March
Events
3rd-4th
The UK Young
Scientist &
Engineers Fair
2009, London
3rd- 5th
Ecobuild,
London
4th
The Future of
Water - the
scientific,
financial &
governmental
drivers for
water trading,
London
4th
Watching
the Earth
from Space, London
5th
BEN
Networking
Conference,
Manchester
5th
Hot Ideas for
Cooling the
Planet, London
10th
Understanding
Variation in
Population
Sizes: Does
the Biological
model matter?,
London
10th
Nature's
Patterns,
Bristol
10th
LAQM Training
Workshop,
Bristol
10th- 11th
Managing
Noise in Low
Carbon
Neighbourh-
oods,
Kenilworth
19th
LAQM Training
Workshop,
Reading
23rd
LAQM Training
Workshop,
York
23rd-27th
Geological
Field Skills
Training
Course:
Training the
Trainers,
Plymouth
26th
Earthwatch
Lecture:
Forests &
Climate
Change,
London
31st-2nd
EAUC Annual
Conference:
Sustainability-
Taking the
Next Steps,
Warwick
April
Events
1st-3rd
Hypothesis
VIII: Hydrogen
Systems &
Materials for
Sustainability,
Lisbon
2nd-3rd
Beyond the
Limits: From
Assessment to
Action,
Northampton-
shire
2nd- 3rd
European
Forum on Eco-
Innovation,
Berlin
13th-17th
EASY-ECO
Training on
Evaluation of
Sustainability,
Lund, Sweden
14th
The Climate
Change Threat
to Corals,
London
17th
Thinking &
Acting Sustainably: A
model of a
21st Century,
Swansea
21st
Anticipating
Tomorrow for
Change
Today, Bristol
27th
Launch of the PP4SD SIG, London
29th
Part 2A: Time
to Determine,
London
-----
For further
details on
these and
other events,
see the
events page
of the IES
website. |
February 2009
IES News
Sustainability Journal
The February edition should have arrived through all professional members' letterboxes this week. Student and Affiliate members will have received an email with a link to an electronic copy. In response to the opinions given in the membership questionnaire we have increased the length of this edition. The journal focuses on the future path of sustainable development and how we enact change. Edited by Jonathon Smales, formerly Managing Director of Greenpeace UK, the articles cover a wide range of subjects including Sustainable Education, Systems Thinking and Construction. AGM Notices will be included with the postings. If you are inspired by the issue, you may wish to continue the debate by joining our new Sustainability Special Interest Group (details below).
 CEnv in a Day
There has been a huge response to the new 'CEnv in a Day' workshop, which will be held on 1st April. We apologise to all those who did not make the shortlist but we are hoping to run further days later in the year. If you have not already done so, please register your interest by email, so we can inform you directly of future workshops.
2009 AGM
The 36th Annual General Meeting of the Institution of Environmental Sciences is to be held on Tuesday 24th March at 2.45pm, The Grosvenor Office, 70 Grosvenor Street, London, W1K 3JP. Please return your Form of Proxy (included with the next journal) if you cannot attend. Any member wishing to attend is required to advise the office by 16th March in order to comply with security regulations.
Website Poll
The majority of visitors to the IES website have shown their radical colours by endorsing direct action on the environment. Of the 125 votes cast, 78% had sympathy for "the tactics of the rising number of environmental groups, such as Plane Stupid using direct action". This month's question asks "Campaigners from more than 40 developing countries have accused the UK Government of being a "climate criminal" Is this fair?" To vote, visit the IES homepage.
ES Links
Science [So What? So Everything] Campaign Launched
The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) has launched a campaign to reduce the public perception of science as 'elitist'. The campaign aims to show people how science benefits people in their everyday lives. This is seen as crucial to strengthening the economy and vital to meeting future challenges. Find full details on the website.
 The 2010 Biodiversity Challenge: Will the EU Reach it?
The recently published Mid-term Assessment of the European Biodiversity Action Plan reveals that overall biodiversity is declining in Europe, even though there are some positive trends for certain species and habitats. At an event organised by Countdown2010, at the European Parliament on 11th February, Stavros Dimas, the European Commissioner for the Environment, underlined that the 2010 biodiversity conservation targets will not be achieved.
NCSE Biodiversity Conference Website Updated
To celebrate the bicentennial of the birth of Charles Darwin the National Council for Science and the Environment has set up a virtual continuation of the 9th National Conference on Science, Policy and the Environment: "Biodiversity in a Rapidly Changing World". The site hosts resources including videos of keynote addresses, presentations, recommendations on a New Biodiversity Agenda and much more.
The 'Greening' of ICT in Education
Education establishments across the country could save a great deal of money and reduce their environmental impact by introducing simple measures according to a report issued by JISC. The report presents the findings of JISC's Green Technology report and outlines ways in which the intelligent use of technology can create savings of cost, energy or carbon output.
Geo-Engineering Solutions to Cooling the Planet
An innovative competition run by IMechE began earlier last year when teams from around the world were invited to compete by presenting feasible engineering alternatives to reverse the effects of global warming. Each team had to make initial technical assessments to prove the engineering feasibility and sustainability of their potential geo-engineering solution. The solution proposed must either reduce the content of GHGs in the planet’s atmosphere, or alter the climate system beneficially. Pdfs of the six finalists' proposals are available online. The winner will be decided at an event on 5th March.
Rushlight Awards Year Book
This downloadable pdf profiles organisations throughout UK and Ireland collated from information provided by the entrants to the Rushlight Awards 2008.
The Age of Stupid
This important climate change film will premiere on 15th March. Pete Postlethwaite stars as a man living alone in the devastated world of 2055, looking back at “archive” footage from 2007 and asking: "why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance?" Watch a trailer here.
And for the kids...
Part one of Rockford's Rock Opera, a musical tale about biodiversity loss and the tragedy of extinctions from comedian Steve Punt, is available free online. The story follows the adventures of a boy and his dog that travel to an island where the last members of extinct species go.
Articles
PP4SD Launches Online Sustainability Forum
 A new online Special Interest Group (SIG) has been launched by the IES, PP4SD and PARN to debate sustainability issues. The forum, which is aimed at professionals working in all fields, aims to disseminate knowledge, share best practice and discuss ways of overcoming barriers to sustainability. read more...
Novel Materials in the Environment: the case study of nanotechnology
Reviewed by Colin Houston
 This report investigates issues related to innovation in the materials sector and the impacts and benefits resulting from the introduction of novel substances. The study was prompted by potential releases into the environment of metals and minerals from new industrial processes. During data collection the Commission received evidence that was almost entirely focused on manufactured nanomaterials. Subsequently, it was decided to use nanomaterials as an exemplar to investigate the current governance frameworks surrounding innovation and protection of human health and the environment. read more....
Kerry Turner, Stavros Georgiou and Brendan Fisher - Valuing Ecosystem Services: The Case of Multi-functional Wetlands
Reviewed by Mark Everard
Many readers of scientific and policy literature addressing the ecosystem services provided by wetland habitats - and specifically their valuation - will be familiar with the name of this book’s senior author and may perhaps also recognise the junior authors. They will therefore expect Valuing Ecosystem Services to be a comprehensive, authoritative and practical resource. It does not disappoint on any of these grounds. read more... |
