A Cumbrian energy co-operative has announced plans to make energy from farm muck and help boost the region’s farming economy.


THE Co-operative Bank turned away £ 10m of business for ethical reasons last year, according to its annual profitability analysis. The value of the business lost to the Bank due to ethical and ecological reasons was worth £ 9.9m at the end of 2005, compared with £ 8.7m the previous year. However the analysis also shows that a third (34 per cent) of the Bank's £ 96.5m pre-tax profit last year can be attributed to its ethical and sustainability policies.

THE Co-operative Group has become the first retailer to ban a range of toxic chemicals that are permitted for inclusion in everyday products like washing-up liquid, household cleaners and fabric conditioners. The banned chemicals, which have been removed from Co-op household products, can be absorbed by the human body and have been linked to cancer and fertility loss as well as environmental damage. The move follows a similar campaign launched by the Co-operative Bank last year, which pledged ...