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Sept.
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August 2008IntroductionOne of our leading stories this month is Energy Minister John Hutton’s unveiling of a national strategy for renewable energy at the Low Carbon Economy Summit. As he spoke, the second annual Climate Camp was being erected in protest at Kingsnorth, the site for a new coal-fired power station. A lack of joined up government? Grand plans are afoot elsewhere in the form of a proposed national Soil Strategy for England; we feature a response from Peter Doyle. Progress is never perfect, but at least sometimes it’s palpable – EnviroSci News is happy to report that SocEnv has named its 5000th Chartered Environmentalist. IES NewsBurntwood Lecture 2008: Chair Announced ArticlesBusiness Secretary John Hutton unveils new government energy proposals, including a tenfold increase in renewable and creation of 160 000 jobsA national renewable energy blueprint designed to slash carbon emissions dramatically, reduce the UK’s dependency on oil and gas and claim a valuable share of global green business opportunity has been set out by Business Secretary John Hutton. read more.... Response to Consultation on the draft Soil Strategy for EnglandPeter DoyleThe First Soil Action Plan for England 2004-2006 went some distance towards raising the profile of soil as a crucial national resource. The draft Soil Strategy for England retains a largely similar structure, but successfully locates the subject in a broader context, and relates it to policy. Introductory material highlights the need for a soil strategy, the pressures acting on soil and objectives for the future. Areas of priority are then detailed. The key deficiency of the draft Strategy as it stands is that, unlike the aforementioned Action Plan, it does not emphasise clearly enough the importance of soil as a fundamental and irreplaceable natural resource, on a par with water and air. The undervaluation of soils is historic, and the Strategy has a valuable opportunity to rectify this, before detailing policies to execute its recommendations. read more.... SocEnv announces the 5,000th Registered Chartered EnvironmentalistThe Society for the Environment is delighted to name the 5,000th person to qualify as a Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv). Stephanie McGibbon, a member of the IEMA and the RTPI, project manages environmental impact assessments at global design and business consulting firm Arup. read more.... Jeana Wirtenberg, William G. Russell & David Lipsky (eds.) – The Sustainable Enterprise Fieldbook: When It All Comes Together (Greenleaf Publishing, 2008)Reviewed by Professor Stephen MartinThis book is the outcome of a productive collaboration between academics, business personnel and sustainability professionals. Together, they have created a coherent conceptual and practical guide to support those who are aiming to develop sustainable organisations. It addresses clearly and convincingly two important questions: what is a sustainable strategy for an organisation; and how do you go about building a sustainable organisation? read more.... |
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