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Reading Sustainability Centre

education project, eco centre, exhibitions

18/10/2017

Reading Community Solar PV – round two

Following its successful first year of operation, RCES is extending its portfolio of buildings to cover a radius of 10 miles from the centre of Reading. As a consequence, the Society is seeking owners and users of suitable buildings to have renewable energy facilities (such as solar and possibly other technologies) installed on their buildings at no cost.

See link https://www.dropbox.com/s/2u5nraqbq8uqr3j/RCES%20Invite%20to%20organisations%20to%20extend%20the%20portfolio%20-%20FINAL%20FINAL%20171017.docx?dl=0

Building owners and users will benefit through:
• RCES purchasing and installing the renewable energy facility at no cost to the building owner;
• The building owner/tenant will be able to purchase electricity generated at a preferential price, guaranteed for 20 years;
• Demonstrably supporting the uptake of low carbon technologies, and supporting local community initiatives through the Community Fund
• Optionally, invest in the scheme itself, to benefit from the projected shareholder returns
Buildings that are particularly suitable for partnership with RCES include:
• those medium or large buildings (with suitable roof space of greater than 100 m2 requiring an installation of over 10kW)
• those that have a single occupier and a single electric meter
• those using most of the electricity generated
• roofs that are largely south-east to south-west facing and unshaded, of a construction that will enable safe installation of these panels.

The buildings that are most likely to fit into these criteria include schools and colleges, offices, museums, medical centres, care homes and leisure centres, as well as commercial buildings such as factories, technology centres and retail stores.

For more details see link above

Article by Admin / Carbon reduction, Energy, TRSC news Leave a Comment

10/09/2017

Daily Planet: This week’s ten biggest climate innovation stories

Which energy efficiency measures can save the UK billions? Which country plans to end oil and gas exploration and production by 2040? And, is it possible to make money by removing CO₂ from the atmosphere?

Find out about This week’s ten biggest climate innovation stories — 7 September

(Via. Climate KIC – Daily Planet)

Article by Paul Ducker / Carbon reduction, Energy, Spotted on the web, Waste / carbon, climate change, energy, innovation, renewable energy, waste Leave a Comment

21/12/2016

Reducing food waste helps, but it’s going to take systemic action to tackle climate change

This article by Erasmus zu Ermgassen, University of Cambridge was originally published on The Conversation.

In a climate conscious era, we’re forever being asked to “turn the lights off” or “drive less!” or “recycle more!”. These familiar messages put the onus on individuals – that is, you and me – to change our behaviour, reduce our impact, and be greener. But what are the limits to these behavioural tweaks? Do they actually make any difference? While they may help a little, to substantially reduce our carbon emissions or be truly more sustainable, we’ll also need a greater focus on “the system”.

The problem is that little actions typically only make a little difference. While there are rare examples of small gestures from individual people leading to big changes – think of Rosa Parks’ decision about where to sit on the bus – unfortunately for the do-gooders out there, many people recycle, but it’s a lot more difficult to spark a recycling revolution.

And so, it’s understandable if the Tesco approach to greening the planet (“every little helps!”) doesn’t feel like it’ll achieve the deep cuts in greenhouses gases needed to avoid dangerous climate change – because it probably won’t. If, for example, you eat a Western diet, cutting down on meat can reduce your carbon footprint: vegetarian diets produce about 20-30% fewer greenhouse gases than their meat-eating equivalents. Problem solved? Unfortunately not.

For most people living in Europe, your diet makes up say 10% of your carbon footprint, so that 30% greenhouse gas saving sums to about a less impressive 3% cut in your total carbon emissions. While that may be an important and achievable 3% reduction, we’re going to have to do more than that – especially if these changes in our behaviour have unforeseen consequences.

The system fights back

Imagine if providing recycling bins actually increased waste. That’s what they found in the bathrooms at the University of Washington. Researchers measured how many paper hand towels people used and threw away under two scenarios, one where there was a recycling bin available, and one where there wasn’t. They found – perhaps surprisingly – that where people could recycle, they wasted more.

This is an example of a “rebound effect”, where a behavioural change (for example, encouraging recycling) has unforeseen side-effects which reduce the hoped-for benefits. In this case, where there were recycling bins, people felt it was OK to use more paper – it was, after all, being recycled. And this isn’t an isolated example. We recently analysed the impacts of efforts to reduce food waste in the UK, and found a worryingly similar pattern.

Recycling helps, but it won’t be enough to save the planet.
KaliAntye

Food waste is a huge problem. UK households waste about a third of their food and this waste produces a lot of carbon – eliminating household food waste would be equivalent to taking one in four cars off the road. Recognising this, there are a growing number of initiatives to reduce food waste, by reducing confusion about best before dates, encouraging people to plan their meals, or by redistributing it to the hungry.

