We've been saying this for a while!

It seemed quite obvious to us at Leap that the ICT sector is a massive carbon abuser. Businesses say about giving up paper as it saves the environment but the increased demands on bandwith and server use is several times more detrimental to the environment. Alright it saves businesses money on marketing by specifically using the web and it also gives the feel it's not harming the environment, simply because that information to date hasn't been available. But now from one of our clients it is.

An instant counter balance would be to change business electricity use to a 100% renewable electricity tariff and the only true one of those and the only one we'd ever use to date is Good Energy's supply.

matt


The ‘Inefficient Truth’

An Inefficient Truth is the first research report produced by Global Action Plan on behalf of the Environmental IT Leadership Team. The Leadership Team is a unique gathering of major ICT users from a range of different sectors (NHS, John Lewis, Sony etc) who are committed to taking practical action to cut carbon dioxide emissions.

The report contains four sections.

The first section assesses the environmental impact of the ICT sector which is virtually the equivalent of the aviation industry.
Section two analyses survey results from major ICT users and discovers how quickly and effectively the sector is responding to the environmental agenda.
The third section takes a snapshot look at some case studies illustrating how companies are implementing practical solutions that are reducing carbon emissions and saving them money.
Finally, there is a Call to Action from Global Action Plan setting out some of the challenges facing Government, vendors and users in order to move the sector towards a lower carbon future.
An Inefficient Truth is the first part of a longer journey which will see Global Action Plan using its position as an independent practical environmental charity to help cut carbon emissions from the ICT sector. Please contact me for more details on how we are working with the IT industry further.

http://www.globalactionplan.org.uk/event_detail.aspx?eid=ef0cecc6-2621-4a3c-962c-e4758b8952f8 – to download the full report

http://itn.co.uk/news/3bc1df24a662a3db3f3d911a7a83ef32.html - ITN Video coverage

Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/dec/03/carbonfootprints.carbonemissions?gusrc=rss&feed=technology

The information and communication technology (ICT) sector in the UK has a carbon footprint as big as the aviation industry, according to a report released today.

ICT equipment accounts for 3-4% of the world's carbon emissions, says the report by Global Action Plan, which warns that growth in carbon emissions from the sector is exacerbated by government policies requiring higher levels of data to be stored.

The report found that 61% of data centres only have the capacity for two years of growth and 37% of companies are storing data indefinitely due to government policy.

It also revealed that 86% of ICT departments surveyed did not know the carbon footprint of their activities, 80% of respondents did not believe their company's data policies to be environmentally sustainable, and less than 20% have even seen their energy bills.

The report, An Inefficient Truth, is understood to be the UK's first survey to measure awareness between the use of ICT in business and its contribution to the UK's carbon footprint.

More than 60% of the chief executives, IT director and senior decision makers from 120 UK enterprises which took part in the survey said time pressures and cost were the biggest barriers to adopting sustainable ICT policies. They believed that recognised standards and tax allowances would help the sector to reduce emissions.

Global Action Plan is calling on the government to provide incentives to help companies reduce their ICT carbon footprint and to review its policies on long-term data storage to take into account the carbon implications.

It wants ICT vendors to improve the quality of their environmental information, for ICT departments to be accountable for the energy costs of ICT equipment and for companies to ensure their ICT infrastructure meets stricter efficiency targets.

Trewin Restorick, the director of Global Action Plan and chairman of the environmental IT leadership team, said: "The average server has roughly the same annual carbon footprint as a [sport utility vehicle] doing 15 miles per gallon.

"With carbon footprint now equal to the aviation industry, ICT, and how businesses utlitise ICT, will increasingly come under the spotlight as government seeks to achieve carbon cutting commitments."

He added that ICT departments have been "slow off the mark to address their carbon footprint", but awareness was now growing.

"To turn this into action, ICT departments need help. They need vendors to give them better information rather than selling green froth, [and] they need government policies to become more supportive and less contradictory," said Restorick.

Tom Kelly, the managing director of Logicalis UK - sponsors of the report – said under-utilisation was a prime example of "energy abuse". The report found that almost 40% of servers are underutilised by more than half of their capacity.

He called on business to evaluate the efficiency of existing ICT infrastructure and improve efficiency in order to avoid legislation.

"A flabby business that guzzles budget and energy is likely to be a prime target for impending legislation," said Kelly. "In short, efficient IT equals green IT."

US pull sucker punch at Bali?

this is from George Monbiot, always worth listening to.

Published on Monday, December 17, 2007 by The Guardian/UK
We’ve Been Suckered Again by the US. So Far the Bali Deal Is Worse than Kyoto
America will keep on wrecking climate talks as long as those with vested interests in oil and gas fund its political system
by George Monbiot

“After 11 days of negotiations, governments have come up with a compromise deal that could even lead to emission increases. The highly compromised political deal is largely attributable to the position of the United States, which was heavily influenced by fossil fuel and automobile industry interests. The failure to reach agreement led to the talks spilling over into an all-night session.”

These are extracts from a press release by Friends of the Earth. So what? Well it was published on December 11 - I mean to say, December 11 1997. The US had just put a wrecking ball through the Kyoto protocol. George Bush was innocent; he was busy executing prisoners in Texas. Its climate negotiators were led by Albert Arnold Gore.

The European Union had asked for greenhouse gas cuts of 15% by 2010. Gore’s team drove them down to 5.2% by 2012. Then the Americans did something worse: they destroyed the whole agreement.

Most of the other governments insisted that the cuts be made at home. But Gore demanded a series of loopholes big enough to drive a Hummer through. The rich nations, he said, should be allowed to buy their cuts from other countries. When he won, the protocol created an exuberant global market in fake emissions cuts. The western nations could buy “hot air” from the former Soviet Union. Because the cuts were made against emissions in 1990, and because industry in that bloc had subsequently collapsed, the former Soviet Union countries would pass well below the bar. Gore’s scam allowed them to sell the gases they weren’t producing to other nations. He also insisted that rich nations could buy nominal cuts from poor ones. Entrepreneurs in India and China have made billions by building factories whose primary purpose is to produce greenhouse gases, so that carbon traders in the rich world will pay to clean them up.

The result of this sabotage is that the market for low-carbon technologies has remained moribund. Without an assured high value for carbon cuts, without any certainty that government policies will be sustained, companies have continued to invest in the safe commercial prospects offered by fossil fuels rather than gamble on a market without an obvious floor.

By ensuring that the rich nations would not make real cuts, Gore also guaranteed that the poor ones scoffed when we asked them to do as we don’t. When George Bush announced, in 2001, that he would not ratify the Kyoto protocol, the world cursed and stamped its foot. But his intransigence affected only the US. Gore’s team ruined it for everyone.

The destructive power of the American delegation is not the only thing that hasn’t changed. After the Kyoto protocol was agreed, the then British environment secretary, John Prescott, announced: “This is a truly historic deal which will help curb the problems of climate change. For the first time it commits developed countries to make legally binding cuts in their emissions.” Ten years later, the current environment secretary, Hilary Benn, told us that “this is an historic breakthrough and a huge step forward. For the first time ever, all the world’s nations have agreed to negotiate on a deal to tackle dangerous climate change.” Do these people have a chip inserted?

In both cases, the US demanded terms that appeared impossible for the other nations to accept. Before Kyoto, the other negotiators flatly rejected Gore’s proposals for emissions trading. So his team threatened to sink the talks. The other nations capitulated, but the US still held out on technicalities until the very last moment, when it suddenly appeared to concede. In 1997 and in 2007 it got the best of both worlds: it wrecked the treaty and was praised for saving it.

