Interesting infographic courtesy Wickes via http://dailyinfographic.com/
Also interesting to note how many are of these are Green Deal measures and how many behaviour measures, indicating we get greater CO2 and energy reductions through lifestyle choices?
As the UK calls on countries to start green accounting, putting value to nature, biodiversity and ecosystems, Sonam Pelden writing recently in Bhutan Business recently gives a fascinating insight into the country’s Gross National Happiness accounting system. Based not only on the market economy but also natural, social, cultural and human wealth, demonstration perhaps that a triple bottom line economy can work at national levels. A demonstration also then of NSR National Social Responsibility?
A new study on Initial Estimate of Value of Ecosystem Services in Bhutan revealed that the country’s ecosystem is worth more than Nu 700bn a year, much higher than the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Nu 72.3bn a year.
The staggering value of the ecosystem in Bhutan was arrived at to come up with a new national accounting system apart from the GDP. The accounting system, based on Gross National Happiness (GNH), would not only count what market economy produces but also consider natural, social, cultural and human wealth. Benefits are in terms of clean air, healthy soil, recreation and other values.
Recognising the value and importance of forests, not just as market value but as environment and social value is a key component. Something we here in the UK need to heed …
Bhutan’s constitution mandates the country to preserve a minimum of 60% forest coverage for all time to come. Today, Bhutan has total forest coverage of 74.5%.
Sonam and Business Bhutan are on twitter at @sonampelden and @business_bhutan
Source: slideshare.net via martin on Pinterest
A trial, using the embed option within Pinterest, to repost from Pinterest to WordPress Blog.
The following great article written by David at DIEMLtd appeared on his blog (well worth reading, liking and subscribing to by the way)
The impending Green Deal is really whipping some people up into a frenzy, but I’ve been here before. Without naming names and these people should have had some professional responsibility, many years ago I attended a Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA) and Home Information Packs (HIPs) briefing where these persons were saying you could earn £150 per energy assessment and do up to 8 a day.
I knew at the time that these fees were way off the mark and qualified as a DEA expecting a sensible rate, in line with other work I do. Well, lots of people were whipped into a frenzy and bitterly disappointed when there was little work, which was down to the housing market’s problems and the disgraceful management of and dithering with the scheme of the last government. People got trained, then it was delayed by the politicians, but wages needed to be paid. In the meantime, until some more stringent quality approval arrangement were brought in, which actually penalises the ones who do things properly, there were people doing a DEA for as low as £30 (minus about £7 lodgement fee for the report, travel etc which doesn’t leave much profit) and stories about people doing them over the telephone and Google maps.
That wasn’t meant to be a rant, but set the scene to where we are today with Green Deal. As someone thinking of applying to be a assessor, it’s difficult to write a business plan as nobody knows how much certificaiton will cost, or will the market be swamped by people looking for a fast profit, or assessments being done as a loss leader, making the small firm or sole practictioner be cast adrift.
I was very pleased that RICS addressed some key problems of impartiality of assessors and other factors in their consultation response to DECC (available from www.rics.org and a very good read), but it is an unknown and people do feel slightly lost.
Yes there are Green Deal web domains registered, but the quality of content varies greatly and some could be deemed to lack transparancy on some websites in terms of ownership and professional standards.
I’m most encouraged about an initiative launching locally to me in the North West by Lancashire Construction Best Practice Club who are looking at setting up a Green Deal Club which will bring interested parties together at UCLan in Preston on 22 February 2012. More details can be found at:
http://greendealclublcbpc.eventbrite.com
I’m very enthusiatic about this Green Deal Club as it’s not suggesting any immediate answers, but are going to address the unknowns and the solutions as they happen in an open, balanced and honest environment.
The only certainty the club is offering is that Green Deal will happen and Construction organisations wanting to become involved in this, and maybe other eco refurbishment schemes, will need accredited certification to PAS 2030, which the club will be looking into giving support.
So, there are more questions than answers with Green Deal, but I’m convinced that we can seek the answers more effectively working together rathern than in isolation.
Could Green Deal fail it its core objective of reducing CO2?
Green Deal is a necessary and welcome approach to funding improvement to our built environment fabric, increasing the use of renewable energy, and importantly providing structure to eco-fit work via the awaited PAS 2030 standard.
Yet, could the Green Deal approach be seen as ‘too’ technical and not addressing user and occupant behaviour, increasingly recognised as the key ingredient to CO2 reduction in the built environment.
