Posted by Greenbang on April 3rd, 2008
This from law firm LG…
Fierce opposition from local campaigners to the Government’s proposals for Eco Towns in 15 shortlisted locations may delay the timetable but will almost certainly fail to stop the process, according to planning experts at LG, a leading business law firm.
“There may well be lots of skirmishes on this because a number of local authorities and residents’ groups could be vehemently opposed to eco towns being built in their area, but under the existing planning system the government has a host of weapons in its armoury and the Secretary of State has the final say on any challenge or appeal - so one way or another it’s hard to see how anything can stop the government getting its own way over eco towns,” commented Stephen Turnbull, planning parter at LG.
“Another important aspect is land ownership - since these new towns will occupy large areas of land possibly in fragmented ownership and it can’t be assumed that all landowners will be keen to sell, ” he continued. “Those who resist sale could be forced to by their local authority issuing a compulsory purchase order - and if the local authority is itself opposed, there are also other bodies who could do this. Although landowners can fight a CPO through the courts, the final decision rests with the Secretary of State, who is unlikely to refuse a CPO if to do so would prevent the eco town from proceeding.”
Posted by Greenbang on April 3rd, 2008
All day long I’ve been getting phone calls about this eco-towns thing - mainly from PRs who want to get their clients coverage.
So it’s not really irrate people protesting about this, rather people who want coverage in the blogosphere.
It’s funny, but the more we crack on with the blog, the more it seems apparent that the PR companies aren’t too comfortable with the whole idea of blogs.
Anyway - I digress. The government’s press release said:
“The country’s first eco-towns took a step closer to becoming reality today as Housing Minister Caroline Flint today announced 15 potential locations will go forward to the next stage, providing the opportunity for a major boost in affordable housing across the country whilst tackling climate change.”
Sorry - did you say affordable?
Housing Minister Caroline Flint said:
“We have a major shortfall of housing and with so many buyers struggling to find suitable homes, more affordable housing is a huge priority. To face up to the threat of climate change, we must also cut the carbon emissions from our housing. Eco-towns will help solve both of these challenges.
“Building in existing towns and cities alone simply cannot provide enough new homes. I understand this is an issue that can raise strong opinions, but everyone now has the opportunity to express their views before any decisions are made - because this is an issue that affects us all.”
In the next few blogs - we’ll see some comments from the folk who want to talk about this.
But the eco towns are:
- Pennbury, Leicestershire:
- Manby and Strubby, Lincolnshire:
- Curborough, Staffordshire:
- Middle Quinton, Warwickshire:
- Bordon-Whitehill, Hampshire:
- Weston Otmoor, Oxfordshire:
- Ford, West Sussex:
- Imerys China Clay Community, Cornwall:
- Rossington, South Yorkshire:
- Coltishall, Norfolk:
- Hanley Grange, Cambridgeshire:
- Marston Vale and New Marston, Bedfordshire:
- Elsenham, Essex:
- Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire:
- Leeds City Region, Yorkshire:
Posted by jumperhead on March 17th, 2008
According to a new report from the group, if the construction industry cottoned on to green building and started using “currently available and emerging advanced energy-saving technologies”, it could result in over 1,700 fewer megatons of CO2 emissions by 2030. That’s a lot of megatons.
The study also found green building makes up “just two percent of the new non-residential building market, less than half of one percent of the residential market in the United States and Canada, and less than that in Mexico”.
The report (which you can find here, by the way) says the industry needs to do all this to get green construction to become the norm:
(1) Work together to develop a lasting and achievable vision for green building in North America. This vision will help drive targets and strategies for green building and could result in the creation of a common set of principles and planning tools for green building, with each country having region/ context-appropriate policies and programs to address differences in building codes, regulatory environments, climate, and economic and social conditions.
To work toward this vision, the recommendations call for the creation of national, multi-stakeholder task forces in each of the three countries, coordinated by the environment or other appropriate ministry of each country and linked internationally through a cooperative mechanism such as the CEC. These task forces would promote aggressive and consolidated approaches for accelerating the achievement of this vision at the North American level, with united and integrated participation of representatives of all components of the building sector and civil society.