Hilary Benn is an idiot. Our diplomats are suckers. American negotiators have pulled the same trick twice, and for the second time our governments have fallen for it.

There are still two years to go, but so far the new agreement is even worse than the Kyoto protocol. It contains no targets and no dates. A new set of guidelines also agreed at Bali extend and strengthen the worst of Gore’s trading scams, the clean development mechanism. Benn and the other dupes are cheering and waving their hats as the train leaves the station at last, having failed to notice that it is travelling in the wrong direction.

Although Gore does a better job of governing now he is out of office, he was no George Bush. He wanted a strong, binding and meaningful protocol, but American politics had made it impossible. In July 1997, the Senate had voted 95-0 to sink any treaty which failed to treat developing countries in the same way as it treated the rich ones. Though they knew this was impossible for developing countries to accept, all the Democrats lined up with all the Republicans. The Clinton administration had proposed a compromise: instead of binding commitments for the developing nations, Gore would demand emissions trading. But even when he succeeded, he announced that “we will not submit this agreement for ratification [in the Senate] until key developing nations participate”. Clinton could thus avoid an unwinnable war.

So why, regardless of the character of its leaders, does the US act this way? Because, like several other modern democracies, it is subject to two great corrupting forces. I have written before about the role of the corporate media - particularly in the US - in downplaying the threat of climate change and demonising anyone who tries to address it. I won’t bore you with it again, except to remark that at 3pm eastern standard time on Saturday, there were 20 news items on the front page of the Fox News website. The climate deal came 20th, after “Bikini-wearing stewardesses sell calendar for charity” and “Florida store sells ‘Santa Hates You’ T-shirt”.

Let us consider instead the other great source of corruption: campaign finance. The Senate rejects effective action on climate change because its members are bought and bound by the companies that stand to lose. When you study the tables showing who gives what to whom, you are struck by two things.

One is the quantity. Since 1990, the energy and natural resources sector - mostly coal, oil, gas, logging and agribusiness - has given $418m to federal politicians in the US. Transport companies have given $355m. The other is the width: the undiscriminating nature of this munificence. The big polluters favour the Republicans, but most of them also fund Democrats. During the 2000 presidential campaign, oil and gas companies lavished money on Bush, but they also gave Gore $142,000, while transport companies gave him $347,000. The whole US political system is in hock to people who put their profits ahead of the biosphere.

So don’t believe all this nonsense about waiting for the next president to sort it out. This is a much bigger problem than George Bush. Yes, he is viscerally opposed to tackling climate change. But viscera don’t have much to do with it. Until the American people confront their political funding system, their politicians will keep speaking from the pocket, not the gut.

George Monbiot is the author of the best selling books The Age of Consent: a manifesto for a new world order and Captive State: the corporate takeover of Britain.

Marbel Eden Project photoshoot

Ok, so I'm very bias here and perks of our clients made a great opportunity to get my fantastic daughters involved in one of our newest clients projects. The client was Marbel - Beautiful, safe, environmentally friendly and naturally made wooden toys to help your child learn through play. They have a wonderful range of toys and Leap was called in to work on their 2008 showcase catalogue, which will be out in January 2008. With a 3 week turnaround...

As with all our work we are producing the brochure for the first time on 80% recycled stock and we managed to beat the price of the previous brochures virgin stock! And nice vegetable based inks.

Leap also arranged the photo shoot and we pulled in a favour with our old workplace Eden, an ideal setting for a bunch of kids (and some kid like adults) to to a days photo shoot in the Warm Tropic Biome. With the excellent snapping of one of Cornwalls finest photographers Bob Berry. (shot attached is one of Bobs http://www.bbphoto.net/ )

About 30 seconds after this very excitable shot of Bo was taken she came a cropper and tore the skin off her knees. Alas it was then time to whisk her and her sister Gracie away to nursery so Daddy could continue the shoot.

www.marbel.co.uk

more habbits

This ones for my lovely business partner (and girlfriend) Clare. Still don't understand how she beat me - I personally think she's slightly damaging to the environment... well more than I.

matt

story of stuff

this is long but a great eye opener! ENJOY OR NOT;)


http://www.storyofstuff.com/

Team Habbits

this could become a really useful tool and I've asked my whole team to create their habbits. Although I'm disappointed that there isn't too much between us on eco levels and there was me thinking I was super green...just shows. Admittedly they could be telling pork pies to get on my happy side:)

Great idea though and interesting to play with, every part of the body, eyes, feet, hands, butt etc represents and environemental aspect, ie food, travel, technology.

Attached are me, Darren our senior creative and Graham who does all the nice (and way over my head) coding.

Cornwall Sustainability Awards

Wowie,
we won two awards at this years CSA07 held at the wonderful Trebah Gardens. We won the SME and Overall winner categories in which we were up against some mighty fine 'doing the right thing' sustainably active Cornish businesses. And keynote speaker for the awards Charlie Brown, environmental manager for Ikea has asked us to come and see them to talk further, based on hearing our presentation. Which was about how it is so important for design to take it's creative lead with sustainability to help solve climate change and how we do it with Leap.

A big thanks to Claire Wilcox who heads up our operations for taking the time to put a well written entry in.

Just one choice

Just one choice

In eight days Al Gore is going to address the UN Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia. At his urging, I've signed an important petition showing I support his important call for a visionary treaty to address the climate crisis. I hope you will too.

http://climateprotect.org/standwithal

The world's elected leaders must take the steps necessary to solve global warming. It's not too late. We have the opportunity now to improve the Earth's future for our children, and their children. If we don't act, we will only have ourselves to blame.


Please sign the petition today. Click here

today

Well it's been a while, and we have as usual lots to tell you but just not today.

Today the team will be attending the Cornwall Sustainability Awards where Leap has been shortlisted for the small business category. It will be a good time for us all to get together and have a breather from our fast paced and currently transient studio. Take some time out, see friends, clients and other business that are pushing their environmental boundaries.

I'll let you know the outcome and I'll also give you an update on Cornwall Design Week, student portfolio clinics, meeting TV presenter of Dumped, Rob Holdway and our plans for the future.


matt

Climate change lottery ticket

Check this out, it takesa few minutes of your time but its the pure and simple gist of our future and what part we have to play in it.

http://www.slide.com/r/3bwR_kuB4D8I6Nqm56jRxVsdOpE8TM9L

Contains

Ever thought about the ‘ingredients’ that go into making the stuff you invite into your home?

CONTAINS explores the stories behind the products we use every day – how they’re made, the materials used,
the energy consumed, the miles travelled – in an innovative, inspiring and accessible exhibition that shows
how design can make a difference.

Finding products that are better for you, for others and for the environment can be tricky.
[re]design’s six ‘er’ words are a handy guide to the ways a product can be better… for everybody.

Cleaner...? Products that avoid polluting our air and water.
Closer...? Products that are made locally or made to be loved.
Greener...? Products that use natural, biodegradable materials from well-managed sources.
Lighter...? Products that are more efficient.
Longer...? Products that are built to last.
Recycler...? Products that use materials that are reclaimed or easy to recycle.

CONTAINS houses 100 thought-provoking, sustainable designs from cutting-edge UK designers.
You can find the exhibition in shipping containers at Newcastle’s Monument – you can’t miss it!

CONTAINS
Monument, Grainger Street, Newcastle NE1 5AF
19-28 October 2007

Visit WWW.REDESIGNDESIGN.ORG for more...