I was reminded at the recent Lancashire Best Practice Club green deal event that our comfort levels within homes and buildings has increased by around 7 degrees over the last two decades or so.
Those of us who grew up in the 60’s will recall the infamous morning frost on the inside of windows, since when, building insulation has improved, but at the same time we use more and more energy to improve our comfort levels.
There is a danger that, as Green Deal makes home and workplaces more energy efficient, users and occupiers, especially older and vulnerable tenants, will simply take advantage of the increased comfort level and keep their energy levels and costs as before. (And coupled with the Green Deal Loan charge could increase energy bills and repayments) There is also research that suggests what we save on heating bills we spend on other high CO2 emitting gadgets or travel.
Alongside the measures within Green Deal we need user behaviour measures.
Perhaps one of the easiest would be the ability to openly benchmark our homes or offices against a CO2 league table of homes in the street, offices on a business park.
The technology and devices exist, see Pachube, the EPC iphone app I blogged on in 2010 and for example I can now easily and freely track my cycle rides against other riders on the same segment of road, on the Strava cycle app. Why not track my energy use against other homes and premises?
This behaviour approach now needs the promotion alongside Green Deal technical measures. And Green Deal Assessors have a prime opportunity to introduce such measures.
Related good reading
CIRS – Where occupants are seen as inhabitants and required to sign a sustainability charter
A collection of articles saved to Instapaper this last week (mostly from Flipboard)
There is creative reading as well as creative writing.— Ralph Waldo Emerson
Inspiring landlords to take part in the Green Deal
The UK Government are in the final planning stages of the Green Deal launch, their biggest home improvement scheme since the Second World War. The problems they face, however, are trying to get people involved and inspired enough to invest in the Green Deal.
‘Green’ solar cell made from plants news.cnet.com
A paper published in Scientific Reports today describes an improved method for making electricity-producing “biophotovoltaics” without the sophisticated laboratory equipment previously needed. Researchers said custom-designed chemicals could be mixed with green plants, even grass clippings, to create a photovoltaic material by harnessing photosynthesis.
Four hidden tricks for taking stellar iPhone photos by Sharon Vaknin
I hate to admit it, but my iPhone is always the first thing I reach for when I spot a photo-worthy scene. Sure, I own a digital camera, but my iPhone is always with me, packs an excellent camera, plus I have the option to edit and share photos instantly.
Why I’ve Stopped Pitching the Business Case for Sustainability By Jennifer Woofter
One of the most frequent questions that I get when I talk to people about my job as a sustainability consultant is this: How can I convince [my boss, my company, my crazy aunt, etc.] that sustainability makes good business sense?
Britain’s best stargazing locations telegraph.co.uk
One of the most ravishing sights on Earth should be the night sky – the brightest stars from the billions in our Milky Way, the streak of meteors, planetary neighbours such as Venus and Jupiter, the glow of other galaxies such as Andromeda.
Light pollution, however, means few experience this free glory.
AASHE Interview Series: John Robinson, Executive Director, UBC Sustainability Initiative
a detailed look into the making of a regenerative building, and what makes CIRS a new kind of “green” building.
John Robinson, the Executive Director of the University of British Columbia’s Sustainability Initiative sat down with AASHE to discuss the recently opened Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) building.
Stunning Timelapse Video Shows the True Beauty of Yosemite treehugger.com
There’s nothing like a good timelapse video to showcase the beauty of a place or an event. When that place is Yosemite National Park, it’s a recipe for an especially jaw-dropping few minutes. This video, called “Yosemite HD,” is the product of Project Yosemite, a collaborative project by Sheldon Neill and Colin Delehanty to capture the true beauty of the national park.
Building the Sustainability Brand Within
When we think about sustainability strategy we typically think about a series of initiatives around energy efficiency, waste reduction, and product redesign. But our traditional focus on carbon audits and generating Corporate Sustainability Reports (CSR), while important, emphasizes data collection and does not necessarily engage people in ways that generate synergy and build scale. Few companies capitalize on the opportunities sustainability provides for widespread employee engagement and improving the company culture – in effect, “building the brand within.”
‘Microplastic’ threat to shores bbc.co.uk
Microscopic plastic debris from washing clothes is accumulating in the marine environment and could be entering the food chain, a study has warned. Researchers traced the “microplastic” back to synthetic clothes, which released up to 1,900 tiny fibres per garment every time they were washed. Earlier research showed plastic smaller than 1mm were being eaten by animals and getting into the food chain.
