AA president calls for safety campaign, but newspapers offer no evidence to prove cyclists are riding to their deaths to music
There is, apparently, yet another two-wheeled menace stalking our urban streets — the "zombie cyclist". This is the not-in-the-least hyperbolic name for the phenomenon of riders listening to iPods and the like, coined in the Sunday Times and now enthusiastically picked up by the Daily Mail.
Both articles take as their starting point a warning against listening to music as you cycle from Edmund King, president of the AA, who is supposedly a keen rider himself. They then weld this clumsily to government statistics released earlier this month which showed a year-on-year rise of 19% in cycling deaths and serious injuries for the three months to June.
While they note there is nothing concrete to connect the two things, the inference is there. The Daily Mail story starts off, "The fashion for wearing iPods while cycling has been blamed for a rise in the number of riders being killed or seriously injured," but then presents no evidence to back up this hypothesis. Now, cycle safety hysteria in the press is nothing remarkable. As one Times reader comments: "Beware of zombie journalists inventing scare stories to sell newspapers."
But beneath the papers' bluster, do they have a point when it comes to headphones?
Personally, I don't like using them when riding on the roads. I experimented once or twice listening to speech-only podcasts at low volumes.But even that made me feel disconnected, shut off from that ever-changing hum and roar of traffic, the frequencies of which, as a cyclist, you're always half-consciously scanning for something unusual or amiss
However, that's just me. As a number of readers of both articles point out, it's not as if every car driver listens intently at all times. One writes:
Drivers often have the windows shut and music on in their cars. Surely this is the same as a cyclist using an iPod. Certainly if I can clearly hear their music as they drive past me then they can't hear outside.
That would seem to make sense. I often rely on a well-timed yell of "Oi!" to alert a driver that their half-tonne slab of metal is drifting inexorably into my path. There are times when the volume of music coming from inside means they clearly won't hear me. A gentle kick to a door panel usually wakes them up, but it's not a trick you want to do every day.
What are your thoughts? If a cyclist sets off through the urban streets with his or her ears assailed by Slipknot cranked up to full volume, are they just asking for trouble?
The Ultimate Holding Company plans to tattoo one hundred volunteers with images of endangered species. Somehow, I'm involved
With one hundred endangered species, one hundred permanent tattoos and one hundred biodiversity ambassadors, the ExtInked project is a mad idea.
Born out of the creative genius of Manchester artist collective the Ultimate Holding Company (UHC), ExtInked is a "social experiment". "Disparate communities are coming together, artists, tattooists and ecologists," explained UHC's Jai Redman. "I want to see them overlapping and interbreeding, sharing ideas and visions." The experiment involves a hundred people receiving tattoos of endangered species, from yesterday until this Sunday, in a bid to raise awareness of conservation issues.
Jai has drawn all the species himself, each of which is listed as a priority on the UK's Biodiversity Action Plan – the government's conservation effort founded in response to the international Convention on Biological Diversity treaty.
In 2007 a very special creature – at least as far as I'm concerned – was added to the list: the hedgehog, an animal I have been studying for over 20 years. I'm 43 and I'm due a midlife crisis, but I don't want a sports car. Do you see where this is going?
Hedgehogs and tattoos seem to go well together. My book, A Prickly Affair, could have as easily been the title of a tattooist's memoirs, rather than an ecologist's. And surely the hundreds of hedgehogs I have picked up over the last twenty years will have prepared me for the onslaught of flesh-stinging needles. I hope so – though I do get the feeling this will be both my first and last tattoo.
I am fascinated to know what sort of person will be attracted to this. Will it be the fertile breeding ground Jai hopes for? Will anybody choose the boring Millipede or the Big Blue Pinkgill? From the enquiries the artists have been getting, looks like it is going to be a mixed bag. There are fusty writery sorts (me), well-illustrated tattoo fans, environmental activists – and a surprising number who are really quite ordinary.
I hope we will all meet again, after the wounds have healed. Perhaps we could form a phalanx at the next meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity. In fact, to take the idea further, perhaps the UHC could organise events all over the world, creating an international cohort of decorated biodiversity ambassadors.
Like the sound of that? Well, don't be shy. If I can get a tattoo, anyone can.
• Hugh Warwick is the author of A Prickly Affair, My Life with Hedgehogs
Peter Walker and Matthew Taylor roadtest five cycling jackets that will keep you warm and dry in wintry weather
If there's one more or less absolute essential in any cyclists' wardrobe, whether you occasionally trundle half a mile to the shops or routinely traverse mountain ranges, it's the rain jacket.