Sunderland creative sustainablility

Leap has been lucky enough to be part of Sunderland Universities A Question of Design which explores the relationship between design and the environment. The event runs from the 8th to 26th of October, Design Centre University of Sunderland and we were very nicely asked to contribute some comments and graphics.

THE EXHIBITION EXPLORES THE ISSUES RELATED TO SUSTAINABILITY IN GRAPHIC DESIGN.

Thank you Donna Barkess of Sunderland University.

Climate recognition with Nobel Peace Prize

Gore and UN panel win Nobel prize

Al Gore's film An Inconvenient Truth was an unlikely box office hit
Climate change campaigner Al Gore and the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have been jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The committee cited "their efforts to build up and disseminate knowledge about man-made climate change".

Mr Gore, US vice-president under Bill Clinton, said he was "deeply honoured".

Mr Gore, 59, won an Oscar for his climate change film An Inconvenient Truth while the IPCC is the top authority on global warming.

IPCC chairman Rajendra Pachauri said he was "overwhelmed" by the award.

He told a cheering crowd of colleagues and journalists outside his office in Delhi that he hoped the award would bring a "greater awareness and a sense of urgency" to the fight against global warming.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it wanted to bring into sharper focus the "increased danger of violent conflicts and wars, within and between states" posed by climate change.

It highlighted a series of scientific reports issued over the last two decades by the IPCC, which comprises more than 2,000 leading climate change scientists and experts.

The reports had "created an ever-broader informed consensus about the connection between human activities and global warming", the committee said.

Mr Gore was praised as "probably the single individual who has done most to create greater worldwide understanding of the measures that need to be adopted", through his lectures, films and books.

The choice of recipients continues a trend of the Nobel Peace Prize redefining the potential sources of conflict and threats to peace, says the BBC's world affairs correspondent Mike Wooldridge.

'Planetary emergency'

Speaking in Washington, Mr Gore praised the IPCC, "whose members have worked tirelessly and selflessly for many years".


The IPCC chairman said he was overwhelmed and stunned
"We face a true planetary emergency," Mr Gore warned. "It is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity."

He said he would donate his half of the $1.5m prize money to the Alliance for Climate Protection.

Mr Gore's selection has prompted supporters to renew calls for him to stand in next year's US presidential race. Until now, Mr Gore has said he will not run.


INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE (IPCC)
Established in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep)
Made up of more than 2,000 leading climate experts
Tasked with assessing scientific data on the risk of human-induced climate change, its potential impacts and options for mitigation
Does not carry out any research of its own
First Assessment Report published in 1990; its Fourth Assessment Report called Climate Change 2007 to be published mid-November

Nobel Peace Prize quiz
Indian's surprise at award

President George W Bush, who defeated Mr Gore in a bitter fight for the presidency in 2000, was "happy" at the "important recognition" for his rival and the IPCC, a White House spokesman said.

However, the president was not about to change his more sceptical stance on global warming to a more "Gore-style" approach, the spokesman said.

The former vice-president has emerged as a leading climate campaigner. His 2006 documentary film, An Inconvenient Truth, was an unlikely box-office hit and won two Oscars - though it was also criticised by a British judge this week for containing nine errors, and for being alarmist.

The IPCC, established in 1988, is tasked with providing policymakers with neutral summaries of the latest expertise on climate change.

The organisation involves hundreds of scientists working to collate and evaluate the work of thousands more.

Groundswell come out at airport

press release

Major flaws exposed in County Council case for Newquay Airport


The first independent report into the future of Newquay Airport has exposed major flaws in Cornwall County Council’s plans for expansion. It will be personally delivered to the chief executive and leader of Cornwall County Council on Wednesday 3 October 2007.

Groundswell Cornwall, the climate change action group, commissioned the report to test the County Council’s claims that Cornwall’s future development can only be secured by turning the regional airport into an international gateway. The report highlights basic flaws in the County Council’s case.

Spokesperson Oliver Baines OBE says: “This is the first time the County Council’s claims have been challenged. They don’t stand up to scrutiny. Many are hopelessly flimsy. We are calling on the County Council for an immediate public debate on their plans.”

The County Council claims: cheap air travel is here to stay.
Groundswell says: the chance for cheap fuel in the future is nil.

The County Council claims: the wider debate around air travel does not apply to Cornwall.
Groundswell says: it’s cloud cuckoo land to think that Cornwall can insulate itself from global issues.

The County Council claims: flying leaves no more of a carbon footprint than driving a car.
Groundswell says: evidence strongly suggests that air travel is more polluting than any other form of travel.

The County Council claims: the environmental impact of the expansion will be negligible.
Groundswell says: the Council claims a threefold increase in passengers. The environmental impact of this will be huge.

The County Council claims: the airport will break even in 2030
Groundswell says: even if true this prediction would mean that for the next 23 years the continuing losses at the airport would have to be recovered from rate payers, or by cuts in services elsewhere.

The County Council claims: the future prosperity of Cornwall is dependent on the airport.
Groundswell says: The County Council’s case is invariably overstated and the airport makes only a minor contribution to the Cornish economy.


The report has been compiled by Elizabeth Baines, a postgraduate student at Kings College, London, and will be available from www.groundswellcornwall.org

Calling for the public debate are: Oliver Baines, Manda Brookman, Mike Haywood, Matt Hocking, Ian Jones, Lorely Lloyd, Peter MacGregor, Mandy Milano, Lindley Owen, Lindsay Southcombe, Verena Stubbs, Mark Summers, Matthew Trevaskis, Tony Wainwright

www.groundswellcornwall.org


Ends

For further details please contact
Oliver Baines
Tel 01726 882501 mobile 07967 604517 email: oliverbaines@virgin.net
Lindley Owen
Mobile 07855 015050 Email: lindleyowen@hotmail.com
Lorely Lloyd
Email: lorely@transitionfalmouth.org.uk
Elizabeth Baines
Mobile 07828 257670 email: wizbaines@hotmail.com

UK Top Green Hotels Identified! And 2 are our clients

Read below folks, this is great news and 4 of the hotels are in Cornwall and it shows the qulaity and then environment can meet to create great destinations and experiences.

Also good for Leap is that two of the hotels are our clients. Primrose Valley Hotela nd Bedruthan Steps Hotel where we have been designing a plethora of fun, practical and experimental items. From Shssh - do not disturb signs made form recycled boards to brochures and websites. And even better, we won the GTBS (Green Tourism Business Scheme) account in April which is based in Perth, Scotland. We have been doing a brand tweak, all supporting print based literature signage and web consultation for them.


Keep up the good stuff everyone and well done.

matt



UK hotels deemed to be at the forefront of sustainable tourism have been identified.

A range of independently owned and corporate properties share the honours in the first register of its kind.

The Green Tourism Business Scheme has handed out gold awards to those companies which have demonstrated a firm commitment to safeguarding the environment and promoting sustainable tourism.

The list was compiled by a team of independent assessors who individually verified each establishment's green credentials before granting them the highest possible grading, according to the organisation.

They had to achieve a minimum standard from more than 120 separate measures ranging from best management practice and energy saving to buying local produce and caring for wildlife and the landscape.

Green Tourism Business Scheme director Andrea Nicholas said: "This is more than just a list it is a sign of the future as more people are demanding that hotels have to be environmentally aware.

"Our assessors visited every hotel on the list and verified their claims to be green.

