December 12 2009 is a date already circled in many a devout climate change activist's diary. From Istanbul to Costa Rica people everywhere are planning peaceful protests to call world leaders to take urgent action on climate change as they meet in Copenhagen on December 7-18 this year at the annual UN Climate Talks.

The Copenhagen Climate Talks are the only chance to secure emissions reductions agreement amongst countries before the Kyoto Protocol runs out. Since scientists give us ten years before climate change becomes uncontrollable this is an exceptionally important international meeting.

The demonstrations are a 'Call to Action' to ‘demand that the long-industrialised countries that have emitted most greenhouse gases currently in the atmosphere take responsibility for climate change mitigation by immediately reducing their own emissions as well as investing in a clean energy revolution in the developing world.'

The poorest countries in the world are already being hit hard by the effects of changing climates. The Call to Action demands all those ‘who have the economic means to act, must therefore urgently and decisively do so.'

If last year's December demonstrations are anything to go by there will be a lot of support at these marches. The Global Climate Campaign website gives updates and photos from the 95 countries that participated last year. Thousands took to the streets in London outside parliament carrying banners like ‘No New Coal', No Third Runway' and ‘Time for a Green New Deal.' It's predicted they'll be even greater numbers attending with powerful messages this year round as more people embrace the idea that we all need to take action and that includes nudging the government to increase its urgency on tackling environmental issues.

The Global Climate Campaign website gives details of what's happening where during this year's summit.

Scientists from the University of Essex will soon release a school of pollution sensing robot fish off the coast of northern Spain. The hope is they will eventually be able to detect toxic pollutants in river systems, lakes and oceans across the world with their special chemical sensors. Ships, boats, underwater pipes and other man made contraptions can leak a whole range of waste material, polluting our natural aquatic environment. These five foot long fish will capture information on such pollutants and transmit them back using WiFi technology, that is, ultrasound.

The seal size fish can swim for hours at a time but at £20,000 each we expect they'll be given adequate rest and techy tune ups for their eco warrior part in cleaning our waterways. What's extra special about these robot fish is that they can navigate their way around without us humans getting in the way of their job.

But why a robot fish? Mr Rory Doyle, one of the senior scientists who developed the fish told Yahoo News: "In using robotic fish we are building on a design created by hundreds of millions of years' worth of evolution which is incredibly energy efficient. This efficiency is something we need to ensure that our pollution detection sensors can navigate in the underwater environment for hours on end."

Trees don't exactly have four legs to go roaming around on but somehow despite what conservationists and governments do to stop illegal logging they still manage to disappear from their century long resting ground.

Old growth forests may no longer be at risk from kidnappers if a bunch of British designers have their way. Helveta, a technology firm based in Oxford has created a system to track trees. It involves a barcode system not too different from what many shops use to keep control of their stock.

The ultimate idea is for customers all over the world to be able to track where the wood to make their furniture, building frames, home wares and other woody items came from. It basically gives the end consumer a security check for proclaimed ‘sustainable' products.

One of the first projects to utilise tree barcoding will be undertaken in Liberia - a country with a long history of illegal logging. The goal will be to barcode all 90 metre plus trees in Liberia's 4.3 hectares of rainforest. The trees will be tagged with a unique identity number. Once cut down the stump will be tagged with the same number.

All the barcodes will be kept on record in a huge database in Reading. If a customer asks where the wood was sourced, the retailer has to simply visit the online database, type in the identity number of the product and voila they'll know if it came from Brazil or Indonesia.

Legislation is also being put through in Europe and the EU to ensure retailers buy only legal timber - they must prove where the wood in their products has been sourced.

Of course the more we buy products made from recycled wood products, such as recycled stationary or furniture made from reclaimed timber, the few trees have to be cut down at all.

Imagine waking every morning and walking out of your front door to see a landscape of mountains of plastic rubbish, streams of rotting waste and a stench so repugnant that you could catch disease with just one sniff. Not exactly the best start to the day is it?

In the African slum of Kibera there is no choice for the 800,000 inhabitants but to live this way. There is no council collection to haul rubbish away each week nor a garbage tip to travel to dispose of unwanted material. Waste simply accumulates wherever there is the space to dump it, making for a pretty filthy, disease born place to exist.

What a brilliant invention then, to design a facility that destroys toxic waste, heats water, help feed the poverty stricken and save woodlands. Nairobi architect Jim Archer has invented a "Community Cooker" that does just this. Rubbish is gathered, dried and then fed into a 650 Celcius furnace - hot enough to destroy toxins in the plastics.

The Community Cooker has a tall chimney that carries away toxic fumes. It could reduce small rubbish fires on the side of the road that spread pungent, toxic smoke contaminating food stalls on the street. Those who can't afford kerosene for their own stoves would have somewhere to safely burn their waste, cook their meals and boil water. Cleaning up the streets would also improve sanitation, reducing diseases like cholera. Some people have to travel two weeks by donkey to collect firewood. Burning rubbish instead of wood also protects woodland and saves the tiresome journey.

Although the Community Cooker is just a prototype, the Red Cross are hoping to build another 8 before the end of the year and 100 next year depending on funding. To donate simply visit the Red Cross website and follow the links.

For all happy gardeners across the land springtime is the time to start sowing seeds directly into the soil - no greenhouse, no protection, just a whole lot of wormy fun. But it's not just experienced folk that need to have all the fun. First time veggie gardeners across the country are getting their hands dirty in an attempt to join the feed-ourselves-organic brigade. And why not when there are so many delectable greens to be eaten!

So what seed are good to sow now? broccoli, cabbage, leeks, onions, peas, beetroot, radishes, cauliflower, rocket, spring onions, brussels sprouts, turnips, kale, parsnips, spinach, broad beans and carrots.

If you want to buy ready grown plants it's a good time to plant asparagus, raspberries, artichokes, rhubarb and potatoes. Come May you can plant lettuce, cucumbers, fennel, and runner beans (oh so good for summer salads!) Dotting a few sunflower seed around the veggie patch now as the temperature rises makes for a bright, sweet smelling and delicious garden.

If you don't fancy sowing your own seeds you could always try the easier option of ‘ready to pot' Rocket Gardens. Certified organic by the Soil Association these wee gardens come home delivered ready for you to pop in the ground.