Cars start getting stickers

Drivers across Spain are starting to receive government stickers in the post. They indicate the ecological band of your vehicle, and depending where you are, could be useful. So far, only 4.3 million drivers in Madrid, Barcelona, Granada, Sevilla and Valencia have received them – the rest of us will get them next year. Why those provinces? They’re the most polluted in Spain. The stickers come in four flavours: Blue 0 – electric cars Halftone Continue reading Cars start getting stickers

Vera to sue central government over flood defences

Local council says environmental ministry is ‘refusing to carry out its promises’ The Vera town council voted this week to start legal actions against the central government and the Ministry of the Environment for not fulfilling promises made after the 1989 and 2012 floods across Pueblo Laguna. The council says that “concrete measures” against a repeat of the flooding that should have been taken by the central administration have never been carried out, and that Continue reading Vera to sue central government over flood defences

Vera to sue central government over flood defences

Local council says environmental ministry is ‘refusing to carry out its promises’ The Vera town council voted this week to start legal actions against the central government and the Ministry of the Environment for not fulfilling promises made after the 1989 and 2012 floods across Pueblo Laguna. The council says that “concrete measures” against a repeat of the flooding that should have been taken by the central administration have never been carried out, and that Continue reading Vera to sue central government over flood defences

Evil rook from El Ejido caught

An nasty rook living in a roof in El Ejido has been caught by environmental police after “viciously” attacking several victims. People innocently walking down the street were attacked by the large bird, which swept down to peck and scratch at pedestrians. One victim needed medical attention for the scratches. Police were called after several attacks this week, and environmental police setup a cunning trap – they paraded up and down the street until attacked, Continue reading Evil rook from El Ejido caught

Zurgena anti-cloud seeding organisation keeps growing

News reaches me of a local organisation called AVIAL, based in Zurgena. (Asociacion en defensa de la salud y el medio ambiente y contra sistemas anti-lluvias en Almeria). A good job they decided to abbreviate their name…. The point of the organisation is to mount a neighbourhood defense against the practice of agricultural cloud seeding, where insurance companies and agricultural cooperatives pay for planes to “seed” clouds with silver particles, which makes the clouds precipitate Continue reading Zurgena anti-cloud seeding organisation keeps growing

HP and how to save the environment

So I ordered an ink cartridge off HP.es. A few days later, this turns up. It’s a box. A fairly big box. And a light one. I opened it up and peered inside. My first thought was that it was empty. However, I then spotted the cunning false bottom, underneath which was my ink cartridge and a letter. See how they’ve had to build a cunning false bottom to stop the cartridge from rolling around Continue reading HP and how to save the environment

Public Prosecutor archives “Algarrobico” criminal case against public officials

The Public Prosecutor (Fiscalia) has decided not to accept a case prosecuting the townhall of Carboneras and the Junta de Andalucía for initially permitting the construction of the illegal hotel “El Algarrobico”, despite criticism from judges in related cases of the way the original construction was allowed to go ahead. Various ecologist groups had placed criminal charges against Carboneras townhall and the Junta de Andalucía alleging incompetence, conflict of interest and outright bribery. They also Continue reading Public Prosecutor archives “Algarrobico” criminal case against public officials

Irony and Sevillana Endesa

A very nice little Welcome to 2009 card (no mention of Christmas, just the new year) turns up in the post from Sevillana Endesa. It’s a third bigger than most Christmas cards, as it has an extra sheet, although 3 pages are blank and another just has a nonsensical, Dali style diagram on it. It waffles on about the sea, the mountains, the valleys, the flowers, the trees, the environment, the trees, you, me, him, Continue reading Irony and Sevillana Endesa

NO end in sight for El Algarrobico

After the uproar yesterday about the proposed 100 million euro payment by the Ministry of the Environment to Azata, the owners of El Algarrobico hotel in Carboneras, the Ministry (which, remember, is central government in Madrid, not the Junta de Andalucia, who seems to have washed their hands of the matter) has hastily backtracked. They have announced the the price of 100 million was set some months ago after an independent firm surveyed the installations Continue reading NO end in sight for El Algarrobico

The Ecoheroes vanish for the summer

Remember everybodies favourite green grannie and family, fighting against the evil of Co2? The EcoHéroes? Well, much sniffing going on at the moment about how they’ve all buggered off for the summer. Instead of being on the beaches educating us about switching off lightbulbs and the like, they seem to have gone to ground and have not been seen. No doubt indoors, with the a/c turned up high. Mind you, I just had a thought Continue reading The Ecoheroes vanish for the summer