Like many others the new Part L Building Regs will be on my reading list over the next few days. Others will surely comment in more depth than me, but I am interested in how the new proposals will trigger Green Deal.
Paragraph 85 is interesting.
Will this mean that Local Authorities will have the first option to trigger green deal works when a planning or building regs application is made? This could make LA’s one of the most important Green Deal Providers, a key client / flow of green deal work for installers, and a great opportunity for LA’s to act as Green Deal Assessors. (see my previous blog post on Local Authorities)
Also of note this refers to all buildings, not just domestic, opening the door for Green Deal within the commercial and public non domestic sector?
Interesting times.
Main Proposals to Existing Buildings:
85 …., and more significantly, we are proposing to extend the requirements for ‘consequential improvements’. This is the term used to describe the use of the Building Regulations to trigger a requirement for extra energy efficiency works in a building where other controlled work is already taking place. The reason for proposing these changes now is to recognise the urgency of reducing emissions from the existing building stock, and, in a time of rising energy prices, to make homes and non-domestic buildings easier and cheaper to heat. It would also take advantage of a new market mechanism which has the potential to remove some of the existing barriers to action – the Green Deal.
Update: From DECC Green Deal Bulletin
DCLG yesterday launched their consultation on changes to the Building Regulations regime. This includes a package of potential changes to support the Green Deal. In summary, this includes new requirements for additional ‘consequential’ energy efficiency improvements where work (such as an extension or replacement windows or boilers) is already planned to an existing building and Green Deal funding is available as an option to meet the up-front costs. Given DCLG estimate there are 200,000 extensions per year, 1.4 million boilers replacements and 1 million window replacements, this could be a significant demand driver for the Green Deal.
In detail the proposals are:
If you wish to consider responding to the consultation, the deadline for comments related to the Green Deal is 27 March 2012. Further information can be found on the DCLG website.
Cutting Costs and Carbon
Kicking off a new series of seminars and knowledge sharing, Green Vision, the sustainable networking organisation for the property and construction sector, is hosting its first event of the year this week, with ‘Green Building Drivers 2012’, on Thursday 2nd February at Squire Sanders in Leeds.
Part of the 2012 programme of ‘Cutting Costs and Carbon’ this event, to be held at Squire Sanders office on Park Lane from 5.30pm – 7pm, will respond to issues raised in Green Vision’s first tweet chat of the year. This saw representatives from both local and international organisations uncover many questions and uncertainty about the logistics of sustainable building and asset management for 2012, in line with government objectives. It explored Green Deal, potential threats to SMEs, and highlighted that many in the industry remain nervous, fearing the ‘real cost of carbon reduction’, whilst feeling financial strains of the recession.
Bringing in a speaker who advises ministers on meeting the UK’s climate targets, the Green Vision team is keen to set the scene nationally informing delegates of the sector’s challenges as whole, before exploring what can be done locally, within the Yorkshire region. The intention is to provide support for delegates, and to help make 2012 a year where sustainable practices become better understood and more elevated on the corporate agenda.
The programme is as follows:-
18.00 Delivering Carbon Budgets: What will it mean for consumers and fuel poverty, by independent government advisor Dr Ute Collier, Head of Buildings, Committee for Climate Change
18.15 New 2012 Legislation & Policy for carbon reduction and energy use in building, to inform delegates of key legalities coming up this year, by Anita Lloyd, Squire Sanders
18.30 The Whole-Life Measurement of Carbon & Taxation, looking at how we need to tackle carbon reduction in the commercial sector, by Prof Angus McIntosh, who brings his 10 years experience at King Sturge (he was former head of research at King Sturge, now working for Real Estate Forecasting Ltd)
18.45 Intervening to reduce domestic carbon emissions, Dr Emma Hinton, Research Associate, Kings College London, presents findings on the human aspect of occupant behaviour
The session will then conclude with a Q&A session to the panel, followed by open networking For more information on the speakers or to book tickets please visit http://www.green-vision.org.uk/
Supported by the Construction Sector Network; global legal firm Squire Sanders; social media and sustainability consultancy Fairsnape; Leeds College of Building and EPSRC (research project on carbon comfort and controls), Green Vision is committed to sharing knowledge, experience and best practice on Low Carbon Buildings and Property within the Yorkshire and Humber region.
