thegreenguy

Man City FC: after turbine, we're going green with heating and water

So said their CSR man, Pete Bradshaw, at a conference I poked my head into today. Not content with building a 2 megawatt turbine with Ecotricity - which'll be erected before 2007's out - the club is also looking to green up its heating and water. Geothermal's ruled out, as it'd require a new building and, well, the stadium's only just five years old, but the audience was told all options are being considered. Man City's man singled out Arsenal as one of the few other Premiership clubs making serious attempts to go green.

The verdict on Blood Diamond: actually pretty good

Saw Blood Diamond last night - y'know, the one with diamonds being smuggled from a violent Sierra Leone into Liberia for export as conflict-free diamonds, Leonardo DiCaprio and the introduction of the Kimberley process. It transpires Zwick's flick is a good film. Sure, Leo's Sarf Afrikan accent is as occasionally as dubious as Van Dyke's cockney, the violence slips between brutal and Hollywood Rambo and the ending's schmaltzy, but... it's pacy, engaging, carries a simple ethical message, some electrifying action moments and beautiful backdrops. Co-star Djimon Hounsou and Leo both put in good performances too. For info on buying a blood-free diamond, click here; for a Newconsumer.com interview with Leo, head here.

Soil Association to set London 2012 gold medal goals

I've just got back from a pretty dry Triodos-arranged event about the greening of the London 2012 Olympics. It was torpedoed because this very morning the Olympic Delivery Authority chap decided he wouldn't attend. However, Peter Melchett of Soil Assoication fame let out one interesting news tit-bit: the Association folk are working on an imminent report about what targets 2012 needs to hit to be considered 'sustainable'. The focus'll be on food and whether it's local, seasonal, organic, unprocessed. Sustain and NEF are helping out.

The London podcast walk with a climate change twist

Live in London? In that case, I know you've got an iPod, so go download And While London Burns, a podcast walk-cum-audio thriller about the links between money in the City and climate change. It's earnest stuff - not too many laughs here - but is slickly produced with quality voice acting, a fine soundtrack (by Isa Suarez), clear-sounding directions (to my local ear) and plenty of facts. I've not done the walk with my MP3 player, but I had a listen to act one - there are three, all about twenty minutes each - which focuses on RBS, the 'oil bank' that Rob Newman was calling on iCount marchers to boycott. It's an Arts Council-funded piece by PLATFORM.

Carry On eco camping

It looks like the beginning of a monsoon season outdoors right now, so you may find it hard to imagine camping this summer. Still, just remember how hot it was yesterday. Ready? Good: here's a decadent green-minded camping kit from the fine folks at Biome Lifestyle.

Bamboo skateboard rides into shops

Despite the fact I was one of those kids who had a board but could only use it by sitting on my bum, I can still appreciate this new eco-friendly  skateboard from Lush. The Bahari's made entirely from bamboo, which, as pandas know, grows back incredibly quickly: making it far more planet-friendly than chopping the maple usually employed for boards. The Bahari's £150 over at UK firm, Lush Longboards. [thanks to Frazz at Stuff]

Rack up your bicycle in style

The Cycloc is one of those cool products that ticks all my boxes: it mounts cycles on walls in hallways, garages and the like, is ridiculously cute-looking, UK-designed and built, cheap(ish) at £50 and - if you buy the black version - is even made from 100 per cent recycled plastic. Plus you can screw it in at different angles so it'll hold anything from a boy racer hybrid to a sloping frame grandma machine. [spotted in Weekend mag]

Eco Board hits the waves

Glad, ahem, tidings, surfers: the Eden Project's long-awaited eco-friendly board has finally gone on sale (earlier story here). Although boarding's the closest I've come to surfing and most of my surf knowledge comes from watching Riding Giants, it doesn't take much research to discover most boards are more black than green. Here's where the Eco Board differs...