This is all the more important once the winter weather closes in. You can get away with getting soaked on a brief spin when the air is warm, but try that in December and you'll be shivering within minutes.
There is also an argument that while cycling in ordinary clothes is all very well much of the time, jackets are the one area where it's perhaps worth investing in something more specialist.
The broad rule of thumb with bike jackets is that of three desirable attributes – waterproofing, breathability and affordability – you rarely get more than two for your money. So to help you make the decision, we've tested out five jackets costing from just under £50 to a shade under £140. You can also listen to our impressions on the bike podcast.
The jackets were provided by Condor Cycles, and are available from them or via the distributors listed below.
Mavic Sprint – £89.99
A racy little number from a French firm. It's nicely slim-fitting and, with a muted lime green finish, slightly less garish then the norm. You wouldn't necessarily choose to wear it down the pub, but nor would you stick out too much if you did. More importantly, it's very effective: I rode home in it several times in pouring rain, and stayed largely dry while avoiding that sticky boil-in-a-bag feeling.
Endura Luminite – £74.99
Now if there's one thing this jacket is, it's bright, and that's even before you switch on the nifty LED light hidden within its rear flap. To me, it looks more like the sort of thing you'd wear while digging up the M6, and also feels a bit that way, and it would get pretty sweaty on a long ride. But it would certainly keep you warm – and visible – on a chilly winter morning.
Montane Featherlite Velo H2O – £60
Billed as "the world's lightest weight waterproof cycling jacket", this comes in at a decidedly skinny 125g and folds down to a more or less pocket-sized bundle. The model we tried out was in a slightly unflaterring battleship grey, but it comes in other shades. Try as I might, I never managed to be out in any real downpours in this, but even a chilly wind cut through the fabric quite easily. Bear in mind, too, that even the Montane website claims only that it is "moderately waterproof". One for tepid rainy days, or weight-obsessed racers.
Craft Active Bike Jacket – £49.99
The cheapest on test, but arguably the most immediately comfortable, thanks to a soft inner lining and a nicely snug fleece-lined collar. Well made and snug-fitting, the Swedish company's jacket puts many pricier ones to shame. We tried out the luminous yellow version, but if you're less showy there's also a black model which looks – almost – like a normal item of clothing. It's not completely breathable, but commuters could do a lot worse.
Gore Path 2 Paclite – £139.99
In view of its array of features – and accompanying price tag – we sent this jacket out to the countryside with Guardian news reporter Matthew Taylor:
This jacket ticked all the boxes for cycling in Cornwall. The slim cut and high collar ensure a snug fit and the latest breathable shell let me climb even the steepest incline without a hint of condensation. But it's when the wind picked up and clouds rolled in from the Atlantic that this expensive jacket came into its own. When in rains in Cornwall it rains. Long and hard. After two hours of rain, my torso remained dry and surprisingly warm. The jacket is not cheap, and if you're looking for something to get you to and from work there will be plenty of others that do the job more affordably. But if you need something reliable for long rides in rough conditions – and money is no object – the Path 2 doesn't disappoint.
Far fewer cyclists can currently be seen commuting to work as feeling the wind, rain and cold on your bike can be a pretty unpleasant experience. But are there things we can do to make cycling in the winter more bearable? And are there simple things we can do to our bikes to make them safer and smoother in the colder months?
In this month's bike podcast, Fisher Outdoor Leisure present their definitive top five easy things to do to your bike in the winter, plus Peter Walker and Francesca Panetta put five cycling jackets to the test as they look for a perfect mix of comfort, warmth and resistance to the elements.
And, listen to the audio version of James Randerson's trip to Cardiff to try out the cycle hire scheme. Has the scheme taken off? Will a cool cat like James approve of the sit-up and beg style of bike on offer?
Leave your messages for us below.
There is more to being green than driving a Prius and buying local produce. Duncan Clark sheds further light on the eco-friendly messages we've come to take for granted
1. What they tell you: Turning off the lights saves CO2
What they don't tell you: It makes sense for individuals to use less electricity to help reduce the emissions of British power stations. However, it's worth bearing in mind that the total amount of CO2 that can be released by power plants and other industrial facilities across the EU between now and 2012 is fixed by the European Emissions Trading Scheme. This means that if the UK power sector reduces its emissions, extra carbon permits get freed up for use elsewhere, such as German power stations or French cement plants. In other words, the same amount of CO2 will be released, just from different sources. If you want to ensure that your electricity savings do make a real environmental difference, join Sandbag, a charity that will remove CO2 permits from the EU scheme to stop your good work being traded away on the carbon markets.
