Editors' blog
Martin Wright, 8 Oct 2008
I’m writing this on Eurostar as it races over the flat and featureless pla...
Feature: New Year's Day 2030
The future, as they say, starts here: as climate change kicks in, the decisions we make today will resonate 20 years on. James Goodman unveils a new Forum for the Future project mapping out possible scenarios for a world wrestling with a new climate – in every sense.
Briefing: Adapting the capital
Mayoral plan addresses climate change risks to London
London’s vulnerability to the effects of climate change has spurred mayor Boris Johnson to announce what is billed as the first ever Climate Change Adaptation Strategy for a major city.
Briefing: Wind in deep water
Floating platforms promise economic wind farms far out at sea
Can offshore turbines be freed from the limitations – and high costs – of fixed installation on the seabed? Yes, say the developers of floating platforms, designed to support wind farms much further out to sea than is currently viable.
Feature: The Greenhouse Effect
Eight years from now, all new homes in England must be zero-carbon. Is that possible? Can we afford it? And who’s leading the charge to make it happen? Terry Slavin and Roger East find some answers.
Opinion: Dr Earth
One-time Tory party candidate and property millionaire Andrew Charalambous, aka Dr Earth, talks to Green Futures at Bar Surya, his ‘world-first’ eco club – where you generate electricity while you dance.
Briefing: School report
Councils ‘must try harder’ on emissions, says sustainability watchdog
The CO2 output from schools will be counted as part of each authority’s total under the Carbon Reduction Commitment, the domestic emissions trading scheme due to be launched in 2010.
Anaconda joins wave energy hunt
Julia Sussams October 3 2008, Wave power/tidal
The world’s largest snake, which hunts its prey in water, has given its name to a pioneering new device for generating electricity from waves.
India launches climate plan
Martin Wright September 24 2008, Climate change
Proposals 'too little, too late' say critics
Solar power will be “centre stage” in India’s strategy to tackle global warming, according to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
PV’s bright future?
Louise Vennells September 5 2008, Built environment, Innovation, Science & technology
Window coating could be low-cost solar breakthrough
Price is still a real barrier to household-level photovoltaic power. But a special coated window glass, developed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, could help crack that problem.
Greening Whitechapel
Julia Sussams August 21 2008, Recycling
City market leads the way in waste recycling
London’s bustling and colourful Whitechapel Market, selling everything from salmon to saris, has suddenly gone greener and cleaner – as the first market in the country to recycle nearly 100% of its rubbish.
Transport of delight
August 18 2008, Aviation, Transport & travel
GF tastes airship technology at first hand over London
A cleaner, more civilised flying experience than frenetic jet travel? Green Futures went on one of the world’s largest airships to find out.
Bin bounty
Louise Vennells August 18 2008, Local government, Policy, Waste & recycling
Councils to reward residents for recycling
Within months, UK residents could be cashing in on their recycling under a new scheme which has already encouraged Americans to go green on their rubbish.
American Eye
August 15 2008, Behaviour change, Higher/Further Education, Society & culture, Young people
Fired up over climate change, US students are turning up the heat on colleges’ green credentials. Polly Ghazi sees this driving a race for the top.
Hydrogen takes to the water
Tom Bamford August 8 2008, Freight, Hydrogen/fuel cells, Shipping
Barge breakthrough on zero emission shipping
When transport secretary Ruth Kelly addressed the International Maritime Organization on the subject of the shipping industry’s huge carbon dioxide emissions, she might have drawn inspiration from an unassuming canal boat in Birmingham.
Beefing up biomass
Susan Gransden August 7 2008, Energy sources
Waste timber, sawdust, or even willow, could be powering your home in 2011 if you get some of your electricity from a new biomass power station in Lincolnshire.
Coal out for carbon count
Polly Ghazi July 29 2008, Americas, Carbon reduction, Energy issues, Fossil fuels
New plants “must set CO2 limits”, US court rules
In the latest salvo in the intensifying US battle over the future of coal-fired electricity generation, the state of Georgia has blocked construction of a major new power station...
