Once again, here is our weekly round-up of news from the twittersphere, featuring largely, but not exclusively, the end of the HS2 consultation and the publication of the draft National Planning Policy Framework.

Energy and Climate Change

How Germany plans to succeed in a nuclear free, low-carbon economy: http://bit.ly/mR6fQY

MikeChilds1: See evidence of Labour's wasted years in numberstinyurl.com/3prdxlc

New blog post on some of the horrendous greenwash that we've spotted this week, including ethical oil and aviation:http://bit.ly/oYBJlW

RT @wwwfoecouk: Govt energy stats show UK is increasingly dependent on imported gas: http://goo.gl/fb/zcHz8

Speechless! RT @PlatformLondon: Utterly nauseated by images being exploited by 'Ethical Oil' tar sands PR campaignhttp://bit.ly/pO29Q1

Most unlikely! RT @wwwfoecouk: Lord Lawson and the Daily Mail gang up on green #energy taxes #climatechange:http://bit.ly/pyqEHP

Developments in renewable energy technology coming on all the time. New turbine ideas; bigger, better more beautiful:http://lat.ms/pyGtJ7

"there is no way that this can possibly pass the "intergenerational justice" test." 1 argument by Porritt v Monbiot: http://bit.ly/pqdYQF

Energy promoters confirm nuclear plant plans: http://bit.ly/rh2dvY

RT @wwwfoecouk: MPs call for compensation for those misled by energy companies & an end to "Del Boy" sales tactics http://goo.gl/fb/vzNsb

RT @wwwfoecouk: Geo-engineering the #climate - dangerous distraction or too much potential to ignore? http://cot.ag/q7Hbhx

RT @LocaliseWM: Still time to apply to be a Community Renewable Energy Mentor http://s.coop/3e26 - turning good ideas into reality - deadline 3rd Aug

Transport

Get your responses in to the govt's flawed HS2 consultation before close: http://bit.ly/efxFD5 we need a better plan! http://bit.ly/nvg0dS

“this procurement of beer in no way pre-empts my decision to drink it” = Hammond's procurement process for #HS2: http://bit.ly/nsVJ4B

Our video "What Planet are we on?" is being nominated for an Earthmovers Award: http://youtu.be/PF2w2lYZJQM :-)

RT @HACAN1: You couldn't make it up. X Factor pays £10,000 for Gary Barlow to fly across London - just 19 miles! - http://bit.ly/rliHNu

Do you think there might be people interested in doing special bike trains for In Town Without My Car Day?http://bit.ly/pJ20Pz

Has any effort gone into looking for funding for Bham to get bike hire scheme, seeing as it's so successful elsewhere? http://bit.ly/nU0V4f

RT @brumcyclist: Jerry Evans was looking at bike hire 3 years ago:http://bit.ly/pEg9FZ - anyone know what happened?

Sounds good: RT @PhilTonks2: Chiltern Railways frees passengers from 'ransom' of extortionate walk-up fareshttp://bit.ly/pbIV8f

Sustainable! RT @wwwfoecouk: Fry in the sky: Thomson flight with cooking oil fuel fails due to 'fuel delivery hitch' http://tiny.cc/anm55

Other areas get a much smaller amount of spending on transport than London. That must be addressed urgently: http://bit.ly/rpgNld

RT @sustrans: Get involved in our new campaign and help our kids to be outdoors and active: http://bit.ly/pRSeXE #freerangekids

Brave attempt? RT @guardianeco: @ecotricity electric highway will kickstart Britain's electric car revolution http://bit.ly/nuPIho

Waste

FREE paper and card recycling service for places of worship in Birmingham: http://bit.ly/q992Ye

What no CO2 emissions? Seems very odd that Tyseley incinerator emits no CO2 at all according to the environment agency:http://bit.ly/r7kyez

Washing spoons really isn't that hard. This is a great poster courtesy of @myzerowaste: http://on.fb.me/rsxCDK

Watch out for new bin collection days - starting with Sheldon and Stechford and Yardley North wards: http://bit.ly/pbbnre

Planning

RT @tracesofrock: Selly Park new FREE gym equipment. And no one's using it... Shame http://yfrog.com/h81uircj - all ping pong tables are being used, though.