2. What they tell you: Buy a greener car
What they don't tell you: If you definitely need a new car, it makes perfect sense to buy a small, super-efficient model with low CO2 emissions. However, making a new car – including mining and processing the metals and manufacturing and assembling the components – takes a huge amount of energy. According to an expert at the Stockholm Environment Institute, the production of a typical modern car causes around 8 tonnes of CO2, equivalent to driving 23,000 miles. Because of this, unless you currently drive a lot in a highly inefficient car, it will often be greener to stick to your existing vehicle than to sell it and buy a new one.
3. What they tell you: Going veggie cuts emissions
What they don't tell you: It's true that animal products tend to have much higher carbon footprint than food produced from plants. Hence vegetarianism tends to be a good idea from an environmental point of view. The devil is in the detail, however, because certain dairy products are more "carbon intensive" than some meats. In particular hard cheese, which takes a lot of milk to produce, can have a bigger footprint per kilo than chicken. So while cutting out meat – especially beef and lamb – definitely makes ecological sense, the benefit will be reduced if you make up the calories by consuming more dairy. The most effective way to reduce the emissions of your diet is to go vegan – or as close as you can get.
4. What they tell you: Don't overfill the kettle
What they don't tell you: It's not just how much water you boil that determines the carbon footprint of your tea or coffee, but also the type of kettle you use. Jug kettles are fast and convenient, but their fuel – electricity from the national grid – produces almost three times more greenhouse gas for each unit of heat than burning gas in the home does. Hence switching to a stove-top kettle on a gas cooker will usually reduce emissions – especially in colder months when any heat from the flames that escapes around the side of the kettle will warm the room, reducing the burden on the central heating system.
5. What they tell you: Use more efficient appliances
What they don't tell you: Choosing highly energy-efficient appliances is one good way to ensure that routine tasks such as dishwashing and laundry don't create more carbon pollution than necessary. But there are other ways, too, such as simply running your machines at night. In the daytime, when electricity consumption is at its highest, the dirtiest, least efficient power stations are rolled out to help meet peak demand. At night, when demand is lower, these power stations can be switched off, which means that each unit of electricity has a lower carbon footprint. Turning your washing machine and dishwasher on before you go to bed therefore shaves a little off your carbon footprint by "spreading the load" on the electricity grid – though the difference isn't as huge as some websites have claimed.
6. What they tell you: Sign up with us, we provide 100% renewable electricity
What they don't tell you: Various electricity companies promise to provide customers with power from renewable sources. This gives the impression that by signing up you'll be increasing the amount of clean electricity being produced. The truth is rather more complex. The government requires a certain proportion of UK electricity to come from renewable sources. If an electricity company exceeds this target by generating most or all of its power from renewables it can sell its extra green electricity credits to other companies which in turn can avoid producing any green power themselves. The net effect is that not very much changes. That's not to say don't sign up, but if you do use a green power supplier don't expect your electricity to suddenly be carbon-neutral, no matter what the adverts suggest.
7. What they tell you: Wood fires are green
What they don't tell you: If you burn the wood in an open fire, the majority of the energy in the wood will be lost up the chimney. Assuming it comes from properly managed forests, however, wood is a green fuel because the CO2 released when it gets burned will be sucked from the air by the trees planted to replace the felled ones. The inefficient burning typical in a fireplace also creates plenty of soot. Like CO2, soot warms the atmosphere by absorbing heat from the sun – and it can also travel thousands of miles to settle on Arctic ice, where it accelerates melting by darkening the surface. A much better option environmentally is a log-burning stove. These capture most of the heat from the fuel, greatly reducing the amount of wood required, and they slash soot emissions too. Some modern stoves are so clean-burning that they can even be used in smoke-free zones.
8. What they tell you: Use eco detergents
What they don't tell you: "Ecological" washing up liquids and clothes detergents offer an environmental benefit by favouring rapidly biodegradable, low-toxicity, plant-based ingredients over harsher synthetic ones. However, when it comes to climate change, most of the footprint of washing up or cleaning clothes is not caused by producing the detergent but by heating the water. Hence the most effective way to cut emissions is simply to be sparing with hot water when washing up and to use low temperature cycles for laundry. If you find a 30-degree wash sufficient with an ecological powder, then that's ideal; if not, then arguably it would be better to use a more powerful detergent rather than turn up the temperature dial.
