Neighbourhood

Guardian columnist Leo Hickman has been writing a series of articles about his attempts to live an ethical life. In the last of the series he looks at ways to become more involved in the local community.

Hydro

The British Hydropower Association- "Protecting The Environment By Promoting The Use Of Water Power And The British HydroPower Industry"

Sun farm

It's possible to retro fit almost any building with solar panels. Take the example of Manchester's CIS tower- soon to have them on all 400 feet of its service tower.

CAT

the centre for alternative technology in wales - started in 1973 .... the year i was born!

Green starts at home

It's Energy Efficiency Week and, even if you're not building a dedicated Eco House, you can still save energy and money at home.

Green specification

Back when I was at uni sites like this only existed in my geeky imagination...
http://www.greenspec.co.uk/

(Don't) Think Big

This article laments the lack of lower cost low impact housing. It's specifically about the American market, but no doubt the problem applies elsewhere. No matter how much a development may save its tenants over the years they live there, somebody needs to put up the stake money.

Of the various solutions listed I'm particularly taken by the GreenForms idea of a modular building to be expanded as the owners can afford. More on the designer, Pliny Fisk, can be found here.

It's not rocket science

The first principles of eco design....
http://www.risingtide.org.uk/tyh/eco-prin/princip.html

Clear skies

The DTI funds Clearskies renewable energy grants, which cover solar, wind and water power sources and other systems such as ground source heat pumps.

The site also has a list of approved installers and products which seem comprehensive enough for most projects.

Solar attractive

For years the complaint about roof mounted photovoltaic panels has been that they're ugly and potentially damaging. But now several companies are bringing out panels that can be fitted as roof tiles. Wired reports on them.

Waste not.....

The Scottish Green Party is calling for the country to adopt a zero waste policy.

Biomass

The Government is setting up the Bio-Energy Infrastructure Scheme to encourage the production of biomass, crops grown specially for use as environmentally-friendly fuels.

The Eco House

Jo's designing an Eco House for Mum and Dad. I'm interested in the subject, and have been for a while. So now we have this blog, for swapping ideas back and forth and pointing to cool green stuff.

I'm going to start out by recommending some related books from Amazon-

The Passive Solar House: Using Solar Design to Heat and Cool Your Home

The Whole House Book: Ecological Building Design and Materials

Sewage Solutions: Answering the Call of Nature

I'm off to do some research and come back with a longer list.