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Unconferencing

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My life as a producer and consumer of B2B events has its moments. Some are painful, tiring and awkward, some enlightening, inspiring and rewarding. It's good then to be presented with something fresh and new, which I'm hopeful that next month's Be2Camp will prove to be. It's billed as an unconference, which I suppose means that it's trying to move away from the established norms of such events - bloke or lass stands in front of crowd and spouts forth, issuing his definitive view of the world while we the audience meekly sit, try to stay awake and take a few notes.

Timber frame: lessons from Scotland

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It’s easy to sound glib, but one of the simplest and most effective ways to build green is to build well. The better organised the team, the less time and less resources get wasted. And the clearer the instructions, the more likely it is that they will get carried out correctly first time.

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This elementary lesson was re-inforced on a visit I made to Scotland last week as guest of the UK Timber Frame Association.

Delicious links

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Green Mondays - payback, population and facial hair

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Having been invited along to the Green Mondays event via this blog I duly trotted north of the river to the Brewery last night. And a worthwhile trip it turned out to be. A mix of key note speakers, round table discussion, speed dating and old-fashioned networking the do managed to fit a lot in without hurting your brain overly after a hard day at work. It's aimed at sustainability bosses and bods at big corporates and consultancies across the spectrum of business but has sub-groups which focus on particular sectors, such as property. I saw a few familiar faces but it was a good opportunity to talks to those out of the buildings business. Here's a few highlights:

The changing face of journalism

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I was reminded of just how much the job of a journalist is changing after a weekly meeting with my colleague Michael Willoughby this morning. He's off to a press event this afternoon and the discussion inevitably led to how he was going to cover it. In the past that conversation would be the approach or the angle of the piece - whether it was news, a feature, part of an investigation etc. Instead it was a technical conversation - will he take a digital/video camera, an audio recorder, a laptop etc?

Delicious bookmarks

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Me and my estate agent

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I had an interesting visit from an estate agent yesterday. I'm tentatively wondering whether to, as the expression goes, "sell-up". The advice I seem to be getting from some is that this time is as good as any to do it given that if you can get a buyer (big if) then you then may be able to pick up a bargain for your next property. That's the theory anyhow. So in whizzs Daren last night for a valuation, and he stayed for nearly an hour. The fact that we could command his undivided attention for 50 minutes is probably as good an indication of the state of the market as any of the gloomy statistics doing the rounds at the minute.

Payback time, again

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A return to the office today and unfortunately to a rehash of figures released by the RICS last October claiming that the the payback on solar is over 200 years. I blogged concern after the announcement but am bemused and seriously dis chuffed that the dubious numbers have resurfaced. Hardly the ideal figures in these ever gloomier economic times, which appear to have reached wrist-slitting status since I departed for some sun a week and a half ago. Why has the RICS re-released these numbers, which manufacturers Solarcentury and Velux have today now been forced to redismiss as tosh? No idea. In their statement the RICS claims it if offering "impartial expert advice" but they need a serious rethink as they are even more dangerous now as they were last autumn.

Wheely important debate

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by Michael Willoughby

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What colour is your recycling kit? A clear silly season discussion has begun on the normally staid Scalation news list regarding the bruised hues - and various shapes and sizes - of different containers up and down the land.

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Apparently, in South Manchester, they have green for garden waste, blue for paper and board and black boxes for glass, tins, etc. But plastic bottles have to be taken to the local tip.

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In North Lincolnshire the wheelies are brown for compostables, burgundy for card and plastic, and green for residual waste, plus a blue stacking box for paper and a green one for glass and metal. They will also take textiles and shoes in a plastic bag.

Hiatus

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I'm off for about ten days. Flying (firm slapped wrist) to seek sun and temporary vegetative state. Michael may be filling in, depending on how far he gets through my very long things to do list next week. Here are some posts you could have read which have stubbornly remained in my brain (and a couple that I think Casey should write for good measure - there's a trip to a steel mill in it if you do (in-joke)). If anyone fancies taking the titles and then running with them, in a blogging improv-style, feel free. Here goes - Is the Carbon Trust the new BRE? Are un-conferences the new conferences? How much can or should consultant bloggers reveal? Should member bodies be so directly involved in shaping government policy? Nudging and sustainability. Biomass miles. Wind turbines on skyscrapers - follies or the future?