9. What they tell you: Reusable nappies are better for the planet
What they don't tell you: It's true that disposable nappies occupy a lot of space in landfill sites and consume a fairly large amount of oil in their production. However, an in-depth study from the Environment Agency (pdf) found that the total impact on global warming could be slightly higher for washables than for disposables. Washables can have a lower carbon footprint, but only if you have an energy-efficient washing machine, use a 60-degree wash cycle, limit yourself to 24 nappies, and don't tumble dry or iron them. Nappy washing services have the highest footprint of all.
10. What they tell you: Buy local
What they don't tell you: The transport of goods accounts for a small but significant proportion of the human impact on the climate. It generally makes environmental sense, therefore, to favour local food and other products. However, it's not always true that local is best. One study suggested that lamb from New Zealand, with its clean energy and rich pastures, has a lower footprint when consumed in the UK than locally produced lamb, despite the long-distance shipping. Another study showed that cut flowers sold in Britain that had been grown in distant but sunny Kenya had a smaller carbon footprint than those grown in heated greenhouses in Holland. So while transport is important, it's not the only factor to consider.
• The examples above are all drawn from the Rough Guide to Green Living, which was published this month.
How do you keep tender plants alive without resorting to a greenhouse heater? Lia Leendertz has some answers
One of the things I most loved about last winter was tiptoeing down to the greenhouse at night to light the heater that kept my beloved succulents from getting frosted. The glow of the greenhouse heater made the plants look so beautiful that, often shivering away in dressing gown and wellies, I would hang about gazing at them for a few minutes, before finally dashing back indoors and diving under the duvet.
So it is with no little regret that I have decided to do without the heater this year. I have been trying to make my garden into a more organic, sustainable, wholesome place: cutting down on fuel use by using a push mower and hand tools, planting more edibles, chucking my blueberries so I don't have to buy ericaceous compost, and all such jazz. To then set up a heater filled with fossil fuels to pump CO2 out into the night, night after night, seems just a tad hypocritical, and this has been preying on my mind.
But I'm not giving up on my babies. I am determined to get them through this some other way, and to that end I have been doing a major job on the greenhouse for the past few weeks. Due to a couple of cracked panes and some miserly bubblewrapping, there were a few draughty corners last year.
Not so this year. I patched up the cracks and bought a whole new roll of bubblewrap, plus those fancy attachers that hold the bubblewrap away from the glass, so creating an extra layer of insulating air. I have painstakingly covered every inch of glass, overlapping generously at every seam. I have lined the base of the walls with thick layers of cardboard, and moved the table away from the sunny side, so the sun can shine on the paving and heat it up. I made a door of overlapping bubblewrap flaps that ET's captors would have been proud of and I have fleece to hurl directly over the plants when it gets really cold, and some of those fleece bags to put over the larger plants. This weekend, I will move in a water butt, and fill it up, the idea being that it regulates temperature, preventing the surrounding air from getting either too hot, or I pray too cold. We will see.
I reckon the aeoniums, which are really my primary concern, will tough it out. But there are other succulents that I'm not so confident of. This, I fear, may just be the painful lesson I have to learn: if I can't grow certain plants without blasting them with a heater all winter, I most probably shouldn't be growing them at all.
Would you go to any lengths to keep your plants alive over winter, or do you draw a line? And any other ideas to help me get them through the cold weather (not including a heater)?
James Randerson: It may not be on the scale of similar projects in Copenhagen or Nice, but the Welsh capital's bike hire scheme has a lot going for it
"It's a bit front-heavy. Not much good for wheelies." That was the verdict of one passerby as he inspected one of Cardiff's fetching new yellow and green rentable bicycles that are now dotted around the city at 11 hire locations.
With just 70 bicycles and hire stations restricted to the city centre and Cardiff Bay, it is small by comparison with similar schemes in other European cities such as Paris, Copenhagen and Nice. But the company running it, called OYBike, say this is just the start. "The system will hopefully continue to grow (locations and thus stations) as private companies want to sponsor more rental points outside their offices," said Deborah Pester, a spokesperson for OYBike.
I tried out the scheme on a blustery Saturday afternoon earlier this month and was impressed (you can listen to how I got on in tomorrow's Guardian bike podcast). Hiring is easy. Once you have registered online (at a cost of £18 per year or £5 for a week) you simply go to a hire station and call OYBike from your mobile phone. The system automatically recognises your phone number and releases a bike. And if you don't have a mobile there are other options.
Your first 30 minutes of riding is free, with costs rising gradually to £5 for between 4 and 24 hours – any more than that and they assume you've nicked the bike and charge you around £200 to replace it. Not that many people appear to want to steal them. The bikes are pretty distinctive, clunky, sit-up-and-beg numbers with a handy basket on the front. And they don't appear to be very attractive to thieves – only two have gone missing so far. "Actually our experience of vandalism elsewhere shows that at the beginning curiosity means one or two disappear but once thieves realise they are not worth much on the market, it tends to stop," said Pester.
