There are no official figures for how many schools in England use some form of biometric identification system. Terri Dowty, director of Action on Rights for Children (ARCH), claims ‘thousands certainly. But local authorities aren’t keeping any records.’

Fingerprint templates do not count as sensitive data in the UK, she says, and so controls are limited. It was only after years of pressure from ARCH and, more recently, the Leave Them Kids Alone campaign that non-statutory guidance on the use of fingerprints was issued to schools in July 2007. Campaigners are far from satisfied and a House of Commons early day motion has been tabled calling for a full debate.

But isn’t this alarmist when the fingerprints are only being used for library, catering and registration systems? Dowty argues that behind the issue of biometrics there is the question of what kind of information the databases themselves are storing: ‘School canteen systems are storing information on each child’s individual school meal choices and library book reports are being generated that break down by ethnicity, age and gender what a child has been reading. This is a terrible intrusion.’

There is also a security risk: ‘Manufacturers say that they’re encrypting the fingerprints so the systems are secure but they won’t guarantee them beyond ten years. And that’s because with the developments in technology, in ten years’ time the landscape will be unrecognisable. We are entering a stage where biometrics are becoming increasingly important for security-critical functions and if there does come a time when it’s easy to reconstruct fingerprints where you have access to accompanying personal data, it will be a bonanza for anyone who wants to forge identities.’

Helping the police

Jim Knight, the minister for schools and learning, also said this summer that the police could help themselves to the children’s fingerprints if they are trying to solve a crime – regardless of whether they have ever previously been in trouble with the law. Dowty says it is turning us from a nation of free citizens into a nation of suspects: ‘Why should we have our fingerprints or DNA stored if we have done nothing wrong?’

The Criminal Justice Act 2003 gave the police new powers to retain DNA samples of anyone arrested for a recordable offence. As a result of increasing numbers of children being picked up for low-level offences and then routinely DNA-sampled, Dowty estimates that samples from close to one million children are now on the National DNA Database. According to Home Office figures, between 33,000 and 82,000 of these have never been convicted or even reprimanded. Going by Youth Justice Board arrest statistics, Dowty believes the figure is probably at the higher end of this range.

In addition to the principle of routine DNA sampling, Dowty is also concerned about how reliable it is in practice. She says that people don’t realise how often mistakes are made with DNA samples, especially with techniques such as low copy number (LCN) DNA testing, where forensics try to generate a DNA sample from one cell. Far from being the infallible test of popular understanding, the FBI and others have, since 2001, urged caution when using LCN DNA sampling as a forensic technique.

Database Central

In an effort to predict which children will become delinquent the government now wants to collect children’s data in a central trilogy of databases containing medical information, school results, social work case notes and records from other public services.

First, ContactPoint is an index of every child in the UK from 0-18 years. Second, the Electronic Common Assessment Framework (eCAF) will serve as an in-depth profiling mechanism; it is, in Dowty’s opinion, ‘the most intrusive personal assessment tool’. And third, there’s the Integrated Children’s System (ICS), holding the social care records of each child.

Dowty argues that: ‘Because we’re so penny pinching we’ve developed this secondary prevention, which identifies all children from deprived areas as potential criminals and of course stigmatises the child completely.’ She sees these surveillance techniques as just a technical fix for the real problems and dangers facing children, and believes they mask the chronic shortage of child protection social workers.

‘In most areas there is something like a 20 per cent vacancy rate for child and family social workers and in some closer to 50 per cent,’ she says. ‘What we’ve never done is tackle this shortage and look at why so many are leaving the profession. We also have this obsession with managerialism and targets. We’re pretending that people with social care problems are susceptible to a production line approach – and they’re not. It’s actually a very dangerous approach.’

Dowty believes the government must be prevented from going any further. ‘We must start enforcing laws on consent. It’s something parliament hasn’t looked at since 1969 and it is time we had a review. That’ll be a start,’ she says.

Action on Rights for Children: www.arch-ed.org
Leave Them Kids Alone: www.leavethemkidsalone.com
The advisory council of the Foundation for Information Policy Research (FIPR) has conducted a report on ‘Children’s Databases – Safety and Privacy’, downloadable from [www.ico.gov.uk
->www.ico.gov.uk ]

It’s true Anita didn’t beat around the bush. The built-up tension was instantly diffused the moment we walked into her bright, über-cool pad. She greeted us with a sprightly grin, declared with her trademark no-nonsense style that the grant was ours and then went off to get us some juice from her fridge.

When she rejoined us at her kitsch kitchen table with drinks in tow I had the chance to survey her at close quarters. She was surprisingly petite for the pioneering tour de force that she was and she looked much older and frailer than the Body Shop promotional images of the 1990s. The hepatitis C had taken its toll on her physical appearance but it hadn’t won the battle with her mental acumen, willfulness and passion.

After the initial pleasantries and introductions we got down to business. I was impressed. The questions came thick and fast: this was a woman on top of her game. While Fiona Osler summarised our expenditure I could see her mentally assessing whether the figures added up – it was like watching a one-woman Dragon’s Den.