"We are delighted that so many places want to win the highest accolade - a Gold Award, many others have achieved Bronze or Silver. These hotels are pioneering the way."

The Green Tourism Business Scheme was founded in partnership with VisitScotland ten years ago and has more than 1,400 members across the UK.

design tips

Listed from the Chris Hacker interview...


1) Do we really need it?
2) Is it designed to minimize waste?
3) Can it be smaller or lighter or made of fewer materials?
4) Is it designed to be durable or multifunctional?
5) Does it use renewable resources?
6) Is reuse practical and encouraged?
7) Are the product and packaging refillable, recyclable or repairable?
8) Is it made with post-consumer recycled or reclaimed materials? If so, how much?
9) Are the materials available in a less toxic form?
10) Does it come from a socially and environmentally responsible company?
11) Is it made locally?

funny thanks

Heh.. I just got sent this from one of our ace clients. It's true Matt's are good for the planet.... please send me any info on bad matt's if there are any!!!



http://www.cstn.org.uk/Page3.asp?id=180

Office space need

Hello!

Leap needs to relocate to somewhere in or around St Austell with enough space to hold our 6 staff (when they aren't home working). So if any one knows of anywhere please let us know we have up to 6 weeks from now to be re-officed.

thanks
matt

Go go go

EcoLabs, with the support of London College of Communication,
presents a panel discussion at the London Design Festival 2007:

The Greening of Illustration & Design
6:30pm, 20 September 2007
London College of Communication

How illustrators and designers rise to the challenge of communicating the
most essential messages in an era of environmental crisis is on the agenda
of this cross-disciplinary panel discussion. Moderated by author and event
producer John Thackara.

Confirmed panellists include:
Lloyd Anderson - Science Director, British Council
Sophie Matthews - Designer, Thomas.Matthews
Jody Barton - Illustrator

As creative communicators we are in a position to help to change attitudes
- working towards ultimately changing behaviour patterns, policies and
systems. Here is a challenge for designers and illustrators: visualize a
better low energy future. We used to see visions of the future with jet
packs and monorails. Now we need to mainstream a picture of a more human
sized, earth connected and energy realistic future.

This event marks the launch of EcoLabs, a non-profit ecological literacy
initiative. EcoLabs intends to create a platform for collaborate projects
that use the skills in design to address environmental issues directly.
Founded by graphic designer and design writer Jody Boehnert, EcoLabs is
actively looking for collaborators, members, advisors and trustees.

For tickets please register at: www.eco-labs.org

Tickets cost:
£7 / Students
£10 / NGOs
£15 / Others

It is essential to book your ticket online in advance of the event.

--
Jenny Clarke
--
Marketing Officer
School of Graphic Design
London College of Communication

virtual tree

can you grow one?

http://www.raiseatree.co.uk/

It's all gone quiet

Hi,

We have no email or websites at present since 6pm 020907.. it's a bit strange, a bit scarey considering I alone get 100+ emails a day and have now received nothing or been able to send .. ouch. And The guys at Yadabyte have no idea when things will be working again.
Until then if you need me and you've thought to look on our blog then email leapmedia@mac.com

sorry for this hassle.
matt



Message for Mat Ripley Director of Yadabyte below.
Monday, 3 September 2007
Yadabyte Server Issues
Its been a hell of a day. Our server went down this morning and hasn't been up since.

These things happen - although this happened to us in many years of serving; when it did go bad it went it in spades.

But whats been really terrible is the appalling support that www.1and1.co.uk internet have been providing us. We have been lied to, passed all around the globe between the Philippines and basically treated as worthless - which considering the large amount of money we pay them is even more frustrating.

1and1 are supposed to be the biggest ISP in Europe, and they are pretty big in the states too. They guarantee great uptime and speed but I guess when it comes to it, as a company you need to get judged by how you deal with the bad times too.

Clients have been understandably calling us all day to get the low down and I have been unable to give them any real information, its been stressful to say the least.

One of the real issues I have with them today is the fact that their entire support infrastructure has no connection with the hardware, as in the servers. So the guys and gals in the Philipines cant do anything about the hardware issues, like we are having.


At 8 am we were told to call back in 30 mins.
We call back they have no idea about it, but then escalate it.
We call back again, another escalation ; by 10am uk were were supposedly at the highest level.
Then we get told its a problem with UDP flooding (we didn't think that made sense)
Then we get told its a BILLING ISSUE - I cant believe this so chase it up with their accounts department. No billing problem - what ind of internet system allows such misinformation?
We can see now that they are doing something on the server. not sure what but now, over 12 hours after the initial report maybe we will have our sites, and most importantly our client sites, back up.
Stay tunes... and if this has affected you... sorry

Mat
Posted by Mat Ripley

Gracie 1 Bo 2

reasons to be cheerful Part 1

we're sorted

Thank you to everyone who sent in proposals, cv's and ice cream. It was a great and unexpected response from lots of talented and passionate, for the environment individuals. And we've got someone and they start on our study next week with support from Martyn and Justin of Envision.

We're really excited to see just what all our clients and Leap have done over the last 'nearly' 3 years and to quantify it into a visual presentation.. whether good or bad...watch this space.

Next for us we want to hear from some of Cornwalls nice and talented designers to assist on some of our projects.

matt

a very special project

Hello everyone

We are looking for someone to take on a short-term research project. We estimate it might take 4-8 weeks (this is flexible), and it would need to be completed by the end of September latest.

The aim will be to map/quantify the environmental benefits (and any adverse impacts) to date of our operations and approach to work for our clients. ie Carbon footprint, hourly design versus carbon usage/equivalent, equating the amount of recycled material we've used for us and our clients to trees, landfill, energy, water etc. How much benefit does it make that leap has investments in various windfarms, gets its electricity from Good Energy, offsets using bio-gas/lighting projects in Kenya and many other aspects.

This might suit an undergraduate with environmental audit knowledge/skills. Some of the work would need to be undertaken from our studio, but much could probably be done remotely. Or a live project as part of a degree.

This is a new adventure for us and we would like a passionate, meticulous individual with the appropriate skills to work through this new and exciting stage of Leap. The end results will be illustrated for an event in October showing why Leap is very different to any other design agency.

You can find out more about Leap by visiting the website ( www.leapmedia.co.uk ) and more about this opening by phoning me on 01726 68672 or emailing cwillcocks@leapmedia.co.uk. Please forward this message to anyone you think might be interested!

RE:SOURCEFUL LEAP

we've been on this all year, it's been our biggest single project to date and it's been great. We've named it, branded it, designed every aspect of it. Had our team helping out at Royal Cornwall Show with the RE:SOURCE team, vaccumming before the pre-launch on Friday 29/6/07 and generally having our usual design fun.

It's an incredible project and we were really pleased to win the tender and to be involved at such an all inclusive level. We tried to do as much as possible sustainably even though we were slightly out of our safe zone... till points made from recycled material and completely designed by Leap, everything on wheels so the interior can be changed to fit demand. A welcome area that allows star products to be slotted in an out and doubles up as a sales point. Car park signs made from recycled substrates and car tyres, banners using recycled foamex, jute bags, huge illustrated wall vinyls and even toilet signs made from shape cut recycled yogurt pots.

thanks to the RE:SOURCE team for letting us play and we wish you the greatest of journeys with your brilliant project.

quick change wow

you've got to watch this link, just shows we don't need fancy special effects, lots of lights etc.... fast, simple and brilliant....but how? Title is the link!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB-wUgnyGv0&eurl=

Don't let me do live action

It was nice to be asked but I think I should avoid cameras for the near future. An experience nonetheless. Takes a little while to load but check me out and feel free to draw fake beard etc. on me.

http://www.cornwallbusinessweek.co.uk/podcasts.html

Right time to listen to some Jamie T, far too many blogs for one week.