(2) Set clearly defined targets with the goal of achieving the most rapid possible adoption of green building in North America, including setting aggressive, realistic targets for carbon-neutral or net zero-energy buildings. Modeling should be conducted and targets set for other environmental parameters such as water use, wastewater generation, land conversion, use of environmentally- preferable materials, embodied energy and waste loads, and to monitor performance for continual improvements.
(3) Implement a set of strategies for enhancing, accelerating and integrating ongoing or new efforts in support of green building. These strategies should include efforts to promote private sector financing and proper valuation methods, and to increase knowledge through research and development, capacity building, outreach, and the use of labels and disclosures on green building performance. These efforts are particularly important for Mexico, considering its urgent need for affordable housing and the need for widely recognized green building rating systems and a nationally-coordinated framework that will support and enhance existing Mexican policies and programs that favor green building.
North American governments at all levels should build on their progress to date and, as swiftly as possible, adopt comprehensive and ambitious policies requiring all government procurement in the building sector to achieve high levels of green building performance, with a firm commitment to continual improvement over time.
These efforts should also push for continual improvement in policies, regulations, and codes and develop and enforce effective mechanisms to monitor implementation. These include tax and other financial incentives, such as graduated utility rates that encourage conservation, non-tax incentives like expedited permitting, priority plan review, and density bonuses, among others. Over time, government should emphasize the appropriate use of mandates, in addition to incentives, with the view toward the advancement of green building performance targets. It is critical that all policies and programs related to green building be integrated with comprehensive urban development programs geared toward the development of sustainable communities.
Finally, the recommendations call for North American leaders to promote North American and global cooperation in green building in such areas as trade in materials, conducting joint or coordinated research programs, and to promote the sharing of data, information, and best practices.
Posted by jumperhead on March 12th, 2008
Three hundred construction companies have been awarded Chartered Environmentalist status by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) this week. To get such a mark, the CIOB member has to “be able to demonstrate (through qualifications and experience) competence, knowledge and engagement in sustainable environmental management and development.”
The wording on the CIOB’s statement for some reason recalls Greenbang’s own attempt to gain marks of distinction - or Brownie badges. Greenbang remembers to this day the pressure she felt as she carved a horse’s head into a bar of soap. Heaven alone knows what badge she was trying to earn - junior mafia art, perhaps?
But back to the builders. Here’s some more:
Michael Brown CIOB deputy chief executive said, “Construction is an environmental industry and its importance to such issues like sustainability, energy efficiency and climate change cannot be underestimated. We know that the buildings we live and work in are the largest source of carbon emissions and our members and other professionals can be part of the solution to that problem.
“When we talk about the environment and those topics that challenge us like climate change we should also remember that these are international issues and not just local ones. So it is with some pride that we have CIOB members in the UK and abroad who are qualified Chartered Environmentalists.
“We see the role of the Chartered Environmentalist as an important part in the promotion of those values and beliefs that the construction industry needs to positively embrace.”
Posted by jumperhead on March 10th, 2008
Nissan is greening its HQ. You might be thinking a car company making its buildings more environmentally friendly is a bit like a crocodile brushing its teeth in the name of fish welfare, but Greenbang would suggest, to quote the venerable Tesco, that every little helps.
The Associated Press has gone for a gander around the building and this is what it found:
A sci-fi sounding “light harvesting system” automatically dims or turns off interior lights in the 460,000 square feet of offices. Sun shades outside — sort of like reflective visors — with computer-designed blades direct sunlight to reduce glare and heat in the Southern summer. […]
Outside the glass-covered building, Nissan is restoring a 2 1/2-acre wetland. Tens of thousands of native Tennessee plants, including iris, button bush and rushes, are already growing there.
There’s also a lot of greenery, and air conditioning controlled through outlets at individuals workstations. Ahhhh.
Aside from the cockle-warming potential, the building will cut Nissan’s HQ’s energy consumption by 35 percent. Good show.
Posted by on January 14th, 2008
Erk. Speculation is afoot that the Arnie “Get to the chopper” Schwartzenegger’s plan to get a hydrogen fuelling stations dotting California is having some considerable problems, after some stations have shut up shop and plans for others have been shelved. Out of Arnie’s proposed 100 stations, only 22 are up and running.
