Carrentals.co.uk, a leading UK internet car hire booking website, has begun a new video competition to find the next best car-related YouTube video. Beginning this week and lasting until the end of September, Carrentals.co.uk will run a YouTube-based video campaign that will see one lucky winner take home a 16GB Apple iPad. Contestants can enter free of charge by logging into their YouTube account and posting a 90 second or less video on Carrentals.co.uk's YouTube page. The contest, dubbed 'The Carrentals.co.uk Video Challenge', will look to highlight the best car-centric video and also give ... Full Story

Waitrose wants to make its new store on the Isle of Wight its first outlet to be entirely powered by biomass. The retailer has asked the local authority for planning permission to turn an electricity substation into a biomass plant.   If the proposals are approved, all the heating, cooling and electricity needs the 18,000 square-foot East Cowes store could be managed sustainably. The store could supply its power completely off-grid and enjoy a ... Full Story

Greenpeace has accused massive international firms of contributing to species loss and deforestation in Indonesia. Companies such as Walmart, Tesco and Carrefour were slammed by the environmental organisation on Tuesday for buying palm oil and paper from global giant Sinar Mas. Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), a subsidiary of Sinar Mas, was said to be “relentlessly trashing rainforests”, driving species into extinction and releasing carbon into the atmosphere in the Southeast Asian country. Greenpeace added that Sinar Mas’s sustainability commitments are not worth the paper they are written on, and expressed shock that some of the world’s best known brands are ... Full Story

A leading car rental company has set up an environmental information website to respond to growing customer concerns about green motoring issues. Avis UK’s micro-site follows research which found that 64 per cent of Europeans want to protect the environment. This figure is up from just 55 per cent in 2007. The company claims that the creation of the micro-site marks the next step in its commitment to become more environmentally responsible. The website will share information on what Avis has been doing over the past ten years to prevent spills and leaks, reduce emissions, recycle and cut waste. Drivers can also ... Full Story

In order to focus on its 'everyday low prices' campaign, supermarket giant Asda has cut back on specialised promotions. As the Wal-Mart owned competitor continues to look for ways to beat out other grocers, the latest market data shows that shares for the retail giant fell for the fifth month in a row. The Leeds-based supermarket fell behind recording a growth of just 2.5 per cent with shares slipping to 16.8 per cent from 16.9 per cent last year. Meanwhile, Tesco held its own with a 30.6 per cent growth rate, which was similar to growths in Sainsbury's and Morrisons. Last week ... Full Story

A new investigation spearheaded by Chinese environmental groups has shed light on alleged international IT supply chains that could be linked to heavy metal poisoning instances in China. According to the new evidence, BT, Vodafone and 27 other IT firms could be contributing to dangerous manufacturing environments for Chinese workers. The investigation, conducted by a 34-group coalition, has linked lead contamination cases to mobile phone battery production and computer circuit board manufacturing by foreign IT companies. Findings by the 34-strong environmental consortium indicate that some foreign firms may not be completely honest about the cleanliness of overseas production. Over 4,000 people, the majority ... Full Story

The Green party was led to general election triumph today by Caroline Lucas in a victory at Brighton Pavilion. Dr Lucas made history by becoming the party's first MP at Westminster. With 31 per cent of the vote at a 1,252 majority, the Greens continue their strong showing in Brighton. Back in 2005, the party secured 22 per cent of the vote in Brighton, where they have maintained a strong support for years. Dr Lucas said that the party won because of its strong set of councillors in the area. She added that Brighton residents were accustomed to voting Green. Lucas, married ... Full Story

Fans of the Asos clothing label will now be able to use the retailer's website to recycle clothing in an online virtual marketplace. The site, expected to be launched later on in the year, will allow customers to use the service to sell their own personal clothing as well as buy from others. The marketplace has been designed to reach an untapped niche of customers looking for vintage and environmentally friendly clothing. The website will also allow independent fashionistas and burgeoning designers to showcase their wares as well. Larger, more established companies will also be able to sell through the site. Nick Robertson, ... Full Story

Environmental groups are coming down on intrepid skiers and snowboarders that use helicopters to reach the best slopes far after ski season has ended. A growing campaign against heliskiing in Switzerland has begun to gain momentum as groups petition the government to ban the latest craze in the sport. Each year, estimates say that averages of 15,000 helicopter flights are taken to glacier peaks by skiers looking for the most untouched runs. The practice has become a popular means to reach destinations inaccessible by cable cars or chair lifts. However, local environmental groups are speaking out against the practice, saying that the ... Full Story

Despite Barack Obama claiming global climate change is a top priority in his cabinet, the fight against global warming in the US continues to face a series of setbacks. Once again, this Saturday, the Senate announced they would postpone plans to reveal the latest climate change bill. The Senate was forced to propose the unveiling of the bill, when arguments over immigration took the forefront of discussions at a senate meeting last Saturday. On Monday, Senator John Kerry, democrat, was to lead a bipartisan group in an outline of the newest climate change bill, however that plan was scrapped when Republican ... Full Story

According to new polls conducted by HSBC Bank, residents across the planet rank climate change as the biggest global issue. Residents in major US cities, however, cited the economy as the biggest issue, but elsewhere on a global scale climate change topped the polls. Two-thirds of residents in Hong Kong, Paris, Sao Paolo, Vancouver, Toronto, Sydney, and London all claimed that climate change was their biggest concern at the moment. Citizens in the US, however, ranked climate change as third with the economy and terrorism taking a forefront in the polls. The HSBS-sponsored survey targeted households in 11 cities across the globe. ... Full Story

A new study has warned against the looming health risks that could be brought about by continued global climate change. According to the report issued by government agencies in Washington on Wednesday, there are specific health areas where effects of climate change need to be studied further. Jane Lubchenco, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that it is vital to understand the health effects of climate change so that they can be mitigated and adapted to. She added that this latest report is a new roadmap that will pioneer the way. The report, published by the National Institute of ... Full Story