Issue #1 March 2009
A British Council green champions publication
Planet Post Let’s Change the World Together
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Why the human race has to mend its ways and become an army of ECO-Activists now! Cli ma te C h a n g e & H u ma n ac ti v i t i e s elcome to the first of what we hope will be many e-newsletters. The Planet Post is here for the sole purpose of informing people of global issues. It is part of the British Council’s initiative to educate and encourage staff to do the right thing and go GREEN.
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Climate change is real and there is now unequivocal evidence that human beings are affecting the planet’s temperature. By doing this we are not just risking the lives of blameless plants and animals but our own. Our actions today will affect our children’s and grandchildren’s future. Each and every one of us has a responsibility which transcends nations and cultures. We all need to start thinking together on a planetary
scale, weighing up our every action and its effect on the planet. How do we affect the Earth? Well, human beings have destroyed or damaged about 30% of the Earth’s wildlife, forests, rivers and seas. We have become greedy and wasteful, buying vast quantities of unwanted goods, burying billions of tones of rubbish in holes in the ground, pumping enormous amounts of dangerous gases into the atmosphere and pouring toxic chemicals and sewage into our seas and oceans. According to scientists, we may have less than a decade to turn things around. Change needs to happen now.
What’s in Store for March 2009?
h t n o M This 28/3 Earth Hour Please join all the people of the world who will be taking part in Earth Hour on 28th March 2009. All you have to do is switch off all the lights off in your house for one hour at 8:30pm. WWF is trying to reach 1 billion people this year and make a stand against climate change. Click here to find out more…. Oh and make sure you spread the word!
GREEN CHAMPIONS BC TURNING GREEN A group of British Council staff volunteers will be turning up the heat on employees who do not turn to the Green side. Watch out! They will be responsible for policy making and getting the British Council up to standard to meet new expectations from the UK.
CATS & HYDRA HELP NEEDED FOR THE CATS OF HYDRA The Teaching Centre is collecting cat food to help the charity HydraArk on the island of Hydra. HydraArk is a charity that is trying to tackle the feline overpopulation problem on the island. It would be much appreciated if you could bring a can or two to help their efforts.
See page 2 for Granny McGreen’s Organic chocolate brownies
Global Warning - Reduce your Carbon Footprint and Help the Earth. lobal warming is the increase in the Earth’s temperature due to the Greenhouse Effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide and other gases.
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Carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane are all commonplace in the atmosphere, we are simply adding vast quantities of them and creating a rise in the Earth’s temperature as a result. But how are we adding to them? Well, through our insatiable appetite for products, driving cars and powering our houses and workplaces. We are burning more and more fossil fuels (oil, gas and coal) producing excess greenhouse gases, the Earth can no longer handle.
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Prep a min ration t utes ime: Coo 15 king Mak Tim e e Use: s: 28 Br : 25 min o utes 1 w b nie ak 34 x 25cm ing / ro s ast deep and at le ing tin ast 6 cm
Granny McGreen will be cooking something up for us every month. She believes that organic food places strong emphasis on protecting the environment, severely restricting the use of artificial chemical fertilizers and pesticides which also end up in our bloodstream. Any suggestions for The Planet Post? Email: michael.pazinas@britishcouncil.gr
The extra heat is melting glaciers and ice-caps (which hold the majority of frozen fresh water on the planet). There is then a danger of rising sea levels and the disappearance of land. Scientists also believe that global warming will affect the weather system (of which we can already see evidence). This would result in more frequent hurricanes, floods, droughts and extreme weather. So the basic message is reduce the amount of products you buy, reuse plastic bags, get educated on environmental issues, recycle and monitor your Carbon Footprint the effect that you have personally on the environment. Check out this link and see the damage YOU are doing and put a stop to it.
Tip n e e r G
Every month we will issue a Green Tip. So here is this month’s:
EAT LESS RED MEAT Cattle belch and excrete a considerable proportion of the world’s methane - an overproduced greenhouse gas.
G ranny M cG re e n’s Or g ani c
CHOCOLATE BROWNIES 300g organic unsalted butter 300g of organic dark chocolate (60%) broken into pieces 5 free range organic eggs eggs 450g organic granulated sugar 400g organic plain flour 1 teaspoon of sea-salt Preheat oven to 180°C and line the tin with baking paper. Melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water. Beat the eggs and sugar together in a bowl until thick and creamy. Once melted, remove the chocolate and butter from the heat and beat in the egg mixture. Sift in the flour and salt and mix until smooth. Pour into the roasting tin, ensuring it is evenly distributed. Bake for 20-25 minutes until it has formed a light brown crust and started to crack. The brownie shouldn’t wobble but should be gooey inside. Leave to cool for 20 minutes before cutting into pieces… Enjoy!