A new partnership between the car maker and the Biomimicry Institute is a significant step forward in propelling the philosophy of nature-inspired sustainable designIn recent years, the Ford Motor Company has aggressively sought to solve environmental problems related to its products while reducing production costs. Wasted wheat straw often burned by Canadian farmers has been blended into a plastic feature of the Ford Flex to reduce petroleum use. Plastic bottles have been converted into fibers to cover the seats of a recent hybrid research vehicle.

The farcical investigation of the pollution case I exposed in a Devon river highlights how budget cuts have left the agency incapable of enforcement

They’re cleverly designed for tiny riders. But our four- to six-year-old testers were also interested in doing skids and playing with toy traffic conesBike companies spend months finessing the details of their kids’ models – the scaled-down brake levers, mini cranks, a child-friendly low centre of gravity. And what are the children most impressed by? A set of toy plastic cones.

Tory government is giving billions in ever increasing handouts to oil and gas majors at the same time as cutting support for clean energy, report revealsThe UK is alone among G7 nations in dramatically increasing its fossil fuel subsidies, despite an earlier pledge to phase them out, a new report has found.The revelation will embarrass ministers who want to take a leading role at a crunch UN climate change summit in Paris in December, but who have been sharply cutting support for green energy at home.

RSPB and Wildlife Trusts economists say cuts to environment department equal 57% in real terms over course of two parliamentsThe UK’s environment department is facing the largest cuts to its resources budget of any government department since 2009, according to an analysis by two of the country’s largest wildlife charities.The Treasury and the departments for the environment, transport and local government and communities have agreed to average annual cuts of 8% in their operating costs, a total of 30% over the next four years, the chancellor, George Osborne, announced on Monday. Continue reading...

Catch-up on what happened during our live discussion on local economies - including whether you can support your local economy if you still shop at Tesco.1.51pm GMTCole emails to tell us:“I’ve just returned from the USA, where contrary to popular belief, small independent stores really thrive. Walk down any busy street in America and you will see only a small fraction of chain shops and cafes compared to your typical UK street. The wealth and diversity of smaller shops/cafes/bars/restaurants is really quite remarkable and improves not only quality of life for consumers, but also of local workers.”One of our team is in the US visiting independant Co-ops at the moment - her reports are hughly inspiring. There are shopping malls run by co-ops and full of independent retailers. We can learn a lot from the US Co-op movement. Her reports can be found at: http://kindling.org.uk/blogExcellent reminder that these issues are not only of "economic" in nature and susceptible to discourse, agenda setting and of course the way we measure success. What image would we have of the US and the UK and our localities if we knew how to measure what matters? Yesterdays news, but never redundant to look indicators of what a healthy economy (local or national) would actually look like: http://www.neweconomics.org/blog/entry/forget-gdp-how-is-our-economy-really-performingSome great, inspiring examples being put forward showing just a taste of the innovation going on around this all over the country, sadly going pretty much unreported. I was however very inspired recently to read the story of Crickhowell and their idea of mimicking the tax havens and loopholes used by larger businesses. It's a great challenge to the current model, and one that could be done in other places too. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crickhowell-welsh-town-moves-offshore-to-avoid-tax-on-local-business-a6728971.htmlThe issue of parking's come up, and there's no doubt that it skews consumers towards the retail parks and big chains - those who have cars, anyway. One thing that a few places are doing is to get bus routes working harder for their local economy. Greater Manchester is probably the best example of the city getting bus companies to link outlying areas to the town centre, extending routes and running times so that people can go where the jobs are - and potentially also where the shops and other opportunities are.We're definitely yet to realise the potential of open data to support the growth of thriving local economies. One example of this, trying to keep it broader than shops, is in York, where they've opened up their data on childcare places. People have found smart ways to make this data useful for parents, and as a result there's now more uptake of childcare across the city - so definitely fewer vacancies and increased, more predictable income for local childminders and nurseries, and possibly also more mothers able to work the hours they want. There are a million other opportunities like that out there to help local economies work better.The next big idea emerging around local economies, is happening behind the shop front: with suppliers, logistics and trading relationships. 'Supply chain co-operation', when parties in a supply chain work together. It is the only way we can create a fair system for both the producer and the consumer. Creating new clever ways to be the middleman just won't wash anymore!There are also great examples of how new technology is being used to strengthen local economies. for example Change X (http://www.changex.org/) supports people to use tested and proven models of strengtening local economies . And new apps like Olio (http://www.olioex.com/) are helping people to tackl the massive issue of food waste (⅓ of all food is wasted in the UK) at a local level. At The Food Assembly, we are working with local communities and farmers across the UK to use new technology to trade directly with each other, to support the growing demand for local food (over 70% of UK want to buy local food)Community shares are a really innovative idea for local economies to thrive. Raising investment through community shares is a great way to secure the right type of finance for your community venture. It might be for a local shop, pub, or football club. It might be to run a building for community use, or a sports ground or community energy scheme. Or it could be a local food grower, a children’s nursery, or a neighbourhood housing scheme.Whatever the enterprise, the key element is that they are run by and for the community, and serve a wide range of social aims.1.43pm GMTMany people can support their local community by using their buying power. There are many examples of co-operatives and community-owned businesses who have social objectives and by supporting these businesses you can support your own communities.A good example is Benenden’s Community Shop (http://benendens.co.uk), which was financed by community shares. You can find loads of other community shops near you on our Community Shares Directory (http://communityshares.org.uk/directory).

A not-for-profit group of small-scale farmers in India is succeeding where others have failed – what is the Fair Trade Alliance Kerala doing right?A walk through the annual Kerala seedfest, in the sultry heat of India’s Western Ghats, is like a walk through a proverbial garden of Eden; okra the size of a hand; deep purple coloured runner beans; 26 varieties of chillies from one village alone. The size and colours of multiple bananas on offer here make a mockery of the fact that your average supermarket sells just one type.With women and men standing proudly alongside their produce, this celebration of seeds and biodiversity is the future of farming: it is abundant, resilient and most importantly, smallholder led. Continue reading...

The Republican science committee chair harasses scientists who debunked a favorite denier argumentApparently eager to ride the coattails of Vin Diesel’s new movie, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) seems intent on taking up the mantle of Witch Hunter by harassing the scientists at NOAA. These scientists published a study that joined a growing body of research debunking the supposed “pause” in warming, a trope regularly trotted out by deniers looking to argue against climate action.In his capacity as Chair of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, Smith has demanded a number of documents from NOAA and threatened them with prosecution if they don’t comply. He’s asking for the data and methods related to the study itself, which doesn’t sound too unreasonable at first. But when you learn that this information is already public, it seems odd that he would want to waste his and the scientists’ time demanding information that anyone with an internet connection can freely access. Continue reading...