10 things you need to know about environmental business and lifestyle

When researching this area of debate, I came across several points of interest. Although initially thinking that the two categories of business and lifestyle did not have much relevance to each other, but further thought suggests that in fact business is a response to lifestyle and vice versa. I have identified ten points of interest within my area of research….

1. Supermarket waste hits new high as 1.6m tonnes of waste goes into land fill each year. The Sustainable Development Commision critisises government measures to be “unabitious” and urges for stricter constraints. http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2210231/road-solar-powered-airliners
2. In response to this the British Retail Consortium argues that a lot of money is already being spent in that area especially amongst the largest retailers. http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2209919/retail-group-defends
3. The reusable envelope is set to go national in the US and is calculated to save money and reduce greenhouse gases. http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2210211/postal-service-approves-first
4. Solar powered flights are set to be a thing of the future as the project Solar Impulse has been praised by the International Air Transport Association. http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2210231/road-solar-powered-airliners
5. The ongoing debate about biofuels versus fossil fuels is currently very topical with a lot of contrasting views. In support of biofuels, http://blogs.wsj.com/environmentalcapital/2008/02/15/take-that-science-biofuels-are-clean-after-all/
6. In England, however the transport secretary Ruth Kelley has ordered a review of the situation after growing concerns that biofuels may actually have more of a negative effect on the environment than originally thought. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/feb/21/biofuels.transport
7. A poll of 500 of the worlds biggest businesses has revealed that only 1 in 10 regard climate change as a priority. Also revealed was that twice as many thought that being environmentally friendly would cost their business more money that thost who thought it would generate more money. http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/big-business-says-addressing-climate-change-rates-very-low-on-agenda-774648.html
8. An example of businesses who are using their green points as selling points are Ariel and their switch to 30 degrees campaign and Lenor with their concentrated fabric softener campaign.
9. Virgin have launched a demo flight which uses biofuels although this is only a step in the transition. It is hoped that this will encourage other airlines to go green. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/02/virgin_atlantic_1.php
10. Freeganism is a way of life chosen by those who wish to reduce consumerism and waste. The word derives from free and vegan and they aim to produce little if any waste and to use the waste of others, often by scavaging in bins. http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/freegans-the-bin-scavengers-467108.html www.freeganism.info

I intend to pick up on most of these issues throughout my postings, starting with the supermarket waste issue and linking it with freeganism as I think this would make a great story.

Introduction

My name is Emma Foster and I am studying Media and Communication at Birmingham City University. I am particularly interested in different types of journalism and hope to  move into this area of the industry after I graduate in 2009. This blog will cover environmental news in business and lifestyle.

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