I wholeheartedly support these initiatives (we even served food waste at my wedding), but their benefits are tempered by rebound effects. When people waste less food, they also save money from the food they didn’t have to buy (and waste). This extra money doesn’t disappear. Instead, it’s spent on other things: be that travel, furniture, or Pokémon Go. And it turns out that when we take into account this rebound spending, it reduces the benefits in terms of greenhouse gases by as much as 60%.

What this tells us is that even the best intentions are constrained by the unsustainable socioeconomic system that we all live in. To dramatically reduce greenhouse gases we still need people to take the little actions, by wasting less or using public transport – but we also need to push for systemic change: we need to decarbonise the whole economy, so that when rebounds occur, they work with us, not against us.

Fix the system

So, what should we do? Our food waste example provides a few clues. We analysed the environmental impact of food waste across the whole supply chain and found that because the UK imports half of its food, the impacts in other parts of the world are disproportionately important – in fact, almost two-thirds of the UK’s food-related greenhouse gas emissions occur abroad.

We need to fix the system to avoid unintended consequences.
http://interactioninstitute.org/unintended-consequences/

To fix the UK’s food system, we first need to see it as a system – there are huge opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by fostering sustainable farming practices, not just in the UK, but also in the developing world. To make this happen, we need to work with the levers which move the system – petition to make government policy more outward looking, or boycott and shame companies whose products are associated with deforestation or other greenhouse gas-releasing practices.

Admittedly, trying to move the system is more daunting than behavioural change at home, and ultimately, we still need to do both. It’s important to organise political sit-ins and boycotts, and make politicians aware if you disagree with the disbanding of the Department of Climate Change or government support for fracking, for example – but also don’t forget to turn off the lights when you’re done.

The Conversation

Erasmus zu Ermgassen, Researcher in sustainable food systems, University of Cambridge

Read the original article.

Article by Paul Ducker / Carbon reduction, Spotted on the web, Waste / behaviour, food system, recycling

01/12/2016

Bournemouth aims to become a green economy leader

Taking inspiration from cities such as Vancouver, Stockholm and Copenhagen, Bournemouth recently announced a plan to position itself at the vanguard of environmental protection; a wholesale economic transformation to attract businesses, talent and investment.

Read more about Bournemouth’s ambitions in Edie’s feature article ‘The Bournemouth Identity: Building a green business hub on the south coast’, including how the Council has utilised the expertise and influence of the private sector through its Sustainable Business Leadership Group, the role of the university and the Council’s membership of the Compact of Mayors.

Article by Paul Ducker / Carbon reduction, Communities, consumption and the local economy, Global connections, Spotted on the web, Universities / business, circular economy, cities, collaboration, strategy

18/11/2016

University of Reading wins two Green Awards

The University was winner in the ‘Facilities and Services’ category of this year’s Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC) 2016 Green Gown Awards.

This follows hot on the heals of another national award – winning in the ‘Stars of the Future’ category of the Love Energy Savings’ awards.

Reading won both awards for the energy efficiency improvements it has implemented in its science labs.

A £1.025 million estate-wide review and upgrade of science laboratory ventilation, covering 252 fume cupboards is delivering annual savings of 1,037 tCO2 and £315,641.

The Green Gown Award judges saw Reading’s entry as

…an exemplar model of engagement and collaboration with senior academic leaders which has led to a significant impact on energy savings and carbon reduction measures.  Strong leadership for this project aligns closely with the theme of ‘Securing and Sustaining Societies’ in the University’s overarching strategy to 2026.

Read more on the University’s blog, Green Gowns Award web site and Love Energy Savings’ Awards web site.

Article by Paul Ducker / Carbon reduction, Energy efficiency, News and views, Retrofit, Sustainable Reading / buildings

16/11/2016

Green groups call for ‘bold’ Government action to ignite UK’s low-carbon transition

The UK Government can embed a “world class” low-carbon environment that could mobilise significant investment streams, but only if current policy gaps and mixed legislative signals are addressed with “bold” action.

That is the overarching view of the Future low carbon investment in the UK report, published on 16 November 2016 by a group of leading NGOs, which claimed that the UK’s carbon plan and industrial strategy could generate billions in clean revenue streams if the Government sharpens policies in the low-carbon heat and transport sectors.

“Integrating the carbon plan and industrial strategy can unlock investment in the power, heat and transport sectors into the 2020s,” the report noted. “Public investment in such projects brings significant benefits to the UK. Alongside attracting private investment, low carbon projects generate jobs, improve health and increase the competitiveness needed to export the UK’s skills and knowledge to global markets.

“The government can address current policy gaps with supportive spending and policy decisions in this parliament that set a clear direction for the future.”

