“What’s that massive building along the M5?” Gloucestershire’s £613 million incinerator has been fully operational since January last year. It takes all of Gloucestershire’s black bag rubbish, burns it and produces electricity for the National Grid. The waste includes things like sofas, fairy lights and mattresses. Gloucestershire County Council say this is a greener way […]
ENVIRONMENT
“We can’t take on another disaster like 2007”: How safe is Gloucestershire from flooding?
July 20 2007 will always be an unforgettable day for many in Gloucestershire. Remembered as one of the county’s worst flooding disasters in recent history, the county watched the rain fall as it took their homes, electricity, water and three men’s lives. More than two months worth of rain fell in one day, causing the […]
A more sustainable future: are universities promoting sustainable travel?
Are our Universities sustainable? More importantly, are our universities promoting sustainable travel? With transport becoming the most polluting sector in the United Kingdom it’s important we look to our universities to see if they are doing everything in their power to encourage sustainable travel with their students. Looking locally, the University of Gloucestershire seems to […]
Which animal species are currently ‘under threat’ in Gloucestershire?
In recent years, Britain’s wildlife has suffered from an immense loss. Conservation organisations are calling for urgent action to be made to protect the nature around us. Now, more than ever, it is critical that we work towards a green recovery. This way we can prevent further and likely irreversible damage. Rob Curtis, an environmental […]
Is housing the root cause of the climate crisis?
The environment is at the forefront of people’s minds, and with global temperature slowly rising, people are asking what can be done to sort this problem out? Later on today, Branch will be publishing an article focusing on this very problem, taking into account voices from the UK Green Building Council and BedZED (the UK’s […]
Student sustainability- How to fight fast fashion
We all love a cheap pair of jeans or t-shirt and as a student sometimes it is hard to not give in to the bargains. But what is the true cost of fast fashion? And what can we do, on a budget, to minimise it’s affect on the environment. There is a lot which doesn’t […]
Gen Z and the environment: a TV story
Generation Z seems to always be at the forefront of environmental issues. We have the examples of Greta Thunberg and Dr. Mya-Rose Craig who are so prominent in the environmental scene whilst being younger than 20 years old. How to explain this generation’s views and passion for the environment? One of the reasons could be […]
Plant- Based products: A step in the right direction or a marketing trend?
Branded by the Guardian as the vegan Halo-effect, companies have capitalised off of the recently explosive plant-based movement, to reap the rewards. In fact, Greggs profits increased by 50% in the first half of 2019, after the launch of their infamous plant-based sausage roll. The bakery chain famous for their steak bakes and traditional pork […]
Flood Flashbacks: what has Gloucestershire learnt from 2007 and is there worse to come?
Extreme flooding isn’t an unfamiliar event in Gloucestershire. The county was hit hard by terrible flooding in 2007 when two months of rain fell down in one day, devastating the lives of thousands of people. Three lives were taken, Hundreds of people were left homeless, several without power, and thousands had no water for weeks. […]
Environmentally Sustainable Housing – Will it help?
The UK housing industry accounts for 30% of the UK’s total energy use, and 27% of the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions. With this, I decided to investigate whether there is something that we can do to solve this, and make housing more environmentally sustainable. I looked into whether these improvements will be worth the money […]