Author: Paul B

TV personalities Gino D’Acampo and Fred Sirieix will attempt to travel sustainably around Europe for a new eco travel and cookery TV series.
Confronting the environmental impact of their travels, the series has a working title of Gino And Fred’s Emission Impossible.
First Dates maitre d’ Sirieix and TV chef D’Acampo previously embarked on a string of adventures with Gordon Ramsay for the popular series Gordon, Gino And Fred: Road Trip.
The announcement of this new show follows D’Acampo’s quitting of Gordon, Gino And Fred: Road Trip earlier this year, citing “stressful” contract discussions.
ITV says that in the new programme, Emission Impossible, eco-conscious Sirieix is “determined to re-educate, recycle and re-engineer his eco-sceptic sidekick (D’Acampo) in their own backyard.”
The duo will visit Austria, where capital city Vienna was ranked as the greenest city in the world in 2020, and will track down sustainable produce and immerse themselves in environmentally-friendly lifestyles.
The pair said: “We’re thrilled to be upcycled by ITV for another action-packed adventure and can’t wait to cook up some fantastic sustainable dishes whilst hopefully stirring up debate around these important issues.
“We might not come up with the recipe to save the planet but we hope to entertain, inform and inspire the audience to think about making changes in their own lives.”
Meanwhile, the last and potentially final series of Gordon, Gino And Fred: Road Trip will air later this year, which sees the trio head to Spain in search of the best seafood, wine and tapas.
The first series of the ITV show aired in 2018 and followed the three men on a European adventure, organising a special ceremony in each of their home countries – Italy, Scotland and France.
Source: Press Association

© RTÉ 2024. RTÉ.ie is the website of Raidió Teilifís Éireann, Ireland’s National Public Service Media. RTÉ is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Images Courtesy of Getty Images.

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Students at the University of the Philippines main campus in Manila’s suburban Quezon City apply … [+] finishing touches to their environmentally friendly Christmas tree, 11 December 2007, made of native materials and recycled junk. The idea was part of their effort to address climate change as they put their junk into a creative purpose. AFP PHOTO/ROMEO GACAD (Photo credit should read ROMEO GACAD/AFP via Getty Images)
The festive season is upon us.
Christmas is a time for family gatherings, gift exchanges, and indulging in food and drink. It is also a time when we tend to forget about negative impacts our celebrations can have on the environment.
Climate change is a global emergency, and the science supports it. As temperatures continue to rise endangering the future of the planet, adjusting traditional holiday practices can go a long way in reducing our individual carbon footprints.
Here are some simple ideas for having a sustainable Christmas while still enjoying the spirit of the occasion.
One of the biggest questions asked around this time of year is about the Christmas tree. Whether to buy a fake or real one?
According to Carbon Trust, an organization that gives advice on decarbonization, the choice of sustainable trees depends on your reuse and disposal plans.
A fake tree contributes less to emissions than a real one if it is made from recyclable material and is used for a minimum of ten years, experts said.
With a real tree, Carbon Trust suggest buying ones that are locally grown to avoid the extra transportation emissions. Trees that don’t use fertilizers and are grown slowly are also preferred.
To dispose of it, chipping your tree and spreading it on to the garden is an option that lowers the carbon footprint by 80%.
As for the decorations, studies show that using light emitting diode or LED lights is the environmentally friendly way to go. LEDs use less energy and last longer.
If you are dressing up your tree with plastic ornaments, keep using the same ones forever.
Don’t want to end up on Santa’s naughty list? Fear not, there is still time to get on his good side and make it on to the nice column.
All you have to do is ask for an eco-friendly present this year.
Climate experts suggest choosing gifts that last a long time and are made from material that can be recycled properly. They also suggest avoiding wrappings made of foil, glitter, and plastic ribbons.
Alternatively, you can go really green and buy a carbon offset gift card. These vouchers are investments in projects that reduce climate emissions in your chosen area. The activity can range from planting trees to removing waste to the financing of a solar or wind power plant.
Plenty of choices are available online.
Collection of Christmas gift boxes in eco-friendly craft paper decorated by natural nuts and … [+] cinnamon sticks over beige paper background with fir tree branches, Eco xmas gift concept, Flat lay. (Photo by: Natasha Breen/REDA&CO/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
How we grow, transport, cook, eat, and dispose of food matters a lot when it comes to the health of the environment. Studies show that food systems are responsible for a third of the greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere.
To help reduce your own carbon footprint this Christmas, a few tweaks can be made to the food and drink selection.
UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization reckons that the livestock industry largely contributes to human induced climate change. So, how about making your dinner plant based instead of putting a lot of meat and poultry on the table.
If this is too drastic a change and you must have your Turkey, then you can reduce waste by eating the leftovers instead of throwing food away into the garbage bin.
For instance, the Soil Association has a number of zero-waste recipes that make a great meal for Boxing Day.
As for the wine, beer, or champagne, it is mostly about the glass bottle. Sustainable wine producers agree that lighter bottles are better for the environment.
When choosing a bottle, look for one that weighs less.
It’s no secret that flying is bad for the environment.
According to the International Energy Agency, aviation accounted for 2% of energy related Carbon Dioxide emissions globally in 2022. Though this may seem like a relatively small percentage, flying often makes up a significant portion of personal carbon footprints.
When wondering how to fly yourself from where you are to where you need to be, there are a few options you can think about before booking tickets.
Environmental group Atmosfair has a list of airlines that are better at keeping their CO2 emissions as low as possible. You can pick your flight from there.
Also, go economy. This is because there’s more space per seat in business class and each person accounts for a larger amount of the whole plane’s carbon emissions.
In the end, with a few basic swaps, a merry and sustainable Christmas awaits.

