JUMP - Eco Friendly Print and Design Services

JUMP are proud to be certified by The World Land Trust as a Carbon Balanced Printer. With the aid of in-house solar power, they can provide the highest quality FSC certified materials and print using vegetable-based inks, in a carbon neutral environment; producing zero emissions and zero waste to landfill. As one of the few UK Carbon Balanced Printers, they measure their carbon output to offset emissions through dedicated environmental projects. JUMP Design and Print’s mission is to deliver the highest quality, creative Design and Print Services across the UK; smartly, sustainably, and mindfully. Visit: www.jumpdp.com

Beluga whales Little Grey and Little White move into their sea sanctuary...

The ultimate carbon capture solution

Dr Gary Robertshaw

Looking around the moors in the North of England its striking how windswept and desolate the landscape looks. But it hasn't always been like that. England was once covered by lush forests after the last ice age, populated by oak, hazel, birch, pine and many other types of trees. Much of this was cleared in the name of economic development from early settlers using it for sustainable pasture and cultivation to modern machinery destroying huge swathes such as that for the HS2 project.

Sadly, according to the Woodland Trust, the UK now has only around 13% of its land covered by trees. This is woefully inadequate and far short of the 19% target the government has set by 2050 to meet its net-zero climate change targets.

Whilst there are many well-intentioned and indeed highly effective initiatives underway such as the offshore windfarm boom, it still remains the case that trees are one of the simplest and most powerful weapon in the fight against climate change. Trees can be considered the ultimate carbon capture method; a young wood with mixed native species can lock up to 400 tonnes of carbon per hectare (or 10,000 square metres). Tree planting has also been shown to be highly effective against flooding and reducing pollution.

It's both amazing and depressing to know that such a simple and highly effective method is at our disposal, allowing us to meet our net-zero target in the UK, yet its not widely acknowledged. The ultimate carbon capture solution - plant more trees (many more!) 

A response to George Monbiot’s Guardian Population Column

George Monbiot’s position on population can be summarized as, “Don’t worry about fertility rates. They are not the real problem and it’s racist to say they are.” He points out, correctly, that climate change and other environmental impacts are mainly due to people in rich countries and that poverty and violence come in large part from the exploitation of the poor. He thinks it is racist to worry about population growth in Africa and other poor countries.

Read the full article here

Pareto principle - solution to the environmental crisis?

Dr Gary Robertshaw

The Pareto Principle is named after the economist Vilfredo Pareto. In its broadest sense it states that 80% of consequences come from 20% of the causes. It's also commonly known as the 80/20 rule. For example, in a business context, 80% of sales coming from 20% of a company's customers. The precise split may change and the 80/20 rule is not always exact, but in essence the principle makes the point that there is an unequal relationship between inputs and outputs. 'Not all customers are equal'.

Pareto also has wider applications in areas such as biology and problem solving. It's very often the case that small changes to one specific area can cause significant overall changes. In an environmental setting, take bees as an example. Whilst only one insect amongst the huge number of different insect species, if bees were to go extinct then it would have quite profound consequences for food production.

Likewise, it could be argued that a relatively small number of changes could have a significant impact on the planet. Two such changes are beef consumption and family planning.

1. Replacement of beef with viable plant-based substitutes

Beef production requires massive amounts of land, energy, and water, and is fuelling destruction of the rainforests – the lungs of the Earth. Globally, animal agriculture is responsible for more greenhouse gases than all the world’s transportation systems combined! As well as deforestation, it also takes 48 times as much water to produce beef compared to vegetables.

2. Greater education and empowerment of girls

The human population is growing unsustainably and putting huge pressure on natural resources, which are being consumed faster than being replaced. Where girls are better educated as children, and treated as equal to men in adulthood, with freedom of choice in marriage and access to freely available contraception then birth rates tend to decline. There are many good examples of this correlation.

Currently, there is a lack of political will and investment to address point 1, which is why we are rapidly losing the rainforests as they are cleared for rearing cattle. In tandem, there is religious resistance to point 2. Many patriarchal societies sadly prefer the status quo.

Taken in combination, these two changes alone would have a dramatic impact on the well-being of the planet. Of course, other positive actions also play a part such as eliminating plastics, tree planting, protecting endangered species, renewable energy and cutting carbon emissions, and many other laudable initiatives.

The point though, is to move away from the erroneous notion that saving the planet is too difficult and that many complex changes are needed. In fact, a few small changes in order of priority, following the Pareto Principle, would make a major difference.

Green and Ethical Investments

Financial advisors in my area – finding ethical advisors, green and ethical investments

Banks and financial advisor practices are always keen to churn out statistics on returns, x% on this bond, y% on ISAs, etc.. but as an eco-conscious consumer how do you know what they are investing in and its impact on the planet?

Many investors are sadly unaware of the impact of their savings and investments on the environment.

Is a good return on your investment worth losing endangered species, losing the rainforests and displacement on millions of people due to rising sea levels caused by global warming? Does investing in ethical funds mean smaller returns? How should these be balanced?

There are a growing number of advisor practices that work exclusively on green and ethical investments, that provide stable and good returns whilst minimising harm to the planet. The rapidly expanding offshore wind industry being one such example. In fact, according to a report by Imperial College London, offshore wind power is now so cheap that it could actually pay money back to consumers. Investing ethically means not funding fossil fuel industries, tobacco companies, arms industries, new coal mines, deforestation, polluting industries, oppressive regimes and countries with poor human rights.

More investments going into the burgeoning green economy helps to protect the planet and the future of our children, creating new jobs and improving the overall quality of life and well-being. Next time you think about investing or moving your investments why not speak to a financial advisor who specialises in this area?