A SHOPPING centre management team hopped on bikes to help tend Runcorn beauty spots.

The Halton Lea team was joined by Barry Kershaw of Rollright Facilities Ltd as they toured Runcorn's six Woodland Trust sites.

Cash raised by the seven-mile trip will fund the upkeep of the woods. The project will run in six Runcorn woods and the trust hopes residents will take part in woodland events, school sessions and conservation parties.

Halton Lea has chosen the Woodland Trust as its charity of the year and some events and has urged readers to look out for upcoming events and promotions.

THE annual and highly popular One Earth Festival takes place at its new venue this Sunday from 11am-5pm.

After a long and successful stint at Grosvenor Park, Chester, the event will this year take place at Bickley Hall Farm, Bickley, near Malpas, the home of Cheshire Wildlife Trust.

"We have been working to make the farm visitor-friendly since we moved here in December 2006," said Jan Shone, acting head of people and wildlife at the Trust.

BICKERTON Village Hall will be promoting the region's green credentials at an eco fair.
The event, this Saturday from 2-5pm, will promote environmental awareness and alternative energy following the installation of the hall's new solar PV system.

Activities for children will include solar plate spinning, eco face-painting, navigating a giant inflatable Earth, recycling games and interactive solar exhibits.

There will be experts on hand from the Energy Saving Trust to discuss saving energy in the home, domestic renewables, greener transport, water saving and waste reduction.

Local renewable energy specialist The Green Electrician and Plumb Eco will be offering advice on generating power at homes and business using PV solar panels, small wind turbines or solar thermal heaters.

The feature published on this blog "Give your home a green clean" (June 2, 2009) contained seriously misleading information and unsupported claims about household cleaning products were made. We do not wish to mislead our readers nor damage the reputation of responsible manufacturers in the UK.

The UK Cleaning Products Industry Association has assured us that it always has and continues to take environmental and human safety as its highest priorities.

We apologise for misleading readers.

OIL giant Shell has defended its record on C02 emissions after an environmental group branded it the dirtiest producer.

Joint research by Friends of the Earth, Oil Change International and Platform claimed that Shell was neglecting its green pledges.

But the company rejected the accusation and said emissions were being cut.

"Shell's focus on managing CO2 emissions remains strong," said a spokesman.

"We continue to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the facilities we control or operate. These emissions have fallen by more than 30% since 1990."

You recycle your carrier bags and turn off the TV at night, but how far would you go to really make a difference to the planet?

Eight streets around the country - all with the word Green in their names - spent the past year being as eco-friendly as possible in a bid to win thousands for local projects.

British Gas selected them from hundreds of entries and the AVERAGE street reduced its domestic energy use by 25%. The winning street, Green Lane in Leeds, saved a THIRD of its power, bagging £50,000 in funding.

Fear that your recycling travels by ship to the Far East and then dies a toxic death somewhere in China? With new figures showing that 90% of the UK's recycling is actually done in the UK, Kat Hodal follows the contents of our own green box to see just where they go - and what they turn into.

Fact or myth? Most of our recycling waste, which you meticulously separate before it's picked up by the council, ends up being sent to Shanghai and sold back to us as televisions and stationery.

It's a popular theory, and indeed some of our waste does go to China.

However, more than 90% of the glass bottles, cans, cardboard, paper and plastics collected in our green boxes are recycled here in Britain.

HEADTEACHERS in Cheshire could wipe a massive £1m off school energy bills by making their schools more efficient, the Carbon Trust announced.

Reducing energy wastage would also reduce Cheshire schools' carbon dioxide emissions by 7,000 tonnes.

"Headteachers, parents and governors alike are always seeking ways to make the school budget go further. Cutting energy use is a highly effective way to free-up those funds, while engaging the school community in the fight against climate change," said Tom Delay, chief executive of the Carbon Trust.

Garden Village Playgroup had reason to celebrate after winning a top prize at a Llangollen gardening event.

The group won first prize in Wrexham Early Education Team's Playgroups and Private Day Nurseries competition at The Gardening Show, which was held at the Llangollen Pavilion earlier this month.

The competition required the participants to make a garden ornament or a planted container using recycled or re-used materials.

The winning entry was 'Pepsi', a model tortoise made of used drinks cans.

A PROPOSAL to install an automated self-powered steel sculpture in the form of a gigantic flower, which will dominate Widnes Waterfront, has been given the all-clear.

Members of Halton's development control committee approved a planning application for the 15m-tall artwork at Widnes Warth, which is likely to cost £125,000.

The dynamic structure will feature perforated metal petals which will glow in different colours as they flutter in the breeze.

The sculpture's lighting will be powered by in-built wind turbines.

Designer Anna Liu, director of design agency Tonkin Liu, who was selected by Widnes Waterfront bosses after a six-month search, believes the structure will become an art work of 'regional significance'.