credit crunch, the floods and Newcastle United, it's been a pretty depressing few months. Just when you think things are going to get better, a dead whale washes up on the beach. Every day at The Journal we go into conference - where we discuss the stories of the day - and share more bad news: people being laid off, energy prices going up, the value of your house is going down and so on and so on. At this morning's conference there was more of the same and we discussed whether we could do a story with some reasons to be cheerful. We all agreed that we should...then couldn't think of any. After bringing together some of the finest minds in the newsroom we've got a couple (Durham Cricket Club being in with a chance of winning the County Championship, the resemblance we've noticed between David Miliband and Bart Simpson's friend Milhouse) but we've now set ourselves an ambitious target of getting 50. If you can think of good things happening in the world, please let us know and we'll print the best ones in Saturday's paper. tag:blogcentral.journallive.co.uk,2008://229.56281 2008-09-18T14:39:25Z 2008-09-18T14:42:47Z

Commuters and visitors to Newcastle are being asked to leave the car at home on Monday 22nd September for In town without my car Day. To help this along, a whole host of activities, from lectures to walking buses, have...

Anna Heywood Commuters and visitors to Newcastle are being asked to leave the car at home on Monday 22nd September for In town without my car Day. To help this along, a whole host of activities, from lectures to walking buses, have been laid on by the City Council. Walking buses Walking buses from four locations around Newcastle to the Civic Centre, Newcastle. These will be perfect for anyone wanting to go into the City Centre. The start points are: • Brighton Grove, Fenham • Grandstand Road by the Town Moor • Rothbury Terrace, Heaton • Millennium Bridge, on the Newcastle side. Walking buses start at 8.15am. To join in and receive a free walking bus map and pedometer please phone 0191 211 6032. Grey's Monument Event Between 10am and 2pm we will have an event taking place at Grey's Monument. Activities include: • Advice and information on sustainable travel • Chance to try Eldon Leisure's exercise bikes and they will work out how long it would take you to cycle to work • A Bike Doctor on hand to answer questions about cycling and to do running repairs on peoples bikes. Public Lecture: "Clean Air for All" The lecture will take place 6.30pm till 8pm in the Leazes Committee Room at Newcastle Civic Centre. A light buffet will be available from 5.45pm. Come along and hear the latest views on how transport can contribute to the sustainability programme in Newcastle. Speaking at this event will be: • Professor Margaret Bell CBE, Science City Professor of Transport and Environment, Newcastle University • Dr Anil Namdeo, Institue for Transport Studies, Leeds University • Ken Kemp, Interim Services and Intergration, Director at Nexus If you wish to attend, you must register with Kieron Bridges E-mail: kieron.bridges@newcastle.gov.uk Phone: 0191 211 6032. ]]> tag:blogcentral.journallive.co.uk,2008://229.56154 2008-09-17T10:25:19Z 2008-09-17T10:27:31Z

Shipping is an affordable way to carry drinking water around, and to, the Med.

Tom Dodds http://www.dunelmpr.co.uk/OURPEOPLE-NEW.html#tom While parts of the North East are still drying out, I was wondering if anyone has given any thought to the export potential of this most prolific natural resource? While we've been trying to get rid of our surplus rainwater by allowing it to run off into our rivers and the North Sea, other parts of Europe have been facing near-drought conditions. Barcelona, in particular, is having a tough time. There's a water pipeline that connects Kielder to the Tees, via the Tyne and the Wear. The pipe was built to take the stuff to the steel and chemical industries on Teesside. It can't be that difficult to put the water into tanker ships and send it off to the parched Spanish mainland and islands. Now you may think that desalination of seawater might be more efficient, but apparently not. There simply aren't enough hours of sunshine in Spain to power a plant of the size needed. Shipping is an affordable way to carry drinking water around, and to, the Med. So, as we've got more of the wet stuff than we can ever use, perhaps we could see it making a valuable contribution to the region's exports in the not too distant future. tag:blogcentral.journallive.co.uk,2008://229.56119 2008-09-16T16:13:09Z 2008-09-16T16:47:13Z

This happened on the Isle of Wight, unfortunately, but is clearly one of the greatest names ever: "A medic told today how he saw a colleague called Clive Greedy eating a piece of celery as they were treating a dying...