pauldezylva Paul De Zylva

by Bham_FOE

'The most wretched capitulation to a single lobby I know' - Chairman of @nationaltrust of #UKGov #planning reform #NPPFm.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/…

RT @BCCNewsRoom: Traders Invited to Have Their Say on Wholesale Change: http://bit.ly/o9OlNG #brum #wholesalemarket #bullring #market

RT @AcocksGreenFG: Acocks Green's TCM says Morrison's will be twice as big as Sainsbury's. AG cllrs expressing concern.http://bit.ly/od6qcy

RT @guardianeco: Planning law changes: the crux is defining 'sustainable development': http://bit.ly/ppPjtU

New article up on our website on the problems with the National Planning Policy Framework published yesterday:http://bit.ly/oQd4pW

RT @pauldezylva: NGOs unite to expose #UKGov claims its #planning reforms will lead to #sustainabledevelopment:http://bit.ly/nYDixP #NPPF

RT @AndrewSimms_nef: 9 yrs after nef's Ghost Town Britain report Lab realise High St suffered from indulging supermkts:http://bit.ly/qVOPiU

The National Trust are also unhappy with the National Planning Policy Statements and have a petition here: http://bit.ly/r9sTg0

Wonder what the definition of "sustainable office and industrial projects" will be for this £20m Euro investment: http://bit.ly/o5XbgC

RT @JonathanRClarke Digbeth Planning & Development Survey now online: http://bit.ly/pOWQNx Completions & RT's would be incredibly lovely.

Others
RT @wwwfoecouk: Govt should be doing more to clean up #airpollution - we're part of @HealthyAirUK campaignhttp://bit.ly/o7dMBf

RT @PigBusiness: High welfare doesn't cost as much as you think http://bit.ly/njj5H6

RT @greenroofsuk: Brittany beaches hit by toxic algae #pollution #Environment http://ow.ly/5Q8EK

38 degrees now have a petition up against the government's badger cull. Please sign it: http://bit.ly/o71gVR

If you want to invest some money in a local cooperative, Birmingham Bike Foundry are looking for loanstock investments:http://bit.ly/ncqInw

RT @LocaliseWM: Please get your MP to sign superb EDM (parliamentary petition) on Fair Trade for global & UK farmers!http://s.coop/3foa

Support your local food co-op: http://bit.ly/pN0xyi is @wwwfoecouktip of the day - South Bham food co-op http://bit.ly/bLBTVB

Hideous Greenwash

This week there's been some really shocking greenwash going on with Tar Sands exploiters trying to sell their oil as being ethical and Ryanair doing green PR campaign!

A marketing blog was quite taken back by this, as "Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary previously described global warming as “bullshit” and green activists as “Luddites”. He also labelled environmentalists “lying wankers” and said that the best thing that can be done with them was to “shoot them” as they seek to make air travel the preserve of the rich."

Now he's boasting that his fleet has lower CO2 emissions than competitors, so why does he think that matters? Surely, it's not a cynical marketing ploy by a member of a struggling industry. With Thomson having to abandon its plans for a flight using 50% cooking oil due to problems getting it here from the USA, you really do wonder how desperate things are getting for airlines.

Even more shocking and disgraceful is the Ethical Oil campaign by Canadian Alykhan Velshi as revealed here. The devastation caused by exploiting tar sands is very well documented, as is the fact that it takes almost as much energy to get the oil out of it as it produces, making it a completely useless exercise and pretty much the most polluting way of getting fuel possible.

Trying to justify this on the grounds that Canada is a better place for gay people than other oil producing nations is just abhorrent:

They also use the persecution of women, terrorism and many other ridiculous claims that supposedly mean dirty Canadian oil is better than any other. Take this action now to stop Tar Sands coming into Europe, oh yes and please think again if you were going to fly abroad on holiday this year, as there is nothing that increases your carbon footprint more.

