There's been a few environmental stories emanating from these shores in the last couple of days, so here's a quick round up of what's been happening.
First up, the First Minister Alex Salmond opened the world's first tidal power test facility on the remote Orkney island of Eday. He also gave the green light to the world's biggest wave energy project using four pelamis machines to produce power for 2000 homes. Hopefully this is just the start of using the ocean around us in a way that we should have been doing long before now.
Salmond also used the occasion to have a go at the National Grid's ludicrous policy of charging more to energy producers depending on how far away from London they are.
The UK government have finally taken the hint and announced a timetable to phase out the sale of ordinary light bulbs from next year, although I'm at a loss to why it will take four years to do so. Greenpeace have already forced the hand of Woolworths, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury's. If the EU would let cheap Chinese bulbs onto the shelves here then I would imagine it would all go a lot quicker and smoother.
Meanwhile, Edinburgh City Council are at loggerheads with property developers over the green belt, the area of land circling the city that the Council won't let anyone build on. They want the developers to use one site to build new houses on, but the developers don't like the area and want another site. They want to build high-value homes in areas that give the illusion of being in the countryside, not in an area next to a motorway. Hopefully the Council won't just cave to their demands.
Finally, going international and even China and India are suitably despairing of Bush.
First up, the First Minister Alex Salmond opened the world's first tidal power test facility on the remote Orkney island of Eday. He also gave the green light to the world's biggest wave energy project using four pelamis machines to produce power for 2000 homes. Hopefully this is just the start of using the ocean around us in a way that we should have been doing long before now.
Salmond also used the occasion to have a go at the National Grid's ludicrous policy of charging more to energy producers depending on how far away from London they are.
The UK government have finally taken the hint and announced a timetable to phase out the sale of ordinary light bulbs from next year, although I'm at a loss to why it will take four years to do so. Greenpeace have already forced the hand of Woolworths, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury's. If the EU would let cheap Chinese bulbs onto the shelves here then I would imagine it would all go a lot quicker and smoother.
Meanwhile, Edinburgh City Council are at loggerheads with property developers over the green belt, the area of land circling the city that the Council won't let anyone build on. They want the developers to use one site to build new houses on, but the developers don't like the area and want another site. They want to build high-value homes in areas that give the illusion of being in the countryside, not in an area next to a motorway. Hopefully the Council won't just cave to their demands.
Finally, going international and even China and India are suitably despairing of Bush.