GREENPEACE'S SOLAR SOLUTION TOUR ARRIVES IN NOTTIGHAM
London, 29 July 1997
On Wednesday 30th July the Greenpeace Solar kitchen visits Nottingham.
The fully functioning solar electric kitchen is touring the country this summer visiting 15 venues, to show that solar power works in the UK and is a key part of the solution to the problem of climate change.
The kitchen uses an array of 24 solar panels to generate electricity, which powers a range of ordinary appliances including a washing machine and hob. In a series of practical demonstrations throughout the day visitors will be able to experience first hand, solar electricity being generated.
In addition to the demonstrations, local campaigners will be showing videos detailing the progress of Greenpeace's campaign to halt oil expansion on the Atlantic Frontier. The latest phase of the campaign saw the MV Greenpeace successfully preventing survey vessels from carrying out seismic testing in the Atlantic Frontier area. Seismic testing is the first stage of new oil exploration.
The Atlantic Frontier is a pristine deep-sea area to the West of the Shetland Isles. It is here that the Government is licensing massive new oil fields that will expand oil production well into the 21st century.
Such an expansion has huge implications for our ability to control the rate of climate change. During the last two hundred years human activities have resulted in emissions of greenhouse gases, mainly from the burning of oil, coal and gas. As a result the Earth's temperature is rising and the climate is changing.
At Nottingham, as at all stops on the tour this summer, Greenpeace will be collecting signatures for a international petition running from now until November which calls on Tony Blair as Prime Minister to prevent climate change by stopping new oil exploration in the Atlantic Frontier and investing in clean energy such as solar electricity. Greenpeace has already collected 70,000 signatures and throughout the summer will be collecting many more, both here and abroad, from people who want the UK government to take action on climate change.
The signatures will be delivered to the Prime Minister before he leaves to attend an international climate meeting in December. The meeting, in Kyoto, Japan, will be an opportunity for the world's leaders to take the first step towards limiting greenhouse gases and stopping climate change.
Tony Blair speaking at an international conference in New York in June this year said "We are all in this together. No country can opt out of global warming or fence in its own private climate. We need common action to save our common environment."
Greenpeace Campaigner Marcus Rand said, "Our solar kitchen is showing the people of Nottingham that solar power is a viable, clean alternative to climate damaging fossil fuels. We need to invest in this sort of renewable energy now to save the climate".
Notes for correspondents
- The Greenpeace Solar Electric Kitchen will be located at Old Market Square, Nottingham.
- The Greenpeace ship `MV Greenpeace' is currently in Atlantic Frontier waters monitoring oil company activity.
- Twenty-four panels installed on a house will meet 50% of an average family's electricity needs over a year, thus avoiding the emission of approximately 40 tonnes of carbon dioxide during the thirty year lifetime of the system.
Photographers & crews welcome.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Greenpeace Press Office on +44 (0)171 865 8255/6/7/8 or +44 (0)171 359 4837