Not too far in the future we will look back at a certain building which was the first to successfully address, in its vision, construction and operation, one of the imperatives of the 21st-century. It would be so unambiguously planet-friendly that when we see it we will know at once that this is the model,… Continue reading
Browsing Category Environment
New campaign aims to create lifeline nature reserves in UK gardens
Imagine a million acres of new nature reserves, scattered like countless pieces of a green mosaic all over Britain, and costing next to nothing to create. We are not talking special skills or complicated management. Anyone can build one of these wildlife havens. All you need is a garden. Entry level qualification is the ability… Continue reading →
Regions go it alone as Govt dithers on green growth
With the government rowing back on green growth – Chancellor George Osborne’s speech to the 2011 Conservative party conference, when he voiced his scepticism abaout green industries‘ ability to boost economic recovery – does it make more sense to look for sustainability progress in our cities and regions? This, after all, is what is… Continue reading →
Time to bin the plastic bag – Wales shows a lead
Is Britain turning into the land of the ban? And shouldn’t we applaud? Admittedly only quite modest things being stopped so far. We’re not moving towards (heaven forbid) banning the bomb, or outlawing Co2, or even the burka. However these small prohibitions do represent interesting initiatives for an essentially liberal and tolerant society. The next… Continue reading →
Greece embraces solar power – could Turkey follow?
It was easy to describe the weather on our recent break in Turkey. The sun shone powerfully throughout the day, every day, without a break, for two weeks. Friends and family who just endured a particularly grim August in the UK gave me a pained look and quickly change the subject. A first-time visitor to… Continue reading →
The forest fix – we chopped 'em down, now plant 'em back
Fixing the atmosphere, where (so most scientists believe) a buildup of CO2 is causing the planet to overheat, is an immensely daunting challenge, and with today’s technology probably an impossible one. All we can do is stop the problem getting worse. But could there be a much more manageable, even potentially climate-stabilizing, target we could… Continue reading →