Sustainability Comment – Page 13
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CommentFrankly, it was all a waste of energy
After watching two assessors make a right dog’s dinner of measuring the energy performance of his house, Jeff Howell suspects a little extra training may be in order
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CommentA lesson in realism
Generating 60% of our schools’ energy from on-site renewable sources may sound like a great idea, but the figures don’t add up. Bill Watts takes today’s maths class
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CommentBuilding windmills in Cloud Cuckoo Land
Open mike — The GLA wants office buildings to generate 20% of the energy they use. The only problem with this, says Richard Kauntze, is it can’t be done. So here’s a proposal that will work
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CommentGreen for go
A recent sustainability conference came up with some bright ideas for carbon-cutting products, projects and codes. But the time for talking is over. How do we take action?
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CommentThe Polish Olympics
The Beijing Olympics are mainly being built by British firms, but if we don’t want our own Games built by eastern European labour, we need to train our young people now
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CommentLet me draw you an analogy ...
Adam Poole and Simon Foxell Should we rush to launch our grand campaign to achieve zero-carbon buildings asap? Or should we settle back and watch a film first?
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CommentTen reasons to do the right thing
You don’t have to cut carbon emissions just because your conscience tells you to. It’s good for business as well, says Stuart Wallace of the New Economics Foundation
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CommentApocalypse cow
The only way we can save humanity from climate change is if we all pull together. But that’s not likely if bankers keep insisting on aircon, hedge funds keep looking for profit and cows keep … doing what cows do
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CommentThe green mile
The road to a sustainable future is long and hard, with tricky obstacles and high costs along the way. Here Tom Bloxham suggests how the government could lead by example
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CommentNeutral ground
The plans to make all new homes carbon-neutral by 2016 are still taking shape, but what legal framework is in place to drive home the sustainable message?
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CommentFor goodness’ sake
The home buyer of the future is going to want to pay extra money for low carbon homes, because owning a good home makes people feel so much better about themselves
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CommentCultural revolution II
The eco-city being planned by Arup outside Shanghai sounds like a publicity stunt. But it’s not. It’s an audacious attempt to change the world
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CommentGreen house effect
Ruth Kelly explains how she plans to meet the environmental challenge by awarding stars to sustainable homes
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CommentBeside the seaside
When cheap flights become a thing of the past, people will once again yearn for good old British seaside resorts. So it’s about time we turned them into places where people might actually want to stay …
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CommentDongtan-on-Thames
THE VIEW FROM THE EDGE — Shanghai’s eco-city is creating a precedent that developments like the Thames Gateway ignore at their peril
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CommentUnto the breach
Having lost patience with government initiatives on sustainability for commercial buildings, the British Property Federation is stepping in with its own code
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CommentRefuelling the renewable debate
Unless we act now, within 15 years fossil fuels will become too expensive and the effects of climate change irreversible. Bill Dunster looks to a more renewable future
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CommentA model answer to a difficult problem
Future schools have to use a fraction of the energy of the ones we have now. Here Simon Foxell and Bill Bordass explain what designers can do to make it happen
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CommentEat the elephant
Clients now regard sustainability as a requirement when choosing a contractor. But how can contractors tackle such a huge subject given what they’ve got on their plate already?
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CommentNo need for this
Don’t be fooled by the chatter about sustainability – if you look at the way we actually do business, the waste piles up so fast you need wings to stay above it