Coming soon to a book shelf near you

We designed it, Eden will hold the launch party in July and Emma Mansfield from Eden wrote and researched it. So go get yourself a must have copy of the 168 page cd size Little Book of Cornwall! And as Leap were involved it's super sustainably produced, using 75% recycled stock with the remainder FSC, vegetable based inks, produced by Emma, Claire and myself at our studio which of course uses renewable electricity supplied by the lovely Good Energy folk. And just in case we purchase half an acre of the endangered Amazon forest through the newly established Cool Earth (note, we are still checking out the feasibility of offsetting through locked CO2 and endangered rainforests, we are designers afterall so are relying on some of our clients to come back with the authenticity of our idea). And we thank Emma for bringing her project to us, and for investing in having her books environmental impact reduced.

Even the display stands that will be used to sell the books are made from nicely crafted and printed rcycled cardboard.

Good luck Little Book of Cornwall and Emma Mansfield.

Playing with CDs

As an ongoing result of the awards we designed and created for the 2006 Cornwall Sustainability Awards, we have yet again been commissioned to design the above awards for the Environment Agency and The Hub in parthership with the guys at Ecoincentives. Our very talented Unlocking Cornish Potential designer, Claire England very nicely designed the 19 awards which we had made out of a fantastic plastic made from recycled CDs and our trademark acrylic offcuts from the signage industry. Again finished with wood purchased from Heligan Gardens, Cornwall and a sustainable cork base.

As you can see England did good, 19 awards in total including concept, design, make and supply fo the boxes to carry them off in. From Leap never having made an award before let alone winning awards we have now produced 36 awards of varying style and materias for 4 award ceremonies. Next we need to start winning some ourselves. Although it does make us look good when all the awards are left lying around our design studio:)

Leaped - Energy in Regional Development Learning from European Best Practice Conference

Cornwall Sustainable Energy Partnership asked Leap to pitch for the brand and all supporting design of their upcoming conference 3 months ago. They very nicely decided to work with Leap and over the last few months we've produced the logo, various print based items. FSC branded wooden pens and a very nice jute folder produced by Go Jute www.gojute.co.uk

The ‘Energy in Regional Development – Learning from European Best Practice’ conference on 29th June will showcase six major energy projects which are being very successful in supporting their regional and local economy and have been chosen by the European Commission as best practice. The event is being organized by the Cornwall Sustainable Energy Partnership (CSEP), a partnership of 72 organisations including the local authorities of Cornwall, health and private sector representatives, to create a sustainable energy future for Cornwall’s communities and businesses. The conference is being sponsored and funded by EDF Energy.

The project has been great to work on with Lindsay, Kate and Jasmine from CSEP even though Leap is not afraid to mention we seem slighly cursed on the job. We haven't had any gypsy cross out path recently, so not sure why 2 days before one of our printers was supposed to deliver the original printed conference booking form, that they phoned and said they couldn't print it. Thankfully the excellent Hannah from Peninsula Onesource stepped in and turned it around in 2 days. Then the branded pens turned out to be different from the sample we had used to cost and design with. And finally the jute folders got stuck in Columbo, Sri Lanka and arrived late but luckily we'd allowed room for delivery probelms just in case .. But we got there in the end and CSEP got all their required material in time for their big day.

Lots and lots and lots

Well its been a while and things are getting nicely into shape. This is just a quickie to update all who are interested and have been asking. By September we will be six, six very talented and totally brilliant passionate people. We are alredy 6 but this won't be official until September and then an exciting change will happen in October (more to come). So whose new, we have Claire Willcocks whose remit is to free up my creativity, make sure Leap operates in the most sustainable way for staff, clients, environment and financially. And she's already taken a weight off my shoulders an its soooo good to instantly have trust and faith in some one and to know Leap is safe in her hands. Plus she's a total talent and used to much bigger things than Leap

Then there is our Unlocking Cornish Potentila graduate Claire England whose doing lots of good design as well as looking after the creative side of Leap whilst I'm out on projects or visiting existing and new clients of which there are lots.

And then in the wings but with mucho talent and ideas is Mark and Darren who you will see and hear more from soon.

Plans, relaunch of Leap in October with a much broader creative and environmental offering based on a sudden shift in what clients are asking us. It goes way beyond design and print now with Leap writing companies environmental policies, sorting carbon offsetting, consultancy, sponsorships, management training, and ofcourse design, branding, illustration, copywriting and a myriad more. And it will also mean we get all our fab clients in one place so they can all meet each other. I think there will be a lot of interesting conversations and partnering. And it's way past time we partied as it's been such an incredible couple of years.

What else, well next week I'm a spokesperson for Cornwall business week and we've just had a podcast done to tie in with it. Which will do it's rounds on the net I guess and it talks about the hows, why and who Leap are involved with and going beyond. With a host more talks and interviews lined up where we talk about good, the bad and the greedy sides of green business and companies we've interacted with.

Design wise, 29/6 sees the launch of RESOURCE, and excellent reuse centre based in Cornwall. Leap has done brand and all supporting design work from interior design, to furnishings made from recycled materials, toilet signs from yogurt pots and lots of fun and funky graphics. 6/7/07 sees the launch at Eden Project of The Little Book of Cornwall, a 172 page cd size did you know and more of all thats Cornwall. 2 websites for Good Energy, with more in the pipeline. Sponsorship project with the BBC, yet more award design and make for the Environment Agency and The Hub (recycled cds this time are used and our well loved locally sourced and sustainably managed Heligan woods), we've consulted for the Wembley Live Earth concert, lots of fun happenings with St Austell Brewery who were already well clued up on the environment and what they can do but Leap has just rewritten their paper policy and is looking at all their paper based business consumables. As well as many other projects bith design and environment. NAtional Trust we've just completed their Climate exhibition which is made from 100% recycled card and is 100% recyclable. We've even lined up the stand to go to another client a new one at that Shreddy Bed. Thye make animal bedding out of recycled card and then wehn thats finished it becomes compost. So an entire life cycle concept, designed and thought about. Loads more but sure you are bored.

Its a great time though and we have been consulting and advising lots of other design agencies, clothing and jute companies, we advised and sponsored the recent Falmouth students MIlan Furniture show display that is now at Eden. Oh and I'm missing my girlfriend and 2 beautiful daughters Bo and Gracie who have been on holiday in France with the grandparents for the last 3 weeks.

Right I'm done... for now. Keep up the good happenings
matt

The same but different

It's not rolled out yet but attached are two images showing the new Leap logo. It's the same in everyway except the rings are now full of stuff that represents us, our love of life and fight to protect what is around us. The logo contains everything from a mammoth (downer side, extinction), surf board, spray can (I used to do the odd wall spray), bottle of cider (always my main social drink), pencil, eco-bulb, birds, waves, a goat (for my pal and Eden Project boss Ben Luxton for the 3 years I worked there - he has an un-natural love of all things goatish), bicycles and so much more. Each with a positive and occassionally negative meaning but all on a common theme about what Leap and its people are about.

Its also to show that Leap is so much more than graphics, print and consultation, it's everything, the way we talk, interact, act, enjoy and of course create.

