Evening Gazette

How Green Have You Become?

WHERE do you sit on the eco warrior scale? Are you a fully fledged greenie or are you just starting to dip your toe into the business of shrinking your carbon footprint? Teessiders are adapting their lives as the fight against climate change gathers pace. And nowhere is it more obvious than inside our own four walls. Maybe you're simply watching how much waste food goes in the bin, or you've gone the whole hog and got planning permission for a wind farm in the back yard. Whatever your contrib...

Microgeneration Game - Who Are the Winners?

AN ECO-friendly movement taking hold in the Tees Valley is bringing power to the people. More homeowners are turning to green home energy, from solar panels to wind turbines, as fuel prices rocket. And as the weather turns cooler and we crank up the thermostat, some Teessiders are basking in the knowledge they won't fall prey to any more shaky fuel prices.

'We Have Daylight Every Day, Why Not Use It?' ; Eco-Friendly Pioneers

JOHN and Carol Basford are long-time fans of solar panels - they have installed them in every one of their homes for the last 30 years. But they weren't content to stop there - they applied to build a wind turbine for their Eaglescliffe home, but were refused because the property is in a conservation area. The Basfords want to be almost 'self sufficient' and are currently looking into installing an air source heat pump at their Eaglescliffe home. Their son, Steven, left, has built a property ...

'This System Will Keep On Paying for Itself' ; Eco-Friendly Pioneers

TOM Pearce - pictured right - has joined the growing numbers of Teessiders who are choosing to invest their hard earned cash in green energy. He splashed out pounds 4,300 on a solar thermal system a couple of months ago.

'We Want to Show World We Are Green'

CANNY Teessiders are finding new ways of tightening their purse strings - and helping to tackle climate change at the same time. New Tees Valley projects have sprung from the latest trend for thrift, from swap shops to cash-for-goods ventures, as consumers resist the urge to splurge.

Now to Combat Waste of Food

FOOD waste is high on everybody's agenda for two reasons - the credit crunch and the environment. Although here on Teesside we don't feel it as keenly, future security of food supply is becoming a problem, as global warming, sharp rises in population and water shortages elsewhere in the world combine. The Government has ordered a 'radical rethink' of UK food policy to safeguard our supplies for the future.

How to Cut Your Home Energy Leaks

THE Energy Saving Trust at Billingham gives its top tips for stemming the energy leaking from your home. . In an uninsulated house, 26% of heat is lost through the roof, 33% is lost through the walls, 18% is lost through the windows, 11% is lost through the floor and door and 12% is lost due to draughts and essential ventilation.

Help the Environment and Save Money Too

MUCH of the energy produced on Teesside disappears into thin air - through the walls, vents, windows and door-cracks of our homes. Domestic dwellings are responsible for a massive 27% of the UK's CO emissions. But even if you live in an older property, there's still a lot you can do to guard against heat loss.

A Right Royal Waste of Fuel

WHILE your house may not be Buckingham Palace, chances are it's performing better than the Queen's pad when it comes to energy use. Green energy company Navitron hit the nationals with its shaming pictures of top Government offices leaking heat from badly insulated windows, doors and walls.

Flood Protection Goes On the Radar

A SOPHISTICATED weather tool which will help protect the region in the fight against flooding is now live. Northumbrian Water, the Met Office and the Environment Agency have invested more than pounds 1m to build a weather radar station which will provide the three agencies with vital and comprehensive rainfall data from the across the region, including the Tees Valley.

Top Tips

Energy saving. Wash wise -wash a full load in dishwashers and washing machines.. Wash clothes at 30C.. A fridge can use 20% of the energy used in your home -make sure it is well maintained and efficient.. Computers - consider a laptop which uses 70% less energy than a desktop computer. Travel:. Many businesses operate a Cycle to Work purchase scheme which can save more than 30% on the cost of a bike. See www.bikeforall.net for details. Forget the school run -Most of Stockton's schools have wo...

Small Change, Big Difference ; Watts Going Down

STOCKTON Borough Council joined in the first nationwide Small Change, Big Difference week to show people how small changes in their life can add up to a big difference to the environment. A series of road shows where people could find out about energy efficiency, recycling, home insulation and eco-friendly travel were held. The shows all had a simple message: huge improvements can be made to the environment if each of us makes small, easy changes to our lifestyle. And it saves YOU money!

Be More Green at Home ; Know Your Numbers and Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

AS individuals and families, we have an important role to play in tackling climate change. Currently, just more than 40% of the UK's CO2 emissions come directly from the way we as individuals live our lives. Reducing our carbon footprint is a way to take responsibility for the greenhouse gas emissions we create every time we heat our homes, drive our cars, fly away on holiday, charge our mobile phones or turn on our computers. We can all take steps to be more "green" at home, reduce our perso...

Planning Wrangles Blowing Wind Power Schemes Off Course

BRITAIN is a windy island - a staggering 40% of Europe's wind capacity blows on and around our shores. And yet the region is due to fall woefully short of its targets for developing onshore wind projects by 2010. Campaigners say planning processes need to be simplified to speed up the number of projects being given the go-ahead. Strong objections from residents living near proposed onshore wind projects, can lead to further delays. And the Tees Valley is no stranger to the controversy surroun...

Wind Turbines - What You Should Know

MORE and more people are exploring home energy generation as a way of saving money on their fuel bills and making their homes more energy efficient. The Energy Saving Trust (EST) has recently undertaken the first comprehensive in-situ monitoring of domestic small scale wind turbines in the UK. Performance data from 57 households was independently collected over at least a year. The results show that the performance of domestic wind small scale turbines is highly dependent upon location and pr...

Leading the Way On Home Improvements

MORE than 1,600 homes across the North-east are to receive free cavity wall insulation following a successful bid for pounds 850,000 of government funding by TADEA and North East Procurement. TADEA, the not-for-profit energy advice service for the North of England, and North East Procurement, a housing consortium of ten social landlords, teamed up to co-ordinate the bid to the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA). The HCA has confirmed the North-east will receive pounds 852,280 from the Social ...

Tees Valley Is Fast Becoming the Green Hub for Power Generation

A MULTI-MILLION pound green energy facility in the Tees Valley is helping to establish the area as a leading light in power generation. Thanks to the commissioning of the new pounds 70 million extension at SITA UK's energy-from-waste facility at Haverton Hill, near Billingham, household waste from Northumberland is now being diverted into the additional furnace, which in turn creates enough electricity for the National Grid to supply 12,000 homes.

Congratulations to Eco Schools

Home Compost Hits the Spot

COMPOST bins for schools and community IN THE BIN: Waste awareness officer Rolando Marcone with Rebecca Small and a composting bin supplied to Parkway Day Nursery in Coulby Newham. groups are being distributed by the Middlesbrough Council"s recycling team. It"s all part of the drive for local and sustainable waste management.

Recycling Roadshow Benefits Charity

AN international charity received a big boost during Recycle Week in June. It was part of Middlesbrough Council's Recycling Roadshow held in Middlesbrough town centre by the council's recycling team. A cheque for pounds 5,000 was presented to Save the Children Fund. They benefit from a pounds 1 donation for every tonne of recycling collected from Middlesbrough Council's kerbside contractor Abitibi Bowater Ltd.