EIMissue4

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009

FOODCOMPOSTING

CONTAMINATED LANDJAPANESE KNOTWEED

WATERPEN HADOW

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Well, it seems we have made it relatively unscathed throughour first year!

I think I can say with absolute conviction that it has been themost amazing, petrifying, stressful and exciting year of mylife so far.

I am extremely proud of what we have achieved over the firstfour issues of Environment Industry Magazine and, even inthe darkest of times, this is still the best job in the world. Forthe first time in my life a quote from Confucius that I heardmany years ago has real resonance.

“Find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life”.

This doesn’t stop you from having days when you wish youcould throw the towel in, the difference is when the buckstops with you, you aren’t allowed to. You quickly realise whythe “great and the good are seldom the same person”(Churchill). Not a bad quote for someone who’s other famousline is, “Oh No!” or “Oh Yes!”

First things first I want to draw everyone’s attention to a crucial day in the calendar.

Every year November 19th is recognised as “World ToiletDay”.

World Toilet Day is about raising awareness in this global so-ciety to the plight of millions who do not have access to basicsanitation and clean water. It is about us taking responsibilityfor our water consumption. I have always been annoyed thatin the “developed world” we use one of the rarest and mostexpensive commodities on the planet to flush our toilets.There is no logical reason for us not to use grey water for thispurpose. I was told recently that we cannot collect water fromgreen roofs to flush our toilets because, the substrates usedin the roofs will colour the water brown and people do notwant discoloured water in their toilets. This is a sad indict-ment of our society; there are people in the world who haveto drink water that is less clean than our toilet water afterwe’ve used it! We need some perspective. Water is a majorsubject in this issue of the magazine and we have some of theworld’s most respected experts in the water industry writingin this issue Barbara Frost CEO of WaterAid, Loic FauchonPresident of the World Water Council and Margaret CatleyCarlson former Chair of the Global Water Partnership.

We also have Steff Wright, Chair of the Gusto Group of Companies and of Lincoln City Football Club,

writing about Rainwater Harvesting, Steff is involved in developing sustainable homes with reduced carbon footprintsand mains-water consumption as such has been a vital driverin the rainwater harvesting industry

The other issue I want to talk about was Christmas! Which,we now seem to begin preparing for in July.

As you can tell by the festive cover this is our Christmas Issue.So, as we get dragged into the whirlwind of over-indulgence,office parties, turkey and Cliff Richard, I wanted to bring youthe issues of food ethics, food security and food waste.

I was extremely privileged last month to be a sponsor and

guest at the CABI Global Summit “Food Security in aChanging Climate”. Although there is great resolve in thedeveloping world to improve with or without the reliance oninternational financial assistance, when it comes to provid-ing food, the numbers and the poverty are almost incom-prehensible. For instance, of the poorest one billion peoplein the world (that is people living on less than one Dollar aday) 50% work in food production. (Hearing this was myGeldof moment). How in the twenty first century can weallow the people who produce our food to starve? Equallydisturbing is that 50% of all food produced in the world isdestroyed by pests, poor storage, bad weather, contamina-tion and decomposition before it even reaches the plate.

I had the great fortune to be accompanied to the CABIGlobal Summit by Dr Charlie Clutterbuck, who very kindlypenned his thoughts for us after the event (Page 20). Charliehas also provided the main editorial on food ethics and se-curity for this issue. Charlie is on the Government AdvisoryBoard for Food Ethics and the board of LANTRA as well asthe Director of EPAW. Hand in hand with food productionand consumption comes food waste and disposal. We haveJeremy Jacobs, Director of the Association for Organics Recycling, on composting as well as a food waste featurefrom WRAP.

We also have a focus on Japanese Knotweed from TrevorRenals, author of the Environment Agency's "KnotweedCode of Practice", contaminated land from Dr CeciliaMacleod, Technical Director, Arcadis and on water law byProfessor Patricia Wouters, Director of the InternationalWater Law Research Institute, University of Dundee.

Truly a great line up for the strongest issue of EnvironmentIndustry Magazine so far.

As we head into the New Year we will be striving to improvethe magazine on every level in design, content and circula-tion.

Before I go I would like to thank the people responsible forthis magazine being as strong as it is;

Kimberley (graphic designer), Vivek (salesman), Claire (office manager), my wife Rachel and her Parents Caroleand Michael (proof reading team), Steve and Simon (regularcolumnists) and to all the contributors. Thank you all.

Finally I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas and a greatNew Year!!!

Alex StaceyManaging Editor

INTRODUCTION FROM THE EDITOR

Alex Stacey

Flushed with Success Page 27


UK Sustainable Development Association - Pages 22 - 24Back to the Future...with Rainwater Harvesting... By Steff Wright

News Pages 04 - 20

The Silent Crisis By Barbara Frost Page 26

Sustainable Food Security By Dr Charlie Clutterbuck Pages 38 - 41

The Global Ethics of Food Security and Water use in Agriculture: Check Lists from an Pages 32 - 34increasingly impossible situation By Margaret Catley Carlson

Water to Feed the Planet By Loïc Fauchon Pages 30 - 31

Getting Wise with Biowaste By Jeremy Jacobs Pages 44 - 46

CONTENTS

Environment Industry Magazine is proud to be the official media partner for the UK Sustainable Development Association.Every effort is made to verify all information published, but Environment Industry Magazine cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissionsor for any losses that may arise as a result. Opinions expressed in articles do not necessarily reflect those of EnviroMedia Ltd. Environment IndustryMagazine welcomes contributions for publication. Submissions are accepted on the basis of full assignment of copyright to EnviroMedia Ltd unlessotherwise agreed in advance and in writing. We reserve the right to edit items for reasons of space, clarity or legality.

EnviroMedia Limited, 254a Bury New Road,Whitefield, Manchester, M45 8QN

Alex StaceyTel: 0161 3410158Fax: 0161 7668997Email: [email protected]

Food Waste By WRAP 2 - 43

Religion, Philosophy or Plain Ol’ Page 21 Common Sense? By Steve Grant

Food Companies Continue to do the Right Stuff, Despite Recession Pages 35 - 37By the Food and Drink Federation

Environment Agency Prosecutions

1 Riverside Waste Machinery – Untha TR Series Shredder By Simon Ingleby


Pages 92 - 95 Case Studies

Pages 78 - 81 Protected Species By Philip Fermor

Pages 70 - 74 Know your Enemy By Trevor Renals

Page 68 Apportioning Liability for Land Remediation by Professor Robert Lee

Pages 88 - 89 Developing a New Generation of “Local Water Leaders”- The ImportantRole of “Water Law” in Ensuring “Water for All” By Dr Patricia Wouters

Pages 52 - 58 Using Site Investigation for Sustainable Remediation By Cecilia MacLeod

Pages 62 - 67 Brownfield Briefing Award Winner Case Studies

Page 80 Famous Last Words Will Melting Ice Stop Hot Air in Copenhagen By Pen Hadow

Page 49 Simon’s Dutch Diary By Simon Ingleby

Pages 76 - 77 She Swallowed a Spider to Catch the Fly By Mike Clough

Pages 82 - 86 Training Critical Shortage of Skilled Workers Could Jeopardise Future Food Supplies By Gordon McGlone

NEWS


150 years ago Charles Darwin's ‘Origin of the Species’revolutionised how we view the natural world - now his voyages on HMS Beagle are influencing modern researchon the evolution of our climate.

A ground-breaking partnership between JISC, the Univer-sity of Sunderland, the Met Office Hadley Centre and theBritish Atmospheric Data Centre sees historical naval log-books being used for the first time in research into climatechange. The logbooks include famous voyages such as theBeagle, Cook’s HMS Discovery and Parry’s polar expeditionin HMS Hecla.

The UK Colonial Registers and Royal Navy Logbooks (COR-RAL) project has digitised nearly 300 ships’ logbooks datingback to the 1760s. The accurate weather information theycontain is being used to reconstruct past climate change –hitherto untapped scientific data.

Research team leader Dr Dennis Wheeler of the Universityof Sunderland comments: “The observations from the log-books on wind force and weather are astonishingly goodand often better than modern logbooks. Of course thesailors had to be conscientious – the thought that you couldhit a reef was a great incentive to get your observations absolutely right!

What happens in the oceans controls what happens in theatmosphere – so we absolutely need to comprehend theoceans to understand future weather patterns,” he added.

Ships’ logbooks were the main resource used to monitorthe weather in the oceans. Officers on these ships keptcareful records of the daily, and sometimes hourly, climateconditions. What that means today is modern researchersare able to find out what the weather was like anywhere inthe world on a particular day, right through the Little IceAge and back to 1750.

18th century

ships’ logs

predict future

weather

forecast


Ben Showers, JISC digitisation programme manager, said:“There is a lack of high-quality digital material for thosestudying historic weather data. By making these logbooksand lighthouse records available online, from the NationalArchives and the Met Office respectively, JISC aims to helpresearchers address the challenges of climate change andopen up this historic resource to everyone via the website.

“The Royal Navy logbooks online are an exciting part ofJISC’s £1.8 million investment in enriching digital resources,a set of 25 projects which enhances online content for betterteaching, learning and research.”

Oliver Morley, Director, Customer and Business Developmentat The National Archives agrees: “The logbooks have longbeen of interest to historians and naval enthusiasts and thefact that they are now being used for scientific research is agreat example of how archival information created for onepurpose can be reused for something entirely different”.

The logbooks include great explorers, such as Bligh, Cookand Flinders, and give unique accounts of life on board shipwith plenty of footnotes and personal observations aboutlife on board and the places and people they encounteredon their voyages of exploration. A fully searchable versionof the logbooks will be available on The National Archives’website in 2010.

The researchers are now transcribing the officers’ obser-vations so they can begin work with the Met Office onanalysing the data to feed into research on climate change.

Dr Dennis Wheeler


Clients have named Enviros, part ofthe Sinclair Knight Merz Group, thebest consultancy in four categories inthe 2009 Edie Awards for Environ-mental Excellence after being short-listed for all nine consultancy awards.

Enviros collected awards for the fol-lowing categories:

Best Consultancy for ClimateChange and Renewables

Best Consultancy for Waste andRecycling

Best Consultancy for Due Dili-gence

Best Consultancy for Water andWastewater.

Enviros was the most successfulcompany winning more awards thanany other consultancy. The consul-tancy awards were presented at theHurlingham Club, London on Thurs-day 12 November.

Unusual insect enters UK

without a passport

Inspectors from Fera found a brightlycoloured and unexpected passenger ona flight from India which arrived intoStansted Airport recently.

Fera’s Pest Identification Team identifiedthe beautiful stowaway as a ‘PaintedGrasshopper’ (Poekilocerus pictus) andconfirmed that the uninvited guest isthe first of its kind to reach British soils.

Fera Entomologist Chris Malumphysaid:

“This insect is an economic pest in Pakistan and India where it is reporteddamaging a number of food plants including aubergine, citrus, cucurbits,potatoes and tomatoes, though it’s primary host is milkweed (Calotropsprocera).”

Residents to recycle food from home

Manchester is set to become one of the first UK cities to enable all its resi-dents to recycle food waste at home.

Around 60,000 households across the city with a green bin for garden wastewill start receiving the new service before Christmas, while Manchester CityCouncil will also introduce the scheme to other residents next year.

Residents will receive a small plastic bin they can keep in their kitchen, to-gether with a supply of compostable liners, and use these to throw away any-thing from vegetable cuttings to meat.

The filled liners are placed in the garden waste bins, which are collected asusual, before being taken away and turned into compost for use on farmsacross the North West.

The service is being introduced to stop food waste being sent to landfill siteswhere it decays, producing gases such as methane which contribute to climate change.

Encouraging signs for wild bird populations

Recent statistics show encouraging increases in many wild bird populationsbetween 2007 and 2008. This good news follows a period of decline over thelast two or three years but Wildlife Minister, Huw Irranca-Davies has warnedagainst complacency.

The wild bird population figures, published by Defra, show that UK wild birdnumbers overall have risen slightly, with small increases between 2007 and2008 in numbers of breeding woodland birds, water and wetland birds andfarmland birds. Seabirds have decreased in number slightly but overall areat higher levels than in 1970.

Huw Irranca-Davies said: “There are positive signs for our wild bird popula-tion but we still have a lot of work to do. The population of farmland birdnumbers in England has increased by 4% in England between 2007 and 2008.This is really encouraging and something that we hope will help tackle adownward trend in farmland bird numbers since 1970. In July this year HilaryBenn announced a voluntary agreement with farmers to recapture the ben-efits of set-aside and changes have been made to the Environmental Stew-ardship Programme to ensure that this population growth continues in theyears to come. We must keep doing all the things that have contributed tothese modest increases. Conservation organisations, land managers, farm-ers and individuals who care about birds all need to do their bit to ensure weencourage birds to flourish so that we see a repeat of these increases nextyear.”

Double awards success for FM Conway

The Dartford-based civil engineering, highways maintenance and recyclingspecialist FM Conway has been presented with two British Association ofLandscape Industries (BALI) Awards 2009, which are considered to be Europe’s leading trade awards for the landscaping sector.

FM Conway has received an award in the Hard Landscaping - £300,000 - £1.5million category for its work at Chandos Road Playground, Stratford, London,while a project at Twickenham Stadium, resulted in a success in the HardLandscaping – over £1.5 million section.

FM Conway will be presented with a special plaque to mark the achievementat the official awards ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on ParkLane on the 4th December, where category winners and overall winners willbe revealed.

Every winner in each category has the opportunity to win the category overalland also has a chance to win the highly prestigious Grand Award, which isone of the industry’s highest accolades.

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While the world’s attention may be fixed on Copenhagen, itis in Ecuador that one of the boldest new measures yettaken by a government to combat climate change has beenannounced. In a paper published today in Biotropica, experts assess the Yasuní-ITT initiative which aims to preventmillions of tons of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere by not drilling for oil in the Amazon rainforest.

The Yasuní-ITT initiative is a project launched by theEcuadorian government which pledges to leave the estimated 850 million barrels of oil locked beneath therenowned Yasuní National Park despite the oil concessionswhich cover the region.

“This is the first ever offer by a government to forego oil development as a strategy to address climate change,” said Dr Matt Finer from Save America’s Forests. “According to Ecuadorian official estimates not exploitingthe oil fields will keep 410 million metric tons of C02 out ofthe atmosphere. It’s a novel concept that not developingfossil fuels could be used as a tool to address climatechange.”

“Yasuní National Park is an exceptional place in the world,biologically incredible, home to uncontacted indigenouspeople and yet, perhaps tragically, full of oil,” said co-au-thor Dr Clinton Jenkins of the University of Maryland. “Thisinitiative leaves society facing a test of what we value more,

drilling for oil or preserving a cherished national park.”

The team also investigates the economic complexities underpinning the potentially precedent-setting initiative.The Ecuadorian economy is highly dependent on oil exportsand this initiative will result in a yearly shortfall estimatedto be $350 million.

“Ecuador intends to cover this by selling guarantee certifi-cates linked to the value of unreleased carbon,” said co-author Remi Moncel of the World Resources Institute,“However, emissions could result from oil buyers turning toother suppliers. Also, if the certificates are traded on theEuropean Union’s carbon credits market, the initiativewould not result in a net reduction of carbon emissions.”

The alternative is for supporting countries to donate to theinitiative directly without claiming a carbon credit to pollutein return.

“The initiative’s trust fund will be activated by early Novemberand will be backed by the United Nations Development Programme,” added Finer. “Germany will be the first tomake a contribution, reported to be $50 to $70 million peryear. This is to be followed by a world tour of high-level officials, including President Correa. This demonstrateshow seriously the government of Ecuador is taking this ini-tiative.”

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The European Commission have proposed legislation to reduce the average CO2 emissions of light commercial vehicles (vans) to 175 grams per kilometre. The proposalwill be phased in from 2014 to 2016, and contains a longterm emission reduction target of 135 g/km by 2020. Theformat of the proposed legislation is similar to the proposalson passenger cars agreed at the end of 2008. It is one of thelast outstanding elements of the EU's strategy to improvethe fuel economy of light-duty vehicles which account forabout 12% of the EU's total carbon emissions. The proposalunderlines the EU's commitment to putting in place con-crete measures to deliver on its greenhouse gas commit-ments in the run-up to the Copenhagen ClimateConference.

The draft legislation is closely modelled on the legislationof CO2 emissions from passenger cars . Emissions limitsare set according to the weight of the vehicle, using a limitvalue curve. The curve is set in such a way that a fleet average of 175 grams of CO2 per kilometre is achieved.Manufacturers must ensure that from 2014 vehicles regis-tered in the EU during that time have average emissionsthat are below the limit value curve, when 75% of the vehicles are taken into account. For the calendar year 2015,the percentage rises to 80% and from 2016, 100% of the

fleet have to comply on average. Only the fleet average isregulated, so manufacturers will still be able to make vehicles with emissions above the limit value curve pro-vided these are balanced by other vehicles which are belowthe curve.

This proposal aims to safeguard Europe's competitivenessby stimulating the development of cutting edge automotivetechnologies. In order to promote all innovations, a mech-anism is included to credit vehicles which are fitted with innovations which reduce emissions but are not covered bythe standard CO2 emission test procedure. Further vehicleswith extremely low emissions (below 50g/km) will be givenadditional incentives up to 2018.

A degree of flexibility is built into the proposal. Manufac-turers may group together to form a pool and act jointly inmeeting the specific emissions targets. Independentmanufacturers who sell fewer than 22,000 vehicles per yearcan also apply to the Commission for an individual targetinstead.

The proposal will now be communicated to the Council andto the European Parliament as part of the co-decision leg-islative procedure.

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Environmental consultancy SLR Consulting has securedplanning permission for a new Energy Recovery Facility(ERF) in Doncaster for BioGen Power.

The facility will be capable of accepting 120,000 tonnes ofresidual commercial and industrial waste to generate 9.4MW p.a. of electricity - sufficient to power 20,000 homes.

The planned ERF uses gasification technology and providesa smaller scale method of thermal treatment than tradi-tional mass-burn incineration.

BioGen Power CEO Christian Reeve said: “SLR deliveredboth in terms of pace and professionalism. Our successhere at Doncaster, where there was a fair amount of publicconcern, was due to the quality of the overall applicationand the skills of our own planning team working in conjunc-tion with SLR.

We have recently received planning permission for otherplants in Barry and Newport and have just instructed SLRto prepare an EIA for a new ERF in Northern Ireland.”

SLR CONSULTING HELPS GAIN PLANNING PERMISSIONFOR NEW ENERGY RECOVERY FACILITY

Teachers scared to leave the classroomChildren are being denied school trips for fear teachers will be sued if something goes wrong, new research by The Coun-tryside Alliance Foundation (TCAF) has revealed.

The Countryside Alliance Foundation found that of the 1,400 teachers surveyed, 97% of teachers thought it important that pupils learn about the countryside within the National Curriculum but 76% felt the main barrier in takingpupils to the countryside to facilitate learning was ‘concerns about health and safety’ and 49% of teachers felt that amain barrier was ‘fear of litigation in the unlikely event of an accident’.

The research backs up the Countryside Alliance’s Rural Manifesto, which calls for outdoor learning to feature on theschool curriculum. Simon Hart, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, said:

“Statistically, the chances of accidents happening are low and we are working to explode the myths that the countrysideis any more dangerous than anywhere else. The benefits of practical countryside education far outweigh the concerns.

The Countryside Alliance wants to facilitate outdoor learning for the next generation without teachers feeling threatenedby ‘compensation culture’. It believes by making the countryside more accessible for teachers and pupils, learning willbe enhanced and pupils will be tolerant and understanding of the countryside”.

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A new Task Force will help England to grow and eat morefruit and vegetables and improve the nation’s health, Environment Secretary Hilary Benn recently announced.

Comprising growers, retailers, consumers and agriculturalresearchers, the Fruit and Vegetables Task Force will develop an action plan to increase the production and consumption of fruit and vegetables in this country.

Mr Benn said that the new group needed to look at ways toget people growing their own fruit and vegetables, as wellas ways to support England’s commercial growers – and toget people choosing local fruit and veg, particularly whenit’s in season.

Consumer demand also needs to increase, as most peoplestill do not eat the recommended five portions of fruit andvegetables each day. In particular the group will focus onyoung people and low-income families, who are less likelyto eat recommended amounts of fruit and vegetables.

In 2008, domestic production of fruit and vegetables was37% of demand. The UK produces 11% ofthe fresh fruit we consume, which has increased in the last five years, and 58%of fresh vegetables, down from 63% five

years ago.

Current barriers to production include developing clear career paths to attract young people to the industry, theavailability of seasonal workers, volatile energy costs andthe effects of climate change including the availability andcost of water.

Mr Benn said: “If we grow and eat more fruit and vegetableshere – in our greenhouses, in our orchards, in our fields, ourallotments and in our own back gardens – it will be good forour health, our farming community, and our landscape.

“There is a gap at the moment, between what we consumeand what we grow here, but there’s no reason why we can’tgrow more here. And the main thing we can do to encouragethis is to choose, and eat, British produce.

“We need make to sure our farmers can compete success-fully with imports, are resilient to the effects of climatechange, and that we’re getting fresh talent into the industryso that we can continue to grow world-class fruit and veg.”

Secretary of State for Health, Andy Burnham said: “GettingBritain growing more fruit and veg isn't just good news forour farmers - eating it is the tastiest way for the rest of usto maintain a healthy lifestyle too.

“We know the demand is there - the latest Health Survey forEngland results showed an increase in the number of peopleeating fruit and veg and our ‘5 A Day’ campaign is supportingfamilies to get even more fruit and veg in their diets.”

Fruit and Vegetables

Task Force


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The RSPCA has honoured four pioneering organisations fortheir innovative work to further animal welfare, during aformal reception at the House of Lords.

Representatives from Pembrokeshire County Council,Chelmsford Borough Council, Stockton-on-Tees BoroughCouncil and Somerset Local Authorities’ Civil ContingencyPartnership were praised by Baroness Janet Fookes afterbeing crowned winners of this year’s RSPCA CommunityAnimal Welfare Footprints and Innovator Awards (CAWF).

The RSPCA launched CAWF in 2008 as a recognised seal ofapproval for those local authorities and housing providerspioneering new methods of addressing animal welfare issues. The Trading Standards Institute and Chartered Institute of Environmental Health have both officiallygiven their endorsement to the scheme.

Pembrokeshire County Council was named winner of the Wales Local Authority Innovatoraward in recognition of its use of funding fromthe Welsh Assembly’s Companion Animal Welfare Enhancement Scheme to tackle poordog breeding in what has long been consid-ered a puppy farming hot-spot.

Puppy farms were also a factor for Chelms-ford Borough Council, which has scoopedthe title of District and Borough Council Innovator. The Essex authority has intro-duced and enforced improved conditions onpet shop licences to protect animals imported from puppy farms, and thosewho purchase the dogs.

Stockton-on-Tees BoroughCouncil was hailed by theCAWF judges as a model ofbest practice for providingthe complete animal welfareservice. The authority was

crowned winner of the English Unitary and County CouncilInnovator award and praised for its wide range of services,from free and low-cost microchipping/neutering to promot-ing responsible pet ownership.

This year’s Housing and Multi-agency Innovator award wasgiven to Somerset Local Authorities’ Civil Contingency Part-nership. The partnership was praised for going way beyondany statutory requirements in tackling the animal aspect ofemergency planning.

RSPCA Honours AnimalWelfare Innovators

TV personality Dick Strawbridge will be helping school-children learn how to help save the planet from thescrapheap when he launches a new national initiative thismonth.

The Scrapheap Challenge presenter and author of It’s NotEasy Being Green is backing 3M Worldlywise – a new, freeonline resource where students explore a virtual town tolearn about sustainable living.

The website is designed to encourage more children tostudy science, technology, engineering and maths – STEMsubjects – from GCSE to A-level and right through university.

Currently only 13% of undergraduates are studying thesesubjects and this shortfall leaves two-thirds of British busi-

nesses with recruitment difficulties, according to the Con-federation of British Industry.

But the 3M Worldlywise initiative, working with the Govern-ment-supported organisation STEMNET, aims to reversethe trend by educating young people about sustainable living and showing them how scientists, engineers and newtechnology can help solve the problems of the future.

Former Lt Col Strawbridge, himself an engineering gradu-ate, said: “I am delighted to be involved with such a fantasticproject, which aims to ignite children’s passion for scienceand maths while raising their awareness of environmentalissues.