Graeme This happened on the Isle of Wight, unfortunately, but is clearly one of the greatest names ever: "A medic told today how he saw a colleague called Clive Greedy eating a piece of celery as they were treating a dying man who had collapsed in his kitchen." tag:blogcentral.journallive.co.uk,2008://229.55876 2008-09-13T17:45:48Z 2008-09-13T19:20:01Z

Slug and snails in the compost bin - is it ethical?...

Anna Heywood Slug and snails in the compost bin - is it ethical? Dear Anna I put all my garden snails in the brown garden waste bin so they go to the composting plant. It solves my problem without killing, as there's plenty in the bin for them to eat But is it ethical - especially as some poor souls are likely to get compost full of snails' eggs. Cheers Brenda Boyd Hi Brenda, Good question, especially as you're asking the person that feels terribly guilty whenever she even treads on a snail! I too, put all the slugs and snails that I find into our compost bin and there is a disgusting bunch in there, slithering around and munching all my leftovers down as we speak. Many gardeners worry that the compost bin encourages slug and snail reproductive activity, creating massive populations that will raid the garden and polish off their prized plants but slugs and snails are decomposer organisms that help break down the organic matter in the compost bin. The compost bin acts as a great feeding ground for them. They may come out of the bin but generally, while they are munching away on your vegetable waste, have a constant food source and are protected from predators, they have no reason to leave and thankfully are not paying any attention to more important items in the garden. Many gardening experts regard them as a natural part of the composting process. Some people, as you have identified, worry that when they spread the finished compost, they will spread around slug and snail eggs; however, it is most likely that these will decompose as they become compressed within the heap or be killed off by the heat of the composting process. One thing that may prevent the heat from killing off the eggs is the fact that the bin never gets hot enough, through constant opening of the lid to add more waste. My gardening friends recommend spreading out the compost in the sunshine for a while before using it and letting the birds get at any eggs before they hatch. I was also warned to watch out for eggs laid around the top of the bin. If it is going to the compost plant then it is highly likely that temperatures will reach the required level to kill them off. In terms of is it ethical?- I think its as good as it can get for a snail or slug to be left in peace to chomp their way through rotting food till they die off naturally which can be up to 6 years for a fortunate one. If they are off to the compost plant it is likely that they'll get squished and squashed in the composting process so it is debateable as to whether it's truly humane in the end. If they are going to get killed in the end anyhow, you may wish to consider another process. Most gardeners I know swear by the 'beer method' as a humane way of seeing the slugs and snails off. Simply fill a bowl or old tin with beer and put it flush to the ground. The molluscs get drunk as skunks, fall in and drown a happy death. Their bodies and shells can be put into the compost bin. Shells in particular are very good as they are made of keratin, the same stuff as your nails, so although they will take a long time to decompose, they are high in trace minerals. Finally, on no account should slug pellets or other molluscides/insecticides be used in compost, as they will kill the beneficial organisms that carry out the composting process. Good luck Anna If readers have any other tips they should like to share then I'd love to hear them. ]]> tag:blogcentral.journallive.co.uk,2008://229.55856 2008-09-12T11:17:43Z 2008-09-12T12:33:18Z

Clouds of dust came out of the seats, should you give them a thwack with your hand. Of the five toilets, none were working properly.

