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Rubbish - our national disgrace

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Bill Bryson stepped forward last night and delivered a home truth about the UK that is uncomfortable but accurate - our public areas are strewn with rubbish and we've come to accept it as the norm. The author's Panorama report Notes on a Dirty Island was not all that startling in highlighting what a mess we are collectively in, but that's probably the point. Walking my local streets of Tower Hamlets is not a pleasant experience - there's the discarded fag butts, bottles etc that scatter across the pavements, then there are the impromptu 'rubbish collection areas' that pedestrians decide are bins - unused or empty land, fenced construction areas etc.

Government demolished on empty rates

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I've been keeping a watching brief on the coverage over on Property Week on Empty Rates. In April the Government removed empty property rate relief, which means that property owners who are sitting on empty premises for three to six months (depending on the type of building) will be forced to pay business rates. The intentions behind the law change were most likely noble - to force buildings to be occupied - but the good old law of unintended consequences has kicked in. We might as well rename Sod's Law as Gordon's law because the legislation change has coincided with a sharp downturn in the property market. Hence instead of encouraging regeneration the tax is sparking demolition.

George Monbiot has an off day

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Certain things which we cannot do without have become uncool - carrier bags, cheap flights, fruit from far afield. We must use them but vocalise our distaste. Surely there is something we can all agree to get rid of? Something that we can consign to the past? Coal seems a likely candidate. Coal is bad because those naughty Chinese are building two new power stations a week. It's far more polluting than gas. It involves digging up the ground. We don't produce it in this country any more. Activists want us to wear blue for World Earth Day on April 20th and call Congress and say, 'no new coal power stations!'

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George Monbiot certainly seems to think so.

Steptoe & Son and sustainability

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Sustainability is surely mostly a cultural issue. How are we going to get anyone to change but through our habits and behaviour? Two bits of content in recent days confirmed this for me: a thought-provoking piece by Nick Cohen in the Observer on what he claims is our loss of the love of the antique; and the first episode of Steptoe & Son, screened on BBC4 last night.

Weekend Review, 8-9 March 2008

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Turbines are back with a vengeance this week, especially in the Sunday Telegraph. Climate Tsar, Lord Turner suggests bulding more of them in the central reservations of motorways, brownfield sites or other places where there was already 'visual intrusion.'  He thinks the country needs to do more rather than less to cut carbon emissions. His committee is due to report back to the PM before the end of the year to suggest whether or not a 60% cut will be needed by 2050.

Waste event

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Here's a useful link to an event that took place last week on designing out waste. It's an area that the Building Sustainability channel we be focusing on in more detail during 2008. Organised by the East Midlands Centre for Constructing the Built Environment (bit of a mouthful) the evening attracted a good cross section of the industry and there's a comprehensive report on what was discussed, including downloads of five out of the six presentations from the speakers on the night.

Dragons' Den sees green

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There's definitely been an eco-theme to many of the business pitches from budding entrepreneurs on the latest series of BBC2's Dragons' Den.  Like most who appear they are a mixed bunch. Thankfully, one last night, designer Max McMurdo who runs a firm called Reestore, managed to make an impression. He got 50K from two of the dragons to sell the recycling bins he's created that are themselves recycled from plastics bags. A couple of the investors made the point that reusing plastic bags is missing the point as we shouldn't be using them in the first place but Max stood his ground, claiming the material was going to be around for a long time, whether we liked it or not.

Exeter Council back sustainable construction

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Exeter council has recently shown its support for sustainable housing by hosting a breakfast event, at the Livestock Centre at Matford, for its preferred suppliers and consultants. During the event, the council made clear how much it wants promote sustainability and that it now requires contractors to adhere to the council's Green Accord and Selection Procedure - a code that sets benchmark targets for all parties in the housing process.

Severn Barrage: one thing Blair and Brown agree on

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The proposed Severn Barrage - a barrier that would stretch between Weston-Super-Mare and Lavernock Point, on the south coast of Wales, has been approved by Tony Blair in his closing days in office. However, the barrage has encountered fierce criticism from environmental groups and commentators. George Monbiot, author of Heat, recently said that, "It will cause too much environmental damage: there are far better ways of getting energy from the sea."

BRE pioneers sustainability at its three day Offsite conference

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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.