Going Green to Grow Scientists

As Britain braces itself for yet another wet winter, FMGlobal, the world leading commercial property insurer, recommends companies prepare for flooding or face significant financial costs and business disruption.

Flood is the most costly natural hazard in the world, withfinancial loss caused by flooding estimated between US$2billion and US$3 billion a year. According to the Environ-ment Agency, the 2007 summer floods in England affectednearly 7,000 businesses with the total damage estimatedat around £1.3 billion. Many of these premises had neverflooded before.

Historically 80% of all flood loss occurs within high-hazardflood zones and with the MET Office predicting a higherthan average rainfall in the last quarter of 2009, it is not acase of if businesses are impacted by flood but when. Thesestatistics are worrying for the 185,000 businesses in Eng-land and Wales which are located within such flood zones.FM Global maintains whilst the majority of flood is in-evitable, through the implementation of a flood emergencyresponse plan (FERP), flood loss is preventable.

For an effective FERP FM Global recommends firstly focusingon prevention, in order to stop water entering a propertyand secondly to limit damage when floodwater does entera premises.

A well planned FERP should also include:

• a designated leader with authority to take action

• plans for safely shutting down production lines orelectrical systems

• simple actions to reduce the financial impact of theflood such as procedures to raise and/or relocate keyequipment and materials

• practical clean up

• temporary operations

• plans to take care of employees if the flooding andclean-up operation is prolonged

• post-flood repair and business-recovery plans

Vice President and Operations Manager of FM Global’s UKoperations, Stefano Tranquillo said: “As flooding becomesa growing issue in the UK, businesses need to be preparedfor the wet weather ahead. They need to understand theirpotential flood scenario and ensure that they have an effectiveflood emergency response plan in place. We believe thatthe majority of all loss is preventable and the key to preventing flood loss is to fully understand the exposure ofyour site. Once a clear picture of what to expect has beendeveloped, which includes an estimate of the damage anddisruption to a business, action can be taken to reduce therisk.”

FM Global has a series of Property Loss Prevention DataSheets which are engineering guidelines written to help reduce the chance of property loss due to flood. To accessthese data sheets and for more information on flood emergency response plans please visit www.fmglobal.com.

IS BRITAIN PREPARINGFOR THE RISK OFFLOODING?

|15 |ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE


JCB has achieved a three star Thatcham ratingon its JS and JZ Auto tracked excavators and itspopular 801 and 8020 mini excavators.

Teams from ten schools throughout the UK wowed environ-mental leaders with their Dragons Den-style ideas on tack-ling climate change in London today. The finalists, fromschools all over the country, in the Footprint Friends WipeOut Waste Awards each made a short presentation to senior figures in business, industry, science and the envi-ronmental lobby in a bid to win first prize for their schools.

The Wipe Out Waste Awards initiative was hosted by eco-social networking site Footprint Friends and sponsored bypowerPerfector, the leader in Voltage Power Optimisationtechnology. All ideas were pitched in pressurised 10-minutespots and will be showcased via Footprint Friends. The winning school will also have a powerPerfector unit fitted,

enabling it to reduce its power consumption and carbonfootprint by up to 20%.

The winning team, from Canon Burrows CE Primary Schoolin Tameside, Manchester, came up with an ingenious ideato sustain the use of pencils which are normally thrownaway when they have been half used. Their innovative design of a clever pencil holder that grips the pencil fromnew until it runs out sustains the pencil’s use until it is astub. The idea has been developed further to incorporate acomfy grip, using sustainable materials, and even withcommercial potential – all in a reusable device.

The Canon Burrows Team comprised Miah Chaudhry (10),Rebecca Gunby (10), Ewen Hine (11), and Oliver Thornley

UK school teams wow ‘Green Dragons’ with environment ideas


JCB has become the first excavator manufac-turer to achieve a three star Thatcham secu-rity rating in the agricultural and constructionmachinery sector. The company has taken alead in the fight against plant crime, achiev-ing the three star rating on all JS and JZ Autowheeled and tracked excavators and on itspopular 801 and 8020 mini excavators.

Throughout the first six months of 2010, JCBwill expand this market leading security initiative to include all of its mini and midi excavators above one tonne operating weight.

JCB UK and Ireland Sales Director YvetteHenshall-Bell announced JCB’s new initiativewhen she addressed the fifth Construction Industry Theft Solutions (CITS) annual confer-ence.

The Thatcham star rating scheme waslaunched in March 2009, taking into accountmachine identification, key security, immobil-isation, peripheral security and anti-thefttracking devices. Thatcham’s vehicle securityspecialists carry out a full new vehicle secu-rity assessment on all agricultural and construction machinery that is submitted fortest, awarding stars for each of the securityfeatures.

The first star is awarded for clear CESARmarking, which is standard on all JCB equip-ment. A second star is included for machinessupplied with an immobiliser, while the thirdstar is given for the use of a unique key orkeypad ignition system.

From January 1, 2010, all of JCB’s JS and JZAuto excavators, will be supplied with a key-pad, while the 801 range and the 8020 willcome as standard with a unique key. Customers who prefer the option of a keypadrather than a unique key can specify one atthe time of order.

An electrical immobiliser, incorporated intothe proven Advanced Management System(AMS) on the larger JS models, is standard onthe JCB equipment. Without the correct key-pad code, the electrical system will preventthe machine from starting. Customers cantake security a stage further if desired, withthe application of JCB’s optional LiveLinksatellite tracking system.

Thatcham’s Vehicle Security Manager MikeBriggs said: “Plant theft has become an alltoo common problem in the UK with highvalue equipment simply lacking in good all-round security. It is great news to see manu-facturers of the calibre of JCB makingsignificant strides in this area and becomingthe first to achieve three stars underThatcham’s security star scheme. With thepositive support that the scheme has enjoyedfrom all sides of the industry we are confidentthat others will follow suit.”

Yvette Henshall-Bell said: “JCB has alwaysbeen at the forefront of machine design andtechnology, including theft prevention andfleet security. By becoming the first manufac-turer to achieve a three star Thatcham rating,JCB is once again taking the initiative in thefight against equipment crime.”

She also revealed that many insurance com-panies will be prepared to reduce premiumsfor those fleets with three star rated equip-ment.

JCB Insurance Director and General ManagerMichael Gregory said some insurance com-panies are offering premium discounts of upto 40% for machines equipped with CESARand an immobiliser. Companies taking out in-surance directly through JCB Insurance canget a further 5% discount for the three starmachinery.

JCB PLAYS STARRING ROLE IN DRIVE AGAINST PLANT THEFT

(11). “It was a really intense experience,” said Miah. “Wewere dazzled at coming to London and really enjoyed mak-ing the presentation.” Oliver added: “But we enjoyed it mostwhen we won!” Teacher Suzanne Fildes said: “We thor-oughly enjoyed the event even before we won but winningmeans so much to the children and it will have an impacton the whole school which is really committed to climatechange action.”

Second place went to the team from Smithycroft Secondaryin Glasgow with their detailed plan to stop the schools useof 3m pieces of disposable dinnerware which goes intolandfill each year, replacing it with reusable place settingsand dishwashers. In joint third were Park School in Lan-cashire with ‘Local Milk for All’ to stop using milk in tetra

packs and switch to milk in recyclable glass bottles sourcedfrom a local dairy, and St Luke’s Science & Sports Collegein Devon with a commercial idea to take its litter and foodwaste to be recycled and reused or sold on. All winningteams and runners up were presented with a range ofgoodies including an energy monitor, signed books by authors present at the event, and T-shirts.

Angus Robertson, CEO of sponsor powerPerfector, added:“Today has been all about these children and their role inour society. By understanding the importance of goals andthe responsibility we all face on climate change, they arethe leaders of tomorrow. I was ready to back the winningidea before the judges and the brilliance of these youngpeople is not only impressive, it gives hope.”


Rural alliance calls for 1,750 pylons to be buriedCountryside campaigners CPRE, in alliance with theCampaign for National Parks, Campaign for the Protec-tion of Rural Wales and the National Association forAreas of Outstanding Natural Beauty are calling for theeventual removal of three of the largest and most un-sightly lines of pylons in the country, stretching over 350miles of countryside. The call comes as a new Govern-ment policy is expected to support at least 12 new linesof overhead pylons across 170 miles of England andWales which would add hundreds more to the 22,000high voltage pylons already owned by National Grid.

The alliance is calling for a long-term plan to dismantlethree lines owned by National Grid that particularly affect our most important landscapes. The lines shouldbe removed and then either replaced with undergroundor undersea cables, or re-routed. These lines run over350 miles in total, typically involve pylons of around 50metres in height spaced at five per mile of transmissionline, and run:

• across the Peak District National Park near Woodhead;

• from Dungeness to Exeter, running directly throughNational Parks in the New Forest and South Downs, andAreas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Devon andDorset; and

• in a ring crossing two parts of the Snowdonia NationalPark east from Trawsfynydd and on the North Walescoast in an associated back-up route.France paves the way for greener trucks

The French Government is supporting numerous initiativesdesigned to reduce the environmental impact of trucks andlight commercial vehicles. The Transport section of theFrench law of 3 August 2009 implementing the first elementof France’s Green New Deal, following the conclusion of theGrenelle Environment Round-Table Talks, aims to have cutgreenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020 and to reduceFrance’s dependence on hydrocarbons.

Boost to South West marine energy research South West England’s ambition to be a global centre formarine energy research has received a further boost witha £1.2 million investment in a new wave tank testing facility.

The wave tanks are being funded by the South West RDA(Regional Development Agency) as part of the Agency’sthree-year £7.3 million investment in the Peninsula Re-search Institute for Marine Renewable Energy (PRIMaRE),and will be located at the University of Plymouth.

The facility will be unique in the UK because it will allowmodel testing in both multi-directional waves and variabledirection currents and will also be able to model shallowand deep water conditions. It will enable the testing of scalemodels of wave and tidal energy devices individually and inarrays.

PRIMaRE is a £12.6 million project set up two years ago bythe Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, with funding fromthe South West RDA.

It boasts 15 world-class academic staff and 60 researchersdedicated to the support and development of the marine re-newable energy sector. PRIMaRE, and the wave tank facility,support and complement the South West RDA's pioneering£42 million Wave Hub project, which will create the world'slargest wave energy test site 10 miles off the Cornish coastThe main wave tank at the facility will measure 35 metresby 15 metres and be 2 metres deep. It is expected to becompleted in early 2012.

NBPOL to supply certified sustainable palm oilNew Britain Palm Oil Limited, a large scale integrated industrial producer of palm oil, has entered into a minimumtwo year supply agreement to provide United Biscuits.

This is the first supply agreement signed for NBPOL’s UKrefinery in Liverpool that is due to be completed in spring2010. The refinery will have a dedicated supply source fromNBPOL's certified sustainable plantations and so the palmoil will be fully segregated and traceable from seed to finished product.

UB, like NBPOL, has a high regard for environmental sus-tainability and both companies continue to improve theirperformance. NBPOL also has an international reputationfor leading the plantation industry in all aspects of planta-tion management.

The green measures hotels can take to attract guestsSamsung Electronics Europe has announced the findingsof a new European research project demonstrating theimportance of the environment to today’s traveller andthe green credentials they expect in the hotels they visit.

Of the five thousand consumers surveyed across Europe,29% of respondents would choose a known ‘eco-friendly’hotel if it was offered by a popular online booking system. Expectations of eco-credentials are clear: 65%say all hotels should install low flow toilets designed tosave water, while 54% say sustainable energy sources,such as wind, solar or hydro-electric power, should beused. Almost half (48%) say hotels should use more efficient electrical appliances, like flat screen energyefficient TVs.

This demand for green credentials is echoed by guests’own behaviour. 76% are as conscious or more consciousof the impact they have on the environment when stayingin hotels compared with their behaviour at home andtake measures to reduce their environmental impact.88% switch off the lights when they leave their hotelroom, 63% reuse towels more than once and 59% stillswitch electrical equipment off at the base.


Peter Harper and Paul Allen from the Centre for Alternative Technology in Powyswere named amongst Cynnal Cymru's 52 sustainable development champions,the green heroes from across Wales have been recognised for taking action tocreate a brighter more sustainable future. The Wales Green List celebrates individuals making Wales a better and more sustainable placeto live. It’s the first list of its kind in Wales, bringing together the differentelements of sustainable development – environmental, economic andsocial – in one award.

A spokesperson for Cynnal Cymru said, “Across Wales there’s amazing work going onthat will trigger a more sustainable future. People are striving to make a difference and I

believe it’s time to recognise their efforts and encourage others to follow suit, embracingsustainability. We are searching for those committed groups, organisations or individuals,who, armed with determination, had and continue to have a positive effect on their commu-nities, the environment and, ultimately, other people’s lives.”

Peter Harper speaking on behalf of CAT said, “We are delighted to receive this award in honour of CAT’s 35 years of achievement and we continue to strive towards sustainable, lowimpact futures through our work.”

The CAT visitors’ centre attracts around 65,000 visitors a year, it also runs courses, works inschools to bring sustainability issues to the classroom, has an active shop and mail orderdepartment, has a thriving graduate school and runs a free information service. CynnalCymru-Sustain Wales is an independent, not-for-profit organisation that promotes sustainabledevelopment and provides practical information to help people live sustainably.

Wales announces its 52 green heroes

Over £300 million of funding to help connect offshorewind farmsThe EIB and Ofgem E-Serve have announced that the EIB is considering provision of over £300 million of funding to investorsin high voltage transmission links to offshore windfarms in GreatBritain. The funding will be available for six projects, which markthe start of an important expansion of offshore generation to helpmeet the Government’s emissions reduction targets.

Taken together, the six transmission projects will connect around1.6 gigawatts of offshore generation.

Simon Brooks, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank,said: “The European Investment Bank welcomes Ofgem’s initiativein promoting this essential element of the UK’s renewable energyinfrastructure. Electricity from offshore wind farms will make a keycontribution to national power supply and help achieve 2020 emissions targets.”

Given the importance of offshore wind in cutting emissions, the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and Ofgem E-Serve have put in place competitive arrangements to ensuregenerators benefit from cost effective connections to the mainlandelectricity network. Those firms competing to run connections tothese six projects can now apply to the EIB for funding.

Welcoming the announcement, Minister of Energy Lord Hunt said:“The EIB’s support will be very welcome. Connecting offshore windfarms to the grid quickly and cost-effectively will be crucial to tackling climate change and securing our future energy supplies.This money would help projects currently under construction gettheir cables in the water and feeding into the grid quickly andcheaply.”

Global access to safe drinking waterlikely to decline next year The world population’s access to safe drinkingwater could decline as early as next year, accordingto research by HaloSource, a leading clean waterand anti-microbial technology company.

The research also supports the strong correlationbetween access to safe drinking water and eco-nomic growth and means that falling access levelsmay affect global economic growth by 2050.

In spite of major initiatives and financial commit-ments by national governments, water institutionsand businesses, access to safe drinking water is expected to start declining next year. By the middleof the century, it’s likely to fall below 1997 levels,the year of the United Nation’s first World WaterConference when the international communitylaunched its first attempt to increase access to safedrinking water.

The research shows a strong correlation betweenaccess to safe drinking water and economic growth,suggesting that per capita growth can be expectedto fall when less than 70% of the world populationhas access to safe water. The emerging economiessuch as Brazil, Russia, India and China are expectedto be affected first, possibly as early as 2015 andthis is likely to have wider implications for theglobal economy.


CABI global summit reviewBy Charles Clutterbuck BSc MSc PhD FRSA PGCE Director of Environmental Practice @ Work

The CABI Global Summit on “Food Security in a Climate ofChange” spelt out the challenges ahead for the food andfarming sector. Recent price rises have reminded everybodyof the size of that challenge. Not only do we have to producemore food, we have to do it more sustainably. Over a billionpeople now go to bed hungry each night - up several hundredthousand in the last couple of years, making the achieve-ment of the Millennium Development Goal to halve hungerby 2015 virtually impossible.

We have to produce more while taking into account reducingenergy consumption, reducing greenhouse gases, conservingwater and maintaining biodiversity. To try and encouragethis increased sustainability there are all sorts of standardsdeveloping – eg Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN),standards approved by the Rainforest Alliance, through EuroGAP, to sustainability standards of the World Bank itself. Many of these are recognised by the World Trade Organisation (under Sanitary & Phytosanitary measures),but they make it harder for developing countries andsmaller companies to enter world markets. Yet these stan-dards are needed and are here to stay, so ways to facilitatepoorer countries and companies must be established to enable freer trade. Perhaps retailers should set up onlinelearning / audit systems.

Somebody asked how they could cope with all this, to whichthe chair responded with the classic answer from the“Hitchhikers Guide” computer, saying “42”. However, therewere lots of ideas and examples of how small producerscould enter the market, varying from micro-finance, “support zones” where produce could go and be properlylooked after, through to Global Plant Clinics to help farmersdiagnose diseases, and online library systems enabling access to all the world food and farming journals – for some- for free. Other hopeful signs were using the dramatic

increase in mobile phone usage across the world to helpfarmers find market signals, previously denied them.

The inevitable question about GM came up. While discussing the effects of climate change, it was noted thata nasty nematode was making inroads into banana cropsat higher altitudes. The questioner said there was a GMcrop that was resistant, adding that it was about time to revisit some of the controls on GM. The answer came thatfarmers could boil the corms to protect against the nematode so there was no great urgency. Both “sides”looked smug. Yet it is not so much a matter of right/wrong,instead we should consider the other elements of sustain-able development. When we do, we would ask whether thelocal farmer can afford GM. And also ask whether they canget enough (cheap) labour to boil the corms. There seemsto be a consensus building around GM, best articulated byBob Watson Chief Scientific Adviser to DEFRA, who saidthat GM has little relevance to poverty in Africa arguing that existing technologies are enough, provided there is a bot-tom up approach that encourages local skills. However, healso said it would be stupid to ignore such a tool in our tech-nological armoury, in developed countries, when trying tofind new ways to improve sustainability.

This theme was spelt out in the keynote address. We needto intervene along the whole chain to get closer to harness-ing the potential of existing technologies and yet at thesame time innovate to keep meeting the challenges posedby climate change. We need to recognise the complexity ofthis debate and enjoy it – rather than stick to slogans. Whatis also agreed widely is that the rundown in R&D and associated scientists, that has occurred in both developedand developing countries over the last 20 years, could provecatastrophic – just at the time when we need them most.

Recently, the IDTechEx events Energy Harvesting & Storageand Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) & RTLS took placein Denver, CO, USA. The gala dinner featured the famousIDTechEx awards. The judges were Dr Richard Waters ofthe US Military SPAWAR program, Professor ShashankPriya of VirginiaTech University, and Dr Peter Harrop,Founder and Chairman of IDTechEx.

There were four award categories.

For the best technical development of an energy harvestingdevice, AdaptivEnergy won for its new Ground TransportHarvester.

For best technical development of a WSN/RTLS device, In-telligent Insights won for its impressive software platform.

The InSites Platform breaks new ground by providinghealthcare organisations with a single system capable oflocating patients, staff, equipment, and inventory via infor-mation derived through a variety of real-time locating(RTLS) technologies.

EnOcean won the award for the best application of an energystorage device. EnOcean specifically won the award for itspower-saving RF transmitter module STM 110C (315 MHz),which was launched in April 2008, which enables an easyimplementation of wireless and maintenance-free sensors.

For best application of WSN/RTLS, Awarepoint won for itsdeployment of RTLS/WSN at Jackson Health Systems.

Energy Harvesting and WSN & RTLS Award Winners Announced


“Waddya fink abart that bloke in the courts then? See -most ordinary people knew it all along. I mean all this climate change is a religion - just like any uvva religion. Imean you don’t have yer god or anything, but you’ve still gotall these people following a belief. To my mind, that’s a religion. Loada’ bollocks innit.”

So went the depressing cab ride to Charing Cross on thefirst Tuesday in November, just after Mr. Justice Burtonruled that “A belief in man-made climate change, and thealleged resulting moral imperatives, is capable if genuinelyheld, of being a philosophical belief for the purpose of the2003 Religion and Belief Regulations.”

Just in case you hadn’t heard about it: the CEO at Grainger,one of the UK’s top property firms, left his Blackberry behind whilst on a trip to Ireland. So critical was this over-sight, he instructed one of his employees to fly to Irelandand bring the device to him.

The employee, one Tim Nicholson, was no less than thecompany’s Head of Sustainability. (As I’ve observed beforein this column, you really couldn’t make it up.) Nicholsonexplained that whilst the company had good written policieson the environment, it didn’t abide by them and that whenhe tried to encourage a more environmentally responsibleapproach, he was obstructed by the management. Nichol-son in particular was singled out as having shown “con-tempt” for his stance.

And so the sorry tale went to court for a ruling to see if itcould go to tribunal. Nicholson got his leave for a tribunal,but not on the grounds that he had acted in a responsibleway or that a pair of such flights to deliver a mobile phonewere in direct contradiction to the company’s stated policy,but because climate change is a philosophical belief.

It gets worse.

In reaching this judgment, Mr Justice Burton concludedthat a belief in climate change, whilst ‘a political view aboutscience’ (’scuse me?), can also be “a philosophical viewabout science.”

The legal eagles must have been sipping their Chardonnaywith unusual glee, because it opens the doors - if not theproverbial floodgates - for any number of ‘deeply held beliefs’. Feminism, vegetarianism - one is sorely temptedto add cynicism, but I couldn’t sully the pages of this esteemed magazine with such, well, er…. cynicism?

But it’s not that which has got Grant’s goat. Whilst I can onlyadmire Tim Nicholson’s stance and be pleased for him from

a personal viewpoint, I find the basis for the judgment completely wrong-headed. Mr Nicholson said that “Themoral and ethical values are similar to those that are promoted and adopted by many of the world’s religions. Butone of the key differences I think is that mine is not a faith-based or spiritual-based belief: it is grounded in the over-whelming scientific evidence and it’s the combination ofthat scientific evidence with the moral and ethical impera-tive to do something about it that is distinct from a religion”.

The trouble is that the all-important technical context of theruling has been roundly ignored. It was in response toGrainger’s claim that to fall under existing legislation, hisbeliefs must have the same weight and certainty as thosephilosophical and religious beliefs protected by law. JusticeBurton ruled that they did. And so this reasoned ‘evaluationof conviction’ gets translated immediately into the handysound-bite: “climate change is a religion”.

In common with most freedom-loving democrats, I fullysupport and have often defended the rights of those whobelieve in ancient middle eastern prophets, in elephantinegods, or even the scientologists who believe in Xenu andthe Galactic Confederacy (although that is stretching itrather) to hold their beliefs and conduct their rituals astheir faith dictates. However to take the realisation and acceptance of climate change and put it on the same basisas faith in a supernatural deity is nothing less than ridiculous.

They are very different matters.

Climate change is an observable process underlined by anoverwhelming body of rigorously tested science and evidence, which is subscribed to by every respected scientificinstitution on the planet. That is not the definition of a religion or a philosophy. It does not represent a belief sys-tem. It is a matter of fact, such as the fact that the worldorbits the sun, or that our precious planet is a sphere - bothof which have been (and in some cases still are) challengedby some religions and philosophies.

To wrap this up - if Tim Nicholson had been an employeein, say, a large print works and the boss had told him topour the waste ink solvents into the local river, he would nodoubt have refused on the grounds that it would damagethe environment.

What’s the difference?

It’s not about religion or philosophy - it’s about commonsense.

RELIGION, PHILOSOPHY OR PLAIN OL’ COMMON SENSE?


With environmental concerns rising ever higher on the politicalagenda, the race is on to find proven techniques and technologiesthat will make the homes and buildings of the future sustainablein terms of their use of scarce natural resources.

With carbon footprint and conservation of fossil fuels hogging thelimelight, the developing national crisis in water shortages hastended to take a back seat, or be overlooked completely – partic-ularly when levels of rainfall seem normal, or abnormally high.

In truth, the average rainfall per head in the south of England isnow less than in most of the countries surrounding the Mediter-ranean. As a result, water supplies throughout England south ofthe Humber are now under stress, in many areas critically so.

With population growth predicted to continue, this is a problemthat is every bit as pressing as climate-change. Fortunately, salvation is at hand in the form of rainwater harvesting, a soundpractice that has been used successfully for thousands of yearsuntil the availability of seemingly limitless supplies of pure waterpiped conveniently direct to the sink.