Tom Dodds http://www.dunelmpr.co.uk/OURPEOPLE-NEW.html#tom It must have seemed like such a good idea at the time. East Midland Trains, under pressure to provide extra seats between Nottingham and Skegness on summer Saturdays so that Midlands holidaymakers could reach the nearby Butlins holiday centre without using cars, took the innovative step of hiring in two locomotives and five carriages from West Coast Railways, better known for running enthusiasts specials.]]> It was a nice idea to run "seaside specials" with old-fashioned locomotives and carriages in a traditional maroon livery. Sadly, instead of conjuring up a travel experience reminiscent of the great days of the railways, the train was a bit of a letdown. The stock hasn't had a deep clean since 2001 - I know this because enthusiasts on the train found old bus tickets and reservations from seven years ago around the train. Clouds of dust came out of the seats, should you give them a thwack with your hand. Of the five toilets, none were working properly. Thirdly, the track. The usual diesel multiple units are limited to a maximum speed of 50mph between Boston and Skegness. But locomotive hauled trains, being heavier, are limited to just 25mph (it's called a differential speed limit). Which meant the last leg of the journey took a very tedious hour and a quarter to do just 25 miles. And because long sections of the line are just a single track, we ended up waiting for oncoming trains to pass. Even the enthusiasts were getting bored. Getting people to switch to the railways from cars is about more than just running extra trains. The trains have to be properly marketed. They have to be clean on the inside, not just the outside. And Network Rail has to be given the resources (ie., money!) to enable it to upgrade or renew track which, even to the untrained eye, is close to being worn out. ]]> tag:blogcentral.journallive.co.uk,2008://229.55782 2008-09-11T13:13:52Z 2008-09-11T13:57:36Z

The sad closure of Out of this World has left readers wondering where they can buy re-useable toothbrushes, but don't worry because I've travelled the length and breadth of the North East on a mission to track some down....

Anna Heywood The sad closure of Out of this World has left readers wondering where they can buy re-useable toothbrushes, but don't worry because I've travelled the length and breadth of the North East on a mission to track some down. Dear Anna, After reading your article on re-usable toothbrushes, I went and purchased one with a bag of refill heads from Out of this World in Gosforth as you recommended. I finally ran out of the heads last week and returned to Out of this World only to find that they have closed their doors forever. Are there any other shops that you know of that stock them? Thanks Stewart Shipp, Low Fell Hi Stewart, You are among many readers to have contacted me about the very same thing and I have managed to find a couple of places where you can purchase the heads from. First I'd just like to recap on the original article that I wrote and the issue. On average most people will get through around 280 toothbrushes in their life time with about 95% of the toothbrush made up of a perfectly reusable handle which we throw away. It's not just the waste that ends up in landfill but also the impact of the materials used and production process that has gone into each and every one of these 280 handles. For a while now I have been using a toothbrush called the Monte Bianco Clip. It simply is a toothbrush with a handle that you keep forever and a clip-off clip-on head which you replace when worn out, exactly in the same way as you would change the head on the razor. Until I managed to persuade Out of this World to stock them I had to rely on my Mother buying them in Oxford for me and posting them up. So like you and others who have written in, I was extremely disappointed when the store closed. Finding a new supplier other than my Mother has been quite difficult and a number of outlets felt that they didn't have the space to stock them. I'm happy to report that as of next Saturday (20th September 2008) The Whitley Bay local and organic food store 'Peppercorn Food', which can be found on Park View, will be stocking Monte Bianco handles and heads. Your other option is to go to a number of websites that offer them for sale. My personal recommendation would be EthicalSuperstore.com I explained the situation to Melanie Shield, the Buying Manager for EthicalSuperstore.com, who very promptly sourced the range and you can now find them on their site for sale alongside a vast array of other ethical dental products. I am happy to recommend EthicalSuperstore.com over other websites primarily because they are based up here. They have recently expanded and moved from the Quayside to the Team Valley Trading Estate, so purchasing from them means supporting the local economy too. Their motto is 'buy what you believe' and they sell everything and anything from Fairtrade and organic grocery shopping, to energy efficient gadgets, to unique ethical gifts that give back to the people that made them. I hope that this is of use to you and that you're able to get a new pack of heads very shortly. All the best Anna]]> tag:blogcentral.journallive.co.uk,2008://229.55537 2008-09-09T09:42:53Z 2008-09-09T13:01:42Z

The credit crunch is bringing both good and bad news for the environment. As consumers start to tighten their belts, even Posh Spice has been seen shopping in Oxfam....