Joe Peacock

Weekly compilation 22.07.2011

Here's our regular update of what's been catching our eye on twitter this week divided into our main campaigns areas:

Energy & Climate Change

Nuclear power's real chain reaction: spiralling costs:http://bit.ly/pLg1yG

Looking for Community Renewable Energy Mentors via @LocaliseWM: http://bit.ly/ny0mBQ

RT @AirportWatch: Arctic sea ice cover shrinking at record pace - lowest for July since satellite monitoring started in 1970:http://bit.ly/nENiUz

Need to take efficiency much more seriously RT @guardianeco: How energy use by UK households has risen 18% in 40 years:http://bit.ly/oanNCK

RT @wwwfoecouk: Houdini act now needed to escape from high-carbon lock-in: National Policy Statements ignore climate change targetshttp://goo.gl/fb/WSc2V

Why believe that UK nuclear reactors would be on time and on budget when French and Finnish ones over-budget and late?http://bit.ly/ntXTJQ

RT @thedancingflea: “It is unequivocally less expensive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions than suffer climate damages.”http://s.coop/3crn

RT @wwwfoecouk: @DECCgovuk announces green heating grants for households http://bit.ly/n4rtsF #rhi #rhpp

RT @WomensInstitute: Fuel poverty is a killer – and too little is being done to tackle it http://gu.com/p/3vt2p/tw via @guardian

Some interesting points here: RT @PostBusiness: Andrew Whitehead: Now the electricity market gets really complicated:http://bit.ly/pl5CtH

RT @wwwfoecouk: MP energy vote set to create dash for gas and give go-ahead to decades of radioactive wastehttp://goo.gl/fb/W1yAo

Transport
RT @AstonUniversity: Aston assessing future alternative transport as part of UKs largest trial of low carbon vehicles: http://bit.ly/qsBih3

Agree with @christianwolmar's assessment of the IEA report on #HS2: http://bit.ly/n11Ipi

27% of drivers use mobile phones while driving: http://bit.ly/qsUCGVand they're very dangerous for others, as experienced many times!

RT @ncbtweets: Save our Buses: 94% of colleges say end of EMA will affect young people's ability to travel to college.http://bit.ly/oALKCx

New Standards Are Here, But How Will Aviation Biofuel Market Evolve? http://bit.ly/oRYIXq Is it economic or sustainable?

Much more than a "nudge" needed: RT @RichardHebditch: Link to Lords' behaviour change report: http://bit.ly/pcF5JV

RT @AcocksGreenFG: New Tesco's/Swan development in Yardley - pedestrians don't matter? See Mrs McAvoy's latest update:http://bit.ly/nHc42f

Waste

Is it greener to use washable or disposable nappies? Birmingham council still supported washable ones: http://bit.ly/pAmqqm @leohickman

@Bham_FOE Thanks, but looks like support was pulled on April 1, 2011?? Can u confirm? http://t.co/rbVuUeu

New blog post with comments made from our Waste round table discussion last week hosted by @chamberlainfo:http://bit.ly/qCQawe

An article on the barriers to Anaerobic Digestion plants being set up -need to be overcome quickly: http://bit.ly/nufvyV

Boo! "Bid to exclude EfW from planning framework rejected":http://bit.ly/qo2hh6

Rats on the streets are a problem that could be massively reduced by having food waste collected in special bins: http://bit.ly/r4720G

Others

Midlands FoE local groups are furiously filming fantastic forty-second footprints for FoE's big four-O http://t.co/T6Yl065 #midlandfoe40

Ooh we can inspect Birmingham City Council's accounts for 2 weeks from Monday: http://bit.ly/pu9gUG (via @jonwalker121)

RT @jonwalker121: Ed Miliband visited our offices yesterday & answered qs from Bham Mail readers: http://is.gd/6nLTaP http://bit.ly/n6tW0H

RT @wee_dave: £11bn in green taxes: is the Treasury milking the green economy? http://bit.ly/pKJqdT via @touchstoneblog

Saw @astonishernet in this photo :-) helping to Push Europe to create green jobs and take action on climate: http://bit.ly/pQDyju

Warning Of 'Food Price Riots In The UK' Madness to grow crops to feed cars, planes & power stations instead of people:http://yhoo.it/hXcu59

Was the LEP really expecting the EZ in Bham city centre to bring in yet more big retail? What about making things? http://bit.ly/n48eZs

Read our latest publications highlighting the role indigenous people play in conservation & defence of biodiversity. http://t.co/L6c0wff

RT @BatesJenny: Boris final London Plan http://bit.ly/oaV5Et ignored key Inspector air & road build/use recommendations.