Government’s response to diminishing water supplies has beento encourage, with only mixed results, economising on water consumption through the use of fitments such as low/dual-flushtoilets and aerated taps/shower-heads. The advantage of this advice is that it applies to the whole of the housing stock, andcould be expected, where employed, to reduce mains-water consumption per capita by around 20% - ie down to around 120 ltrsper person per day, from a current national average of 150 ltrs.

In new houses being built to the Code for Sustainable Homes, levels 3 & 4 of the Code demand a minimum standard of 105 ltrs

Steff Wright is the Chairman of the GustoGroup of Companies, and of Lincoln CityFootball Club. An award-winning developerof sustainable homes, he has been involvedwith the rainwater harvesting industry for10-years, and is one of the founding mem-bers of both the UK Sustainable Develop-ment Association and the UK RainwaterHarvesting Association.

Back to the future...with rainwater harvesting...


per person per day, a level that can be reached, for example,by installing smaller baths. This may not, however, be popular with consumers who might prefer other options –plus the luxury of being able to water their garden fromtime-to-time.

By the time levels 5&6 of the Code become mandatory,mains-water consumption per capita will need to be re-duced by a whopping 47%, compared to current consump-tion, down to 80 ltrs per person per day. This reducedconsumption can realistically only be achieved by incorpo-rating technologies such as rainwater harvesting and/orgrey-water recycling.

Of the two, rainwater harvesting, where circumstances per-mit, is both the most straightforward and cost-effective. Itworks, very simply, by filtering and storing the water fallingon a roof (usually), then using it to replace mains-water tosupply non-potable services such as toilet-flushing, clotheswashing machines, and the outside tap. From the home-owners perspective, all operations are entirely automaticwith the system management panel ensuring that water is

continuously available, and is supplied where and whenneeded. In short, from the users perspective it is indistin-guishable from using the normal mains supply.

Independent year-long monitoring of rainwater harvestinginstallations in service (see graph) shows that properly-sized systems provide nearly all of a typical household’sdemand for non-potable water, in the process reducing thedemand on mains-water by nearly 50%. In many commer-cial buildings this saving rises to in excess of 80%.

Buildings such as office blocks, retail parks, distributioncentres and sports stadia all share in common the potentialto capture very large volumes of rainwater. In many casesthe preponderance of usage in these buildings is non-potable (public toilets, fleet-washing, pitch/grounds irri-gation and forecourt wash-down) which makes thewater-collection and water-use equation extremely cost-effective – quite apart from the environmental benefits.

… the UK market for rainwater

harvesting has increased

ten-fold over 4-years …

… the use of rainwater

harvesting in Germany, is

c100 times the current use

in the UK …


The environmental impact of rainwater harvesting also includes carbon footprint savings. With the energy usedin transporting water to the point of its use being propor-tional to the distance involved, it clearly makes sense toretain non-potable water on-site and transport it a fewyards back into the building, rather than from the nearestwater-works. It also saves on the energy and chemicalsused in bringing water destined for toilet-flushing up todrinking water standard.

Full domestic rainwater harvesting systems are usuallybest installed at the new-build stage when fitting sepa-rate pipework for the non-potable water supplies can bedone easily and at very little extra cost; extension worksor refurbishment projects also present an opportunity toretro-fit systems to existing properties. Otherwise, retro-fitting systems to existing structures is usually only cost-effective for commercial building and offices (wherepipe-work is often visible or fed-through accessible serv-ice ducts) or, where houses are concerned, restricting the system to garden-irrigation use only.

For keen gardeners in areas potentially affected byhosepipe bans or drought orders, a garden-only systemmight in any case be preferable. Unlike full domestic systems, which are designed around maintaining crystal-clear water for use inside the house, garden-only sys-tems are optimised around the need to enter the summerperiod with a good body of water that will last through along hot summer. Providing no mains-water is introducedinto the storage tank at any time, such systems are notsubject to hosepipe bans.

So, subject to a few simple do’s and don’ts, rainwater harvesting does exactly what it “says on the tin”; it will reduce your domestic or commercial mains-water con-sumption by the amount for which it is designed. Thebasic do’s include buying your system from a reputablemanufacturer, operating to the UK Rainwater HarvestingAssociation’s code of practice, and do make sure that itis installed entirely in accordance with the manufac-turer’s instructions and water regulations.

This will ensure in turn that you don’t ever bring yourrainwater harvesting system into contact with the mains-water supply, except via the top-up system incorporatedinto the system by the manufacturer.

For further information visit www.uk-sda.org, orwww.ukrha.org

… a typical domestic rainwater

harvesting system provides

around 50% of a household’s

total consumption…

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There is a silent development crisis gathering pace aroundthe world today. It is silent because it affects primarily thosewho have the least power to speak up: women, children andthose living in extreme poverty. It is a crisis of sanitationand water.

Every year, 1.4 million children die from diarrhoea directlycaused by unsafe water and poor sanitation, and hundredsof millions of children miss school as a result of illness.This water and sanitation crisis is holding back human andeconomic development and the current response of the international community is inadequate.

Safe water to drink and a clean toilet are taken for grantedby most people but one in eight people around the world donot have clean drinking water. Furthermore, one in threedoes not have somewhere safe to go to the toilet, a shockingtotal of 2.5 billion people.

World Toilet Day happens every year on 19 November toraise awareness about sanitation issues and this year WaterAid is calling on Gordon Brown to make sanitation andwater a development priority. Water is important and WaterAid always works in integrated programmes of water,sanitation and hygiene. Here however, I will focus on sanitation. This is because of World Toilet Day and becausesanitation is often characterised as the poor cousin ofwater, getting less attention and money.

Every year, 1.4 million children die from diarrhoea directlycaused by unsafe water and poor sanitation. That is 4,000children dying every day for want of these basic humanrights. It is little known that diarrhoea is the second biggestkiller of under-fives around the world, and it kills more children than AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined.Using a safe toilet and washing your hands afterwards dramatically reduces the risk of getting diarrhoea.

However, the impacts of sanitation go beyond diarrhoea.Handwashing in particular has been shown to reduce therisk of pneumonia, the biggest killer of children, by up tohalf. With so many infections transmitted via dirty hands, itis worth remembering that the government advice forcombating swine flu is to wash your hands regularly.

Furthermore, history demonstrates that sanitation is apowerful catalyst for public health improvements and development gains. In Europe and North America, improve-ments in sanitation enabled unprecedented reductions inchild mortality in the twentieth century. In the UK, in thedecade from 1898, sustained investment in sanitation reduced infant mortality from over 160 per 1,000 live birthsto below 110.

It is clear then that sanitation benefits health but there areknock-on benefits in other areas. The World Health Organ-isation has found that when all the benefits of access to

sanitation are quantified and added together, every dollarinvested brings at least a $9 return. This is mainly becauseof all the school days and working days lost through illnessthat would be regained. For people in rich countries, diarrhoea is an inconvenience but in poor countries it canmean weeks off school, time in hospital if you are luckyenough to get to one, or even death for 4,000 children everyday.

Building a toilet can be cheap but it is the poor who areleast able to finance their way out of poverty. Indeed, twothirds of the 900 million people without water live on lessthan $2 a day. Furthermore, the richest 20% in many coun-tries are three times more likely to use improved sanitationthan the poorest 20%.

Given the scale of the crisis, and the massive potential benefits, why is so little happening? There are a multitudeof reasons and the responsibility lies with both developingcountry governments and donor governments. First of all,institutional fragmentation means that in many countries,responsibility for delivering these essential services is splitacross several ministries. This is especially true for sanitation, which often falls between the gaps of ministriesof water, health, education and environment. Accountabilityis further undermined by the fact that the burden of the crisis is borne disproportionately by women, children andthose in extreme poverty – the very people who have theleast voice in key decision-making processes.

But there are other more banal reasons. Political leadersrarely extol the virtues of toilets. Health centres andschools are far easier ideas to sell. Who wants their phototaken next to a loo? What is needed is leadership and forthis problem to be given the political attention it deserves.The international development community must now urgently bring together high level bodies that can target resources at the areas of failure.

Sanitation is a critical development sector but it rarely getsthe attention it deserves. This World Toilet Day on 19 November, we are calling on Gordon Brown to be a sanitationchampion. Join us by adding your voice - go to our petitionat www.wateraid.org/myphoto

Barbara Frost is the Chief Executive of WaterAid. She joined WaterAid in September 2005 after nine years as Chief Executiveat Action on Disability and Development (ADD). Barbara has previously worked in Africa for over seven years with ActionAid,Save the Children, and Community Aid Abroad, managing programmes in Mozambique and Malawi.

WaterAid is a leading independent organisation which enables theworld’s poorest people to gain access to safe water, sanitation andhygiene education. We work in Africa, Asia and the Pacific regionand campaign globally with our partners to realise our vision of aworld where everyone has access to these basic human rights.

The Silent Crisis Barbara FrostChief Executive, WaterAid


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Lloyds TSB has a number of key steps in place to managethe organisation’s impact on the environment. Amongstthese is a focus on water efficiency and tackling thosebuildings in its portfolio which have the highest water usageper capita on each site.

A two year project began in 2004 which identified 500 siteswhere water use exceeded 15 cubic metres per capita peryear. This comprised primarily toilet, urinal and tap usage,as well as small scale kitchen areas. With help from theWater Technology List (WTL), managed by Defra and HMRCin partnership with Envirowise, Chris Wilson and his teamidentified a series of water efficient products which offeredthe potential for both cost and water savings.

Working with Dart Valley Systems, whose products arelisted on the WTL, the company commissioned the installation of Flushmatic urinal controls which provide anautomatic flush on demand, rather than a constant streamof water. More than 300 of these controls were installed inrelevant stores, as well as retrofit displacement devices toreduce flush volume on traditional toilet cisterns.

“The installation itself took place with minimum disruptionto the stores and the process actually helped to raiseawareness among employees of the importance of waterconservation, as part of our wider environmental activities,”says Chris. “We were delighted to achieve average reductions of as much as 50% per branch, bringing wateruse per employee down to 7 cubic metres per year.”

Lloyds TSB is now embarking on a second phase of activity,using the new 7 cubic metre figure as a benchmark, aiming

for continuous improvement. After an initial investment of£25,000, the company is aiming for total savings of £90,000or 50,000 cubic metres of water over the second phase.

Crucially, as the urinal controls were sourced via the WTLthey are eligible for Enhanced Capital Allowances (ECA) forwater saving technologies, which enables businesses toclaim 100% first-year capital allowances on their spendingon qualifying plant and machinery. This allows companiesto write off the full cost of these products against the tax-able profits of the period in which the qualifying expenditurewas incurred - delivering a helpful cash flow boost and ashortened payback period on the investment.

“We would certainly recommend that other businesses explore how products on the WTL could help them achievefinancial and environmental benefits. The process has beenso smooth and has not required large amounts of manage-ment time, yet we are seeing the cost benefits already,”adds Chris.

Kate Davis, Envirowise water specialist, says: “This is anexcellent example of what can be achieved by making relatively simple changes - we look forward to hearing theresults of the next phase of activity.”

As well as partnering the Water Technology List, Envirowiseworks with businesses across a wide range of industry sectors to help encourage water efficient practice. More information is available at www.envirowise.gov.uk/water

More information on ECAs is also available www.eca-water.gov.uk

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successBehind the scenes at UK stores of Lloyds TSBan innovative change has been taking placein the most mundane of places – with greatresults. Chris Wilson from Lloyds TSB’sTechnical Operations team finds out more…


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Tel 0121 328 6824E mail – [email protected]. impulsebathrooms.com

Be Water Smart Be Part G SmartAlthough the new Building Regulations Part G hasbeen delayed, there is no doubt that restrictions onthe amount of potable water used in new buildingswill be imposed in the near future. We presentlyconsume an average of 150 litres per person perday, of which 33% is used for WC flushing. Whilstthe current WC standard is for 6/3 litre dual flushoperation, Impulse Bathrooms has led the way indeveloping the 4.5/3 litre low volume dual flush WC.It is DEFRA registered as a water saving applianceand included on the Water Technology list, has beenawarded the Waterwise marque, is WRAS approvedand conforms to Building Regulations and BritishStandards.

Not only does it operate a low volume flush but italso makes absolutely sure that the flush does cleanthe pan and also clears water through to the drains,delivering the required initial flush volume and velocity, coupled with the 2.5 litres of trailing waterrequired by the regulations.

And yet it costs no more than the standard 6/3 litreflush model and there is no premium added forthis water saving technology.

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Over the last year, new crises have been arising one afteranother. The financial and economic crisis just swallowedup the food crisis. According to the United Nations Food andAgriculture Organisation (FAO), the effects of the crisis andthe slowdown in the economic activity “have deprived morethan a hundred million people of access to adequate foodsupply”. And closer to a billion people are probably sufferingfrom malnutrition.

Just like access to water, access to food is a right that,when respected, gives dignity and security. Today, fooddeficit and insufficient water resources constitute privileged topics for the media and political leaders.

But it is striking to observe that these issues are rarely addressed together and that emphasis is practically neverput on their interdependence. Yet food crisis and watershortages are inextricably tied together.

Indeed, water is an element that is essential to the productionof food.

Agriculture alone accounts for the consumption of close to75% of the water resources used on earth.

And the pressure applied on these resources is constantlyincreasing due to global changes that affect the planet.Water catchment has tripled in the last 50 years and irrigated zones have doubled during the same period andwe all know that this trend will not be reversed in the fore-seeable future for the following reasons:

Each decade sees a billion new inhabitants on earth. Itmeans that world food production will have to double by2050 with much more water available.

The improvement of living conditions with, as a corol-lary, growing urbanisation lead to changes in food dietsthat consume increasing amounts of water. Rememberthat a meatless diet only uses 2,000 litres of water perday against 5,000 litres for a diet including meat. Eatinga kilogram of beef boils down to consuming 13,000 litresof water needed for its production. This volume corre-sponds to the “hidden water resources” also known as“virtual water”.

Climate change with its uncertainties may play a role inthe increase of shortages and, further down the road,in costly efforts to ensure protection against floods andpollution.

So how can we feed the world’s population while preservingwater, biodiversity and ecosystems?

Concerning agriculture, we also have to make people realise that “the time of water comes easy” is over. We haveno choice but to adopt a more intelligent and efficient formof management.

Faced with an abundance of mollifying discourses and announcements effects, let’s try to focus on a few concrete,long-lasting and sustainable proposals.

The first consists in restoring the credibility of agricultureby recreating a “virtuous circle of Southern farmers” andnotably encourage all forms of production as close as possible to the consumer. To this effect, the recent creationof an African Agricultural Fund, even though it remainsmodest, represents a step in the right direction and so isthe World Bank Fund for Agriculture and Food. The notion


water to feedthe planet

that human development also relies on agriculture is a newone compared to what international institutions have pref-ered for decades i.e. the growth of industry or services.

The second proposal consists in reinvesting massively inthe management of agricultural water: increase yields,track leakages, reduce abysmal losses, use the best suitedtechnologies. The potential for progress is considerable andthe cost not always that high.

In short, increasing water productivity should no longerraise fears as long as it allows reducing tensions over waterresources.

The third proposal, which is more challenging while beingformidably innovative in people’s minds, consists in prefer-ring dry cultivation which uses mostly rain water with little irrigation. This is a good way to start understandingand implementing the concept of virtual water.

The fourth proposal will consist, using all relevant legal andregulatory levers, in preferencing an agriculture that is alsocapable of preserving the quality of the resource, ecosys-tems and biodiversity. This ranges from a more modern andmore rational use of fertilisers and pesticides up to thesupport to truly organic cultures, breeding and aquaculturewithout chemicals.The fifth and sixth proposals are rathertaboo subjects but these we cannot leave aside.

First they consist in reducing drastically the amount of foodwasted in the North as well as in the South. A recent reportsubmitted by Sweden shows that in some countries 30 to40% of the food is wasted, which corresponds to at least 40billion litres of water that is the domestic needs of a popu-lation of 500 million people.

Then there’s the more recent debate on the purchase orrental of arable land in poor countries by companies fromrich countries.

15 to 20 million hectares located in developing countrieshave been subject to foreign investments since 2006. Rejecting this process, while it is accepted for mining or in-dustrial investments, would be going to an extreme. Let’slearn to set the conditions for controlled and shared landreclamation with a valued and non exploited local labouralong with the obligatory transfer of knowledge. Here again,water for agriculture can be encouraged.

These few proposals demonstrate the need for an enhanced agro-responsibility and hydro-vigilance. Withouta better used and better shared water, there will be no improvement in agrarian performance. This involves raisingthe awareness of the citizens to bring to food the water itimperatively needs. The good governance of agriculturalwater obviously calls for as much science as awareness.

Loïc Fauchon President, World Water Council


Most people would subscribe to the ethical proposition that the management of food andwater on the planet should provide for both well-fed populations and the protection of theenvironment. In fact the view through the contemporary looking glass becomes more andmore “impossible” viewed through the prism of how we get to that better state of affairs. Here are some of the inescapable realities – and ethical puzzles - in the water/agriculture relationships facing our world.

“Alice laughed: “There’s no use trying,” she said;

“one can’t believe impossible things.”

“I daresay you haven’t had much practice,”

said the Queen. “When I was younger, I always

did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes

I’ve believed as many as six impossible things

before breakfast.”2

The Global Ethics of Food Security

and Water use in Agriculture:

Check Lists from an increasingly impossible situation1

margaret catley carlson


It takes one litre of water to make one calorie of energy.

More people = more food needs = more water needsin agriculture.

More prosperity = more food protein demands =higher water needs.

Biofuel energy – if we met 1/5 of our fuel needs withbiofuels, the water consumed would equal all thewater used in agriculture today.

Populations are still growing – the global total is nowpast 6.8 billion; the maximum and fastest populationgrowth will generally occur in the most water stressedareas.3

Climate change forecasts are firming up to predict realregional water shortfalls.

Agricultural water demand is sharply increasing. Municipal and industrial water use show a sharp increase.

Recent food prices doubling/tripling showed that foodtrade will attract speculative funds and that protectionistresponses will be swift and widespread.4

Groundwater depletion – we are headed for a brick wallin many key areas: China, India.

70 river basins are closing which means that no morewater can be taken from them. This affects 1.4b peoplewho have no water left for more development if today’spatterns of use continue: Yellow River, Colorado,Amu/Syr Darya, Murray-Darling, Egypt’s Nile, Lerma-Chapala, Jordan, Gediz, Zayanda Rud, Indus, Cauvery,Krishna, Chao Phraya,….5

And here are some of the equally inescapable ‘impossibili-ties’ – impossible in the sense that if food and water are es-sential to life itself, it seems impossible that we, as anintelligent innovative species given the above changes,countenance these developments.

Falling investments in agricultural research for cropsmost important to poor people.

Few or negative changes in incentives for agriculturalchange.

Population growth is a taboo subject; attracting little/noinvestment.

The Doha international trade round is stuck, being rapidly replaced by bilateral agreements.

Agricultural subsidies remain, even in high price climate – these are a major factor in agriculture production decisions, including water use. The fabledEuropean cow which attracts 2 Euros in subsidies perday surpasses the daily income of 2 billion people onthe planet.

There are many closed doors and closed minds todrought and temperature resistant GMOs.

Maps of potential conflict areas grow.

Fisheries – ocean and freshwater fisheries are at or beyond sustainability limits.

The essential food/agriculture/water dilemmas….

Agriculture takes about 75% of the water used byhuman activity.

Water scarcity is a threat to food security but we areNOT running out of drinking water – we are running outof economic water – agricultural, energy, industry,tourism uses are in competition.

The needs of the poor and environmental needs every-where tend to lose in competitions for water.

It is the poor people that are hungry and the hungrypeople that are poor. Increasing the amount of foodavailable globally does not help those that cannot purchase it.

About 70% of the poor – and the hungry - live in ruralareas. They need specific and targeted rural development– roads, water infrastructure, crop and farming methodimprovement related to rainfed agriculture.

Insistence on cheap food, especially in North America,leads to more demands for market-distorting subsidies.

Many countries have made remarkable gains in agriculture and food production – India, China,Bangladesh, Brazil – to name but a few.

So,

What needs to be done?

Why it is so difficult to do what needs to be done?

What needs to be done? This is not the difficult part. We canset out the solutions.

Get more crop per drop. We have to improve crop yieldsabove the dismal 1 to 1.5 tonnes per hectare (about thesame as Roman Empire agricultural crops) and getthese up to 80% of what high yield farmers get fromcomparable land.6 We have done it before; we feed 6 billion now on little more land than we fed 2.5 billion.

We need multifunctional integrated Agriculture-Aqua-culture. Ditto livestock.

Expand policies and take key actions to upgrade rainfedsystems - this is the highest potential for poverty reduc-tion and water productivity gains.

Some existing technology needs to be more available.

Africa has under 10% of its irrigation potential.

Sub-Saharan Africa uses less fertilizer thanBangladesh.

Some newer technologies need to be more used.

Water harvesting.

Supplemental irrigation.


Field water conservation to reduce evaporation –zero till.

What are the enabling conditions for these things to happen?Aha. This is a zone of much less comfort.

Cost & affordability – poor farmers are not a priority formost countries, either in national budget or develop-ment assistance.

Price and profitability – we demand cheap food; theagricultural sector in low income countries does notthrive.

It is a politically fraught process to reform water and/oragricultural incentives and institutions.

Why is it so difficult to do what needs to be done?

By common consent, the problem is management.Water is badly, or not sufficiently well managed every-where. Pipes are easier to fix than management.

No further science innovations are required to achieve90% of the desired water management objectives. Thelast 10% can be achieved with better monitoring systems, forecasting and data management.

There are technical answers but these do not becomeimplementable solutions without investment.

Policies outside of the water sector have a huge influ-

ence on water resources – diets, trade, agriculturalsubsidies, energy.

More and more, solutions to difficult problems can befound only in composite actions.

No single idea will serve – no piece of infrastructure, nonew fund, no programme, no piece of technology, nodraconian social engineering, no dramatic price movement (though these may all play roles).

The difficult problems of our time – global climate variability, homelessness, the obesity epidemic, narcotics trade, rational water use, finding and usingcleaner energy - all of these require changes from thousands if not millions of players.

This creates a political problem of some considerablemagnitude: leaders are expected to ‘do something’ inresponse to disasters, threats and challenges.

Today’s real answer is often that a great number ofplayers all need to “do something”.

If each one of us became vegetarian for a day or two aweek, it would have an astonishing impact on worldwater use in agriculture. Why not?

The trick is to find the mechanisms that will increasethe chances that they will move in the right directions.

Is policy change possible outside of drought, disaster,massive human displacements?

1 The basic elements of this piece were delivered at the4TH MARCELINO BOTIN WATER WORKSHOP, Santander Spain, September 16.08.2009 Proceedings willbe published by the Foundation.

2 Lewis Carroll – Alice Through the Looking Glass

3 Digital Journal, July 11, 2009. United Nations Chief addresses one solution to the challenge of overpopulationon World Population Day, as the world’s human populationnow reaches 6.8 billion people.

4 FPRI – Coping with current high food prices: what, whoand how of Proposed Policy Actions. 2008

5 Molden et al, The Comprehensive Assessment: Water forfood, Water for life.

6 Molden p 2

We have a duty to hope – the problem list is vast and complex, so are the ethical dilemmas.We must take heart from the fact that the human community has been innovative. We mustgive our leaders confidence that we will support actions that address these problems andwe must each act as if the planet and its creatures’ lives were at issue – indeed they are.


Each year the Food and Drink Federation’s (FDF) CommunityPartnership Awards recognise the inspirational work undertaken by companies in the food and drink sector tomake a real difference through their contributions to localschools and hospitals, sponsorship of sports activities, andsupporting cultural and civic projects.

This year a new category was introduced to recognise thework companies are doing to reduce their environmentalimpact. The Environment category was split into two sections – one looking at consumer-facing initiatives, theother rewarding business best practice.

An overwhelming number of companies sent entries forthis new category – a clear indication of the energy and passion being put behind such activities by food and drinkcompanies of all sizes across the country. It is truly testament to their commitment that despite the recession,companies have continued to see the importance of investingtheir time, money and effort in environmental initiatives.After all, one would fear that all perceived ‘non-essentials’of core business would disappear in a recession.