Targeted at property and construction professionals from across the region, as well as engaging with the wider business community on sustainable development, Green Vision is run by Leeds Metropolitan’s Centre for Knowledge Exchange and the Construction Sector Network. It brings together academics with business, to address challenges and opportunities presented by sustainable building practices.
With the recent expansion of the network this year there are now additional opportunities available for companies interested in supporting Green Vision as a corporate sponsor. Any interested parties should contact C.Walker@leedsmet.ac.uk.
Further spring Gvis2012, events are also planned: 1st March sees another evening seminar, on Carbon Reduction Strategies, led by Richard Francis, Head of Sustainability, at worldwide construction consultancy, Gardiner and Theobald. In addition, Vassos Chrysostomou co-founder at ConstructCO2, will explore the social, environmental as well as economic responsibilities that construction contractors have towards carbon reduction.
This series will conclude on 29th March at Old Broadcasting House with a half day conference, where industry leading keynote speakers and expert roundtable discussions will consider topics such as behaviour change, energy monitoring systems and guidance for landlords, set within the wider debate of how to cut costs and carbon. A feature of the event will be a live international presentation from ‘the world’s greenest building’ in Vancouver and through social media partner be2camp the conference will be web enabled to allow real global input and sharing.
Claire Walker Project Manager for Green Vision, said: “Following the success of the GVis2011 Series, Green Vision has attracted considerable interest as a leading Knowledge Exchange network, supporting and informing regional markets in best practice for sustainable building. We are excited about our forthcoming series as it addresses very real issues and concerns, real opportunities and threats, and will provoke debate and discussion around what will be a big year of change with respect to low carbon policies. It’s important to better understand, as a sector, how we can work towards a low carbon future and these event are a great catalyst for this.”
Attendees to GVis2012 series will connect with leading sustainability thinkers from the UK and overseas, share regional, national and international views on the future of energy in buildings and identify opportunities for partnerships, both within the sector, as well as on a wider scale.
– Ends –
Notes to Editors:
For More Information Please Contact:
Chocolate PR 0113 236 1835
jo@chocolatepr.co.uk
I have commented elsewhere on this blog that ‘transparency’, driven by the increasingly easy access to information and the seemingly ubiquitous use of social media, could well become a central theme and driver for sustainability and CSR during 2012 and beyond.
Last week Apple released their supplier responsibility audit report, see the excellent CSRWire article: itransparency: Is Apple Catching Up? by Elaine Cohen (also good reads are Will Apple Finally Embrace Corporate Social Responsibility & Sustainability and on Apples own the supplier responsibility web pages)
Like many users, whilst loving the Apple technology, design and ease of use, as a sustainability advocate, I have always felt uneasy about environmental and social aspects of the Apple organisation. However, with Apple having now set out their stall and commitment to improve, they will be watched closely by CSR observers and others who will undoubtedly use Apple devices and platforms to make any failings and achievements public, and transparent.
Constructing itransparency
I can’t help wondering:
How and when transparency within the built environment will have an impact.
If we were to undertake a ‘deep’ social responsibility audit throughout the sectors supply chain, just what would we find lurking under rocks?
We are starting to have the tools available to understand, for example, ConstructCO2 can measure the carbon and social impact of transport and delivery miles on a construction project, SourceMap can monitor material carbons, from raw material and transportation, (see construction sourcemap for CITRIS building, Berkley USA), and Living Building Challenge is challenging responsible construction and increasingly we hear of construction organisations looking at or adopting ISO 26000, …. and so on …
So, it may or may not be 2012, but only is it just a matter of time before the sector, like Apple, is forced or nudged towards ‘iTransparency’.
Related reading: Mapping Transparency – Why it pays to be open
If you wish to engage in conservations on CSR in construction follow and join me on twitter @fairsnape, subscribe to or share this blog post, or get in touch.
A Summary of Green Deal Consultation Responses collated via twitter:
The public consultation process for Green Deal closed last Wednesday with DECC reporting over 600 responses. It will be interesting how DECC make sense of all. A quick read through those made public via twitter (listed below) indicate:
Next step in the Green Deal run-up is the issue of PAS 2030, expected during January.
These responses indicate that Green Deal will happen, most likely in October, the orginal commencement date but that DECC have a lot of refining to do, in a very short time. In the meanwhile SME’s should start preparing for Green Deal.
Recommendations for preparation include:
…….
Links to public responses: (if you know of any more please add in comments)
For more information please do not hesitate to get in touch, join me in green deal conversations on twitter, and if you like this blog article please subscribe or share using the buttons below …
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