The Rural ZED house- affordable eco-homes

ZEDFactory, a design and build consortium, have announced the RuralZED house. It's timber framed modular design and incorporation of recycled materials make it an affordable net-zero energy home that they hope will lead the way for future developments.

chnorati tag: EcoHouse

Branson's biofuelled jumbo

A Virgin 747 has flown from Heathrow to Schiphol with one of its fuel tanks filled with 20% biofuel. Richard Branson says that commercial flights will be powered by algal biofuel and is investing in alternative fuel development. However, there are questions about the effectiveness of teh systems Virgin will be using, the biggest of which is why aren't they working to cut flights?

Technorati tag: EcoHouse

Manchester Arndale to go Green

All the businesses in Manchester's Arndale shopping centre have pledged to go Green, cutting their carbon footprint and increasing recycling. The only problem is that a shopping centre exists to encourage consumption. Before the goods arrive and after they leave they have an impact on the environment, no matter how green the shops that sell them are.

Technorati tag: Shopping

The Leading New York General Contractor Goes Green

I'm not sure what the UK equivalent of a general contractor is, some sort of one stop building renovations. My Home say they're they're the leading general contractor in New York and have announced in a press release that they intend to promote green options for their projects.

There are some deniers whose argumnents have moved on to moaning about the cost of going green. They just can't see, or refuse to acknowledge, the flip side of their argument- that the economy is going to get a boost from all the companies being paid to work on green projects.

Technorati tag: EcoHouse

Battle of the Green streets

Streets with Green in their name are competing against each other to see which can save the most money and energy. the winning street will get £50,000 toward community projects.

Technorati tag: EcoHouse

One solution for city centres

Science fiction blog io9 has concept sketches for a possible repurposing of a mundane and moribund city centre.

Technorati tag: EcoHouse

Green home blues

The Prince of Wales plans to build a low carbon house out of natural materials, even if that means it won't attain the highest possible green building rating.

Some people are becoming convinced that the Government's stamp duty rebate for zero carbon homes is actually a con. It's possible the scheme will take off slowly, but I would be unsurprised, though a little disappointed, if the requirements for eligibility have been set too narrow deliberately.

Technorati tag: EcoHouse

Climate change denial can lead to poverty

Iain Martin roles out is a tired old argument that I've heard several times before. So this is as good a time as any to reply.

"but it makes no sense to send our economy, or those of developing countries, into reverse gear on the back of apocalyptic warnings by those who enjoy predicting disaster"

Really? Who is going to build the windmills? Manufacture and mount the solar panels? Build all the low energy houses? Bring existing houses up to standard? Where are they going to spend the billions that stand to be made? What are home owners going to do with the money they save by cutting down on waste?

How blinkered do you have to be to miss the huge opportunities that are available to the early adopters of energy saving technologies? You can finesse your arguments against climate change as much as you want, but you'd be an idiot if you couldn't see the advantages of switching to renewables and becoming more efficient.

Technorati tag: EcoHouse

To Timbuktu on Chocodiesel

Biotruck took a biodiesel processing plant to Timbuktu in Mali, so the locals could produce fuel from waste cooking oil. They made the journey carbon neutral by powering their truck with biodiesel derived from waste chocolate.

via BoingBoing

Technorati tag: Biodiesel