The importance of environmentally sustainable business iscertainly not new to the food industry, nor is it viewed asbeing ‘non-essential’. In fact, industry’s commitment to environmental initiatives is a long-standing one as it recognises that it has a key role to play in bringing homethe message that industries across the country have to takeimmediate action to tackle the most crucial sustainabilitychallenges that the entire world is currently facing.

FDF launched its Five-fold Environmental Ambition in 2007,in which FDF and its member companies committed tomake a significant contribution to improving the environment by targeting those areas where they felt theycould make the biggest difference, namely:

Significantly reducing CO2 emissions

Striving to send zero food and packaging waste to landfill

Cutting the amount of packaging reaching households

Reducing the amount of water used in their factories

Achieving fewer, and friendlier, food transport miles

The Ambition’s first annual progress report in 2008 showedthat companies had made impressive steps towards fulfilling these commitments. More and more companies continue to sign up to the Ambition, whilst those who arealready signatories have begun the process of reportingback annually on their progress.

The second annual report will be released in December thisyear.

Food companiescontinue to do the

right stuff despite recession


The progress made by companies through the Five-fold Environmental Ambition, and the exciting and innovativeprogrammes that businesses across the sector have devel-oped to engage with consumers on environmental issues,was a clear motivator for including the category as part ofCPA. The Awards offer the opportunity to really celebratethe highly innovative and exemplary work that has been un-dertaken by companies across the industry to make an im-provement to the environment, whether they are membersof FDF or not.

This year’s Awards judging panel was made up of food industry experts, who had the unenviable job of sortingthrough a record number of entries to decide on the gold,silver, bronze and highly commended award winners.

Despite the high number of entries, the Awards can onlyprovide a brief taste of what is actually happening aroundthe country but the winners are all great examples of bestpractice – and showcasing them in this year’s competitionhelps to promote the important role the sector plays rightat the heart of Britain’s communities and the great achieve-ments it has made to improve its impact on the environ-ment.

Please read on for more information on the award-winningschemes from this year’s Community Partnership Awards.

Environment: Consumer-facing InitiativesTaylor’s of Harrogate (Gold)

Founded in 1886, Taylors of Harrogate is an independentfamily business blending and packing tea and coffee thatgoes into Yorkshire Tea, Taylors Coffees and Speciality Teas.

In 2004 Taylors launched a community recycling initiative‘The Cone Exchange’, which aimed to step up the work itwas doing with the local community whilst reusing and recycling waste from its factory.

The idea came from children in the local community whoturned cardboard cones from Taylors’ factory into Christ-mas tree angels, which they sold to raise funds for charity.This inspired the launch of The Cone Exchange. One of Tay-lors’ employees got into character as the recycling pirate‘Captain Rummage’, whose mission was to turn trash intotreasure!

Taylors works with Social Enterprises and schools whichgive the company’s waste a new lease of life. Taylors alsoruns an on-pack promotion, whereby tokens collected fromTaylors’ packs of tea and coffee are turned into contribu-tions for it’s Yorkshire Rainforest Project.

With the help of The Cone Exchange, the family businessnow recycles almost 30% of the waste from its factory. Taylors has increased community involvement throughworking with over 100 schools and community groups inStarbeck, as well as increasing the amount of recycling car-ried out by staff and in the local community.

Jordans & Ryvita Company (Silver)

Research by the British Beekeepers Association has foundthe UK bee population is under serious threat. This hasprompted Jordans, in collaboration with ConservationGrade, to launch ‘The Big Buzz’.

The aim of the project is to engage people with bees as pol-linating insects and educate them to the fact that farmlandwildlife habitat loss has massively contributed to the de-cline of bees in the UK.

Working in partnership with local communities and non-Government organisations, Jordans has:

developed interactive educational exhibits to help chil-dren understand the importance of bees to the environ-ment. These have been installed at Kew Gardens,Pensthorpe Nature Reserve and Hitchin CommunityBee Garden.

given away thousands of bee-friendly plants to createhabitats for bees in gardens similar to those used onthe Conservation Grade farms that supply Jordans withits cereals.

Conservation Grade farmers are required to attend a train-ing programme and implement specific wildlife habitats ontheir land. They are independently audited to ensure theycomply with this and their ongoing impact on wildlife diver-sity and numbers is monitored closely.

The purpose of The Big Buzz campaign is to communicatethe benefits of the Conservation Grade approach and to en-courage people to actively engage with bees and other pol-linators. Jordans hopes to give away at least 35,000bee-friendly plants and its educational exhibitions will beseen by approximately 400,000 people annually.

Nestlé UK (Bronze)

Nestlé UK believes that by finding long term business so-lutions it can generate benefits for both business and itslocal communities.

In response to consumer concerns regarding packaging,Nestlé became one of the first UK manufacturers to removeplastic inserts from its chocolate eggs, with the aim of re-ducing the estimated 4,500 tonnes of waste generated byEaster eggs each year.

Nestlé has succeeded in meeting its packaging reductiontarget by reducing packaging by 10% against a 2006 base-line. Nestlé no longer uses any plastic packaging in itssmall and medium eggs; the chocolate and eggs are nowsold in a recyclable cardboard basket.

Overall, Nestlé has reduced the total packaging weight ofits Easter eggs by 30%, exceeding the Waste & ResourcesAction Programme (WRAP) industry agreement of 25%.

The company provides clear recycling information on theback of packs to help consumers and, because the eggs aremore compact, the move will save 48,000 road miles intransportation. This initiative has led to Nestlé receivingpositive feedback from hundreds of consumers, as well asstakeholders such as WRAP.


Environment: Business Initiatives CategoryMüller Dairy (Gold)

Müller Dairy is committed to minimising the impact of itsbusiness on the environment and a number of considera-tions have shaped the way it has developed its sustainableenvironmental strategy.

The company carried out both an employee survey, whichrevealed they were passionate about the environment, andconsumer research, which showed consumers thoughtbusinesses should be doing more to address environmentalissues.

In addition, awareness of Government targets for a reduc-tion in waste and utility consumption, and the need to com-ply with requirements from suppliers in relation toenvironmental issues, led Müller Dairy to develop its envi-ronmental programme. It created the role of Head of CSRand established a CSR team to ensure its environmentalprogramme embraced all areas of the company.

To date, Müller Dairy has been involved in a variety of ini-tiatives including becoming the first dairy company to jointhe Carbon Trust as a pilot partner. This enabled it to meas-ure the carbon footprint of one of its lines and indentifywhere carbon emissions could be reduced.

This initiative revealed that 59% of emissions were gener-ated on the farm so Müller Dairy worked with contractedlocal farmers to measure their individual carbon footprintsand advise them on how to reduce their emissions.

To measure its progress, Müller Dairy set targets to reducewaste to landfill by 66% by 2011 and send zero waste tolandfill by 2015; to reduce packaging weight by 10% by2010; and to reduce energy use by 8% by the end of 2011.To date the company – which also aims to minimise foodmiles through working with local suppliers - is on track tomeet these ambitious targets.

Pinneys of Scotland (Silver)

Pinneys of Scotland supplies premium quality salmon andseafood products for the UK and European retail market.

Pinneys carried out an extensive environmental audit toidentify areas for improvement in order to develop a carbonmanagement programme. The company then set ambitioustargets to drive it towards environmental excellence.

Reflecting the key elements of the Food and Drink Federa-tion’s Five-fold Environmental Ambition, by 2010 Pinneyswill strive to implement:

improvement of its carbon footprint

a zero waste to landfill policy

a 25% reduction in water consumption

an Environmental Management System

strong customer alliance.

To achieve these goals Pinneys developed an environmentalstrategy with seven pillars, climate change, water usage,

sustainability, people, packaging and raw materials, prod-uct development, and waste, and set objectives for eachstrand with continued measurement.

Key achievements include:

diverting 77% of waste from landfill

a 5.2% increase in recycling between 2007 and 2008(now, over 6% of the company’s waste is recycled)

a 10% weight reduction across most product packaging

an 18% reduction in the company’s carbon footprint

an 11.7% reduction in electricity consumption fromprocess redevelopments

a 31.15% reduction in waste per ton of finished productyear on year

a 40% reduction in energy usage per cook through theintroduction of a temperature monitoring system.

Premier Foods (Bronze)

Aware of its responsibility to the environment, PremierFoods is committed to improving its environmental per-formance. Its objective is to provide a comprehensiveframework of good environmental management practicesthat are applied across the business and extended throughthe supply chain.

To achieve this, Premier Foods developed a new Five StarEnvironmental Awards Scheme, which was introduced inSeptember 2008.

The scheme is aimed at putting environmental issues firmlyon the agenda, helping Premier Foods meet its environ-mental commitments over the next few years, particularlyin the areas of energy, waste and water management.

Bronze, Silver and Gold stars are awarded in recognition ofthe performance in each category. The scheme has raisedthe profile of the environment and the desire to improve en-vironmental performance throughout the business.

Key improvements to date include:

energy performance, in line with the 5% year on yearenergy reduction target

waste to landfill reduction, in line with the 20% year onyear reduction target

a high level of response to the Federation House Com-mitment on water reduction.

The scheme has been successful in encouraging busi-nesses to become actively involved with their local commu-nities by promoting constructive dialogue and respondingto local issues and concerns.

We need to produce more food – more sustainably. Whilethis applies worldwide, it is even more crucial to do so inthe UK. The UK relies on food imports more than any othercountry, producing only 60% of the food we eat and lessthan ¾ of the food we can produce ourselves.

World Food SecurityThe fragility and importance of our food systems wasthrown into sharp relief in 2007-08 as food prices rocketed.This was due to droughts in Australia, increased demandfrom China and India, more land - especially in US, beingused for biofuels, and speculators turning to a quick buckduring financial turbulence.

Was this price hike just a blip or the start of somethingmore? Chatham House - the Government think tank, setout 4 scenarios – just a blip, food inflation, into a new era,food in crisis1. Asked in 2009 which of these scenarios wasmost likely, they said it could be any of them2. Franz Fischler(former EU Agriculture Commissioner) reckoned that foodprices in the EU are likely to remain high for 10 years.3

While the world has responded by bringing new land intoproduction (eg. in Eastern Europe but also set aside landin the EU), the longterm trends of increasing demand onland are not going to go away.

Witness how China, Saudi Arabia, Japan and others are“landgrabbing” – ie. leasing vast chunks of other people’scountries for up to a 100 years, in order to guarantee theirsupplies. They are not going to rely on the market for their “food security”. It also reminds us that there are manymore issues concerning food – including land, climate, andhealth, where buying it as cheaply as possible is not goodfor us. Perhaps we should pay more and invest more in itsproduction here.

This issue of ensuring food supplies, called food security,was first recognised internationally in 1943. The HotSprings Conference, called by Roosevelt and a forerunnerof the FAO, stated a resolution that “each country produceas much as possible”. This would seem to be both emi-nently sensible and moral.

Cereals 1980 1000 tonnes 2004% Contribution 1980% Contribution to world

2004

World 1573227 2270360 100

United Kingdom 18840 22030 1.20 0.97

Livestock

World 136219 260098 100 100

United Kingdom 3009 3270 2.21 1.26

Fruit & Vegetables

World 629744 1383649 100

United Kingdom 4286 2881 0.68 0.21

Sustainable Food Secu

Table 1 Decline in UK contribution to World Food Production 1980-2004


urity

ProductChange in area

planted (%)

Change in volume

of production (%)

Carrots -8 +13

Parsnips -18 -13

Turnips and swedes -14 -9

Onion -7 +6

Brussel sprouts -41 -42

Cabbage -26 -17

Cauliflower and broccoli -23 -36

French and runner beans -46 -49

Peas for market -40 -28

Peas for processing -15 -26

Asparagus +73 +66

Leeks -28 +3

Field lettuce -1 -20

Rhubarb -36 -17

Tomatoes -34 -26

Cucumbers -39 -31

Apples -33 +29

Pears -40 -14

Plums -31 +17

Strawberries +6 +125

UK SecurityThe Hot Springs resolution to produce more was implemented by the then Labour Government and followedin the UK. For the first time since the Repeal of the CornLaws which had encouraged the import of cheap food ahundred years earlier, the UK invested more in its own food production. However, this went out of the window in the late1980s. The Conservative Government followed the recommendations of the Barnes Report4 and crossed offany Government research which it felt should be carried outby industry rather than the state. The Government decided,“why bother researching and producing it ourselves whenwe can get it cheaper from abroad”. This cheap and cheerfulpolicy – basically the “leaving it to Tesco” approach, hascost dearly – both in terms of health but also in terms ofthe environment. Cheap food is not good for us, nor theplanet.

In the world context the contribution of UK to food productionis small – less than 2%. In the last 25 years, that small contribution has declined further– by a fifth for cereals,nearly half for livestock and over 2/3 for fruit and vegetables.5

This decline comes at a time when hunger is still prevalent(and rising) with about a billion people going hungry in theworld each day. While very few die of hunger in Britain,about 70,000 will die early due to diet related disorders.6

The situation, where about a billion people worldwide gohungry while about the same number are now obese, iscalled by the World Health Organisation “the double burden”.

The WHO Europe also recommends that “producing foodlocally, particularly fruit and veg, is the most sustainableway forward as it links rural and urban populations”. 7

Yet fruit and vegetables production in UK has fallen dramat-ically – about half for peas/beans/fruit and vegetables overthe last ten years but asparagus is getting popular!

Table 2 UK Vegetable production 1997 – 2006 8


One of the reasons the UK was particularly hit by the foodprice rises was that we depended more on world marketsthan others, especially in Europe. We shift food, popularlyknown as ‘food miles’ thanks to Tim Lang9, more than othercountries. With oil prices likely to stay high, the issue ofhigher costing imports is not going to go away. However,our home grown food also uses a lot of oil, particularly interms of nitrogen fertiliser production.

UK SustainabilityAdded to oil/energy consumption is the contribution of foodand farming to global warming. According to the Stern Report, farming and food produce about a fifth of all greenhouse gases.

The three main elements of this in farming are; animal production - 31% mainly from methane: 38% from fertilisersreleasing nitrous oxide (300 times more potent than CO2):change in land use from forest to farm. Farming is exemptfrom Emissions Trading Schemes and yet any targets setin Copenhagen have not got any chance of being reachedwithout dramatic reductions in GHGs from farming, yetfarming is one of the few sectors which could help reducecarbon emissions.

The ecological footprint is a measure of all our environmen-tal impacts measured as land surface. According to ecolog-ical footprint calculations for food, the UK requires 5 timesits own land surface to produce the food we consume; this takes into account the area for the food wegrow here, but also that abroad. To this is the area of land,the footprint also measures the area needed to produce theenergy (eg biofuels) and the land (as trees) needed to absorb the carbon dioxide emitted.10

So while we have to produce more food – especially in theUK, we have to do it more sustainably. This is a massive challenge and will require much more investment in research and development, which has been sadly lackingin the last 20 years. More investment needs to be made intoresearch and development, reversing years of rundown –since the late 1980s. According to the National FarmersUnion, the number of government research stations hasdeclined from 17 to 3 in the last 20 years. This includes theloss of the Plant Breeding Institute, Glasshouse Research,Long Ashton Fruit and Wye Hop Research, perhaps thebiggest loss! We need more state funding. The figurequoted to the recent EFRA Select Committee on “SecuringUK Food Supplies to 2050” was that we need about £100mill to fill the research hole11.

We need R&D more than ever to investigate the variousroads to “sustainable food security”. Some say that “productivity” is the answer, often referring to a magic target of 20 tonnes/hectare for wheat. Beddington initiatedresearch which said it was feasible, would pay a high pricein environmental impacts that only GM could rectify.12 Whilethis could be achieved – it would still only be on the bestland. Yet what we should talk about is productivity for thewhole country – which means producing food on our poorerland. That will require using a wider variety of plants in allsorts of situations – using more derelict land, more mar-ginal land and even golf courses if Edinburgh Council hasits way.13

Whatever route, we are going to have to pay more for ourfood. This sounds like blasphemy in the face of the god ofcheap food. 40 years ago we paid about 40% of our wageson food, 20 years about 20%, and now about 10%. Clearlywe can’t go on like that but we cannot rely or expect con-sumers to pay more. This is too big an issue for individualsto deliver through the checkouts.


Invest in Land/SoilInstead of selling food as “value for money”, we need to advertise “values for money”. These values should includehealth effects, environmental impacts and social improve-ments – particularly wages and safety for food and farmworkers. UK farmers and farmworkers are more likely tobe killed while working than any other group of workers –being killed at twice the rate of building workers14. They aretruly the killing fields of the UK.

The Common Agricultural Policy is worth about £40billionand could provide for the “sustainable elements”. At presentPillar 1 funding (about 90%) pays farmers for the land theyfarm, with the remaining 10% going to environmentalschemes. The pillars could be balanced so that half goesfor land farmed and the other half (Pillar 2) for measuressuch as reduced carbon emissions, better energy use, lessfossil fuel, less pesticides and water conservation.

However, our food and farms needs much more than that,requiring a change in political will that values all the aspects of improved food production. If the EU could pay forsustainability, we still need UK investment to ensuregreater security. At a time when billions seems to be spenton circulating money, it would seen eminently sensible toinvest in our own back garden – our soil. When people arelooking for a new Green Deal, what better investment?

Our living soil is our greatest resource that could do moreto alleviate global warming than any other. There is greatpotential for carbon sequestration in the soil.15 Here we cancapture more carbon and more safely than capturing frompower stations and then pressurising it through pipes to theNorth Sea. To do that we need not only the R&D but moreskills on the land. We should be paying decent wages forpeople to look after the soil, our land and our landscape.Let’s stop treating the soil like dirt.

Dr Charlie Clutterbuck

Specialist Adviser to EFRA Select Committee on “Securing UK FoodSupplies to 2050”

Host of www.sustainablefood.com - No 1 when you google “sustain-able food”!

Director Environmental Practice @ Work Ltd, producing onlinelearning materials

1 Chatham House Thinking about the Future of Food 2008www.chathamhouse.org.uk/files/11622_bp0508food.pdf

2 EFRA Select Committee. Oral Evidence in writing Chatham Housewww.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmselect/cmen-vfru/uc213-ii/uc21302.htm

3 International Food & Agricultural Trade Policy Conference 2007www.agritrade.org/events/documents/Fischler.pdf

4 Add Ref from BSE Inquiry.

5 FAO Statisticshttp://www.fao.org/ES/ess/yearbook/vol_1_1/site_en.asp?page=production

6 Cabinet Office Food Matters 2008http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/strategy/work_areas/food_pol-icy.aspx

7 WHO Europe Ref

8 https://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/publications/bhs/2008/default.asp

9 Term invented by my mate Tim Lang…

10 http://www.sustainanblefood.com….add specific page

11 EFRA Select Committee Securing UK Food Supplies to 2050http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/environ-ment__food_and_rural_affairs/efra_pn28_090721.cfm

12 Beddington’s research

13 http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/City-tees-up-plan-to.5706275.jp

14 http://www.healthandsafetypractices.co.uk/learn

15 http://www.ifpri.org/publication/potential-soil-carbon-sequest-ration

16 http://www.agritrade.org/events/documents/Falloux.pdf


Food waste


Food has always been a glorious part of our Christmas tradition in the UK but given newly-released data for household food and drink wastage, will we all have a closereye on festive excess and the amount of food wasted in thefuture?

Figures issued by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) in early November reveal that we throw out amassive 8.3 million tonnes of food, of which more than 60%(5.3 million tonnes) we could have consumed. This amountsto £12 billion worth of food and drink every year in thiscountry, costing the average household £50 every month.

In terms of environmental impact, producing, storing andgetting this wasted food and drink to our homes also usesmassive quantities of energy – 20 million tonnes of carbondioxide to be exact. Eliminating this waste would be liketaking one in four cars off UK roads.

But this isn’t all; there is also waste in the supply chain toconsider. Unfortunately, not all food procured by retailersmeets the required standards for sale to the public. Thenthere’s produce which is damaged during processing, pack-aging and transport. Latest figures suggest that 4.1 milliontonnes of food is wasted in the manufacturing process,while 1.6 million tonnes is wasted at the ‘back of store’.

When food waste is landfilled, it produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas which is 25 times more ‘warming’than CO2.

Retail initiatives and consumer impacts

The good news is the matter is well in hand. WRAP is wellknown for its work on reducing packaging and food wasteat household levels, but more recently the focus of its retailwork has widened to include the whole of the food supplychain.

For example, WRAP is currently undertaking research - duefor completion early 2010 - to identify the latest levels ofwaste in the grocery supply chain and propose solutions totackle the issues.

But the retail supply chain is not waiting around for thesefigures. Already, a series of new industry partnerships islooking to drive category-specific innovation in manufac-turing, packaging, storage, distribution and retail, to considerably reduce food and drink product damagethroughout the supply chain and improve product quality.

The research studies are being led by Adare, Campden BRI,East Malling Research, Giraffe Innovation and PremierFoods. ASDA, The Co-operative, Sainsbury’s, Somerfieldand Tesco are each involved with a project.

The findings are expected to generate a number of innovations and reveal insights into consumer behaviourand drivers, which will then be utilised in WRAP’s Love Food

Hate Waste campaign to bring about a positive impact onhousehold food and packaging waste.

This is not the only initiative on the go either; for examplethere is research into the waste caused by suboptimal chillchain management with the aim of producing recommen-dations to improve temperature control. The effectivenessof new packaging materials in protecting chilled foods fromtemperature variations will also be investigated.

While efforts to reduce packaging are full steam ahead insome areas, its role in improving the keeping quality of foodcontinues in others. For example, vacuum packaging isknown to have considerable potential to reduce meat wastebut it can also reduce packaging as a whole, meeting twogoals simultaneously.

An ongoing study into ethylene and microbial contaminationthroughout the fresh produce handling chain is identifyingthe categories of fresh fruit and vegetables most wasted bythe consumer to assess the impact of a range of ethyleneremoval technologies. The use of ozone, which inhibits fungal growth and destroys ethylene, will also be tested.

And finally, research to tackle one the highest categoriesof food waste, bakery products, will involve detailed consumer research around behaviour and attitudes to understand key drivers for waste around purchasing, storage and usage habits of bread.

Love Food Hate Waste

Many retailers are also working with WRAP’s Love FoodHate Waste campaign to influence and change behavioursof consumers. The campaign, which offers tips on planning,storing and making the most of the food we buy has been aresounding success since its launch in November 2007 – tothe extent it is now helping around 2.1 million householdsto cut back on the amount of food thrown away.

This is estimated to have reduced food waste by some162,000 tonnes, saving £400m a year and preventing725,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases being emitted. This ismore than halfway towards the 250,000 tonne target WRAPis aiming for in 2011, saving 1.1m tonnes of CO2 equiva-lents.

A number of retailers have positively embraced the LoveFood Hate Waste theme; take Sainsbury’s ‘Love your Left-overs’ and Morrisons ‘Great Taste Less Waste’ campaigns,Tesco’s Greener Living website and in-store magazines,and The Co-operative’s use of Love Food Hate Waste material on till screens and grocery bags. Most retailersare also including tips and advice in their own magazines.

With this level of industry and consumer engagement,maybe this Christmas will be one where we make the verybest use of seasonal fare to the benefits of our pockets.


Getting wise with biowasteJeremy Jacobs

The Association for Organics Recycling (previously theComposting Association) was founded in 1995 as a resultof an increasing interest and awareness of biowastemanagement. At this early stage of the industry’s devel-opment, there was no Landfill Directive targets drivingthe sustainability agenda but there was a real desire toimprove the utilisation of this valuable resource.

In the interim fourteen years there has been significantexpansion and development within the sector. The indus-try has grown considerably to an estimated £166 millionindustry1 predominantly driven from the collection andprocessing of municipal garden waste either collected atthe kerbside or from civic amenity sites. The dynamics ofthe industry are, however, rapidly changing and it is forthis reason that the Association rebranded last year tobetter reflect the changing and expanding sector. Thisnew name, Association for Organics Recycling, (AfOR)reflects our core values and activities more accuratelythrough the coverage of a much broader spectrum ofbiowaste processing technologies than the previousname conveyed.