I hope you like it as much as we do.

matt
(right back to my nippers now, food and play then a walk to the beach..perfect)

It's coming

It's taking a while to show its sel! Whilst in Sinai, Danny who runs the Makhad journey's said that it can be instant or take a year or more for the experience to really show itself .... so I'm still waiting to write what happened. It was good, it was an honour to have been invited and I met some wonderful people, in an amazing place where we were very priveleged guests and it all happended on the Edge ... more to come:)

The picture was one of my many vistas! THe dark scar in the land midway through the picture was the oldriver gully that was my home whilst I spent 3 days and nights on my tod. I chose well.

Matt

Climate Radio

Recently we did a brief interview for RIchard Hoggett of Friends of the Earth who is running the Climate RAdio campaign. My radio career is very short and definitely not a vocation I should ever ever think about, btu good to have been asked and alos interesting trying to fit who I am, Leap, why we do what we do and how we fight climate change through our work in to a whole 25 seconds... I know I talk fast but wow!

If you want to read more or hear the interview follow the link....

Hi Matt

Thanks for helping with the climate radio campaign. Your interview is being aired on Pirate FM from this week and the website has now been updated with your story – the direct link is http://www.foecornwall.org/CLIMATE_CHAOS/Stories/21%20LEAP%20Media.html

There is a listen again facility on this web page so you can hear your edited interview.

Best wishes

Richard

Seasalted

Just a quickie as I'm supposed to be on a non-work weekend doing family stuff and not thinking about my laptop and the various projects to work on this week!

The above images are shots of the recent boarding cards we produced for those super Seasalt organic people. Neil form Seasalt saw some the ScillyWaste ones we produced when Lepa branded the Isles of Scilly based waste awareness initiative, and liked them so much he asked if he could have some too branded of course.

The cards are great as the reverse of each one has a reduce, reuse, recycle tip and an image with the front being functional for use in handing out to people before boarding the helicopter to the Isles of Scilly. And even better, they are made from recycled foamex/pvc, so look good, start conversations (hopefully) and help raise environmental awareness. We now have 300 of these in circulation at British International and they are viewed by over 100000 visitors a year. Not bad for a small and simple design project spend. Even the holders are made from recycled board.

Isles of Scilly Travel are the latest company to want some, this time part sponsored by Seasalt as well as Isles of Scilly Flowers. The latest set will be encapsulated recycled card to do a comparison on usage, print and longevity.

Happy times.
Matt

Another Leap

So far in our 2 year history we've done alot of varied projects, utilising, recycled paper, christmas decorations from recycled materials, pitch pine dredged from the Thames, solar interactive signage and our latest creations are above you!

It seems we've turned into a sustainble trophy design agency! After winning one award and being SME finalist in 2005 at the Cornwall Sustainability Awards, Leap was asked if we would sponsor the 2006 CS Awards, which of course we did (even though it meant we couldn't enter) through design. We designed everything, logo, paper based graphics, certificates and to top it off we tried our hand at making an award that would have a story and create conversations.

To do this we called in our long time super signage creating company Parc and between us we designed the 'flame or leaf' like awards made using local Yew from Heligan Gardens, recycled banknotes set in a resin made from melted car headlamp lenses, off cut acrylic and recycled PVC. Now how much fun is that, and marketing manager for Cornwall College Business, Tracey Johnsons (who organised the awards) commented:

Oh my god they are so sexy!!!!! Thank you so much.

Ok, I wouldn't call them sexy more distinctive.

And at the award ceremony, they were liked so much that local promo company Ecoincentives commissioned us to design and produce a further 16 in partnership with them for the Environment Agency, 6 for their recent Water awards (see close up above) and 10 for an award ceremony in July (still to be designed). Our paper based design days could be numbered ..tee hee:) which my girlfriend will be really happy about as she'll actually see me.

Powercast - wireless charging!

I came across a reference to this on the Howies site and found some more info, it could be interesting.. maybe not. We have two laptops and 2 imacs and the latter have wireless keyboards and mice which use rechargable batteries. However it's always slightly peeved me that although they no longer have wires they still need replaceable batteries! Hopefully this might mean the problem will soon be over. I'm sorted on my mobile and Ipod though as we have a solio solar charger in the office for those...

Word out:)


A Pennsylvania start-up says it has the answer to one of the biggest problems in mobile phones: battery life.

After three years of keeping its technology under close guard, Powercast has come to CES 2007 to get consumer and manufacturer attention. Powercast is a radio frequency that is transmitted over a small area, and its energy is "harvested"--wirelessly--to give power to small devices like cell phones.

While it's presented as wireless power, Powercast isn't just a replacement for a universal charger. Instead, it's meant to either continuously charge a battery or replace the need for them altogether.

It works like this: a transmitter can be placed anywhere--in a lamp, for example, that is plugged into the wall and sits on a table. The transmitter in the lamp sends out a continuous, low RF signal. Anything with either AA or AAA batteries set within its range--and equipped with a Powercast receiver, which is the size of your fingernail--will be continuously charged.

"Our solution is, if talk time (on a cell phone) is 5 1/2 hours, by trickle-charging (it) at work, now talk time is 10 hours because the battery never gets to dead," John Shearer, CEO of Powercast, said in an interview.

There are many applications for Powercast, said Shearer, but the company is making the PC peripherals market a priority. Think a wireless keyboard or mouse with no battery, or a hermetically sealed battery that the customer never need access again.

Major CE and IT manufacturers will have to agree to build Powercast capability into their products, and thus far Powercast is revealing only Philips as a future partner. The first Powercast product will come to market by the end of 2007, the company says.

Hidden Art

I saw this (online not in real life) and I love it, goes by the name of Blu.

Woo hoo

Just how good is this weather! After a lush longboarding 2 hour surf at Watergate on Saturday (followed by an excellent Pheonix burger with my nippers, pals and Clare), the suns just kept up the good vibes. The last couple of morning walks to work have felt really good (not that my usual walks or cycles are bad, even in the rain it's ace to just have the freedom that my walks give), short shirt and jeans and it's as good as summer. I'll take some snaps soon of what my walk/cycle looks like.

Other news, off to the launch of the Sexy Green Car Show at Eden tomorrow, should be interesting. Last night at my old pad Eden again for a great little show and tell session by Tim and Tony with some great insights in to Eden's hopeful next build phase. Make sure you vote for them when the time comes.

It was also interesting as Eden's new build will be titled the Edge and has a lot of basis in dry arid regions of the world. Exactly where I was 6 weeks ago in Sinai! And the edge is a fitting title for similar regions and peoples around the world and was one of two aspects that filled my thoughts whilst I spent time in the desert. The other was the memory of water that surrounded me.... but I will write fully about Sinai and my time there in the near future.

Right time to work, it's been another lightning paced day with time spent talking to St Austell Brewery about design and sustainability and Leap will be consulting with them in the future - which is nice. Artworking the June Energy in Regional Development conference work that Leap have just branded and a few other tasty projects. One day I might actually do the portfolio so you can see some of the 300 projects we've been part of in the last two years instead of all my old work currently shown!!

Bye bye, enjoy sunny tiimes.
matt x

Fallujah - one to watch

http://www.fallujah.co.uk

This is based on the case study done by Scilla Elworthy of what really happened in Fallujah. I was lucky enough to be on the same journey party as Scilla on my recent time in Sinai (which will appear on our blog in another week, 1 month after my return). If you can, book seats now! And let us know what you thought of it.

