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Recycle a bus?

Posted on January 2nd, 2009

Rather than living in one place, how about moving around from time to time in a restored and modified bus? South East Coachworks, based in Kent, convert buses to living accommodation (amongst other things!). Think it would need be ‘winterised’ though!

www.southeastcoachworks.co.uk/clients.php/living/index.htm

(Before anyone suggests it, we had considered living in a narrowboat, but had to rule it out for medical reasons – one of us would drown very quickly if they fell in!)

Filed under: Alternative Living | 2 Comments »

Building Regulations

Posted on January 2nd, 2009

Boring but important! Links to UK building regulations documents, and the governments’ Planning Portal:

www.communities.gov.uk/planningandbuilding/buildingregulations

www.planningportal.gov.uk

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Earthship Brighton

Posted on January 2nd, 2009

Earthship Brighton was the first Earthship to be built in England, built by the Low Carbon Trust as  a community centre for Stanmer Organics (www.lowcarbon.co.uk/earthship-brighton/stanmer-organics).

They offer regular tours, covering the project and looking at the sustainable and green technologies that were used in the build (www.lowcarbon.co.uk/tours).

www.lowcarbon.co.uk/earthship-brighton

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Ecology Building Society

Posted on January 1st, 2009

Provide mortgages for sustainable and ethical homes (and ethical savings accounts too!):

“We promote the concept of sustainability through our mortgage lending and offer a range of ethical savings accounts to support this. All mortgage applications are judged against the Ecology’s unique lending criteria. The starting point is to assess the environmental impact of the project in terms of energy use, pollution and saving resources. This includes looking at properties where new and less conventional ideas are incorporated such as earth sheltering and breathing walls. Some of the features we encourage include:

• Easily recyclable materials
• Use of reclaimed stone, brick, slate or timber
• Locally sourced materials
• High levels of insulation
• Efficient condensing boilers
• Double or triple glazing
• Natural paints
• Water recycling
• Renewable energy systems – solar panels, photovoltaics, wind turbines

We lend throughout the UK, on urban and rural property. Often we lend on properties turned down by other lenders, making our work even more vital. We try to be flexible and will lend funds “up front” on the unimproved value of a derelict building, releasing further funds as the building work goes along and the value increases.”

www.ecology.co.uk

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Why we need sustainable development practices in business?

Posted on December 28th, 2008

What is Sustainable Development?

Sustainable Development is a much used “buzz word”, loved by Government bureaucracies. But what does it mean to you and your business? For too many years large businesses, run by “bean counters”, have only focused on the bottom-line of returning a profit for their shareholders at the expense of their greatest asset people.

Moral and social responsibilities have all but vanished. Bottom Line profits have been detrimental to environmental, social and cultural responsibility by these corporations. However things must change! The ramifications of which, over the last forty years, have seen a shift in wealth, which has lead to increased poverty worldwide, through mechanisms such as globalisation and World Bank debt. All this in the name of development, trade and our desire to have cheaper consumables to deal with our status anxiety.

The Brundtland Commission (1997) defined Sustainable Development as: “Development, which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. At its heart is the simple idea of ensuring a better quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come. The concept of sustainable development has been around for a number of decades.

Why do we need sustainable business practices?

The need for development of sustainable business practices is as great as ever, but future development cannot simply follow the model of the past. This is true for the world as a whole, and for every community in this country. The global picture is alarming. A quarter of the world’s people survive on incomes of less than US$1 a day. A fifth have no access to health care. A huge challenge already, it may seem, it is only becoming harder; whilst the world’s population is increasing and will increase by half again, (another three billion people), by 2050.

So what do we need to focus on?

Although the idea is simple, the task is substantial. It means meeting four objectives at the same time:

1. Social progress which recognises the needs of everyone;
2. Effective protection of the environment; (After all we still need to breathe fresh air and drink clean fresh water);
3. Prudent use of natural resources;
4. Maintenance of high and stable levels of economic growth and employment.

Quadruple Bottom Line (QBL)

For businesses the QBL has become a powerful defining factor for operation this century. The quadruple bottom line takes into consideration the following factors:

1. Environmental
2. Social [Internal factor]
3. Cultural (including governance) [External factor]
4. Economic.

Some say that sustainable development is dead with the current wave of conservative ideals and economic prosperity throughout the world. A “What’s In It for Me” (WIIFM) attitude. However this is only the current paradigm for this cycle.

After all, if environmental, social and cultural factors are not considered, then business operation cannot be sustained. Industrial growth can never be sustained over long periods, due to its cyclic nature and as all resources are finite. Mathematically it is impossible. This may account for why the average length of time Australian Companies stay in operation is only 12 years.

If you own or run a business, now is the time to take a stand for QBL principles and your environmental responsibility through waste minimisation, energy analysis, reduced rework and handling through quality plan implementation and an increase in social responsibility to increase morale, reduce absenteeism and improve overall work performance, for example.

Governments of the day must also stand up for cultural responsibility through good governance and a wider understanding of people’s needs, desires and goals in life. Not only will you live up to your environmental and social responsibilities, but you may also save money through increased efficiency and productivity, and hence, increase your bottom line anyway.

About the Author:

Tobi Nagy runs SDS Consulting which is a small business enterprise development practice which focuses on developing enterprises with sustainable business principles and practices. His website can be viewed at www.sustainable-development.net

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Recycling (for Businesses)

Posted on December 28th, 2008

Recycling not only helps the environment, it also has advantages for your business, including:

• a reduction in overheads
• compliance with health, safety and environmental legislation
• enhancement of your company’s image

To recycle your waste:

• sort paper into coloured and plain paper recycling bins. Put recycling bins near photocopiers and printers – removing elastic bands, staples and plastic wrappers makes it more valuable. Waste paper can be collected by recycling companies; some companies will also accept shredded paper from shredding machines. Telephone and other directories can be recycled (visit www.yellgroup.com), but don’t put them in the paper bins
• ‘complete the loop’ by purchasing recycled paper products, which include printer, copier and – correspondence papers and envelopes, document wallets, files, and storage boxes. You can also purchase brochures etc printed on recycled paper
• try to get suppliers to take back boxes, sacks, containers etc, for reuse or recycling

If you are unable to purchase products made of recycled materials, buy those made of recyclable materials.

You can also reduce waste by:

• reusing paper printed on one side by turning it into notepaper, or using it for printing drafts or notices on internal boards
• using double-sided copying where possible
• using email when possible; don’t print email unnecessarily
• recycling used ink cartridges
• upgrading computer equipment instead of buying new, and reusing equipment where possible (this should also reduce upgrade costs). If it can’t be reused, there are charities which will refurbish old equipment and give it to schools, charities and community groups
• thinking before committing stock or consumables to landfill – could it be reused, or could someone else make use of it?
• trying to use less resources – use reusable instead of disposable items, such as:
• refillable pens and heavy-duty files
• washable, not disposable, cups (if your vending machine requires disposable cups there are schemes which collect and recycle them)

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Resource Conservation (for Businesses)

Posted on December 28th, 2008

Energy

Offices use large amounts of energy in the form of electricity to power heating, air conditioning, lighting, lifts, escalators, automatic doors, computers, photocopiers, fax machines etc. This of course doesn’t include that used in manufacturing. You can save energy (and money!) by:

• turning off lights and equipment when not in use (and encouraging your staff to do the same)
• fitting low energy light bulbs (CFL’s), which last 10 times longer than standard bulbs, and use 20% of the energy
• reducing heating in areas that need less heat, such as storerooms, and when the building is empty
• insulating heating pipes – don’t heat spaces that don’t need it!
• making sure heating and air conditioning are not used in the same room at the same time
• not leaving computers on standby – that can cost up to £125 per year
• when buying new technology, looking at models which combine several features, such as combined fax/printer/copier, as they use less energy

You could also consider buying ‘Green Power’ – electricity produced from renewable sources such as wind and water.

Water

You can reduce your water use by:

• creating a Water Management Plan to reduce your water use
• fitting taps with mixer controls and a flow restrictor
• making sure taps are not left running, and fixing dripping taps quickly

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Transport (for Businesses)

Posted on December 28th, 2008

Transport uses more energy than industry. Reduce your transport energy usage by:

• creating a Green Transport plan, which encourages employees to use their cars more wisely, and provides incentives to use alternative methods of transport; government tax breaks may be available
• encouraging car/van pooling
• providing undercover secure storage for bicycles
• providing shower and changing facilities for employees who wish to cycle, jog or walk to work
• considering teleworking
• trying to buy items produced locally, to reduce transport energy use
• changing or modifying your fleet of vehicles to use a cleaner fuel. You can get grants to help with this, and the more companies who do this, the more practically and economically viable it will become!

Reasons for switching to cleaner fuels include:

• fuel costs can be cut by a third
• you can get a road and company car tax reduction
• image enhancement for your company
• some vehicles avoid paying the London Congestion Charge
• a standard-fuel car produces its own weight in CO2 every 6000 miles
• transport produces around 25% of the UK’s C02 emissions

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Earthships

Posted on December 28th, 2008

The Earthship is a completely independent globally oriented dwelling unit made from materials that are indigenous to the entire planet. The major structural building components of the home are used automobile tires filled with compacted earth to form rammed earth bricks encased in steel belted rubber. These bricks and the resulting bearing walls they form are virtually indestructible. Used tires have low embodied energy; they are ready for reuse in construction without any alteration. Earth, another material with low embodied energy, is available on site or close to the site for ramming the tires and earth berming. Used cardboard is laid inside the tires to prevent the pounded earth from spilling out the bottom of the tire. Non-loadbearing walls are constructed with aluminum cans, glass bottles and cement. Prefabricated building components can be mass-produced locally, saving time, resources and construction waste.

The three foot thick massive walls and the method of incorporating them into the earth create living spaces that retain a constant temperature. Thus, with solar gain and natural ventilation systems built in, this building will heat itself in the winter and cool itself in the summer without the use of centralized fossil or nuclear fuels. The living spaces of these homes are wrapped on three sides with rammed earth mass walls. This mass acts like a battery, storing radiant heat and direct solar gain within it, releasing this heat as the building cools at night and as the temperatures drop during the winter. In addition, wrapping the east, north and west sides of the buildings in earth berms enables the interiors of the buildings to tap into the stable temperature of the earth’s surface, the end result being a daily and seasonal temperature far more stable than conventional housing with average low winter interior temperatures around 60° F (15.6° C). By adding thermal shades which are closed in the evening on the glazed south face, more warmth can be retained.

Article originally taken from Earthship Biotecture.

Filed under: Building Methods, Old Site Archive | No Comments »

The CREATE Centre

Posted on December 28th, 2008

The CREATE Centre is Bristol’s unique Environment Centre. Housed in part of an old tobacco warehouse, the centre is home to Bristol’s Sustainability Unit, along with several other non-governmental organisations. It also has a reference library, and some interesting and fun educational facilities for children and teachers.

The ‘Jewel in the Crown’ of the CREATE Centre is the purpose-built ecohome – a living demonstration of techniques and materials for sustainable living. The ecohome is a three-bedroomed house, built compact and cube-shaped, with a south-facing slated roof to assist the movement of warm air through the building and to absorb the heat of the sun. It is built, decorated and furnished using either recycled or sustainable materials.

Inside (and outside, in the garden) there is a wealth of information and ideas on how to live sustainably, from recycling, to saving water, to using sustainable floor coverings and non-toxic paints. There is also a very well stocked reference library, in which you could probably find information on just about anything to do with sustainability. The home feels light, airy and spacious, and would be a lovely place to live.

Visiting the CREATE Centre won’t occupy an entire day, but you could spend a very enjoyable few hours there. The ecohome is meant to inspire, which it does very well.

Official Website: Bristol City Council – The CREATE Centre

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