This industry has grown to a size whereby in 2007/08, 4.5million tonnes of biodegradable waste was activelyprocessed at biowaste management facilities. This was

carried out at a combination of both small on-farm facil-ities and larger centralised sites. The latter are evolvingto utilise a broader range of technologies, both to complywith regulatory requirements but also to enable them toprocess a wider range of inputs. Technologies include thetraditional open-air windrow composting of gardenwaste, through the more complex and capital intensivetechnologies such as in-vessel composting and anaerobicdigestion (AD) for the treatment of food and cateringwastes; and lastly the mechanical and biological treat-ment (MBT) of residual waste streams. All of these pro-cessing technologies produce an organic output ofvarying quality which has beneficial properties that maybe used in a range of applications from bespoke domesticcompost through to a soil amendment in land reclama-tion projects.

The main thrust of activity that has received most notableattention recently is the promotion and development ofAnaerobic Digestion. The interest in this technology hasbeen driven primarily as a result of the double RenewableObligation Certificates or ROCs being offered from April2009. In addition, this treatment is extremely well suitedfor dealing with the wetter waste streams that are harderto deal with in more conventional aerobic compostingsystems. Facilities, more so now than ever before, in lightof the economic downturn are keen to exploit the


market wherever possible and take in the harder to dealwith and less conventional feedstocks.

As a result of the interest in this area, the Government havewoken up to the potential of this technology and recognisedthe significant impact this will have in assisting them inmeeting their renewable energy obligations to deliver 15%of the UK’s energy requirements from renewable sourcesby 2020. To this end, Defra have published "Anaerobic Digestion – Shared Goals". This has been developed jointlywith a broad range of stakeholders including The Associa-tion for Organics Recycling.

As a result of increased pressures on Local Authorities todivert biodegradable material from landfill, the processingof a wider range of feedstocks including food and cateringwaste is now being pursued with more vigour than ever before. Less than 20% of the 4.5 million tonnes ofbiodegradable material processed in 2007/08 was food orcatering waste derived.

It is likely that, within the organics recycling sector, furtherconsolidation will occur as the barriers to entry are raisedboth in respect to statutory regulatory requirements butalso as sites require additional investment to comply withthe processing of more demanding feedstocks as these become available.

Security of sustainable markets for compost and digestateoutputs is an important aspect of biowaste managementand one that continues to require significant effort. AFOR,in conjunction with a number of other key stakeholders including the Waste and Resources Action Programme(WRAP), are working hard to build confidence within endmarkets with particular emphasis being given to agricul-ture, where in excess of 1.3 million tonnes of material wassent in 2007/08.

The most significant industry driver will continue, for theforeseeable future, to be that of diverting biodegradablematerial from landfill through the landfill diversion targets.With continued pressure at both a national and global levelto reduce green house gas emissions, the next phase ofGovernment policy is to actively target additional wastestreams that are still ending up in landfill. The most obviouscandidate here is that of food waste both from the domesticand commercial sectors. As highlighted earlier in this article, the percentage of food waste currently captured andtreated is still small. This should be seen as a real oppor-tunity for both processors, as a significant revenue gener-ator, and also for the Local Authorities as a means ofassisting them in meeting their landfill allowance tradingobligation (LATS) targets. This is already starting to manifest itself across the UK through additional infrastruc-ture investment and food waste collection schemes.

There is in the region of 40 million tonnes of carbon continuing to go to landfill. This is both unsustainable andhighly damaging to the environment in the long term. Notall of this material is suited for treatment through biologicaltreatment systems; however material which cannot be converted into a beneficial fertilizer replacement or soil

conditioner will be useful in replacing fossil fuels throughbiomass plants. Demand for this material is growing all thetime and a number of the Association’s members are starting to involve themselves in this market which offerssignificant potential in the future.

The collection and treatment of commercial waste streamsfrom industrial and commercial activities have been lessevident in the past, although this is changing as the landfilltax escalator starts to bite deeper (by 2013 this will standat £72/tonne) and certain waste types such as liquid wastesare less easily disposed of via the more traditional route oflandfill.

All these factors point to a continued and healthy growthwithin the organics sector. Innovation and diverse treatmentoptions will continue to ensure that the sector does not become complacent or stale in its approach.

The Association for Organics Recycling will continue to beat the forefront of this expanding activity and will continueto support and protect its members wherever possible inorder that the organics recycling industry continues to bevibrant and viable for the foreseeable future.

About the Association for Organics RecyclingThe leading trade organisation for the composting and biological waste treatment industries in the UK, the Asso-ciation for Organics Recycling, promotes the sustainablemanagement of biodegradable resources. It actively encourages the use of biological treatment techniques andadvances good management practices throughout the industry.

The Association for Organics Recycling works on behalf ofits members to raise awareness of the benefits of recyclingbiodegradable resources; aims to act as an advocate for thewider composting and biological treatment industries; andrepresents their views in a constructive dialogue with policymakers. The association envisages an industry in whichbest practice is shared, standards are maintained, and surpassed, and makes a positive contribution towards safe-guarding the environment.

Contact: Jeremy Jacobs • Managing Director

Association for Organics Recycling

3 Burystead Place • Wellingborough

Northamptonshire NN8 1AH

Main: 0870 160 3270 • Fax: 0870 160 3280

E: [email protected]

W: www.organics-recycling.org.uk


T: 0800 689 9024F: 0800 471 5099M: 07766 405688E: [email protected]: www.riverside-machinery.com

Riverside Machinery Ltd

Sole UK Dealer forNEUENHAUSERENVIRONMENTAL

Riverside Machinery Ltd

• Star Screens

• Windshifters

• Screw Mills

BiProduct Recovery provides waste recovery

and recycling services designed to identify the beneficial properties of industrial by-products and re-use them in agriculture,

restoration of brown field sites and most

importantly the generation of renewable energy.

BiProduct Recovery focuses on the provision of regional in-vessel composting and anaerobic digestion facilities, waste to

land recycling, investment, operation and mobile plant licensing.

Recognising the increasing awareness of climate change, exacerbated by the burning of fossil fuels, BiProduct Recovery fulfils a growing need to recover energy from waste and to seek alternatives to landfill.

Our aim is simple: to adopt cost effective, innovative and sustainable

recycling operations which deliver real value for our clients.

BiProduct Recovery LimitedBiwater HouseGregge StreetHeywoodLancashire OL10 2DX A Biwater Services Company

T: +44 (0) 1706 626 214 F: +44 (0) 1706 626 294 [email protected] www.biproductrecovery.co.uk

compost cleaning construction waste industrial waste municipal solid waste gypsum

Stevinstraat 11 7102 DZ Winterswijk The Netherlands Tel. +31 543 - 531 030 Fax +31 543 - 519 089 E-mail [email protected] Website www.redox.nl

upgrading of compost


Cleaning and screening compost, especially removing satisfactorily the plastics and other contamination are themajor problems faced by the growing number of compost-ing companies today.

It has taken innovative but practical thinking in the Nether-lands to establish an automatic compost cleaning facility totackle the problem. I had the chance to visit this new instal-lation on my latest trip to Holland with Dutch CompanyRedox Recycling Technology bv.

Pre-shredded and maturing green waste is taken from thewindrow area and fed into the start of the line, a high capacity deposit hopper. This can be loaded up with about20mins. running time so as not to tie up the front loader.Triple shaft agitation devices break up the clumps of mate-rial to ensure an even and homogenous dosing onto theline.

A magbelt takes any ferrous before the double-deckscreening at 5mm and12mm. The 5-12 fraction passes overa highly controllable airstream device to take any smallplastic foils. 5-12mm clean product is combined with the0-5mm and discharged to a final product bunker.

The +12mm. material is then presented to a Redox Wind-shifter that again uses a concentrated and controllableairstream combined with a rotating drum to separatestones and heavy contamination from the organics. Theseparation drum takes the long pieces of wood out and overwith the organics. Negative pressure is maintained in thedischarge hood by recirculating the air back to the fan. Anyairborne dust is collected by reverse jet filters and discharged into a bigbag.

The organic fraction passes over a levelling deck to evenlyspread the material to fall as a curtain where a state of theart triple-laser optical sorter is installed. Each laser hastwenty channels each that can be tuned to different param-eters enabling the optical sorter to identify different coloursand eject them by compressed air jets. Bottle tops, plasticsand even mouldy pieces are removed. The cleaned oversizeorganics are then returned to the shredding and maturingprocess and will be returned back through the plant to obtain a clean final fine product.

So successful is this process that the company will now install an identical sister line in the other side of the shedto double the capacity.

Maybe compost quality is a language that the Dutch canshare with us!

Simon Ingleby, [email protected] 07870 681321

Simon’s Dutch DiaryBy Simon Ingleby

Innovation in size reduction

Next generation of innovative, economic and reliable shredding solution for RDF production!

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Technological excellence can be stylish too……take theDyson vacuum, the Krups coffee maker, the Alessi lemonsqueezer or even Lord Foster’s Gherkin. True design canembrace form and function to make for dynamic efficiency.

So, when faced with the Untha TR series Shredder, my firstreaction was…..Wow!

This bright yellow and grey monster with curves made itsfirst appearance at this year’s Recycling and Waste Management exhibition. It marks the logical progressionfor the Untha Company of Austria which, for thirty years,has produced equipment for shredding applications world-wide, into the sector of waste derived fuels.

The UK has seen significant growth in the waste derivedfuel market (sometimes known as RDF, SRF and WDF asthe recycling industry clamber to make more and moreacronyms).

Untha have observed the troublesome high speed machines in operation out there and set about designing aproduct that combines simplicity and high throughput withthe keyword being Uptime not down.

Constructed around a substantial box frame that combinesrigidity and mobility allows the TR to be mounted within aplant with minimal support. This revolutionary rigid framedesign enables unstressed GRP service panels on hingesto allow for easy access, indeed the TR has been built with ergonomics at the top of the list. Too often do maintenancefitters have to work in backbreaking positions but the TRdisplays all its engineering parts at an easy standing posi-tion.

The external panels are double-skinned and, along with theframe, are filled with quartz sand to absorb noise and vibration – a further testimony to operator comfort. Positiveair pressure is observed inside the service panels to prevent the ingress of dust.

The heart of the machine is the rotor which, at 1,100mm diameter, is the largest in this market. This rotor allows forlarger screen contact thus giving better efficiency andthroughput. It is most important to achieve an homogenousproduct in preparation for its use in thermal processing.The specifications for these derived fuels are becomingmuch more stringent depending on the combustion tech-nology employed by the end user - mono - and co-combus-tion, fluidised bed or rotary kiln.

The bane of all shredding equipment is the maintenance ofthe main cutting knives and Untha have addressed this in anovel way. They employ a quick-change cutter-holder system, each assembly located by only two bolts. The

holder simply slides out and the replacement slides backin, quickly and easily. The intention is to hold one completeset of holders in the workshop, so the actual change of thecutter blades is carried out without losing production.

Protection from tramp (metal as opposed to Steptoe) hasthe Untha design treatment also. The cutting knives actagainst the cutting bar to achieve the shred. This cuttingbar is mounted on a hinged door that is held in position byhydraulic pressure. Should an unshreddable enter the machine the pressure is detected immediately, the door iswithdrawn, the rotor rotation stops and the tramp ejected.This all happens in milliseconds and affords protection tothe machine as opposed to the violent end that is usual toother lesser equipment. Operator safety is paramount andthe TR can detect a body who may be in the wrong placeand automatically shuts down.

The TR series is equipped with a modern energy-saving allelectric drive unit. Invertor-controlled, this electro-mechanical drive powers the rotor from 0-160 rpm via ahigh-spec, toothed belt drive. Belt tension is controlled byan ingenious harmonic device that ‘tunes’ the belt to itsideal setting. There are no frictional losses through gear-boxes, whilst flexible couplings and shear pins ensuresmooth running. Central automatic lube systems keepeverything slippery!

These design features all add up to enable the Untha TRseries shredder to perform at a class-winning 15tph, a remarkable step forward in the secondary shredding marketand now compliments the Untha XR range of primaryshredders with a matched output.

I was introduced to the Untha range of equipment by ChrisOldfield, Chairman and Managing Director of RiversideWaste Machinery Limited, which acts as sole UK Distributorfor Untha.

Riverside is a family company which operate from modern,purpose built premises by the A1(M) near York. Chris andhis team have been supplying and supporting key shreddingand baling equipment for the last 12 years and hold a comprehensive stock of strategic spares for distributionthroughout the UK. The versatility of the Untha equipmentsees Riverside exploring new markets such as high volumeplastics, ELVs and medical waste streams as well as thewaste derived fuels.

The new Untha TR series shredder has already gainedmuch interest in this country with the first installations nowoperational. With these references it is exciting times forRiverside, the Untha TR might just make it to the list of design greats!

“

”

Riverside WasteMachinery – Untha TR SeriesShredder

Alfatek UK has been closely involved in Facility and Process Design

for the Recycling Industries. Managing Partner, Simon Ingleby is

a Design Engineer who has combined practical experience with

innovative technologies from Europe to build some of the most

robust plants in the UK. Environment Industry Magazine sent him

out to report on a remarkable new machine…



The remediation of contaminated land in the UK has evolved from a ‘dig and dump’ scenario to a program oftreatment using a wide variety of technologies. The initial resistance to using in-situ treatment is being overcomeby the open discussion in forums such as Brownfield Briefing, CLAIRE and CIRIA conferences and publicationspresenting results of pilot trials and sharing of results.

As UK Plc moved towards the use of different remedial tools the use of sustainability in describing remediationhas been a comparison of different technological tools to ‘dig and dump’. Thus we were concerned with showingthat technologies such as chemical oxidation, in-situ bioremediation, air-sparging or soil vacuum extractionand stabilisation / solidification were a more sustainable tool than digging out the soil and disposing of it to alandfill. The ‘indicators’ used to show sustainability of the technologies has typically been number of lorry move-ments, fuel consumption, tyre wear and creation of another problem elsewhere.

The full implementation of the landfill directive has resulted in the requirement to pre-treat waste prior to dis-posal. This has lead to anumber of waste contractorsdeveloping on-site treatmentfacilities for waste which hasto be disposed of and to moreon-site remediation. Furtherlegislative changes dealingwith the issues around globalwarming and climate change,energy use and carbon re-duction commitments are re-fining further the term‘sustainable remediation’ andconsultants are developingquantitative tools to use toassist in evaluating remedialtechnologies proposed foruse on contaminated sites todetermine the actual cost in

Sustainable

Acceptable(Six Phase Heating)

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People(Social)

Planet (Environment)

Economics(Costs)

Figure 1. Balance between environment, economics and social wants /needs must be struck for remediation to be sustainable.

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Core Elements Metrics Example Inputs

Energy requirements of treatment system kwH Gas (gallons), diesel, steel (pounds), cement, etc.Apply conversion factors (kwHr/gallon, kwHr/lbs)

Air Emissions Priority Pollutants (tons)PM (10, 2.5)NO2SO2PbCOO3

VMT, MPG of construction vehicles

Water Requirements Gallons Net Effect (fresh water, reclaim treated water)Net water consumption

Land and ecosystem impacts Tons, Acres Land useSoil (minimize soil, habitat disturbance)

Material Consumption and waste generation

Waste (minimize)Ability to reuse materials, recycle

Long-term stewardship actions CO2 and other GHG emissions Gas (gallons), diesel, steel (pounds), cement, etc.Apply conversion factors (lb-CO2/gallon, lb-CO2/lbs)

Health & Safety Hours on the job, driving distance

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Using Site Investigation for Sustainable RemediationCecilia MacLeod, BA, MSc, PhD, MRSC, CCHEM, CSCIArcadis UK

NEW TECHNOLOGY LEADS TO SIGNIFICANT COST AND TIME SAVINGS

CALL NOW ON: 0161 232 7465

E-MAIL: [email protected]

VISIT: www.ground-gassolutions.co.uk

Simon TalbotManaging Director

Mobile: 0788 4444 272

Ground-Gas Solutions Ltd, Williams House,

Manchester Science Park, Lloyd Street North, Manchester, M15 6SE

Ground-Gas Solutions Ltd, (GGS) the leading environmental consultancy specialising in continuous ground-gas monitoring and risk assessment, is actively promoting the use of the latest technology, though a series of seminars and training events through out the UK, to provide developers and regulators with higher confidence information that will save time and money.

With the largest fleet of Gasclams® in the UK, GGS is able to obtain high quality, time-series data that reduces the uncertainty associated with conventional ‘spot’ sampling techniques. Instead of measuring the gas concentration and borehole flow, say, once a week, GGS’s equipment will collect over 1,000 readings. Loosely termed ‘continuous data’, information on the standard bulk gases (CH4, CO2 and O2) is collected together with other environmental parameters. These include atmospheric pressure, borehole pressure and ground-water level. While the wealth of information on the fluctuating gas concentrations is valuable in itself, the correlation of concentration with these other parameters provides a unique insight into key factors that affect the ground gas regime at a site and the gas migration drivers.

Additional information on the gas flux at a particular location can also be obtained by GGS by carrying out borehole purge and recovery tests. These provide real data for quantitative risk assessments.

A recent GGS project involved a hold-up to an ongoing development. Due to fears of potential ground–gas contamination, a housing development was facing up to a three month delay while sufficient spot sampling data was collected. Instead, GGS obtained two weeks of continuous data and produced a technical report that demonstrated, to the satisfaction of the local authority regulator, that there were no adverse risks from ground-gasses at the site.

Continuing Innovation

By actively collaborating with the University of Manchester and Salamander, the company that developed the Gasclams®, GGS is assisting in the development of techniques to interpret VOC time-series data. With the recent publication of the new CIRIA guidance document, C682 ‘The VOCs Handbook’, the latest Gasclams® which will have VOC PID, H2S and CO sensors will be a valuable additional tool to gather continuous data.

Continuous ground-gas data provides additional lines of evidence that reduces uncertainty. By better understanding the risks associated with ground-gas contamination, over design of gas management systems can be avoided and more sustainable solutions can be provided.

While current guidance provides valuable background information, a best practice technical note is currently being written on the collection and interpretation of continuous ground-gas data and will be available in the New Year.

Fast Response Team

Ground-Gas Solutions Ltd operates throughout UK and Ireland and is able to deploy equipment in existing standard borehole installations quickly and efficiently to help solve problems for clients and lead consultants.

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terms of energy and carbon in employing those tools. However, it is evidentin economic terms that the cost of implementing what might be the mostenvironmentally sustainable technology to remediate a site may signifi-cantly increase the cost of the remediation project.

The USEPA have identified six core elements in their Green RemediationPrimer (Table 1). The elements include energy and water requirements,air emissions, waste generation, land and ecosystem impacts, long termstewardship issues and health and safety. These elements need to be in-corporated into remediation options appraisals using a scorecard to eval-uate the technologies. Arcadis ,like other consultancies, has been involvedin the development of tools or calculators which can be used to quantifythese elements in order to assess the overall impact on the cost of a proj-ect (Figure 2). The result is that there are trade-offs that have to be con-sidered in remedial option selection and the site owner or developer hasto decide what is the most important factor for them in cleaning up a site.

Tools exist however, which if imple-mented during the initial stages of theproject, i.e. the site investigation,could lead to a decreased cost of theremedial program. In the UK a site in-vestigation is designed to follow theguidelines set out within CLR 11 andBS10175. Contaminated Land Report4 (1994) and the Best Practice Guid-ance 1 (Forest Research , 2006) pro-vide guidance on numbers of samplesrequired to identify a ‘hot spot’ butguidance on sampling in order to de-lineate an area requiring treatment ispretty much non-existent.

In the United States, the USEPA hasbeen promoting the Triad approach tomanaging projects which utilises on-site and real time decision making byusing on-site screening and analytical

Figure 3 . MEMBRANE INTERFACE PROBE (MIP) CPT

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(b) Probe in use

• Improves soil structure & friability

• Contains valuable nutrients to promote replanting schemes

• Supports natural regeneration & biodiversity

• Fast-acting, long-lasting pH correction of soil acidity

• Sustainable recycled product

fax 0870 [email protected] LimeX is a business of British Sugar plc

Helpdesk 0870 240 2314


tools. By using this approach, the investigator cancollect more data that can be used to inform the de-sign of the remediation program often reducing theoverall area and depth interval requiring treatment.This in turn allows for a more sustainable approachto the remediation to be implemented.

In Europe a Triad Community of Practice has been setup and is managed by the Environmental KnowledgeTransfer Network. Currently the activity within thisgroup is limited to consultancies and regulators whohave an interest in implementing this approach andthe sharing of knowledge. Further information isavailable from [email protected].

In the UK there are a number of on-site tools whichcan be used to evaluate sites to determine more pre-cisely the spatial distribution of a contaminant withina soil. For volatile contaminants tools such as theMembrane Interface Probe (MIP) or the Laser In-duced Fluorescence (LIF) probe can make a majordifference to remediation design (Figures 3 and 4).

The daily cost of use of this equipment is similar tothat of a direct push drilling rig as the probes aregenerally part of such a system. The rig is suppliedwith a driller to operate the mechanics and an ana-lyst to operate the instrumentation and make inter-pretation on site. The output of these tools issemi-quantitative and thus some coring will have tobe done to collect soil samples for verification pur-poses. However as illustrated in Figure 5, both thevertical distribution of the contaminants and changesin the sub-surface geology can be profiled quicklyand accurately.

This approach to site investigation makes the use ofmore sustainable remedial technologies more likely,as the unknowns associated with contaminant distribution are significantly reduced and the reme-diation can be designed to target the specific zone of

• Developed by US Military to investigate their sites• US EPA tested and approved - 1994• Very stable detection system• Real time data display• Precise profiling of hydrocarbon distribution• Accurate product thickness detection• No memory \ carry over effects• Designed to detect oil derived hydrocarbons• Low levels of detection < 10 ppm• Contaminant \ product identity via spectroscopy

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Original Treatment Area

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• SURVEYING

• DESK STUDIES AND SITE APPRAISALS

• INTRUSIVE SITE INVESTIGATION

• REMEDIATION STRATEGIES

• ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT

• GEOTECHNICAL INVESTIGATIONS

• ENVIRONMENTAL INSTRUMENTATION AND MONITORING

GEOTECHNICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

The Old Exchange, NewmarketRoad, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 6UF

www.howland.co.uk

T: 01603 250754 F: 01603 250749 E: [email protected]

Figure 4.Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF)LFigur

d FlI d4.er

l (LIF) erLas ed Flr Induc encecuoresl (LIF)e


Advanced FTIR gas analysis technology for:

· Chemical spill response· Occupational hygiene· Contaminated land· Leak detection· Anaesthetic gases· And almost anything else!

Soil and Water Remediation is an independent UK based specialistremediation contractor providing all aspects of Site assessment andRemediation services.

The company's fundamental aim is to provide cost effective, pragmaticand impartial solutions for clients with problematic sites requiringremedial solutions.

For further information on any of the above, please call:

Brian Graham, Fareham Email: bgraham@ sawr.co.uk

Alan Mckillop, Dundee Email: amckillop@ sawr.co.uk

www.soilandwaterremediation.co.uk

Our services include:

In-situ bioremediation

Ex-situ bioremediation

In-situ chemical oxidation

Dual vapour extraction

Pump and treat Systems

Dig and dump

Ecology services– inc Japanese knotweed erradication

01329 846824Tel:

01382 562540Tel:


contamination within the subsurface, thereby conservingthe reagent more effectively targeting the contaminatedzone.

Cost has been mentioned several times and it is useful toillustrate the economic benefit of using this approach. Fig-ure 5 is a plot of a site where the MIP was employed to de-lineate a contaminant hot spot.

The initial investigation had identified contamination waspresent in a 5.5 x 9m area estimated to the top of the un-derlying sandstone at 4 meters bgl. Thus it identified 198m3

of soil to be remediated. The MIP investigation on a regular1 meter grid was able to reduce the volume of soil requiringremediation to 25.2 m3. In this instance the soil would havebeen classified as a hazardous waste and thus, if remedia-tion was through excavation and disposal to landfill it wouldhave required pre-treatment and cost £79,200 to remediateat a cost of £200/tonne. However, if the reduced volume ofsoil was to be disposed then the cost of disposal would havebeen £10,080.

The cost to undertake the MIP investigation, which involvedthe placing of 49 MIP points, was £7,500. Analytical costsassociated with collection of verification samples was

£6,000. Thus the cost to remediate the site using the digand dump approach could have been significantly reduced,increasing the sustainability of the approach by reducingthe number of lorries and landfill space required.

