Make island an ‘eco example’ to the world
Tuesday 28th April 2009, 2:29PM BST.
GUERNSEY should become an environmental model for the rest of the world, according to Chamber of Commerce president Paul Luxon (pictured).
As a panel member at the Institute of Directors’ G4: Looking Forward event, Mr Luxon was asked what he would change to benefit Guernsey and its businesses.
‘Why not become the environmental island model?’ he replied.
His answer was met with a round of applause. It fitted in with the idea of diversifying the economy and moving away from reliance on the finance industry, he said.
‘It makes sense for us and for our businesses. We should embrace it.’
The island should invest in the natural beauty that set it apart, he said.
‘Don’t tinker with the small stuff, go forward with some meaningful decisions. It could also be a great boost to tourism. Let’s make the island a best-practice model and a nice place to live.’
- To read Guernsey Press stories in full click here for subscription details. Individual editions are now available online.
Island Life
All about Guernsey
Ambassador of the Year 2011
History & Heritage
Visitor Information
Guernsey's government
Campaigns
Voice For Victims
Voice for Victims is a campaign aimed at promoting the rights of those affected by child sexual abuse.
This is Guernsey
Guernsey Press
Useful Links
Pumping raw sewage into the surrounding sea is hardly environmentally friendly!!!!! You’ll have to do a LOT BETTER than that in this day and age.
Report abuse
Step one stop pumping s#%@t into the sea!
Report abuse
Although not technically environmentally friendly, the raw sewage adds food for the ecosystem and marine life actually increases….some how they have adapted and it doesn’t seem to harm them in any way (that we yet know of)
Report abuse
starscream – you are right, the sewage does provide food for the ecosystem, however too much and you will see a rise in algae. If this happens (on the surface) it can block light to the photosynthesising plants at the bottom. This in turn reduces the oxygen in the water and so the fish and other life die, along with all that algae. This has a nasty effect on the water as bacteria that break it down further pollute the water. It is not just the sewage from our toilets, washing powders etc also cause these effects.
Therefore pumping raw sewage into the sea around Guernsey should continue to be seen as harmful.
Report abuse
This is strange because the Chamber of Commerce is in favour of a full 1700 metre extension to the airport runway necessitating the filling in of two rural valleys.
This would be an environmental catastrophe and is in no way “investing in the natural beauty” of the island.
A round of applause please.
Report abuse
‘Don’t tinker with the small stuff, go forward with some meaningful decisions. It could also be a great boost to tourism. Let’s make the island a best-practice model and a nice place to live.’
Pah. Does this chap actually have ideas on how this would be achieved rather than just spouting vague buzzwords and corpo-drivel that don’t actually mean anything?
Report abuse
This article is laugh out loud funny. Change starts in hearts and minds. On your bikes (literally).Improve public transport and reduce the number of cars on the road then these people maybe credible.Could start with putting a tax on pollution of hot air emitted in these meetings or maybe harness it as an alternative energy source.
Report abuse
I am supportive of Guernsey branding itself as eco friendly. We could start with puttig a 50p tax on the insanity of importing bottled water. Great place to start and a great message to the outside world. Hold on a minute, doesn’t the head of Chamber head up Cimandis?
Great on the rhetoric Mr Luxon but what are you suggesting? How about stopping the import of many of your products that can be bought on island or closer to home? Or don’t your eco credentials extend as far as the effect on your companmy profits.
Sorry to pick on Paul Luxon but these grand statements seem a bit bandwagony to me and as Chris points out in the previous post PLs new green credentials clash somewhat with his day job and previous projects supported by Chamber.
Incinerator? Mass burn Dioxins? How green was Chambers support ofr that? Need I go on?
Coming from anyone else I would whole heartedly support
Report abuse
Another major drawback to being “eco-friendly”, where is your electricity derived from? The French nuclear powered generator???????????? There is such a long way to go to being an “eco-example” to the world. Is Guernsey prepared to pay the costs of viable alternatives?
Report abuse
The Islands roads from 8am until 9am and from 5pm until 6pm make a fine eco example don’t they!.
Report abuse
Margaret, I thought, per kW, nuclear power was greener than burning fossil fuels and more sustainable?
Report abuse
What do you do you do with all the radioactive nuclear waste student Jeff?It isn’t just a problem for our lifetime but for many many generations.
Report abuse
Student Jeff
TIDAL POWER is the viable GREEN alternative to production of electricity. Cheers.
Report abuse
Easy one really – ban sex.
Without the aforementioned, human activity will rapidly reduce in a “generation”. As there won’t be one.
No waste, poop, cars etc.
Lovely.
Report abuse
these lobby groups have a closer ear of the politicians than any ‘normal’ which is just wrong,each of these G4 (hahahahaha) groups is out to feather its own nest not to improve the island for all. this jumping on the green bandwagon is just laughable. some of the small people have been shouting about improving the eco. footprint of gsy for a few years now, without some draconian rules on vehicles, stopping pumping raw sewage out to sea, moving on tidal and plenty more i don’t know about then nothing will change.These business groups will not like any of these changes in lifestyle as it’ll mean less business for them .the whole ‘g4′(hahahahahah) can go to where the sewage comes out and stay there. i may have mixed up some of my english here and i apologies if so, these lobby groups just get under my skin.the states represent all of us not just the business community, just cause you have had success in business does not mean you are smart or have the answers. aaaarrrrrghhhh!!
