A new crowdfunder project was launched this morning to raise funds in order to establish a workers cooperative that takes copies of the Evening Standard out of circulation and turns them into green energy. Using industrial pellet milling machines, the newspapers will be turned into high density fuel pellets that can be burned to create energy. 

The business model will run on a cooperative basis, all workers will be paid a living wage, and discounts will be given to other cooperative enterprises. 

One of the initiatives main goals is to draw extra focus to the issue of George Osborne’s controversial appointment as Editor of the Evening Standard. The appointment received widespread condemnation, not least from us here at Real Media, who were co-signatories of a joint independent media statement on the issue which looked to ‘denounce the brazen conflict of interest advocated by this announcement, and to champion the growing need for independent, truthful and representative media channels’.

According to the project’s founders at Dog Section Press: “George Osborne epitomises everything that’s wrong about elitism. Uniquely unqualified to run almost anything important, George once managed to get his mitts on the entire UK economy (and introduced the nation to the concept of the food bank) just by being mates with David Cameron.

“Now the person that was so unpopular they were booed at the London Paralympics is somehow in charge of the London Evening Standard, despite having almost zero qualifications for the job beyond going to a posh school”.

The crowdfunder is hoping to raise £75300 for equipment, site rental, publicity and admin fees. A full breakdown of the expected costs can be found on the crowdfunder page