Cool-off for coal
Jon Wallace July 29 2008, Carbon sequestration, Climate change, Fossil fuels, Policy
Halt plans for 'unclean' coal power stations, say reports
With no fewer than six current projects proposing to build new coal-fired power stations in the UK, it would be a bad mistake to approve any of them now, says Matthew Lockwood of the Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr).
Brand old
Clare Dowdy July 21 2008, Marketing, Re-use/refurbishment
Vintage has made it from the fringe to the high street, as big brands decorate their stores with reclaimed materials. But if you scratch the surface is there any substance? Clare Dowdy asks what we’re buying into.
“Science dictates that we need a 100% reduction in carbon emissions. Here’s how to achieve it”
Oliver Tickell July 14 2008, Carbon reduction
Oliver Tickell makes the case for controlling greenhouse gases ‘close to the source’ via a groundbreaking new worldwide permits auction.
2020 vision
Hannah Bullock July 14 2008, Energy sources, Solar energy/PV, Wind power
Government launches ambitious blueprint for alternative energy future
A government proposal to generate 15% of energy from renewables by 2020 paints a radically different picture of life in just 12 years’ time: solar panels on 7 million buildings, 3 million homes heated with biomass...
Bucking trends and breaking records
Jon Wallace July 11 2008, Biofuels, Sport
Green powerboat takes on the world – and wins
Pulling into the Spanish port of Sagunto a full 13 days, 21 hours and 9 minutes ahead of the official circumnavigation record, it was a case of around the world in 60 days for the crew of Earthrace, the hawk-like biodiesel-powered trimaran.
Reasons to be cheerful
Martin Wright July 11 2008, Climate change, Energy issues
"We've just seen the first big win in the fight to stabilise the world's climate"
Lester Brown finds cause for optimism on climate change.
Hailing the future
Julia Sussams July 7 2008, Hydrogen/fuel cells, Mass transit/Public transport
Hydrogen taxis get the green light for 2012
London’s aim of organising the “first ‘sustainable’ Games” has been given a further boost after plans were unveiled for a fleet of zero-emission hydrogen taxis, to be on the streets in time for the start of the 2012 Olympics.
And another thing
Martin Wright July 1 2008, Lifestyles, Transport & travel
“Like crying wolf when all seems quiet, it’s counter-productive to bang on endlessly about the dangers of climate change”
Faced with a mix of recession and a muddle of climate change denial, it's time to extol green joys, not taxes, says Martin Wright.
Letters
June 30 2008
"There’ll never be a more blatant example to show that, when needs must, it’s OK to put to one side all that guff about governments not interfering in the market."
Energy for change
Martin Wright June 28 2008, Awards & grants, Community energy, Solar energy/PV
Award-winning projects from Tibet to Truro.
Hang the DJ
Martin Wright June 28 2008, Entrepreneurship, Radio
Chantal Cook saw the future of radio. Now she broadcasts it on Passion for the Planet.
Shelter from the storm?
Mike Scott June 28 2008, Banking, Climate change impacts, Socially responsible investment
Mike Scott checks out green investment as a safe haven.
Whitehall Watch
Peter Madden June 28 2008, Budget/Taxation, Green government, Local government
Must sustainability always suffer from political short-termism? Peter Madden says it’s time to take the longer view.
Des res, future style
Marie-Louise Schembri June 28 2008, Architecture, Construction
The new look of tomorrow’s homes – Entec UK
Power without responsibility?
Dax Lovegrove June 28 2008, Carbon reduction, Corporate responsibility
Energy majors in the dock on climate change – WWF
Riding with the Rail Guru
Ed Gillespie June 28 2008, Aviation, Mass transit/Public transport, Railways, Transport & travel
Ed Gillespie meets The Man in Seat 61
“That’s good – it’s buying me a curry.” Mark Smith’s reaction to the first payment he received for ‘The Man in Seat 61’ is somehow typical of the man behind this pioneering train travel advice site.