However, the site was actually treated in-situ using chem-ical oxidation. The knowledge gained from the MIP investi-gation allowed for a more targeted approach to injection ofoxidant, which was done through both the use of injectionwells screened to target the 0.5m thick interval containingthe contaminant and through injection directly into the zonedown rods. This project was in fact a pilot trial and the costswere significantly higher than those which are presentedhere: However, in-situ chemical oxidation can typically beused at a cost of £65/tonne. Thus using the in-situ approachthis site would have cost £16,776, which is still less thanthe £23,580 cost of the dig and dump approach.

There has been a hesitance of clients to approve proposalsfor site investigation from consultants which they view asexpensive. However, increasing the scope of the investiga-tion through the use of on-site tools can significantly de-crease the costs of remediation and result in use of moresustainable approaches to remediation.

We have over 25 years experience in land remediation, contracting & waste management

w w w. a s h r e m e d i a t i o n . c o . u k

Ash Remediation Management offers a comprehensive and

cost controlled range of services related to contaminated land

and groundwater. Our team has over 25 years of experience

in the land remediation, contracting and waste management

focused service that will expedite the business goals of our

clients.

Ash Remediation Management works in partnership with

specialist contractors and suppliers to provide all necessary

skills and resources to successfully complete its core activities

under the requirements of the company’s Environmental

Permit (Mobile Treatment License) and to address the clients

liabilities associated with historical pollution. The end result

is the smooth and controlled execution of any project.

Ash Remediation Management fully understands the

commercial risks and pressures placed on developers who

may be purchasing, selling or developing contaminated

land. The individual experience of our team in both the land

remediation and waste management industry provides the

foundation of our highly professional service within the UK

land remediation sector.

land remediation, contracting and waste management

Contact usAsh Remediation Management

Unit 4c, Beechcroft Farm, Chapel Wood Road

Ash, Sevenoaks, Kent TN15 7HX

T. 01474 871744 F. 01474 871743

E. [email protected]

Our Services include:

Remediation design & support

Project management

Bioremediation using controlled

biopiles

In-situ and ex-situ stabilisation/

Offsite treatment & disposal

Groundwater treatment and containment

barriers

Water treatment systems

Marine sediment treatment

Site investigation drilling

Delineation & targeted surveys

Complementing groundworks and civils

Controlled excavations & segregation

Product & tank removal

Specialist tar removal

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We all deserve a clean, safe environment inwhich to live ARCADIS is one of the largest global providers of

remediation solutions to the public and private sectors.The company has built its reputation within the remediationsector by pioneering innovative technologies.

We focus on the development of cost effective, innovativeremedial solutions. Our UK remediation team consists ofthe very best engineers and scientists, many of whom areinternationally recognized experts on remedial technologies.The team is supported by global technical knowledge andinnovation teams.

ARCADIS in the UK has a full-service capability within theremediation sector, being able to design and implementbioremediation, chemical oxidation / reduction, stabilisation,thermal and physical remedial solutions, which may becombined to form a treatment train approach.

We define our success by both surpassing our Clients’ expectations and making positive and lasting impact onthe environments, people and places we touch.

For more information contact: Business Development | ARCADIS | 2 Craven Court |

Newmarket | Suffolk | CB8 7FA | Tel +44 (0) 1638 674767 | Fax +44 (0) 1638 668191 |

[email protected] | www.arcadisgmi.com

We are proud to announce that our drilling services team has completed the first deployment of a Rota-Sonic drill rig on a nuclear licensed site within the UK. Our crews successfully accomplished the difficult assignment of drilling approximately 125 boreholes, up to 60m in depth, using up to 228mm casing in a number of radiological and non-radiological controlled areas where space was limited.

www.boartlongyear.com

CASE STUDY Sellafield, Cumbria, UK

BOART LONGYEAR COMPLETES THE FIRST ROTA-SONIC DRILLING PROJECT AT A NUCLEAR LICENCED SITE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM.

Sonic Drill Technology Rota-Sonic: an example of cutting edge drilling technology

“I was impressed with

the speed of drilling,

how clean the drilling

process was and how

the rig could penetrate

through all types of

ground conditions.”

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Rota-Sonic core sample through made ground into natural glacial deposits.

SITE DETAILS

CLIENT: GOLDER ASSOCIATES (UK) LTD EQUIPMENT: DB320 ROTA-SONIC DRILL RIG DIAMETER: 152MM TO 228MM CASINGDEPTH: 125 HOLES TO 60M MAXIMUM DEPTH TYPE: GROUNDWATER MOINTORING & PUMPING WELLS BACKGROUND

In February 2008 Boart Longyear commenced drilling on the Sellafield Site located on the west coast of Cumbria, England. The site is one of the most contaminated nuclear sites within the UK. Boart Longyear was commissioned to drill approximately 125 boreholes, up to 60m in depth, across the site located in both radiological and non-radiological controlled areas. The site was predominantly underlain by a varying thickness of glacial drift deposits mainly comprising of boulder clay and till overlying weathered and fractured sandstone. CHALLENGE

The project presented many obstacles, including working within radiological controlled areas, and drilling within a limited space. These challenges were overcome by working closely with the client’s engineers and management team so each rig movement and drill location could be planned prior to any action taking place. In addition, all the drillers received comprehensive training at the Sellafield site and became classified workers under the Ionising Radiation Regulations. This increased their understanding and awareness with regards to working with potentially radiological contaminated arisings.

RESULT

This was the first time that a Rota-Sonic drill rig had been deployed and used on a nuclear licensed site within the UK. The Rota-Sonic drilling method was chosen by the client due to the integrated health and safety features, waste minimization, the quality of sample they received and the speed of drilling. Boreholes were advanced using 228mm, 203mm and 152mm casing to provide groundwater monitoring boreholes, as well as larger diameter pumping wells within the sandstone. The sampling technique provided the client with a continuous core sample which allowed them to log and sample throughout the depth of the bore and define horizons containing radiological and/or chemical contamination. Difficult ground conditions comprising of buried reinforced concrete and boulder clay containing large boulders were encountered. The Rota-Sonic system allowed the boreholes to continue through these ‘obstructions’.

E & I Services:

Drilling Services

SONIC DRILLING Drilling Services, UK

CASE STUDY Sellafield, Cumbria, UK

REMEDIATION

INSTALLATION

MONITORING WELL INSTALLATION

Successfully advanced through madeground including steel reinforced concrete. (Steel sample shown here)

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A former dye manufacturing facility signif-icantly impacted with chlorinated benzenecompounds was successfully remediatedwithin nine months. The works employeda combination of innovative solutions applied to one of the industry’s most challenging source scenarios; that ofDense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid(DNAPL) at depth adjacent to and in conti-nuity with a sensitive surface water recep-tor. A combination of in-situ and ex-situtechnologies was applied to the task. Bothsource zone treatment and pathway inter-vention techniques were used includingsoils excavation; biological substrate injec-tion for reductive dechlorination; riverbedsediments excavation; emplacement of alow permeability riverbed barrier; and injection of a microparticulate zero-valentiron slurry. It also employed the UK’s first application of surfactant flushing in an aquifer and the second UK use ofa Modified Waterloo Profiler.

The presence of Trichlorobenzene (TCB) and daughter products Dichlorobenzene (DCB) and Chlorobenzene in soil,sediment, surface water and groundwater demanded an innovative approach to safely and effectively remediate thearea. During the remediation design stage ERM and QDSconsidered several approaches to treatment of the sourcezones. Since each source zone posed specific challengesand had separate requirements it became apparent that asingle approach to remediation would not work. Interventionmeasures were also necessary between the source zonesand the adjacent river, ultimately solved through the instal-lation of a bentonite barrier on the river bed after the exca-vation of contaminated sediment, combined with the injection of microparticulate Zero Valent Iron (ZVI) throughthe riverbed to generate a permeable reactive zone. The useof microparticulate ZVI facilitated injection of the slurrythrough the riverbed while ensuring that sufficient ZVI waspresent to react with migrating dissolved phase TCB/DCB.

The complex nature of the works incorporating multipletechnologies necessitated intensive laboratory trials in theQDS lab, and a series of site based pilot tests, to ensure thatthe final design would achieve the optimum treatment andrecovery of contaminants. Intensive research and trials wereapplied into the selection and application of surfactants foruse in the deep aquifer. The selected technologies were sub-sequently implemented by QDS and ERM across the site toachieve effective site remediation within the contractual period.

Shallow soils and river sediment: Whilst 6192 tonnes of soilsand river sediments were excavated, the application of strin-gent excavation, segregation, classification and stock

pile management allowed 45% of this material to be reusedon site.

Deep saturated zone DNAPL: A total of 23 injection wells,installed to a maximum depth of 21mbgl, were usedthroughout the main source zone for surfactant injection.Analysis of soil cores allowed each well to be designed andinstalled to target the impacted horizons. The risk of contaminant migration, was mitigated through simultane-ous injection & abstraction to ensure that a hydraulic balance was maintained within the aquifer. In total 7000m3

of groundwater laden with TCB, DCB and surfactants was abstracted and treated through QDS water treatment plant.

Residual dissolved phase impact: A total of 199 injection lo-cations were used for the high-pressure injection of Emul-sified Vegetable Oil (EVO) substrate into the aquifer toenhance in-situ reductive bio-degradation. 3,030m3 of solu-tion was injected at 1m horizons through the aquifer to en-sure effective distribution of the EVO and provide thelong-term carbon source required for ongoing reductivedechlorination.

The works resulted in more than 9,000kg of source materialbeing successfully treated, of which 2600kg of the mosttechnically challenging material to treat was recoveredthrough the surfactant flushing.

The remediation works enabled the sale of the land to a newowner, and was underpinned by a risk transfer strategywhereby the client passed liability for any further regula-tory-driven work to the ERM/QDS team. The project was de-livered on time, and to an agreed lump sum price.Regulatory sign-off was achieved within three months ofsubmission of the verification report, and the project enjoyedan excellent relationship with all regulators throughout theduration of the works.

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Total UK appointed Ecologia to carry out a remediation assessment of an in-situ soil heating technology at a typicaldecommissioned petrol station with high groundwater vulnerability. It was impacted by VOCs such as benzene,ethylbenzene, toluene and xylenes (BTEX) and total petro-leum hydrocarbons (TPH), mostly with C<21. The contami-nation was confined within the unsaturated chalk stratal0m below ground level (mbgl). In-situ radio frequencyheating (ISRFH) electrodes were used in a triangular arraybetween 3 and 6mbgl together with eight multilevel SVE extraction wells (screened depth 2.5 - 5mbgl and 5.5-75mbgl). Hydrocarbon contamination at depth meant addi-tional remediation was required to reduce potential futureenvironmental liabilities.

ISRFH

ISRFH is used to excite polar molecules present within thesoil profile, generating heat like microwaves do. ISRFHuses a frequency (13.56 MHz) with a wavelength of 22m, sohas the capacity to penetrate the soil more than microwaves. ISRFH is effective in dealing with volatile contamination in tight, unsaturated soils which cannot beefficiently heated using steam due to mass transfer limita-tions. It also reduces the potential for uncontrolled contam-inant mobilisation generally associated with steaminjection in impermeable/fissured soils, and is less suscep-tible to soil moisture than resistive heating (three-phase orsix-phase) so the system performance is unlikely to collapse when soil dries.

Due to the good penetration of radiowaves into the soil,ISRFH produces a much smoother soil temperature gradi-ent than the extreme gradient generally associated withconductive soil heating with simple heating coils/rods.ISRFH energy is delivered into surrounding soils by elec-trodes 3-4m apart at predetermined, discrete depths.

It can be coupled with a soil vapour extraction (SVE), or amulti phase extraction (MPE) system to extract the volatileorganic compounds (VOCs) and semi-volatile contaminantsthat are mobilised by heat from the ISRFH system. This canalso be easily coupled with resistive heating for unsaturatedand saturated soils for less energy, using the same pieceof equipment. Data from the remediation process demon-strated that combining ISRFH in-situ heating with SVEwould:

• Significantly increase the removal rate of volatile andsemi- volatile contaminants from unsaturated chalk

• Significantly improve the final soil contaminant concen-trations

• Significantly reduce treatment times without excessiveenergy costs.

Soil retains heat well, so once a predetermined tempera-ture has been reached the energy intensive ISRFH can beturned off, while the SVE continues to operate at a muchimproved extraction rate. This significantly reduces thetreatment time, and therefore energy demand.

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Redland Minerals (Redland) and Crest Nicholson (Crest)have lost an appeal against a remediation notice served bythe Environment Agency. The remediation notice identifiedpollution linkages involving both bromate and bromide,which is leaching from the soil at a housing development,near Hatfield, into groundwater in a chalk aquifer whichsupplies drinking water to two water companies. The noticedemanded that the parties characterise the linkages in detail to allow treatment options to be assessed, whichmight then become requirements in future notices. Thecost of scavenge pumping as a temporary measure is currently around £600k per year, so future remediation maybe extremely costly.

Under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, liability for contamination falls upon the persons whocaused or knowingly permitted contaminants to be present.The remediation notice identifies both parties as appropriatepersons liable to pay for the clean-up. Redland are said tobe responsible for the bromate assessment actions, havingcaused the pollutant to be present in the land. Redlandbought Streetley Chemicals which had operated a facilityon the site (between 1955 and 1980) on which Crest thenbuilt the houses. In acquiring Streetley after the site hadclosed, Redland also acquired that company’s liabilities butRedland argued that it should be excluded from liability forpollution caused by bromide because Crest bought the landwith knowledge of the broad measure of the pollutant’spresence.

The Environment Agency accepted that Crest did not knowof the bromate but did consider Crest responsible for thebromide because, having been informed about this, theyknowingly permitted it to remain under the land during theperiod when they had total control of the site, between 1983and 1986. However, as the assessment is a shared reme-diation action to be carried out concurrently, the liability forremediation was split between both parties such that Red-land would bear 85% of costs associated with the bromatepollutant linkage and 45% of costs associated with the bro-mide linkage, with Crest bearing the remainder of each.

This apportionment was the main basis of appeal. The ap-peal was heard by an inspector whose report was endorsedby the Secretary of State. Crest was found to have ‘caused’the pollution by accelerating the movement of water -sol-

uble substances from contamination hot spots into theaquifer. Although they had replaced contaminated soils withclean fill to protect the householders, the inspector foundthat:

“They were warned that exposing the soil to rainfall couldmobilise contaminants whereas, up until that time, ground-water quality had been given some protection by roofs overthe works buildings and by hard surfaces elsewhere on thesite. However, within a few weeks, they were demolishingthe hard-standing and buildings, leaving the ground opento the leaching effects of infiltration.”

The environmental impact of this was said to be “substan-tial” in allowing rainfall to percolate through the waste col-lection sumps below the chemical production areas,accelerating the movement of water-soluble substancesfrom these contamination hot spots into the aquifer. These contaminated surface layers were left exposed to rainfallfor about 2½ years and, by the time they were excavated,some of the bromide (which was known about) and bromate(which had not yet been the subject of testing) had migrateddown towards the aquifer. On this basis, Crest positivelycaused at least some of the bromide and bromate to bepresent in the area now affected and there was no need toconsider whether Crest knowingly permitted the pollutantsto be present by not taking sufficient steps to clear themup.

The apportionment of liability in the remediation notice wastherefore upheld and, as things stand, both parties will bearliabilities that they did not anticipate. Redland boughtStreetley in the early 1990s after the houses had been built.It probably never foresaw any difficulties with decommis-sioned sites of this sort. Crest had sought to protect house-holders in their development but may not have paid enoughattention to the migration of chemicals downwards into theaquifer. In a case in which the liability may extend into themillions, the need for considerable due diligence in devel-oping brown land has rarely been clearer.

See further: Contaminated Land Remediation Noticeserved by the Environment Agency: Appeals by RedlandMinerals Limited and Crest Nicholson Residential plc;APP/CL/05/01 APP/CL/05/02 – decision letter of 22 July2009.

Professor Robert Lee

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By Trevor Renals


I keep a variety ofknotweeds potted in my garden. It’s important to ‘know yourenemy’. I occasionally give some of them a dose of herbi-cide and they are subjected to protracted periods ofdrought. These plants are far from loved. Recently, duringone of the drought periods, I noticed one plant looking con-siderably more healthy than its neighbours. I approachedit with trepidation and my worst fears were confirmed. Arhizome had come out of the bottom of the pot, snaked itsway past the tray in which it sat, contemptuously poked ahole through the damp course sheet on which I was restingthem (which fails to comply with the standards I set on page19 of my own code) and had rooted in the chippings below.Thankfully, the chippings were part of a last line of defenceand the rhizome was completely extracted and destroyed.So how had the author of ‘The knotweed code of practice –managing Japanese knotweed on development sites’ madesuch a basic error? Frankly, all too easily. ‘Knowing yourenemy’ had become ‘familiarity breeds contempt’. After 20years of study I should have realised that Japaneseknotweed is a plant that simply doesn’t want to stay still.

Since its introduction in the mid-nineteenth century, Japan-ese knotweed Fallopia japonica has gone from gold medalwinner to garden pariah. Similarly, on development sites,attitudes have shifted from complacency to paranoia. Awhole industry has established itself around competingclaims of secret control methods and swift eradication.

Does one plant really deserve this reputation? Well, thesimple answer is yes. Japanese knotweed can produce a

3m high monoculture, excluding almost all native plantsand animals. Within river corridors it increases flood riskand restricts amenity. It obstructs sight-lines on transportcorridors. In the urban environment is damages buildings,engineered surfaces and creates a sense of dereliction. Ob-structed footpaths are unwalked, litter accumulates andvermin seek refuge amongst its canes. If you have seen anenvironment heavily impacted by Japanese knotweed youwill realise that losing the war against this weed is an in-tolerable outcome.

UK Japanese knotweed is derived from a single clone,spread by pieces of rhizome, crown and stem. Seeds are al-most always sterile. As Japanese knotweed fell out of favourwith gardeners, it was dumped into the wild. It also creptacross garden perimeters, or down the watercourses onwhich it was often planted to hide the privy. Sometimes itwas planted on spoil heaps for stabilisation. Flails spreadit along roadsides and streams. Industries, such as miningand construction, spread soil containing rhizome acrossthe landscape. It is small wonder that brown-field sites,subjected to historical industrialisation and the attentionsof green waste fly-tippers are one of the most ubiquitouslandscapes for Japanese knotweed.

The costs associated with managing Japanese knotweedare legendary. In 2003 the Government arrived at a conser-vative estimate of £1.56 billion to remove Japaneseknotweed from GB, if it were possible. I have since seen thisfigure quoted by the press as the actual annual cost ofJapanese knotweed! The press has even adopted Japanese

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knotweed as a metaphor for people and organisationsthat place selfish interests above all else. Deriving thecosts associated with invasive non-native species isnotoriously hard. What is clear is that those who persevere with the task arrive at very large numbers.Defra estimate the annual cost of invasive non-nativespecies to the UK to be at least £2 billion per annum.This year, the Institute for European EnvironmentalPolicy estimated the European cost at 19.1 billioneuros per annum. In 2005, Pimental et al estimatedthe annual cost to the US, UK, South Africa, India andBrazil to be US $314 billion. This correlates to a globalcost of US$1.4 trillion per year, representing nearly5% of the world GDP.

Costs associated with knotweed management at individual brown-field developments are rarely forth-coming. The baseline cost, often used by contractorswho wish to establish a favourable comparison withtheir own quote, is usually the cost of physically removing all soil potentially containing Japaneseknotweed rhizome and disposing of it at landfill. Thisshould always be regarded as an absolute last resort.Contrary to some claims, it is not the preferred optionof the Environment Agency. We seek to manage wastein a sustainable manner that protects the environmentand fleets of lorries filling landfill with soil at huge costto industry is not the outcome we prefer. Developerscan do a lot to avoid the ‘dig and dump’ option. As ageneral rule, the more time you have and the morespace you have available on site (maybe due to differ-ent development phases) the greater your opportuni-ties for knotweed management.

To help developers navigate through the complexitiesof waste regulation, the Environment Agency has produced a knotweed code of practice. The code describes the relevant legislation and some methodsthat have been shown to be effective at managingJapanese knotweed. The code is not intended to be thedefinitive answer to knotweed management. There areother methods that are equally effective that are notdescribed within the code. What the code does provideis a range of methods which, if followed correctly (thus

meeting the relevant waste objectives), our policy issuch that we would not normally prosecute for failureto have a waste management licence or permit.

The code of practice also includes a guide to Japaneseknotweed rhizome identification and excavation. It isimportant that hauliers and contractors are able torecognise rhizome. Inspect a site before you buy it. Inspect topsoil before you accept it on site. If you don’tidentify the presence of rhizome the outcome can beexpensive. It can also be expensive if you misidentifyrhizome. I know of at least one site that added consid-erably to their waste disposal bill by digging to a depthof 6m because they had mistaken sycamore root forknotweed rhizome!

The code of practice is available on the EnvironmentAgency website at http://www.environmentagency.gov.uk. Alternatively, request a free copy bycalling our customer services line on 08708 506 506.The hard copy has the advantage of including the rhizome identification guide as a pocket-sized bookletfor site use.

A property slump is a good opportunity for minimal investment to improve the quality of land banks andsignificantly reduce costs when markets recover. Goodcontrol practices over a number of years prior to com-mencing development can significantly reduce theproblems associated with Japanese knotweed. However, this comes with a health warning. Effectiveknotweed management will allow you to reuse the soilin proximity to the treated knotweed in a manner described within the code but it must not be regardedas free from Japanese knotweed and therefore suit-able for sale as topsoil or disposal under an exemptionfrom waste licensing. Japanese knotweed rhizome canremain dormant for many years without regrowing.Therefore, the absence of regrowth from a treated sitecannot be regarded as evidence that knotweed is dead.The only option for disposing of such soil off-site is stilla licensed landfill. However, options for reusing thematerial on-site, in a manner that poses minimal riskto the built and natural environment are greatly increased.

As I gingerly excavated the rhizome from thechippings that provided one of the last defences against the soil of my garden, I felta great sense of empathy with the engineersand developers who have to deal with Japan-ese knotweed. It creates yet another area ofexpertise which you need to have in order todo your job profitably and well. It is an ironiclegacy from the Victorian era, which we asso-ciate with progress and industrial growth. Ihope our legacy will be the generation thatturned the tide of Japanese knotweed spreadacross the UK.

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1. Before you purchase a site, have it surveyed forthe presence of Japanese knotweed. Its presencemay be obvious, towering purple-flecked stems inthe summer, or dense thickets of dead brownstems in the winter. Alternatively, the site mayhave been treated and you may need to look formore subtle clues, such as pin-cushions of regrowth following sub-lethal herbicide treat-ment, or areas scorched by glyphosate. The sitemay have been scraped, in which case you willneed to look for crushed canes and exposed rhi-zome and crowns. The identification booklet in thecode of practice will assist you. If you find evidenceof Japanese knotweed you may still wish to pro-ceed with the purchase. However, you will need toensure that the costs you will incur are reflectedin the price you’re willing to pay.

2. Before you accept topsoil or any material coveredby a waste exemption, inspect it for the presenceof Japanese knotweed. Ideally, inspect the sitefrom which it originates first. The greater thenumber of sources of material you accept, thegreater the risk that one or more of them may

contain knotweed. Try to use material from eachsource in distinct areas, so that if knotweed begins to regrow you can reduce the amount ofmaterial you will need to treat or dispose of. It willalso give you a stronger basis for a legal claimagainst the supplier.

3. Follow the code of practice carefully. Use it toaudit your contractor. It is not intended to be anexhaustive description of every known method ofknotweed treatment. Be cautious of claims ofswift eradication.

4. Don’t generate waste unless you have to. Try toavoid having to excavate soil that containsknotweed. If excavation is unavoidable, ensureyour waste streams are separated. Much of thesoil on site may be disposed of in a manner thatis exempt from waste licensing, if it can be keptfree from knotweed contamination. There is a restricted access sign in the appendix of the codethat can be used to label knotweed-contaminatedsoil. Discuss waste management issues with anEnvironment Officer from your local EnvironmentAgency office.

If you want to avoid becoming a victim of Japanese knotweed you need to follow some basic rules.


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SHE

SWALLOWEDA SPIDER,

TO CATCHTHE FLY...

We are all aware of the child’s nursery rhyme of a lady whoinadvertently killed herself after swallowing a fly, havingsent in a host of other animals to counter the initial problem.If the British Government has its way, by the Spring 2010legislative bodies in England and Wales will adopt a similarstrategy by introducing a sap sucking aphid to tackle theproblem of Japanese Knotweed.

