Day: August 8, 2021

They are symbols of environmental friendliness, but electric cars could be making environments increasingly unfriendly to pedestrians. Inaudible engines and obstructive charging systems are putting people with disabilities or pushchairs at risk, according to road safety campaigners who say that pedestrians are paying a hidden price for the green revolution.
Dave Taylor, a resident in the London Borough of Ealing, contacted the Observer after reading an article on charging electric vehicles. “My photo of the car with the charging cable across the pavement highlights a very real issue that is not being addressed,” he says.
Read the full article at: www.theguardian.com

In a bid to promote sustainable development, Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) has decided to adopt circular economy principles. With this new approach, KMRL aims at reducing the cost of building construction.
According to the plan, KMRL will begin the initiative by using recycled items as building materials. This will reduce dependence on virgin materials for less important areas. Apart from this, KMRL is also considering minimising environmental impacts from transportation.
Cochin Shipyard’s electric boats to get Siemens’ hi-tech maritime solutions.
“Through adopting circular economy, KMRL can work on the concept of reduce, reuse, redesign and regenerate,” Hindu BusinessLine quoted KMRL Managing Director Alkesh Kumar Sharma as saying.
Read the full article at: www.moneycontrol.com

Lidl Ireland & Northern Ireland have announced it is set to become the first large nationwide supermarket to establish a circular economy strategy, helping to ‘fuel its logistics chain using food waste from its 209 stores on the island’.  In the Republic, Lidl said it is building on its longstanding partnership with Trim-based Food Surplus Management (FSM), who will collect the retailer’s food waste and customer’s recycling deposits directly from their stores and three regional distribution centres across the region.
Read the full article at: www.checkout.ie

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has announced plans to create a new Bauhaus modelled on the influential design school as part of the European Union’s €750 billion coronavirus recovery plan. Speaking in her inaugural State of the Union address to the European parliament, Von der Leyen outlined her plan to create a “new European Bauhaus” to kickstart a cultural and sustainable movement in the European Union. “We will set up a new European Bauhaus – a co-creation space where architects, artists, students, engineers, designers work together,” she said.

The European Compost Network welcomes the positive vote of the ENVI Committee on its own initiative report on the New Circular Economy Action Plan. The ECN supports the report’s recommendations help agriculture farmers to replace mineral fertilizers with organic soil improvers such as compost and digestate and save organics in soil.
“We have to create a level playing field” said MEP Jan Huitema Rapporteur of the ENVI Committee “or we even have to give a plus to secondary raw materials so to reward their use”. The circular economy is not only a key model to protect the environment and reduce pollution of air, water and soil. It also allows countries to be less dependent on imports of raw materials and it reduces the huge greenhouse gas emissions associated with their mining and shipping.
An own-initiative report of the European Parliament is not legally binding but is a very useful indicator of the European Parliament’s priorities and concerns and it contains official calls on the European Commission to take action. In February (08/02), the European Parliament Plenary will vote on the report adopted last week by the ENVI Committee.
Read the full article at: www.compostnetwork.info