Report abuse
What a laugh, now lets see,
Wasn’t a company caught out filling water bottle from a tap then labelled (mountain fresh)
So all the cr.. is good for the fish and shell fish eh! No more spiders for Saturday tea. I might get a neighbours– never mind.
I think I read somewhere (maybe it was a dream); that they found huge, and I mean huge bugs and worms and all sorts of underground things that go boom in the night, but only where the Atomic waste is buried. so the dinosaurs died out and we will make new ones. good luck.
Oh Gilthead: what a nasty idea; ban sex indeed; don’t you realise that the lovely girls will have to find something new for headaches; and do you realise you will put many out of work.— no point in making head ache pills is there?
Report abuse
Gilthead
I assume that you will be the first in line to have a chastity belt fitted then?
Why not go the whole hog and have the chop? After all you’d be setting an example. Would others follow?
Don’t hold your breath!
Report abuse
Paul:
I nreckon none thing;
There are certain people in Guernsey, by definiton they are men, and they rule, they won’t get the chop, because only men need to be chopped. heh heh:
Report abuse
All very lovely flowery language but with about as much substance as saying “let’s go hug a tree.” Mr Luxon obviously knows that playing the green card automatically endears him to the populists.
Come up with some viable ideas for economic diversification and environmental protection and maybe we’ll start listening…
Report abuse
Give Paul Luxon a break. I’ve worked for one of his companies in the not too distant past and I can tell you he is sincere in wanting to go green. He is also genuine in his belief that there is new business potential in going down this route. You also have to bear in mind that he has to deal with inertia and reluctance to change within his own organisation. Would you all rather have him say: “Sod the environment, let’s just go for profit!”?
Report abuse
Martyn
Why should anyone not be challenged on glib statements? Any idiot can speak ‘green’, but where are the actual ideas?
Report abuse
Behind my flipant post was a serious point.
Its human activity that is causing the world to heat up etc. Its no good turning lights off if by next year there another 1 billion people wanting to use electricity da de dah.
This is an argument that rarely raises its head in the environmental debate – why? Simple really – it upsets certain religeous groups. And we can’t have that eh!
If the human population of the world were to decrease then the problems we face would also start to go away. Not difficult really.
And before anyone asks I have one child – which means that my legacy is a population decrease!
I’m proud of that.
Report abuse
Well gilthead; I reckon you are truly on to something there- no no fairs fair now folks. something has to go.
So my suggestion is all politicians must go- where? suggestions to the CM.
Then when they’ve gone, we’ll back to the old days, you work, you eat, you no work- join the politicians,
Report abuse
Gilthead – what are your solutions to the population problem? A human version of the myxomatosis introduction a la Australia? Perhaps we could engineer another World War to decrease the population – India v China would seem to be a good start?
On to your own personal effort in population reduction – what if your one child ends up having 5 children making your long term legacy a population increase? Why take that risk – if you really were serious about population control you wouldn’t have had children at all…
Beyond this rather flippant post is an equally serious point… ;-)
Report abuse
Fair enough Jackie. He’s got to deliver – to walk the walk as well as talk the talk – and hopefully we’ll see that sooner rather than later.
Actually I’m with Gilthead on this one but it’s not in this part of the world where, as a race, we have to stop the human population explosion getting out of hand, it’s in the ‘developing’ world. In western Europe the demographics are worrying the other way. That’s just a fact.
Globally, though, Gilthead is right. The planet cannot sustain another billion of us, even if we do all ‘go green’ and cut our consumption of the world’s resources, which is what each one of us should be trying to do.
Let’s face it, we are merely a rapacious dominant species sowing the seeds of our own destruction. We need to take radical birth control measures to reduce drastically our population in the areas where it is exploding the most. It’s tough medicine but it’s the only answer.
Report abuse
Paul le P – I’m certainly not advocating a “final solution”. We are where we are.
But to really address the human caused issues we all face population reduction must be top of the list. As I previously posted this won’t happen because of the might and majesty of the Holy Roman Empire’s (amongst others) opposition to contraception.
The other problem is the “its my human right to have three hundred children” brigade.
Make it financially beneficial for women (and their partners) not to have children. Any more than two and all tax releif should be withdrawn. Fine them for more than two, sterilisation for more than 4 etc. A bit harsh perhaps but if we really want to sort the world out…
It makes me laugh seeing the bearded tree huggers on environmental campaigns along with their 7 kids – complaining about a problem of their own making!
I’m not in any way vituous by the way!
Report abuse
Yes I agree with those that say the human race needs to stop reproducing at an alarming rate. The planet cannot sustain all of us and we are headed down destroying the whole thing. Gloom and doom but I see no alternative at the rate we are all going.
Report abuse