Anna Heywood The credit crunch is bringing both good and bad news for the environment. As consumers start to tighten their belts, even Posh Spice has been seen shopping in Oxfam. economist reports the country is experiencing what's been dubbed the 'Aldi effect' as consumers head for the budget supermarkets. Although Aldi do an Organic range, according to a recent survey in the Guardian, organic produce sales have fallen from nearly £100m a month earlier this year to £81m in the most recent four-week period recorded. Sadly the drop in sales has been steepest in free range eggs. Despite us all suffering financially at the moment I would certainly go without something else and pay even an extra pound to make sure my eggs hadn't been produced through treating chickens in an inhumane way. Equally I am always happy to pay the relatively small extra 80p for Fairtrade Coffee. Other organic foodstuffs seeing a reduction in sales include dairy, fruit and vegetables and chicken. Unfortunately these are very often the type of foods that have come from local and British farms. By looking for cheaper foreign imports and not supporting our farmers we can only exacerbate the problems surrounding the British farming industry. Whilst keeping an eye on the pennies, canny consumers should still consider where their food is coming from. Now for the good news, although I'm sure not everyone will agree that high fuel prices is good news! We are apparently driving less according to BBC reports. The price of petrol seems to be having a direct impact on our behaviour This was highlighted to me yesterday when I met my husband at work. Around 200 people work in his building and there are 10 spaces for bikes. For the first time in his six years with the company, all the bicycle racks were being used. Americans, who are often derided for their lack of environmental awareness, have also seen a reported change in their behaviour due to increasing fuel prices. According to the BBC, American motorists have cut around 11 billion miles from their monthly driving with the US Department of Transportation calculating that the change has helped cut greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 9 million metric tons for the first quarter of 2008. One country that had to adapt when most of their oil supply was cut off is Cuba and extremely timely to this week's blog, on Wednesday 10th September Transition Initiative Newcastle are presenting a film titled 'THE POWER OF COMMUNITY - How Cuba survived Peak Oil' The film is being shown at the Star and Shadow Cinema, at the top of Stepney Bank, Byker. Doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start and the film will be followed by a discussion and a chance to air your views about Peak Oil. No need to book. Lastly, the good news for the environment is that we are starting to show some restraint in purchasing of clothes. Feeling the financial pinch and consumers no longer feeling comfortable with throw away fashion made by five year olds in questionable conditions, it seems that we are turning to charity shops to purchase quality items. As a result, sales at charity shops broke through the £100 million mark in the year to March 2008 Liz Jones, the Daily Mail's fashion/terrible ex-husband columnist has been reporting on her new found love of Oxfam and writes about how she got a whole designer winter wardrobe for under £300. In the same edition it is reported that even Posh Spice has been making visits to the store. Whilst I am grateful that high profile people are leading the charge and highlighting the fact that there is no shame in buying clothes from Charity shops, many of us have in fact been doing this for years - credit crunch or no credit crunch. The children and I quite often spend a happy Saturday afternoon on the Shields Road in Byker mooching around the array of charity shops to be found there. The vast majority of our clothes, books and toys come from the Shields Road and Gosforth High Street. The best bit is, once they have outgrown them, I don't feel as if I am being wasteful when I return items back to the shops. I don't pretend to be the greenest shade of green in the ecological rainbow. My main environmental leanings come from not wanting to fund businesses that treat the planet, workers and animals badly and from my distaste at waste in any form. In terms of waste a lot of my environmental efforts at home have been as a result of working with forward thinking businesses and seeing first hand how they believe that financial efficiency and lowering their environmental impact goes hand in hand. This is a lesson that we are now being forced to take into our own homes and whether it's through driving less or putting on a jumper instead of the heating, the latest financial downturn isn't bad news at all for the planet. ]]> tag:blogcentral.journallive.co.uk,2008://229.55310 2008-09-04T12:13:51Z 2008-09-04T12:55:58Z

A chance to learn how to 'green' your city garden or 'Tyneside Yards' as they are affectionately known here; is being offered through a ten session course....

