After the unsurprising disappointment in Copenhagen last month, it is once again that my thoughts are reinforced: Economics will drive the move to a low-carbon economy, especially when the price of oil rises.

However – we at Greenbang have tasked ourselves with making 2010′s news on non-oil dependent technologies and business bigger and better than ever. So here are some announcements to get us off the ground.

While it’s freezing cold here in the UK, we’re therefore delighted to announce that we are growing outside of Europe.

Later this year, you’ll see two new offices open: one in the US and one in China. Feel free to get in touch with us and we’ll point you in the right direction to people when we’re fully up and running there. Shirley Siluk-Gregory will take the reigns as editor there, while we search for someone in the UK and in China.

Next up – we have two important dates for you to consider:

The next Low Carbon Symposium (which was called Low Carbon South West but has now become UK-wide due to popularity [[picture screaming Beatles fans and then scale down a bit]]) will be held on Feb 12th.

This month we’re looking at Low Carbon Computing. So far, we have confirmed Finlay MacLeod of First Data and a couple of other big names we’re just firming up.

But we have room for a couple more speakers, so if you’re an expert in low-carbon computing and would relish the chance to get in front of 100 people (investors, entrepreneurs, business people and academics), then drop me a line: dan@greenbang.com

We also have the Greenbackers event, in which four budding young cleantech startup companies get to talk to a small group of investors. The idea is that by making this a cosy event, everyone has a clearer idea of what they are letting themselves in for. If you would like to be involved in this, either as an investor or start-up company, drop me a line.

That’s it for now folks – keep reading and always, always, tell us what you think.

Dan

Ewan MacLeod

Here at Greenbang we are seriously impressed with the videos that Shell has been publishing recently. I came across one the other day — and I was so impressed, I even rated the video and posted a comment on it.

If you haven’t seen them, here’s the overview: Shell has given a camera to selected recent graduates and asked them to record a diary of their experiences across their first year. I’d imagine that if I was looking to join Shell as a graduate, these Youtube-friendly inclusive, welcoming and ‘raw’ videos would certainly help form a positive viewpoint of the company in my mind.

So 10/10 Shell, for getting the first bit correct. We’ll leave you to hunt for the Shell videos directly on Youtube rather than linking.

That’s because we’re seriously, seriously unimpressed at how Shell’s marketing and public relations team have conducted themselves in regard to this issue.

Shell has produced these videos. Obviously they want coverage of them. Hence the email we received this morning from Burston Marseteller (Shell’s PR company of choice) asking if we’d be interested in a) providing feedback on the videos) and b) posting the videos here on Greenbang.

Our Editor Dan wrote back explaining that for any analysis of company activities, we charge for our time. He also explained that we’d be delighted to publish the videos in our ad-funded section.

Of course the team at Burston Marseteller couldn’t help. Shell has provided no budget to them for this purpose.

Which raises a serious conundrum that we face daily at Greenbang.

When a billion dollar company pays what must have been tens of thousands of pounds per video — along with at least 10-30k/month to a PR company of BM’s status — why, when they want to reach the Greenbang audience with their precise messaging, does the budget suddenly disappear?

We think Shell needs to understand that if they’ve just discovered the secret of manufacturing electricity from dead leaves, that we’ll be all over it. That Greenbang will use its editorial budget to SEND one of us to their offices to cover the story. If it’s relevant, we do our absolute best to cover it. If the company in question is aiming to push a particular message continually … well, obviously, that’s when you talk to our advertising team.

But when Shell wants to do a lot of back-slapping about how good it’s recent HR outreach is? Well, that’s when it’s time to discuss how they can help support Greenbang — and the rest of the publications on which the green/energy and innovation business relies upon.

You can imagine the outrage from Burston Marsteller, typed through the virtual equivalent of pursed lips:

“Thanks for getting back to me. I don’t think Shell would let go of the budget for this.”

I guess that shows what Shell really thinks of us…and what love Burson Marsteller has for what we do.

The PR Dan dealt with later added: “Listen, thanks for your help – you have requirements which Shell cannot meet. They have requirements you cannot meet. I apologise for that, as we work with bloggers a lot in this agency and understand that.”

We’d have happily worked with them. We’d even have posted a thank-you to Shell for their generous support. You, the reader, would have understood this — and, we’re confident that you’d have also gone on to browse the videos and read the posts too.

Startup companies pay for us to analyse their technology and ideas. Other companies pay for their ads on the site. So why should we give these free to Shell – of all companies?

Alas it’s going to be some time before billion dollar companies such as Shell, stuck in their one-to-many ‘broadcast’ setting, will understand this and react accordingly.

But you can’t blame just Shell for this. Other energy firms have also been trying to get  freebies from us.

Just the other day, Lexus PR, the communications firm for energy giant EDF emailed, saying:

We (EDF Energy) are working with the Dummies Guide to produce ‘Energy Buying for Dummies’ and ‘Carbon Management Strategies for Dummies’. We think this could work really well as a downloadable PDF on Greenbang.com as a editorial opportunity. Its really to give people a simple way of understanding how these areas work.