On the surface the case would seem simple enough, as theNon-native Species Policy Review Working Group estimatesthat to control the invasive alien plant Japanese knotweed,the Government would need to spend more than £2.6bn. Theintroduction of a sap sucking aphid would appear a cheapand effective solution to halt the growth of the plant, although no detailed cost benefit analysis has yet been pub-lished.

The problem of Japanese knotweed is also literally growingday by day. In some cases Japanese knotweed grows at arate of a metre a month - whether that’s on open ground orthrough tarmac or concrete. The plant’s roots spread at least7 metres horizontally and can burrow 5 metres deep androots or plant fragments as small as 0.7g (size of a fingernail)can propagate new growth meaning that the problem is particularly hard to manage other than with effective herbi-cide treatments or expensive controlled waste excavation.

Mike Clough, Founder of Japanese Knotweed Solutions, questionswhether the UK is fully prepared to introduce a non-native insectspecies to tackle the problem of Japanese Knotweed.


Although the introduction of “Aphalara itadori”, the smallaphid tasked with chomping its way through the UK’sJapanese knotweed problem, is not likely to cause thesame levels of environmental damage as the Cane toadthat was introduced to Australia or the Signal Crayfishin UK waters, careful consideration needs to be made.

Should the Government decide to introduce the alienspecies in Spring 2010, are we confident that there areappropriate controls or procedures in place to managethe situation should Aphalara itadori behave differentlyin the field than expected? The Government’s own PestRisk Assessment states that; “It is not certain thatAphalara itadori could be contained or eradicated onceit has spread beyond the limited release area.”

The spread of a non-native aphid naturally brings concerns. Although there has been some testing onother potential hosts for the aphid – a total of 87 speciesfrom the UK’s total biodiversity range – there are noguarantees that the aphid won’t cross breed or even become attracted to other plants as its natural homedeclines.

The UK’s native aphids have for centuries caused Britishgardeners problems but with the help of predators anda keen eye, the problem is effectively managed. The introduction of a new species into the gardens of Englandand Wales means that currently there are no predatorsfor the Aphalara itadori. Although great for the aphid, alack of predators has often been cited as a key issue forthe poor management of introduced species. Conversely,if they do become a preferred choice for ladybirds orwasps – how will that impact on the subsequent growthin population of either of these species or other aphidsthat are no longer preyed upon?

There is no doubt that the issue of Japanese knotweedneeds to be tackled as in many parts of the country thespread is continuing unchecked. The plant has the abilityto spread and grow from ‘a piece as small as a finger-nail’ – and the urbanisation of the countryside has accelerated the growth throughout the country as infested topsoil is introduced to development sites.

These sites see Japanese knotweed quickly establish it-self, causing significant problems whether by pushingthrough tarmac and concrete, to root structures weak-ening buildings or flooding as leaf litter blocks drainage.

Currently the main strategies for removing Japanese

Knotweed from development sites involves the applicationof a foliar applied herbicide as timescale remains thedriving issue. Having to wait for an aphid to eat the foliage simply would not provide the solutions neededfor the beleaguered construction industry and most importantly Aphalara itadori does not actually killknotweed but simply helps manage its growth – thus itis simply not tackling the root of the problem.

Admittedly current eradication methods remain expensive,whether herbicide treatment or excavation, and if theGovernment includes the plant in the Weeds Act (thisAct has historically been used to cover weeds that couldbe a threat to our agricultural industry) the onus for ac-tive treatment would fall on the landowner to treat removeand eradicate Japanese Knotweed at their own expense.

This approach is likely to be unpopular with powerfullandowners and those with the biggest problem, suchas the Environment Agency, Network Rail, the HighwaysDepartment as well as the various Local Authorities.Each has political influence and managing the issue attheir own expense is also likely to be regarded as a nonpropriety or an unpopular measure for the tax payingpublic.

Perhaps the Government’s time would be better spentlegislating against intentional or unintentional spread ofJapanese knotweed, supporting landowners with theproblem and backing an already established industry inthe treatment and eradication of the problem?

Whatever course of action is decided upon, the answerat a local level remains in providing a viable and appro-priate solution depending on a customer’s needs -whether herbicide, excavation, introducing the aphid orthe latest mesh treatments. When looking at a nationallevel, a co-operative approach between the public andprivate sector is critical in order to utilise all availableresources and stem the spread of the weed.

So before the Government fully commits to a similarcourse of action as the unfortunate heroine of the nurseryrhyme, hopefully final procedures will be in place to helpmanage any potential fall out from releasing a non-nativeinsect onto our island. All being well however, this newand seemingly effective weapon will certainly help bol-ster the armoury available for the management of thisevasive alien species.

Old buildings awaiting demolition, greenfield andbrownfield sites and sites that on the surface of itmay look fallow and uninhabited can all house anyamount of wildlife, including protected species.Developers ignoring their statutory duties towardsthe conservation of protected species are leavingthemselves open to prosecution. The list of pro-tected species also goes a lot further than just themore ‘high profile’ bats and newts.

The recent court case involving a Lancashire planning consultant who was given a six monthconditional discharge and ordered to pay £2,000costs when he proceeded with the demolition ofsome former hospital buildings in North Walesthat were known to house two protected speciesof bats, illustrates that the courts are prepared toget tough on developers who do not take the necessary mitigation steps for protected specieswhen demolishing or developing land.

In this case, the developer was aware of the presence of lesser horseshoe bats and brownlong-eared bats at the former hospital site, havinghad a site survey undertaken two years previously.However, the work under the bat licence to relocateor provide replacement features in which theycould live, which was the responsibility of the defendant, was never carried out.

There are a great many protected species in thiscountry and it is the legal duty of developers andlandowners to ensure that these species areprovided with appropriate protection when demolishing buildings, clearing sites or develop-ing land. As has been shown, not following somesimple procedures could land the developer orhis contractors in court but there are alsotremendous opportunities to enhance schemesby ensuring that effective mitigation is in placeright from the start.

Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 andother legislation, it is normally an offence to intentionally or recklessly kill, injure, take, possess or sell any protected species (whetheralive or dead), to disturb the animal, or to dam-age, destroy or obstruct access to its place ofshelter or protection. The range of species af-forded legal protection is wide and includes bats,badgers, white clawed crayfish, newts, reptiles,water voles, adders, slow worms, numerousspecies of birds and butterflies and several morebesides. Certain species, such as the dormouse,great crested newts, sand lizards, bats and largeblue butterflies are described as European Pro-tected Species of Animals and are subject to verystrict legal protection under the Habitats Regu-lations 1994. There is also a long list of plants af-forded similar protection.

PROTECTED SPECIES

Image thanks to Jane Stevens

Philip Fermor


So, faced with a demolition or development site,the onus is on the developer to ensure that theydo not fall foul of the law by intentionally or un-intentionally disturb a protected species. Ignor-ing the legislation is not an option and couldwell leave the developer with a significant billand a delayed development, which could provevery expensive indeed.

However, arranging an ecological survey of yoursite to identify the presence of any protectedspecies and then putting mitigation proceduresin place, should they be needed, is not a com-plicated procedure, neither is it expensive. Italso allows developers the opportunity to en-hance their development by taking advantage ofthe expertise of the ecological team.

What is most important is to involve ecologicalexperts throughout the life of the project to ensure the right procedures are followed andthe law is kept off your back.

The first stage is the Extended Phase 1 habitatsurvey which can be carried out year round.Should follow on surveys be necessary to establish presence of any protected species,this is usually undertaken between April andSeptember when animals are out of the hiber-nation period. For plants, the optimal time isJune to July but they can often be undertakenearlier or later to coincide with animal surveys.

These surveys comprise a combination of deskresearch of existing ecological records, includ-

ing a search by the Local Biological RecordsCentre, and a detailed on-site survey by a

qualified, specialist ecologist to identifysigns of legally protected species

and any other notable species.Clients are presented with a

habitat map together witha report with recom-

mendations. This willgive the developer

directions onwhat to do

next.

Ecological consultants, can provide surveyswhich show if you have protected species pres-ent or the habitat for protected species and willmanage the necessary steps, whether these in-clude mitigation plans, on-site trapping andtranslocation, or the creation of new features or habitats for the future.

A mitigation strategy will enable you to safe-guard protected species as your developmentproceeds and deal with all issues of meetingyour legal requirements. This strategy docu-ment needs approval from national agencies,such as Natural England, and Local Authorities,which an ecological consultant will arrange –and then needs actioning on the ground.

Again, this procedure can be straightforwardbut ignoring it can easily lead to lost time andstretched cash flow or even prosecution. For ex-ample, with some developments, providing afew bat boxes to replace existing roosting sitesmay be all you need. In other cases a whole newmaternity box may be needed. Translocation toother suitable sites could be required and specialist help is needed to ensure safe andsuccessful movement.

Image thanks to Jane Stevens



•••••••

•••••

@ Group

CGO Ecology Ltd

Specialists in amphibian and reptile surveys and mitigation

ecology

5 Cranbourne House12 Knole RoadBournemouth

DorsetBH1 4DQ UK

[email protected]

01202 25111407846 137346

Middlemarch Environmental Ltd is an integrated eco-logical consultancy with national coverage from officesin Allesley, Coventry. They are one of the UK’s leadingbiodiversity consultancies with a turnover in 2008 ofover £3m. Their clients range from private clients toLocal Authorities and blue-chip companies.

The company and staff are members of the Institute ofEcology and Environmental Management, the Char-tered Institution of Water and Environmental Manage-ment, the Institute of Environmental Management and

Assessment and the Society for Ecological Restora-tion. The team includes over 25 suitably qualified ecol-ogists, expert in various disciplines allowing them todeliver a complete service from ecological survey tomitigation works for clients.

The company was first set up in 1989 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Warwickshire Wildlife Trust,which is itself part of The Wildlife Trusts, the largestvoluntary organisation in the UK concerned with allaspects of nature conservation and the environment.

A recent project for Middlemarch Environ-mental involved a barren demolition site fea-turing shallow puddles in aggregate and pilesof crushed concrete as well as patches ofsparse vegetation. At first sight, this area wasdevoid of wildlife.

However, a site inspection revealed severalbreeding pairs of very rare little ringedplovers. With fewer than 1,000 breeding pairsnationally, the birds are listed on Schedule 1of the Wildlife and Countryside Act. Lapwingswere also noted to be breeding and a rangeof other passage wading birds were using thesite to rest. The developer was unaware thatlittle ringed plovers prefer post-industrialareas such as quarries, gravel pits, sparselyvegetated and recently bulldozed land forbreeding purposes. Nests are located on theground and consist of no more than a shallowscrape.

Here, timing was key in order to minimisedisturbance to these rare birds. The birdsmove in to breed between March and June,leaving again around August, so re-develop-ment works were scheduled over the winterperiod. An ecological consultant will advisenot only on the best time to schedule demo-lition and construction but also on how suchsites can be made unsuitable for the nestingbirds in the short term to allow developmentto take place.

Developers have a unique opportunity byworking with ecological consultants to ensurecompliance with the legislation and find creative ecological solutions to specific siteissues as well. Where drainage is an issue forinstance, ecological consultants can adviseon the creation, management and mainte-nance of wetland habitats that meet bothdrainage issues and the needs of a wholerange of protected species that may need tobe relocated from the main site.

Today, more and more developers are workingclosely with ecological consultants as a matterof course. Ecological surveys at the beginningof a project identify all issues surroundingprotected species. If these are identified,measures can be quickly and efficiently putin place to ensure due diligence by the devel-oper and compliance with legislation. Wherethere are opportunities for ecological enhancements, the ecological consultant canprovide advice and help in planning these intothe overall project. At a strategic level, theycan help too in developing Biodiversity ActionPlans and, at a practical level, can assist inplanning how to implement Section 106agreements.

Image thanks to battyjan



Population increases, a dietary shift, the growth of biofuelsand global warming are all factors which are impacting seriously upon the world’s ability to feed itself. Mass hungerand civil unrest over food shortages could spread morewidely unless action is taken.

Last year’s depleted harvests, soaring fuel prices and weakpound gave the UK an early taste of how food prices rocketwhen food supplies are reduced or become more expensiveto cultivate or import. UK Government are now under pres-sure to ensure Britain is not only closer to being self-suffi-cient but commits to the joint moral obligation of thosewho, by virtue of their geographical position on the planet,have the ability to grow food and contribute towards increasing global supplies.

According to Defra’s document Agriculture in the UK, theUK currently produces only 60% of its own food, down from67% in the late 1990s. There are a number of reasons forthis. The UK has for many years enjoyed a rich and varieddiet, where the traditional seasonality of foods has largelybecome ignored and exotic produce from around the worldis common place. Supermarket giants have seen their buyers travel the world to secure the supply of large volumes of appealing food which they can sell profitably atprices attractive to consumers but British growers mustcope with weather shifting harvest dates, higher wage billsand stricter legislation.

Prior to agriculture being part of the global marketplace, apoor harvest would see prices rise, enabling farmers andgrowers to recover costs and earn sufficient income. Today,food imports from countries that are willing to sell to thehighest bidder, despite local hunger, is resulting in UK landbeing turned over to other uses.

But this is not the only threat to food security. Lantra’s recently published Skills Assessment Report offers a stark

warning that unless current trends are reversed, the UK’sability to produce enough food to be self-sufficient will faildue to a critical shortage of skilled workers in the environ-mental and land-based sector.

The unpredictable returns, reduced profit margins and thediminishing number of young people with a passion for cultivation, the countryside and its wildlife, are all reasonswhy agriculture is struggling. Some 60,000 new entrantsare needed in agriculture and horticulture over the nextdecade simply to replace those retiring. Currently 41% ofthe agricultural workforce is over 50. The average age ofkey decision makers on farms is around 55 and close to halfof these do not have successors in place. In recent yearseconomic migrants have enabled growers to meet the sea-sonal demands of agriculture but numbers have fallen overthe last two years and relying on this source of labour is un-certain.

Lantra is working to attract new entrants. This has includeddeveloping new qualifications with an environmental andland-based element that can be delivered in schools andcolleges to 14-19 year-olds. Industry is being asked to helpsupport and develop a positive image for these courses.Lantra is also re-launching its careers website,afuturein.com, this Spring to demonstrate the breadth ofopportunities offered by the sector.

The levels of knowledge and range of skills required to runa successful, profitable agricultural business has increasedover recent years. The agricultural workforce is highlyskilled with 51% of jobs requiring two or more years’ learning,though this need not necessarily be through the attainmentof qualifications. Currently some 31% of vacancies acrossagriculture are hard to fill because of skills shortages,compared to 21% across all sectors, with significant problemsexperienced by those wishing to find farm managers (70%)or farmers (59%).

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The SustainableFood Guide helpsyou produce andpromote meals thatare healthier forpeople - and theplanet..

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It is important to have skilled, competent workers who canadopt and implement new methods and techniques. Thesector needs to be equipped with the right professionalskills, delivered through apprenticeships, qualifications,continuing professional development and other forms ofknowledge-transfer.

Modern technology must be embraced to optimise efficiency, increase yields and meet the drive for economic, environmental and social sustainability. Extensive manage-ment skills and knowledge is needed to understand andmeet issues relating to supply chains, food quality andtraceability, land usage and changing consumer patterns.Lower profit margins require risk to be minimised, and returns optimised for a business to be viable, and all thismust be achieved in conjunction with care of the environ-ment and higher animal welfare standards.

Climate change is already varying temperature and rainfallpatterns, leading to altered crop timings and cycles. Increasingly scarce resources will need to be well managedin order to operate in a sustainable way. There will bechanges to materials used, planting and yields. Biodiversitymust also be conserved, while new pests and diseases previously unseen in this country are likely to appear.

Lantra is responding to agriculture and horticulture’s needto develop a wider range of skills, adopt new technologyand better working methodologies. Through working withemployers, Lantra is supporting the changing workforceprofile and, in consultation with industry, updating the sector’s National Occupational Standards (NOS). These describe the skills, knowledge and understanding neededto do all the particular tasks or jobs within an industry. Theymust reflect innovation, new technology, legislation andmodern good practice.

Lantra also works with businesses and trade associationson industry specific research projects. It also influencespolicy and helps identify areas where funding or supportshould be directed. It is crucial for businesses to recogniseand apply the latest research, a great deal of which is beinggenerated through initiatives sponsored by the energy industries and levy boards. Effective knowledge and tech-nology transfer will be key to ensuring Britain has a suc-cessful farming industry. Lantra manages or co-ordinatesa wide variety of training programmes to help our sectorachieve this.

In England we work with six of the nine Regional Develop-ment Agencies to deliver LandSkills, a programme spe-cially designed to address the needs for farmers, growersand foresters and others whose livelihoods depend on primary production or land management. The programmefunds training that ensures access to the right kind of in-formation and training. It is all about developing busi-nesses, no matter their size, with the skills and knowledgethat will benefit them and their productivity, rather thanadding qualifications. LandSkills works with local trainingproviders, partner organisations and industry to develop thebest ways to achieve this.

Many in our sector have also benefited from England’sWomen and Work Programme which helps boost women’s

access to funded training. The aim is to help progressionprospects in industries where their gender is under-repre-sented and over time encourage more women into theseindustries.

Business Forward is a programme, jointly run by Agri-Bip,Lantra and the Rural Business School at Duchy College,aiming to help and support rural businesses in Cornwalland the Isles of Scilly with training and staff development.

Lantra manages the Farm Business Advisers AccreditationScheme for Scotland (FBAASS), which has accredited over100 advisers to deliver Whole Farm Reviews. The ScottishRural Development Programme funding is enabling ruralwomen to further develop their business skills, also assistingfamilies with succession planning.

In Wales Lantra arranges 50% funding support to developthe skills of rural businesses through Farming Connect.Best practice events, commissioned by the EnvironmentAgency Wales, have also been run to deliver advice on effective sheep ectoparasite control, health and safety andenvironmental advice to safeguard waterways.

To help recognise skills built within the work place, Lantrahas developed Skills Manager, an online system which enables employees’ training and experience to be recordedand verified in a standard manner across an industry. It isan easy, cost effective method of maintaining trainingrecords that increases productivity and reduces the likeli-hood of spending money on unnecessary training. It alsodemonstrates an employer’s commitment to skills and investment in staff development, so helps attract and retainemployees. The benefits provided can include increasedcustomer confidence and assistance with assurancescheme compliance.

Examples of successful Skills Manager applications withinagriculture include the Poultry Passport, administered byPoultec; the Pig Passport delivered through Quality MeatScotland; and the Dairy Skills Passport (again Scotland) delivered through First Milk.

Crofters in Scotland, keen to preserve and record the skillsthey rely upon, have worked with Lantra, through theCrofters Foundation, to develop the National OccupationalStandards for their industry and a paper version of SkillsManager due to a lack/or slowness of the online technologyin their often remote locations.

A further version of Skills Manager, the National StudentDatabase, is bridging the gap between further educationand the world of work. It will help students demonstrate allaspects of their education and work experience to prospec-tive employers and can be used by students to research future job roles and recognise the skills they should bebuilding if they wish to pursue particular careers.

For some, particularly smaller family-run operations, diversification has become essential to the survival of thefarm.

Businesses in the sector are already willing to co-financeschemes when they are provided with the right training. TheLandSkills programme, co-funded by employers and EUfunds through the Rural Development Plan for England, is


Faculty of EnvironmentTo find out more about our full range ofcourses and possible research collaborationsplease contact;

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Providing the knowledge and skillsto understand and manage the impact of a changing worldThe Faculty of Environment at theUniversity of Leeds is one of theworld’s leading academic centresfor research and teaching relatedto the Earth, it’s environment andthe impact of human activity. Training future generations of leadersand engaging in research of global significance.

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highly successful as it links skills development with busi-ness support. This approach should be replicated in themainstream.

There are ambitious hi-tech projects and innovative newmethods being introduced across the UK. The growing season of salad crops is being successfully extended. Biodigesters are turning waste into electricity and naturalfertiliser. GPS and aerial scanning is increasing efficiencyand reducing fertiliser usage. Robotic milking is increasingyields. The services of agronomists are helping farmers andgrowers to predict the varieties that should produce goodyields within particular fields and require less chemical aid.

Although there are high capital costs and knowledge requirements associated with many of these new technolo-gies, their greater efficiencies and benefits could help theUK to compete in today’s agricultural world market andhelp reduce the environmental impact caused by farming.

However the role of the consumer cannot be ignored. Although I am sure no-one would expect the UK populationto forgo its passion for exotic produce or shift from dietsthat are intrinsic to this country’s rich array of cultures,there is still plenty the public can do to support Britain’sdrive for increased self-sufficiency.

Consumers are the final link of the food supply chain withthe collective buying power to influence what is stocked onthe supermarket shelves or direct from outlets such asfrom farms or farm shops. They can support the variousfarm assurance schemes that demonstrate high standards

practiced by many UK farmers and growers. They can buyin season home-grown produce or food from sustainablesources, such as managed estates or fish farms, ratherthan the wild and accept that produce comes with the minor imperfections of nature and which has no bearing on itsquality.

If agriculture and horticulture is to deliver the high levelproductivity required to feed this nation in future years, itmust be recognised as a strategic priority by governmentsand action taken. Environmental and land-based busi-nesses spend more money on skills and training per employee than any other sector; £2,975 a year, comparedto an all-England average of £1,725 but they often miss outon grants and economies of scale which benefit largercompanies.

Nearly one in ten businesses across the UK is in the environmental and land-based sector, yet they are oftenoverlooked as 96% are micro-businesses employing fewerthan ten people. Yet the nation cannot afford to get thiswrong. Farmers and growers must be equipped with theright kind of specialist. Governments need to back cost-effective skills initiatives that are tailored to the needs ofthe sector. The proposed Agri-Skills Strategy, to whichLantra is contributing, aims to increase the recognition ofskills and further professionalise the sector. There arethousands of businesses out there prepared to play theirpart but their vital role in feeding the nation has to be supported and understood by Government.

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Water for Life “The world has to respond much better”— Almost 5 yearsago, UN Secretary- General Kofi Annan, on the occasion ofWorld Water Day (22 March 2005) launched the “Water forLife” decade, urging States to move beyond national sover-eign boundaries and to act collectively in addressing theworld’s water problems — an approach now echoed by theprivate sector and some national governments under theaegis of the World Economic Forum, looking at water re-sources management in the long shadow of the global fi-nancial crisis.1 Whilst this all sounds very nice and seemsa sensible way forward, has any real progress been made?

Without a doubt, water has moved up the global politicalagenda, although one wonders where it is to be found in thecurrent climate change negotiations soon to be advancedin Copenhagen.2 Water security, often linked with energyand food security, currently captures political, academicand NGO debates around the globe, and drives discoursethat often concludes with the refrain that business as usualsimply will not do. How will such innovation be harnessed?

The work of the UN – In line with the UN Charter’s funda-mental focus on promoting regional peace and security,3

more than 20 UN bodies work on water around the worldand recently presented their collective views on this topic,through the 3rd World Water Development Report (“Waterin a Changing World”)4 at the 5th World Water Forum (Is-tanbul, March 2009). That study warned of the increasedlikelihood of conflicts, resulting from water scarcity, cli-mate change and other water-related activities and theshared world view is that the global community will fail tomeet the Millennium Development Goals on water, in spiteof evident increased attention to this topic, and numerous

local, regional and global efforts and initiatives (notableamong these is the work of the Global Water Partnership).5

However, more action needs to be taken, especially on thedevelopment side, with investments inadequate to meet de-mands, especially for the poorest and voiceless.

The have and have-nots — The availability of, and assuredaccess to, fresh water is often the difference betweenpoverty and prosperity, life and death for more than ½ ofthe world’s population who live in the 80 countries that reg-ularly suffer serious water shortages. By 2025, 1.8 billionpeople will live in countries or regions with absolute waterscarcity and 2/3 of the world population could be understress conditions, including most of the Middle East andNorth Africa, Southern Africa, and large parts of India andChina. To sustain their needs, these countries need to focuson water use strategies that maximise the economic andsocial return of limited water resources and, at the sametime, enhance the water productivity of all sectors. In thisendeavor, special attention is required on issues of equityin access to water and social impact of water allocationpolicies. Conflicts-of-use will inevitably arise across a num-ber of dichotomies.