Once the accounts were out of the way she switched gear to the editorial content and offered a spectrum of ideas, including a photo-reportage on ethical tourism and extended arts coverage with a focus on political theatre and public art installations. ‘Who owns public space?’ she mused. She also suggested regular columns highlighting social enterprises. At one point she went off and came back with a beautiful coffee table book, The Design of Dissent by Milton Glaser and Mirko Ilic. Flicking through it she gestured towards the iconic leftfield illustrations to inspire the Red Pepper revamp.

She also touched on subjects for investigation, such as the British American Project, a neo-con think-tank that had apparently been invited to Sheffield University for a talk on faith and justice. The brainstorming session concluded on the sickening global trade in human organs. A particularly poignant topic as Anita had told us that she would probably need a live transplant herself within the next two years. It seemed typical of her character that she was the one to broach the subject of her illness; when she did so she was trademark matter of fact.

When the scheduled 90 minutes was up we propositioned Anita about a continuing involvement with what Red Pepper is doing: she was happy to agree. I suppose this wasn’t unexpected because Anita’s whole career and ethos went beyond money. On saying our goodbyes I felt an impulse to hug the reigning ‘Queen of Green’. Her generosity, involvement and warm exuberance that day in June had re-energised our spirits for the new, redesigned Red Pepper magazine and website.

To put it bluntly, we couldn’t have done it without her. Thank you for being on board Anita.

Hepatitis and Anita

In an article, \’Hepatitis C and me\’, written for the Hepatitis C Trust website in February 2007, Anita Roddick wrote that: ‘In a way, campaigning with the Hepatitis C Trust is business as usual for me. I’ve always felt that “activism is my rent for living on this planet” and I’ve always wanted to celebrate and protect the human body.’

Read the whole article here: \’Hepatitis C and me\’

The best option by far is to plan a plane-free route to your holiday destination. The environmental group Tourism Concern predicts that by 2015 half of the annual destruction of the ozone layer will be caused by commercial air traffic. If you feel you have no option but to take to the skies try to avoid internal flights and stopovers. Take-offs and landings release the most carbon.

You can also offset the carbon emissions of your flight – either by investing in a campaign against climate change or planting some trees. Although offsetting schemes are hugely controversial, many environmentalists argue it’s better than nothing. Log on to www.futureforests.com or www.climatecare.org, which have carbon calculators to show how much your flight has cost the planet.

Automobiles

For short journeys cars are the least green transport. Cold engines produce up to 60 per cent more fumes than warm ones and it takes about five miles before catalytic converters begin to work. But if the car remains the only option there are a number of practical measures you can take to improve fuel economy – avoiding fast acceleration/ heavy braking, making sure your car is properly tuned and checking that the tyres are at the correct pressure for starters.

Trains

For journeys overseas, the train is something of an underused option – though the Eurostar service to Paris and Brussels has helped. In April Eurostar announced plans to make its high-speed train services ‘even greener’ and slash CO2 emissions by 25 per cent per traveller journey by 2012. A full train is at least twice as energy efficient – and less polluting – than a full car. However, despite the absence of direct carbon emissions the electric train is mainly powered by fossil fuels – coal and gas – so it’s not an entirely eco-friendly option.

Buses and coaches

Bus and coach travel is a less greener option than train travel but far better than car. The government website www.direct.gov.uk/en/travelandtransport/index provides information on your nearest bus or coach service, the types of tickets you can buy and how to avoid a penalty fare in London, among much else. You can even find out how to hire a coach or community bus. There are also details of discounted bus and coach tickets for young people, seniors and disabled people.

Caravan

Don’t let the fact that Margaret Beckett is a caravanning enthusiast put you off. According to the Telegraph she described it as the ‘environmentally friendly way’ to holiday and she has a point.

Caravanners spend most of their holiday outdoors and eliminate the need for concrete cities of purpose built holiday resorts, instead using the existing infrastructure of roads, towns, villages and farms. But some vans are oil-leaking eco-disasters and some sites are stains on the landscape.

A variety of organisations offer guidelines on how to caravan responsibly, from national caravan clubs through to Friends of the Earth, the three main points being: choosing environmentally aware sites; thinking about how to operate, in the caravan and around the site; and ensuring that the caravan itself is as environmentally sound as possible. For more tips check out www.practicalcaravan.com/features/green.html

Water travel

Most water travel is low impact – especially sailing vessels – and although it is slow and the port may be some distance away, sea travel is a worthy green option. Eco-cruises have taken off in response to a quest by both passengers and cruise operators to go off the beaten track and explore their natural surroundings more respectfully .

Legs

Remember not to overlook the cheapest form of holiday transport, your legs! Walking or cycling is the cheapest and greenest travel option by far. So consider holidaying locally. Explore walking holidays on www.ramblers.org.uk and cycle tours on www.bicyclebeano.co.uk. And even if you haven’t managed to make it to your holiday destination by entirely eco-friendly means try to make it up by only walking, biking and using public transport to get around once there. Chop and change

Choosing a single best method of transport can be difficult and sometimes impossible. Consider combining different options to make the best use of each. Go on journey planner websites such as www.seat61.com, which advocates travel by train and ship. It contains comprehensive information on just about any route a traveller could desire.