Tomorrow's house today
Roger East June 28 2008, Built environment, Housing
Volume housebuilder showcases the zero carbon home
The ‘zero carbon home’ has become concrete reality. The Barratt Green House is the first new home built by a mainstream housebuilder which measures up to the strict sustainability criteria they’ll all have to meet by 2016.
Green borrowers afloat
June 27 2008, Banking, Finance, Green Futures partners, Socially responsible investment
Silver lining on credit for social business – Triodos Bank
Consigning carbon to captivity?
Neil Wilks June 27 2008, Carbon sequestration, Climate change impacts, Green Futures partners
A chance to lead the world on carbon capture – Yorkshire Forward
American Eye
Polly Ghazi June 27 2008, Americas, Behaviour change, Cars, Commuting, Consumption
$4 a gallon? It may seem peanuts to British drivers, writes Polly Ghazi, but in shell shocked America, soaring fuel prices are triggering a revolution in commuter habits, and a fundamental shake-up of the auto industry.
Editorial
Roger East June 24 2008
There aren’t many subjects on which I prefer Harry S Truman’s words to those of Oscar Wilde. But the former US president’s prosaic definitions – “a pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities, while an optimist makes opportunities of his difficulties” seem more helpful in these crunch times than the poet’s cry, “the basis of optimism is pure terror”.
Uncontained delight
Tom Bamford June 24 2008, Behaviour change, Consumption, Local food, Retail
Goods without wrappers catch on with shoppers
A shop in Islington is changing the way we look at packaging.
One down, but one to go
Jon Wallace June 24 2008
Renewed optimism follows “bitter disappointment” over Lewis wind farm
It was a case of one door closing, another opening for renewable energy on the island of Lewis...
Coffin makers carry it off
Roger East June 24 2008, Awards & grants
Awards fete UK's greenest companies
Another sign of the interest in ‘green exemplars’ – the new Sunday Times Best Green Companies awards.
Seagen tidecatcher makes its debut
Roger East June 24 2008, Wave power/tidal
Largest tidal stream power device in the world ready to launch
The innovative tide-harnessing turbine known as SeaGen is securely in place, linked up to the grid, and almost ready to start turning the rapid ebbs and flows of Northern Ireland’s Strangford Lough into green electricity.
The taming of the screw
Jon Wallace June 24 2008, Hydro electric
Ancient technology finds new application
Thousands of years after it was invented for drawing water out of ship hulls, the ‘Archimedes screw’ has been rediscovered as an efficient, low-maintenance and ecologically sound hydropower generator.
From cow to bag
Tom Bamford June 24 2008, Packaging
Sainsbury's to sell milk in recyclable plastic ‘pouches’
The initiative, in partnership with milk supplier Dairy Crest, will only work if customers prove more green-minded than they were in 2001, when the supermarket chain’s first attempt to wean us onto pouches was abandoned due to lack of consumer interest.
Great wall of light
Tom Bamford June 24 2008, Architecture, Built environment, Solar energy/PV
Chinese capital showcases solar powered LEDs
It might not be the biggest wall in China, but the Greenpix Zero Energy Media Wall in Beijing can lay claim to its own record.
Real green promises
Tom Berry June 24 2008
When people know what I do at work, they tend to expect me to ‘know the answer’ to questions like: “Which is better, Fairtrade or locally grown?”
Where does the power lie?
Anna Birney June 24 2008, Behaviour change, Inspiration
People keep asking me about my job title. The ‘change’ bit isn’t the issue; the question is about what we mean by ‘leadership’.
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Quips
“In 2007, decentralised renewables worldwide attracted $71 billion in private capital. Nuclear got zero. Why? Economics.”7.5%
The percentage of UK office waste that reaches a recycling facility – when 70% of it is actually recyclable.
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Will Hutton
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