SCOTTISH NATIONAL GATHERING
Friday the 19th November
South Hall, Pollock Halls, Edinburgh
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE: Transitions: diverse routes to belonging
November 20th and 21st 2010,
John McIntyre Conference Centre, Edinburgh
Local events with Transition Edinburgh South (TES)
TES: "Local Currency Planning Meeting"
DATE: 18/11/2010 - 17:00 till 19:00
TES: "SEED - Sustainable economics group meeting"
DATE: 22/11/2010 - 19:00 till 21:00
TES: "Exploring our relationship to Money - Goethean Science workshop"
DATE: 28/11/2010 - 10:00 till 17:00
Join TES on 10/10/10 for the Edinburgh 350 Work Party!
In Edinburgh, TES are running an event to celebrate the 10/10/10 "Global Work Party" called by 350.org.
18:00-23:00 - CARROTMOB AT THE MERCAT
Join TES for food and drinks on Sunday 10/10/10 from 6pm, for Edinburgh’s first-ever Carrotmob at The Mercat Bar on 28 West Maitland Street, Haymarket EH12 5DX.
The Mercat is the winner of our 'Carrotmob' competition, so let's mob it with business on 10/10/10!
What is a Carrotmob?
Carrotmob is a type of consumer activism in which businesses compete at how environmentally responsible they can be, and then a network of consumers (the 'mob') spends money to support whichever business makes the strongest offer. It is the opposite of a boycott.
What did the competition involve?
Over the past few months, we invited Edinburgh pubs to place bids that involved committing themselves to invest in energy efficiency upgrades - all they had to do was pledge to reinvest a percentage of the additional revenues they would make during the ‘mob’ on the evening of 10/10/10 (should they be the winning pub). By 'additional revenues', we mean over & above what the pubs would normally make on a Sunday evening.
Why did the Mercat win?
The Mercat Bar was the highest bidder. They won the competition by pledging to reinvest 20% of the additional revenues from the evening into energy efficiency retrofits.
Please spread the word and invite your friends! :-)
Edinburgh Community Energy Conference
Community Energy in Edinburgh – update on projects and plans, exchange of information, networking, and national initiatives A conference organised by the Edinburgh Community Energy CooperativeVenue: Candlish Room, St Georges West Church, 58 Shandwick Place, Edinburgh REGISTRATION: Free for individuals and representatives from community groups. Fee of £20 per person for representatives from other organisations.To register, simply send an email to: edinburghcommunityenergy@blueyonder.co.uk with names and email addresses of those wishing to register. Saturday 11th September 2010, 10.00 am – 1.45pm
SocialiTES! 26.08.10 1900
The 3rd TES social get together at the Metropole Cafe (29-33 Newington Rd EH9). Please come along and meet the Transition Edinburgh South team and other like-minded people in a place where we don't have to talk 'business' (unless you want to!), to meet the members, relax over a drink and good company! We welcome suggestions for our upcoming monthly socials; so far we have ideas for film screenings, a hotch potch jamming session, story-telling, coffee drinking and a wee local food fest all for ourselves! Please chip in your ideas and wishes, and also thoughts on spaces we can use.Look forward to seeing you there! Contact Roland for any questions.
Next Transition Edinburgh South Meeting
02.08.2010, 1900-2100, at 31 Woodburn Terrace, Morningside.
Discussing activities presently happening, and future organisation.
Discussing activities presently happening, and future organisation.
unwrapping the eco-labels
There are a lot of labels on the market today that indicate various environmental or fair trade standards -- but what do all of them actually mean? A few are spelled out below:
Carbon Reduction Label
Purpose: The Carbon Reduction Label is a public commitment that the carbon footprint of a product or service has been measured and certified and the owner of the product or service has committed to reduce that footprint over the following two years. This includes a full life cycle analysis. The certification must be undertaken again after two years and prove that real reductions have been made.
Attributes: GHG emissions, carbon emissions
Products: forests, farms, fisheries, land holdings, buildings, products, services, supply chains
Fairtrade Label
Purpose: Fairtrade aims to reduce poverty by facilitating a “partnership” between producers, businesses and consumers. Fairtrade offers producers a better deal and improved terms of trade, allowing them the opportunity to improve their lives and plan for their future. Fairtrade also gives consumers a powerful way to reduce poverty through their everyday shopping. When a product carries the FAIRTRADE Certification Mark, it means the producers and traders have met Fairtrade Standards. Fairtrade Standards include social, environmental and economic criteria, as well progress requirements and terms of trade. The Standards are
designed to support the sustainable development of small-scale producers and agricultural workers in the poorest countries in the world. Participants are submit to independent 3rd party review for certification.