From the Mercury News:
California Air Resources Board officials met with more than a dozen energy companies and automakers Thursday to shore up wavering support for the governor’s proposed hydrogen highway - a network of fueling stations to allow motorists use non-polluting fuel-cell-powered vehicles.
Energy companies agreed Thursday to provide money and staff time needed to reopen a critical hydrogen station at the California Fuel Cell Partnership, a group of state and private organizations in Sacramento that are working to get hydrogen into mainstream use. […]
The Air Resources Board said it will reissue bids for the projects in the next few weeks and will add money to help upgrade two existing stations. There is already $7.7 million set aside for the competitive projects from past budgets. An additional $6 million is being requested for future projects in Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget, which he released Thursday.
The LA Times has more:
But the three stations that never got off the ground are raising the most eyebrows. All three contracts were awarded in May 2006, for amounts ranging from $1.1 million to $1.25 million. Last spring, however, the award to Cal State L.A. was rescinded because of contractual disagreements. And in October, the San Diego Unified School District, chosen to build a station that creates and dispenses its own hydrogen using wind energy, also fell through, because the school district never acquired the necessary land.
Just before Thanksgiving, PG&E’s contract with the state also fell through. Jennifer Zerwer, a spokeswoman for the utility, said it disagreed with the Air Resources Board over how the station should operate. The state expected PG&E to generate the hydrogen it dispensed on site, but the utility, eager to invest in other alternative vehicle technologies, wanted only to sell hydrogen created elsewhere.
If only all Arnie’s problems could be solved by putting on some camouflage paint and getting out some very big guns.
Posted by Greenbang on January 10th, 2008
Ceramic Fuel Cells, a company based in Australia, is making some waves in the UK and the rest of Europe.
It has just shipped one of its a NetGenPlus energy units here as part of an agreement with E.On and Gledhill Water Storage in a bid to make micro-combined heat and power products for the British market.
The units are powered by the company’s metal-ceramic fuel-cell stack, running on widely available natural gas. They can be connected to existing gas and electricity networks. In November 2007, the NetGenPlusTM unit was awarded CE approval, enabling the units to be deployed throughout Europe.
The units are being integrated with the partners’ high efficiency boiler units to create micro-combined heat and power products.
EWE in Germany, Gaz de France in France, E.On UK Ltd in the UK and Nuon in Holland have signed up. Combined, CFCL’s utility customers have more than 20 million customers across Europe.
Posted by on January 7th, 2008
Greenbang likes a good number, does Greenbang. Especially when that number is over $100bn. Especially especially when that $100bn is the amount VCs have invested in clean technology during the last year.
The number comes courtesy of consultancy New Energy Finance, who says the actual total of financing transactions concerning renewable and low carbon tech last year topped out at $160bn. Keep that fact handy and impress your funding-obsessed friends next time you’re down the pub.
Posted by Greenbang on January 3rd, 2008
India is to subsidise the cost of producing energy made from the sun’s rays.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy said it is trying to build a renewable energy infrastructure - something we Greenbangers know is a costly business.
Minister of State for New & Renewable Energy, Shri Vilas Muttemwar said the Ministry will provide financial assistance amounting to Rs.12 per KW hour in case of solar photovoltaic and Rs.10/KW hour in case of solar thermal power fed to the electricity grid.
Posted by Greenbang on December 6th, 2007
The United States said today that they would not buck under pressure and adhere to the proposed greenhouse gas emissions cuts, despite every other major industrialzed country signing the Kyoto Protocol.
Just a few hours ago, main man Harlan Watson, (head of US delegation), broke the news, saying that neither Australia signing the treaty, nor proposals from the US Senate committee to limit emissions would influence their decision to ratify the agreement.
“We’re not changing our position,” said Watson
AFP report:
Watson said the US was hoping to come up with their own set of figures on cuts when a meeting of 17 nations that are major emitters of greenhouse gases, organised by US President George Bush, takes place next year.
“We’re not trying to detract from the United Nations process,” he added.
Ahead of the meeting, Bush reiterated that his administration was opposed to any international constraints on curbing carbon emissions if it undermined economic growth.