Anna Heywood A chance to learn how to 'green' your city garden or 'Tyneside Yards' as they are affectionately known here; is being offered through a ten session course. The Workers' Educational Association (WEA), the country's largest voluntary provider of adult education, and the Soil Association, the UK's leading campaigning and certification organisation for organic food and farming are holding a ten session course on city gardening at the Jesmond Nurseries, Jesmond Dene Road, Newcastle, from Monday 15 September. Led by Mick Marston, Northern Development Manager of the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens, the course will provide an introduction to livening up your garden or adding colour to a dull back yard - but using environmentally friendly and sustainable methods. It will also look at what kind of shrubs, flowers and vegetables grow well together, and what are the best ways of nurturing them. For more details of the City Gardening course contact the WEA on 0191 212 6100 or northeast@wea.org.uk. tag:blogcentral.journallive.co.uk,2008://229.55161 2008-09-03T07:18:32Z 2008-09-03T07:20:38Z

Not being part of the Toon Army I'm not especially interested in the Kevin Keegan carry on. But I am wondering if anyone is prepared to open a book on when and which tv news/sports programme will be the first...

Brenda Boyd Not being part of the Toon Army I'm not especially interested in the Kevin Keegan carry on. But I am wondering if anyone is prepared to open a book on when and which tv news/sports programme will be the first to use "Should I stay or should I go" as background music to a sequence or montage about the story. (Unless of course it's already happened and I've missed it) tag:blogcentral.journallive.co.uk,2008://229.55155 2008-09-02T16:01:06Z 2008-09-03T08:19:22Z

The media has been going faintly mental today over a story in which, it seems to me, we don't know a single thing. Depending on who you believe, Kevin Keegan has either resigned as Newcastle United manager or he's been...

Graeme know - for definite, that is - anything.]]> On our website, we have reported the very little that we know: that there are tons of rumours flying about and the fans are rallying in support of Keegan. But we've just held our afternoon news conference and tried to plan tomorrow's paper and had to admit that it's pretty hard when you don't know what the story is. That hasn't stopped other people, and the 24-hour TV news channels in particular have been running the story since midday and getting comments from all and sundry on Keegan's departure when they still can't be sure that it's happened. Former footballers and newspaper reporters who should know better have been queueing up to comment on something that quite possibly might not have happened. These are the times when "sources" and "insiders" seem to come out of the woodwork and start telling Sky and News 24 pretty much everything except their names. Don't let on, but a neighbour of my cousin's boyfriend's window cleaner works at St James's Park and he reckons that Alan Shearer was seen out with Mike Ashley have a pizza last night and it looked like he was signing a contract (I completely made that up, by the way). According to the BBC, "manager Kevin Keegan has left Newcastle United after only eight months in charge" - only it then adds the crucial words: "BBC Sport understands". In other words, if they're wrong, they can just say that someone told them and they reported it in good faith. (The BBC was also saying at one point that Newcastle had picked up "just four points from their opening three games" which I would have thought was quite a good return when we've had to play away against Arsenal and Manchester United - talk about creating a crisis!) There's only one thing for sure in this story: in PR terms, Newcastle United have done themselves no favours by saying nothing all day and I can only hope that the silence is due to someone trying to get Keegan back. Postscript: as I was driving to the gym at 6.45pm, BBC Radio Five Live was discussing Keegan's departure with the football writer of a North East morning newspaper that is not The Journal. Five mintues later, another presenter had to interrupt the next item on the programme to say "actually, it seems Kevin Keegan has not left Newcastle after all." Ha ha...