The new ecoescape green travel guide helps you find the nearest rail and cycle route links to help you on your way. A bit of forward planning can ensure you adopt a convenient mix of various ethical transport for different parts of the journey.

Slow travel

In March 2007, Ed Gillespie set off on his round-the-world trip as a ‘slow traveller’. For the most part, slow travel involves anything but flying and is the antidote to fast getaway breaks. It follows on the heels of the slow food movement, the antidote to fast food. Gillespie is cataloguing his year-long trip on www.lowcarbontravel.com. So don’t let the extra time taken to ethically travel put you off. The pleasure should be in the journey not just the destination.

Bon voyage!

Other sites:

www.travelwise.org.uk

www.ecotravelling.co.uk

www.responsibletravel.com

Contact your local council for details of its waste disposal policies and the nearest recycling facility.

The best option for household organic waste, including food, is home composting. It eliminates the carbon footprint of waste transport and returns valuable nutrients to the soil. Visit: www.recyclenow.com/home_composting/composting/index.html for more information.

Give your clothes a new lease of life by reinventing them. It’s amazing what you can do with some haberdashery and trimmings. It could be as simple as swapping the buttons on your outfits, or using iron-on letters to bring that old tee shirt back into fashion. Use undyed yarn to knit your own jumpers to avoid toxic materials and sweatshops.

Do book swaps with friends instead of buying new. Donate unwanted toys to nurseries or children’s hospital wards.

Don’t buy products with excess packaging; choose those with re-useable containers. Invest in a reusable natural fibre bag to carry your shopping home.

Return unwanted junk mail and ask for your name to be removed from the mailing list by emailing the Mail Preference Service.

Don’t standby, switch off

A computer left on all day results in the emission of 1,500 pounds of carbon dioxide in a year. Even a mobile phone charger left plugged in wastes power and money. Switch off all lights and electrical appliances when not in use. See www.tiptheplanet.com for information on computer power management and other energy saving tips, such as not overfilling the kettle.

Use energy efficient appliances and light bulbs and turn down your thermostat by just 1°C to save one tenth of your home heating bill. Make your home more energy efficient by insulating your loft, lagging your boiler and pipes, and using draught excluders. And switch to a green energy provider like Ecotricity.

Nullify your carbon footprint

For zero carbon emissions cycle and walk as much as you can. Use public transport. If you must drive make sure you do so in the appropriate gear to reduce exhaust emissions and switch off your engine if not moving. Invest in a fuel efficent car. The Environmental Transport Association features the environmental rating of all new cars and other tips on becoming a greener motorist.

Sacrificing overseas air travel will significantly diminish your carbon footprint and personal contribution to global warming. Research train and boat options at www.nofly.co.uk and www.seat61.com and pledge to limit or stop your flights at www.flightpledge.org.uk.

Be sustainable material-istic

For every tonne of paper we use each year, we consume an area of forest about the size of five football pitches. Buy recycled or recyclable products such as toilet tissue and stationery. Look for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) logo when buying wood products – from paper to raw timber. This ensures the wood comes from a well-managed forest. Re-use envelopes and recycle paper after use. And use e-mail where possible, rather than faxing or writing.

Consume zero waste

There’s a multitude of reasons why you should buy local, organic food. As well as saving on carbon miles and packaging it supports the endangered farmer species and is healthier. Check out your nearest farmers’ market for fresh food, often organic, direct from the farm. Visit www.farmersmarkets.net for more information.

The Organic Directory provides information on organic box schemes and local food resources. Buy seasonal fruit and vegetables to reduce the environmental transport costs. Or grow your own allotment. Call your local council or contact the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners for information on getting started.

What a waste of water

Fix dripping taps and turn the tap off when brushing your teeth. Install a Hippo water saver – or a brick – in your toilet cistern to save between 2.5 and 3.5 litres of water when you flush.

Ban your hosepipe; use a watering can for the garden and a bucket of water for car washing. Install a water-butt, available at local garden centres. Using rainwater for the garden, toilet and washing machines can save up to 50 per cent of household water use. There are a number of different rainwater harvesting systems available, which can be installed in both new and existing buildings. See www.environmentagency.gov.uk.

If you have been living with your partner before marriage, chances are a new toaster won’t float your love boat. To ease their gult at the altar couples are increasingly rejecting the materialistic ‘me, me, me’ concept of a traditional gift list and opting for charity lists instead.

Wedding List

Giving operates a scheme so couples can use their wedding day to give money to non-profit organisations and charities. War on Want offers alternative gifts to help some of the poorest people on earth. You can buy something from as little as £5 for a bag of potato seeds for a displaced family in Colombia or £75 for one week’s planning workshop for impoverished South African women farmers. More fulfilling than a toaster, at any rate.