Matt

ps Snow swirled around me as I did my daily walk (sometimes cycle) to work today! I soooo wanted to run back home and grab my two under two daughters Bo and Gracie and show them. It's gone now, as quick as that, swirling cold life then gone. The sun is out now and blue skies abound.. I love not having to use a car to get to work:)

Think before you offset...

...and definitely minimise before you think about offsetting:)

We use www.co2balance.com they do good, they think responsibly have great projects and we've had the great if short (babysitter) fun of meeting them at the wonderful Lewinnick lodge in Newquay and they are passionate about what they do and that counts big time at Leap.

However thereare a lot of shoddy practices that are starting to be exposed. See www.robedwards.com/2007/02/from_sunday_her.html This scheme is breathtaking in its misrepresentation. They are also the organisation behind the Coldplay Forest debacle, which you may have read about. www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/04/30/ngreen30.xml This is what happens when a carbon management organisation sub-contracts its carbon saving projects. co2balance deliberately do not do this and only invest in projects that we have initiated and continue to control.

Matt

ps reduce and at the last offset. Oh and trees are ace and good to plant so do it anyway (but make sure you look after them - a tree is for many lives not just for a bit of climate guilt smoothing:)

Channel 4 big bollocks no respect

You may have seen, you may have believed, you may be confused.. alot of people I've spoken to are! As far as I'm concerned it is all kingsize pants and the compass network that I'm part of ran this piece which is taken from the climate denial site. So hold onto your own thoughts of repsonsibilies and values as opposed to the lapdog to commercialism that Channel 4 seem to be.

And at the end of the day even if it is all part of a global re-occuring system so what, we've become throw away hooligans of mass plastic, super CO2 guzzling mass miles and non-recycling. It's getting better and we should all be responsible for our own patch and beyond. And love your world... I bloody do:) Matt



THE GREAT CHANNEL FOUR SWINDLE
George Marshall
http://climatedenial.org/



Last night Channel Four kindly gave an hour and half and a large budget to the international network of professional climate change deniers. ‘The Great Global Warming Swindle’ was a propaganda gift to the various vested interests who seek to undermine the fragile political and social will to take action on this global action.

And it was sometimes very convincing, as strongly worded opinions often are when they are not subject to any verification or external challenge. For example, there are excellent rebuttals against the contention that global warming is correlated to cosmic rays.

There was only one scientific advisor on the programme, Martin Livermore, whose sole scientific qualification is that he is the Director of a web-based think tank, The Scientific Alliance. The Alliance was set up by in 2001 by Robert Durward, the fiercely anti-green director of the British Aggregates Association, and Foresight Communications, a Westminster public relations and lobbying company, to “counter scare-mongering by the so-called green lobby”. (For more…)

The Scientific Alliance has no affiliation with any recognised scientific body but, like most of the contributors to the programme, it does have very strong links with the US public relations and lobbying organisations that have been so effective in setting the Bush agenda on climate change.

The writer and presenter of the programme was Martin Durkin. Although it was written in a highly personal and opinionated style- speaking freely of “lies”, and the “shrill frenzy” of “scare stories” – we never saw Durkin or discovered his personal credentials. As George Monbiot has revealed Durkin is closely affiliated with the Revolutionary Communist Party which has a strong ideological opposition to environmental science (more on Durkin and the RCP.

In 1997 Channel Four was forced to issue a humiliating public apology over a previous series of anti-environment programmes directed by Durkin called “Against Nature”. The Independent Television Commission found that “the views of the four complainants, as made clear to the interviewer, had been distorted by selective editing” and that they had been “misled as to the content and purpose of the programmes when they agreed to take part.”

For this programme Durkin drew up a dream team of scientists who have built personal careers as media pundits debunking the peer-reviewed work of their colleagues. There are few of them, but they are well supported by the Washington lobbies and kept very busy with media debates, documentaries and opinion pieces. (I have personally debated with five of them in media debates).

Is it any surprise then, that they were so persuasive. Most of the people on the programme are professional communicators who are more familiar with the chat show than the lab. Of course they give good interviews - it is what they do for a living.

And let us not forget that we all want to believe them. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to believe that the science is unsettled, that all that carbon dioxide that we are pumping into the atmosphere really has no effect, and that we do not have to worry about the future.

It would be entirely possible to put together a similar programme, with a string of credible former academics, to argue that smoking does no cause cancer, that HIV does not cause AIDS, or that black people are less intelligent. However, Channel Four would not dare broadcast the programme and we would not believe them if they did. Is it not a reflection of the deep public ambivalence about climate change that these dissenters are given such a prominent and uncritical showcase and that we are so keen to listen to them?

Make up your own minds from their track records. Here is a little more information on some of the people who appeared on the programme:

Fred Singer. Despite the caption on the programme, Singer has retired from the University of Virginia and has not had a single article accepted for any peer-reviewed scientific journal for 20 years. His main work has been as a hired gun for business interests to undermine scientific research on environmental and health matters. Before turning to climate change denial he has argued that CFCs do not cause ozone depletion and second hand smoke does not cause cancer (more… ). In 1990 he founded “The Science and Environment Policy Project”, which aggressively contradicts climate science and has received direct funding from Exxon, Shell, Unocal and ARCO. Exxon is also among the funders ($20,000 in 1998 and 2000)

Patrick Michaels is the most prominent US climate change denier. In the programme he claimed “I’ve never been paid a nickel by the old and gas companies” which is a curious claim. According to the US journalist Ross Gebspan Michaels has received direct funding from, among others German Coal Mining Association ($49,000), Edison Electric Institute ($15,000), and the Western Fuels Association ($63,000) an association of US coal producing interests (more…). The WFA is one of the most powerful forces in the US actively denying the basic science of climate change, funding, amongs other things, the Greening Earth Society which is directed by Patrick Michaels. Tom Wigley, one of the leading IPCC scientists, describes Michaels work as “a catalog of misrepresentation and misinterpretation”.

Philip Stott was captioned as a Professor at the University of London although he is retired and is therefore free of any academic accountability. Stott is a geographer by training and has no qualifications in climate science. Since retiring Stott has aimed to become Britain’s leading anti-green pundit dedicating himself to wittily criticizing rainforest campaigns (with Patrick Moore), advocating genetic engineering and claiming that “global warming is the new fundamentalist religion.”

Patrick Moore is Stott’s Canadian equivalent. Since a very personal and painful falling out with Greenpeace in 1986 Moore has put his considerable campaigning energies into undermining environmentalists, especially his former friends and colleagues. Typical of his rhetoric was his claim in the programme that environmentalists were “anti-human” and “treat humans as scum”. Throughout the 1990s Moore worked as lead consultant for the British Columbian Timber Products Association undermining Greenpeace’s international campaign to protect old growth forest there. Whenever he has the chance he also makes strong public statements in favour of genetic engineering, nuclear power, logging the Amazon, and industrial fishing- all, strangely, lead campaigns for Greenpeace

Piers Corbyn has no academic status and his role in such programmes is to promote his own weather prediction business. He has steadfastly refused to ever subject his climatological theories to any form of external review or scrutiny.

Richard Lindzen. As a Professor of Meteorology at the credible Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lindzen is by far the most reputable academic among the US climate deniers and, for this reason, he is heavily cited by sympathetic journalists such as Melanie Phillips and Michael Crichton. His arguments though are identical to the other deniers – for example an article in the Wall Street Journal (June 11 2001) he claims that “there is no consensus, unanimous or otherwise, about long-term climate trends or what causes them”.
He is strongly associated with the other people on the programme though co-authored reports, articles, conference appearances and co-signed statements.