The report, produced by the Green Alliance, RSPB, WWF, CAFOD, Christian Aid and Greenpeace, claimed that “bold” action is need to stimulate the UK’s low-carbon transition. According to the report, clearer policies on renewables could attract around £47bn of investment between 2021 and 2026, while £8.6bn could be saved annually during the 2020s by retrofitting domestic buildings with heat efficiency measures.

Read more about the findings and recommendations contained in the report in the full article, ‘Green groups call for ‘bold’ Government action to ignite UK’s low-carbon transition’, on the Edie web site.

Article by Paul Ducker / Carbon reduction, Energy, Spotted on the web, Transport / buildings, climate change, electric vehicles, fuel poverty, health, renewable energy, retrofit

09/11/2016

The battle against climate change is becoming a social movement, says Climate-KIC

The 200 years that it took to industrialise the world and seep damaging carbon into the atmosphere can be mitigated within the next three decades, but only if funds are made available to kick-start a rapid decarbonisation process that revolves around social awareness.

That is the view of John Schellnhuber, chair of Europe’s largest public-private innovation partnership Climate-KIC, who believes social pressure and an immediate decarbonisation strategy are key to ensuring that global warming is limited to the “well-below 2C” target established through the Paris Agreement.

Schellnhuber was speaking at the Climate Innovation Summit in Frankfurt (8 November). His message that “You have physical and biological tipping points …. but equally you also have social tipping points” was echoed by Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), who addressed the conference via web link. 

spinosa said “Right now, governments are meeting in Marrakesh to discuss the details of how the Paris Agreement will move forward. Their discussion must be complemented by a wider discussion on how to achieve transformative change and truly meet the climate challenge. We must expand the network when working on climate solutions. Transformational change will not happen if only a small fraction of the private sector takes action. Transformational change requires action from every community in every country.”

Read the full article ‘The battle against climate change is becoming a social movement, says Climate-KIC’ on the Edie web site.

Article by Paul Ducker / Carbon reduction, Communities, consumption and the local economy, Spotted on the web / climate change, communication, communities, social networks

03/11/2016

Sweden paying people to fix things

To combat its ‘throwaway consumer culture’, Sweden has announced tax breaks on repairs to clothes, bicycles, fridges and washing machines. On bikes and clothes, VAT has been reduced from 25% to 12% and on white goods consumers can claim back income tax due on the person doing the work.

The scheme is expected to cost the state some $54 million in lost taxes, which will be more than outweighed by income from a new tax on harmful chemicals in white goods. Moreover, Sweden’s economy is growing strongly and the government has an $800 million budget surplus.

Alexander Starritt interviewed the man behind the scheme, deputy finance minister Per Bolund, a member of the Green party and a biologist by training. He spoke about nudging people towards better choices; creating jobs for skilled manual workers; and Sweden’s six-hour working day.

Read the interview on the Medium web site, which originally appeared on World Economic Forum web site.

Article by Paul Ducker / Carbon reduction, Communities, consumption and the local economy, Spotted on the web, Waste / circular economy, recycle, repair, reuse

01/11/2016

Green Building Council office refurb sets record for low-carbon impact

The central London headquarters of the UK Green Building Council (UK-GBC) has achieved the lowest embodied carbon footprint ever recorded for a UK office refurbishment.

Led by London-based architects Barr Gazetas, the refurbishment project has resulted in a 139kgCO2/m2 embodied carbon footprint at UK-GBC’s 162m2 office floorspace – 22% below a comparable “standard” fit-out.

A range of innovative measures have improved the office’s environmental impact: an automated LED lighting system has led to a 48% decrease in carbon emissions, while 98% of original fixtures and finishes have been re-used or re-purposed thanks to an emphasis on waste and resource management.

Read more about the refurbishment in ‘Green Building Council office refurb sets record for low-carbon impact’ on the Edie web site.

On 31 October 2016 the office was also host to the 14th episode of edie’s Sustainable Business Covered podcast, which discussed the past, present and future of green building’s with the UK-GBC’s campaigns and policy director John Alker.

Article by Paul Ducker / Carbon reduction, Energy efficiency, Planning and design, Retrofit, Spotted on the web / buildings, case study, refurbishment

01/11/2016

Energy efficiency: Up to 35% of non-domestic properties in the UK could be unlettable by 2018

It is estimated that up to 35% of properties in the UK could be unlettable by April 2018 if action is not taken to improve energy efficiency ratings. The Energy Act 2011 contains a provision for minimum energy standards, and from 1st April 2018 it will be unlawful for a landlord to lease a non-domestic property with an EPC Rating of less than E.

Read the full article, ‘Energy efficiency: up to 35% of UK properties could be unlettable by 2018’, by Dan Ellis on the Edie Blog.

Article by Paul Ducker / Carbon reduction, Energy efficiency, Planning and design, Retrofit, Spotted on the web / buildings

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