A similar scheme with 900 bikes that launched earlier this year in Nice on France's Cote d'Azur clocked up 100,000 hires in the first 3 months. It remains to be seen whether the old-fashioned look to the Cardiff bikes will prove as appealing. By mid-November the scheme was close to clocking up 200 hires. "It's not bad for a very small system in the autumn months," said Pester.
I hope it does catch on. The bikes are sturdy, easy to use and the two I hired were both in good working order (apart from some slightly soft brakes). Most importantly, the scheme is convenient. You can first check online that there is a bike available where you want it. Then, as long as your destination has a drop-off point you can get there without the expense of buying and maintaining your own bike – and the risk of someone stealing it.
But if it is wheelies you want, then you will be disappointed by more than the bike's weight balance. Disappointingly, "racing, mountain bike riding, stunt or trick riding" are all expressly forbidden by OYBike's terms and conditions.
Other bike hire schemes
Paris, Blackpool, Reading, Copenhagen city bike, Lyon, Hammersmith and Fulham and Nice and Vannes.
Watch the short videos that triumphed in the fiercely contested One minute to save the world competition
A paper boat, talking cats and a polar bear playing video games were yesterday voted as the best short films in a competition to "save the world in a minute". The winning videos offer some welcome light relief before the Copenhagen climate talks kick off in less than a fortnight.
Launched in July, the competition whittled entries down to a longlist earlier this month, narrowed it further to a shortlist through a public vote and then deployed its panel of judges (including our very own John Vidal) to pick the final winners.
Below are four of the category winners, including the overall best film, Paper Boat by Arun Rose.
Who gets your vote?
Best film - Paper Boat
Runner-up - Bear in mind
Best youth film - Stop global war-ming
Best film by a professional - When I am 18
Best viral film - Cats against climate change
East End residents were fed up with drivers using their street as a short cut. So they took collective action – and won
Getting cars cars to slow down instead of racing through backstreet rat runs benefits everyone from cyclists to residents. But a windswept street on a November night in the East End of London is not the first place you'd expect to find inspiration for how to do that – not only cheaply but also with the total approval of the people who live there.
Clapton Terrace is one of 11 "DIY Streets", a nationwide project launched by sustainable transport charity Sustrans as a cheap solution to local traffic problems. By narrowing and raising sections of road to pavement level, planting trees and using street furniture and bollards, the scheme forces drivers to slow down by blurring the distinction between space dedicated to cars and pedestrians.
Two years ago locals were fed up as drivers were using their street as a shortcut to avoid a busy junction nearby. They resurrected their residents' group and got together to vote on their own DIY Street. Lyn Altass became what Sustrans calls a "community champion".
"We leafleted every house for ideas and 40% of people responded. Hackney council only gets 25% during elections," she says when I meet her. She points proudly to the new trees and new access to the green opposite, which means the road now looks more like an entrance to a park.
Residents described the street as previously being "an accident waiting to happen." By raising a section of road in the centre of the road to pavement height, traffic is forced to slow down. The road now feels a lot more spacious as two trees were added beside the road, communal wheelie bins replaced 64 individual bins, and a fence around the nearby green was removed. The site also uses Plantlocks – boxes of plants with bike-friendly bars – where residents can lock bikes.
"We were expecting a 20mph sign and we got all of this!" a local told me.
Altass says there are now fewer cars using the street, and those that do are travelling at slower speeds. But she also says the street's makeover has increased a sense of community.
"We all know more people on the terrace than we used to, we see each other at the bus stop and say 'Hi'. Somehow, we have got to sustain that. On Sunday, some of my neighbours were even out planting bulbs. Lots of people on the terrace have got bikes, and cyclists often use this street as an alternative because it is quieter than the main road."
The idea was inspired by the Dutch designer Hans Monderman, and the success of similar pedestrian priority schemes from European cities such as Copenhagen and Freiburg, to Portland, Oregon in the US. Now, across the UK, from Torquay to Manchester, a smattering of streets is undergoing transformation.
Monderman argued that cars have been allowed to dominate our streets, and we should be able to enjoy what should be a vital part of the urban landscape. Neighbours should use streets as an extension of their homes and get to know each other rather than being forced indoors by the traffic. And when local people get involved in these projects they also cost less to produce.
