Entries for March 2009

Most businesses are totally unprepared for the forthcoming Carbon Reduction Commitment regulation, according to independent environmental consultancy Envos.

As part of its effort to combat climate change and drive economic recovery, the European Commission on 12 March called on member states and industry to use information and communications technologies to improve energy efficiency. 

As G20 leaders gathered in England to prepare for the approaching London summit, the chancellor warned onlookers not to be too optimistic. 

Good advice on commercial building refurbishment was dispensed at one of dozens of seminars at the Ecobuild 2009 exhibition. Refurbishment received attention alongside new build projects, which are often presented as sexier.

Former US vice president Al Gore has said that he believes a global climate change deal will be agreed at the United Nations climate summit in Copenhagen in December. 

The EU’s Ecodesign Regulatory Committee has approved a regulation to reduce the electricity consumption of industrial motors - which should save the equivalent of Sweden's annual electricity consumption. 

Joe Tatton-Brown finds out how 100 million kwhrs of heat goes out of the window each year in the London boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea, Camden and Wandsworth.

The Empty Homes Agency has published a new guide to address the low use of Empty Dwelling Management Orders to bring long-term empty houses back into use.

A winning design for a new educational, conference and seed production complex at the National Wildflower Centre in Knowsley, Liverpool, will be rated BREEAM ‘outstanding’.

The Eiffel Tower, Sydney Opera House and the London Eye are among the iconic buildings, businesses and homes in over 680 cities that have pledged to turn off their lights for WWF’s Earth Hour, to show their wish for a new plan to tackle climate change. 

Following on from the success of the Make Poverty History march that welcomed G8 leaders to the Edinburgh summit in summer 2005, the delegates at the G20 summit in London this month will be greeted by thousands marching for “jobs, justice and climate change”.

The Scottish Government has announced new building standards from October 2010 which will scale down short-term ambitions to reduce carbon emissions from non-domestic buildings, but its long term commitment to meet an 80% carbon reduction by 2050 remains.

Somewhat overshadowed by the protestor who threw green slime over business secretary Peter Mandelson as he arrived at the Royal Society, last Friday ministers launched the government’s Low Carbon Industrial Strategy.

Government needs new mandatory objectives to reduce carbon emissions, or the targets in the Climate Change Act may not be met, CABE has warned in its new report.

The LES Partnership is profiling three projects across England that are implementing Low Emission Strategies, as 15 local authorities have now signed up to work with them.