Le Friquet Hotel heats guests’ hot water with solar energy

September 21st, 2010 by Richard Lord

Is Le Friquet hotel in Castel parish the most energy efficient hotel in Guernsey?  Producing hot water demands energy.  In 2008 David Hubert of Future Energy Systems (CI) Ltd. installed twenty Schott panels of 16 evacuated tubes each (320 evacuated tubes in total) on the roof of Le Friquet hotel to supply hot water to their guests and residents.   The solar panels preheat three large hot water cyclinders that supply the hotel’s needs.  The hotel has 29 rooms and four apartments.

Local firms encourage islanders to leave their cars at home

September 21st, 2010 by Hannah Beacom

Two local businesses will be joining forces with Island Coachways to mark Car Free Week.

From Monday 20 September to Friday 25 September 2010, passengers on the Islands Insurance and Leapfrog branded buses will travel for free in a move to raise awareness of environmental issues.  This initiative comes just a fortnight after figures were released by the States of Guernsey Environment Department showing that vehicle ownership in the island currently stands at over 86,000.  Only these two branded buses will be free during the time period.  Other Island Coachways buses will charge the standard £1.00 charge per trip unless you use an ormer bus card.

Hannah Beacom, managing director of Island Coachways, said, “Public transport is key to reducing car usage in the island so I’m pleased that these two local firms are getting involved in this way”.

Throughout the week Islands Insurance and Leapfrog will be covering the costs of travel on their branded buses.

“We hope that the initiative will encourage islanders who usually drive to leave their cars at home more often, even for just a couple of days a week,” said Chris Gnapp, Managing Director at Leapfrog.

The two firms are the latest in a series of local businesses which have made moves to encourage greater bus use in recent months.

“Not only is it a superb way to advertise the company but it also draws more attention to the buses as a more environmentally friendly and convenient way to travel around the Island,” said Stuart Wilson, Director of Islands Insurance.

Professor Walton to give a presentation on Antarctica, Global Change and World Sea Level

September 21st, 2010 by Events

Professor David W.H. Walton, Emiterus Fellow of the British Antarctic Survey, will give a presentation on 23 September 2010 in the Harry Bound Room at Les Cotils, St Peter Port.  The event, organised by La Société Guernesiaise, and sponsored by HSBC, will begin with the drinks from 7.15 pm.  The presentation will begin at 8 pm.

Global change is a feature of the history of life on Earth, with massive changes in the atmosphere, the global climate, and the position of the continents over the past 500 million years.  It is only in the last 200 years however that a single species has been able to directly affect both the rate and direction of change.  The recognition of this has become steadily clearer in the last 25 years.  From the destruction of the ozone layer to the melting of the ice sheet, the importance of Antarctica and of the Southern Ocean has grown as scientists have recognised them as major driving forces behind many of the most potentially damaging changes.

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