Crossing national, and political boundaries — The situa-tion becomes even more complex when we introduce trans-boundary waters into the mix — more than 250 majorrivers, lakes and aquifers around the world are shared bytwo or more States, often in situations of regional unrest.The UN Charter (the law of nations), concluded followingone of the most violent international conflicts, provides thefoundation for peaceful relations among States, and its fun-damental objectives of promoting regional peace and se-curity are directly relevant to the global water resourcesproblematique. The 1997 UN Watercourses Convention, yet

“The consequences for humanity are grave. Water scarcity threatens economic and social gainsand is a potent fuel for wars and conflict.” Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary- General (2009)

Dr Patricia WoutersProfessor of International Water Law, DirectorDundee UNESCO Centre for Water Law, Policy and ScienceUniversity of Dundee


to enter into force, provides a solid framework for thepeaceful management of the world’s shared fresh water re-sources and should be endorsed more broadly by the inter-national community.

Water for All?How would you decide? — If you had to determine “who”would get “what” “water” — how would you decide? It is adifficult question that needs a response in many countriesaround the world. On the Mekong — is China entitled tobuild dams upstream on the headwaters, or should the fullflow of the water be sustained to meet the needs of theTonle Sap (the Great Lake) in Cambodia, which producesfish to feed growing populations? And / or, should Laos begiven the go-ahead to build hydroelectric dams on theMekong, in order to support economic development; orshould the full -flow of the river be protected for use down-stream, to prevent salt-water intrusion in Vietnam? On theNile — the 10 riparian States seek agreement on how theycooperatively develop the shared resources of the Blue andWhite Nile, struggling with historical events, and remain atan impasse in their current negotiations. Water security is-sues threaten large parts of Australia, the Middle East,Central Asia, Latin America; China and India face seriouschallenges now, with more in the future related to insuffi-cient quantities and quality of water to meet growing pop-ulations, including serious problems with pollution,over-exploited groundwater, and recurring droughts andfloods. In fact, problems over water seem omnipresent,while solutions are disparate and difficult to find and effec-tively implement.

Why Water Law?Law is not a panacea, but it helps — When difficult choiceshave to be made, where there is the potential for conflict,when a fair and just decision is required — the importanceof a transparent, credible and responsive framework for en-suring these problems are addressed predictably and legit-imately is readily evident. Where there is insufficient qualityor quantity of water to meet all needs, priorities must beagreed or determined. And indeed, as the choices becomemore interconnected — witness the water/energy/food se-curity trialogue; the financial/economic/trade interface; thenational sovereignty vs. collective action debate; — eachand all of these pressing dichotomies underline the needfor clarity. At the international level, the culture of peacepromoted by the UN Charter, and reflected in the identifi-able body of treaty and customary laws that govern trans-boundary waters, offers a framework for certainty. Part ofthis package includes the 1997 United Nations (UN) Con-vention on the Non-Navigational Uses of International Wa-tercourses (UNWC),6 which should be supported by theinternational community so that it enters into force, in linewith the Hashimoto Report recommendations (UNSGAB’songoing work; see article by Margaret Catley-Carlson inJuly/August 2009).International water law provides aroadmap for the peaceful management of the world’sshared water resources.

Water Law and MoreWorking across disciplinary silos — The “global waterchallenge” presents new opportunities for interdisciplinaryresearch, including water law as an integral component.Together, we must find innovative ways to work together –to collaborate on out-of-the-box research, to devise excitingand relevant new graduate and training programmes fo-cused on developing our next generation of “local waterleaders”, as an enlightened community of champions men-tored and supported at the local level in all regions of theworld. How the international community manages itstransboundary waters now and in the future will determinewhether or not there will be wars over water, and how pos-sible conflicts-of-use might be avoided or resolved. Inter-national water law provides a transparent and dynamiclegal framework to tackle these issues in ways that pro-mote regional peace, prosperity and security – and morewater resource experts need to know this more fully.

A New Generation of Local Water LeadersLocal Water Leaders — In a world already facing crisesover water, at the local, regional and international levels,we need fresh new thinking, applied at the local level —identifying local needs and finding innovative solutions thatcan be applied to the benefit of all. The challenge is great— with climate change, natural disasters and growing pop-ulations, added to all of the complex issues linked withglobal poverty — the demands for efficient, effective andequitable access to the world’s diminishing water resourcesare increasingly more difficult to meet. The single-sectorapproach to water management is no longer tenable. Weneed innovative and operational interdisciplinary ap-proaches, led by a broad constituency of fresh new talent:eco-hydrologists, engineers, natural and social scientists,lawyers who are willing to move out of their comfort zonesand set in motion a new dynamic based upon creative part-nerships, working together with common purpose. At theUniversity of Dundee UNESCO Centre for Water Law, Policyand Science we are trying to make our contribution to thisimportant mission.

Professor Wouters, a Professor of international water law, leadsthe University of Dundee UNESCO Centre for Water Law, Policyand Science, where a team of water lawyers and scientists con-duct water-related research in Scotland and around the world andteach on the Water Law, Water Leaders graduate teaching / train-ing programme. See www.dundee.ac.uk/wate

1 World Economic Forum, Summit on the Global Agenda, Dubai,November 2009. See http://www.weforum.org/en/index.htm.

2 http://en.cop15.dk/. “Water evaporates from the climatechange negotiating text” , Press release, 3 November 2009,Global Water Partnership; seehttp://www.gwpforum.org/gwp/library/091103_WaterDay_press_release.pdf

3 UN Charter, seehttp://www.un.org/en/documents/charter/index.shtml.

4 http://www.unesco.org/water/wwap/wwdr/wwdr3/.

5 GWP, see www.gwp.org

6 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-NavigationalUses of International Watercourses, UN Doc. A/51/869 (21 May1997; not yet in force), reprinted in 36 I.L.M. 700 (1997).

CASE 1: Liquid waste spreading incident costs firm £34,000

Liquid waste spread on a field to fertilise it at Priory Farm,Braisworth, grossly polluted a tributary of the River Dovehaving a catastrophic impact on macroinvertebrates andrestricting some crop growth on the land.Bury St EdmundsMagistrates’ Court fined the company responsible, Enviro-Waste Ltd, a total of £17,000 with £17,159 full costs for twooffences relating to the spreading.Enviro-Waste Thetford,Norfolk pleaded guilty to polluting the stream and disposingof controlled waste at Priory Farm, Braisworth, Eye withouta waste management licence.

CASE 2: Oxfordshire farmer fined for creating a flood risk

Mr Paul Caudwell, the owner of Caudwell and Sons Limited, Oxfordshire, was ordered to pay £2,600 by DidcotMagistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to two offences offailing to obtain consent to carry out dredging and forminga structure within eight metres of the bank. The companywas also ordered to pay the Environment Agency’s costs of£2,500.The court heard that on the 13 March 2009 a memberof the public telephoned the Environment Agency to saythat a farmer was scraping up the river bank with a diggerand building a barrier of boulders and earth along thebanks of Ginge Brook. The brook, which is a shallow andmainly fast flowing water course, is known to support a rarehabitat for the water vole - a protected species that hasbeen in significant decline over the last 15-20 years.

CASE 3: Food producer pleads guilty to polluting stream

A food company which severely polluted a tributary of theRiver Colne has been ordered to pay more than £17,700.Ambala Foods Limited, of Watchmead, Welwyn Garden City,Hertfordshire, which describes itself as a producer of qualityAsian food and confectionary, pleaded guilty to causing polluting matter to enter a tributary of the River Colne.Environment officers saw a number of containers in the entrance yard to the bakery, which held whey (waste milkproduct) and waste cooking oil, close to two surface watergullies. The environment officers were concerned aboutpossible pollution because the containers did not havebunds, and the gullies are part of a surface water drainagesystem which feeds a tributary of the River Colne.

CASE 4: Waste broker fined for breach

A waste broker has been fined for its role in the disposal ofstorage drums contaminated with a hazardous chemical. AtTeesside Magistrates’ Court, Innovation Waste ManagementLimited (“IWM”) pleaded guilty to an environmental offenceby misdescribing waste which was subsequently sent to ascrapyard. The company, of Woodside Business Park,Birkenhead, Wirral, was the waste broker for the disposalof storage drums, which should have been washed but infact contained hazardous waste residues which caught fireand were potentially hazardous to scrapyard staff.

CASE 5: Recycling business stockpiled waste

At York Crown Court, Louisa Smith was ordered to carry out120 hours’ work for the good of the community after thejudge told her that, despite her good intentions, her“chaotic” business had added to environmental problems.The court heard Smith was a company director of Filey andScarborough Trust for Recycling Limited (FAST), which hassince ceased trading. Its business was described as “recycling non-metal waste and scrap, social work withoutaccommodation and collection and treatment of otherwaste”. The court heard the collection side of the businesswas developed with little thought for the disposal and recycling side, resulting in a large quantity of waste beingcollected with nowhere for it to go. So it was piled up in various locations in and around Scarborough.

CASE 6: Waste fine for skip hire business

A skip hire company and its boss have been hit with a financialpenalty of almost £13,000 for running an illegal waste transferstation in Barnsley. Michael Weldrick and his company, 1st4 Builders Limited, have each pleaded guilty at BarnsleyMagistrates’ Court to one offence of operating a wastetransfer station without an environmental permit. Weldrickadmitted he was responsible for the running of the company, which had been operating for about seven years,in addition to running another business, 1st 4 Skips, forabout six months. Weldrick and 1st 4 Builders Limited eachwere fined £5,000 and ordered to pay full prosecution costsof £2,911.40. Weldrick and his company each also has to paya victim surcharge of £15.

Environment Agencyprosecutions



Experts from leading European engineering consultancy,Grontmij, have been instrumental in developing and imple-menting a plan to stabilise a 540 metre length of track, onthe busy freight line between Doncaster and Scunthorpe.The £10 million ‘Medge Hall Track Stabilisation’ project wascompleted on behalf of Carillion Construction Limited on aNetwork Rail design and build project.

The contract was awarded to Carillion in January 2009 aftera competitive tender process, which saw Grontmij’s teamof Geotechnical engineers provide a solution that offeredCarillion and Network Rail distinct advantages in terms ofreducing programme and construction risk.

The track, underlain by soft peat and alluvium, had beensuffering from settlement related problems for a number ofyears leading to the introduction of a 10mph speed limit. Theline carries approximately 35 million tonnes of freight peryear, making track maintenance and safety a key concern.

The solution was engineered by Grontmij’s Geotechnicaland Transportation teams, who developed a plan to driveup to 1,300 small diameter piles through the existing rail-way embankment over a distance of approximately 500m.The piles support a reinforced concrete slab which carriesa new ballast and track.

Clive Powell, geotechnical director at Grontmij, said: “Wehave worked closely with Carillion to develop and imple-ment a solution with the least construction risk during an11 week rail blockade.

“Although the main concern in this project was the Geot-echnical issues with the track stabilisation, access was lim-ited as the track is surrounded by water, with a significantwatercourse to the north and a major canal to the southparallel to the railway. Access to the site was only possiblewith the construction of five temporary bridges over thenorthern drainage ditch.

The selection of a mini pile meant that smaller scale plantcould be used and that offered distinct advantages in termsof reduced temporary works, ease of plant movement andless risk to the canal sheet piling.”

Network Rail’s Project Manager Paul Fairburn commented,“This is a vital piece of work and we were impressed withGrontmij’s geotechnical solution and implementation of theplans. The strength of the team that Carillion and Grontmijrepresent allowed the work to be completed on schedulewith the minimum disruption to the ecological environment.”

Grontmij and Carillion Complete InnovativeTrack Stabilisation Project with Network Rail

CASE STUDIES


The role of ICT is set to grow as Britain strives to competeas a world leader in the knowledge-based economy. Thiswill result in an exponential growth in infrastructure withan attendant rise in energy consumption and CO2 emis-sions, at a time when power brown and blackouts are pre-dicted.

At the same time, the UK is committed to creating a lowcarbon economy, rightly seeking to reduce energy con-sumption and carbon emissions whilst employing alterna-tive and renewable sources of energy.

How can we resolve the tension between these opposingdrivers?

The Greening Government ICT strategy aims to take a lead,making energy consumption of Government ICT systemscarbon neutral by 2012, and to make them carbon neutralacross their lifetime by 2020. Data centres play a key rolein achieving this target.

ICT expects the number of servers worldwide to increaseby almost 18% per annum until 2020 - an increase from 18million (in 2008), to 122 million1. The percentage of thoseservers located in data centres – rather than in serverrooms onsite - is set to increase rapidly. In the UK demandis high and supply still low, so the selection of data centrespace is becoming one of the most important decisions ITprocurers will make.

Investment in IT should be made in such a way as to reducegreenhouse gas emissions. When purchasing data centrecapacity, there are three key elements to consider:

1. the carbon footprint of the facility (design, build and operation);

2. increasing the efficiency of processes, reducing energyconsumption; and sourcing of energy (renewablesources?);

3. and the management of waste energy.

Caution is required on the second point. Data centre elec-trical load profiles are generally not compatible with on-site renewable power generation. So, offsite mitigation maybe considered as an alternative. The key driver in reducingthe carbon footprint is the consumption of energy over thelife of the facility.

The Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) is used to provide aninsight into the effectiveness of a specific data centre. PUEcoefficient is the ratio of power entering the facility com-pared to power used by the IT kit inside it. The closer thePUE is to 1 the higher the efficiency of the system, althougha PUE of exactly 1 cannot be achieved. Older data centrestend to run at a PUE of 3 and above. The UK industry aver-age is 2.2. This year a new data centre campus is openingat Spring Park, Corsham, which will offer a design PUE ofjust 1.45.

The rural setting of the campus means the proportion offree cooling available is already over 60%. Future plans include an integrated energy management system that willallow waste energy to be recycled through absorptionchillers into the naturally cool subterranean environmentunder the campus. Once deployed, the data centres atSpring Park will achieve a design PUE of 1.15 to 1.2 utilising100% free cooling.

While PUE is a useful starting point, there are other sus-tainability measures that often get overlooked.

Data centres have generators as backup for electricity sup-ply failures. Most use battery-based UPS to deliver powerwhile the generators start up. These batteries require con-ditioned environments which consume significant energy;in addition, the batteries have a relatively short life and usu-ally end up in a landfill. The more sustainable option is touse a kinetic UPS system that provides a source of au-tonomous power, removing the need for batteries in theUPS.

I believe that ‘from the ground up’ should be the key to as-sessing whether a data centre developer is really going todeliver a sustainable option. Too often sustainability istreated as an afterthought and seen as the expensive op-tion; however, real sustainability will result in a significantreduction in the carbon footprint and will help reduce costsby increasing energy efficiency. This means selecting a datacentre provider who embraces best practice and sustain-able first principles in the design, construction, engineer-ing, operation and end of life of their data centres.

¹Source: IDC 2000-2010 Server Forecast

Data centres: friend orfoe to the environment?

Jeff Thomas, CEO, Ark Continuity


Berson UV Chosen to Disinfect Aruba’s Drinking Water and Greywater-Caribbean island opts for UV instead of chlorine-Ten of Berson’s InLine UV disinfection systems have beeninstalled on the Caribbean island of Aruba – eight systemsare used to disinfect drinking water and two are used totreat greywater* prior to discharge. The island opted for UVinstead of chlorine as part of its ‘non-chemical’ approachto water treatment.

Five Berson UV units are installed at the Balashi watertreatment plant, the site of gold mill ruins near Aruba’scapital, Oranjestad. Operated by W.E.B. Aruba N.V., whichsupplies drinking water and electricity to the island’s resi-dents and businesses, Balashi also houses the world’s sec-ond largest desalination plant. Aruba has a semi-aridclimate so desalination is necessary to supply its growingpopulation with much needed water.

Following the desalination process the water passesthrough the UV systems before being transported to sevenstorage tanks situated at elevated locations around the island. The UV units, which are installed outdoors and controlled by DGtronic microprocessors, each disinfect400m3 of water per hour, rising to 600m3/h during peak flowconditions. No chlorine is used at any stage of the watertreatment process.

Commenting on the installation, Project Manager Mr Ruizsaid, “Chlorine was originally considered as an alternativeto UV but was rejected after concerns over costs and safety.W.E.B. Aruba also has an anti-chemical policy”.

Two of the seven storage tanks situated around the islandare also fitted with Berson’s InLine UV systems, providingan additional disinfection step prior to distribution. It is expected that all the tanks will eventually be fitted with UV.One of the storage tanks is situated in the harbour and supplies cruise ships with UV treated drinking water.

In addition to disinfecting drinking water, two Berson UVsystems are also used to treat greywater. One unit is installed at each of the island’s two wastewater treatmentplants and the treated greywater is used to irrigate the island’s two golf courses. The Dr. Horacio Hospital on theisland also uses UV technology.

“There is a lot of interest in our UV systems on the island,especially from businesses wanting to use greywater forhosing down buildings,” says Berson’s customer servicemanager Danny van Kuringen. “It is very dusty on Aruba,so keeping the outside of buildings clean is a real concernfor many companies. We have also recently supplied one ofour new InLine+ UV systems to disinfect drinking water forthe airport.”

Berson’s compact InLine medium pressure UV systems useMultiWave lamps, which emit a wide spectrum of UV wave-lengths with a very high energy output, causing the totaland permanent deactivation of micro-organisms. The smallsize of the lamps means that they are positioned perpen-dicularly to the flow of liquid, increasing disinfection effi-ciency and reducing the overall size of the disinfection unit.

Berson UV is one of the few non-German UV system suppliers capable of providing a complete range of UV sys-tems with capacities between 10 – 10,000 m3/hour, certifiedto the latest German DVGW** norm, W294, Part 1, 2 & 3 –the highest standard currently possible in the world. Thesystems are also fully validated in accordance with theUSEPA UV Disinfection Guidance Manual (UVDGM).* Non-industrial wastewater from domestic processes such as laundry

and bathing.

** DVGW (German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water)is the body responsible for industry self-regulation in the German waterand gas and water supply industry and its technical rules are the basisfor safety and reliability.

The Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire WildlifeTrust (BBOWT) is due to complete the building of aneco-friendly visitor centre at College Lake Nature Re-serve (Buckinghamshire) in January 2010. The buildingwill attract 10,000 visitors a year and will open to thepublic in the spring.

The 410m2 building features a green roof, rammedearth internal walls, air source heating /cooling system,borehole water supply and a waste peat water treat-ment system. The construction uses slag based con-crete and very little steel in the roof support.

The open-plan building combines visitor facilities witha fully working office space. The entrance hall featuresa blue-green opaque glass floor with a fossil pit in thecentre. Walking through the hall, visitors are treated tothe full vista of the lake and the reserve below.

The centre sits on the edge of a cliff overlooking a lake(the old chalk quarry restored by BBOWT) and is de-signed for minimal visual environmental impact.

Environmentally Friendly Visitor Centre

Architect: Howard Sargent

Contractor: Edgar Taylor

Budget: £940,000

A Norfolk holiday complex has unveiled five carbon-neutralbarn conversions set to attract this winter’s eco-minded‘staycationers’.

The self-catering cottages, at Cranmer Country Cottageson the north Norfolk coast include solar energy andground-source heat pumps – even the Swedish eco-friendlypaint used carries an anti-asthma endorsement.

Experts at Suffolk-based East Green Energy installed thestate-of-the-art systems, which aim to reduce the oil consumption of the cottages to zero and of the swimmingpool by 50%.

Owner Lynne Johnson said: “We are committed to providingguests with good quality accommodation while taking rea-sonable measures to reduce the environmental impact ofour business in promoting responsible travel. Our new cot-tages will be virtually carbon neutral with heat light andpower generated through a number of alterative and sustainable energy sources.”

Environmentally friendly measures include geothermalheat probes buried 90 metres underground and an 18mwind turbine which supplies electricity to the swimmingpool as well as the holiday cottages.

East Green’s technical director, Robbie Gawthrop, said:“One of the ways homes and businesses can really lowertheir carbon footprint is by installing a ground source heatpump, an electrically powered system that taps into thegreatest solar collector in existence: the earth.

The system uses the earth’s relatively constant temperatureto provide heating, the magic equation being that it only requires 1kw of electricity to run the pump to create 4kw ofusable heat”, he added.

East Green Energy scooped the ‘Greenest Business Award2008’ for outstanding commitment to sustainable design inbuildings, is leading the way to a lower carbon Suffolk.

For more details on East Green call 01728 602315 or visitwww.eastgreen.co.uk.

Norfolk holiday homewoos green visitors witheco-energy conversion


Last month we held a press conference in London to unveila science report on the findings so far from the Catlin ArcticSurvey. Sitting alongside me that day was one of its authors,Professor Peter Wadhams from the University of Cam-bridge, one of the world’s leading academics studyingocean ice.

All summer his Polar Ocean Physics Group had worked onthe data we had brought back from our 73-day long expe-dition earlier in the year. Along with my fellow explorers,Martin Hartley and Ann Daniels, I had trekked, ski-ed and(on occasions) swam along our route capturing thousandsof measurements and observations about the thickness ofthe ice in a part of the ocean of particular interest to re-searchers.

Scientists have over the last few years pieced together anincreasingly gloomy picture of what is happening to thishuge iconic feature at the top of our planet and seen itchange fast as a consequence of global warming. They havedocumented it shrinking in surface area to a record minimumin the summer of 2007 and looked at the other, less imme-diately visible dynamic, its thinning.

To a crowded room Professor Wadhams revealed that thedata we had captured showed the ice averaged only 1.8 me-tres in thickness and, being all first year ice, would be toothin to have much chance of surviving through the summer.The results were from an area that had been, withoutground-truth information like ours, assumed to be older,thicker, multi-year ice.

Most worryingly, he described how our survey evidencesupported a new concensus amongst researchers, that theArctic Ocean would be ice-free in summer within 20 yearsand that it would be largely ice-free within about 10.

As an explorer who has visited this remote region for over20 years, it is shocking to hear that this vast, magnificenticescape, which has been there for tens of thousands ofyears, will no longer be a perennial feature so soon.

Up to now it seems that our policy-makers had viewed theimpacts of climate change as something to be addressednow in order to prevent serious impacts later this centuryand for future generations. Suddenly, scientists are de-scribing even recent predictions from the UN’s IPCCC andothers about the rate of disintegration in the Arctic as tooconservative.

So how should we react to hearing that the demise of thisicescape will be within so short a time?

Should we take some positives from it and welcome com-

mercial shipping across the ocean as progress? Are oil, gasand fisheries resources becoming open to exploitation in aworld facing both energy and food shortages a benefit? Ofcourse not. No one can doubt the complexity of the naturalphenomena impacting on the sea ice in the Arctic Ocean,but the basic physics of what will happen as the ice disap-pears tell us to be very worried indeed.

For as long as the ice has existed it has reflected the ma-jority of energy from the sun’s rays back into space. As thesea becomes open water it will, being darker, absorb theenergy of the sun, warm and begin to change the weatherpatterns of the northern hemisphere where the over-whelming mass of humankind lives.

It is no wonder that our findings and those of countlessother research teams are being pressed into the hands ofthe delegations heading to Copenhagen for the UN ClimateChange talks. Our own findings have been made availableto the UK’s negotiating team heading to Copenhagen. Factsare hard to ignore. The implications are too serious.

What we don’t know at this stage is whether our politicalleaders really will commit to meaningful action on climatechange. Politicians the world over are always looking at thenext election but not everyone thinks that way and else-where there are more positive signs of backing for a big re-sponse to global warming. At a meeting at Lloyds of Londonlast month the Secretary-General of NATO, Anders FoghRasmussen, identified climate change as the biggest singlechallenge of the 21st century. He was there speaking to ahard core of city and business figures who seemed torecognise there is a real and present danger in not takingaction. After all, what business does not want to know moreabout something so potentially dangerous as climatechange?

My hope is that if the military leaders, businesses and sci-entists are all telling our elected policy-makers it is timefor action, then they will step up to the plate at Copenhagen.

In many ways what I did on the Catlin Arctic survey was myown personal response to climate change. I lent what skillsI have. It is really now up to others to respond in their own way.Lots of small steps, taken together, can make a difference.

Looking back on the expedition itself, I’m left wondering,was it worth it? Well, yes. I know I have done all I can aheadof Copenhagen to enable better informed policy. If, as a re-sult, the world really does start to commit in a significantway to renewable energy and moves to drastically reduceits carbon emissions and yes, ost of all, if the world’s lead-ers show they really can lead.

WILL MELTING ICE STOP HOT AIR IN COPENHAGEN?

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

Pen Hadow

All images thanks to Martin Hartley www.martinhartley.comENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

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