Did they want to pay the same report hosting fees as other advertisers have? You bet they didn’t. They wanted it ‘free’.

We’ve heard for years that ‘green business is good business’. So we have a policy here that other than the news we put out, we don’t do free – we charge and we make money because we’re a publication and a business too. If you don’t respect that, you might be better off placing your free ad and time requests elsewhere.

Now watch this…

Dan here – we’re about to build a video production unit for the Greenbang website revamp. As part of this exciting project (well we’re excited anyway) we are testing out HD DV cameras this week.

Do any of you readers have a recommendation of good equipment to use?

Answers on a postcard – dan@greenbang.com

Thanks

Dan

The project is being led by sex toy manaufacturer Dreamscapes, which has started a way for people to pop their used or broken (there’s an image Greenbang is trying to get out of its head right now) vibrators, dildos, plugs and other sex toys into the post.

At the other end, so to speak, the toys are cleaned (thank goodness) and disassembled. The rubber, silicone, plastic, motorised parts and batteries will be sent to recycling facilities that will process the materials for reuse.

Anyway, if you’re in need of recycling broken sex aids then the website is here.

For those unaware of the Triffids, this tale of man-eating plants scared the hell out of UK telly audiences in the early 1980s.

TV special effects being what they were back then it’s a series that has dated badly, with the terrorising plants looking like a cross between a giant leek and a lily.

What’s all this got to do with renewable energy and clean tech, you may quite rightly be asking yourself? Well The Day of the Triffids, by English sci-fi author John Wyndham, sets out a what was then a futuristic vision of 2011 with the earth’s fossil fuel supply exhausted and a new crop discovered that can be cultivated for biofuel – the Triffid.

The bit about the flesh-eating biofuel crops might be a little far-fetched but the rest of this sci-fi vision from the original 1951 novel is a little too close to the truth for comfort.

ER and Law & Order writer Patrick Harbinson has scripted the Beeb’s latest Triffids adaption, which will be shown in two episodes on the small screen next year.

More from the Beeb here.

Ethicalsingles.com has been designed for people who want to help to make a better world find each other.

While Greenbang’s ‘dance card’ is currently full she did sign up just to check out what was on offer and was not disappointed. Naturally the site is geared towards the eco-warrior with menus where you can define your favourite areas of activism, whether you’re interested in astrology or alternative healing and where exactly you sit on the vegetarian – carnivore scale.

On a good note there seemed to be a lot more sensitive souls than on your regular dating site (not that I’d know anything about that).

To explore further check it out here.

Don’t forget that we’re meeting tomorrow night (Tuesday) for the Greenbang Sustainable Technology Group.

These monthly events are a great chance to get into clean tech if you’re new to it, or to meet like-minded folk who are doing some amazing things.

We’re running this one from 6pm to 8pm. Bring business cards and also send us any pics or stories from the night.

The venue: Bar Lvpo
50 Dean St
London W1D 5BQ

You can either RSVP me (dan@greenbang.com) or sign up to the group here…

The Recycled Sculpture Show is an exhibition of 21 sculptures that will be auctioned to raise funds to support worldwide animal conservation at ZSL London Zoo.

Pieces include a great white hub-cap shark, ceramic trees made of human ashes and a wooden horse that evokes Damien Hirst without all of that icky formaldehyde.

The exhibition has focused on raising awareness of worldwide animal conservation re-using only wasted resources and salvaged materials in creating animal sculptures.

Providing much thought about recycling and the interdependence of animals and humans, the show will end when the online auction ends on Monday 20th October.

For those interested in seeing the exhibition, you can gain free entry between 3.30pm – 4.30pm by simply texting ART followed by the day you want to visit and your full name to 80876. This offer applies to these dates only. 150 names will be chosen at random per day.

For more information go to www.recycledsculptureshow.co.uk.

Now it’s going all green with the All Bingo Club running environmentally friendly bingo promotions “aimed at helping raise awareness for the environment, while still offering a great time playing bingo!”

The online bingo provider will let players offset their PC’s carbon emissions while playing bingo. For every new player that joins, enough trees will be planted to cancel out the 135kg of CO2 that one PC generates in a year.

The All Bingo Club has even revamped two bingo calls to give them a green feel. Players gaining a full house on “number 3 Plant a tree,” will get a tree planted in their name, and “number 73 Queen Bee” will receive an additional £73 pounds, to raise awareness of the honey bee whose numbers are falling as a result of climate change.

Dr Jan Zalasiewcz, a lecturer in geology at the University of Leicester, has published a book called The Earth After Us, asking that very question.

It takes the perspective of alien explorers arriving on earth, their geologists studying the layers of rock and using the clues to piece together its history over several billion years.

Stumbling upon the period in which humans lived they see a striking signal of climate changes, extinctions and strange movements of wildlife across the planet. Following this trail, the clues in the rocks lead them to the petrified remains of cities and the fossilised bones of those who built them.

Zalasiewicz says:

“Looking to the distant future gives us a warning for the present: our activities have already left a significant footprint on the planet, and not a flattering one. It is not too late to limit it. We would not wish to be dubbed by future explorers the ‘amazingly clever and utterly foolish two-legged ape’.”