Tim Ball was captioned as the University of Winnipeg. In fact he left in 1996 since when he has run political campaigns through two organisations he helped found: the Natural Resources Stewardship Project and the Friends of Science which, according to their websites aim to run “a proactive grassroots campaign to counter the Kyoto Protocol”; and “encourage and assist the Canadian Federal Government to re-evaluate the Kyoto Protocol”. Ian Clark is also on the board of the NRSP.

Catching on to what we've been doing for 6 years :)

Designs for life
If style bible Elle Decoration decrees it, it must be true – eco-chic has arrived. The organic and fair trade clothing label, People Tree, is now stocked at that ultimate emporium of disposability, Top Shop. And for fashionistas who wouldn’t be seen dead in the Sinclair C5 styling of a G-Whiz, General Motors has just unveiled the Volt, the first car designed with electricity, rather than petrol, as its primary fuel source, and the most ‘normal-looking’ hybrid yet. Sustainable design even has its own celebrity poster boys in the form of Changing Rooms’ Oliver Heath and Grand Designs’ Kevin McCloud.
It’s true that the recent focus on improving the aesthetics of green products is helping to mainstream their appeal. Advocates have long talked of the need to ‘sex up sustainability’ to get away from its Heath Robinson image, and every good marketeer knows that product and packaging design play a key role in creating a seductive brand. A quick look at the latest high-end organic skincare or food products reveals luxury packaging (recycled, of course) to match the price tag - £85 for an organic cheddar truckle, anyone?
Environment into design
But for far-sighted organisations green isn’t just the latest fashion fad, and design isn’t just about making a product more superficially attractive. Martin Charter of the Centre for Sustainable Design stresses that certain sectors started integrating environmental considerations into product design and development a decade ago. 'What I call ‘eco-design’ has been driven largely by legislation, for example in the electronics industry, and has produced incremental improvements in areas such as energy efficiency and materials use,' he explains. 'But fewer companies have tried to address sustainable design, starting with a blank slate rather than a re-design, and considering the economic, environmental and social angles at the very outset of the process.' As evidence, he cites the low awareness and adoption of the new ISO/TR 14062 standard for integrating environmental considerations into product and service design and development.
As Europe’s largest electronics company, Philips has long been recognized for its comprehensive and long-standing EcoVision programme. Design sits at the heart of these efforts to embed environmental issues throughout the business, responding to customer needs and integrating other disciplines such as human sciences, technology and business. Its EcoDesign product development process encompasses the key green concerns of energy consumption, packaging, hazardous substances, weight, recycling and disposal and lifetime reliability. Top products with a significant green advantage over a predecessor or competitor product are awarded Green Flagship status, currently sported by everything from lighter heart defibrillators to longer lasting halogen bulbs to energy efficient and lead free MP3 players.
Pre-owned goods mean lower costs
And EcoDesign isn’t just about devising new greener products to replace their less efficient forerunners. Philips’ Diamond Select program offers healthcare customers pre-owned (the words ‘used’ and ‘second hand’ are carefully avoided) medical systems, refurbished, tested and installed as new. This keeps the cost down for customers, maintains standards for patients, while keeping still-useful equipment in service and away from the scrap yard.
Charter believes it won’t be long before other businesses are compelled to follow Philips’ lead. 'In Japan, materials security is a key concern as rare metals become harder to find, and in India and China they’re using design to improve dismantling and recycling, the only way to tackle their growing electronic waste mountains.' Closer to home, and the full design impacts of the EuP Directive on product energy efficiency have yet to be acknowledged. But Charter believes the biggest challenge is to get the smaller businesses on board. 'Outside the big leader companies and sectors, knowledge of the issues and the role design can play are virtually non-existent.'

A melting future gorgeously photographed

Incredible shots of Greenland ice cap, taken for Greenpeace that have caused such a stir internationally revealing the extent of seasonal melting due to climate change. The site also includes his other photo essay work which covers protest to cultures in transition to the tensions between our ongoing social, economic and environmental challenges...
http://www.nickcobbing.co.uk/

Defintely a case for everyone to do something... not nothing!

The slinky chair!! Enjoy...

The slinky chair!! Enjoy...

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/versatile-folding-seating-bizarre-chair-or-magic-trick-233896.php

They should talk to Leap

Inefficient printing costs mount

Businesses and the Government are wasting more than £1 billion on inefficient printing practices every year, according to the Centre for Economic Business Research (CEBR). It claims the problem is affecting business growth, productivity and the economy. The CEBR calculates that around £16.7 billion is spent annually on business and Government printing - equal to the GDP of Cuba. Using mono rather than colour printing, and setting up machines to print on both sides of the paper, would help to reduce the inefficiencies, the report said.

zoom zoom and zoom

Well it's been a while since I've written here, the previous dodgy post have been written by my good pal and part time employee Robin Fuller. He's been freeing me up to do various designs, consultation and adventures with Leap. But it's time for me to start getting verbal again. And to put the record straight I am not a fottie fan. Give me surf anytime over any sport, well mountain biking comes in close, and snowboarding.

And yes we have a fantastic new edition as previously posted Claire England has joined us and as been admirably looking after the studio and our lush clients whilst I went on a client related trip to the Sinai Desert with one of our oldest clients Makhad Trust. I'll write more about that, alot to write and I'm still assimilating what happened - let alone the fact I had 8 days without any technology around me...ace... well I did have my ipod and a solar powered Solio charger to test.

Two things before I go...
I've been voted in to take a seat of the Cornwall Design Forum, representing sustainabiliy within creativity in the South West. A very important happening.

I've also very appreciatingly been given a bursary to join a Common Purpose matrix - more to follow but it starts in March and finishes in July. Thank you Mandy Milano for thinking of me/Leap

And just for fun, as fun is something that should be part of every day no matter how hard that day may be.. go to www.cheatneutral.com is a witty wee site that satirises the abdication of moral responsibility for dealing with the challenge of climate change that many feel may be a side-effect of carbon offsetting. Now you f*** the climate or f*** around on your partner - and just offset your climatic and, ahem, climatic misdemeanours!

catch you soon for a Sinai update and a few other Leap happenings.

Matt
xx

Leap supports England!

The title above isn't in reference to England's struggling soccer team, of which I support with all the dedication of a well upholstered sports bra, but in fact refers to a completely different England all together; a new Leap recruit, Claire England.

Claire, 24, has joined the team as a designer to assist with various graphic design projects for 2007, and we'll be supporting her in every way we can as she navigates through the labyrinthine world of Leap sustainable design!

Mind you, talk about being dropped in it at the deep end... no sooner have I said welcome to the Leap family, have a Hobnob, than I'm leaving her on her tod to jet off to Sinai!

But I have a 100% confidence in England, and will be frying away like a sizzling streak of organic bacon, foodless and podless, in the safe knowledge that Leap is in good hands!

Been jugglin'

Certainly have! Been juggling time between some exciting design work and consultancy, a bit of domestic DIY and my favourite pastime of all, spending some quality time with my bambinos and my lovely better half!

Sorry for the blog famine but the post-Chrimbo awakening has well and truly set in, so it's been full steam ahead for Leap with some exciting 2007 projects beginning to see the light of cold January days, and the occasional opportunity (or breather) to...well...draw breath!

Oh and Sinai is just round the corner; alone in the desert for 3 days with only starvation, meditation and inspiration to keep me company. Mind you, I might try and smuggle a Kitkat Chunky past the nomadic watchmen...

Adios