DIY Streets was piloted in Bristol's controversial St Werburghs redevelopment in 2004 when, after 18 months of decision-making and meetings, the road was made narrower with segregated cycle lanes and parking bays were replaced with boxes of plants. It was popular with residents and thanks to its low cost – £17,000 – the idea was extended.
Finlay McNab, DIY Streets' senior project officer, explains the scheme isn't just about making life better for cyclists: "Residents take ownership, so it becomes a public space not just for car traffic but for play and doing everything related to civic life. It gives residents the opportunity to design streets how they want and take ownership. That is part of the philosophy."
In the first of our new 'Friday debate' blogposts, Lia Leendertz puts the case for human waste as the missing ingredient in our compost heaps
A compost toilet. Photograph: 4RB/Flickr/Some rights reserved
Following the success of our controversial blogpost of last Friday, here at the Guardian gardening blog we've decided to introduce a weekly 'Friday debate' slot. the idea's simple: someone gets the chance to sound off about a horticultural bete noir or bugbear, and everyone else can chime in with their view. I'm kicking things off with this post about human waste. Have a read then be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments below.
There has been a lot of talk on this blog and elsewhere recently about the merits of urine. Wee in a bale, says The National Trust, and many people agree that this is a Good Thing. Urine is acceptable, all of a sudden. It is having a cuddly moment and (nearly) everybody wants to make better use of it. But in all the talk that ensued, there was one very obvious thing that got barely a mention. What is that big, smelly elephant in the room? It's poo.
Poo is something few of us would ever consider using in the garden. It's disgusting, disease ridden and we just have to get rid of it, as quickly as possible. Wee may be enjoying its moment in the sun, as it were, but poo is beyond the pale. But should it be?
I have just finished reading the brilliant Humanure Handbook and I have been radicalised. I picked this book up in my local garden centre thinking it would be interesting, but wouldn't really affect me, personally. In fact it has rocked my world.
Author Joseph Jenkins's central point is this: poo is a resource, and we should make use of it. He points out that we create nutrients to grow our food, we then eat the food, we defecate, and then throw our excrement "away", creating waste and pollution problems that we then have to go to extreme lengths to clear up. The circle is broken, the nutrients are lost. He proposes that we close the circle and stop thinking of poo as waste, instead composting it and utilising all that goodness.
When I started reading I immediately thought of all sorts of caveats that would make this possible: you would need to do it on a large scale, of course, in a specially constructed composting toilet, outdoors, and you wouldn't use the compost for food crops. In other words, it doesn't really apply to me. But that's not what Jenkins has in mind. What he outlines is a small-scale operation that anyone could carry out with almost no investment. You poo into a sort of deluxe bucket, in the comfort of your own home. You cover this with a cover material (such as sawdust) which prevents odour (he swears it prevents odour). When the bucket is full, you take it out to the compost heap and throw it on, before covering it with more cover material. You add all of your kitchen scraps, weeds, bits of twig and whatever else you usually compost. The use of such a nitrogen-rich material as human manure creates the ideal conditions for thermophilic bacteria to thrive, which heat up and sanitise the compost so that it can, after aging, be used on any and every crop. He has done it himself for 25 years, and has done exhaustive tests and research, all outlined in great detail in the book, that prove that his compost and the food he produces with it have no trace of disease-carrying organisms.
It's a wonderful, thorough, thought-provoking book that I cannot recommend highly enough and this is the sort of gardening technique that appeals to me hugely, in that it's simple, anyone can do it, but its reach is huge and it could just have the potential to save the world. No wasting of water, no smell, no pollution, no disease problems, and plentiful nutrients and organic matter to apply to your garden. There is really no reason not to do it. But the big question is: would you?
If you'd like to contribute a Friday debate, please email gardening editor Jane Perrone with details of who you are and what you'd like to write about.
The Metropolitan police alone has more than 2,500 bicycles for its officers. But is introducing more cycling police a good move?
It may seem like a new phenomenon, but bobbies on the beat first turned to bicycles over a century ago. In 1896, Kent police bought 20 bikes for just £8 a piece and by 1904 it had 129, but unfortunately the use of the panda car all but wiped them out in the 1960s.
It was not until quite recently, when reports of successful experiments in San Francisco made it across the Atlantic, that they once again started to appear. Now there are again patrols all over the country, and the Metropolitan police alone has more than 2,500 bicycles.
But last week an embarrassing 93-page guide to cycling, produced by well-meaning but perhaps overly cautious police officers, was leaked. With advice on how to turn corners, slow down and climb off the bike, it did little for their image. But, guide book or not, is introducing more cycling cops a good move?
The community support officer Sally Mitchell, who patrols Cambridge by bike, believes so. "I get a very good response from the general public, they say they like the to see a uniformed presence that is easily accessible. Children always give us a wave," she said.
Over the course of a shift she covers an average of 20 miles, mostly dealing with antisocial behaviour and handing out fixed-penalty notices for disorder.
She also has the power to dole out parking fines and can target fellow cyclists when she catches them cycling on pavements. "We may be first on scene at a road accident; generally we are the eyes and ears for the police officers," she said. Just like the criminals they target, the equipment used has changed enormously since the early days of bicycle police patrols.
Officers in Cambridgeshire use a modern Claud Butler 10-gear town bike and carry a belt with pouches for paperwork, a torch and personal radio. They also get jackets, gloves, over-trousers and a protective cover for their cycle helmet which makes rainy days on patrol far more comfortable than they must have been 100 years ago.
And, importantly, they are cheap. Figures from Glasgow city council claim that 15 officers can be sent out on bike patrols for the same cost as one officer in a car.
And when you consider the advantages of better visibility, quicker access through crowded cities and better contact with the public, it is hard to see why there aren't more of them.
Here's the problem with compost bins: most of them are so ugly we tend to put them in a shady corner of the garden where they won't be noticed, but they produce compost much faster if positioned in direct sunlight. The Wiggly Wigglers beehive composter provides a solution - a compost bin that's handsome enough to stand in pride of place in your garden.
We've got one beehive composter to give away. To enter, email your name, postal address and telephone number to jane.perrone@guardian.co.uk, with "Wiggly Wigglers" in the subject line. Entries will be accepted until the end of the day on Tuesday November 24 2009. please scroll down for the full terms and competitions of the competition.
Terms and conditions
1. The Wiggly Wigglers beehive composter competition (the "Competition") is open to residents of the UK aged 18 and over.
2. The Competition is not open to employees or agencies of Guardian News & Media Limited ("GNM"), their group companies or family members, freelance contributors to GNM, or anyone else connected to the Competition.
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Instead of getting worked up about the perceived dangers of bad cycling, let's focus on changing the bad driving that killed 2,538 people on UK roads last year
Why do those of us who venture out on two wheels run the risk of being called lycra louts or being compared to the evil overlord of a galactic empire? Take MP David Curry, who once said "the only time I have been knocked down in my life was by a cyclist going like a bat out of hell ... dressed like Darth Vader, as they all do!" Sadly, however, the idea that cyclists are a threat to civilisation seems to show no sign of abating.
Much of the concern with antisocial cycling focuses on jumping red lights and riding on the pavement. Both are illegal and have the potential to cause great annoyance to others, but do they actually cause harm?
There is no evidence that cyclists who jump red lights are particularly dangerous to anyone, including themselves. From 2001-05, only 2% of pedestrian injuries in London were the result of cyclists jumping red lights. During that same period, 55% of pedestrian injuries in London were the result of motorists jumping red lights. Jumping red lights is illegal for both cyclists and motorists, but it is much more likely to cause harm when motorists do it.
Cyclists should be where they belong – on the road. Cycling on the pavement is annoying, but it's not as dangerous as you might think. In the past 10 years, not a single pedestrian in London has been killed by a cyclist on the pavement - yet 54 pedestrians have been killed by motorists driving on the pavement.
Compared to other forms of illegal and antisocial behaviour, antisocial cycling is not particularly harmful. Of course, the rare instances when bad cycling causes injury and even death are tragic and should be investigated by the police. However, we need to put it in perspective: it is very rare, and that is why it hits the headlines when it happens.
Cyclists just aren't that much of a problem. Much illegal cycling is the result of ignorance and fear of cycling on hostile roads, rather than malice. I'd like to see all cyclists offered cycle training and cyclists who break the law required to undergo it.
For those who are about to shout "cyclists ought to be tested and licensed!", please understand that this would create a spectacular level of bureaucracy, not least of which would be delivering a theory test to a three year old. This would put people off cycling - and our society would miss out on the benefits that cycling provides to our health, environment, economy and quality of life.
There are millions of cyclists out there, and only one Darth Vader. Just like motorists, some are nice and some are nasty, and even the nasty cyclists are fairly harmless. Instead of getting apoplectic about the perceived dangers of bad cycling, let's focus on changing what killed 2,538 people on UK roads last year – bad driving.
• Debra Rolfe is the campaigns coordinator of CTC, the UK's national cycling organisation
Campaigns to get women cycling seem to focus on how to look good over other concerns. Is this really all girls care about?
Teenage girls don't ride bikes. Or so says the Darlington Media Group, who have set about trying to rectify the problem with a campaign to get young women cycling.
Several years ago, the National Children's Bureau published research that revealed that on average, boys cycle 138 miles a year and girls only 24 miles. This still rings true. Christie Rae, 16, from Newcastle told me: "I do have a bike, but I don't really use it. Only sometimes in the summer when my friends and I cycle round to see each other. I don't know many girls that do, actually."
Darlington's project began with the production of a documentary called Beauty and the Bike, chronicling a trip made by a group of teenage girls to Bremen in Germany, where they met their cycling-loving peers and found out about the joys of the open road. It all sounds slightly twee, but addresses the important issue that girls tend to get to a certain age and it's no longer the done thing to get about by bike.
I have every admiration for such attempt to get women enjoying the numerous benefits of cycling, but what is frustrating is the focus on appearance that is often so integral to said schemes. Aside from the title, BATB, which incidentally has been used for a similar scheme in the past, Darlington's site makes it clear they are keen to address the important issue of remaining fashionable while cycling. But as I recall, it was an overprotective mother that stopped me from spending too much time around the bike sheds in my teenage years, rather than any personal concerns over the way I looked.
Another offender is the site Bike Belles, run by the otherwise excellent charity Sustrans, which encourages women of all ages to take up cycling. One helpful section dedicated to beauty tips provides such gems as: "Use waterproof mascara when it's raining on your bike, and take a powder compact for a quick refresher on arrival." Admittedly, I write as someone who occasionally arrives at the office sporting a minor oil slick on my face, but I sincerely doubt that women are so image conscious that this is what is stopping them. As many a female cyclist will confirm, it is more hassle than it's worth looking attractive while travelling by bike.
Aside from fashion tips, the beauty bikers and belles both voice concerns over the lack of decent cycle lanes and safety issues that make our roads a wholly unappealing prospect. Those two are serious issues that would put inexperienced riders off, and are much more worthy of a campaign to get people, regardless of gender, on their bikes.
The British Mountaineering Council could learn a thing or two from Yangshuo when it comes to scaling back exhaust emissions
Yangshuo, an ancient mountain town that is fast becoming the adventure capital of southern China, opens its second annual climbing festival today with the aim of promoting "sustainable" climbing in the region.
Orginally built during the Sui Dynasty (AD590), the town has stood for over a 1,000 years, so it's perhaps no wonder the locals want to see climbing tourism develop sustainably, in a way that benefits the town and preserves the area's stunning natural beauty. The festival organisers promise to hook up climbers at the weekend festival with rental bikes to get around, in order to promote cleaner means of transport. They'll also encourage local traders to sell food and drink to the ravenous climbers hanging out (oh, and climbing hard) at the rocks.
Perhaps British climbers out in Yangshuo might be inspired to bring some of the Chinese bicycle culture back to the UK. We already have clear conservation rules in the UK, set out by the British Mountaineering Council, on preserving the local environment of climbing crags by not littering and respecting bird nesting restrictions.
But when it comes to transport to and from climbing destinations, UK climbers are still reaching for their car keys. Despite a growing awareness of climate change impacts, especially on winter climbing conditions in Scotland, the climbing community in the UK still has a car-driving addiction.
This is not helped by the lack of information on how to approach crags in the UK by public transport. Take a look at the national crag access database on the British Mountaineering Council website and you'll find lots of information on parking facilities but no mention of nearby train or bus stations. This lack of information is reflected in UK climbing guidebooks. And if you to approach a crag by bike beware the usual lack of parking facilities for bikes at rural car parks – hopefully there'll be some thin trees around.
The British Mountaineering Council might want to go one step further from just telling its members to "use public transport initiatives" on its website and actually give them information on how to use public transport to get to climbing destinations. A cycle rack or two at popular climbing destinations wouldn't go amiss either. And as for using Yangshuo's cycle hire idea: organising bicycling and public transport climbing events in the UK would be a great way to galvanise climbers into action.
What about a meaningful first step for the BMC? Committing to the 10:10 pledge to help facilitate a 10% cut in UK climbing community's emissions in 2010 might be a start.
Climbers, both in the UK and abroad, can always choose to make the 10:10 pledge themselves and start reducing their car use by 10% next year. You can sign up to a site I founded, ecoclimber, for free and offer and accept lifts from other climbers on the social networking forum (entirely at your own risk). Once you've signed into the site, you have the option of setting up a local car share climbers' group for your town, which you can encourage other local climbers to join.
Finally, until a public transport database is available for climbers, try Traveline for reliable up-to-date national and local travel information.