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Government
For Immediate Release: Monday, April 1, 2024

Release ID: 24-148
Media Contact: Cindy Peña
Categories: Environment
Montgomery County’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is celebrating the first day of “Earth Month,” today, April 1, by launching a redesigned website consolidating the entire portfolio of DEP programs including sustainability, trash and recycling, watershed restoration, and water supply and wastewater. The website creates a one-stop resource and mobile-friendly experience for web visitors, representing a significant step in improving accessibility, navigation and information sharing.  
The month of April is nationally recognized as Earth Month. 
“This updated website demonstrates DEP’s ongoing commitment to improving service to our community. Our goal is to cater to all audiences, regardless of whether accessing information on their phones, computers or in different languages,” said DEP Director Jon Monger. “The new website provides clear, concise information in all areas of DEP, making it easier for people to learn more about our work, our programs and how every day actions can help us be better stewards of our environment. I invite everyone to visit our newly redesigned website and provide us with valuable feedback.”   

Improved features of the website include: 
DEP invites residents and businesses to explore the new website and provide feedback to help further enhance user experience. 
# # # 
Media Contact: Cindy Peña, mobile: 202-875-1563, celinda.pena@montgomerycounty.org 

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Wanderlust Club
Right now, the world isn't travelling, but when it starts to: it's time to go green! Here, we highlight just a few of the excellent tour operators making it their mission to travel responsibly…
As written in our special Travel Green issue of Wanderlust magazine, your choices about who you travel with are often as important as how you travel.
Do your research and pick ethical tour operators who are also working to protect the planet. You want to be travelling with companies who respect people and nature. Smaller tours have less impact on the environment – and consider using local tour companies, too.
As well as ensuring they are carbon balanced, Steppes Travel run the Steppes Fund for Change.
Book any trip and £25 of your money goes towards funding women’s empowerment and wildlife conservation programmes, with another £25 going towards a UK tree-planting scheme and a nuclear fusion researcher at Oxford University.
Where do they go? Steppes Travel offer tailor-made trips, luxury holidays and safaris. There are a mix of over 100 destinations on offer, including Gabon, The Grenadines, Mauritius, Mexico, Namibia and the North Pole, just to name a few.
G Adventures set up the not-for-profit Planeterra Foundation in 2003 to help the communities affected by the social and environmental impacts of tourism, by empowering them to develop and conserve their own culture.
A Wanderlust partner, we’ve highlighted the positive impact of the Planeterra Foundation’s community work and their Ripple Score initiative.
Where do they go? G Adventures offers a mix of award-winning group tours, embracing authentic accommodation and local transportation on the ground. Just a few of the trips you can view (and book) via our Trip Finder include tailor-made Peruvian adventures, trips to the Serengeti, Zanzibar, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and the USA’s national parks.
Since 2001, Responsible Travel has been an agency representing eco-friendly tours and trips that focus on local culture and people, independent businesses and wildlife conservation. The organisation also campaigns for positive change through its ‘give back’ programme.
Where do they go? If there’s an eco adventure to be had, you’ll likely find it in one of Responsible Travels’ 6,000 tours. There are destinations in just about every content, from lesser-visited Pacific Ocean islands, eco-paradises in Central America, to the major European and USA hot spots.
Carbon neutral since 2010, Intrepid was the first global tour operator to end elephant rides. Now, with their not-for-profit Intrepid Foundation, they’re also investing into a project in Tasmania, Australia to help restore kelp forests (pictured top), among other things.
A Wanderlust partner, we’ve also highlighted their successful efforts to double their number of female tour guides.
Where do they go? Known for the small group trips, guided by local leaders, Intrepid can take you across all seven continents, with countries ranging from Morocco and Tanzania, Ecuador and Guatemala, to India, Central Asia and beyond.
Audley Travel work closely with local communities to ensure responsible travel is at the heart of what they go. The operator has an animal welfare and sustainability policy, and its charity of the year for 2020 to 2021 is Plastic Oceans UK.
Where do they go? Audley Travel arranges tailor-made getaways and excursions to over 80 countries, throughout Asia, Africa, Arabia, Latin America, Australasia, Canada, Alaska, the Arctic and Antarctica. Essentially, the world is your oyster.

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MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – – “Aquatic Environmental Systems: An Interdisciplinary Approach for Scientists and Engineers,” written by WIU Professor Roger Viadero, Jr., was recently released by Talyor & Francis Publishing. The book addresses the pressing need for comprehensive materials that cater to students and practitioners with diverse backgrounds in environmental science.

In a field as broad as environmental science, it is crucial to provide resources that facilitate the growth of knowledge across various disciplines including biology, chemistry and engineering disciplines, among many others. Professor Viadero’s book offers a unique perspective by focusing on fundamental principles to help readers understand, describe and predict the complex interactions and movements of constituents within aquatic systems, including rivers, lakes, groundwater and the atmosphere.

He emphasizes the importance of developing a common vocabulary and employing a rigorous material balance-based approach to understand and describe the movements and interactions of living and nonliving components of aquatic ecosystems. It delves into key properties of water and the impact these unique characteristics have on aquatic environmental systems.

Key Features of “Aquatic Environmental Systems: An Interdisciplinary Approach for Scientists and Engineers” include:

Professor Viadero’s book is set to become an essential resource for students, researchers and professionals in the field of environmental science and engineering, offering a fresh perspective and a comprehensive approach to understanding aquatic environmental systems.

To learn more about the book, visit bit.ly/3GtHGdb. For more information on WIU’s Environmental Science program, visit wiu.edu/graduate_studies/programs_of_study/environsci_profile.php.
Posted By: Lexi Yoggerst (AJ-Yoggerst@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing