zerochampion

The Green Way

Back in 2003 when I was full-time at Building - yes those bygone print days - I got to know Mark Way pretty well. A thoroughly nice bloke he was at architect and engineer RMJM at the time as head of research. He'd dreamt up a simple yet great concept called Soft Landings, which I wrote an article on it back in 2003. As a typical hack I moved on to the next subject and have given the idea little thought in the intervening years. Until a piece I spotted in BSRIA's website came to my attention which promises to give Way's vision renewed momentum.

The sustainable quiz

Mel helped me out by flagging this up at the weekend. I wouldn't want to deprive you of earning a 20 quid Amazon token, so try the sustainability quiz on the Building website. Good luck.

Rebound effect

I think we probably all know that the small changes some have of us have made in our lives, and are constantly reminded about doing, to reduce our environmental impact are more symbolic than really effective. Many of these, and more ambitious steps, are aimed at energy efficiency, but the more you think through the logic of this on the overall generation of CO2 the more you start to wonder the impact it is having. An article The Economist clarifies this concern, introducing a concept called the Rebound Effect.

Olympic footprinting

Last week's sustainable plan for the Olympics received a bit of stick for not setting contractors enough targets. What has not been picked out from the document is a two-page section entitled Footprinting the Games (pages 20-21). It's appears a fairly ear-bleeding exercise since as the document says there is "no national or international standards or guidance" that exists on "how to apply environmental accounting techniques to large scale public events". The Olympics team has come up with a threefold definition of the impact of an event - direct; shared; and associated.

Flooding plan for Thames Gateway

I had a brief but very interesting chat with a technical manager from the Environment Agency last week. The body is working on a major piece of work mapping out potential flooding scenarios for the Thames Gateway so as to plan out what should be done in the near future. The irony of the EA having a stand bang in the middle of the Thames Gateway Forum appeared to be lost to most of the delegates.

Measurement - the basics

In my former life editing a magazine for quantity surveyors and project managers there was plenty of concern and interest in measurement. This was because there was a view amongst many practitioners that the core skill of a QS - actually producing a bill of quantities that included all the details, dimensions etc of a job - was disappearing. Without such building blocks, to pardon the pun, how can you rely on accuracy and quality of the end product was the argument? Clearly the same applies for sustainability.

Skills - make sustainability part of the basics

Every practitioner in sustainability knows that they are a scarce resource. A new study by Arup for the Academy for Sustainable Communities confirms this, but also offers an excellent breakdown of which professions will be in most demand in future years and where geographically the need for skills is particularly desperate. On the professional front there is one pretty clear conclusion - we should all resign from our jobs tomorrow and become landscape architects.

New green book out

There's a growing pile of them building up but here's a new book one that may be of interest. Hailing from the US, Green Building A to Z is written by LEED trainer Jerry Yudelson, who runs his own firm Yudelson Associates. It's hailed by the press release from publisher New Society as "a must read for any emerging green building enthusiast".

Green lies

The Times reports on an interesting survey this morning where nine out of ten people admit to telling "little green lies" so as to avoid being perceived as bad people. The survey by Norwich Union, called Be Good Guilt, highlights "concerns that, although people want to live ethically, they do not know where or how to start and so end up anxious and guilt-ridden". A fifth of the 1,500 respondents said that they had little idea of what to do, and half said that they were too confused or had too little time to make their lifestyles greener. Corinne Sweet, a psychologist, said: “We want to be ‘good’ but often are too busy, or it seems too complicated, so we cut corners, or forget altogether, and then feel guilty."

Lacking inspiration

There seems a distinct lack of inspiration amongst the industry about green issues, if new research from the CIOB this week is anything to go by. Of those industry professionals surveyed by the body here's the top four examples of green projects given:

1. BedZed
2. Don't know
3. BREEAM eco-homes
4. Eden project
5. Welsh Assembly Building

Met Office forecasts temperature for 2014

And it predicts a warming of 0.4 degrees C compared to 2014. The Met Office also predicts that at least half of the years after 2009 will exceed the warmest year currently on record. This is the first decadal climate prediction model to be carried out by the Hadley Centre (run by the Met office). A statement says: "These predictions are very relevant to businesses and policy-makers who will be able to respond to short-term climate change when making decisions today. The next decade is within many people's understanding and brings home the reality of a changing climate."

Emissions trading get a kicking

A report issued this morning from think-tank Open Europe says it's time to "fundamentally rethink" the EU emissions trading scheme. Despite its anti-EU leanings the body appears to have a very strong point. The scheme seems dedicated to those wanting to tick the "we're doing something very serious about climate change" box while the actual results, ie reducing emissions, prove severely wanting. The first phase of the system, running from 2005-2007 - has led to more permits to pollute being produced than there is pollution and a collapse in the price of carbon. And the second phase isn't going much better, reckon Open Europe.

Shower shock

Here's an instance of however efficient/renewable-filled our buildings and services/heating are it's how they are used that matters. Via a circuitous route (thanks to reader Robert Paulgrave) I was sent some fascinating, and scary, statistics from water company 3 Valleys. The oft-quoted green message spouted out is take a shower, not a bath, given the respective water used. But that rather depends on how long you spend whistling away under jet streams of water. 3 Valleys' education services manager Ted Casey spent a day in a boarding school with around 40 teenage girls. He asked them how long they spent in the shower.

Academics tackle reducing built environment footprint

Building Research & Information, a specialist publisher, has brought out a special edition on making serious strides in cutting emissions from buildings. Last week's New Scientist reported on it (for subscribers only I'm afraid), interviewing one of the writers, University of Toronto professor Danny Harvey. From their work the academics estimate that it would be possible to reduce CO2 emissions from buildings by 29% by 2020.

Leicester's carbon footprint to be measured

A study has begun assessing the footprint of Midlands city Leicester, and to see how it can be shrunk. It is being undertaken by the Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development, a department of Leicester's De Montford University. The statement says that the overall study, called Measurement, Modelling, Mapping and management (4M), will focus on the impacts of reducing the footprint on building energy usage, transport systems and carbon sequestration management.

BRE pioneers sustainability at its three day Offsite conference

The BRE (Building Research Establishment) and EEDA (East of England Development Agency) co-hosted a compelling three-day conference at the BRE's base in Garston, north of Watford. The conference looked at how modular and pre-fabricated buildings can work in three separate sectors: homes, schools and healthcare facilities. The aim, in each case, was to go beyond the traditional onsite methods of building towards looking at the benefits of offsite construction.

Report finds nanotechnologies can cut carbon emissions

A new study has revealed how some nanotechnologies can be used to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ultimately help combat climate change. Commissioned by Environmental Beneficial Nanotechnologies: Barriers and Opportunities report explores new ways nanoscience can be applied to areas of insulation, photovoltaics, electricity shortage, engine efficiency and even the hydrogen economy. Speaking at the Royal Society, Defra’s chief scientific adviser Howard Dalton stressed the importance of addressing climate change, but warned the urgent need for government action. He said: “The report draws particular attention to the need for government, industry and scientific communities to work together in answering some of the fundamental questions regarding the behaviour and toxicity of nanomaterials.”

Ecobuild part 3: We must measure

I caught the second half of a speech from David Strong, the managing director of BRE Environmental, at Earl's Court. His outfit is strongly backing the new UK Green Building Council (it's a founding member) and he ran through the aims of the body.

A key aim he identified that was sorely needed in the industry, and that the council would concentrate on, was measurement. This strikes a nerve with me as without it we're not going to get that far. Most experts I talk to raise this issue very quickly. Strong listed a few examples of high profile projects where bold claims were made about their efficiency, but little is known about how they're performing for real. He mentioned Portcullis House, Swiss Re and Brighton Library. "At the moment if anyone knows they're not putting that information out in the public," he said of Portcullis House. "We need to learn lessons from buildings and share that." Here here.

Yes, housebuyers will buy Eco

So reckons a new report commissioned by Sponge, a networking group focused on sustainability. The report, entitled Eco Chic or Eco Geek? The Desirability of Sustainable Homes surveyed 501 homes owners and found:

• 52% of buyers are prepared to pay more for houses with higher environmental standards
• 92% want to see sustainability features as options on new homes while 64% of them think these should be compulsory
• There's a yawing knowledge gap out there: 70% of homeowners claim to know little or nothing about sustainable homes. 73% reckon it's up to (you've guessed it) the government to communicate the benefits of sustainable homes