Attributes: social responsibility, environment, worker health and safety, biodiversity
Products: agricultural products, food and food products, drinks, textiles, raw materials
Soil Association Organic Standard label
Purpose: Over 80% of organic products in the UK carry the SOAS label. The Soil
Association standards are higher than the EU organic regulations in some areas, and also
include products not covered by EU regulations such as textiles and health & beauty.
Attributes: environment
Products: farm products, food and food products, food processing and packing, food
retail and catering, textile production, health and beauty manufacturing and imports
EU Organic Products label
Purpose: The organic product label indicates that product has been grown within sustainable cultivation systems, with emphasis on environmental protection, biodiversity and high standards of animal protection. Ideally, external resources should be limited to organic resources from other organic farms, natural or naturally obtained materials and low soluble mineral fertilisers. Chemical synthetic resources may be permitted if suitable alternatives are lacking. Conventional farmers must first undergo a conversion period of a minimum
of two years before they can begin producing agricultural goods that can be marketed as organic. If they wish to produce both conventional and organic produce, they must clearly separate these two operations throughout every stage of production. All parties are subject to inspections to ensure standard compliance. Standards are set by the European Commission.
Attributes: animal welfare, environmental
Products: food and food products, drink
EU Energy Label
Purpose: By law, the European Community Energy Label must be displayed on all new household products displayed for sale, hire or hire-purchase. Products are generally rated from ‘A’ to ’G’, with ‘A’ being the most efficient (‘A+’ and ‘A++’ for the most efficient fridges and freezers). The standards are set by the European Commission.
Attributes: provides a standard of comparison for appliances
Products: household appliances
For more information, or information on other labels, have a look at GreenerChoices or the Eco-label Index.
-LO
Carbon Reduction LabelPurpose: The Carbon Reduction Label is a public commitment that the carbon footprint of a product or service has been measured and certified and the owner of the product or service has committed to reduce that footprint over the following two years. This includes a full life cycle analysis. The certification must be undertaken again after two years and prove that real reductions have been made.
Attributes: GHG emissions, carbon emissions
Products: forests, farms, fisheries, land holdings, buildings, products, services, supply chains
Purpose: Fairtrade aims to reduce poverty by facilitating a “partnership” between producers, businesses and consumers. Fairtrade offers producers a better deal and improved terms of trade, allowing them the opportunity to improve their lives and plan for their future. Fairtrade also gives consumers a powerful way to reduce poverty through their everyday shopping. When a product carries the FAIRTRADE Certification Mark, it means the producers and traders have met Fairtrade Standards. Fairtrade Standards include social, environmental and economic criteria, as well progress requirements and terms of trade. The Standards are
designed to support the sustainable development of small-scale producers and agricultural workers in the poorest countries in the world. Participants are submit to independent 3rd party review for certification.
Attributes: social responsibility, environment, worker health and safety, biodiversity
Products: agricultural products, food and food products, drinks, textiles, raw materials
Purpose: Over 80% of organic products in the UK carry the SOAS label. The Soil
Association standards are higher than the EU organic regulations in some areas, and also
include products not covered by EU regulations such as textiles and health & beauty.
Attributes: environment
Products: farm products, food and food products, food processing and packing, food
retail and catering, textile production, health and beauty manufacturing and imports
EU Organic Products label
Purpose: The organic product label indicates that product has been grown within sustainable cultivation systems, with emphasis on environmental protection, biodiversity and high standards of animal protection. Ideally, external resources should be limited to organic resources from other organic farms, natural or naturally obtained materials and low soluble mineral fertilisers. Chemical synthetic resources may be permitted if suitable alternatives are lacking. Conventional farmers must first undergo a conversion period of a minimum
of two years before they can begin producing agricultural goods that can be marketed as organic. If they wish to produce both conventional and organic produce, they must clearly separate these two operations throughout every stage of production. All parties are subject to inspections to ensure standard compliance. Standards are set by the European Commission.
Attributes: animal welfare, environmental
Products: food and food products, drink
Purpose: By law, the European Community Energy Label must be displayed on all new household products displayed for sale, hire or hire-purchase. Products are generally rated from ‘A’ to ’G’, with ‘A’ being the most efficient (‘A+’ and ‘A++’ for the most efficient fridges and freezers). The standards are set by the European Commission.
Attributes: provides a standard of comparison for appliances
Products: household appliances
For more information, or information on other labels, have a look at GreenerChoices or the Eco-label Index.
-LO
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